Episode 172 - Sisterly Catch Up: Sharing Our Sleep Struggles, Binge-Worthy Shows, Fave Workouts, And More (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 172.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. I'm so tired.

SPEAKER_00:

You want to kick it off? Oh, I'm. Yeah. Do you notice? I just I don't know if you have this with Adam, but I do this to all the time. Like if he says I'm tired, I'm like, oh, my God, I'm so tired. It's like a competition. Yes. So when you just said I'm so tired, I'm like, yeah, me too. I got like no sleep last night. So let's start off with that. So Nirvana Sisters family, Kate and I decided we just needed to catch up. And speaking of sleep, my sleep has been horrible, which is so unusual for me. First of all, I have a cold, so that's probably why. But I think I have a cold because I've been sleeping like not great the last few weeks, probably from stress. But I don't know if it's time of year. I don't know what it is. Have you been feeling that way?

SPEAKER_01:

I have been sleeping fine, but I'm having a really hard time falling asleep. Mm hmm. I'm waking up so tired. I don't. So my like one of my superpowers is I either a wake up before the alarm or B, I wake up with the alarm and I shut it off and I get right up and start my day with no problem. I had that hasn't been me though for a while and it's driving me crazy because like the first half of my day I'm in a sleepy fog like I am right now. Story of my life, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

At night I'm like wired. This is me. This is what's been happening to me lately. It's driving me crazy. And then you get in this pattern of like being a night owl. So last night, for example, this is terrible. I was up late. I was like tired, but then I got wired. So I ended up watching the season finale of Tell Me Lies at like, I don't know, one in the morning. Probably didn't fall asleep till two. I just couldn't fall asleep. And then I was watching that show, of course. And, you know, it was amazing. If anyone's not watching Tell Me Lies, it's such a good like, you know, binger of a show. But anyway, same thing.

SPEAKER_01:

It's driving me insane. I don't I. First of all, if I stayed up that late, I wouldn't be here right now, so I don't even know how you're doing it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I know. I'm like running on empty right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Late for me is like 11, but you know, I always go to bed early.

SPEAKER_00:

So, I don't know. What's a good time of sleep for you to go to bed? Is it like 9 or 10?

SPEAKER_01:

My most ideal time to fall asleep is between 10 and 10.30, if I wake up earlier, great. But you know, I'm usually up at like 5. So yeah, if I was two and got up at five, I'd be dead meat.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so my ideal time to fall asleep is between 10.30 and 11, and then get up around seven, which is usually my routine. But I'm finding I'm having a hard time to stick to that routine right now, because I think what's happening, I was explaining this to Stu too, and I don't know if you feel this way, I'm sure you do. I feel like I'm so busy during the day, and then by the time you finish dinner and do the things you have to do, it's like then you have no downtime to yourself, and I feel like my only downtime is nine or 10 o'clock at night. 100%. And then it's like I don't have a wind down routine and it's like you really need to start the wind down routine at like eight o'clock, but we're still doing stuff at eight o'clock at night. So I got to like redo our whole schedule.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's 100% without a doubt part of our problem. And I kind of think a little bit has to do with back to school and like getting the girls back into the back to school routine. Yeah. Madeline also is now getting to the age where she wants to stay up later. So not getting into I used to put the girls to bed and be in bed, like turning my TV on ready to have my me time by like 805. Yeah, forget it. It's not happening till like 9 or 9.30.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. I mean, I don't even really. I mean, Jules is in ninth grade, Jackson's in 12, so it's not like I put them to bed anymore. But like I also was traveling to L.A. last weekend and it was a great trip, but it was like Friday to Sunday, which was totally fine in the moment. But then I think it's taken me like a week to catch up just from like traveling and like a long flight and the jet lag and whatever. hence why I have a cold and yada yada but yeah I think it's a hectic time of year and I'm glad I'm talking to you and you feel the same way because we all just need to take a step back and breathe because I just feel like I'm it's also I'm stressed because it's Jackson's senior year and there's like all this college stuff and like there's a thousand things going on so I'm just having a hard time balancing it so I'm trying to go back to all the things that we talked about like I'm trying to do my breathing I'm trying to like really hone in on it, but I think the sleep, if I can, to your point, get it organized where I can wind down earlier and get in bed by 10.30 or so, then at least I feel like if I get my sleep schedule back, then everything else will fall into place. I also have eight sleep, which I don't know if we've talked about before. Did we talk about eight sleep?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know if we've covered it yet.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you know what it is?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you've told me about it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Just for our audience, if you don't know what eight sleep is, it's changed the game. Well, obviously, the last two weeks, I haven't been sleeping well. So taking that aside before that changed the game on sleeping.

SPEAKER_01:

You get into eight sleep. Yeah. I can't help but think like, as the season's changing part of it, and just like, Oh, and everything can't be alone, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Now, I'm sure our listeners and other people are feeling the same way because I feel like all my friends feel the same way right now, too. It's just like that time of year where it's very hectic. And I always feel like that, too, when the seasons change. It's like, I don't know, your body just feels different sometimes.

SPEAKER_01:

those things off. Okay, so Eight Sleep, yeah, you told me so many.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah, Eight Sleep is amazing. I won't go super in depth, I'll talk about it on a Product Junkies episode, but it's basically this mattress cover that you can put on top of your mattress and it heats and cools and you can program it. And not only does it do that, it captures all your biometrics. So I can see last night, where's my phone? I can see, well, I don't even wanna tell you my sleep scores, they're probably horrible. but you can get your sleep scores. Actually, my sleep score wasn't terrible. For some reason, it says my sleep quality was 90%. which isn't bad, because I thought I didn't sleep so good. But anyway, it gives you your sleep fitness score, tells you the quality of your sleep, it tells you how much REM sleep versus deep sleep. So it gives you all of the data, and it also auto-optimizes the temperature based on how you're sleeping. It also captures your snoring, it captures how long it took you to fall asleep, it captures your heart rate variability, all that kind of stuff. So it's really cool for data nerds, which I know you are, but the best thing about it is just You know, you can get in if you like a warm bed at night or a cold bed, you can schedule the temperature and it just turns on and you get into bed and it's like nice and warm or nice and cold. And then it also, you can change it throughout the night. So if you want it to be cool all night, you can make it cool all night. And then in the morning, you can set it so it gets warmer because you naturally will wake up with like a warmer temperature. You can naturally wake up with a warmer temperature. So like it helps you to wake up. And then my favorite part is the thermal alarm. The bed wakes you up with like a gentle vibration, like a tap. It's almost like someone's tapping you to wake up. Game changer. So you don't wake up with like an alarm sound. I mean, it takes the sunrise alarm clock to the next level because it's not even it's just like a light little tap. But anyway, that's been like my favorite sleep hack or sleep tool. Just not lately. So I got to get my routine back in check.

SPEAKER_01:

Does it have two zones for the temperature? Yes. Your partner wants a different temperature.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So Stu always sleeps hot. And now he's literally not hot when he sleeps anymore. He puts the cold down and it goes down to like minus 10 or plus 10. And I think he only puts it on like minus two and it's cold enough, which is crazy. It's very it's an it's an incredible. Product anyway. OK, so sleep, we're not doing good, but we need to do better, so.

SPEAKER_01:

I feel like my diet has been pretty on point. I've been focusing a lot on whole foods lately. In the summertime, I think my diet flies off a little bit because there's just so much celebratory Like it's just so it's like a time where you're on vacation. Yeah. We're entertaining a lot. So I've been trying to hone that in and get more into just like really, really focusing on on eating whole foods, which I think is always such an easy hack to get your diet tuned in. You know, it's like I'm not calorie counting. I'm not. Yeah. Not like restricting anything except for really like processed crap. Right. And focusing on whole foods like 80, 20, 90, 10, maybe. Yeah. So I'm like, if I can get my sleep dialed in, then I think I'll be feeling really, really good. What about you? Have you tried anything new lately? Any new good? I'm trying to think if I've had any good... What's one of the best snacks that are like healthy snacks?

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I'm like crazy with snacks. I feel like I always have good snacks. I do have like some good, I mean... Like I like my chickpea snacks. I got these really good. I don't well, they're gluten-free and These somewhat healthy a little like snacks from a Costco these like organic little yogurt covered fruit things which are good. I Feel like we have good snacks. I feel like my my eating has been healthy ish, but like not full meals, which is always my problem. It's like I'll graze all day on healthy things, but like I'll have carrots and hummus and then I'll have like, I don't know, one of my protein bagels and then I'll have this. Like I'm not lately. I'm not sitting down to eat like to your point, a full meal with like whole foods where there's, you know, a carb, a protein and a vegetable. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, I'm not.

SPEAKER_01:

It's because you haven't been as hungry. You're just like too busy.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's both and like lazy. I just want like things made. Like my go-to is always like hard boiled eggs or tuna or like, it's just like one thing. It's not like a full meal. So do you know what I mean? Like, or even if I make dinner at night, I'm always like, okay, I'll make chicken. And then I'm like, wait, I need something else with it, like rounding it out. So I always need like inspo. But like, I look at some of the people that we follow, like Katkin Cook, and I get ideas, but it's like, I, I'm not organized enough to get stuff in advance. So like, sometimes I'll do that, but I've just been inconsistent.

SPEAKER_01:

You know what I feel like is the best hack for that is, is adding sweet potatoes. It's because sweet, they're so good for you and they are filled with fiber and they are just really, they're like, I love sweet potatoes and you can literally, I mean, it's not the best thing, but if you're in a time crunch, pop it in the microwave and it's done in like minutes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I also have the sweet potatoes that just reminds me in the freezer, like those ones that are like already cuts. You can put them in like in the toaster. I forgot about those. My kids don't eat sweet potatoes, though. Stu and I do. Do your kids eat sweet potatoes?

SPEAKER_01:

Maddie does. Reese, I mean, I don't even know how Reese exists.

SPEAKER_00:

Is she still just eating pasta or what is she eating?

SPEAKER_01:

No, she eats at least at like the best I can get in her is like nuts and seeds, seaweed, sugar snap peas, cucumbers. But then asides from that, all she wants is like pasta, rice, or processed crap.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it. Yeah, it's just in that phase.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't get her to eat protein. Don't get me wrong, she'll eat some McDonald's chicken nuggets if I give them to her. Right. I mean, it's like, it's brutal. And the thing that's scary is it's not totally a phase. It's been this way since she started.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It's hard. So what do you do? Just keep trying? I just keep trying. Exactly. But at least she's getting in some of those healthy snacks.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, she does. And she'll, you know, she'll eat like good granola and she'll eat a protein bar, which isn't the best, but that's like, that's practically the only way I can get protein in her, a smoothie.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Smoothie is good. I have to get back on my smoothie game. I feel like I go through phases with smoothies. Like I do love smoothies, but then, and I get in a phase of making them all the time and then I got out of it. So that's always like a good go-to. I feel like I have to remember that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, sometimes if I'm really tired when I get home from work, I'll just make a smoothie with like some good protein powder in it.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I feel like that too. Lately for dinner, I don't, I'm not craving a big dinner, but obviously living in a house of boys, like they want like a big dinner. And I'm always like, I could have a smoothie or I could have cereal. Like I just don't crave a big dinner, but they're all like ravenous. So I have to figure out like what to make or what to get them. And we've also been like getting a lot of like takeout, not bad takeout, like kava and things like that. But you know, it's just,

SPEAKER_01:

Did I say on Stories recently, you shared something like when my 15-year-old's $3 hamburger gets delivered and it's a fail? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. It's like they're out of control with the DoorDash. It's crazy. Okay, switching topics because we didn't talk about this and I think you watched Nobody Wants This, right, on Netflix? So good. So amazing. Well, first of all, it was so cute because of the podcast Sister. So I was like, yeah. And you know, it's based on Erin and Sarah Foster from World's First podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

I didn't actually know that. Yeah. And so somebody told me that after I watched it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's it's based on a true story. It's exaggerated. I heard her talking about it. Like, Erin Foster, who's the creator of the show, married a Jewish guy and converted, not a rabbi, but it's like loosely based on that. And that's where the idea came from. And they have their podcast and whatever. So I loved it. It was so good. We watched it in like a day.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I watched it like the last two weeks. And it's really, I mean, Kristen Bell is so cute. So cute. Adam Brody, adorable. Adam Brody. Yeah, he's so cute. That's a great show. I totally recommend it. Remember The O.C. ? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Was he? Was it the OC or? He was on one of those shows.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Yeah, no, you're right.

SPEAKER_00:

You're right. Yeah. Like back in the day.

SPEAKER_01:

What is Tell Me Lies? Because Adam came into the room last night. He was driving home from the airport and he's like, I talked to my mom and dad for an hour and they told me about this show that I should watch, but I definitely shouldn't watch with them.

SPEAKER_00:

Wait, who told him to watch this? Your parents. Oh, I know. This is the most great show. Watch the show. Oh, you can't watch it with the kids. It's so yeah. So first of all, that is hilarious because my parents I forgot my parents told me they were watching that. Like I watched Tell Me Lies season one. um whenever it came out right and like never even talked to my parents about it because i would never think that they would watch that and then the other day they're like oh yeah we're what we're catching up on tell me lies i'm like are you joking like i cannot believe they like it because it's about like college kids and it's so there's so much sex and craziness but like hilarious i thought it was about like affairs it's not about it no well it's basically about a toxic relationship between these two main characters and but it's based like in 90s college. It's so good. I'm so jealous you haven't watched it because you can watch all of season one and now binge all of season two. It's so good. But it's like one of those where it's like, it's bad but good. You know what I mean? But it really depicts sort of this toxic relationship.

SPEAKER_01:

Like it's like a guilty pleasure kind of watching.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, exactly. But it does cover like topics and different things for sure. But yeah, just watch it.

SPEAKER_01:

And then Adam would get into it because he, you know, he never watches anything with me.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know. He doesn't really watch TV, does he?

SPEAKER_01:

Except the news. All we ever watch together is Curb Your Enthusiasm. And then we watch Schitt's Creek for a while. That's like, yeah, I mean,

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know what kind of shows he likes. I mean, Stu, I feel like watched it maybe with me in the beginning, but then was sort of like whatever. But I love all those shows with like school, college, high school, like any of that stuff. And apparently my parents do too. So I feel like he might have watched it, but then like wasn't as into it as I. Adam might like it. I mean, everyone's like good looking and it's like college and it's like fun and it's like sex and it's crazy. You know, it's it's so good. So, yeah, season two came out. I watched all that. Watched the last episode last night. It was the I guess I'm pretty sure it was the season finale for season two. So put that on your list because like if you have anywhere to go, just like download a bunch of shows and watch it. You'll love it. But you yeah, you cannot watch it around the girls. It is like It's too graphic. It's too graphic. Not every scene, but there's definitely like, you can't, no way.

SPEAKER_01:

I just got into, so I don't know why, when, or where it happened, but I have turned into the biggest history geek. I have just all of a sudden become obsessed with history and with war. History and what? History and war. Oh, okay. Yeah. It's so, so random. So I'm reading one book about the fall of the Ottoman Empire. So random. This other show, this show that I just started watching two days ago, it's insanely good. It's called 1883. It's on Amazon Prime. Have you heard of it?

SPEAKER_00:

No, but Stu probably has because he loves all that stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

It's so good. First of all, the main characters are Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. So they're married in real life and they're married in the show. Oh, okay. And then Sam Elliott, which you would know who he is as soon as you see him. Oh yeah, I know who he is. He's great. Amazing. And then there's these crazy cameos, like Tom Hanks makes a cameo, Billy Bob Thornton.

SPEAKER_00:

Is it new? What's it called? 1883?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know when it came out, but it's about early settlers in the West, and it really depicts what the Wild West was like. Oh, that's cool. In that era. But it's just really well done with the characters and the acting and the actors and everything. Every episode there's another cameo of some insane actor. So it's really good. I'm only on episode four. That's interesting. Did you watch Game of Thrones? I did. I never finished it, though.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, OK. Because there's another show, which I think is in the second season. I forget what it's called. The House of Dragons. Yeah, it's the prequel. We've been catching up on that. But it's funny because we loved Game of Thrones and we liked this show when it first came out. And now we're on season, I guess it's season two. But it's never like our first choice because it's like you have to be like ready to watch it. Like I'm finding that I just like these tell me lies and like nobody wants it's just like these easy So you're not like thinking too much. You're just like zoning out.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a little bit, I feel like 1883 is kind of an in-between of that. So I was into these really, really heavy shows. And I'm trying to think of what I just finished that was so good, but it was heavy. It was called The Lioness, and it was about the Middle East. Before that, I watched We Were the Lucky Ones, which, have you seen that? I've never heard of that. It's a true story. I could cry thinking about it. It follows a family that survived the Holocaust. And I didn't know that it was Come like a completely true story until the very end. Oh my god So you pictures of the family and of the people and they tell you where they're gonna have chills? Yes, I was I'm not kidding. I was sobbing I was sobbing crying when they when I realized that it was a true story. Oh my god I mean, it's I it's a definite recommend, but it's heavy obviously.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you got to be prepared. What channels that is that prime also?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah was I think hulu

SPEAKER_00:

OK, I just wrote it down. I want to watch that. So you have to be prepared. Yeah. I watched this other speaking of true stories and again, speaking of my parents, because they're the one who told me about this show called Under the Bridge. Oh yeah, I've heard of it. Yeah, that's on, I want to say Hulu as well. And that's a true story, not as heavy as like, well, it's heavy because it's about, it's about someone who dies and I didn't.

SPEAKER_01:

Is that the great actress from Handmaid's Tale? The same woman?

SPEAKER_00:

No, it's, I'm trying to think who's in it that you would know. You know the main, this is so random, the main star in it is the woman from, did you watch Daisy and the Six? Yes. The main character? She's totally different in this show, but she's one of the main characters in this.

SPEAKER_01:

By the way, that's Elvis Presley's granddaughter. It is? Yeah. That's Lisa Marie Presley's daughter.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my God. I had no idea.

SPEAKER_01:

Daisy and the Six?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. It's her name.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't even know her name, but I just read that recently. It's Elvis Presley's granddaughter. Isn't that cool?

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. That's really cool. I did not know that. So she's one of the main characters in this Tommy in this under the bridge show. And it's sad. It's about this like group of girls in high school. One of the girls dies. And it's a true story. But that was also good, but like heavy, dark, but but good. And my parents randomly told me about that one, too.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's talk a little bit about exercise because you've got a tonal.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I know I haven't talked about this. I mean, you know it, but I haven't really mentioned it. So I got a tonal, was it back in the spring? I want to say maybe April-ish and I've been using it ever since and like you've talked about it obviously on the show and it's great and I love it and it's definitely like Between that and Melissa Health, I found my groove, although the last few weeks since I've been stressed and busy and feeling under the weather, I haven't been working out as much, so I need to get back to it. I mean, I've done a workout or two a week, but nothing. hardcore, but the tonal is amazing. I think it's such incredible technology because what I find is like when I use the weights there, like if you were just to use free weights, you would just use the same weights all the time. You would never change them up or maybe you would, but there's no like formula. And I just like that you don't have to think about it. You can press the button and it automatically just like optimizes it and like you can beat your personal records and like it just does it. So there's no thought. You just do the class. But It's funny, now it's like, I feel like, and I don't know if you got to this phase with tonal, because I've been doing it a lot. First of all, I feel much better, I feel stronger, I'm starting to see more definition, which I love, but I'm getting to a point now where it's getting hard, it's getting heavier, and it's like I worked out last week and the weight was heavy, so I was really sore the next day for a few days. Is that what happens?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, that's what happens because it's during progressive overload, which to your point is exactly what's so amazing about it. But that's the only way that you gain strength. Yeah, I get it. Because then it makes the workouts like a little less exciting a little harder. Yeah. like grit to get up and go and do it. I totally get what you're saying. But you can also, if it's too much, you can also manually change it.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, scale it back just depending on how you're feeling. One of the things I was going to ask you, I think I mentioned this before, I'm also finding, this is so weird, but like with the tonal, since, you know, it's like the handles, I find that like when it's heavy, it's not that I can't do it, but sometimes my hands and my wrists are like weak. Like they're not strong enough to almost pull up the weight, but like my, body is strong enough. Does that make sense? It's like heavy in my hands and then it like hurts my wrists.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but that's also just literally... It's your grip strength.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I need to work on that. I used to have like a grip like little thingy at my desk and I lost it. I want to get another one of those because I'm realizing I'm like, I feel like my grip strength is really weak.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I mean, just working out on the tunnel will improve your grip strength.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I would do that for sure. Yeah. So I've just really been doing tonal, Melissa Wood Health and walks. That's pretty much it. What about you?

SPEAKER_01:

Tonal, I do the weightlifting, of course. And then I also will do the occasional yoga program on there if I don't just want to do my own flow. I actually got with the bird of paradise the other day, which was kind of crazy. You start with your body and a lunge and you bind your arm under your thigh and around your back and then from being down you then stand up and you've got like your leg is like wrapped in your arm and you're bound up.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my god, I don't know how you did that.

SPEAKER_01:

I did it. It was very cool. And then I got the Nice Day Stair Stepper that was all over TikTok. Oh, right. We bought that, too, because you had it. Yeah, I love it. I'm obsessed with it. It's such a good cardio workout for me. And it is lifting my glutes, which I need. I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we have to post this. How much was it? $40? $50? I think $60. Oh, $60? Yeah. It's literally like a tiny little stair stepper. And Katie brought it over the summer when we were together to the beach. Well, actually, I tried it at your house and then you brought it to the beach. And it's like, it's so good. I forget about that because you know what? We bought it and then Stu put it in his office because he uses it all the time. Good. He uses it more than I do. And then I like forgot about it because it's I don't see it when I go downstairs. But it's great. I know I need to use that more. I find myself like wanting to do like tonal workouts more than that because it's like cardio. And I'm like, I don't feel like doing cardio. But to your point, like if you literally just go on that and watch Tell Me Lies, you're like, that's exactly what I do.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll get on there and I'll put on something like Usually if I'm working out, it's it's during the day, so I won't get into anything heavy. I'll put on something stupid like something sunset and I'll just like pump away for 30 minutes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I need to, that's a good one. We'll, we'll, we'll put that up on our feed because that's like an easy thing that you could just like travel with or just put in your office, whatever. And the other thing I wanted to share with you, which I didn't share with you is shout out to my friend Victoria. She gave me, or she told me about this product. It's the TheraBody Face Smart Goggles. Have you seen these? They're these goggles you put on, you know, Therabody, like they have all these face products now, like different things. It's literally these goggles you put on and you charge them and you press a button and they're like, they like massage your temples and your face. So you told me about it. Oh, did I? It's amazing for headaches. It's amazing for like if you've been looking at the computer screen all day. So back to the sleep deal, I've been trying to just use that at night as a way to like It's like a really good way to wind down. So my friend Victoria told me about it and I bought it and it's really, it's great.

SPEAKER_01:

Really helps with headaches. Another great way to wind down. I think I'm going to do it tonight. Take an Epsom salt bath before you go. It definitely helps get you into sleeping mode faster.

SPEAKER_00:

I need to just do that. Also, we have the sauna and that helps too. I think the outcome is we need to start our wind down routine earlier.

SPEAKER_01:

and just get back into the groove. I have to go because I'm going to go get IV therapy. I'm hoping it's going to perk me up. Good.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Well, I hope you all have enjoyed this episode of our chit-chatting and catching up, and we'll see you next week. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 170 - Product Junkies September - Our Fave Fall Finds (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 170.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to Nirvana Sisters. It's Amy and Katie and we are back with a Product Junkies, which we haven't done in a while. We took a bit of a hiatus over the summer. So excited to get back into like all the products that we love. Good to see you, Katie. Good to see you.

SPEAKER_01:

This is fun.

SPEAKER_00:

It's exciting. We're getting back into the swing. Getting back into the swing. I'm going to kick it off to you first to give us your first latest product that you're loving.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Well, today my first one is a little bit of a departure because we usually always do beauty, wellness, skincare. I think we've done things a little bit in this realm before. We've done some fashion before. Fashion. So this is a clothing reveal and it is what I have on. It's so cute.

SPEAKER_00:

I was going to say something when I saw you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I actually found this when we were in Bethany Beach. Little set, like a short set. So cute. And I found this at one of the boutiques there in Bethany and it is so comfortable and light and airy. The brand is called Ocean Drive. Oh yeah I know that brand. Yeah they have super cute stuff and I feel like the price point is really pretty good too. So I love their stuff. They have a big variety on their website. Everything from like sets like this to crochet sets to like sweats and it's just really like it's great for lounging around the house or for by the pool. I mean I know summer's coming to an end but if you're in a warmer climate I've been checking them out.

SPEAKER_00:

It sounds like they have sweats and stuff too. So love a set.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they do. They do. They have, they have a good variety. They have some cute dresses, but it's just like, it's really fun, easy resort wear type stuff. Very cute. Yeah. So fun one.

SPEAKER_00:

Very cute. What's your first one? Okay so my first one I'll do close to since we're on that topic and this is actually something that I bought with you this summer when I was visiting and it's the best thing ever which is the Rag & Bone Miramar Wide Leg Pants which I'm obsessed with. Okay so I'm sure you guys or maybe maybe you have or maybe you haven't seen these but they're jean sweats which is the perfect combination for me so They literally look like jeans, but they're sweats, and I've worn them out at night. I've worn them to work. I wear them around all the time, and they just look like a wide leg jean, and they're so cool. I actually got another pair, Katie, just like a lighter pair. So I have one kind of darker pair and one lighter pair, and they're just like a wide leg. They're great. I mean, they totally look like jeans. And so you can just like be comfortable while everybody else is in their like fitted, uncomfortable jeans. So yeah, it's been one of my new favorites. So it's it's the rag and bone Miramar wide leg pant. But they also have other Miramar, I guess, is this like jean sweat texture, but they also have different ones. They have like joggers and some tops and all sorts of things in the line, which is interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. So the Miramar is like the jeans sweat.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that it must be like the fabric, because if you look on their website, it has it has like all the mirror Mars and there's the wide leg ones, which I like. But then there's also the joggers. There's full length.

SPEAKER_01:

There's there's something when you bought them. I love them. You would never in a million years know that they are sweatpants. I know somebody's like really, really close. like all up in your business looking at them, we're like, oh, I like your jeans and like goes to feel them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You know what to tell. It's like it's the kind of thing. It's like if you know, you know, because like I was wearing them to work and my friend that I work with is like, oh, are those the rag and bone jeans? Like people that know them, know them, but people that don't, whatever. And it's just like it's like the perfect combination. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

So anyway, I love that. If you know, you know, because when you see somebody that knows you get like a little head nod to me, everyone's like, yeah, I got you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Someone actually at work actually told me about them. And I don't know how old she is, but she's younger. And she was like, oh, yeah, these are my life. I wear them for everything. And I'm like, oh, my God, good call. So then, of course, I copied her and I bought them.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I need to get a pair. Okay, let's see.

SPEAKER_00:

By the way, side note, I got this yesterday at my parents' house, the Soojer Organic Ginger Love Cold-Pressed Drink. It's amazing. Is it good? It's purified water, lemon, ginger, pineapple. It's so good. It's like one gram of sugar and it's so refreshing. I love it. Just as a little side note. Anyway, go on.

SPEAKER_01:

I could really use one of those today because as you know, I had quite the night last night. So, you know. hurting a little bit, but what's our motto? We always say, like, things in moderation. Exactly. And it's Friday, so hey. Here's my next one. It is by the brand HiSmile. Are you familiar with this brand? They make toothpaste. and teeth whitening.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I think you showed me this when we were together. Yes. So this one.

SPEAKER_01:

So cool. It's their gloss stick. No, I'm sorry. Their glow stick tooth gloss. And it's interesting because. It's you put it on your teeth and it's not going to show up here. Yeah. It's a great midday brightener. whitener, you know, like I go into the city and I have coffee, I can use this afterwards. And it just kind of makes your teeth extra shiny and almost a little glossy. Like they just look like they've been brightened up. Does it make them white? Yeah, I think so. I think it gives an impression of, like, of whiter. Oh, okay. Or brighter. Yeah. It leaves, like, a little bit of this residue, which kind of feels funny. And I can't tell if people have ever noticed it, but no one's ever said anything like, hey, what's on your teeth? I think when I showed it to you, you and I were, like, we were sitting in a car really close to each other. Yeah. And I noticed that, but Like, had I not done it right in front of you, I don't think you would have noticed it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm sure I wouldn't have. So is it uncomfortable when you put it on or it just like sinks in after a couple of minutes?

SPEAKER_01:

It sinks in after a little bit. It's just like a fun little, little tool to have to kind of brighten your smile. It says the instant brightening wand glow stick is an instant teeth brightener that's peroxide free designed to work exactly like makeup, but for your teeth. It adds a pearlescent glow to your teeth. That's a good way to put it.

SPEAKER_00:

Pearlescent. Pearlescent glow. Yeah. Don't they have like, um, toothpaste and whiteners, and I've never tried their stuff, but I feel like you've reviewed something else from them before, potentially. Like a purple toothpaste or something?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It's like the purple toothpaste that does like almost instant whitening. Yeah. Yeah. I was using that for a little while, but now I love my

SPEAKER_00:

um the teeth whitening strips from that natural brand that we really like oh like that girl girl ananda i think yeah you're those before okay so that's a little like a little pick-me-up if you're going out at night or whatever my next product is this day cactus fruit three-in-one styling wand have you seen this So freaking genius. So, you know, when you, well, you don't get this as much cause you don't have curly, like frizzy hair like me, but, or actually you could use it on flyaways. Check this out. This is a, so it's like if you have little frizzies, you just kind of smooth them out with this. So I'm taking this wand for our listeners and putting it over the top of my hair. And it's, it's, I think it's just like conditioner in this bottle or some sort of leave in like conditioner that's good for flyaways, but the applicator, applicator. And the applicator is the best part because it's like makes it really easy to just kind of like smooth out the frizz. So I use this all the time now. So a lot of times when you get your hair blown out and sometimes you have those like flyaways, this helps to tame the flyaways or it helps to tame the frizz or if you have a bun in, something like that. Yeah. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's open the applicator up again because it looks like a giant spoolie. You know, it is your for your mascara. It's basically a version of that. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's like a huge spoolie and it's like soft and it just gets the product on there really good. And then you can just put it on the flyaways and it totally, totally like mats them down and like you're ready to go. It's so good. You could like keep it in your purse, whatever. I just because sometimes I hate when I blow out my hair and then I go out that night because I feel like there's like pieces coming up. And this has totally solved that problem along with when I just throw my hair back. So this is such a good one. I love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. So good if you want to do a slick bun.

SPEAKER_00:

And you want to just smooth those sides. Yeah. Obsessed. What's the brand again? Day. I have some of the other hair products. Yeah. Very good.

SPEAKER_01:

Just check it out. Okay. My next one is a tried and true classic that is going to be in my repertoire for many, many years to come. One of my main go-to brands. It's my La Roche-Posay body cream. Oh, as you know, I've been using their face stuff. I love their face stuff. Yeah. Moisturizer. It's the lip car. A P plus M. Not sure what that means. Triple repair moisturizing cream. Uh, it says it's up to 48 hours of hydration and it totally is. It is so good. It is so it's very rich and hydrating without leaving like a filminess or like Yeah, it's so hydrating. And like, it's very thick and rich. But you know how you know, like the Nivea like that, the Nivea pot that comes to me? Yeah, you it feel like it feels you feel it on your skin after you've used it almost. Yeah, almost too much. Yeah, doesn't feel like that. This just soaks in, but it leaves you hydrated. I mean, I tonight like my shoulders will still look like moisturized. And my skin feels great. Madeline once told me she was sitting on my lap and she fell off of my lap and she goes, oh my God, you're like lotion.

SPEAKER_00:

You're slippery. That's so funny. Does it smell?

SPEAKER_01:

No, which is another key and has no scent at all.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love that. And what's the consistency? Does it feel thick or thin?

SPEAKER_01:

It is thicker than, what can I compare it to? I've reviewed that Trader Joe's cream that they don't have anymore. It's thick. It's like a medium thick weight. It's not like the kind of thing where you put your finger through and a gigantic dollop comes out. It's not that thick. But it's really nice on. Initially, it can feel a little I don't want to use a red greasy, but it's just your moisture. Yeah, that's good. And to give it a little time to sink in. And once it does, it's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I do not use moisturizer anymore. I only use oil. You know, yeah, you've told me. And I, it has like changed my skin. I get, my skin is just not dry anymore at all. I mean, we'll see this winter, but I've been using oil. I feel like for years now, just like right when I get out of the shower, I like, we'll do it in the shower. And it's just, I mean, same thing. It keeps my skin so moisturized. So I like, I'm not in the moisturizer market because I just use oil now.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I need to try one of your oils. I've tried to find an oil just when I was at like CVS and they were all so overly scented. Right. That's the problem.

SPEAKER_00:

I didn't sign. I've reviewed some before that are unscented, but OK. That's good to know, though, because sometimes you can mix an oil and a cream together and that also feels good.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. And this, this, like, I don't, I don't know, what would you consider this price point for this big of a thing? It's huge. It's huge. And it easily lasts me a month, I would say maybe even longer for $20. Yeah. I don't think that's bad for $20. No, that's not bad at all. That's cheap. Very affordable for a good quality lotion. So, I mean, you can get something, of course, this size at CVS for like $8, but it's just not going to be as good.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And they sell La Roche at CVS usually. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01:

That's where I pick it up. So yeah, exactly. You can go either way.

SPEAKER_00:

My next one, I've been using this now for a few months. It's the Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner. It's a Korean brand and it's so good. I think I bought this one on Amazon, but there's a few places you can buy it. But it's such a good toner. I put it on morning and night. It's the first thing I put on. It's super lightweight, almost like water, but it's so hydrating and like refreshes the skin. It gives a glow. It's a really good toner. I hadn't really been using a toner. I've been mostly using, I feel like I always use serums and like vitamin C serum and just different serums on my face before I put on my moisturizer and sunscreen and stuff. But this really helps. It's like a good base just to put on before I put on anything else. It's so refreshing. So I love it. It's this Inua. All of the Korean skincare. Yeah, I have. I have. I also have another one. I'm not reviewing it today. I do like it. It's like a milky toner that I use after this, which is also really good. I just forgot to actually bring that one in. And I think it's the same brand. But yeah, I'm really into that. I'm really into it. It's so good.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll have to try it. I like my Caudalie toner, but I'm always open.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. This is the Caudalie, like the milky toner or the.

SPEAKER_01:

No, it's not. It's the it's the, you know, you know, pure, I think I want to say.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, OK. Yeah. Try this and see. And this one's I don't remember how much it was, but it's not expensive. It's on Amazon. It's great.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, well, I'm saving my very, very best for last because it is really good. It's going to blow your mind. Stop. Going to blow your mind. So it is a little viral, so you might have seen it. I'm not sure. Maybe it's a Peter Thomas Roth Instant Firm X Temporary Face Tightener. Have you seen this yet?

SPEAKER_00:

For the face or for the eyes? I feel like I've seen one for the eyes.

SPEAKER_01:

No one for the eyes. This one's for the face, but you can use it around the eyes as well. Oh, my God. I haven't seen it now. It legitimately like freezes your face. It's wild. Like I put it around. I mean, I look so puffy and miserable today, but I'll I'll do a demo for for the gram. I put it around my eyes and it instantly like goes like this. Oh, my God. me up and then even I can I even like feel like like all my wrinkles and everything like tighten up I mean it really legitimately works and then you have to let it dry before you do any other steps. Okay. So if you let it dry then you do then I do like very gently put like eye cream on top and very gently put my skincare like my my face cream on top and my sunscreen on top And then let that all dry and then you can put your makeup on and it won't pill. If you put too much on, you can almost see it and you can almost wipe it away. Okay. It's finessing to it, but it really does work. And then it leaves it. Then it's almost like a primer also under your makeup. So it's like your skin just has a really nice. What is it called again? the Instant Firmex Temporary Face Tightener. But it's so funny because you put it on and you like, can't move. That's so weird. Yeah. And you just, you keep like a, you keep your face just totally still. Can you smile? I feel like it won't work. It's like, I don't know. You have to wait for it to dry to move your face. It's so funny. It really works. And how long does it last for? I mean, I feel like when I wear it, I kind of can tell the difference all day. I really can. And like until you wash it off? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah, I really can. I have to try that. For Instagram, maybe I'll just go like really heavy so you can really see the effect.

SPEAKER_00:

I want to see, yeah, like a before and after. Yeah. Like do it on the thing and then like speed it up. So like it probably takes like five minutes to dry or something.

SPEAKER_01:

Not even. But yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll do it. It's good too. So it says instantly tightens, firms and smooths the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles. and pores, which that I have noticed. It definitely minimizes pores to help you look years younger all day long. It's vitamin C, E, pro-vitamin B5, and it's for all skin types. I mean, they always say that, so of course you want to test it and be careful, but it's funny. It really does work. I saw this woman do it, and I was shocked. And she did it in real time. She let you watch it dry, and you could see it. It says, remain expressionless. Dry within three to seven minutes. It probably just depends on how much you put on. Okay. Face feels pulled in tight. Look in the mirror at this moment and you'll look years younger.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my God, that's so funny. Wait, and you have to put it on before everything? I feel like it would be good to put on top because then it's like you don't have to touch it.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that it wouldn't work on top of the lotions and everything. I do. my vitamin c and i really let that sink in yeah let me do it and then i just very and also I don't think makeup would apply nicely to it as the final piece. I see what you're saying. Yeah. You need the eye cream and the lotion. But instead of going like this, I kind of do this a little bit more and pat the lotions and everything on so it doesn't mess with the eye cream.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my God. So it just basically looks like you just got Botox or something? It really kind of does. That's so cool. I have to try it. How much is it? Forty nine dollars. OK. They last a long time now. It seems like you don't need a lot.

SPEAKER_01:

I do not use a lot because when you use too much, then it starts to mess with your makeup. And this bottle still feels full. And I've had it for like maybe two months or so.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. I've seen that brands I've seen the eye one that they have that like reduces that eye puffiness. But that's great for face. That's amazing. Yeah. It's very cool. OK, I got to try it. Um, was that your fourth? Yep. That's it. Okay. All right. But last but not least, I have a little grand finale of lip glosses that I've been using this summer moving into fall. So I'll just do a quick roundup. Okay. Starting with the Patrick Ta, this is the freaking can't see anything. Hold on. I don't know what this is called. Oh yeah, this is the Patrick Ta major volume, Plumping. gloss, I think it says. I forget what this color's called, but I'll post what the color's called. But so good. I probably wore this when I was with you a lot this summer, but it's like a plumping gloss. It doesn't feel like it's burning your lips. You know how some of those, like some of these, like I've tried the Fenty Beauty one. I've tried a lot of them and they always bother me. It feels like peppers on my lips and it's so uncomfortable. This one does not feel that way, at least for me. And the texture is like thick and like yummy. It's so good. I love it. I want to try some of the other colors, but it's a really good plumping gloss. It stays on. It's very thick and all the colors are beautiful. So Patrick Ta. Then I have my other, which I kind of actually It's tied, but I might like these better. The Lawless Plumping, Smoothing, Nourishing Forget the Filler Gloss. Okay. I have two colors here. These two colors I really like. I'll put what they are. One's kind of like, I think it's called like a lavender glaze or something. And it's like a purpley, pinky, sheerish kind of color. And this one's like more of like a metallic, but it's, it's like a pinkish metallic. So a lot of these with these, I'll do them on top of a lipstick. I also wear them plain all the time. Like I'll throw one on now, just so you can see. Oh, that's cute. This one has like a metallic, which I like. First of all, this smells so good. Second, I like like a thick feeling product on my lips. Like it feels like Like it doesn't feel like a mask, but it just feels thicker and like, I don't know, so moisturizing. And again, this one, I don't feel anything on my lips. I don't feel any stinging, any anything. It's very, like it says, it's very nourishing and it's a plumper and a smoother and it's so good. And I think this one. is the kind of thing, and I don't know exactly what's in it, but I do believe it's clean, but if you keep using this, supposedly it's supposed to help with the fine lines and wrinkles on your mouth and all of that. This one's a little bit more of a skincare kind of lip plumper, whereas the other one is just kind of like a, you know, regular lipstick. Anyway, these are really, really good. And they have a ton of different colors. I have these two and I love them. And again, I wear them plain or over lipstick. But these have been my favorite lately. So first it was the Patrick Todd, then I found these. So I'm like, you know, circulating them. And then the last one in the, in the lip set is this Anastasia Beverly Hills lip. I don't even know what this is called. It's yeah, lip velvet. Okay. So this is really, really pretty. This is more like a lipstick, but it's just in this, in this kind of a lip gloss container, but I'll show you the color. It's matte. Yeah. See this color?

SPEAKER_01:

That's pretty. That's a great.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so this color specifically is called Pale Mauve. And it's matte and it's a really, really pretty velvety matte lip gloss. So what I do is I mean, not lip gloss, lipstick. And there's a lot in this bottle. So what I'll do is I'll do this and then I'll do one of these on top. I'll do it on my hand because whatever. So I'll do this pink one on top.

SPEAKER_01:

Is it drying on its own? Like, you know, some matte lip products can really dry out your lips.

SPEAKER_00:

No, it's not drying. That's why. So I put these two together and you can kind of see gives it a little shimmer, a little metallic. It's so pretty. But anyway, no, it's that's that's the reason why I like this. It's matte and super pretty, but it's not drying. It doesn't have that like matte lipstick feeling. It's very creamy. So anyway, that's been my latest rotation of lip glosses as always. I'm always testing and trying different lip glosses, but these four are like my go-tos. The Patrick Ta, the Lawless Forget the Filler, and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Velvet. So that's my roundup.

SPEAKER_01:

Love it. We'll have to tag Chef Whitney Aronoff. Do you remember she was saying she is ready to do a lip gloss overhaul? You remember her saying that? Oh, I don't remember. You said she loves, loves, loves lip glosses and always has them around and we asked her what her favorite ones were and she said, you know what? I don't want to report any right now because I need to do an overhaul.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, okay. I will definitely be recommending these to her for sure. Gotta listen to this episode.

SPEAKER_01:

So that was fun. Good product junkies. Good to be back.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. It's good to be back and good to see you. And yes, we will keep these hopefully going more consistently because I know these are always good episodes. And as always, we'll put all of these products in our show notes and we will chat soon. Bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 169 - From Kitchen to Consciousness: The Power of Food and Energy with Chef Whitney Aronoff (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 169.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. It is Amy and Katie, and today we are sitting down with Chef Whitney Aronoff. She's the host of High Vibration Living Podcast and founder of Starseed Kitchen Organic Spices. Chef Whitney works as a holistic chef in Laguna Beach, California. She shares her healthy recipes and wellness insights on her website, starseedkitchen.com. Passionate about empowering people to cook healthy, supportive, nourishing meals. Because the healthiest meal you can eat is the one you can make at home. Chef Whitney shares insights on all the ways to nourish your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental bodies. Star Seed Kitchen Organic Spice Wins combines Chef Whitney's culinary and spiritual knowledge. These products bring more flavor, color, and nourishment into your daily cooking routine. Each jar is charged with Kundalini mantras and quartz Giza crystals to raise the vibration of every meal, which sounds so intriguing and we are really excited to have you here. So thank you, Whitney, for sitting down with us today. Welcome. Thank you. Absolutely. So we like to always kick off with a little nirvana of the week, something that just brought you some joy. I know, we haven't done this in a while. I know, that's been a while. And we're never together, so it's great. So Amy, you want to kick off so we can get the flow started? Yes. What was your nirvana this week?

SPEAKER_02:

I would say this vacation. So we're on vacation together, our whole families. So Katie's my sister-in-law, so it's my brother, sister-in-law, her family, my family, my parents and our cousins just got here. So just a nice big family week off of work, just kind of disconnecting. So it's been really, really great.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, mine is obviously definitely the same to narrow the scope a little bit. I would say these mornings where we've been getting up, if you don't get up at 7 a.m. and put your chairs out, you don't get front row seat on the beach because it's crazy here, people. It's so crowded. So those quiet mornings that we've had, we've been going down really early with our coffee. No one's on the beach yet. Those have been some serious nirvanas. This morning, we did it together.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, very nice. What about you, Whitney?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I would, I'd have to say was going down to the beach after work one time this week. So just going down at four o'clock and it's just so nice after a long day to just do a quick beach walk, to get grounded and dive into the water. And it just fully resets you. And, you know, you feel like you're doing something a little naughty by going to the beach at the end of the day. Um, but it just, it feels so good and it really uplifts your spirit.

SPEAKER_02:

And you're lucky. Where are you in California? You're in Laguna Beach, you said? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so beautiful. Amazing.

SPEAKER_01:

Jealous. I think it's one of the most beautiful places in our country by far. Oh, thank you. Yeah, it's gorgeous. All right. Well, let's get started. So this is all very intriguing. I'm curious about the kundalini mantras and the crystals and everything that you put into your spices. But there's a deeper backstory. You tell us a little bit. How did you get into this? It was in efforts to heal an autoimmune condition. Is that is that right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, but I also just think, you know, we all have those things that we're immediately drawn to when we're kids. And, you know, so A lot of people, they ask that type of question, like, when did you get into this? Like, I don't know. I was born this way. Like, I was always the only kid that was into crystals. I'm telling you, nobody was interested. I was just always into, like, I remember as a seven-year-old kid being into that one friend's mom who did tarot cards. Like, I've just always been into the spiritual side of life. And it just naturally came about more and more as I personally struggled with gut issues and health issues growing up. I was always really healthy. I thought I ate healthy, always exercised, was always on sports teams. But then, you know, just as I got older and I would hold in my emotions because I wanted to act appropriate or show up the way that I thought I was supposed to show up, you know, I started to have gut issues that were probably emotional based. And I started to have gut issues, which were probably based on the food I was eating, because a lot of the food that we thought was healthy in the 90s It's heavily processed food. It's, you know, sugar-free frozen yogurt and margarine. It was just massive amounts of fake food that we thought was health food. So for me, it was probably a combination of the food and emotions that I was just holding everything in. And so I started to have, you know, gut issues and chronic fatigue and all different things that would come up. And I'd go to different doctors. No one could tell me. you know, how to make this go away. And I just started to realize after spending thousands of dollars going to doctors in LA, in New York, you know, going through phases where I wouldn't have my period and, you know, no doctors would help me. They would just want to write me prescriptions for, you know, Estrogen when I was like 23 years old, just like things that were going to throw off my body even more. Um, it was just like constant cascade of like bad advice from doctors and then it making my body worse that I just hit a tipping point that I just thought like, I'm in this body. I know what I'm feeling. I know what I'm experiencing. I know what it feels like to look great and feel great. And I know. when I'm the opposite and I have to trust my gut and I have to figure out how to heal myself because nobody out there is going to be able to do it for me. And so I just tried to figure out how can I teach myself and ultimately I decided what I felt for me was I needed to start with food. I needed to go to a health supportive culinary school where I could have just as many classes with health supportive chefs, like learning to make food from scratch, but the traditional way, you know, like, do I really need to soak my rice? What really needs to be washed? What really needs to be sprouted? Like just real traditional. slow cooking, as well as classes with registered dietitians that knew what the government was telling us is healthy versus what traditional wisdom tells us is healthy, right? Because not every registered dietitian is telling us the right information that's really going to heal us. It's a part of a controlled curriculum. So I just wanted to get the whole picture so I could figure out what was right for me. And then apply it. And what I what I found was when I upgraded my food, when I upgraded my diet, yes, I felt amazing and looked amazing. But all that did was lay the foundation for me to then be able to address all the emotional stuff that I had been holding in all these years. And when the food was right, then all the other stuff could just kind of fall off. It was so much easier to use a variety of practices that exist out there whether you want to go to talk therapy or you want to do hands-on healing or you want to go to you know someone that's going to help you learn tapping or just pull the emotions out of your body like there's there's thousands of modalities that exist in this world that are beautiful that are helpful that were But I really think you have to get the food and your diet and lifestyle right so the stuff can start to fall off more easily. It shouldn't be hard for you to let go of the stuff that you've buried to keep you safe. Like, there comes a point where you gotta let it go so you can live and be healthy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's interesting. It sounds like you're a combination of self-awareness, self-advocating, and then really eager to know, to want to get back to feeling great. Because I think to your point, a lot of people, they don't always feel great and know how to get back to that. They start feeling lousy and they forget. And you remembered and it's you made it your life's mission to not only get back to that, but to help others get to it as well. Yeah. I'm also really interested just as a sidebar, how much of like a polar difference is there between that traditional wisdom, how food should be prepared, what we should be eating, versus all of this like government-recommended things. I think that's really interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

Huge. It was really sad. I have to be honest. When I was in culinary school, you know, we'd sit in the classroom with the registered dietitian, and she would tell us, this is what I'm told to tell you. This is the truth. This is what I'm told to tell you. I suggest you consider this. Wow. That's crazy. So a lot of, yeah, there were quite a few kids in my culinary kids. There were quite a few people in my culinary school program who had either already gone through some sort of nutrition training or after we were done with school, we're going to go back to school and become a traditional registered dietitian through university. And I was thinking about doing that when I was in school, but those classes made me realize I can't, I can't do it. Like everything inside me, um, I had just reached a point where I couldn't spend time and money sitting in a classroom being lied to and knowing it's lies and having to take those exams and choosing answers that I know are fake and false and are actually hurting people. So I decided, you know, I'm, you know, I'm gonna have to be an outlier. And ultimately, the truth will catch up. And all this this false narrative will fall away as it already is. Right. So like when I was in culinary school 10 years ago, all the studies were coming out proving that eggs don't cause high cholesterol because they don't. Right. You know, eating fat, eating like real healthy fat, avocados, ghee, butter, lard. they don't cause high cholesterol. It's actually brain food. So the Weston A. Price Foundation is something that my culinary school really focused on teaching us. And they have done studies after study after study that show that when kids eat healthy fats, it's so nourishing for their brain and that their attention spans in the classroom um increase and their test scores increase and they're just happier kids when they have a little bit more fat in their diet for their brains. So it's we we have so much to unlearn and so much to learn but I really try to approach it just from a positive aspect that we we're just getting to experience kind of this this this game change, and we're leading up to, you know, a tipping point. Ultimately, everyone's health is going to improve. We're just hopefully getting to a point where people are fed up with not feeling well, but they start to not just be more open minded, but take action like everyone has to take their own personal action. We all have those family members or friends that sit there and complain all the time about how they feel or how they look. or how their life isn't, you know, showing up the way that they want it to, but we can't make the changes for them. They have to take the steps. And I think we're getting to a point where, you know, everyone's reaching their little tipping point.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I have a question. So if someone's listening and they're like, I buy into this, I don't know where to start. Like, how do I start? I don't know if it's like testing foods or making foods that are better for me. Like, what did they do other than, you know, buy organic, you know, all of that. But like, what kinds of things would be good for them to start with, I guess, or test or make?

SPEAKER_00:

So a lot of different directions there. First, just start eating real food. And if you don't know what that is, just eat fresh, seasonal, local food. Start with a plate with a protein, a vegetable, and a healthy starch. Start reading the labels of everything you purchase, even salt, even butter. Everything you purchase, you have to look at the ingredients list. We're just in that weird time right now. I like to look at things as good, better, best. Because as a personal chef, that's where my clients are, right? Not all my clients want kale and quinoa, and that's fine. Not all my clients want real bone broth in the freezer section. They're fine with the boxed version. So it's a good, better, best. I know for my body and how sensitive I am, I have to use real bone broth that I make, or it's only bone broth from the freezer section. I can't use anything that's boxed. and has been pasteurized. That's not going to work for me, but that's where some people are. So it's a good, better, best with everything that you're approaching, like milk, right? So most people are going to just go buy organic milk. The next level up would be to buy A2 organic milk. So A2 means that that's from a farm where they genetically tested all of the cows to make sure that they carry the A2 protein, which means They were like the original milk cows that haven't been modified. So they still have the protein in the milk that allows your body to digest it and break it down. So you're not going to have the side effects that some people have from drinking milk, which is like phlegm in their throat or inflammation. And then the next level is that is buying the A2 milk that's labeled 100% grass fed, grass finished cows. And then the next level after that would be raw milk. And then the next level after that is not even the raw milk from the grocery store, because that is still slightly pasteurized, but going directly to a dairy or a local farm stand and getting your raw milk from them. So there are so many levels, right? Just like, you figure out where you are, what you have access to, what works with your budget, and you start there. And you'll find your body just starts kind of craving it. a next level up or you mentally start craving a next level up. It's like a vibration that you're kind of craving. You just want to move up. So you just kind of start with good, better, best. And I find when you change your food, Everything changes. So I find your intuition opens up, like you naturally can sense things and feel things. And you're just knowing and trusting yourself evolves. And with that, you'll know the next move to make. I think it's really important, though, that when people start to change their diet, that they don't get angry. They don't get angry as they learned about our food system and they watch documentaries. You got to take the anger out of it. And you can't allow yourself to fall for all the information out there. So if you're watching a bunch of documentaries, you have to understand who paid for that documentary and what the angle is behind telling that story. So because I've dealt with a lot of personal clients as a personal chef, where when I show up at their house, there's just so much anger and so much still control over the food. And that's not going to get you to a better, healthier place either.

SPEAKER_01:

I like the good, better, best in respect to the way that you just laid it out, but also for someone that is on a completely new journey, I feel like it makes it very accessible because they can also apply it to everything that they're doing. And that like today I'm going to eat kale and that's good. And then I'm going to also add in quinoa and that's better, but I still kind of want like those potato chips that I'm not ready to let go of, you know? So I feel like you can apply it to different areas of your life until you eventually work around to the whole picture being the best or what have you. It just feels like an easy approach for someone to not be overwhelmed by saying, all of a sudden, I'm going to be the cleanest eater in the world. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It's also hard to find. I mean, I've heard of raw milk, But I actually hadn't heard of the A. Yeah, the A2 milk. Yeah. So that's interesting. I also think it's, to your point, a little bit hard to find the information of like what it is and where you get it and where, you know, the right places that you can trust. And then in terms of the ingredients, I think we always talk about that, like just basically the less ingredients, the better. That's what I try to tell my kids. Like the ingredient list is this long, like don't eat that. But if it just has a couple of things that you can identify, probably that. I mean, I was, you know, that's kind of like what I think about, but really interesting. And then like in terms of cooking, you know, farm to table, because I know that's your style, right? How do we, how would someone, again, that's like maybe just a decent cook, like they want to eat clean, but maybe they're doing the wrong things or whatever. How would someone approach that?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I like starting simple for people that are overwhelmed by it. So that's when you want to just go with the protein. And that's why I'm into spices is because I think spice blends are a great way to add flavor without adding a bunch of other ingredients. So, you know, if you go to the aisle and you're looking for marinades because you want to marinate your chicken, that's when you're going to get a lot of junk. That's when you're going to get a lot of sugar, canola oil, and MSG, and a bunch of those ingredients you can't pronounce. But if you go and buy an organic spice blend, you can turn it over. Make sure you're not buying one with sugar or citric acid or anti-caking agents or MSG. That's still in there. But you can find clean spice rubs. I mean, that's what I do for, you know, that's what I do. That's what I'm passionate about. And you can season your chicken breast really well with that so you have flavor. You know, you can take your potatoes and you can chop it up and toss it with a little olive oil and the spice blend, and now you have flavor when you roast it. You can do that with carrots, with parsnips, with fennel, with onion, with Brussels sprouts, with whatever veggies you want. can still add flavor without the sugar and the canola oil and the junk. So you can start simply, but it's really easy with just salt and pepper and just buy really good quality, real sea salt. Play with pepper, so fine pepper, horse pepper, you'll start to notice like the different texture of pepper will give you different flavors. I'm in a different experience when you eat it. And then when you get really comfortable doing, you know, your chicken breasts or your chicken thighs and your steamed veggies or your roasted veggies and your sweet potato, you can start to play more.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. And your, your, um, spices are star seed kitchen. That's the brand, right? It's sold. I know you said it's sold in Arowana's. It's sold in other stores in whole foods as well.

SPEAKER_00:

No, it's at Arowana. It's in, um, a butcher store called the butchery in, um, Southern California. So they have locations in San Diego and. throughout Orange County, and then I sell it on my website on StarSeaKitchen.com. And they're really the spice blends that my family and I have been making since I was in high school. So it's what I've been cooking with my whole life. And then when I became a personal chef and, you know, I'd want to go and do the Southwest blend for my clients or like to do tacos. or my chicken thighs, or some adobo chicken thighs, or a whole roast chicken, and I was needing spices for all these different dishes, and everything at the store at the time had sugar in it, and none of my clients wanted sugar in their spices. So I started having to make big batches of my spice blends for my clients' homes for when I was there cooking. And then they were just like, well, can you just make the extra so we can give some to our friends when they're in town? And I was like, well, Maybe I should just make a lot more. That's really how I got into sharing it with others. And what keeps me going is like, I'm going to eat these spice blends on my potatoes and carrots and chicken and in my meatballs my whole life. So I might as well share it with other people and just constantly make a big batch.

SPEAKER_02:

I think that's great too because I love a blend because I'm always, Katie's really good with spices, but I'm not because I'm always like, how much of this and how much of this, but this is like already done for you so you could just throw it on there instead of just like trying to figure out all the proportions. So I love that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. One of my favorite things to make for myself and for my clients are paleo meatballs. And this is really great for anyone that wants to eat healthy. They're really tired of basic pieces of meat. So you can buy any meat you want, ground turkey, ground bison, ground venison, ground beef, ground pork, whatever you're into. And you can just start with the pound, a pound will usually make four or five really small meatballs, but I just add a tablespoon of my 11 magic herbs and spices and then whatever junk you have in the fridge. So a little onion, a little cilantro, parsley, a little bell pepper, a little celery, whatever scraps you have that I just chop up really well and add it in. So it just makes it like a little bit bigger. Um, and then you just bake them at 400 degrees for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. and you have easy protein bites. Or you can put it on a plate. So I find that if you can just get, I always suggest to people three recipes. Just master three recipes, three recipes that you love. Now you have that recipe that you can share with your partner or your boyfriend or your husband or your girlfriend or whatever that you're proud of. And then now you also have a dish that you could take to a potluck. And now you can feed yourself no matter what. Um, so I always suggest to people just like master three dishes. It could be three breakfast items, three lunch items. It could be a breakfast, lunch, and dinner item, or it could be desserts, like whatever lights you up and makes you happy. But like find three recipes that you really love and get really good at it. I always say it takes about three times of doing a recipe to get it right for you.

SPEAKER_02:

Still working on that. I'm not a good cook, so like I don't have any recipes that I'm good at except for like tacos, but I'm definitely using the wrong spices. So I need to get yours. My tacos are probably healthier.

SPEAKER_01:

That's great advice, though, because I was going to ask you after you have been cooking for others all day long, what do you want to come home and make? I mean, what you know, someone that's exhausted from work all day and then come You know, it's like you don't always want to cook a meal after you've been out working all day. But what do you do?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I meal prep for myself as well. So on Sundays, when I come home, I try to make a lot of extra food. And then on Wednesdays, I usually make a lot of extra food. Recently, like I've been really into I've been, there's a potato salad recipe that I've been making that I really love. And I add, I go heavy on herbs. So it has tons of dill and it has tons of celery. Like it's a potato salad, but it's really like a celery dill salad with like. With potatoes. With potato. Yeah. Yeah. It sounds good. So I love it because I can add it on top of any sort of mixed greens. I can add more hard-boiled egg. I can add chicken. I can add steamed green beans. I can take it in different directions. So I often make bases that can then evolve into different types of meals throughout the week. Um, I love, like we talked about, like paleo meatballs. So I've been doing some tzatziki recently. So I'm getting some really good A2, a hundred percent grass finished yogurt from Alexander Farms. You can get it at Whole Foods and I grate in the cucumber. So it's really cucumber with a little bit of yogurt. And then I add in fresh mint or dill, and then that works as a really nice sauce on like whatever type of turkey meatballs I made for the week. Um, and I can, yeah, I can super easily pull that out of the fridge and, you know, put that with some easy steam zucchini or spinach or whatever, super fast veggies. I'm really into steaming and blanching veggies because it's fast and it's great in the summer. And then I always have a healthy starch in the fridge already done. So short grain brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes. I love, I do root vegetable mashes. Those recipes are on my website, meaning it'll be parsnip, a parsnip mashed potato instead of a regular mashed potato. So it's parsnip, a little ghee, garlic, white pepper, and then you use the water that the parsnips were cooked in. Instead of adding milk, it's just water. It, they make amazing mashed potatoes. So I use parsnips, white sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, do it with cauliflower. I do it with celery root. You can do it with anything. And I have the recipes all on my website, but I make that a lot and it's in the fridge for a few days. And that's like so great to just do some steamed broccoli and then you just dip it into like a healthy mash and then whatever protein you want. Um, so that's what I've been having in. That's what's stocked up in kind of my fridge right now.

SPEAKER_02:

It sounds so good. Yeah. Yeah. Like I. I think meal prepping is the key to all that stuff, right? Because then you just have it at hand and you don't have to just start scrounging, because I even find I'll try to buy. Three done stuff at like Whole Foods even, and it's just it's never it's never good. It's like, you know, salmon or chicken and you try to like have that. So but it's just like doesn't never taste fresh. Yeah. Like I feel like if you just make it yourself, it's better.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. There was a time where Whole Foods made all the stuff, all the food, all the prepared food on site at each location. When Amazon purchased it, they moved to cafeteria style. So it's all made in one location. It's shipped to them in bags, and they just pour it out from the plastic bags into the salad bins. You know, I'm at Whole Foods five days a week. So I know everybody at the Laguna Niguel Whole Foods and multiple other Whole Foods here in Orange County. And as soon as that changed in the prepared food section, the employees told me not to eat the food. The employees told me not to eat the food. So because I'm a chef and I'm really fascinated about food prep, I think that was also a big part of me going to culinary schools. I just wanted to be a better orderer when I went out to restaurants. And like, I just wanted to figure out how can I order healthy when I go out to eat, whether I'm just going out to brunch with friends or I'm on vacation, like what am I really getting? And that's when I learned how a lot of the eggs that we get at restaurants aren't eggs. It's a prepackaged egg mixture with a ton of additives. And the only way to get real eggs when you eat out at a restaurant is to order them poached or sunny side up. Otherwise, if you are ordering an omelet or scrambled eggs, you are not getting eggs. You are getting eggs that were cracked weeks ago, mixed with citric acid and a bunch of other chemicals, and they just pour it out of a bag and then ladle it into the nonstick, cheap nonstick pan that they're cooking your food in. And so it's the same thing when you go to Whole Foods. When you look at those scrambled eggs and you can see the weird consistency of them, it's because it's not real eggs.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. I can very distinctly remember a time where I enjoyed Whole Foods Prepared Foods and then- Yeah, now that you're saying it makes sense. And then stopped. I know. It is like factory sprouts.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, it's- Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, me too. I spent a lot of money there eating, like getting breakfast and lunch and dinner. Um, it was great. Like I could tell you which whole foods across the country had really good prepared food because every location was totally different. We need to go.

SPEAKER_02:

Wouldn't that be amazing to do a shopping trip with you at Whole Foods and find what are all the good things and what are the things to avoid? Because, yeah, I mean, most people, if they want to eat healthy and organic, just default to Whole Foods or like there's a place by Me Moms, which is also organic market, which is pretty good. But, you know, unless you're going to a farmer's market or like a few other specialty stores, it's obviously like I every time I go to like a chain grocery store, which I don't a lot, my kids will just pick up whatever junk they like. Unfortunately, I'll go in with them and I'm. Horrified, like I can't even everything in the aisles looks so gross to me, there's one section of organic and I noticed some of the brands and I get those, but other than that, It's disgusting. It's so gross. And unfortunately, like most of America is eating that way. So it's just obviously a bigger issue, but it's good to get inspiration from you and kind of get refreshed as we're, it's a summer now, we're going into the fall and we're thinking about back to school and like starting to cook again and getting into that. So it's like, yeah, it's good inspiration to think about some of these things and get those three recipes going. You probably have three.

SPEAKER_01:

I definitely have a few in my back pocket that I, that I defer to a lot, but I need to dive into your recipes. You should have a cookbook. I mean, is there a cookbook coming our way?

SPEAKER_00:

That is the goal. I mean, that is my dream for 2024 and 2025, just because I really want to teach people how to do for themselves what I do and what I've done for the past 10 years for clients. Um, cause everyone should be able to like really make food that is so delicious to them, like you should want to eat at home. So with my family, you know, I'm not married. I don't have kids, but I have parents that love to cook. I have a brother that loves to cook. And so when we all get together, we all, we, we cook at home and we eat at home because our food is so good. We save eating out when we travel together, because we just found that when we were doing family dinners out, we were always so disappointed. I know. And so we could see, we know how to do it better. And so that's where I want a lot of people to get, like, wouldn't it be neat if we got back to a place where people really loved eating their family meals at home and, you know, eating out was a treat. Eating out, we go for the ambiance, we go for the experience, we go for connecting with friends, we go for a lot of different reasons, but it shouldn't be how we nourish ourselves on a day-to-day basis. So that's, that's what I would love to see for, for more people. And you know, the great thing is fall is the best time of year for food. And I think for families, because you can make food that you make it once. you can make double the amount and it gets better when the days pass. You know, chilies, soups, stews, anything that you cook in your slow cooker or in your Dutch oven, you know, lamb shanks, short ribs, all the type of braised meats, which are so good for you when you slow cook them, because now you're getting like more collagen and more nutrients coming off the bone and the bone marrow, and you're getting bone broth and you're getting root vegetables. Like there's so many benefits to that slow cooking after we're just coming off the light cooking of summer. This is, it's a good time to year to to find three new recipes and practice.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Do you have slow cooker recipes on your website?

SPEAKER_00:

I am not a slow cooker fan. I prefer the Dutch oven. So I did a side by side comparison. And I borrowed someone's instapot. And I use the tradition, traditional, you know, Dutch oven, which Le Creuset, Staub, like choose whatever brand.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't have one, but I've been thinking about buying one.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Once you buy one and done, like you buy one and you have it for your entire life. And it'll go to a family member when you die. Like that's the great thing. It's like worth every penny. Um, so I cooked the same dish in both containers and the flavor was so much better cooked in the dutch oven and You know, that's when we're talking about energy, right? So i'm cooking in the enamel pot in the oven at a slow heat It's gas that's around it. It's a different energy than the food that's being cooked in the stainless steel container using an electrical outlet. And, you know, the food just wasn't the same. Like the, the deep, the deepness, the depth, um, it tasted more sterile.

SPEAKER_02:

in the stainless steel. The actual oven, not on the stove. Yeah. Oh, I was thinking when you were saying slow cooking, it's like literally on the stovetop all day, still cooking. You're putting it in the oven.

SPEAKER_01:

And the other great thing about the Dutch oven is you can like sear on the stovetop and then transfer it to the oven.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's exactly, that's exactly it. And then you just put it in the oven at a low temperature and you know, you can walk out of the kitchen. You can walk out of the house if you want to for three or four hours, as long as you come home. And And then you come home and you pull it out of the oven, you leave it on top of the stove. And when you're ready, it's still hot and dinner's there. And it usually makes enough food for a following day or two days from now. And it's really grounding food. It really pulls you back into your body. It really makes you feel hugged. And there's definitely a flavor and an energetic difference to food that's cooked in the Dutch oven versus the stainless steel electrical outlet. When we talk about energy transfer, the highest transfer of energy comes from when we cook over fire, which not all of us can do these days because, I mean, who even has a yard where they can just light a fire? Most people don't. So that's why it's really so much fun in the summer to be able to be in parks and to be at the beach and to cook over fire. You know, there is a health benefit to that. And then after that, it's gas. Gas has the next highest energy frequency to fire because it most resembles fire. And then after that is electrical. Electrical is kind of the lowest. And if you talk to anybody who's forced to have an electric oven and an electric stovetop, the food never tastes that good. People hate cooking on it. So there's something there. Even if people can't understand and grasp or believe in frequency and that frequency matters and there's an energy transfer, but I can tell you, you can survey everyone who's forced to cook on an electric oven, an electric stove top, and they hate it. And the people that help us love it and would never switch to electric.

SPEAKER_02:

What's so funny, I never thought about that, like the slow cooker. I mean, I go through phases where I use and I don't use them. I never thought about the fact that you're plugging into the wall. You're getting like fake energy versus like a fire or whatever. And I do notice that every time I do cook in there, it's never good. It's like not flavorful. It's just kind of black.

SPEAKER_00:

Feels like mush. Yeah, there's a depthness that's not there. Yeah, there's another thing I always try to recommend to people, like as we move into this fall season, but they're still fresh tomatoes, is try to avoid buying canned tomatoes for your chilies or canned tomatoes for your stoops and stews. While the fresh ones are still available, just dice up the fresh ones and put them in your soups and stews. Like anytime you can lean to fresh, do that over anything canned, even if your recipe calls for it. Because remember, canned food doesn't have life force energy. It is sterilized food that's meant for emergency situation. It was created so we could feed troops in the middle of nowhere in Europe during World War I and World War II. It's not meant to provide a large energy transfer to you. And you're eating for food and energy. So Like if you are trying to get healthier, if you're trying to lose weight, then you want to find food that's going to give you the biggest bang for your buck, meaning you're going to eat the least amount of food, but get the most energy transfer. You want fresh food, not canned food.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. I would think fresh food that's non-organic is probably better than canned.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I completely agree. What you were saying earlier about the fire, every summer I always crave the ability to cook over fire and wood chips and it just like such a natural way of creating food. And I don't have that set up like I don't have the right grill for it or something, but it is a completely different meal than what you just put on a propane grill or what you make on the stove top with like a really. And I see all of these. I've seen these shows with these really famous chefs that travel the world and they're in Spain and they're cooking over these giant fire. It's like the most amazing meal of their life. And I never thought about it. It's like an energy transfer. It's the raw, natural, most human way of creating food and nourishing your body. It's how it was done for, you know, thousands and thousands of years before we had ovens, before we had stoves. So it's very interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I mean, it tastes so good and it feels so good. yeah and you ultimately like what what what calls you in is man it tastes so good but then you never forget the feeling right you never forget the feeling after the meal and you never forget the feeling you had the next day when you woke up and you're like That was such a nice night. I feel so good this morning. And yeah, I hope we can find more ways. I hope that's a trend that we see is just more accessibility to creating a fire using wood in our backyards or in our neighborhood. And I think we'll see more tools coming out like that.

SPEAKER_01:

I hope so. So before we get into our wrap session, just tell us a little bit about the Kundalini mantras that you put into your spaces and the crystals and everything, because I find that very cool. Tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, I love using frequency to charge food. And my thought is, you know, I can't be in everyone's kitchen, like using my energy to charge up their food or charge up their kitchen space. So how can I help most people possible through food? And so that's by using a frequency to charge up. the spice blends. So playing Kundalini Mantras 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I go with a few different types of music, whether it's Kundalini Mantras from White Sun or music from Debra Halperin. But when the music's playing 24-7, it charges it up. And then on top of that, I was gifted something called a Quartz Giza Crystal. So it's a type of crystal that never stops growing. It has a center point and they're long sticks and they were found at the bottom of a lake in Arkansas. It's pure quartz, and they were then flown to the Giza Pyramid in Egypt in the early 80s for a special ceremony under a galactic lineup called Pleiadian lineup. There were quite a few famous people that were there for that ceremony, so the crystals got charged in that way. And the person that ran that ceremony gave them to me, and It is believed that the crystals have a frequency that can charge an area as large as like Orange County. And so she's giving them to different people to use in different ways throughout the world. So I use them to charge up the food as well. So using the music with the frequency of the crystal just to add a larger charge of light. So it's just like a little added boost to whoever eats the spice. My goal is to reach people through food. And if that can raise their consciousness, improve their health, just bring more love and joy into their body, into the life, I will have done my job.

SPEAKER_01:

Amazing. Well, I love that you're an Erewhon, and congratulations on that. That's huge. Thank you. Sadly, we don't have any Erewhons near us. But when you visit, when you visit.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yes. And we can buy it on your website.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's yes. And your website. Tell us one more time. It's at Starseedkitchen.com.

SPEAKER_00:

Great. Great. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, well, let's get into our wrap session.

SPEAKER_02:

You want to kick it off? I can. So we know you're an amazing chef and have all these incredible ingredients. And so I'm assuming you're probably just as intentional with your beauty and wellness routine. So what is your favorite wellness and beauty hack?

SPEAKER_00:

So I'm super into the life, um, life wave patches. Do you guys, are you familiar with them? So every night I wear the X 39 and the all of the patches and I have been wearing them for about definitely over a year now. So the X 39, um, increases the stem cells in my body and the Alavita is for. just like my skin and not needing Botox and just clearing fine lines and wrinkles and improving hair growth. And then I used to do Aeon as well, which helps remove inflammation from the body. But they're just these little patches that you put on different meridian or acupuncture points on your body. And I wear them when I sleep and they do the work when I sleep. And I'm in like Life changing. Um, I know.

SPEAKER_01:

What is the, what, where do we find them? What's the brand? I mean, we'll link it.

SPEAKER_00:

L I F E W A V E life wave life wave patches. It's a company based out of San Diego. They were created for, um, For Navy SEALs because their shifts are over 30 hours long. And so they were starting to like a lot of Navy SEALs were starting to have really bad drug problems because they were trying to stay awake for their full shift and then the crash afterwards. So these patches were created just to improve their health in a variety of ways. Um, and then they've been released to the public and they do wonders. Um, you, you can take before and after photos of yourself and you know, see a physical change. Wow. how you look in the best way, more youthful, younger, softer, and physically you feel a lot better. They help you heal from injuries faster. Huge fan. Yeah. Sell them online lifeway.com, but you have to use them consistently. So like it takes like a solid three months, but that's like one of my favorite hacks. That's very cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. That's a great one. I love when we learn something like that.

SPEAKER_00:

That's why we're in this game. Yeah. Yeah. I love this too. Like I want to hear what you're really into right now. All right.

SPEAKER_01:

And the next one we call it our five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and Uber's pinged you. What are you doing to get yourself together and quickly get into that Uber? Like what are your go-tos, your holy grails to get out there?

SPEAKER_00:

I would put on a serum. So right now I'm using one of Tata Harper's serums. So I would just get out of the shower, put on a serum. If I wanted to look, I'm like a very all natural girl. But if I wanted to do something a little bit more, I love the glow sunscreen that has a little bit of a tint. a glow brand sunscreen, there's a tinted one. I'll throw that on. I always, I love mascara. So I'll do mascara, that, a little blush. I have 50 million lip glosses because I'm obsessed. And like, that's all I would do. And then I would put on earrings and a necklace. I always wear the same ones, just like super simple studs. And then I, yeah, And then figure out like what makes me comfortable and walk out the door. Yeah. Nice. Love it. Yeah. I'd probably put my hair up in a bun or a pony.

SPEAKER_02:

Any favorite lip gloss brands while we have you at Lipstick?

SPEAKER_00:

No, nothing right now. Yeah. Nothing right now. I'm ready for an overhaul. Yeah. There's nothing I'm really super loving. Like when it comes to the skincare game, to the makeup game, I want a whole new experience. So That's kind of just moving through the summer just to get to fall so I can just throw everything out and start new.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, and then how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

SPEAKER_00:

Being outside. I have to find a way to walk. Like for me, I'm a big walker. I'll go tonight after dinner. I think I'm going to do like a sunset hike. That'll be bliss today. But I, I mean, I, I prefer walking first thing in the morning when it's quiet out, you know, I love it when it's quiet. It's cool. Anywhere you go outside first thing in the morning is it's kind of bliss nirvana to me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, totally. Amazing. Where can we find you? So we know we have your website now. I know you have a podcast. Can you tell our listeners your podcast, your Instagram, all the things?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So my podcast is the High Vibration Living Podcast because I'm like you guys. I just love talking about this stuff and love learning about the other tools that I can put in my tool belt that I can lean on when I need to be uplifted or I need to make edits. You can find me on Instagram at Whitney Aronoff and my brand, Starseed Kitchen, and then my website, starseedkitchen.com. And then I also have a YouTube channel with tons of videos there, cooking videos and videos from the podcast. Again, just Whitney Aronoff. Those are the best places to find me.

SPEAKER_02:

Amazing. Well, this has been so enlightening. I feel like, yeah, I'm so excited to research and you've inspired me to like get back into, you know, the cooking cooking game. So I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I'm going to be doing your quite a few of your recipes. I can tell. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, message me any time. And the next time you guys are out here, we'll go to Erewhon for lunch.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 168 - Natasha Brinkman- SHE’S BACK -"From Tretinoin to Growth Factors: The Future of Skincare with Beauty Junkie Monkey (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 168

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of wellbeing and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters family. We are back. with Natasha Brinkman, aka Beauty Junkie Monkey on TikTok and Instagram. We did an episode with Natasha a while back. I was looking, it was like episode 96 and 97. We did a two-parter because we had so much info, but she is back. Natasha, master esthetician, skincare consultant, educator. Welcome back to the show. We love having you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

This is amazing. Always a pleasure to be part of your guys' podcast. So thank you again for having me. Yeah. I just love skincare.

SPEAKER_00:

And your videos just continue to educate. I'm always like, how does she have all these ideas? But then every Every time I watch a video or piece of content that you make, I'm like, oh, that's such a good tip. Oh, that's such a good idea. Like, I just love it so much. I know our community does too. So thanks for being on. And I was saying before that you look fabulous. Your skin is glowing. Your eyes are stunning. Your whole vibe is just

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. I really went for, like I said, the international look. I wanted to kind of go... Plus I came from the gym and I didn't have time to do my hair. So I'm like... I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I was like threw my hair back today too. So what's been going on with you? Tell us everything. I know I've seen like tons of growth on your Instagram and TikTok and your brand partnerships and all these fun things, but would love to hear what's happening with you.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Well, yeah, life just gets crazy and crazier. I thought last a couple of years were fantastic and then this year kind of popped up and I'm like oh my gosh. So last year I started taking my master's medical aesthetics because again I have my full esthetician which a lot of people don't understand in the business is that you have people that will either train in one thing like just waxing or just nails or just like one thing but when I took my aesthetics I did all of it. Okay. aestheticians, right? So I was completely full of aesthetics back then. But going from that career to policing now back to, you know, online skincare consultant, kind of a bit of a pivot again in my career. And I felt a little bit out of touch. So what I wanted to do is I went back to school, and I took my master's medical aesthetics. So this is all the advanced techniques. So I could work with a dermatologist or an RN and I could be either their assistant or basically I don't I don't inject, but I can use what they've pulled out of you. So if you wanted to do like a vampire facial, PRP, I could administer that after the fact. So laser treatments, any type of microneedling and so forth. So I went and I did that. On top of that, I did my 30 day skincare challenge, which I love to do every January. Yes, that was amazing. I followed that. Every single day I put out a lesson plan. So it is literally every day I'm trying to teach you to help you build your own skincare routine, because this is what's not taught. Right? So the biggest thing is everybody tells you, oh, this is the best product. This is the best product. Everybody will say that. But the problem is nobody tells you how to use it. So then that way you maximize the results. And there's some ingredients that are really awesome, but they're really active. And you don't want to start pairing them immediately right after you started another active ingredient because it can cause irritation. Some people can get away with it. Most cannot.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. So for our listeners, they could go back on, is it on your Instagram and TikTok, like the 30 days? Yeah. And it's just like step-by-step. So every day you can kind of like start fresh. Because I find that too, even though I have a million products and always trying things, sometimes you forget how to use them or in which order or like what pairs with what. It's complicated.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it can be. It can be. I have to say, and honestly, all these new brands and all these brands that have been coming out, I love testing them and I play with them. So that's the other thing that I'm really adamant about is I make sure that I test everything before I bring it forward on my page. And there's a lot of products that I've tested, especially last year, that fell completely flat. And everybody's like, these are the best. And I'm like, no, it's not. It's average at best. But I don't like to poo-poo other companies because, again, that's not my That's not my angle, right? My angle is to stay positive and tell you what works. There's plenty of people out there that tell you what doesn't work. So I would like to be the other side of the coin. I'm going, this is what works. This is a good place.

SPEAKER_00:

You're like, if I'm not talking about it, that means I don't like it. I'm not a fan. So I recently got, so there was a product that you talked about a while back that I really wanted to try and there was like a, it was sold out for a while and I just got it a couple of weeks ago, the Maylove Peptide Squad, which I love because I was also using your recommendation for like probably the last year or so, the Matrixil and the Agera line, and I would use them both, but this seems like it has both plus more and it's a one-step. Correct.

SPEAKER_02:

So this is the best part about evolving and a lot of my followers and even clients, they're all like, okay, well, why is this not good? It's like, no, no, no, it's still amazing. It's just, this company was working on this product for two years. So Mela, I had the awesome opportunity to talk to their doctor who actually created that formula. Because this is unique. You typically don't use a vitamin C, especially L-ascorbic, with any type of copper because it can have some counterindications. So you can use it with different forms of vitamin C, but L-ascorbic or ascorbic, typically you don't touch with peptides, you don't do it with everything. So I was emailing them and sending them messages left, right, and center, and I know they knew who I was. I love their brand. So they're like, do you want to talk to the formulator? I'm like, yes. Amazing. So I had the awesome opportunity to talk with them. We decided to do a live event. So I was a guest and got a chance to talk and pick her brain and help my viewers understand the peptide squad. But the peptide squad is truly unique because it has your Agera line, which is your neuropeptide, tells the muscles not to move so much. Everybody calls that the Botox in a bottle. Then they have Metrixel. So there's four different versions of Metrixel. So they have your traditional Metrixel 3000. So that's the hardy one. That one is a signaling peptide. So everybody's concerned it doesn't go in. No, no, no, it's not meant to go in. It's a signaling peptide. It sits on tops and sends signals. Tell your skin, help me, I need more collagen. So that's the nice thing about what that product will do. Plus niacinamide, if you ever, as long as you don't have an allergy to it, niacinamide is next to godliness. I call her sporty spice because she shrinks down your pores. She tightens up your pores. She helps balance out the oil and hydration. So if you're dry or if you're oily, she's just amazing. She lightens and brightens. She's an antioxidant. Like I could go on and on and on. So love niacinamide. Then what she did is she added copper peptides. Now, copper, again, if you use it too much in your skin, it can actually have an adverse reaction. It can break it down. But they used a really nice copper blend, and they bound their copper, which maybe for most of us, we're like, well, what does that mean? It means it's not free-floating. You can use it with an L-ascorbic vitamin C, and you can use it with any type of retinoid. So, tretinoin, retinal, or retinol. And so I was just like, oh my god, I can use this both day and night and get all these amazing results. And I forgot to mention, sorry, last ingredient was rice peptides. Rice peptides help to prevent the breakdown of collagen. And the best part is I call this peptide squad like the steel magnolia. of peptides because every single actress in there is. Yes. You get the best thing for you.

SPEAKER_00:

It's just a one stop shop. So like now I'm not putting on like five different layers. I just use that. Now, do you use that before or after a vitamin C or retinol or all those things?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, typically, whenever you're doing any type of layering, the laws of layering are always the same. Thinnest to thickest, water-based first, then creamy, or it's a water-based, kind of serum-y based, then you want to do anything kind of a creamy serum-y, and then creams, and then oils. There's always rules to the exception and you can see which certain one's in. But if your oil is more like that kind of, or sorry, the vitamin C is more in an oil base, that one's going to go on after everything else. So then that way it has time to do its magic. So you don't put it on right out of the gate, you put it on a little bit further on. So whenever you're looking at your skincare product, if you ever get confused, go thinnest to thickest, water-based, cream-based, oil-based.

SPEAKER_00:

And water-based, I know this is a dumb question, but like water-based, so like the Peptide Squad, which is like a blue, ceramic, is that water-based? Yeah, that's a little more water.

SPEAKER_02:

It's more serum-y-esque. I would say that's more of a serum. So if you're using like L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C, like SkinCeutical seems to be a popular one. So if you use that one, you would use that one first, then you would use the Peptide Squad, and then you'd use Moisturizer SPF if you did it during the day.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, it makes sense. And then at night, same philosophy applies. Correct. So I just wanted to shout you out for recommending that product because it saved me a lot of time and thought. I don't have to think about it now. Before, I'm like, wait, let me put all my metrics on. and then my Agera line, and then my vitamins. And now it's just like, I don't have to think about it. I put it on and it's fabulous so far. I'm loving it. I've had it for like a few weeks, so it's so good.

SPEAKER_02:

Wait, it just gets better and better. That peptide squad is just sensational. And like I said, I'm able to build any skincare routine with it. And people who want to do the peptide squad, you want to make sure that you're using it when you need it. So if you're in your 20s, you're not going to need it, my friend. You're really not. But if you're like your mid-30s and up, definitely put it into your skincare routine. It will not

SPEAKER_00:

And it's fine. And is it safe to use every day?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, absolutely. Day and night. Absolutely. Totally safe.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. And then I've been hearing you talk about, which I don't know anything about, just I've seen your videos on the anti-age or is that how you say it? That new entourage. What is this and what do we need to know about it?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's a whole new level of awesome. That's a whole No, when I went back to school during my practicum in their studio, in their course, they had the entourage and I remember looking at it going, I remember this. I've used this before in my earlier 40s. So this company's been around for over 12 years. And I had some concerns because it has growth factors and cytokines and this is extracted from human bone marrow stem cells. And as soon as you say that, you get all these crazy images of back alley stuff being sold, which of course was not the case at all. And what I really liked is that my instructor, she was so good, talked me through it and how it was done and went on the website and read more about it. What I really want to point out is that this is ethically sourced and they only get it from Sorry, 18 to 24 year olds because you want to have that. That is the peak time where you pull out those communicators and that's what they're doing. They're taking it out of the bone marrow. And by the way, these people are well compensated, so this is a long process. This isn't just some quick thing, just to be clear. And then what they do is they extract the cytokines and the stem cells or the growth factors, pardon me. Those are communicators. That's all they are. So there's no DNA transfer, there's nothing that's going to freak you out. It isn't oncology approved, so this was really important to me. I had skin cancer, I don't want to have anything. Not to mention my husband's been through cancer, so anybody who's been touched by that, we get really nervous when we hear things like that. has been oncology approved. It is also breastfeeding and pregnancy approved. Now I will say the caveat always bring it forward to your doctor. Everybody is different. But before you start it, but I like that they had the approval from the oncology and pregnancy safe. So that was like, So what they did with the entourage, so this is where I would say, this is where skincare will be eventually going. So just to kind of break it down, when you have basic skincare products that you can purchase, you can purchase all of them, you know, through, you know, local drugstores, Sephora, you know, your spas and so forth. But they're the key components, vitamin C, peptides, retinols, and exfoliants. Those are kind of like the pillars, the base. Then what you do is you go up a step if you wanted to do things like treatments where you had PRP plasma-rich platelets, you know, things like that. That's kind of the next level, but that's Not always convenient for people. Not everybody likes needles. Not everybody wants to use that as a procedure. So that one's kind of fallen off to the wayside. It was really big. I think when Kim Kardashian brought that out, I don't know how it was effective, but it's only effective because it's based on how healthy you are. So if you're not great, you're not going to get great results, which again, another limitation. Well, here comes growth factors and cytokines. If you have a human, human to human, they speak. Human and plants, they don't speak. It's like trying to talk to your husband when he's watching the game. There's no communication. I love my husband. But that's what I mean. So when people are like, oh, well, I get mine from plants. then it's just an antioxidant, meaning it's not going to change your skin the same way. So with ATIAGE, they took all your serums that you typically would find in a skincare routine, all your retinoids and your vitamin C that you would see in a two-part system, and then they loaded it up with stem cells and cytokines. And it has been a game changer. What can people expect? Maybe that's the best way to describe it. Um, volume back in the skin. So for people who have had the face dump, this typically happens when you kind of start hitting perimenopause menopause, we lose 30% of our collagen. There was no, you can't control that. It's going to bite. Right. So when that happens, this is an option for you. We also lose the fat pads in our face, so unless you want to gain weight, and who wants to gain weight? Most people do not. So that's what this does, is it tells your skin, it's a communicator, and it tells your stem cells and your cytokines to behave like they did when they were 18 to 24 years old. So that's where the healing comes back in. So your skin is constantly healing, so your skin will get thicker, you'll have more volume. It's actually the nasolabia and the marionette lines, that's the biggest part where the jowls start popping up. As soon as you start noticing that, you might want to start considering the entourage because it's going to pop those right back up. Or maybe do it before. Well, I don't know if you'll see the same results. That's the problem. I did try it in my early 40s and it was like, you know, I didn't appreciate it because I wasn't there. Right.

SPEAKER_00:

And now you can actually see the difference.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Huge difference. And what I like about this product is because it's speaking to your skin differently, your results are sensational. The longer you're on it, the better it gets.

SPEAKER_00:

Is it a, um, is it something you do? Is it a night treatment, a morning treatment? Like, is that a cream? Like what's okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It's simple. You cleanse the one part, the two parts, you put a moisturizer on in the morning SPF at night, you cleanse one, two moisturizer, go to bed.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, wow. And you don't need to put on anything else that that's like we're talking about the peptide squad and all that, like this, like takes all that away and you just take.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, you can add little boosters in there, as I like to call it. So if you wanted a little extra peptides, you can. It doesn't have the copper or like if you're nitpicking and you want to, you know, some people like to do more than just the base. But I would say use it in its purest form at least for three months. Because the results for me, when I was using it, I used it solid.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, you look amazing. Your skin looks incredible. But it always does. But it does have that extra, like, it does have a little plumper and more, I don't know, just lifted.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. That's the entourage. So I was on it for three months. I had a really, really hard time. I tried a different skincare line. I promised them I'd try it. I'm a woman of my word. And within about three weeks, my skin started to regress.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm like,

SPEAKER_02:

Nope. Can't use this. I don't want to sacrifice myself. So we'll see how that goes now. But yeah, it's a game changer. And then of course, a level up from that, which is coming out from stem cells and cytokines will be

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, eczema. So what is that?

SPEAKER_02:

That's a hybrid of growth factors and cytokines. So again, it's communicating to your skin, telling your skin to behave differently, to heal differently. In fairness, I haven't done too much research in that just yet. I'm still getting my hands and my feet under the whole growth factors. And for me, I find the best way to really appreciate a product is to use it, and to feel it. And then I bought a whole bunch, and I gave one to my 77-year-old mom, one to my girlfriend, who's got different skin than me, and then one to my sister, who has more oily, aphnetic skin. And every single one of them, their skin improved, and it looked sensational. So I was shocked. I took a photo of my mom's skin. I also posted it on my Instagram. on all my website, or not website, pardon me, on my Instagram and Facebook and TikTok so people could see. And that's my mom. That's real results from 77-year-old skin. Oh, I can't wait to see it.

SPEAKER_00:

So you've been using it for three months and you're still using it, right? Is it something you just... Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I stopped for, like I said, about three weeks because I needed another brand. So I'm catching back up again. Right. And you're like, oh, I got to go back to it. Yeah. Like, I was just like, I'm so sorry. Like, I even told them, I said, you're up against stem cells and cytokines. Are you sure you want me to tell you?

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Because that's like, it sounds like to your point, like what's starting to happen next, like this trend of like, I don't know what the category is. It seems like it's stronger, but it's not really stronger. It's just like more close to your... More advanced.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, more advanced. I would like to call it more advanced. Now, I want to say the caveat is you cannot get it off of Amazon. You're not going to see social influencers promoting it because you have to be a professional to have access to this. So myself, because of my my training, my business is I do skin care consultations online. And so my my shop, if you will, is unauthorized distributorship.

SPEAKER_00:

OK, so people can buy it from the link off of your socials on your website.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. Or off my website. Yeah, my website or my shop myself is where I have all my favorites in there. And or if they have a MediSpa in their location that carries the entourage, they can get that one as well. But do not buy it off at Amazon at a complete fakes. And this is not cheap stuff. So I think in the States, it's 220 for both bottles. And in Canada, it's gonna be 300 bucks. So yeah, Right? Yeah. So you have to put into consideration what your budget is. Um, how, you know, are you there yet? I always tell people, you know, use it when you need it, not beforehand because once you start it, it will be very, very, very hard to get off of it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And it's like, I'm starting to notice this, which I never had before. Like when I wake up in the morning, cause I must be like pursing my lips at night or something. And then I'm like, what are these lines? Why is it starting to happen?

SPEAKER_02:

But that's the whole thing, right? And I mean, it's not going to make you a 20-year-old. I mean, I think we're all pretty, right? But at the same time, again, my goal is to help you achieve your results, whatever those may be. I have some people, the most important thing to them is melasma. Other people, it's aging. Sometimes it's all three. It's like, well, that limits us because what you do for melasma, that routine is going to be different from aging. You can kind of mix them together, but it can be, I don't want to give them like 16 steps.

SPEAKER_00:

That's ridiculous. Right. You want to make it easy. So Trenton Owen is an example. It's a different category, I guess. How does that compare to something like entourage, if someone's just doing tretinoin at night? I do tretinoin, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, tretinoin is a retinoid, right? So it's the retinoid family. So tretinoin, retinal, retinol. That's how I kind of do it. And then bakuchiol is a nice derivative of it. And basically what they're doing, and if I can simplify it, it's called apoptosis of the cell. It's telling the cell to die off faster. and produce better skin. So it's that stimulation that we're looking for within your skin, because our skin slows down as we age, right? So our skin cycle is typically 28 to 31 days. And when we start aging, it could slow down to 45 days. So when people say, hey, I don't I've used it for two weeks and I see nothing. I'm like, that's not even a skin cycle. You've got to give your skin time to absorb that ingredient, change, and then change together. So what a tretinoid is doing is it's basically killing off the top layer of your skin, forcing the bottom layer to reproduce faster. That's where the irritation, the flakiness, the dryness, it's basically you're killing it off too fast. So that's why people have such a hard issue. And it's so strong. Tretinoin, it's not encapsulated. There's no buffers. It's bazooka-based skin. If you have thick, hardy skin, you can handle it. If you're somebody like me, thin and dry, I tell you, retinals are better. That's where you want to go. But that's one component of how to change your skin. Vitamin C is another component to change your skin. Peptides, another component on how to change your skin. Now we have stem cells and cytokines, another communicator that is very robust. So, all you're doing is you're just taking your pillars and then you're adding an additional boost. Right. So, I guess that's the best way to put it because a lot of people can do tretinoin and they do great with it, but other people cannot. And tretinoin is not going to fill up the marionette lines.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. That's what I was going to ask. So, I'm fine doing tretinoin. It doesn't bother me. I mean, I don't do it every night, so maybe that's why. But sometimes I get a little dry flakiness. I feel like sometimes like you would put out a video like do you feel like it's plateaued and I don't know if it's plateaued like I feel like I need something else to like judge the skin to like to your point like give it more volume because it's starting to like come to you know so like what can make it more to your point, like more volume, thicker, etc. And I feel like the no one is more of just like wrinkle kind of, I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

It does actually help with the collagen production. So one thing that happens when we age as well, it just really sucks, is that the top layer of our skin gets thicker, but it's like the dead, dehydrated, dry stuff. And then bottom layer, actually, we lose that collagen. So yeah, underneath it, and that's where the volume, we lose that volume loss, right? So that's when it comes in, we're like, oh, that's not what I want to see. So when we're using, like I said, the tretinoin, we're stimulating that collagen to reproduce faster. And if you introduce it nice and slow into your routine, it's like learning how to run. If you go too fast, too much too fast, it's like, hey guys, wait up, I'm not there yet. Your body hasn't trained to turn over that with. So if you're finding that you're using tretinoin every single night and you can slather it on and nothing's changing, then I would recommend going up to the entourage. Got it.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. That's helpful because I think a lot of our listeners probably do some form of retinol or tretinoin or something. And this sounds like it's like the next level up, which is really good to think about and exciting. I love all these advancements in skincare. It's just like seems to be evolving. Just exponentially.

SPEAKER_02:

It's sensational. I'm honored to be alive in this time where we have these options, right? And it's exciting. I've had so many different things now because of the way that things are moving. You know, I even had PRP done on my knee. So if anybody has that in their knee or any injuries.

SPEAKER_00:

That's interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they pulled it out of my arm, they spun it, and they put the plasma-rich platelets, and they just injected into my knee, and I have no knee issues right now. Wow. So medically, we're really evolving, and if you can kind of get over the ick factor of it, you know, kind of make your peace with it. They're injecting hyaluronic acid into joints now. My father had to have a hip replacement, but while he's waiting, it was just bone on bone. So what they did to try to alleviate that is they take hyaluronic acid and put it in there just to help that cushion. It's incredible what is available nowadays, but it's also making sure that you're purchasing what you need when you need it.

SPEAKER_00:

And from the right people, because I know there's so many bad things on Amazon. I don't buy a lot of skincare on Amazon because it makes me nervous.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't buy any hair off Amazon. That's a hard no for me because I have no clue where it's coming from.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. It's scary. It's scary. And is there any side effects from the entourage? Like do you get dry or anything like you would get with a retinol? Like what could people expect from that?

SPEAKER_02:

So if you are prone to acne or breaking out, you definitely will have a bit of a breakout. It usually subsides within two weeks. So again, my sister was acne prone and so forth. She broke out first couple of times, looked at me sideways and said, just push through it, just push through it. And then after her, her pores were so tight, I was shocked. Wow. I was shocked. I'm like, holy crap, you look like a porcelain doll. And she's 55 to put things in perspective. So if you are prone to breakout, you will breakout. It is rosacea safe. But again, rosacea is a green wiener. So just be mindful of that, that you probably won't have an issue. But if you're nervous, just go nice and slow. And then of course, everybody else from aging to dry skin, there is a healthy amount of Bacupyl in it, which is a retinoid derivative. So yes, you can dry down a little bit, especially if you try to pair your retinoid with it. Because I know a lot of people have asked me this, can I use my retinoid or my tretinoin with it? Yes, you can. I don't know if you actually need it. Right. Because the product is, like I said, the longer you use it, the more skin cycle you have of that ingredient. Right. It's almost duplicative. Yeah. It's almost like you don't need extra. Have I tried a retinol with it? Yes. Did it Bonus, I think so. I thought I looked sensational. But now this go around, I'm going to do it without it and just see how she rolls. Because again, it's something I can always add in. Exactly. But she can be a little bit dry. And it's really important if you do suffer from dry skin, always use a little bit of oil in your routine somewhere. Just because it's going to help keep you plump and juicy. And you can use a little light oil during the day and you can use a heavier oil at night. I love skin glazing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I was going to say, what kind of oil do you like? Do you have any brands that you recommend? Oh God, I love so many.

SPEAKER_02:

That's the problem. I've tried so many. I love a good blend, like in its simpler form, it's nice. So for one, I like putting just a hint, like one drop underneath my makeup. It'll make your skin look flawless. You want to use a nice light oil. I love Diana Madison. She's very like, she's got the prickly pear in her formulations. She has not only the nicest oil to use that for, but also the best masks I've ever used. And there's another one. Oh gosh, what's it called? It's a purple bottle. It'll come to me in a minute, but that one was sensational under makeup as well. If you're more on a budget kind of idea, oh, Kiehl's. Kiehl's recovery, sensational. Nighttime, for me, I need something really heavy, so I'll do the Herbivore Phoenix Oil. That's my holy grail. Another really good one is the Pharmacy. I believe it's Honey Halo Glow something or other. That one's really rich. I love that one. It just sucks everything in and it keeps the skin really, really healthy.

SPEAKER_00:

We just put that on at the end to give it a nice

SPEAKER_02:

And you pat it on. You don't want to rub your oils because it can break down. Well, not break down, but yeah. No, I would say it breaks down some of the other products, especially depending on how they're formulated. So I always say, if you have oil, just pat it on your skin. And a good trick that I want to tell everybody out there, I know the nighttime is the hardest time to do your skincare routine. And I just want to put this out there. Do your skincare routine when you're done for the day. If you're done at three o'clock and you're like, it's going to be zombie day, pajamas, bras off, let's go. Just get it over with. Exactly. Just do it. And then that way when you're, you know, you sit on the couch, you're like, I am done. Perfect. Then you can go to bed. You don't have to worry about your skincare. So even if you use an oil or any of these other products, it's kind of taking care of that. Well, is it going to go on my pillow? Well, yeah, if you do it right before bed, as long as you sleep on your back, you're going to get some on your pillow. But yeah, when you're home for the night, just do it early. My little two cents. Do it as soon as you get home.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, good idea. Exactly. When you put on the sweats, it's time to do your routine and then you're done and you can have your glass of wine. But she gears, what are your thoughts on, because I've been testing a couple like toners, like Korean skincare type stuff. Have you been in, have you tested that world of all of those brands or what are your thoughts there?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, lots. I get lots. Well, Depology is Korean. I don't know if you guys realize that, but it's Korean. They're one of my absolute favorites because, again, they're independent, so they have really great companies. I did a video on Body, and there's one, I can't even remember the name, I'm so sorry, but it's a really good exfoliant, especially if you have ingrowns. I don't know about you guys, but I shave my bikini line. I don't have And sometimes I get ingrowns or, you know, and that little peel was so good because you could put it in your bikini line. It was so gentle. It didn't, and then that way I didn't get any bumps. So there's lots of amazing products from the Korean line, but I will say this, the caveat is still the same as any other products out there. There's a lot of okay products. You know, so just kind of keep that into consideration just because it's Korean doesn't mean it's the holiness of holy. It's just a different format and they have different techniques. They have different ingredients. But at the end of the day, does it change your skin any differently than another brand? I don't know. It would depend.

SPEAKER_00:

Everybody's different. It probably goes into the four pillars that you were talking about. It's just another brands, but yeah. Correct. Another formulation.

SPEAKER_02:

But if I find something I love damn straight, I'm going to talk about it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I got to share it with my friends. Yes, we need to know all the things. And then what are you seeing? I know you do a lot of private skin care consultations or people obviously DM you and stuff. What are people asking about? I know the trend of these growth factors and all of that is coming out, but what are people asking? What do they want to see? What are they having issues with? Yeah, how to build a routine.

SPEAKER_02:

I think that's the biggest mistake that we're seeing in my industry, in the aesthetic industry. We're not teaching people how to build a skincare routine. And just to kind of pull the curtain back and share a little bit, when I grew in my aesthetics, all my online, my skincare routines and so forth was all from the company. So, you know, you work at a spa, the company rep comes and tells you all about their product, how absolutely amazing it is. And then, you know, when you work with different companies, they carry different brands. And then when you're recommending these products to your clients and they're coming back and they're giving you feedback, that's the best information you can get because now you're knowing, well, that's not working. So first you have to flush out if they're using it right, because 9 out of 10 times there is a bit of a user that we have to kind of make sure that people are using it properly. But the second component is not every skincare product will work for that person. The active ingredients in there are not in there for that person and that skin type and that issue. And we're not teaching that. Right. And that's where I think a lot of people are getting frustrated because you go to a company, yeah, they'll build you a skincare routine. They know nothing about you. They don't look at your skin. They don't know your history. They ask no questions. It's very basic. So for some, that works. People with normal skin can pretty much get away with almost anything. But if you're like me, dry, dehydrated, you have rosacea, you have oily skin, completely different story. Right. Everyone's different. I think what's coming down the pipeline, especially on TikTok, you have a lot of formulators, and they're telling you, actually, no, you can pair all these things together. I get nervous when they say that because you're going to have somebody that's going to pair an exfoliate with an acidic form of vitamin C and burn the lips. And I really want to say, just because one person can do it does not mean you can do it. And so what I would like to do is I would like to see the dermatologists, the estheticians, and the formulators come together and provide information. I feel we're missing that key component. I consider myself a bridge between the dermatologist and uh the the formulators because what I do for myself is I research every product and then if I have an opportunity I will talk to the actual formulators at that company right and I talk to them about how do you formulate because one formulator will say no you can do this and another formulator will say no you can do it that way it's very interesting yeah it's there's a lot of where we there's a lot of stuff in between that we're not agreeing on so and then it's based on experience bias opinion

SPEAKER_00:

It's a lot. It's what's trending. Yeah. Well, that's why we're lucky. We have people like you that can give us all the correct information and then can come on podcasts like Nirvana Sisters and give us all the things we need to know because you're very trusted and we appreciate it. Okay, I could go on all day but I want to give you time back, but I have a last question for you and this is a beauty question because of course we always have to do a beauty question. I saw you had a video and I've noticed your lashes are gorgeous and you've been using method lashes I saw, which I hadn't heard of. I played around with lashes for a while. I'm not wearing them now, but sometimes I'll throw them on again and then I saw the method and I was like, oh, I want to hear about those.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my God. I'm using them 99.999 percent of the time. I was actually ordering them before we- Oh, that's so funny. Because I ran out. So method lashes, actually my girlfriend, I can't take any credit for it. She was the one wearing them. I'm like, God, your lashes look so good. Did you get them done? And she's like, no method lashes. You actually put them on underneath your lashes. Yeah. What? Like, no way. And I mean, again, when I did my aesthetic training, I actually learned how to put every single individual last moment. I hated it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it takes forever.

SPEAKER_02:

I did not like that and paying $200 every two weeks to get them redone. Yeah, I used to do it. It's a nightmare. I did that for like two or three months and I'm like, what am I doing? This is ridiculous. Yeah. But I like the convenience of them, right? So when she got me on method lashes, they're broken up into four or five different sections. And what you do is you just put the glue underneath your clean lashes. And then you put like a little bit of glue on there's like a little A little edge, I guess it is. And then what you do is you don't put it on the actual waterline, just above the waterline and then type it in and then you put all three or four or five versions. You just kind of work from the outside in and then they give you a sealant. And what I like to do is I like to take the tweezers and I put the sealant between the tweezers and then I squish it. Okay. Those will last me seven to 10 days.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Okay. So they're similar. I used to use, or I still have them, but I haven't used them in a while, like Lashify or Headcandy is another brand. Similar. But I want to try those because they look like really good ones and they can last seven to 10 days. That's good. I always have a hard time washing my face when I have lashes on because I feel like around the eyes, it's hard to do eyeshadow and stuff because you feel like it's hard to get off. You have to be very careful. That's the only thing that bugs me about wearing lashes. But I was just thinking to myself, I'm like, I got to put them on again because sometimes when I don't want to put on makeup, if you just have those lashes on, you look ready to go. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

You can go to the gym. You don't care. I know. little SPF and tinted SPF in your lashes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and you're light like me so I have lashes but you can never see them because they're so light so I always have to put on mascara or I look so washed out and I was just thinking to myself I'm like I gotta do this again because it's like getting annoying.

SPEAKER_02:

It's so worth it. I'll tell you the first time you do it it's gonna be a hot mess you know you don't want to be doing it the first day when you have like something really big you're not you know it's like everything else.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a learning curve.

SPEAKER_02:

A little bit of a learning curve, but oh my god, I love them. I'm kind of obsessed with them. Because again, I can wear them for a week. I can sweat in them. I can do everything that I need to do with them. They don't blow off. Sometimes if I use too much oil close to my eye, it will break down the glue. But the glue is more like a rubber base, so it doesn't hurt your lashes at all. It's very flexible. So I just tell everybody, when you're washing your face, I hope you're using a face cloth, because that little face cloth, if you wrap it around your finger and you just kind of glide it, it won't touch them. You'll be just fine because remember they're attached underneath. Right. You just kind of glide them over top and then you can just do like a little either a q-tip or a gentle gentle rub on top to make sure if you've got any like eye shadow on top of the lashes just to gently get those off. Yeah. And they're affordable. You get three lashes for 30 bucks. Yeah, that's good. Three sets. So you buy the box and you get three sets of lashes. So like that's three weeks worth of lashes for 30 bucks. Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_00:

I love them.

SPEAKER_02:

I also have them on Shop My Shelf as well. Okay, good. We'll check that out. Anytime I love something, it goes on the Shop My Shelf because, I mean, I had When I start doing my online skincare routines, my clients usually ask me, hey, I'm done this moisturizer, what's next for my skin type? And when you have a hundred people asking you the same question, you're like, I need to design something for that. That's what Shop My Shelf is. It's basically a hub where all my links are, including the online shopping method last year and all your traditional stuff that you can find, Saravay. A lot of people like to use Shop My Shelf as their guide.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I was just going to say that because everything's vetted by you, so you don't have to wonder. It's like, okay, we know it's all good. It's just a matter of what we need and what's going to work best for us.

SPEAKER_02:

and what's affordable, because I have different affordabilities on there. It's curated based on skin type. So if you kind of like, oh, I'm dry, then you go into the dry and you'll see all the different cleansers, all the moisturizers, all the oils, all the things that can work for you or skin type, and you can build your own routine based off of it.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. Okay. We'll link to it for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's for everybody. Initially, that was just going to be for my clients, but then I had so many people ask, and I'm like, well, here, build your own routine. If that helps you, great. Quick thing, if you do shop off my shelf, I do get a small commission. As you should. Want to be honest, you know, I appreciate people that you do take it, but I also go to the manufacturers and try to get discount codes for you guys. I do my best to help. So everybody, everybody wins in that, in that scenario, but you don't have to, you can use it as a reference. If you want to run to Sephora, the shopper's drug mart and pick up what you need. Yeah, by all means, go right ahead. And then I also, what I did new this year, which I was working on last year is I have now online skincare routines available for purchase.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that's new.

SPEAKER_02:

That is very new. I worked my butt off. So what I have is advanced aging skincare routines for oily skin, dry skin, rosacea, delicate skin, oily skin, acnetic skin, and I'm putting out the entourage. So if you want to get into the entourage and you want to know what you can pair with it and what you how to build it into your routine. I actually built a specific routine for it. It also includes microneedling. So if you want to get some extra microneedling. I also did an advanced peptide solution. So that would be one for people who don't need the anti-age yet, but they want to do as many peptides as they can. And I give you examples, my top three, so you can pick some of your best choices. So you get not only the program, but exactly how to build it. And if you have ever any questions about your routine, all you have to do is email me and I can answer any questions for people who've built their own. And they just have like, can I do this and this? Yeah, absolutely. You're good to go.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. So where can people find this? Is this on your website?

SPEAKER_02:

That's on my website, www.beautyjm.com. Thank you, Amy.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it. A little self-promotion there. And it's good too, because I know it's really hard to get an appointment with you. So like this is like a nice alternative and then that's great that you can answer questions if there are questions that come up.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. Once you purchase the routine, if you have a question, I am happy to answer them because I understand there's only one of me. So I've opened up as much as I humanly can, but I'm trying to do education routines, answer questions. It's a lot of work. So a lot.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thank you for your time and for being on the show again. We want to have you back as many times as you want to come, because every time I learn something new and you're just so just Your knowledge is so deep, but it's so helpful for people like me and our community who is like, you know, they know a little bit, but to be able to get deep into it and to really understand it and to know what works and doesn't work and to, you know, do things slowly and carefully is really important. So appreciate you being here as always.

SPEAKER_02:

Love it and I appreciate you giving me an opportunity to tell people like there are you can afford to skin at any age don't worry about that and just know that you have options and just be very mindful of what are you trying to do with your skincare routine and then purchase based on that. Yeah. So the influence of influencers and I know I'm technically one of them now but ask yourself what does this product do for me if this is all about like lightening and brightening your skin and that's not your concern, don't get that product. You don't need it. Exactly. Is it just a moisturizer? A really nice moisturizer? Is there any actives in there? If there's no actives, then it's just an expensive moisturizer. There's nothing in it that's going to change your skin.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. I always joke around like all these younger people, like in their 20s, like I feel like skin care has gotten so big over the last five years or so that like all these young people now, by the time they're older and in our age arena, they're going to look amazing because when I was young, I had no routine, didn't even think about it. And now there's so much education that all these people are really taking care of their skin. By the time they get to be older, they're going to look amazing. Yeah. Because they've been doing it all along versus me who was in the sun and damaging my skin for however long I was doing that for. Didn't we all do that?

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe oil on a redhead, bad idea, I regret it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm like, did I wear SPF every day? No, it didn't even occur to me.

SPEAKER_02:

It wasn't a thing. No, we didn't realize that. We knew it wasn't great, but we didn't care. I don't know why I wanted that LA glow. I never got the glow. I just got freckles and then eventually skin cancer.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, me too. I've had a lot of basal cells, so I'm in the shade and sunblock every day, but that doesn't happen until you're older. In my 20s, I wasn't. Exactly. We didn't know that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So much has changed. And that's the best part is that the education is out now and it's exciting. It's really, really exciting. I'm I'm loving this. It's great time to be in the field.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Thank you, Natasha, for being on the show, as always. And we'll see you soon. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 157 - Organizing Secrets for a Clutter-Free Home with Ana Oliveira (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast episode 157.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:28] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. I am so excited. We are so excited, Katie and I, to have Anna Oliveira with us today. We have been dying to have a show about organizing and how we organize our homes, which then helps us organize our lives. And we found Anna actually through Kat Ashmore because she has Kat's house. And I was like, okay, she looks amazing. So we reached out and we're so glad to have you here with us today. Anna, welcome to the show.

[00:59] Ana Oliveira: Thanks for having me. This is so exciting. I have listened to one of the latest podcasts and it's been really wonderful to get to know you guys a little bit more and your guests.

[01:13] Amy Sherman: So thank you so much. Well, for our audience, we'll give a little bit of a bio on Anna so you all can get to know her a little bit. But Anna founded top team more than a decade ago when she was pregnant with her first daughter. While she began with a cleaning business, Anna was inspired by her own life experience to expand into home organization. She's a mom of two, wife, founder and lead organizer of top team Connecticut, organizing services, serving Connecticut and beyond today. And I have a quote that I pulled, which I thought was very relevant that you sent over. I was just. I was just an overwhelmed mom that could never pass the kitchen when it came to organizing my home. A tired mom who decided to stop negotiating the non negotiable, the control I have over my physical space. Anna derives great pleasure helping her clients restore peacefulness and order to their busy lives. Watching them fall in love with their homes again and have a space where their families can enjoy life and thrive is the best testimonial I'll ever get. She says. So love that. And I so excited to chat with you today.

[02:13] Ana Oliveira: Yeah, same.

[02:14] Katie Chandler: Thanks for being here.

[02:16] Ana Oliveira: Thank you.

[02:18] Katie Chandler: Okay, should we kick it off with our nirvana of the week? Amy?

[02:22] Amy Sherman: We should. We haven't done this in a while. I'm going to flip it to you, katie, so I can.

[02:27] Katie Chandler: I know. I was just thinking about it and I think last weekend. Well, today. What's today? Today's Friday. So this last Sunday, I guess we can still consider it part of this week, right? This past Sunday, we had such a great family day. My daughter didn't have to go to hebrew school in the morning. So we got to like get up and spend the whole day together. So we got out the door at 10:00 a.m. Went to breakfast, and the next thing I knew, we spent the entire day out. We were just like shopping around, running around town, and then we had lunch out and then we went and had ice cream on the water. And then we came home and I, for whatever reason, just wanted to get in my yard and start like pulling weeds. So we played outside for 2 hours. It was just such a good family day. I don't know, it was like, yeah, we don't have days like that all the time on the weekend. It was so nice. What about you?

[03:17] Amy Sherman: So nice. I would say I had more of a gratitude moment this week, so. My son recently suffered a concussion. He's okay. It's just like, needs a lot of time to heal. And I've been feeling really grateful lately for the support that he's gotten at school and the support from his doctor. Cause everyone's just been really patient and helpful and helping him to get better. So I just feel really grateful that I have their support and they're really helping him to be set up for success. So that's kind of my nirvana of this week in the last few weeks. What about you, Anna?

[03:54] Ana Oliveira: I had several moments this week which was, I'm so grateful for. It's always nice when you have more to thank for than to ask for, I guess. But we got to help one of our, one of our clients who we've been in touch for a while, but they had water issues and we finally get to set up days and, you know, to help him move a few things in his basement. But little did I know. So I met him a couple weeks ago and then we finally got to go see him and execute the project this week. But I didn't have the correct like scoop of the job until we actually got our hands on. And we are used to do different, you know, projects, but this one was like years and years of waiting for this moment to happen on his end. He just didn't know that until we actually went. So the text I got the next day, it was like 8 hours of work straight up, you know, moving up and down the stairs, five different organizers. And I got the text the next day, like the most beautiful thank you note I have gotten in a long time. Just expressing he's in his late seventies, he's not young, you know, it was a huge project that he couldn't have done himself. And it was just like a really, you know, gratitude moment for me. It was nice to hear that you can still, you know, make a change out there, even if, you know, it was a really beautiful moment. I didn't expect to get a thank you note right after. I usually get Google reviews and emails later, but this was like the next day and it was, it was amazing.

[05:45] Katie Chandler: That's nice. He was impacted clearly by everything he did. That's so great.

[05:50] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[05:50] Katie Chandler: I would imagine your job, your job must be very rewarding in that sense. So, like, as soon as it's over, the gratification is really there, right?

[05:59] Ana Oliveira: Exactly. And this now most of our project, like 99% of our project, we like to call it one day transformation because we get to start and finish on the same day. This was just like after years and years of working with people, you do. This is a service that when you reach out, you're already overwhelmed. You cannot wait for, you know, for us to start and you can't wait for the whole process to be done with. So we found over the years that the most of our problem, 94% of our clients are repeat clients. They come back for more areas they gift family members. But that instant gratification of, okay, she's going to start at 09:00. By 630, I don't know, 05:00 some days it's going to be completely done. So it is pretty amazing and rewarding to. These are projects that people have been pushed and waited for. Like, we have clients that have been in the same home for over 40 years.

[07:02] Amy Sherman: Wow.

[07:03] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[07:05] Amy Sherman: Okay, so let's get into it in terms of organizing. So give us kind of your organizing 101. Like, what are some tips and trip, I can't speak today. Tips and tricks and best practices. Like when you're starting to organize a space.

[07:24] Ana Oliveira: I often like to refer our services or even myself. Like when you, when you call someone an organizer, you always picture like holding acrylic products and coming into your house with a bunch of bags and trying to implement all of these products, right. But we have shift a little bit over the last few years because I noticed that what people really crave, although the marketing today, like you open instagram, you do see beautiful spaces with not always attainable results. Right? Because you have a different lifestyle, different family, different budget and all that kind of stuff. So we do like to call ourselves as simplifiers because that's exactly what we do when we come in or our client to our client, into our clients homes, and we develop different systems, is really to simplify their home, if anything, including products is coming complicated the process. We just, you know, we move away from that and try to restart the project. But one of the best tips that I always like to start with, because our focus is to really simplify, I always like to say and start every project. Like, if someone calls me and say, hey, I only need you to come and bring beautiful products and labels, I'm like, mm, mm, mm. I can't do that because the first step and the, the most impactful step is really like, purge first, organize less. You need to go over everything you have first, one by one. And that's why our process is quick, because we're used to it. If you try to do yourself, you're probably gonna take, you know, forever. There is sentimental items that it might take you longer to make decisions on, but we always start with, you have to sort everything you have first, categorize, and then you make decisions on it. Focus is always to simplify, and then we come up and beautify things, but always start with purging.

[09:36] Amy Sherman: Yeah. And that's always the hard part. And do you recommend, like, taking everything out of the space or staying in the space and, like, you know, I know people have different philosophies there, right.

[09:47] Ana Oliveira: I always feel like that's, if you pull everything out, it won't make me overwhelmed. It actually makes me really excited when I do that. But oftentimes, whenever we. So we arrive at 09:00, typically at jobs, and I'm like, most of our clients work full time, but if there is a project that we kind of need some decision making, I always recommend they're being available. They don't have to hold, hold hands with us. But I'm always like, give me an hour, and the place is going to look like a disaster, like a bomb went off. But I promise it won't look like this by 04:00. So it will make you very overwhelmed if you pull everything out. That's why it's highly recommend to have a professional with you who can actually see the final picture. But if you do it yourself, I always recommend if you open a closet, if you open your linen closet and you look at all these, you know, different size sheets and towels and medicine and all that kind of stuff, only pull out what you know, you're getting rid of. If you're up for the project, for the whole project, pulling things out and going one by one, make sure you have time, make sure you have music on, and make sure, you know, don't we underestimate how much time things take? And we often want things like this because we see before and afters, and we're so used to the instant gratification. Right. You see the before picture and then you see the after. There's a lot of that needs to happen in between. So don't underestimate the time. Make sure you have enough time to dedicate to that chore or process.

[11:32] Katie Chandler: How do you help clients decide what to purge and what not to purge? If you have somebody that is really having a hard time letting go of things, how do you get them there?

[11:44] Ana Oliveira: It depends. We always try to find the root of the attachment first. Right. We do a lot of state organizing where there is a lot of sentimental value involved, but we often purge pantries where there is absolutely no sentimental involved, but there is the monetary involvement. Right. The guilt of getting rid of things, the guilt of spending and then tossing things. And I always like to remind clients one thing. If you have a hard time letting go of things because of the monetary value, have in mind that the money that you have spent left your bank account the minute that you purchase. Not when you're getting rid of, not when you're donating, not when you're selling. I mean, some people do make a portion of that money, but you have to have that in mind, and that actually helps you purchase and spend consciously. Because I feel like when you know that your money is gone the minute you purchase, you have a better idea. Okay. I'm not like, Amazon is so quick that we buy things, even if we don't use it. Let's just be honest. But we all do. Right? But I always like to remind clients this. There. If there is sentimental value, I try to remind them that there is other, different, many different ways that you can still treasure that moment or that item in different ways than just, uh, taking up precious real estate of your current home.

[13:30] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it's a good way to put it. I am like, I'm one of those people that everything looks really, really neat from the outside. Like, you walk in my house, like everything's where it should be, always in the same place. Like, I'll have a thing, sit in the same place for a decade. That's where I want it.

[13:53] Ana Oliveira: But then, like, you mean decorative items.

[13:55] Katie Chandler: Yeah, decorative items. Exactly. So, like, everything looks intentional and neat and tidy. But then if you open a closet or a drawer or my office, it's a disaster. An absolute bomb disaster. I mean, I can't. I'm surrounded by disastrous drawers right now in my closet. It's very. It's overwhelming. Like, I don't know. Occasionally I'll organize something, but I'm only going to organize it if it is something that is constantly, like, in my life. Like my daughter's closet, she's very messy. I will take the time to organize her closet because we're constantly going back and forth to that closet. But, like, these cabinets and drawers in my office, I open them twice a year.

[14:41] Amy Sherman: I know. I feel the same. I totally feel the same way. I call it organized chaos. Like, I know where everything is, and it looks somewhat organized, but there's, like, a lot of stuff. And you're right. Cause I've had, like, on my list to clear my cabinet drawers in my office for, like, a year, and I still haven't done it. Cause to your point, I open it, like, twice a year, and I'm like, oh, I need to organize this. And then I, like, close it, and I'm like, okay, bye.

[15:05] Ana Oliveira: And that. That goes back to where I started because I remember. So I had. I have two girls, and they are two years apart. So for. For a couple of years, I basically had two babies at the same time. My home to manage, a business to manage, you know, along up a lot of other things. And I just felt like I was always, like, running in circles. I could put up a really nice makeup. I like to call it makeup because that's how my house used to look. Like. Like, you would walk in. Like you said, everything had a place, and everybody thought that things were actually organized because they were behind doors. Until a day that I realized that, I was like, okay. So I feel like I'm running in circles. If I'm not home, I'm thinking about the things that needs to be done. There's always a lot of noise if I'm home or even if I'm outside the house. I'm never full. My house could have been the cleanest. Like, from top to bottom, the cleanest. But I knew exactly where the mess was, and that was always in the back of my head. Like, I was always being called if I couldn't, you know, I couldn't play with my kids because there was so much noise around that needed to be, you know, spaces that needed to be dialed in and noises that really had to be muted for me to focus on other things, like, you know, like my business and other things in life. So they really. It is life changing once you get to mute that noise and really, like, enjoy your home. I feel like our homes are definitely.

[16:44] Amy Sherman: Like, frees up that space in your head. Like, mentally, you can just kind of relax.

[16:49] Ana Oliveira: Absolutely. I have a client who used to live down the street from my house until last. Until last November. They decided to move, and she called me up yesterday. I was at work. I was like, I'll call you. Because we became really good friends. And by the time I call her back, she was crying. She was, like, sobbing. She's like, I'm not used to the new space. You transformed my life when I was, you know, in Connecticut, and I'm not used to having more space than I used to have. I'm completely overwhelmed. I felt like I was focusing on so many great things when I was. My house was completely dialed in, and now I'm just trying to figure it out. This whole new layout and this going back to, like, I think going back to where I was is even harder than staying stuck. Cause she was stuck, you know, for a long time. So it is life changing. It is a lifestyle. Living with less, knowing exactly what you have, tracking what you bring into your home. This is all lifestyle that makes your life so much simpler and so much easier to manage.

[18:07] Katie Chandler: What freaks me out is so, all right, we get to the point of everything's organized. How do I maintain it? That's what scares me, because I've tried. I've done this. My old house, I had a really big pantry, and I took the time once to do all the organizing, and I got the glass jars, and I poured all the things in, and, like, it looked very nice, and I had the baskets. But maintaining that every when, every week when the groceries come in and all that was just so not feasible. And that's just the pantry, like, thinking about closets and all that. What are your tips for maintaining it?

[18:40] Ana Oliveira: Okay, so, number one, although the glass jars and the baskets might seem really appealing, it may have not been the right system for you because you found that little difficult level of difficulty to maintain having weekly resets. And we like to call it sometimes on my stories, I'll pop in, and I'm like, oh, I'm in the middle of my weekly reset, which is basically, like, at this point, my house only needs reset. And it's been for the last 810 years. Right? Those are just quick extra minutes. So let's say if you struggle with maintaining the pantry, you know that when groceries come in, you need that extra five minutes to decant things. Because if you're in the rush, like, there. I like to joke that there is only one thing that makes me really messy, and I can be really messy, is hurry. I can be. If I'm in the rush. I can be a tornado if I'm in the hotel room and I need to get ready. I always hope that nobody comes into my room because that's my worst. Like, if I. If you make me rush, you bet everything is going to be, like, a disaster. So if you know this about yourself, it's nice to know that you need that extra time to decant things and make sure that labels are always, like, your best friend, knowing where everything is. Labels are pre made decisions in any space. You don't have to think about it. You don't have to make that decision. So knowing where things need to go, it's always time saving. But that's a little trick that you do have to pay attention. If something's not working, it doesn't mean it's the wrong system, but it may not be the right system for you, for your home, for your space.

[20:32] Katie Chandler: I didn't even know there were different types of organizing systems.

[20:36] Ana Oliveira: Yes, and that's why I like.

[20:38] Amy Sherman: Katie's gonna be calling you after this. She lives in Connecticut. I live in Connecticut.

[20:42] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[20:42] Katie Chandler: You might need to have an appointment.

[20:45] Ana Oliveira: That's why I would like to meet clients prior to project dates. We don't simply, like, show up. Let's say you schedule with us and we're just gonna show up and organize your pantry. I do like to know clients beforehand. Yeah.

[20:59] Amy Sherman: I have a question. So this was one that I've been putting off for a very long time, is my closet. So I know I need to get rid of things, but, like, again, I walk in there and I'm just like, so overwhelmed of, like, where to start. So what are your recommendations for cleaning the closet, getting rid of stuff, and actually the way, a good way to organize the closet.

[21:20] Ana Oliveira: Okay.

[21:21] Amy Sherman: Closed closet. I mean, like in bedroom closet, that kind of thing, like clothes, shoes, bag, all that.

[21:26] Ana Oliveira: Okay. I like to say that if you're struggling with your closet, your problem, your problem is actually lives in the laundry room, not in the closet, because oftentimes what happens is. And that can happen to anyone. Right? Again, if you're rushing, if you don't have a system for laundry days or laundry, or if you never finish, because we tend to do laundry. My mom used to joke because she's like, I don't know why you guys take so long to do something that a washing machine does the heavy bulk of the work. So it doesn't make sense. That takes three days for you to put clothes away when you haven't even washed it. The machine did. And drive. So, so the problem always starts there. So. So if you don't have a system for your, for your laundry days, there is a very high chance that your closet will be overflowing, messy again if you're not, you don't, if you don't have a good time management for when you're getting ready. Right. I do need extra time because not I'm not in my best. So I do need that extra time to try things on and see what would fit better or if I'm in the rush, there is clothes that it's probably going to land on the floor. So if you want to start organizing your closet, I always recommend getting a clothing rack. Put it outside your closet. Pull things out by category so I can simply pull everything out at once. But I do recommend, if you're doing yourself, let's say all your sweaters come out, purge those sweaters, you're done with that category. Next up, jeans and pants. Pull them out. Purge. Make sure that you do check if they have stains, if they have been, if they have seen better days, if you have more duplicate of that same item, because it does happen that you would buy because you couldn't find the one you had, so you bought a different one. And also the monetary value again goes back. I had pair of jeans in my closet for a long time that I don't think it will ever, ever fit me again. But sometimes, right. But have in mind that again, the price that you paid, the money left when you purchase. So let that go. Move on. Purchase new stuff. Shopping is fun and it would always be fun, but it's a lot more fun when you bring home an item that you love and you worked hard for, but you have a designated place for it. So we often see high value items that have no place to go until we actually organize that space, obviously. But you can tell when, when you run out of surface in a closet, floors becomes your surface, right? And if you look, when we usually when we come in into a messy closet, first thing you look is like, where is, you know, the high value item so we can display and showcase those special things. But if everything is on the floor, you can't really tell what was $10 and what was $5,000. So you do want to make sure you go through everything you have in categories so you're not overwhelmed but really keep things you love and you actually wear.

[25:03] Katie Chandler: Do you suggest like hanging things a certain way or should some things be folded and not hung? Like, is that part of the process or is it more of the person's space dictates certain how things are done.

[25:19] Ana Oliveira: Both we do. A space actually does tell you a lot of what you can and you can't do. Not everyone has a, you know, a walk in closet with 20 different size drawers and tons of space to hang. I do have to say, if you do struggle with folding and doing laundry, you know, in general, I do recommend hanging. Hanging is one step down from folding. Right. Like, my kids, most of their clothes are. Are in hangers because they actually, I do have them to put their clothes away now. They're old enough, so I know that folding will take an extra step. I don't want them to feel frustrated, because I will probably go and check if they did it perfectly. So to avoid all of those things, we do like to hang things as long as hanging. Try to group them in categories just to make your decision easier in the morning. But it does. The space will tell you exactly. Some people have tons of shelving, but they have very little spaces for hanging. So that says you might have to fold your sweaters, you might have to fold your shirts. Some clients don't have any drawers at all, so adding a dresser in the room is also a solution. If you don't have any drawers in your closet, multipurpose items, furniture pieces will help you with all of those things. But do recognize your. Your, you know, I do recognize that hanging, for me, is a lot easier for my husband to put things back. All of his stuff is hanging because it's a lot easier for him. So you do have to recognize those things.

[27:02] Katie Chandler: There's also a special skill when it comes to folding. Like, some. I can't fold a nice, tighty t shirt to save my life. And then my husband does it. Like he works at the gap. Like, it's really funny. Did you know that about him, Amy?

[27:18] Amy Sherman: I did not know that about him. I did not. Um, I'm. That's surprising. I am. It's funny that you say that, because I have a lot of things hung, because I have a lot of hanging space and I have less drawers, but I also find. And maybe it's just me. When stuff's in the drawers, it's like I don't have it. Like, I don't see it. So I like to see. See everything, because otherwise, I'm like, I don't know.

[27:37] Ana Oliveira: But same.

[27:38] Amy Sherman: I actually had an organizer years ago that helped me with my closet and the way I have it organized, like, mine isn't stuff on the floor. Well, I guess shoes and stuff are on the floor that I need to get rid of, but I think she told me to because I have it kind of organized by what it is. Yeah, what it is. Like, so let's say tops, color, and then, like, type. So if it's like, I don't know, like, a long sleeve shirt, then it's like, you know, light to dark and, like, yeah, that's kind of. I'm still kind of following that system. I don't know if it's right.

[28:08] Ana Oliveira: But.

[28:11] Amy Sherman: I saw something on your instagram that I was intrigued with that I thought was really cool for hanging jeans. It was like a hook instead of, like, folding your jeans over the thing. What is that? And where do I get it? Because I was like, that's. Again, that's even less work than hanging it over the hanger. You could literally just hang it.

[28:27] Ana Oliveira: Yes. By the belt hook. By the belt?

[28:32] Amy Sherman: Yeah. By the belt hook. Yeah.

[28:34] Ana Oliveira: The loop.

[28:35] Katie Chandler: Yeah, the loop.

[28:36] Ana Oliveira: Yes. So I did it first in my daughter's closet because she loves jeans, and I was like, she can't fold it. She can't fold it. We don't have enough drawers. Let's just hang them. Let's just, you know, get hooks and just hang them and see how it goes. Perfect. Never had once had to go back and fix anything because that's, like, genius, dumb proof way of. First of all, some people don't like that little mark that. The little. So I was like, this is perfect. I'm gonna use it for me, but I use it for my husband. We're all gonna do the same way of hanging jeans. It's been working wonderful for clients, especially, again, if you're not a big fan of folding, if you don't have enough time, if you're not, you don't have the skills of folding. Just keep that and hang your jeans.

[29:28] Katie Chandler: And where did you get the. Is it a special type of hanger that has the hooks?

[29:32] Ana Oliveira: No, it's actually single hooks. So Amazon has it. We love the ones from Amazon. The container store also has them, but they come in last in the pack, so Amazon is the best.

[29:43] Amy Sherman: So is it just, like, hook over the bar and then it's just literally.

[29:46] Ana Oliveira: Like a hook just over the rod?

[29:48] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[29:48] Ana Oliveira: Just make sure you. Because some people have that really thick rod that only fits, like, hangers. Just make sure you buy the ones that are a little wider, tiny, more like for metal shelving, not actually for clothing. So make sure you just get the whiter ones.

[30:07] Amy Sherman: But those were literally just hang it. So I would imagine if you have that. You would want to hang that on a higher rack so the jeans don't hit the floor. Or does it?

[30:15] Ana Oliveira: It depends. We actually do use the bottom. We like to use the top four tops, bottom for bottoms. But it really goes by how much space you have, because those usually that higher, the bottom rod is usually fixed. You can't really regulate the height. So check what you have in your closet. For me, for example, I'm short. I'm five two. I can easily hang mine whenever, but my husband's a little, you know, he's taller, so we needed more room. So play around and see what works best.

[30:52] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I love that because I hate hanging the jeans and I hate that thing. So.

[30:56] Ana Oliveira: And folding. Who likes folding?

[30:58] Amy Sherman: I know. And then I can maybe get rid of some of my jeans because I was like, I just have collection way too many. Even though I do wear a lot of jeans. I was like, all right. Okay. So I like these tips that you're. You've inspired me to, like, start. Do you also recommend from a closet standpoint to, like, do it all in one day or do sections?

[31:16] Ana Oliveira: Definitely sections. Even with three or four organizers, that's a full day project for us.

[31:22] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[31:23] Ana Oliveira: Because there is a lot of folding involved. The last thing you want is start something and feel frustrated in the middle of it and just having to shove everything back. So, you know, recognize that nobody has the skills. I mean, no one. Not everyone has the skills. And you're not. You're only. If it's only you recognize that you need a lot more time. We're sometimes three, four professionals doing it, and we still need a full day.

[31:52] Amy Sherman: It's also nice to work with a professional because they can, like, make the decision for you. Because I found that when I worked with someone years ago, I was like, should I get rid of that? And she's like, yes, done half the time, something by myself. I'm like, well, maybe I'll wear this and, like, try it out, but warn it. Oh, right, yeah, exactly. Sorry, Katie, what were you going to say?

[32:10] Katie Chandler: I was just going to say, do you recommend labeling for kids? Like, my kids, my girls closets or their toy room? I've been thinking about doing this for a while, especially for my older one. She has ADHD, so things are. Can be, like, very messy inside the drawers, like myself. I guess that's maybe where she gets it from. Maybe it's not the ADHD. I feel like if I labeled things, then she will have just, okay, my shorts go in this drawer. Like, is that something that you do often.

[32:42] Ana Oliveira: Often you have to. Labels are, like I said, they're pre made decisions, especially for people who really feel overwhelmed making decisions. There's different studies that shows that we make at least 800 decisions a day without knowing that we're making decisions. What do I wear? What sneakers do I wear today? Which. So we don't even notice that the last thing you want is deciding where. Especially for kids, it's pretty overwhelming. If labels are there. They're great at following directions. Great. Kids are awesome at following directions. So labels in place, you won't have to even, like, ask, which is huge for kids not having to ask to put things where they need to go. Labels will tell them everything they need to know. That bin holds your arts and crafts. This bin holds your shirts. And, you know, definitely invest in labels, and you will see how amazing they work for you.

[33:42] Katie Chandler: Do you have a favorite label maker?

[33:44] Ana Oliveira: I do. I have a few. I have several. But the p touch cube is one of my favorites because you can play with different label sizes in one machine opposed to having to buy one size label for that specific machine.

[34:00] Katie Chandler: Okay, nice. We'll have to put that link in our show notes.

[34:03] Amy Sherman: Yes, we will. Yeah. Okay, let's talk about. We didn't talk about two topics. We could, like, talk about this all, because I love, like, this whole organizing conversation, but two things. Um, first, the fridge, and then the, like, kitchen mud room mail. Like, cluttery type stuff. So let's start with fridge. Okay. Our fridges can get out of control.

[34:23] Ana Oliveira: Right? Um, I feel like fridge. I like to. I hate to say that you have to take one day to actually completely clean out your fridge, although you do, I would say, every three months, seasonal, take everything out. Wash from top to bottom, you know, soap and water. Go. Go to town. But the secret to keeping it organized, it's not even products, because some people, if you add two products, they're done. Like, there's no room for leftovers. There's no room. So I hate to. That's very controversial, because if you see pictures online of fridge organizations, you're like, this is like ****. It's so good. There's so many products, and I can't believe they only eat fruit and veggies, because that looks good in containers. But in real life, we do have leftovers, you have takeouts and all of those things. So, um, the secret to keeping it organized is really like you. I'm used to doing food shopping once a week. Right. Instacart delivers. I know that day I need to kind of like spend 1015 minutes just cleaning out and bringing new stuff in. Washing all the fruits and vegetables before putting in the fridge is a huge time saving. It's not. It's not that I'm crazy about washing them and putting them in the fridge, although it's kind of gross, but it's more like time saving. So once it's done, it's done. We just have to kind of, like, live a whole week until I actually refresh again. And that goes back. Takes us back again to that weekly refresh, that every space in your home will need to keep things. To keep things organized. And you said. You said mudroom and, like, mud room.

[36:16] Amy Sherman: Kitchen counters, that kind of situation.

[36:18] Ana Oliveira: Okay. There is a difference between which it took me years to realize, and actually, that was like, the light switch that it blows my mind that it took me so long to realize that there is two different types of clutter. Right. And in my head, it was always like, it's one. The entire house is cluttered. I need to, let's just burn it down and move out. But the thing is, there is an thing called expected mess and clutter. Right. Expected mess is basically what we all struggle with. It's the daily refresh that we need to do is the cleaning the counters, picking up the shoes from the mud room, putting backpacks away, cleaning up your bathroom counters after you brush your teeth and put your makeup on, putting things away. That's all expected. Because you have a family. There is no such a thing as a house that it's perfect all the time. Mess will happen. It's actually a great sign that you have, you know, healthy kids and life and all of those things. But once you realize that the expected mass is non negotiable, you have to do it right. I deserve to wake up with a clean kitchen, but in order that to happen, I need to act on the non negotiable, which is cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. Right. And that applies for, I think mudroom and kitchen counters are really, like, one feeds the other. Mudroom is, like, the only room in my house that I tell the kids. I'm like, drop everything you have. I don't care how it looks. I'll catch up. I'll get to that. At the end of the day. At the end of the week, I don't care. But everything needs to stop there. So when you realize and when you do know the difference between the expected mess and the clutter, things become really clear. Really clear. Okay, so if I don't act on things that are really important, which is the expected mess. Right. I need to clean up the kitchen after breakfast. I need to pick up the mail and, you know, soar through and have a place to put it. My house. I would be. I would. That would save me so much time that I would actually have time to tackle on the real clutter, because that's not the expected mess is non negotiable. I act on it. It's done. That frees up space for me to really act on the root of the problem, which is the clutter, that it's behind doors, like we were talking.

[39:00] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I was gonna say that's the part that I'm really, really good at. The expected mess all day long. I can deal with that when I get home from work, before work, before I go to bed, et cetera. But then it's like, I take the expected mess things that maybe don't have a home, and I shove them in, like, a junk drawer.

[39:15] Amy Sherman: That's like, what happens with our mail? It's, like, piles up, and my husband can't stand it. He's like, what's all this clutter? And I'm like, I don't even know where to put it.

[39:21] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[39:22] Ana Oliveira: So I have a system for. For paper clutter that I started using years and years ago, and it really has changed. And I. Even if clients say, you know what, it's fine. I don't really have mail, you know, coming. They don't really use that certain door that leads to the kitchen to bring mail in. I'm like, I'm gonna give you this bin as a gift and tell me if it works in two months. Soon enough, after two months, when we come back for the next project or to see them again, you notice that it's been used. So it's literally an acrylic box. They sell it on from. We get it from Amazon, but container store has a really pretty one that blends in. In any counter. Any counter. You could have the most beautiful, you know, luxury kitchen. If you have that box, you wouldn't even notice it's there. So we use files inside that box. It's either, like, blue, light blue, or white, depending on the aesthetics of the home. And then we have different files. In my home, for example, we have five or six. One for act, which it really catches all the mail that we need to act on, or at least for a while you think you need to, like, oh, it's a form from school, or it's a bill that needs to be paid, goes into the act file. The labels are beautiful. They're vinyl labels, so it's very subtle. Like I said, you wouldn't even notice. The boxes there goes in the act file. The other file is called file. That means those are. Those are act on paper that needs to be filed. But I do not feel like going up upstairs and filing those paper, that paper right away. So it's gonna fill that file until it's full, and then I'll act on and move to my file cabinet. The other one is for the kids, so that just lands. Anything that comes in that I need, I don't need to act on. But those are information like USA gymnastics card, USA swimming car, things that I need handy. But if I place anywhere else, there is a very high chance that I won't remember where it is. So it's there. And then a couple of other ones, like miscellaneous, that are just, like, random stuff, like cards. Context that we have that it has to be there. We need to keep it handy. But those actually, that box catches hundred, 100% of your paper clutter. There is no such a thing as papers laying around for the last, I would say for the last ten years in my house.

[41:56] Amy Sherman: Oh, my God. That's amazing. I need to. I need this box. You need to tell us where to get this box so we can. This organizing box where we put all the things with the folders. Because I think our audience would find that valuable as well as us. Because I'm like, okay, yeah.

[42:11] Ana Oliveira: We have clients that have one file for coupons, one for recipes, one for a calendar or things like that, that you don't want to live on the counter. You need a space for it. Let's just face it. If you have an. I don't know if your office is right off the kitchen, but unless your office is right off the kitchen, there is a very high chance that you do have paper clutter sitting. Yeah. On your.

[42:35] Amy Sherman: You just put it in the box and the box stays in the mud room. Is that what you were saying? Or stays in the kitchen?

[42:40] Ana Oliveira: Mine stays in the kitchen, but you can have it in the mud room. Perfect. Whatever. Make sure that it's visible and it's right by the door that you would actually come in because as soon as we walk in.

[42:52] Amy Sherman: Right, you.

[42:53] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. Recycling act file done. Takes like 5 seconds.

[42:58] Amy Sherman: I love that.

[42:59] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I like that, too.

[43:00] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[43:00] Katie Chandler: I. I was just looking over in my office, and I have an entire corner piled up with all of my children's artwork and school supplies and not. Not school supplies. I'm sorry, but like anything that they came home with homework that just looked cute and like any project. And it's from years and it is my closet. Yeah. I'm like, what do I do with that?

[43:22] Amy Sherman: And you don't want to throw it away because you're like, I don't want to look back at it.

[43:25] Katie Chandler: I know.

[43:25] Ana Oliveira: That's a great question. That's a great question. I do have another solution, which is called memory box. It's called the memory box. We do make it for clients. I used to make it and ship those boxes, but it just became a little bit of a, you know, time consuming on top of my day to day work. But it's basically a box. I do have to say, go through that pile again, because you might have find that you have 57 different footprints or handprints of your kids and you only need five of them because those are from the same school year. So pare down what you're keeping. Have in mind that one of the things that we do see when we do state organizing, which have taught me a lot about what to keep for my kids and from my kids and things that I want to pass on, like they each have one box and one trunk. That's it. They're 14 and twelve. And I only have a few years left to fill that up and just, you know, send them away. But I gave myself a physical space to fill it up, so I know that I can't overpass that, you know, that little box or that trunk. So pare down to what you have. But then this memory box that we, that we have made for clients and we still do, they have different files from baby and pre k all the way to high school. Each file holds that school year, which is, you know, you can add school pictures, projects. If you can't remember, that's fine. You can kind of guess what's from elementary school to middle school and high school, obviously. But as long as they don't over flow that it's a file box. It's a plastic type file box about this size. And you know that your space would be that file. If you have more than that specific that you can fit in that specific space, it's time to probably purge.

[45:33] Katie Chandler: Right.

[45:34] Amy Sherman: I like that idea because it's like the more space you have, the more you'll just fill it up.

[45:39] Ana Oliveira: Right. And I had this when my kids were little, and especially in preschool and elementary school, I had, I used to associate the fact that I was, I was only going to be a good mom if I had, if I was sitting on the floor all day, playing with, or at least the time that I was home playing with my kids, I had that vision. You know when you see commercials and you're like, oh, the mom is playing and doing puzzles and coloring. I was never that mom because I worked full time. And by the time I used to get home, it was anyways. So I had that picture in my head that I was like, okay, because I'm not home all the time, I'm gonna keep everything for them. And, you know, for the longest time, every single little handprint from preschool that they couldn't even sign their name, but the teacher put the date on the back. I have to keep it. And then I found something about myself that I really. It was life changing. Again, the age that they are now, it's a. It's very challenging. Two girls, twelve and 14. Not that fun. But on the other end, you do have. I'm the mom that I love to. I rather have conversations than playing on the floor. That was just something I learned about myself. But that helped me pare down the things that I do want them to have. They are also at the age that they went. They have done. A couple times we went through that little box and they told me, like, I don't want this. I don't want that little tree that I made in, you know, first grade. You can get rid of that. But all the. I know that all the yearbooks, they love the. The school pictures. They love, you know, certain projects that they did, and I saved, things that they spend a lot of time, they did want it to keep. So it's. We reevaluate. Not every year, maybe, but whenever we have a chance or we're down in the basement, I'm like, why won't we bring all your pictures out in that little box and let's just go. We make it fun. But it's. I always bring a garbage bag with me.

[47:49] Katie Chandler: Yeah, that's funny, because I have gone through some. I've tried to do that with my girls. Like, they always come on with an art folder at the end of the year, like, huge art. And I'm like, so should we keep this one? Yes. What about this one? Yes. You know, every single one. And of course, I want to keep them, too. But, like, I try to pare it down and they're still at that age with, like, no, no, mom, you're not.

[48:12] Amy Sherman: Show them something this year from last year and then see how they feel, because it's like a year old.

[48:17] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. And also, there's a bunch of apps that you can download those projects and make it like a yearbook photo book. There's different ways. Yeah.

[48:28] Katie Chandler: Yeah, those are cute.

[48:29] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[48:30] Katie Chandler: Nice. All right.

[48:31] Amy Sherman: Okay, let's get into our wrap session. Just as a side note, Katie, I have to wrap it too, so that's why I could, like, literally talk all day, because I love this stuff. Um, okay, let's get into our wrap session because I've been, like, looking at your skin, and it's so beautiful. So we need to get all of your beauty hacks as well while we have you. So what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

[48:50] Ana Oliveira: Oh, my gosh. I feel so bad because I'm not that good about it, but I do take. Let's put it this way. I've been better these days. I feel like I focus a lot more on, obviously, sunscreen, but I do take. Which you have probably heard from other people who. Kat Ashmore. She also takes the same thing. And it's funny because when we first met, she's like, I'm like, you do take the liquid collagen. She's like, me too.

[49:20] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I buy it from her. Yeah. Her link. Yeah.

[49:23] Ana Oliveira: So I've been taking for, I would say, four years now.

[49:27] Amy Sherman: Oh, wow. Okay. I just started, like, six months ago.

[49:30] Ana Oliveira: But you will see a huge improvement in her skin. It's life changing. So I do take that daily, and I do take different supplements. There is one. It's called wellbeing vitamins. I take that. I buy them from Amazon, but I swear by it. And a lot of sunscreen over the years, I noticed that I do need it. I've been on and off in the wintertime. I know you're supposed to wear them even in the winter, but now I'm back at it.

[50:02] Katie Chandler: Nice. All right, well, this.

[50:03] Amy Sherman: Your skin's beautiful.

[50:04] Katie Chandler: Yeah, it is. It's beautiful. It's glowing. This next one, we call it our five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and Ubers pinged you. They're five minutes away. What are you going to do to get into that Uber on time? Like, you have holy grails that you go to to get out the door?

[50:17] Ana Oliveira: You mean clothing or just like.

[50:19] Katie Chandler: Like, whatever? Like what? Like, what's your beauty routine?

[50:21] Ana Oliveira: Oh, okay. Okay. Any makeup that I would do cannot take longer than seven minutes because I'm not good at it. I have. I pare down with the things, like the items that I like and know how to use, and that takes me literally seven minutes to get out the door. So it's basically just like vitamin C. And then a quick, like. Just like. I. I just. It's a dirty sponge. You just put a little bit of a foundation, but then it's literally, like, I just make it really dirty. And I would just go around my face. That's literally what I did before the show. And just blush and lip gloss.

[51:05] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[51:05] Ana Oliveira: I get my lashes done, so they do take away a lot of the makeup time, I would say, because it looks, like, ready all the time. That's. That's always helpful. And then I'll throw a black dress on.

[51:18] Katie Chandler: And you're ready to go.

[51:19] Ana Oliveira: Yes, and I'm ready to go. Simple.

[51:22] Amy Sherman: Classic. Love it.

[51:23] Ana Oliveira: Simple. Yeah.

[51:23] Amy Sherman: Okay. And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

[51:27] Ana Oliveira: Who? I've been trying my hardest to be consistent because I feel like you get. Sometimes you're so good, but then life, you know, changes, and then your routine changes. But one thing that I try to keep it. Keep it simple. It takes no longer than ten minutes in the morning, but I do wake up before the kids. I do my daily devotional, and I read if I'm reading a book, or I try to do all those things in the morning, and that really keeps my sanity. And I feel like my day just started. If I don't do those things, I'm kind of off until, like, do you feel that way?

[52:14] Katie Chandler: I do. Yeah. I totally get it. It's a great way to start the day. I do the same. I get it up an hour before my kids for that exact reason. If I don't actually, I don't even know. The last time was that I didn't.

[52:24] Ana Oliveira: Yeah.

[52:24] Amy Sherman: Cause then you don't feel right.

[52:25] Katie Chandler: You're like, yeah, I have to have at least 30 minutes, but typically, it's an hour.

[52:30] Amy Sherman: Yeah. Okay. And where can people find you if they want to work with you or follow you? On Instagram?

[52:36] Ana Oliveira: Yeah. So we're very active on social media, especially on Instagram. But if you go on our website, there is a way of scheduling a over the phone consultation. That's the first step. Find us on social media. Make sure you head to our website. Schedule it 15 minutes over the phone just to. That's just a discovery call. We like to call it. You get. I get to hear what kind of help you need. There's. When you fill out the form, it asks for pictures. So you just send, you know, a couple pictures just for me to have an idea of the space. But after the discovery call, it's pretty easy. We talk about pricing, scheduling, and all that kind of stuff and then we'll move from that. As soon as you're on my schedule, you're good to go.

[53:25] Amy Sherman: What's your website URL and your handle?

[53:28] Ana Oliveira: Yes, yes, it's topteamct.com. You will find all the information you need there. There's a quick, quick form that you fill out and then you get to pick the dates and times that works for you for the call. It's very simple. We make it. Like I said, I like to simplify, not complicate people's lives, starting with the fall.

[53:49] Amy Sherman: I love that. I love that. Well, thank you so much for all your generous time today and all your tips and tricks. I love it. I'm going to start implementing some of these and we'll get all the links from you so we can share with our community. And thank you so much for joining us. This was so helpful.

[54:05] Katie Chandler: Thanks Anna.

[54:06] Ana Oliveira: Thank you so much girls.

[54:08] Amy Sherman: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram Irvanasisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know some wood that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 156 -Getting Real About Root Canals: Myths, Tips, And Your Oral Microbiome With Dr. Sonia Chopra (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast episode 156.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters Podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. Today, we are sitting down with Dr. Sonia Chopra. Dr. Sonia Chopra is a healer and a truth saver. She is a board certified endodontist, TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, author, endodontic instructor, impact entrepreneur, and founder of the Ballantine Endodontics in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Chopra became passionate about endodontics after a young dental patient was misdiagnosed and had a painful experience. The wrong tooth was extracted. It wasn't until she was referred to a caring endodontist that she was correctly diagnosed and a root canal saved her from pain. Now, Dr. Chopra is on a mission to save teeth wherever possible. On top of running her thriving practice, Dr. Chopra provides groundbreaking digital education and community support to general dentists and endodontists who want to up-level their technical skills, patient experience, and practice efficiency. through her thoughtfully designed courses and in-person programs, such as her award-winning e-school. She's revolutionizing endodontic continuing education through comprehensive lessons. That you are incredibly dynamic and sound like you must be very busy. A little bit.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I have three beautiful kids to add into all that. Oh, wow. So, yeah. Yeah. Life is full. Well, thank you for your time today. Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to talk about my passion with you. It's hard for people to want to talk about teeth, so I'm grateful to you both.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we're excited to talk about it. Before we get into it, let's do our Nirvana of the Week. Amy, why don't you kick us off?

SPEAKER_00:

OK, so I recently took inspo from Katie and I got a new piece of exercise equipment called the Tonal, which I love. Katie's had it for a long time and I've been like wanting to try it. And so I actually sold my Peloton bike and I got the Tonal. And I just started using it, but I already love it. It's just so cool and so different. And I just feel good because I, I still have my Peloton tread, which I still use happily. And I do a lot of Pilates and yoga, but I was just missing having more of the weight training. And like, I love having just like instruction, someone telling me what to do. So I've just, I've done it a few times this week and I'm really liking it. I just feel like I feel really good from it. So thanks for the inspo, Katie. And that was, that's been a fun Nirvana this week. What about you, Katie? Nice.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I was excited to hear about the review on it. Yeah, I would say I had a girl's dinner the other night, which was so much fun. I don't usually socialize during the week. It's just like it's I mean, as we all know, it's hard to do. But once you get there, it's so worth it. And then I always so worried that the next morning I'm going to just be exhausted. And I was more energized than ever because, you know, it filled my cup. It was great to have some laughs with some friends and some great conversation. So it was nice. So I think that was definitely mine this week. What about you, Dr. Sonia?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I, I got a little bit of nice feedback from one of my students, um, this week and it's, it's always nice when you, um, when someone actually shares the impact that you make on them. Cause a lot of times they keep it to themselves. So I got some good feedback this week, which was really, you know, just warmed my heart. So that's mine. That's great.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, well, let's get right into it. So we want to kick off with talking about oral microbiome. I think this is a newer topic for a lot of listeners, and maybe you could break that down for us a little bit. What is your oral microbiome? How do we take care of it? What is impacting it, et cetera?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so our oral microbiome is really unique to each and every individual. And I think it's something that we need to start talking about because what is happening in our mouth and the environment in our mouth is really the gateway to the rest of our body. And up until now, I feel like people just kind of you know, maybe just didn't really understand or under undervalued or maybe just didn't pay attention to what was happening in our mouths. And I think things are changing now. And now people are trying to get a little bit more specific about what's happening to them. And one thing I want to say is that our environments and our mouths It's just like our DNA. It's very specific to each individual and every person is going to be different and unique with how we show up in our own microbiome in our mouths and also how we take care of those oral microbiome. So it's really the ecosystem in our mouth and how can we really nurture it and how can we take care of it and how can we really focus even on prevention to make sure that we can live long and healthy lives starting with our mouth.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, excellent. So let's get into that a little bit. What are some things that we should be doing to take care of our... Actually, just to go back a quick second, does your oral microbiome impact the health of your teeth? I know that seems like an obvious, but I'm curious.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So basically what we're talking about are the several hundreds of species of bacteria that exist in our mouth. And what can we do to make sure that those guys inside are playing well with each other and making sure that we maintain a level of homeostasis that is beneficial to us? The idea is not to get rid of these bacteria. We know that we need a healthy gut microbiome. And this is just the first part of that gut microbiome. So yeah, we're not trying to eliminate things. We're just wanting to make sure that we create this homeostasis that works well for us. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02:

It does. Yeah. And what gets us to that homeostasis of a healthy microbiome?

SPEAKER_01:

So I tell people it's really easy to avoid somebody like me. I haven't ended on it, so I'm a root canal specialist. So most people don't want to meet me. And for the most part, with the exception of maybe some trauma and an accident, right? Like you should be able to prevent being in my chair. And so that's really what I want to focus on because it's easy to really keep your dental costs down and also try to really avoid not needing that root canal. And it's simple. So I tell everyone, brush twice a day. And you would think that most people do, but it's really interesting how many people don't. And the cost of a toothbrush and toothpaste is so much cheaper than a root canal and a crown, right? I will say flossing every day is really hard for some people. And you know, I hang out with a lot of like biohackers and so they'll be like, they'll cold plunge and sauna and alternate that for like 20 minutes, but they won't floss. And so again, a cheap spool of floss is really, really easy to buy as opposed to a $1,500 root canal. So that right there is gonna keep you out of my chair, like by 80%. And then, of course, keeping up with your dental appointments and not really allowing them to lapse so that the dentist can find your issues while they're small, as opposed to getting big and needing to be referred to my practice. If you just kind of pay a little bit for those two visits a year, again, big savings in the long run, in my opinion. If you clench and grind, or if you find that you are a stressed out person and, you know, some people don't just grind at night, they grind at their desk and they're inducing cracks in their teeth, you know, finding a way to manage that, again, with a night guard. Again, it may be a little bit of an expense on the front end, but maybe you're going to prevent root canals on the back end. So that's where I want to focus like the prevention. It's just really simple daily routines and then sometimes an intervention twice a year. and keeping up with your cleanings as well. That's pretty much it. And you can really keep your dental costs down. I think there's a belief that you need to have dental insurance to do those things and go to the dentist, but that's not the case. A lot of times, dental offices will have their own in-house kind of insurance plan to help you keep your costs down. So if you are not covered, you can still go in and get those services done at a very reasonable cost. And, you know, again, we can find things when they're small. Makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I have a question about. outside things that can impact the health of your teeth and of your mouth that, aside from the obvious, of course, like sugar and drinking sodas and things, and then everything you said, people that don't have proper dental hygiene, are there some factors that can affect the health of your teeth? Like I have to take glucocorticoid steroids. And so those, I have had a lot of problems with my teeth and I've had dentists tell me that it's because I am dependent on these steroids. Are there certain, does medication affect your teeth health? What are some of those that maybe people don't understand and that's why they're struggling so much?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so there are a number of medications that can actually dry out your mouth and affect your saliva constitution. And saliva is super important. Saliva is your mouth's buffer. And when you have something sugary, and it doesn't just have to be plain old sugar, like anytime you ingest a carbohydrate, you are going to drop the pH in your mouth. and then it's going to become acidic. And when it becomes acidic, then it's going to attack the enamel, break down the enamel, and that's how you're going to create decay. So I don't want there to be this belief that it has to only be sugar or sodas or stuff like that. Any carbohydrate is actually going to make that decrease in the pH. When you don't have saliva, saliva is the buffer. So if our body wants to stay at that level seven, that saliva is necessary. So the moment you have an impact on your saliva, and that could be through medication, sometimes you can have, you know, a disorder or like some sort of disease like Sjogren's, where it attacks your salivary glands and you no longer can produce saliva. Anytime you impact the saliva production in your mouth, your buffering capability in your mouth is going to be impacted, and then you won't have that protection layer that you have from that saliva, and so you're going to get more cavities in somebody like that. And so if you do have that issue, and this is why I know fluoride is such a hot topic, but some people do need it. And people who have difficult manual dexterity, maybe they have arthritis in their hands and they can't brush and floss. you and I could. They're going to need some extra help with fluoride or maybe they had had a neck radiation and they don't have saliva production anymore. You may have to add some fluoride to their regimen because you don't want them to develop decay. So there are some benefits of things like fluoride, even though I feel like a lot of people think it's really taboo. But when you need it, it's important. And if you see that you are prone to cavities, you may want to see what's up with your saliva and if there's anything impacting your saliva, like something as simple as a high blood pressure medication can actually impact your saliva.

SPEAKER_00:

Interesting. Yeah. I want to go back to what you just said about fluoride, because I know There's a lot of conversation about it and I don't really understand. So can you break down like what people are talking about, like fluoride, not fluoride, like why it's bad, why it's good, et cetera?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they believe it's a toxin. And I think probably anything in life if taken too much is a toxin. Yeah. But there are some medical benefits to it. There are some dental benefits. So, of course, if you take too much, it's not good. Right. But there is this happy I remember learning that it was about one part per million. So when you're looking at like well water versus city water, city water typically has the fluoride and well water doesn't. And also if you're using things like reverse osmosis in your household, you know, it's going to take certain things out and then you may no longer have fluoride. But if you have just that right level of fluoride, when you're in the growth and development stage, it can be very beneficial to children. Okay. And that's why they would put it in city water. But the moment you go above certain levels, you can actually create staining on the teeth, like this white kind of chalky look. And so, you know, you're getting too much. So testing your water is important to making sure you know what levels you're getting, if you're getting any at all, because if you're not and you have Your oral microbiome is what we call karyogenic, meaning your bacteria in your mouth causes decay or cavities. Because all of our mouths are going to be different. My teeth get cavities very easily. So when I was younger, I needed fluoride. I did not need fluoride. I don't need it into my adulthood, but during my growth and development, I did need it. My daughter's the same way. When I took her to the, and I'm a dentist, so I was so mortified. I took her to the dentist. Her first visit, she had eight cavities because I was like, no fluoride. I wouldn't let her use fluoride in her toothpaste. And then she got eight cavities. I literally got scolded by the dentist and I was like, Oh my gosh, I need to change something. The only thing I changed in her was her fluoride toothpaste and she stopped getting the cavity. So for her, she needs it. Why? Because she's got mama's bugs. I gave her her oral microbiome. My other children don't have that problem, but she did. And so again, you can see just within our own family, the oral microbiome is different. So one daughter needed fluoride, the other two don't. As their teeth, like, as she goes through growth and development, as children develop manual dexterity, then, you know, you can kind of trust them to take care of their teeth and then also not rely on things like fluoride. Make sense?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it definitely makes sense. And I think for children, I mean, one of my daughters is horrible with her hygiene and my other one is excellent with it. But even the one that is excellent with it, she has the dexterity. It's really hard. So I'm going to make sure that they have fluoride in there. and their products but it's also I want to I just want to say really quickly because it's something that I've always felt and the last time I saw a dentist she spoke to me about it to to your point of what you just said is that some people just have it's almost like the DNA is to have a harder time with your teeth no matter how excellent your dental hygiene is and so there can be like embarrassment behind it and shame behind it and so you know for a long time I'd be like embarrassed to go to the dentist and and this dentist told me very clearly she said there's this is just the way that your mouth is and I I have a lot of patients that feel embarrassed about their teeth and you shouldn't because you could be doing everything right and still have a hard time. Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

And that, that's me. Like I always had eight cavities every time I went to the dentist. I even like, if I don't floss every day, like I can feel my teeth are just fuzzy. It just feels full in my mouth. And so I need to do that. And I look at my husband. And he can get away with doing nothing for weeks. If I skip one day of flossing, I feel it and my gums start to bleed. His don't. Me too.

SPEAKER_00:

I love flossing. It's like a massage.

SPEAKER_01:

Totally different oral microbiome between people. And so that's why I think it's really important. There are plenty of dental influencers out there who will say you don't need to floss, and then people are going to stop flossing. And that's not beneficial for that individual, that particular person. And so I think we really have to be careful what we say and who we say it to, because it is dependent on who you are as a person.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. And trust the professionals. Don't listen to people online that are

SPEAKER_02:

That's wild that people are saying that you should have flossed. I know. Influencers are trying to de-influence flossing. That's insane.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it happens. I see it all the time. Like, that's not good advice. Like, you know, and luckily now, and it's very new, but they're starting to become those kits, you know, like how you can test like 23andMe, you can test your DNA and stuff. Now you can start to test your oral microbiome. It is very new. Oh, wow. I just did one. It didn't really give me much information yet, but I think it's starting to come on the scene. So you can start to see, do you have the bugs that cause decay, or do you have the bugs that cause periodontal disease, or do you have both, or do you have none? And it would be nice to know that so that you know, hey, maybe you need to go for cleanings more than twice a year. Okay, and you don't have to see the evidence of the destruction before to say, yeah, I want my teeth cleaned three or four times a year as opposed to two.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting. OK, so let's get into some root canal myths, because Amy, have you had a root canal? I have. I've had a couple.

SPEAKER_00:

I had one and it was well, it actually I was so nervous about it because I had this like cavity. I thought whatever. And to your point, I go to the dentist, you know, every six months. And it was like we were watching it. And then it got to a point where like it was really throbbing. It was like I was in so much pain. And this was actually during COVID when I had to get the root canal and I was like so scared. And it was Not fun, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I think that's like debunking a myth for sure. I don't think they're as bad as people think they are. Like I've had a few and it's not it's not a fun experience, but it's like the pain. If you have pain in your tooth and you go get a root canal, your pain is instantly gone.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I was like so miserable that I was like, I've got to get this fixed immediately. And you're right. You leave and you're just sore. But then you like you don't have that pain.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's much worse. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I get it. We're not giving you a facial in that chair. But we are giving you, you know, we are helping to heal you, which is great. And we do rescue so many people. So if you could find a way to, I mean, I give my patients Valium to just kind of take the edge off. They kind of doze off a little bit. I also have a TV that as they recline, it reclines back with them so they can, you know, Netflix. Netflix and chill in the chair, you know? I mean, there's ways that we can make it a good time pass, a good enough time pass where you're like, you get out of the chair and you're like, that was it? Like, that's the reaction we want, you know? Because there's a lot of personal beliefs, again, that we can't debunk on a patient who's pretty apprehensive. We just have to do it and then they believe us after, at the end, right? I think myth number one is root canals are not as bad as you think they are. And if you can request things like Valium and a TV or headphones and music, and we could just kind of get you through it as quickly as possible. Nowadays, root canals, I would say 95% of my cases I do in one visit and you're done in an hour and a half. Now, there are some teeth that are more infected than we would like to see or they're just harder treatments. So I would say worst case scenario, it could be a two visit appointment. Usually doesn't make it twice as expensive. It's just we need more time and we need your body to kind of like be done clearing this infection before we can finalize the root canal.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that makes sense. The headphones thing is really a good tip for any of you listeners that don't like dental work, listening to music or just anything while you're getting it done, I think helps a lot, right? Do a lot of people do that with you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, like, I have a TV and I offer headphones, but if your dentist doesn't, like, bring your iPhone, listen to this podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Right. Because the worst thing is hearing the sound. Yeah. Agreed.

SPEAKER_01:

Agreed. And then crank it up. Like, if I tell my patients, I'll tap on you if I need you. Otherwise, like, ignore me. I'm going to get you out of here in no time.

SPEAKER_00:

What's so funny, because I remember I feel like I was talking about it on the show, Katie, when I got the root canal, because I was like, it wasn't as bad as I thought. And I was like, I actually like it was so nice to like lay there for an hour and do nothing. Yeah. Literally just let it doze off. Yeah. I was like, when do you get time to just sit there and doze off?

SPEAKER_01:

That's how it's kind of the same feeling you get when you travel without your children. Right. On the plane. I don't love being on a plane. Right. But you're like, I'm here by myself. It's kind of relaxing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's so true.

SPEAKER_02:

So funny. Do you ever find yourself when you're traveling without your children? Just like I have brought all this is a tangent, but I'll bring all the things I have, like the magazines and the podcast downloaded and all the stuff. But I just sit there in the silence. It's like just having the peace and quiet. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Anyway, I digress.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I agree with that one. So tell us about some modern advancements in root canals. It has been a couple years since I've had one. I'm curious if anything has changed since.

SPEAKER_01:

It's crazy. So I opened my practice 16 years ago and I swear every couple years there's a new piece of technology that just changes the game. And so now even like I would say the biggest advancements came in 2012 and 2018. So, you know, there's a lot of people who haven't had a root canal in a long time. Things are totally different. And how we treat teeth now is so different than before that I really hope that this knowledge helps debunk the myths that like root canals are toxic because it's crazy what we can treat. Like we know that there's a lot of connections on the anatomy. Like the canals aren't just like these straight canals. They're canals that go down and they have little branches. And nowadays, like when I graduated my residency, I was only treating somebody's tooth through a microscope. So not like those little glasses with the magnifiers on them. I have a microscope that comes out of my wall and I look through this giant thing and I do the whole procedure through the microscope. So that helps me find these itty bitty canals. But then there's still smaller tributaries, which you can't see. And then we started using 3D technology. So it's called a cone beam image, and it's basically, it looks like a Panerex. So sometimes patients can get confused whether they got a Panerex or a 3D image. Panerex is still a two-dimensional image, and the cone beam is a three-dimensional image. And we can see the tooth in this direction, this direction, like side to side, front and back, and then up and down. And it's really cool what kind of anatomy we can see. And then from understanding anatomy a little bit more, we realized, okay, we need something better than just those little reamers that go up and down your tooth to clean out your tooth. So now we have two pieces of technology. One is the gentle wave, which is like a power wash for the tooth. If I can explain it and simplify terms, basically what it does is It creates a closed seal, closed system with your tooth and this handpiece goes on the tooth. We build this little platform and the handpiece sits on it and it creates this closed system. And then it pulls all the air out of the tooth because if there's any air bubbles when we're like rinsing your tooth out with a disinfectant, with a normal hand syringe, Bubbles are going to form in that tooth, and those bubbles are going to prevent that disinfectant from going down all the way to the tip. And root canals only work if you find all the canals and get to the end of every canal. So this pulls out all that air, and then it uses sound waves to pump the solution through your tooth, getting into all those inner connections. So now when I look at a root canal that I've filled on the x-ray, you can see that I've filled all the connections. It's really kind of neat. And then the last piece of technology that we use is also a laser in order to help disinfect. So, I mean, these things were just not a part of my armamentarium in 2008 to 2012. Like there were four years where I just went the, you know, the way I was taught in my residency. And now I'm a completely different ended honest. And we're seeing things heal like we've never seen before. So typically when patients have an issue and the dentist sees it on an x-ray, there's a dark shadow. So I don't know if they were watching like a dark shadow on your tooth before you had that root canal. And that's a sign of bone loss. And so when bacteria gets into the tooth, whether it's from a cavity, whether we've cracked a tooth and created that doorway for bacteria to get in, The bacteria wants to go to the source. The food is the pulp. And they go to the pulp and they eat up the pulp and they kill the pulp. And once the pulp dies, the bacteria just kind of stays in that housing of the canals. Then the bone around the tooth starts to respond. And the response is that the bone pulls away from the tooth because it doesn't want to hang out with a dirty grin, right? So the bone pulls away and you get the shadowing in the x-ray. It takes a while for this to show up. isn't like a long-standing problem. You won't see it on an x-ray. That's the problem with the two-dimensional. And now working with the 3D, we're able to pick up on these infections a lot faster and then heal them a lot quicker instead of letting them fester to the point where they get really big and then they're detectable on 2D. So when we do the root canal, um, and we eliminate all that bacteria, those dark shadows disappear and they disappear because we as humans have this amazing superpower. We can actually regenerate our own bone. So I don't know if you went for a followup or if you had that black shadow, if they followed you up to show you the evidence that you not only saved your tooth, but you also regenerated bone.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know if I had a follow-up, I can't remember. But I might have, yeah. I mean, it doesn't hurt, and I have never had a problem since, so I'm assuming everything's fine, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and that's one of the problems is that a lot of people don't show up for their follow-ups. I tell them, I'm like, you get a free checkup one year after this visit. But many people, they say just that, oh, it doesn't hurt, and they probably forget. But I'm like, no, I want to see you back. But they think they don't need to come because they don't have any pain. But some people have come back and they still have a problem. So I want to encourage people to make sure you keep your follow-up so that we make sure that, you know, we are seeing the evidence of healing.

SPEAKER_02:

How many canals are in a tooth? It depends.

SPEAKER_01:

Every tooth is different. Okay. Yeah. So, um, yeah, it all depends.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, like what's a ballpark? Is it 2? Is it 20? We have no idea.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so let me walk you through the mouth. So the front of the mouth, you'll have like one canal to maybe 2, and then it's typically around 2 around the premolars, and then the molars have 3, 4, but sometimes we've been able to find 5 or 6. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. Interesting. I never thought I would learn so much about teeth.

SPEAKER_01:

This is so interesting. Are you okay? Am I able to show you something like? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Because we're on video.

SPEAKER_01:

So we can show it. Can I, I can share my screen? I just feel like this is what makes it like, yeah. Okay. So this is a patient who had some pain swelling, right? Like the body notified him like, Hey, there's a problem. He went to his dentist and you see this big black shadow, like here to here, that that's not normal. Okay. And so the dentist was like, okay, send him to me. And it looks like it's covering this is tooth number two, three and four. It looks like it's like engulfing three teeth. OK, so this is what 3D looks like. So let me just go back. This is a two dimensional image. And this is the three. Okay. So you can see the clarity is so much different, right? And again, now you see that dark shadow. So this is what normal bone looks like over here, this white, and this is where the bone is getting eaten away. This is just a response. This is not the infection. This is the body's response. This is what your immune response is when there's bacteria in these canals. Okay. I mean, this is huge, like his whole maxilla, like one side of his maxilla is missing. So here's the other problem is most, some dentists would be like, you need three root canals, which is pretty expensive. Other dentists would be like, that's not fixable. All of these three teeth need to come out. And this is where I, why I'm on this mission, because I want to empower patients to really understand, because sometimes you're gonna get a dentist with a different belief system than what's actually happening. So I did the root canal. I actually, when you do the testing, you'll see like a nerve that doesn't feel cold. So we'll do this cold test on teeth. The one that doesn't feel cold is the one responsible to all these, so to this black shadow. Okay. So this tooth did not feel cold. These teeth did. So that means that the nerve is alive and well in these teeth. This one didn't feel cold. So even though it looked like three teeth were contributing to this area, it was really the culprit of one. So that diagnosis is so, so, so important. Okay. And actually when the patient was referred to me, this is the tooth that was circled on the referral slip. Oh wow. So the dentist thought it was this tooth, but that tells me he didn't do any testing. Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so not only not only did you save two of his teeth, but you also saved him from being misdiagnosed and having bigger problems after losing one tooth.

SPEAKER_01:

And I will say it's not the dentist's fault. It's really the dental education, because we get two weeks crash course in root canals and four years of dental school. And, you know, we only have to do two to four root canals in order to graduate dental school, and then we can go do it on our own.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Yeah. And then being an endodontist is, is that a specialty that you do? Correct. In addition to your dental school.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. So I went to another two years and then I had to do another 250 cases on just that procedure in dentistry, no other procedure. So, um, that's why I would, my personal preference, if I need a root canal, I'm going to see a specialist cause I know that's what they do all day, all night. Some people really want their dentist to be a jack-of-all-trades. I'm not that type of person.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, my dentist, like, doesn't do root canals. He always sends people to an endodontist, which I would, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And you want to trust people with boundaries, right? Right. So on the picture on the left is that preoperative image where we hadn't done treatment yet. And the picture on the right is you can see the root canal filling. You can see that means that this tooth only had three canals. Okay, not four. Typically, these maxillary molars have four, but this one only had three. But now, 11 months later, you can see the bone is starting to regenerate and fill back in. But this was a monster of an infection, so I knew it wasn't going to be all healed up in a year. It's probably going to take a few years.

SPEAKER_02:

When you lose that much, so the bone regenerates. But if the infection is bad enough and it doesn't get taken care of and the bone just continues to regenerate, what does that do? So I'm sorry, the bone continues to not regenerate, but if the bone continues to get eaten away and it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So sometimes you have to also do surgery. But again, that's why we want to catch things while they're small. Right. But again, a well done root canal. will allow your body to regenerate. That's the key. There's just so many not so good root canals in the world that that's why people think they're toxic. Because we only needed to do two to graduate. We can do it. We don't have the proper armamentarium or, you know, we're doing it to the best of our ability. The problem is our ability wasn't like really taught that well. Right. And so 50% of my practice is redos of root canals. So let's say, cause you know, I'm not a hundred percent, I'll never be right. I'll be about 97% success rate, but when my stuff doesn't work, that doesn't mean I can't try again. So we retreat, right? Just like when people get a knee replacement, sometimes a surgeon has to go back in and do a revision. It's just biology. Sometimes that happens and we need to, but those instances are small. Sure. Okay. So let me just point out here, you can see even this wall of bone is back, right? And all this bone is growing inwards. And then two years later, I mean, look at the bone that shadows going away. This is going to take about four years to fully grow back in. But like, look at the bone is coming back. That's amazing. And without a graft, right? Like you don't, you don't need all that stuff. Um, so let me show you another one, not this one, because it does not prove a point. Let me find one of a, ah, this is a good one. Okay. So this one, the root canal has been done. It's not a great root canal, okay? So I can show you here, this is the 3D. Now I'm looking at it in a cross section. You can see there's one, two, three canals filled, but what about this guy, right? If we don't follow the rules, if we don't find every canal and get to the end of every canal, we're gonna have a problem. And you can see in this angle, you can actually see the canal here, okay? And then we can see that the border of the maxillary sinus is getting eaten away as well. And the membrane of the sinus is actually getting thicker, which is a response to the tooth infection. This is a really good picture where you can see the border of the maxillary sinus is gone. It's been eaten from the infection. But we are regenerative humans, so we can actually grow that back. So now you can see the root canal has been redone. I redid it. And there's one, two, three, four canals found. Okay. And one year later, look at that border of the maxillary sinus is completely restored and all this cloudy thickening mucus junk is gone. Wow. And so that when we do a good root canal, we can actually regenerate ourselves inside. And that's the coolest part.

SPEAKER_02:

It's it's incredibly cool. I have a question about the site. So that where you said the gray, like mucus in the sinus, does that actually impact your sinuses? Like, would that person be experiencing stuffy nose and pressure and congestion?

SPEAKER_01:

Probably just on one side. Interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

Interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

A hundred percent. And this is how it impacts like your breath. And we all know like breathing and breath work is so important. Right. And it'll impact your sleep too. Wow. So a hundred percent. I've cured a lot of sinusitis by doing root canals. Oh, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

A lot of symptoms aside from just a toothache, right, are potential that people maybe don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

This person's had a root canal, right? So they're not going to get the sharp pain. They're going to feel like it'll be intermittent because what happens in a moment like this is like, OK, your body is smart. The immune system is smart. the infection will grow, right? And then the body will mount an immune reaction, and then it'll push it down, right? And then it'll think, oh, I won, and then it'll back off. And now this bacteria has the ability to regrow. And then the body will be like, hey, I thought I got rid of you, right? And then it'll mount a response and then push it back down. So the patient won't be in constant pain. It's intermittent, right? And so they'll be like, oh, it went away or, oh, there was a bubble. I popped it. No, that bubble is your cue that something's wrong. You know, even though it goes away or you think it went away, there's still something happening underneath.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Pain is the body's way of saying something's wrong. Yeah. Right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00:

Fascinating. It is fascinating. Thank you for that lesson. I know. I loved it. I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I hate to like geek out on you, but I know it's so cool.

SPEAKER_00:

We love it. We love it. OK, so back to so we were talking about the daily routine. So the brushing, the flossing mandatory. OK, right. What about like what are your thoughts on? Because we've talked about this in the show a lot, like tongue scraping, oil pulling, things like that. Helpful, not helpful. Neutral. What are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_01:

So I think It's great if you can do all those things. But I think they're all an adjunct to the brushing and the flossing and the checkups, right? Yeah. I am a tongue scraper. I love it. Me too. I love it. I need to do it twice a day. So if you can do that, that's great. Um, you couldn't pay me to oil pull because I find it, I cannot, I never done it. I can't tolerate it. And maybe it's cause I don't love pulling with coconut oil, but I do believe you can pull with different kinds of oils. So I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I don't think it's a replacement for other things. Whereas again, you'll find dental influencers that'll say, don't floss, just oil pull. I, the, here's the difference in flossing. So when you brush, you're basically breaking up bacterial colonies, right? You're making sure that they don't grow and proliferate to the point of a biofilm. Okay. Um, when you brush, you can't get the contact point. So your teeth touch, right? And when you floss, you hear that click, right? That click is the contact point. That is the point that a waterpig, a toothbrush, mouthwash, none of those things can reach. And that's the point where the bacteria will love to just stick. and cultivate and that's where they burrow in the teeth. And then you can't even see it. You can't look in the mirror and be like, oh, I got a black spot because you won't see that. You can only pick that up with imaging and you'll need bite-wing x-rays to get that. So again, you may not think you have a problem because there's no pain because bacteria are smart. They're very smart. They don't want to be found out. They will only make noise when they hit the pulp and it's actually your body making the noise then. So Really going for those checkups, flossing, and brushing, those are, I think, critical. And then anything on top of that, I think, is just the cherry on top.

SPEAKER_02:

So you do or you don't think that oil pulling can have benefits?

SPEAKER_01:

I do think it can. I also think that there's going to be different oils that are going to be better for different people. Like just kind of knowing a little bit of Ayurveda, like for my particular like dosha, like I'm probably better off with sesame oil than coconut oil. And again, you couldn't pay me to swish with coconut oil. I'm like, Oh, I can put it in my coffee, but I cannot swish with it in my mouth. But I think for my, I think for my body, sesame oil is probably better. So I do think there's benefits, but I also think, you know, saltwater is a little, is also antibacterial naturally. So you can rinse with that. I don't love mouthwashes because again, you're going to kill the bacteria and you don't want to get rid of them. You just want to keep them stable.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, really? I use mouthwash all the time. I feel like after I floss, I have to do the mouthwash.

SPEAKER_02:

You have to do like a rinse to get it out, right? That feeling. But so you can rinse with salt water. I started using the TOMS of Maine, all natural products. Would that also kill the bacteria, that type of mouthwash, a natural mouthwash?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm sure there's some with like essential oils that would be just fine. You know, but I, I wouldn't be too dependent on them. The ones that are blue, like the Listerines and stuff, number one, they have alcohol in them and they can really. Like just kind of kill your mucosa. Um, I would probably stay away from the blue stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. That's good. All right. Well, then speaking of products, what are some of your favorite dental products that you like? Like what's your, what toothpaste do you use? What's your favorite toothbrush, et cetera.

SPEAKER_01:

My favorite toothbrush is a Sonicare toothbrush. Because I like the sonic action because that also helps lace the cell wall of bacteria. So the actual motion allows me to be gentle on my gums because if I'm using a manual one, even if it's a soft one, I'll be really heavy handed. Whereas the sonic toothbrush just lets it, I just stand there and let it do the work. Right. So I like an electrical toothbrush and my vote goes for Sonicare over Oral-B or anything like that. I don't get paid to say that, just so you know. And then my favorite floss is probably Coco Floss because there is coconut oil in it. And I like the fact that it's expansive. So like it'll go in thin, but then it'll expand and grab and then I can pull out. Oh, nice. I haven't heard of that one. Yeah. I like Coco Floss a lot. Yeah, so what about toothpaste? I haven't found one that I love, but honestly, like even if you brush without toothpaste, it's fine because it's the mechanical movement that's doing more of the of the job than the actual toothpaste itself. So depending on where you are in your life or growth and development, figure out what's good for you, what you need in that moment. If you do need fluoride, if you don't need fluoride, if you need something that's sensitive based, maybe you got a recent filling and you're having some normal post-op pain and you just want to increase the speed to normal feeling again. Like sometimes I'll tell people to use a Sensodyne toothpaste for eight weeks because it'll reverse that sensitivity quickly, and then you can go back to a regular toothpaste. I'm currently using a Crest Deep Clean, but I feel like sometimes toothpastes are like deodorants. You kind of have to cycle through, like all of a sudden it stops working for you.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, it's funny that you said that about the tooth sensitivity, because I haven't really had any recently, but I was at the dentist once and the dental hygienist told me that if I was having sensitivity, like in my gums or my tooth, just to take toothpaste and like put it on there and just let it sit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But a Sensodyne toothpaste would be better because... Yeah, Sensodyne, because that's what I use.

SPEAKER_00:

And it does help. I was like, OK. And then I I've tried that a few times when my teeth feel sensitive and it totally works.

SPEAKER_01:

So that was a cool little hack. When you're bleaching your teeth, it's a good hack, too, because I don't know if you've ever bleached your teeth and it works so bad. It's hard for me to bleach my teeth because I'm so sensitive to cold after that. But if you put Sensodyne toothpaste in there, then on your teeth after you do it, you won't be as sensitive during bleaching.

SPEAKER_02:

So after the bleaching or after like even a whitening strip, once you take it off?

SPEAKER_01:

Whitening strips aren't going to be as sensitive as like if you had like a tray and then they give you the take-home bleach or if you do an in-office. In-office is the strongest. The bleaching tray is kind of like the middle of the road. And then the strips are like your over-the-counter least amount of percentage. I'm sure that one would hurt me, too, because my teeth are just so sensitive.

SPEAKER_02:

They bother me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't even drink ice water. It's just not on my diet. Like, I don't understand how people can freeze grapes or put cannoli in the fridge.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I can't do that either. How do people do that?

SPEAKER_01:

I know. So, I have to put Sensodyne on my teeth after I use my bleaching trays. Okay. It helps. It really does help. So, if you find it with your With your strips, try that trick and it might not be as.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm going to. Yeah. Cause it's like the first day or two that I do them, it's fine. But then like the third or fourth day I start to get the little zaps, you know, like it gets uncomfortable. I'm not going to tell my 10 year old that you said that toothpaste can come or go. You can take it or leave it because. She always pretends she's putting the toothpaste on, but then we look and she's really not.

SPEAKER_01:

The bristles are more important than the stuff. I just got to know. It's called dry brushing, right? So as long as you can break up the colonies, that's what they used to teach us in the hygiene part of dental school. It's like dry brush. If you can do nothing else, dry brush.

SPEAKER_02:

I've heard conflicting opinions on toothbrushes for children. I've I have had some dentists say get the like the sonic care and then I've had other dentists say don't do that because it teaches it prevents them from learning how to like brush properly. So what do you suggest?

SPEAKER_01:

It's funny because I don't think anyone brushes and flosses properly. Well, let's talk about that. What does properly mean, right? So really, ideally, so if you look at a tooth and you look at the tissue, like that junction of the tooth and the tissue, there is actually like a moat that goes around the tooth. Okay. And, um, that moat is where the plaque likes to accumulate. Okay. So ideally you want to get your bristles to go under that moat and shake. That gingival collar, you want bristles. So if you can take your toothbrush and actually angle it at a 45 degree angle so that the bristles kind of like splay out and you can get under that tissue and shake, that's the ideal way of brushing. I've never seen anybody brush like that, not even adults that have had manual toothbrushes their whole life. And then same thing with flossing. I just witnessed somebody flossing. Like she literally put the floss piece here and the floss piece here and she just started going like this. Oh my God. No, no, no. You want to put it down in one between two teeth and then you want to wrap the floss like a C around the tooth and then scrape up and down the tooth. And then you want to wrap it around the tooth on the other side and scrape up and down and making sure you get that click.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, see, I haven't been doing it like that. That's good to know.

SPEAKER_01:

OK. So, yeah, I think and really the hygienist at your general dentist office is really the one who should walk you through it. Or if you have questions like, hey, can you watch me? Let them watch you and see if they agree with how you're doing it. That's really where you're going to get that hygiene education.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I was just my younger son just got his braces off and so he was using like a excuse me, a water pick, you know, until he got his braces off and then he just got them off. And so I had to like show him how to floss properly because before that, before he had braces, he had those like ones that you hold, but it's not like the string. And I had to show him like in the mirror how to do it with the string in between the teeth and the gums and all that. And it's your point, like it's hard for him to like figure it out. And then I think he got it. So now he's been doing a good job at it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I haven't been wrapping it around my tooth. That's like the trick that I need.

SPEAKER_00:

I go like in between the gum. I was telling him to go in between the gums. I don't know if that's right, but it's kind of wrapping. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I just make sure you're scraping up and down, making wrap it, make a C, scrape and then turn it on the other tooth and then go to the next side.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, we'll think of you tonight when we floss.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Before we let you go, I just have one more quick question because I just thought of this. Maybe you can give us some insight. Receding gums, is that from brushing too hard, too aggressively?

SPEAKER_01:

It can be from a number of things. It could be from brushing too hard. It could also be from clenching and grinding or if your occlusion is off. So a lot of clencher grinders will I don't know they just they create these things also call them fractions so it's almost like you can get your fingernail stuck at the neck of the tooth because it's kind of you feel like a gouge that's from clenching grinding also the receding gums from the toothbrush and I would also say sometimes if you have like a crown like I have some restorations in my mouth And my tissue doesn't love it. So it's going to pull away because I have a nickel allergy too. And I think some of my old crowns, the base metal was made out of nickel and my tissue didn't love it and it pulled back. Interesting. So just like you have a different oral microbiome, you also have different biotypes of your tissue. And I have a very thin biotype. And so the three to four millimeters of tissue that are adjacent to my teeth, it's very thin. So any manipulation is actually going to make my tissue recede. But not everybody's like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Interesting. Okay. All right. Well, this was fascinating. I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it was so cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Try to tell people it's not boring.

SPEAKER_00:

No. Yeah. The more you know. That's right. All right. We're going to end with our quick wrap session. So what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack besides teeth bleaching? Because we know you do that.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm going to say as long as I have mascara on, I'm good to go. Good ones.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. And then this might be the same answer, but the next one, we call it your five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and Uber has pinged you. They're five minutes away. What are you going to do to, like, get yourself together and get out the door on time?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that sounds like the story of my life, so this is pretty easy. So concealer and mascara and a little lip gloss. And that's really all I need. And I'm loving my baseball cap lately. So I'm going to put that on.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Nice. Good one. Okay. How do you maintain your daily nirvana?

SPEAKER_01:

I will just be okay, like not getting everything done and just putting it on tomorrow's to-do list and always try to start my day with a little five to 10 minute session at a minimum by myself with either my music, my thoughts, or my breath.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice. So gratitude and giving yourself grace, it sounds like, at the end of the day, if you don't get it all done, that's great. All right, well, before we let you go, also, please tell us, where can our listeners find you? Where in North Carolina are you, if they want to come visit you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm in Charlotte, North Carolina. And just so, just to be clear, I am a root canal specialist. So, and I feel like we do like really banging root canals to save people's teeth that are like, you know, people would normally throw those teeth in the garbage. We're going to save them. Um, you're welcome to come see me, but just for clarity, like I'm not a general dentist. I'm a root canal specialist. That's all I do. So I don't do cleanings. I don't do crowns, even though I know a lot about those things, but, um, my specialty is root canals.

SPEAKER_02:

Great. Thank you, Dr. Chopra. We appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

It's been a pleasure. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 155 - Product Junkies - May: Summer Here We Come (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 155.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters Podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. Today, we are kicking off our May product junkies. We didn't have product junkies in April, so it is good to send it out to you. Good to be back. Yeah, early this month. So, Amy, why don't you start? What's your first product today?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. First product is random, and I've been wanting to talk about it because it's really good. Have you seen these headache hat things on Amazon? and telling you, it's so good. So I got a two pack, one pink, one black, one for me, one for Stu. And like, I don't even know if I can put it on because it's so embarrassing, but like, it's so cool inside. I'll just give you an example. Hold on. Should I show you what this looks like? You literally like put it on. But it feels so good.

SPEAKER_00:

Hold on, I can't hear you. What does it feel like? What does it do?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so basically, if you have a headache or migraine, it holds, it's very cold inside, you keep it in the refrigerator, or even if it's not in the fridge, it somehow is cold inside, and it's tight, but not too tight, where it can give you a headache, and it's just snug around your head, and it just relaxes you, and it's over your eyes, so it's totally black. So if you just lay in bed with that on, it really has relieved my headaches. And I sometimes put it on at night when I can't sleep. Like if I get up in the middle of the night and then I can't fall back asleep, I'll put it on. Sometimes I don't put it over my eyes. I'll just put it above my head. But the coolness of it and the tightness of it relaxes your head and your face. And it just brings your temperature down. I don't know what it is, but it's really good. It really, it really helps. It's really good for migraines. I don't know what it's called. Well, this brand is Only Care, but we'll put the link. It's it's on Amazon, but it really works. It's it's. a great solve for a headache. Nice.

SPEAKER_00:

I just don't want to try it, but whatever. I know I've seen them on probably TikTok or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's really good. Has Jackson or Amy's? I don't know if you want to talk about it on the air, but Amy's son has concussion. Has he is he can he use it?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I thought about that and I wonder if it would help him, but I'm not sure. I was going to ask the doctor. I don't I can't imagine it would be damaging, but I don't know if you should. I don't know. Yeah, question. Yeah, I should ask the doctor. Maybe maybe it would help relieve his headache.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice. All right. Well, that's a fun one. Mine is a perfume. You know how we're always. looking for perfumes that don't give us headaches, which so many do these days. I don't know. I don't know where I even stumbled across it, but I had read about it or heard about it. The brand is called AERIN. I hope I'm saying it right. A-E-R-I-N. They're a luxury brand. They have everything from furniture and clothes and lighting to beauty across the board. Okay. And the scent is called Rose de Grasse. It is so beautiful. I just ordered a sample because it's... Let me see the logo.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I've seen that brand.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I might have seen that brand. Maybe I saw it on Instagram or something, but... It's a commitment perfume. It's an investment. One bottle is almost $300. Oh my god. Okay. So of course I needed to test first to see if I liked it and if I could even tolerate it. And I can tolerate it. I really love the smell. It's obviously the smell of roses on their website it says, the rose is a timeless symbol of beauty and femininity. This one is meticulously crafted with an artisanal attention to detail. At its heart is a fusion of roses including the hundred-petaled rose centifolia, hand-picked in grass. It says it scents our rich floral rose, amarette seeds, rose centifolia, rose auto bulgarian, rose absolute, ambroxan musk. When I think of rose and florals, I get really turned off. Me too. Florals really give me a headache. Crush me, yeah. Crush me. For whatever reason, this one doesn't and it is almost a little herbaceous and it's very bright and get ready for a laugh, but it smells like It reminds me of the part of Sauvignon Blanc that I really like the smell of. Like the brightness. I know what you're talking about. Yeah. And like the crispness. It has those notes to it, too. And then it has the rose. It's really pretty. It's a beautiful scent. And it's also kind of like a signature. You recognize that scent. A client of mine just randomly was also wearing it. And as soon as I smelled it on her, I knew it. Oh, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so Erin, and what is the name of the scent called? Rose de Grasse. Rose de Grasse. Okay, great. I have to try it.

SPEAKER_00:

It's so nice. The only thing is, one day I was wearing a body lotion that I now know that I can't wear during the day. I can only use it at night because it has a little bit of a scent to it, and it did not complement it. So that day, I had a headache all day from that. But yeah, as long as I do it with my you know, scent-free lotions. It's all good.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. So speaking of scents, I don't know if I reviewed this brand before, but I really like it. I have one of their perfumes, which I can also talk about, but I bought this guy during the Sephora sale. It's the Skylar Hair and Body Mist. Nice. And this, this one is called, well, it says Pure Vanilla Cotton Candy Coconut Milk. So it's like really sweet. They describe it as, they describe it, the fragrance family, they say, is warm and spicy and the scent type is warm and sweet gourmand. And I've decided that's kind of what I like because another perfume I got, which is the same brand, is in the same category. But anyway, it's a hair and body mist. And sometimes when I don't want to wear perfume, perfume, I just spray this on. It smells so good. Just like a lovely, light, sweet, but not too sweet scent. And you could just like spray it in your hair, spray it on your body, like walk through it kind of deal. And I love it. It's great.

SPEAKER_00:

I really like it. I made a lot of a hair and body mist. I like that.

SPEAKER_01:

Hair and body mist. And this specific one's called Boardwalk Delight. They have other ones too, but I really like this one. It kind of smells like summer, beach, like it's really, really, really good. So I love this. And speaking of, so Skylar is this new brand I found, it's Clean Beauty, and they also have a perfume that I've been wearing, which I don't think I've talked about, but I've been wearing it for months. The flavor that I have, I think it's called Vanilla Sky, and it's, they have it in a eau de, how do you say, how do you say?

SPEAKER_00:

Eau de Parfum. Eau de Parfum.

SPEAKER_01:

Eau de Parfum. So they have it in that, but I actually have it in the roller. So they sell it like in the tube rollers. You know how they have that at Sephora? And I like it on the roller just because like it's just easier and you can travel with it. But that's a really, really good one. And again, it doesn't give me a headache. And now that I'm looking, it's in the same scent type and fragrance, fragrance family of warm and spicy and warm and sweet gourmand. And the keynotes to that, to the perfume is Cappuccino Pure Vanilla Caramelized Cedar.

SPEAKER_00:

Cappuccino, say those again?

SPEAKER_01:

Pure vanilla. Cappuccino, pure vanilla, and caramelized cedar. It says, vanilla sky is the smell of comfort in a super sensual gourmand fragrance. Rich warm vanilla notes blend with delicious hints of cappuccino. Caramelized cedarwood lies at the base of the fragrance, why can't I say that word, to give a rich golden warmth to remind you of stunning golden hour skies.

SPEAKER_00:

Nice. Does the gourmand part mean like it has scents that you find in food? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm not sure. To me, that just means kind of sweet or like, yeah. But anyway, it's like I wear that with another perfume that I'll review at another time that I also found that's clean and doesn't give me a headache. And I layer it with that and it works really well. Or sometimes I'll just do this hair and body mist because this hair and body mist is in the same family. I'll do this and then I'll do the perfume just to give it like more of a scent for like nighttime or something. And also the way that they describe this hair and body mist, just because I love the description. I said it was warm and spicy, warm and sweet, but the key notes are pure vanilla, cotton candy, and coconut milk. And the fragrance description says, Sandy toast, sweet treats and smiles on the shore are brought to life with notes of sweet cotton candy, raspberries, sorbet and creamy coconut milk balanced by pure vanilla in the base. The scent is meant to inspire you to relieve and recreate the memories of your youth with the power of fragrance. So anyway, it's kind of like that beat. That's what I was kind of saying before. But anyway, really nice brand Skylar Clean Beauty. I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

I haven't heard of it. I got to check it out. OK. Yeah. My next one is Pixi On The Glow Blush. Did you review this? Oh, I didn't, but I've seen it. OK, so I was just I was at Ulta with Madeline recently, who is asking me to buy her Sol de Janeiro or some skincare product daily. Oh, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_01:

Constantly, which I have that I can give it to her. I have the sold as you narrow.

SPEAKER_00:

She has them all now. It's like absurd. It's ridiculous. But like the skin care piece, I'm I'm trying to stay really firm on because I don't I feel strongly that a 10 year old does not need anything besides hydration and SPF. Totally agree. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And I listen and read a lot of articles about this that like younger kids skin is getting messed up because they're using all these things because they see them online, like all the drunk elephant or whatever. And it's so bad for their skin.

SPEAKER_00:

The drunk elephant is so bad for their skin. And the marketing on that is so that's the only reason why they want it is because it's such good like packaging and everything. It's and all of their friends have it. So anyway, I was rewarding her with some Sol de Janeiro for how hard she worked on her play. And yeah, but Alta and I found this pixie and it's just a really cute color. It's a nice it's tinted moisture stick. This color in particular is floor. But it's like, oh, sorry. It's a it's a very fun, like punchy pink. Good for spring. And it looks so easy to apply, too. It is. Yeah, that's what I really like about it.

SPEAKER_01:

And it almost has like a pretty highlighter to it. It's really pretty. Is it like is the consistency like a bomb? It looks like it would be like a bomb.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I've actually when I wear it on my cheek, sometimes I put it on my lips, too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So on your nose, too, for a little color.

SPEAKER_00:

it has a really nice feeling when you put it on like especially if your skin is maybe a little dry it's going to give really a little bit a little bit of moisture so anyway so that's a good one that's a good one i've seen that but i've never tried it okay they have they have hold on really quick one two three they have four shades

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, Gore shades. Nice. OK, next one. Another one that I got from the Sephora sale that I'm really liking is the Fenty Beauty. It's called Invisimat. And I just want to see if this is a specific color, but it's just Invisimat Instant Setting Blotting Powder. This one's called Universal. First of all, I like it because it's like little, just like a little palette and I can bring it with me. So, you know, in my bag for touch-ups and I never like I feel like my face usually doesn't get shiny but like sometimes you know if you're out a long time you get like a little greasy and this is just a really nice mattifying powder but not not matte matte but it's just you could just take a little bit and just kind of, you know, blot. Mm-hmm. And it's great.

SPEAKER_00:

So what's the brand again? I miss that part. Fenty. Oh, nice. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And I like it because see it has this little tiny pad you can put inside. And a nice mirror. And a nice mirror and it's like perfect. So I literally bought it to just have in my bag when I need a little touch up. So I don't have anything like this. It's called Fenty Beauty Invisimat Instant Setting and Blotting Powder. And it's a matte finish, long-wearing. It says, a refillable universal finishing powder that blurs the look of pores, absorbs shine, and extends makeup wear all day. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's not necessarily translucent. It's a finishing powder.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's a finishing powder. I don't know the difference between a powder and a finishing powder, but it's called universal. So it's just kind of like white, but it's not really a color.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So then it is translucent. Yeah, I guess. I mean, here, look, I'll show you. It's like a whitish pinkish.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It's versus like when you put it on, if it had like a tint to it, like a concealer tint. No, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah. So that's that's a translucent powder.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So I think it's like you just put it on at the end just for a little whatever or you just keep it with you if you need like a little touch up. Yeah, like, yeah, it's nice. It's really nice. Thirty seven dollars. I need something like that because I don't probably last like for 20 years. You know, I'm sure like those things just stay around. They like never they never get lower. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, 100 percent. All right, my next one is a new ride-or-die holy grail, and it is the, it's kind of silly, but it's toothpaste, the TOMS of Maine Original Sensitive and Whitening Toothpaste. It's for sensitive teeth, and specifically, the reason why I started using it is because it's fluoride-free. So I was getting this, and listen closely, listener, because if this is happening to you and you don't know why, This is it. I was getting these like red bumps around my mouth and like sometimes like a little bit of a rash and I could cover it up with concealer, but sometimes it would be really bad. And if I didn't have makeup on, you could really see it. And sometimes it would kind of go away. And it was off and on for, I don't know, like maybe a year. And I finally, I was doing some digging and I found out that it was perioral dermatitis, which can be caused by multiple things, but most often caused by fluoride. So fluoride in your toothpaste, fluoride it can be in your mouthwash. But it's not internal, it's external, like it's on your skin? It's external, like it was, I don't have it anymore, but it was all through here and that like red rashy through here and then like lots of little bumps around here. And it's from fluoride toothpaste? You can get it from fluoride toothpaste, you can get it from steroid inhalers, like Flonase, that can cause it too. Interesting. So apparently it's pretty common and some people get it really bad. Like there's an image online that I'm looking with this website and it's really, really bad. Mine was never that bad. But as soon as I started using fluoride-free products, even your floss can have fluoride on it. Oh, interesting. Yeah, I started using fluoride-free products and it went away. But what I love even more about this toothpaste is this is the best whitening toothpaste I've ever used in my life. I my teeth are getting really white and I have I have I ran out of my Guru Nanda whitening strips. I haven't been using those. This is all I've been using and it's really Legit. This is legit whitening toothpaste.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. And it's Tom's, which is good because that's organic or clean or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's natural. So it's completely natural.

SPEAKER_01:

I use like Sensodyne, but I wonder if that has fluoride in it. I have no idea.

SPEAKER_00:

It probably does. You have to really look for fluoride-free toothpaste. It's like most of them have fluoride in it. Good to know. Yeah. But this one also for sensitive teeth, which is nice. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Awesome. Yeah. Okay. So the last thing I have, like I feel like a lot of our things are kind of like edging into spring summer, is a new self-tanner that I've been testing. Oh, nice. I know. It's the Saint-Tropez, which I think I've reviewed, like they have a face one that I might have reviewed in the past. I can't remember which I really like. But this one is for a natural deep olive tan, St. Tropez Self Tan Supreme Violet Bronzing Mousse. It's really good. It makes you really dark and so far so good. It doesn't have that smell that I hate. So I've only used it a couple of times. I'm going to use this this weekend because I have an event and it's a good one. So I'm always on the hunt, as you know, for good self tanners. And I really like this one.

SPEAKER_00:

What kind of application is it? Is it a spray? It's a mousse. It's a mousse. Okay. Do you use something to apply it or do you just use your hands?

SPEAKER_01:

I use the mitts. I could probably use my hands and then wash them, but I just use the mitt because I just feel like it spreads better. But yeah, so so far so good. I mean, I just think Saint-Tropez has like the best self-tanner. There's another brand that I reviewed that I got on Amazon. I can't remember the name of it. I reviewed it last year, which I still use, but I ran out of it. So I just bought this one to try it. And it's a really good one because I like the color because it's it's just like a dark color instead of like an orangey like, you know, sometimes you could do a self-tanner and it's like a brown, but it's not like dark. This one's super dark. Does it come out violet? No, I don't know why they call it violet. Maybe it's just the line, but it's just like a deep olive tan. I don't know why they call it violet. I have no idea. But maybe it's just, I don't know, the line. But it's great.

SPEAKER_00:

I wonder, I'm just out of curiosity, the level of like if clean beauty is at all in tanning products, self-tanner. Is Centrepay? Centrepay is not necessarily clean beauty brand.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't think so. But the one that I reviewed last year, I think it was called

SPEAKER_00:

tan be or be tan like be tan yeah that one is clean i'm pretty sure that one was clean yeah that one's really good i just ran out of it or yeah expired or whatever it was i mean pretty sure that one is clean it's not like every product that we use is clean like wherever we can use it whenever we can great and it's just super realistic to have everything clean in your life those there are people that do it and more power to you but that's a lot of yeah a lot of tanning stuff i feel like it's hard i actually have a

SPEAKER_01:

person like when I really want a good tan that's like a spray tanner person and all her stuff her spray is clean it's made out of like beets and like all this like plant based. That's cool. Yeah it's fabulous but it's like you have to go there and get a whole thing done that's for like when I really I'm like going on vacation or something.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah you just reminded me of a funny story I had it before we went to Mexico for Adams birthday last year I had a woman come to do my spray tan and I don't know why I was expecting just like any woman this woman walked in she looked like she stepped off the cover of like a men's magazine but like still classy like she was stunning oh my god as insane she was like a little uh like like exotic looking. And meanwhile, you know, when you do yourself tan, like you're naked. You put on so vulnerable. I hate it. So vulnerable. And she's right. And I'm just thinking if my husband walked in right now, this. Wait, was she like a bodybuilder type? No, she was like curvy, probably like Brazilian or something, just like really beautiful.

SPEAKER_01:

And it was just so funny. How'd she do it in your house? Did she have a bubble or did you do it outside?

SPEAKER_00:

She didn't even use a bubble. We went into my gym, of course, I closed the lines and everything, and I stood on a towel and there was no residue. There was nothing. Oh, interesting. Was it a good tan? It was good. It was good. I could have gone darker, but I'm always so nervous that I'm going to look crazy. So I always go conservative.

SPEAKER_01:

But yeah, the color was good. I find that different parts of my body tan in different ways when I do those spray tans or even just like a self tan. the lower half of my legs like the front like my shin for some reason that area doesn't get as tan so I do like a double layer and when I was telling the self-tanner woman that she's like oh yeah that happens to a lot of people I'm like really she's like yeah it's just the way I don't know I'm like oh interesting

SPEAKER_00:

Huh. I've never paid enough attention to it. All right. So here's my last one. And, you know, not every product is a five star review. This is more of like I'm sharing my opinion. De-influencing. Yeah. So I've been trying to find a good setting mist because when I go to work, I'm like pulling on and off my face all day. Like my makeup wipes off so easily. And I ran out of my last one, which was the NYX. And I actually really liked it. And I picked up the Elf Stay All Night Microfine Setting Mist. Uh-huh. Not performing. It's really it's not performing. I maybe if I didn't have things like rubbing my makeup Constantly, but the Knicks really would hold up right that one.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember I think you reviewed and you liked it Yeah, you reviewed you said you didn't like and then you went back and you said you liked it because you were like doing It wrong. Was it the Knicks?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that was the next. So I have educated myself completely on how to use these things now, and it's still, it's just not, it's not bringing the magic. But I am testing the, I just ordered it, the one size setting. Oh, I have that too. I just ordered it on the Sephora sale, the trial. Yeah, same. So I've heard it is really good.

SPEAKER_01:

I've heard it's good and I like the applicator. I haven't used it yet, but it seems like it's one of those continuous sprays, like it's like a mist versus like a pump. So I think that makes a difference. I actually have, I was going to tell you to try because this one's fantastic. I don't know if I reviewed it before, but it's the Morphe setting spray. Lauren Miller actually used that on me, and I bought it after she used it. And again, it's like a mist that is like that continuous mist. You just, it's great.

SPEAKER_00:

I just ran out of it. And does it work? Does it, like, keeps the makeup on?

SPEAKER_01:

Makeup does not move. It's fantastic. So the Morphe, I think they sell it in Ulta and on Amazon. I've seen it before. But I ran out of it, so I got the one size because I wanted to try that. Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm hoping mine's going to come in a couple weeks. I actually ordered mine off of TikTok shop. I forgot that that's where I got it.

SPEAKER_01:

Never order off TikTok shop. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

I understand that some people think it could be sketch, but they have deals that are insane. I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I think everybody orders from there. I've ordered like once or twice, and when I get stuff, I feel like it comes from a rando place. It's not like Amazon and Amazon packaging. It's not like a TikTok.

SPEAKER_00:

You're right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_01:

It's hard to know if it's legit.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

It's probably fine, but it's hard to know if it's legit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yep. I ordered my Beauty of Josene.

SPEAKER_01:

from there. Right. Oh, you got the moisturizer. I got it still.

SPEAKER_00:

It has the retinol cream. Yeah, the eye cream. But like it could be counterfeit, apparently. I know I've felt the buzz.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you have to be careful. I mean, if you bought it from a legitimate person, if you read their reviews, it usually should be fine in TikTok shop. That's what I've heard. But like beauty interesting, especially like I bought one on Amazon and it was fine. But then I ended up finding a website that sells a lot of Korean beauty and I buy it from there now because you just never know. But yeah, I mean, I feel like I'm into TikTok shop, but I'm like a little bit it like doesn't come quickly. I don't know. We're just so used to Amazon or like it's there the next day. So but yeah, I know they have really good deals.

SPEAKER_00:

And also maybe not the best place for me to be getting my skin care, but like they I bought this really cute. It's not a caddy. I don't know what you describe, but it's like it's on a pedestal. It's round and you put all of your products in it and it can spin and it's like a turntable kind of thing. Yeah. And Lazy Susan. Yeah, exactly. I got that for one for Adam and myself. That's five dollars. Yeah, I know. That's a good fine.

SPEAKER_01:

Amazing. Totally. All right. Well, that will do it for. May product junkies. It was good to be back and doing some reviews and hope everyone is well and see you next time.

SPEAKER_00:

And also, guys, don't forget our Amazon storefront is where you can find most of these products. And we have some really exciting guests coming up. So I'm super psyched for them.

SPEAKER_01:

But all the links in the show notes. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 153 - Amy’s & Katie’s Mastered Evening Skincare Routines (Full Transcript)

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters Podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome back to the show, everyone. It's Amy and Katie, and this is a bit of a part two because we did our AM routine and now we're going to do our PM routine quick run through because I want to hear what Katie has been using lately because her skin is looking fab. So let's get into it. Katie, give us the rundown.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm going to start because mine is like pretty light and tight. So I've been using A313 from the French pharmacy since probably January. And I am definitely giving this a lot of credit for my skin transformation. This has made my skin really like tight and plump and it's reduced fine lines and wrinkles.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you put that on first? What's the order? Do you do cleanser first, then that? What's the order?

SPEAKER_00:

I do cleanser, and then depending on how my skin feels, if it feels a little dry, I will sandwich this with one of my moisturizers, either my La Roche-Posay Double Repair face moisturizer or my L'aneige water bank. And so I will do a moisturizer, a pea-sized bit of this, spread it around. And if I feel like I still need, I'll do another moisturizer. If my skin isn't dry, then I can just use the A313 on its own. So it just kind of depends on how my skin's feeling.

SPEAKER_01:

And I can't use it every night. Is that like a retinol?

SPEAKER_00:

It is. It's retina A, so it's the most mild. I have learned that my skin responds to the most mild and I don't need to go stronger. And I use it probably maybe four or five nights a week. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's equivalent to my tretinoin that I use.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then my new favorite eye cream that I am testing was actually a suggestion from Karen Martell and it is an estrogen cream by Est. Estrogen cream. Under your eyes? I've been using it under my eyes and anywhere where I feel like I have wrinkles. Interesting. I use it on my laugh lines and up on my forehead and around my eyes. And I have noticed a difference. It is a little premature to really speak to it, so I'm testing and I will report back. Okay. But I've been doing it for maybe a month, so I need to report back. But my skin feels very bouncy since I've been using it.

SPEAKER_01:

And what's the brand? Is that Karen Martell's brand?

SPEAKER_00:

No, this I actually get from... I've had this for a little while and it is from my personal integrative doctor. Oh, okay. So she's who I get my progesterone cream from. But as we've talked about before, I wear my estrogen patch and then this I just use for my skin on my face.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's estrogen cream?

SPEAKER_00:

It's estrogen cream. What's the strength? It's biased 5.0 and it has estradiol and estrone in it. And I tried to use this instead of my estrogen patch as my hormone replacement, but I didn't respond very well to it. Okay. So I'm better on the patch for actual hormone balance. And there has been studies out recently that I've seen from Dr. Mary Claire Haver, I think her name is. She's a major hormone doctor in the country. And she was talking about a study that estrogen cream is really good for face, for premature wrinkles, for building collagen and everything. So yeah, I'll report back. Um, and then lastly, I do my lineage lip mask before I go to bed, have it on a little bit right now. And this is a new one that I'm going to talk more about when we do our April product junkies. Okay. I do this a couple of days a week. It is the topology deep care serum infused micro dart eye patches formulated with our gear line peptide to target wrinkles. And it's basically their eye patches that you wear under your eyes and you have to wear them for a minimum of two hours. I like to sleep on them. Wow. Okay. And yeah, I'll report back. But I like them so far. I've used I think I've used maybe four or five of them.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Yeah, I've seen those. I haven't tried this yet. Amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So that's, that's my whole routine. It's like pretty simple. And I've been really pleased with it. What is your routine?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so here's my routine lately. So I double cleanse. I always double cleanse. So I use the Beauty Shaman's Cleansing Beauty Oil and the Sea Silk Wash. I do that every single night for the most part. But if I'm wearing a lot of makeup, I actually use, and I'm not sure if I've talked about this product before, but I use the e.l.f. Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm, Holy Hydration. I love it. This is such a good cleansing balm. I actually have tried some other ones that I don't like the smell, they don't work as well. This one smells so good and it's great and it gets off all my makeup and I don't even need to double cleanse. I literally just use this and then everything comes off. What I also use after I cleanse my face, and I don't think we've talked about this before, I use the Clean Skin Club towels, like individual towels. You see those like on Amazon or whatever. These, I think, have significantly helped my skin because obviously, you know, they're a one use. So I use those after I cleanse my face. So that's great. And then I like leave it and I use it just like for the rest of like, you know, just like washing my hands and stuff afterwards and cleaning around my sink. But so I always do those things, either the cleansing balm, the oil and the double cleanse. Then, to your point, I use an equivalent, well, I use a strong tretinoin, like just a prescription tretinoin, and I either do it on dry, depending on how my skin is, or I put on a moisturizer first and then do it, or I'll put on Matrixel first and then I'll put the tretinoin on. But I try to do it just on my dry skin because I think it works best there. Again, I only do it a few times a week. My skin has tolerated it fine. I've been using it. I think I've been using forms of retinol over the last, I don't know, four years maybe, three or four years. I don't know. It's probably the lowest prescription strength of tretinoin, but it's still tretinoin. But I think it's fine. I put it on my face and my neck. And then after the tretinoin, I do the Metrixyl, tried and true, so good.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's topology?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's the topology matrixel. This one we've used, I think you've used another matrixel like the other brands, right?

SPEAKER_00:

I've used the Ordinary's matrixel, and I liked it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. This one, again, this is a Natasha Beauty Junkie Monkey special, but love, love, love. Then after that, I'll do, again, depending on the night, usually the Skin Fix, which I just talked about on the Sephora sale show, but the Skin Fix Barrier Triple Lipid Collagen Activating Serum. So good. I use this day and night. It's such a good product. Peptides, makes your skin plump. Then I use The Kosas toner, like I just spray that, like it's a toner serum. And again, it all depends on how dry my skin is, but usually if I'm using tretinoin, I'll use snail mucin after that. I'll do a toner, I'll use snail mucin, just kind of like sucks everything in.

SPEAKER_00:

What brand?

SPEAKER_01:

What snail mucin are you using? I'm using the one Kosar X. Okay. We have it in our Amazon store. Yes, that one's fabulous. So I use that and then I use a moisturizer and currently I'm going in between two moisturizers and I love, I think I don't remember if we've talked about this one, the Extremely Rich Moisturizer by Wise Beauty. So good. It's like the kind of thing I got the sample for it. And as soon as I put it on my skin, I was like, oh, I just love the way it felt.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love that feeling.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I was like immediate purchase. Like, I just love the way I feel. It's so buttery and creamy and like it just feels so good. Yeah. But it's not like super thick, but it's just like buttery and it's just feels so good. So I'm currently using that. But I also switch it up with the Hatcha Dewy Skin Cream because I was testing this one. I don't have a conclusion on this one yet. I'm still testing it. I sometimes use this in the morning instead. I think it's better under makeup. But the Extremely Rich Cream is great. But again, it depends. If my skin isn't that dry, I'll just keep the Snail Mucin on and that's it. And then for under the eyes, I will do either the Beauty of Jose Revive Eye Serum Ginseng and Retinol, which is really good. I'll kind of use this a couple times a week, or I'll use the Depology Peptide Complex Wrinkle Defense Eye Cream. Again, depending on what I'm in the mood for. So I rotate between those. And then what else do I use? Oh, and then I'll top it off with my Terezin Honor Eyelash and Brow Serum. Throw that on the top. Now that's for a night where I have a lot of time. Now sometimes there are days where I don't have any makeup on or like I haven't put on makeup that day and whatever, and I literally do nothing like last night, which was all I did was spray my face with this SkinSmart Antimicrobial Facial Cleanser. It's almost like the Tower 21, you know the Tower 21 spray, antibacterial spray that a lot of people use on their face. It's called like SOS spray. This is like a similar... Tower 28? What did I say? Tower 21? Tower 21. It's Tower 21. It's like an orange bottle, and it's a spray bottle, and it's called SOS. A lot of people use that. This is similar, just has more product in it. This one's from Amazon, and I just spray that on my face if I just feel like I don't even feel like washing my face, I'm tired, and I do that. So I either do like very minimal, a spray, or like a micellar, that's it, or full on board, and then my husband's like, what the hell are you doing in there? Like, it's been an hour. That's the rundown and I just got the red light at the Sephora sale. So I'm going to throw that into the mix, but I don't know if I'm going to use that morning or night. When do you use yours?

SPEAKER_00:

I have to admit I haven't been very good about it, but if I do use it, I use it at night and Adam has been using it at night. He's been using it more.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you know, do you put it on with anything on your face?

SPEAKER_00:

I put it on after my routine if I'm going to use it. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I'm going to have to try that and report back. But anyway, that's the that's the treatment. That's the rundown.

SPEAKER_00:

And I feel like we should both show our skin because our skin is looking good. Like this is proof is in the pudding. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Good stuff. All right. That was like a super quickie, but I felt like we needed to continue that p.m. routine. And I also think that, too, I really like switching up products every few months because I feel like sometimes you use a product for too long and it like doesn't work anymore. It doesn't feel like it works. And I feel like switching it up and then going back to it sometimes like regurgitates the product.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know if that's in my head, but that's so I mean, I different strokes for different folks. Like I if I find something I like, I stick with it for a long time, like for free. probably a decade. I didn't change my skincare routine until I started having problems.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, maybe that's why. No, I'm just kidding. Maybe that's why you started having problems. Well, like this Matrixel, for example, I've probably used this for a year. So like there's some tried and trues I feel like that I'm always going to use, but I feel like the moisturizers, the eye creams, the stuff like that, I like to mix and match.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, maybe it depends on how sensitive your skin is, too. Maybe your skin's not that sensitive, so you can do that.

SPEAKER_01:

It's weird. It used to be sensitive, but now, who knows? But anyway, all good things. Put everything in the Amazon store. Put all the links in. Have a good week, everyone. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe, and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 152 - Amy's Sephora Sale Favorites: 30 Tried-and-True Beauty Picks- Solo Episode

: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Hi, and welcome back to the show. This week is a quickie, and it's a quick cookie on the Sephora sale. I know, random, and I figure I would hop on and give you my rundown on what I think is worth purchasing. The things that I'm going to recommend are basically things that I use over and over again, and I have a lot of empties of, and so I find that the best time to stock up on those things is during the Sephora sale because you know that you like it. I also, of course, have ordered some things that are new that I want to try, but I thought going through some of my favorites might help you in deciding what you should get. So this is kind of going to go through randomly a bunch of different things. Skincare, makeup, hair care tools. Just a bunch of things that are kind of tried and true. Okay, starting with skin prep. So there's a few products by say that I really like. The first one is the super gel lightweight dewy highlighter, which we've talked about before. I have Starglow, and I know Katie has that one, too. And what I do is I mix that in with my vitamin C and put on my face, and it's just as like a glowy do. So that's just a really good, kind of, like, skin prep product. You can kind of mix it in with anything. It looks great. I actually ordered a refill of this, but I also am trying the bronze one because I want to see how that one works as well. So highly recommend that one the next day. Product is the slip tint, and that is another product we've talked about a lot. It's the lightweight tinted moisturizer with mineral SPF. Really, really good product. Again, this is like a no makeup, makeup, makeup every day, throw it on. I kind of use it as a foundation, but it's really just like a tinted moisturizer. But it's a really beautiful sheen on the skin, and it looks very natural, and it just covers up some of the redness. So again, I really like the, say, super gel, and I really like the, say, tinted moisturizer. In terms of other skin prep products, I really like two products by Skin Fix. One is the barrier and triple Liquid and collagen niacinamide activating serum. Say that ten times times long as a name ever. And this serum is a beautiful serum. I use it morning and night. It's really helped with plumping my skin. It really helps with Barrier Recovery. It's an excellent product. I believe Natasha, Beauty Junkie Monkey, recommended this product, and I've been using it ever since. The other product that is also very good is the skin fix barrier and strengthening plumping triple lipid peptide moisturizer. And this is a heavier moisturizer. I use this at night. I was using this for a while. I repurchased it a few times, and it's a good one to mix in. I've started trying some other nighttime moisturizers, but this is kind of like my tried and true holy grail, so I always stuck up on that. So those two skin fix products I really like. Another skin prep item is the kosas plump and juicy vegan, collagen, and probiotic spray on serum. Again, this is just kind of like a toner spray. And I've been using this a lot lately because my skin has felt very dry. And sometimes what I do is I put this on before my makeup. I put this on during my makeup, and it just kind of keeps things moisturized, hydrated, and glowy. So it's a really nice spray. It's $48. It's definitely not worth $48, because there's a lot of other spray kind of, you know, serums, but it's a really pretty bottle. I like looking at it. It has, like, a really good feel, and it lasts a really long time. I've only bought it once, and I'm, like, halfway done with it, and I use it all the time, so that's a good spray on serum. Okay, these next two things are kind of skin prep, but kind of not. One is totally not, and that is the necessary deodorant gel. Rando. I know, but I had been looking for a natural deodorant for years, and I tested so many of them, and this one is the only one that I've repurchased, probably ten times. And again, it's necessary. I buy the eucalyptus scented one, which I really like. It feels really fresh, and I love that smell. But they also have unscented. They used to just have eucalyptus, but now they also have unscented. So that is a tried and true, really good natural deodorant that actually works. And the last skin prep is more of a tool and definitely a splurge, but I've been talking about getting a red light mask forever. You've heard us talk about it on the show. I know Katie has one. A lot of people recommended different ones over the year, and I've always wanted the doctor Dennis gross one. I've had it saved in my favorites at Sephora forever. So I finally bought it during the sale, and I'm excited to report back. But again, that's a splurge. But again, if you're thinking of buying a tool and it's been on your list, it's a good time to buy it because the sale only happens twice a year. Okay, that's skin prep. Next, blush. Couple of blushes I wanted to highlight. So the merit flush bomb, such a good everyday blush. You, it's buildable. It's really nice. I have a few colors, but some of the colors I like are cheeky. That kind of works well on everyone. And that's kind of just like a movie rosy color. Really, really pretty. It's kind of a cool pink. And then I also like one called Stockholm, which is a baby pink. So it's kind of that brighter pink rate. These are good things to travel with, good things to put in your bag. Really nice product and clean. Most of the products I've actually mentioned, I think, so far, are all clean. Says clean. Skin fixes clean. Kosis is clean, so I guess most of the stuff is clean, which is great. Back to say, I also like the do blush blendable liquid blush. I have it in Chile, and I've had that color for a really long time. It's really beautiful. I also bought during the sale a baby pink color, which is kind of like a bright pink, pretty for spring. Those are kind of like, you can't mess them up. Throw it on buildable. You can wear it during the day, you can build it up at night. Really good blush. Really, really easy to work with. And I love that one. So that's a liquid blush. Again, the flush bomb is it's a cream blush. Another one, which is also a liquid blush that I do want to recommend is the nars afterglow liquid blush. And again, this is like in the color orgasm, which looks good on everyone. And it's really nice for the cheeks. And I actually put this on my lips, too. So just another color, not that I would buy all three, but if you're thinking about different ones, the say one's great, the merit one's great, the nars one is great. And the last one, I'll say is one that I've recommended in a previous product. Junkies a little bit more high end westminutelier. And that one in the color pop, it is a really bright pink and really pretty and just gives a pop to the face and to the cheeks. There's also a few other blushes that Westminutelier have that are really pretty colors. I don't remember the names of them now, but that whole line is just gorgeous. Again, that's a cream. It's kind of in a stick, last forever. Really, really nice. Okay, next we've got. And, yes, I made a PowerPoint of all the products that I like, because that's the way that I organized myself. So if you hear me clicking my mouse, yes, that is what I did. Okay, bronzer. So this category is kind of like bronzer. Bronzer drops, highlighter. They're sort of all in the same category. So for bronzer, we have rare beauty. The bronzing stick, I use it every single day. It's so good. It's actually called. Let's see exactly what it's called. It's the warm wishes, effortless bronzer sticks. There's a million different colors. The one that I like is called happy soul. It's like a light brown with cool undertones, but all their colors are really, really nice. Again, this is, like, pretty foolproof. You throw it on, you could use it for contour. You could use it for bronze. I use it for bronze. I love it. I use it daily. I travel with it. It's kind of a one stop. The other one by rare beauty that I really like is the positive light liquid luminizer highlight in deep bronze. So I have this as a highlighter, but in deep bronze, you can use it as a bronzer. But the cool thing about this, and this is an Erica Taylor special, is that you put this on, it's almost like a highlighter, but also a bronzer at the same time. And it almost looks like a blush. So you could literally just use this. And it kind of counts for all three, I can't expect, but it's just this really beautiful formula, and it does, it makes you look bronze. It also gives you a little bit of color, and it gives you a highlight. So that's kind of a good one stop shop. And that's a fun one. So those two bronzers I like, I will also talk about the hourglass ambient lighting palettes. The one I have is the snake one. I got that, I think, during the holiday sale. And it's a great palette. There's six different shades. And again, it's. It's blushes. It's highlight. It's bronzer. And that's another good thing that you could travel with or just really have this, because the hourglass formula is so pretty, and it, it's a powder, but it's almost like a highlight. And it really makes the face kind of glowy and dewy. So if you're just kind of looking for something that's kind of an all in one, I would highly recommend these palettes. They're really, really pretty, and I don't know. No, no. They just make me happy. I just love looking at the outside packaging. It's so pretty. But, no, I use this one a lot, and I use it a lot of times over, kind of at the end, after. After I do bronzer and blush, I kind of just use that to finish off the face. So the, that palette is really beautiful. Other tried and true highlighter is the rare beauty highlighters, and they are called positive light, silky touch highlighter. I have it in two colors. I have it in champagne, which is really pretty to put, like, on the eyes or on the cheeks. And I also love rose bronze. I think that's called. What is it? Mesmerize. You could use it as an eyeshadow, but you could also use it as a highlighter. So those two are great. Just different options depending on what you like. Okay. And now we'll move on to the bronzer drops. So I use the drunk elephant, a Bronze age bronzing jobs. Every single day. I mix it in with my moisturizer, and it makes my face have color, and I love them. However, sometimes I switch it up because I get sick of that. And I have two other ones that I really, really like too. One of them is the Westminutelier liquid, super loaded all over illuminator drops with vitamin C. The color that I have is called pew de soleil, and it's really, really pretty bronze. I will use this more at night because it's definitely has a little bit more color. It's a little bit thicker. It just has a thicker consistency. It's a little bit more dewy, and it looks really, really nice with makeup. So I'll use that one at night more, and the drunk elephant ones during the day. And then a new one that I just learned about and I bought a couple months ago. I haven't reviewed it yet. The brand, iconic London, and it's the instant sunshine bronzing drops. And those are kind of a good substitute for the drunk elephant. If you don't like those, it's. It's actually a little bit more golden bronzy than the drunk elephant ones, but all three of these are great. So I would use the iconic London or drunk elephant for the day, and I'd use the Westman at night. Again, they're all interchangeable. And just some other options for bronzer drops. Next, eyes. Okay, I have two mascaras that I'm going to talk about. One is the Ilia fullest volumizing mascara in black. I've talked about this one a lot. I love it. To me, it is the best mascara. It's thick, it makes your eyes. I really like volume, so it really makes my eyelashes look thick and voluminous. And I love this mascara so much. The other one, that's a newcomer that I've been liking over the last few months is the lash clash by East Saint Laurent. Similar to the ilia one. A little bit different. I have the brown color, and it's like a rich brown color. So what I'll do is I'll put on the black, and then instead of doing two black layers, I'll do a black and a brown, which I think is really pretty, especially for during the day. So again, the YSL one's really good. They have it in brown, they have it in black, and I think they might have it in a blue or red or another fun color, but I have it in the brown. So those are my two favorite mascaras. Okay. And moving on to eyebrows, the two face fluff and hold laminating brow box. It's amazing. I've repurchased this many times. One side is a clear gel that goes on really nicely and has a really firm hold. And then the other side is a brush. It's two different kind of brushes on each side, and one kind of, like, has that laminate look, and the other one just kind of, like, brushes them out and makes them look a little fluffier. So that is like an awesome, awesome brow wax. Next, concealer. So I've tried so many concealers. You know, I'm always on the hunt for a concealer. And honestly, my favorite one is the lawless conceal. The deal, lightweight concealer. The color that I have a shell, they have a lot of different colors, but I really like this concealer because it does feel like skincare. It doesn't feel like a thick concealer. It's very thin. It's very hydrating. It feels really good on the skin. On me, it does not crack. It's just, I find this lawless consistency the best for me. I know a lot of people like the kosas one and all these other ones, none of those work for me. This lawless conceal the deal, I'm telling you. Try it. It is so, so nice and really hydrating. Okay. And lastly on the eyes, the noni glow radiant eye oil by quora organic. So this is the one that Erica Taylor recommended. I've had it for probably over a year. I've had the same bottle. It's small, it's only like 10 ML, but it lasts forever. It's on a roller, so you could roll it underneath your eyes or just put it on your hands and kind of pat it on your eyes. This is so good to use at the end of the day. Like, if you're going out and you don't want to redo your makeup, you kind of put this on under your eyes and it refreshes that area. And then you put on concealer again or just really evens out that area and makes it really soft and supple and moisturized. I also sometimes put it on at night before I go to bed just to kind of moisturize that area because it's always dry. I can't recommend it enough. The noni glow radiant eye oil. Just get it. Do yourself a favor. You'll be really happy. It is so good. Okay, next. We're almost there. Lip. Okay, two things. First of all, the lineage lip sleeping mask and the lineage lip glowy balm. These have replaced my aquaphor. I used to use aquaphor forever, and I know it's not great for you. So the lineage lip sleeping mask, such good hydration. I use it every single night. I like the original flavor. I have the cotton candy flavor. I love it. And also the lip glow bomb I use all throughout the day. I have all different flavors. I have mango, I have peach, grapefruit, all of them. And again, I have these in like different purses and like different work bags and whatnot. But those two things are kind of definitely tried and true. I know they're all over the place and it's not original, but I have to say, if you haven't tried any of the laneige lip products, you should. Okay, moving along. Okay, so I love this Tom Ford lip combination again. Holy grail. It's a lipstick and a lip gloss. The lipstick, the one that I have is called nude, but I don't see that one anymore. But they have something that's called spanish pink, which looks exactly like my other one. So I'm assuming that was the one that replaced it. So I use that and I use this Tom Ford gloss luxe lip gloss in the color, in the buff, which is like a nude with like a pearl. And this nude combination is so pretty. Every time I wear it, I get compliments. It's my go to. Like, I always buy new stuff, but this is the one I always go back to, and I always have, like, for travel in my bag, et cetera. And the Tom Ford lipsticks and lip glosses are not cheap. So, like, again, good time to buy it. Highly recommend. And then the latest lipstick that I've been loving is the Patrick ta. Major volume plumping lip gloss. Gloss. So I got the color called say less. It's like a, like a baby pink. It's so pretty, it's hydrating, and it doesn't hurt your lips, like a lot of the other plumping lip glosses do. Like, you can feel a little bit, but it doesn't, it's not painful, and it's very moisturizing. And that's a new one. So sometimes I'll just put on that, the Tom Ford lipstick and put the plumping lip gloss over it, or I'll just wear the lip gloss by itself. But I highly recommend that. That just came out recently. I probably bought it a month or so ago, and I'm really enjoying that. And then another one, again, not original, but the summer Friday's lip butter bomb. It kind of goes along with the lineage. They're just excellent bombs. I just wear them every day on and off. They are different than the lineage because laneige is more just like a bomb. It doesn't really have color. It's just kind of like a gloss, but it's clear and it smells good and it's moisturizing. But the summer Fridays have a little bit of color. So I have the pink sugar and the brown sugar. They smell so good. They have a little bit of color, and they're great. Just a good one to have on hand and a good one to buy during the sale. Okay. And lastly, we have hair. So how could I do this without talking about hair? I just have a few products for hair. So one is the color. Wow. Dream coat super natural spray anti frizz treatment. This is something you use after you shampoo and condition your hair. Use it on wet hair, and it's a really good treatment to use before you blow out your hair. So it protects your hair from the heat. It's anti frizz. It makes your hair really shiny and soft. It's beautiful. I definitely noticed a difference when I use this and when I don't use this. So on days that I wash my hair and blow it out, I'll always use the color. Well, dream coat, highly recommend it. I had the little sample and then I bought the big one. And I'm almost finished with the big one, so I probably should stock up on this one. I also love the Kerastase nutritive eight hour magic night serum hydrating treatment for dry hair. So this is a treatment. It's like a hair serum. You just put it on every night. And again, it just keeps your hair moisturized, it keeps your hair shiny. It just keeps it healthy. And I also had, there's a version of this for highlighted hair. It's like a purple bottle, which I've also tried. I don't like the smell as much on that one and I don't, I didn't find that one as effective as just the eight hour magic night serum. So I went back to the magic night serum. So again, tried and true. I feel like that product along with the color, well, product, both of those, you can't go wrong. And lastly, again, if you want to splurge, so is a good time to look at the Dyson. So the airwrap or the air straight, either of those are really amazing tools. I have them both. The air rep I've had for years. I mean, it just does wonders, gives you that blowout, wavy, curly, however you want to do your hair look. It's such a great tool. And if you were thinking about buying, it might be a good time to buy it now. And the straightener I got more recently and I like that too, as a substitute for just a classic flat iron because this is healthier for your hair. It's hot air instead of those hot plates. So I find that when I use use this, my hair doesn't feel like burnt or like crispy. It just feels nicer. So when I want to kind of straighten my hair and not have any curling it, I use the air straight straightener. But if I had to choose one, I'd probably say get the air wrap if you haven't tried that, if you want to buy something in the sale. So that is the end of my solo episode. Thank you for listening. Hope it was helpful. And I'll be posting all these products on Instagram and on our show notes and blogs so you can always reference them there. And hope this was helpful. Happy shopping or not shopping. Bye.

: Listening to Nirvana Sisters for more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram arvanasisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know some wood that would please share it and tag us.

: Tune in next week for a fresh.

: New episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

S

Episode 150 - Amy’s & Katie’s Mastered Morning Skincare Routines (Full Transcript)

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters Podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Hi, welcome back to Nirvana Sisters. It's Amy and Katie, or at this point we may be calling our podcast Wellness Junkies, which is our new name, or we think it's going to be our new name. So either works. But Katie and I were talking this week because her skin has been skinning and mine has too. And so we just thought we wanted to share our AM and PM routines really quickly for a quickie episode. So I'm going to kick it off to Katie because she was saying she has perfected her AM routine and I would like to hear it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think I have finally gotten it down and I have had like really wax skin off and on for a few years. I don't before I don't know when we met Natasha Brinkman it was sometime last year. Yeah, yeah. When I started listening to her content I learned that I was doing something very very wrong with my routine at the time and I was constantly dealing with breakouts and then super sensitive skin with like patchy dry flakes and what I realized I was doing is I was using an exfoliant every single day when I'm not supposed to. Yes. I was also using a strong retinol that's too strong for my skin. I wasn't using sunscreen. So there you go. It took me months of like simplifying my routine. Right. Pairing it back. Yep. Getting it like all repaired, getting my skin barrier repaired. And I did that by using literally like one, maybe two products. I used La Roche-Posay Tolerane Double Repair Face Moisturizer because it's really, really good for sensitive skin and it is very hydrating. Okay. And then I would occasionally use like a Matrixel or an Argiline as well, but that was like, I wasn't using any actives for a really long time. Okay. And I'm still using very few actives. So my, not only is my skincare routine like locked in, but it's simple and it's affordable. So. Okay. First thing I do, of course, is wash my face and I use a La Roche cleanser for that one. We'll link everything in the show notes. We will, yep. And then I have my Caudalie Vinopure toner that I just like dab on my face. Okay, so that's the first thing after you wash. Yep, very first thing because I've read that it's good to have like a little bit of moisture on your face for when you're starting to apply your steps depending on like you can't do that with retinol. So it's the morning, I'm not using retinol. So my next step is my vitamin C. And I was on the hunt for a really good vitamin C with ferulic acid for a long time that was affordable because SkinCeuticals is amazing. It has so many great views. We know so many people who love it. Right, but it's like $150. It's so expensive. I don't have it in me to do it. So I tried Skendeva, who I think we got from Natasha. Natasha B recommended, yep. And it's great. It really like it tightens my skin and it gives me this very glowy finish. And it's also for sure helped with like pigmentation and evening out my skin tone. This has been clutch. And I only introduced this like maybe two months ago. OK. All right. So there's that. And then. So it is cleanse.

SPEAKER_01:

It is toner. It is vitamin C. Vitamin C.

SPEAKER_00:

Then I use my moisturizer and right now I'm bouncing between two. I've got the La Roche-Posay Tolerane Double Repair. I'm still like, this is always going to be, it's very good. It's very hydrating. Does it have SPF in it? It does not. Okay. So I'll get there. Got it. And then occasionally I'm like a little too, like a little more dry probably from my retinol use or just not being hydrated. So I've gotten into Laneige Water Bank. Oh, I've seen that. It is incredibly moisturizing, and it's really good on sensitive skin. Because I do, I for sure have sensitive skin. When you say that, is that on a pot? Well, I just have a sample. Oh, a sample. Okay. I've been working with samples. I haven't. That's smart. I have not tested this for like longer than a month. And also I'm not using it every day, but I'm using it a couple of times a week. and my skin is tolerating it as well as it tolerates the La Roche. Okay. It's just a little bit more hydrating.

SPEAKER_01:

So it just kind of depends like winter, summer or like how your skin's feeling.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly. And then I finish with my La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Mineral 50 SPF, and I do it with a mix of my C'est Glowy Drops. And this I love because it just instantly evens out any skin tone. It'll hide little blemishes if I have them. It even hides circles under my eyes. And then the Glowy C'est Drops, it's like Yeah, so good. You are glowy.

SPEAKER_01:

And is that sunscreen? That's a tinted moisturizer, too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's a tinted moisturizer. So you don't even have to... That's great. Exactly. So the nice thing is that between my moisturizers, I use very little bit of each, so they both last me a long time. Yeah. And then I, so then a couple of days a week, I cycle in my exfoliant and I use Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid exfoliant with the salicylic acid. I'm really like this one, my favorite is Dr. Dennis Gross, the pads, but again, they're like $100 for a month.

SPEAKER_01:

And you do that in the morning or at night? I do that in the morning, actually. Interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I guess that makes sense. And it gives really, really, really glowy, fresh skin.

SPEAKER_01:

It's amazing. You can tell when you've exfoliated.

SPEAKER_00:

I love it. I don't think my camera has a filter on it right now. My skin is doing really, really well. I do have makeup on. It's been, you know, it's made it through the battle.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, I've noticed it. What about you? What do you do? So I do different things too. Now it depends if I'm rushing or if I'm not rushing. Okay. So If I'm just doing a quick and dirty, I wake up, I put micellar water on or splash my face with water, usually just some micellar water, like rinse off, whatever. Then I do, again, depending on the day, I have the, you know, Wise Beauty, Your Favorite Ex exfoliating pads that I've talked about on the show before. So those, actually you can use them every day. I don't use them every day. I probably use them maybe like five days out of the week, maybe four, just depends. But if I'm rushing, I may or may not use those. And then after that, I'm talking about I'm rushing, I'm doing the vitamin C from Wise Beauty. So I used to use a vitamin C for like you, but the vitamin C from Wise Beauty also has, it's like vitamin C, niacinamide, maybe squalene, like a few things. So it's like an all-in-one. So that's kind of like, I could just do that and be fine. So I actually mix that with the Say Super Dewy Glowy. So I had that. I like forgot about it. I hadn't used it in so long. And then you recently mentioned it again. I was like, oh yeah, I'm going to bust that out again. And I had heard Molly Sims talk about that on her podcast that she mixes that with her vitamin C. And I was like, I'm going to try that. It's so good. So I mix the vitamin C with the Say Super Dewy Glow, whatever that's called. And then if I'm rushing, I just put on a moisturizer sunscreen. It's actually a sunscreen, but it feels like a moisturizer. The beauty of Jose and one, you know, the Korean skincare because it's thin and it doesn't feel like sunscreen at all. And I do that sunscreen and I mix it with the. The drunk elephant bronzy drops done, OK? Yeah. So that's like when I'm rushing, like that's what I did today. On a day where I'm not rushing, I will definitely do the exfoliating pad, which takes two seconds. Then I do the vitamin C. Then I do a Giroline, which is always great because that like helps your like wrinkles not move. It's almost like Natasha B. calls it like Botox in a bottle. It really does like help your face be a little bit more rested looking. Then I do the Skin Fix Barrier Triple Liquid Oh yeah. SkinFix Barrier Triple Liquid Collagen and Niacinamide Activating Serum. So this I use, I actually use it morning and night, but again, it just depends on the morning and night, but I do that. And then I do the moisturizer and the bronzing drops. I also sometimes will use that Aveeno Calming Serum, depending on how my skin is, if it's winter. And then if it's winter, and I'm really feeling dry, I'll put on the... I actually just got this. I haven't fully reviewed it yet. I'm still testing it, but I like it so far. The Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream Plumping and Hydrating Moisturizer. I'll do that in the morning because it's really hydrating, and then I'll put the sunscreen and the whatever. But the sunscreen, the Beauty of Jose, and I've been using it all winter, and it's been fine. And I think it's because I put so many other serums on that it feels hydrated. Yeah. So that's been my routine, which has been working really well.

SPEAKER_00:

And you don't use a tinted. It's not tinted sunscreen. The beauty of dressing.

SPEAKER_01:

That's why you know, I'll do a tinted sun. I'll do a tinted like I'll use the say skin tint, which is my favorite. I'll use that afterwards. So that's just like an extra because it's a it's a. I wouldn't use the Say Skin Tint as like my moisturizer because it's more of like a... It's more like a concealer, kind of. Yeah, it's like a tinted... They call it a tinted moisturizer, but it is a little thick for that. It feels to me like makeup, even though it's not really makeup. I mean, it's so sheer. So I guess you could do that in the summer, but my skin's so dry that I couldn't use that just as moisturizer. So I will do all that, my skin set, and then I'll use the Say um skin tint or slip tint i think that's what it calls just for like a tinted moisturizer and that has spf 40 i think in it so it's just an extra layer which is good and do you have an eye cream yes I have a few, again, depending on the day. The main thing I use is, and I believe I reviewed it on the show, but again, all these links will be in the show notes because we're like coming to you with so many products. And by the way, we have an Amazon store, which I don't remember if we've talked about, but all of this will be, if it's on Amazon, in the store. I have that stick. It's... The roller? The roller stick. I can't remember the name of it, but I reviewed it. And it has, it's just like a caffeine gel. Yeah, that's what I use most mornings. At night, I sometimes use that peptide cream that is a topology, but I rarely use that in the morning unless my eyes feel very dry. When I use that gel, that's all I seem to need with then just like a color corrector or, you know, color corrector concealer. Yeah. And then I also kind of put those serums and stuff under my eyes. Oh, and then once a week, I do do a heavier exfoliator, like a gritty one. I know they say the gritty ones aren't good, but I have one from Shelly Marshall, like a seaweed gritty exfoliator. You know what it's called? Like something goddess. And it's so good. And I use that in the shower, like maybe once a week. And that's the kind of exfoliator when I use it, my skin is so bright and glowy, but you can't use it all the time. I feel like the Molly Sims one, it's very, very gentle, which is why you can use it every day. And it does give your skin like it exfoliates and it makes your skin look good. But again, that's like gentle and every day. But the one from Shelly, it's not actually harsh at all, but I don't think I would use it every day just because it's like that gritty, whatever. But when I use that, my skin's like, bam, or sometimes I use it at night before I go out and my skin's like, glowing.

SPEAKER_00:

Glowing. Yeah, I mean everybody's skin is different and so that's why it's super important if you're listening and you want to try some of these products that you like slowly introduce things into your skincare routine because like you can exfoliate with Molly Simms product every day and you say it's super gentle maybe it is super gentle but I might not be able to use it every day. Exactly. It's all trial and error. It's all trial and error, without a shadow of a doubt. So I highly recommend, like, if you want to mix up your routine, add something in and just do that for a month. And then, like, add in the next thing and see how it goes.

SPEAKER_01:

And usually less is more. That's what, from all the people we've interviewed, like, that's what everybody says, right? And it also really depends on how you're feeling and how your skin is feeling, because it's not the same every day. And I also think it's good, too, to switch products around and not use the same thing all the time. You know, like after a couple months, like you, like your moisturizer, just change it up after a couple months.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You try and try new things and you do it slowly. You see how your skin reacts. Sometimes it's, I mean, what's working for us might not work for you, but it's really if you, if you pay attention to how your skin feels and looks after introducing one product at a time, then you can make an educated decision if it's working for you. I mean, I would like, sometimes I think like, should I add in an Argiline and Matrixel or something? But right now it's so simple. And like every product I use is under $40. It's just nice. It's like very streamlined. It's working.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't need it. And I also find too, like in the morning, I I do less than I do at night. I feel like the night is when you can put on like the serums and the thicker things because they settle in while you sleep.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so funny. I do so much less at night. But I but I have like like one killer product that I feel like does all the work. So we'll have to talk about that next time.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that's going to come in the p.m. episode. So this was just a quickie hopping on to say hello to you guys. And we'll do a p.m. routine in the next one. See you next time. Thanks, guys. Bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe, and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 149 - Thriving Through Perimenopause: A Deep Dive With Karen Martel Part 2 (Full Transcript)

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome back to part two with Karen Martell. Listen as she breaks down bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, the various types and much more. Here we go, part two with Karen.

SPEAKER_00:

First of all, educate yourself because there's so much misinformation. If you go to your doctor, as we were saying, they're not gonna be much help. A lot of them are still going by old research that has now been completely changed, but yet the doctors aren't talking about it. So that's the WHI study, Women's Health Initiative. They once thought that estrogen was causing breast cancer rates to go up. And so they told all the women, get off estrogen, it's killing you, basically sent it out to the world. And that's how we saw this massive drop in women using hormone replacement therapy. I still hear people say that. All day long, every day. It amazes me. I can't even believe how many, I would say like maybe 70% of the world still has old belief systems about HRT, because it's just, I always think, oh, I'm doing a great job really getting the word out there, but then every day we'll run across some woman that's like, oh my God, I'm having a heart flash, I'm just dying here, my menopause, and I'll be like, well, have you started HRT yet? Oh no, I don't wanna do that, I was told that that could give me cancer, and it's like, I still have so much more to do here in this world. But educate yourself so that you feel comfortable taking it. Because what the study actually showed, and this now has been published several times, is that women that were in the arm of the study that took the horse's estrogen, because that's what they were using back then, and a fake progesterone called progestin, which is in a lot of birth control pills, just FYI, that arm of the study did have an increase in breast cancer. An extra one person out of every 1,000. Low, but it was there. There was an arm of the study where the women had had a hysterectomy. They would put them only on the horse's estrogen without the progestin. That arm of the study had a decrease by 24% in developing breast cancer. So it actually horses estrogen, which is, we don't even use that anymore, actually lowered a woman's risk of getting breast cancer. So really let that sink in because everybody thinks estrogen HRT is going to give them breast cancer. Now the thing is there is some truth to breast cancer being tied in with estrogen because we can have estrogen receptors on the estrogen positive breast cancer. And so estrogen being proliferative, making things grow, it can obviously then make it grow. Same with progesterone. We can have progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. So if you have that, no, you shouldn't take HRT. You're not a good candidate for it. But just generally speaking, women had a lowered risk by 24%. They also had a 45% lowered death rate if they did end up getting breast cancer. So that means that the women that were taking the horse's estrogen, if they did end up getting breast cancer and they was on that estrogen, they had a 45% decrease from mortality from that breast cancer. that tells us that that really helps. And same with, there's a lot of studies that show that when there's progesterone involved and progesterone is that antipod, it stops that growth. It's very breast protective. So as long as we're using these two hormones together, even testosterone is very breast protective. So it's using them all together because they work. There's a reason for that. Our body doesn't do anything by mistake. We have all of these things put in together. They work synergistically together. So educating yourself so you feel comfortable making that decision, I think is really important because some women are really frightened. A lot of women will say, well, this is natural. We're supposed to go through menopause. I say, well, it's not natural for us to be living this long. We typically died between the ages of 45 and 50. And now we're living longer than we've ever lived before. And we want to live a healthy, vibrant life. And no matter what, we're going to age. So I always say to women, OK, so when you're 60 and now you've got type 2 diabetes or you've got osteoporosis or you've got the onset of dementia, Are you going to refuse all medications to help you with these things? Because this is natural. That's a natural part of it. It's because you're aging that you have developed these diseases. Let's say it is from the drop of those hormones, which I know there's many factors that go into each of those things, but let's just say it's from the hormones have a massive impact on it. Like women will get osteoporosis 99% of the time if they don't replace estrogen. So we can just safely say that hormones have massive impact on these diseases. Are you going to refuse to get help then because this is a natural part of aging? No, of course not. So what's the alternative? Bioidentical, which means body identical, the same makeup as your own hormones, you can now get and you can take to ward off and help ward off all of the major killers of women. With heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and dementia, and even cancer, women that replaced their hormones had a 33% reduction in all-cause mortality. 31% reduction in all cancers. So we know that women are actually better off health-wise to replace their hormones than not replace their hormones. And so when to do this, this is always the big question because a lot of doctors will say, we're not giving you estrogen until you're in menopause. when people like herself and myself, I started using it at 42 as well because I was suffering and I didn't want to suffer anymore. And so putting them in earlier can be very helpful. Now there are things that you can do when you're in your late 30s or mid 30s, early 40s to help support the hormonal system and kind of squeeze out that last bit of hormones out of the ovaries. Things like Vitex is great for progesterone production, things like black cohosh, sage, Quay, Shatavari. These are all herbals that really nourish the ovarian system. I used those products for years to help me with my hot flashes and my transitioning over into perimenopause and menopause to help with my symptoms. It was great. They worked amazing. but then there got to be a point in time where it's like the ovaries just shut down. There's no amount of supplementation. There's no clean diet. There's no exercise program. There's nothing that you can do to bring back ovarian function. It's going to happen to each and every one of you where those ovaries are going to go, bye-bye, we're not here anymore, and you can't revive them, and none of this stuff will help you to produce a bunch more hormones again. There's things like you can support the adrenal system, and you'll hear a lot of functional practitioners say that, like, oh, just support the adrenals, and then your adrenals will make those hormones for you. I'm sorry, but I've done about a thousand different adrenal tests now on women and menopause and perimenopause, and I'll tell you right now, they could have perfectly normal cortisol levels and adrenal systems and have zero estrogen, zero progesterone, and zero testosterone. it, I never ever seen it produce enough to get the health benefits of those hormones. So yes, we want to do all of these things you want, you have to eat a clean diet, you've got to prioritize protein, we have to exercise, you gotta lift weights, doing some intermittent fasting, all of these things should be part of your holistic perimenopause and menopause care because you will go through menopause much easier if you have those things in place. But know that you can have all of those things in place and still suffer just as much as the woman who's eating McDonald's every day. So it doesn't distinguish between the two. It can help for sure, but there's still many women like myself. I was like super, super healthy. I hadn't drank in for 10 years, eating a paleo-based diet for 10 years, no like addictions to sugar, nothing. I exercise, I was doing everything right. I suffered, I almost gained 20 pounds when I hit perimenopause. I was depressed, my skin went horrible, like everything. I reversed it all. but it was not fun. And I see women like this all the time. And they beat themselves up because it's like, they just keep thinking, Oh, I've got to fast for, I got to do this body hack more. I get old, just start doing cold plunging. I'm going to go carnivore. I'm going to go keto. I'm going to take these supplements. I'm going to take these peptides. And it's like, sorry, but only hormones can do what hormones do.

SPEAKER_01:

I have to tell you that you just explained to me in a nutshell because that was exactly who I was for the last 10 years. I tried every single thing I could get my hands on, right, Amy? I mean, it's part of the reason why we started this podcast because we were just like the junkies of taking in all of the wellness and all the hacks and all the things. We're like, oh, we're getting weight, let's do keto. Yeah, let's try every little thing. Yeah. One meal a day. Yeah. Let's try every supplement. Yeah. And then, you know, started hormones and it's like, oh, tada.

SPEAKER_02:

Can you explain, just to break down, because I didn't understand this when I first started looking into hormones, like the difference between the bioidentical and the synthetic and just positive or like pros and cons of each and all of that.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, what's interesting is even though we use the horses, so it was pregnant horses urine. It actually started with pregnant women's urine, but that was too unstable and it wasn't cost effective. So then they switched over to horses, which is nothing like our own. but it quickly became the most prescribed medication in North America. So you can imagine how many people were on it. And there was a lot of, there's a lot more studies on that type of HRT than there is bioidentical. And even that shows that women are better off to take estrogen from a horse than no estrogen at all.

SPEAKER_02:

But that's still prescribed just to be clear, right? That's like when they prescribe synthetic. Not very often.

SPEAKER_00:

I wouldn't even call it synthetic. I would call it that. It is a form of hormonal replacement therapy. It's derived from a horse. And the progestin, that is a synthetic, chemically made. And that's what's in birth control pills, as I said before. So a lot of people will assume that what's in birth control pills are hormones. They're not. And even doctors will say that, like, oh, the hormone's in there, blah, blah, blah. They're not hormones. These are chemicals and they're actually classified as endocrine disruptors, which means hormone disruptors. So they disrupt your own hormonal system. and they will do things like shrink parts of your brain. Every woman that's on birth control pills will have leaky gut from it, so that's an unstable gut microbiome where the junctions can start breaking free. I think everybody knows what leaky gut is nowadays. It will shut down your own production or lower your own production of hormones, very much so the testosterone. Testosterone really plummets with women that take birth control pills. So these are, that's the synthetic version of these hormones. And so some, there are some practitioners that will prescribe progestin and they'll prescribe a birth control pill that has you know, the same estrogen that's in birth control pills, which is a chemically made estrogen, in order to help women in menopause, or at least they think they're helping them, to get rid of symptoms. So they'll give them a birth control pill with these synthetic endocrine disruptors instead of bioidentical. So bioidentical hormones are made from soy and yams. They extract a chemical out of them that is bio-identical. So it's still made in a lab, but it's coming from Mother Nature. And they can get the exact chemical structure of your hormones from these plants. So your body does not know the difference between your progesterone or the progesterone that you're rubbing on your skin, for instance, or taking orally. So we've got HRT, which came from Premarin, and that was combined with fake progestin. Or we can do bioidentical, which comes from plants and acts the same makeup as your body. And then we've got birth control pills, which are chemicals that can disrupt your own hormonal system.

SPEAKER_01:

I have a question. I use the estradiol patch that is prescribed to me. Is that primarine?

SPEAKER_00:

No, that's 17-beta-estradiol. So anything that's got 17-beta-estradiol in it is bioidentical estradiol.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Yeah. So I use that and I get it through my OB-GYN and then I get a topical progesterone from an integrative doctor because it can be hard to get your hands on. And do you find that even if you do have an OB-GYN that will give you the patch, they can't give you bioidentical progesterone necessarily, right? Like it's not a prescription like the patches.

SPEAKER_00:

There is, but only in oral form. There is no progesterone cream that a pharmaceutical company is making. You can't patent that, so they don't make it.

SPEAKER_01:

And is there one reason why one would do the progesterone oral versus the cream? I love the cream. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

I do a progesterone pill, but I do an estrogen and testosterone cream, but that's just what they gave me. That's what I was saying. It's hard to know, do you do pill, do you do cream?

SPEAKER_00:

Typically, what's given is a bioidentical progesterone pill called Prometrium. So it's brand name, pharmaceutical company makes it, and so it's patented, right? So that's why they do it in oral form. Now, orally is not how your body naturally would produce it, like how we process it in our own body. That's not the case. When we take it orally, we have to take it in a much higher dose than we would transdermally because it has to go through the first hepatic pass of the liver and through your digestive system. So by the time it gets to progesterone to your body, we're only left with about 20%. So typically it's given in 100 to 200 milligram dose, and you're gonna get that 20 to 40 milligrams out of that oral. the rest is going to be turned into progesterone metabolites. And so it can almost be thought of as two separate drugs because the progesterone metabolites can be absolutely incredible for women because it's the metabolites that really act on the GABA receptors in their brain, and that's for calming. And so women will use oral progesterone to help with sleep and anxiety, and they love, love, love, love, love it. And a lot of doctors will say topical progesterone doesn't work, which is completely untrue. One, because they're going to say that because no pharmaceutical company can make a progesterone cream. Number two, it doesn't show up in blood work. It's really funny how the hormones work. Testosterone in blood work overshows. Estrogen shows pretty accurately. Oral progesterone will show up in blood work, but topical will not unless it's in really high doses. If you were to take that same person though and test through saliva, which is a great way to test, and it actually is only going to test free levels of hormones, your progesterone overshows on saliva. And so we get this like, well, what should we do? Even if you did like just a blood spot test, progesterone has a better chance of showing up on that. And we know because there's been thousands and tens of thousands of women who have used progesterone cream very successfully for decades. And we're not all running around with breast cancer and uterine cancer. So we know that it works. I've always, always taken progesterone cream because I prefer it. The oral progesterone, unfortunately, a lot of women react negatively to those metabolites, to the high amounts of those metabolites. So they can get super tired from it because it's too depressive. Some women can get angry from it, super, super depressed and weepy. I've had this happen to me several times myself where I've taken too much oral and ended up in a really bad state where I couldn't stop crying. And I have a lot of my clients, more and more so are saying that they get the same reaction from oral progesterone where they're like, I can't take it. And my doctor told me just to keep taking it and that I was going to get used to it or take a higher dose. and I'm ready to go jump off a cliff. Like this woman told me the other day, she literally almost committed suicide from it. Oh my gosh. Because that's how depressed she got. And it's like, okay, well, this is the progesterone cream. It does convert down to metabolites, but nowhere near as much as that oral does. Interesting. Maybe I should try the cream. Most women that have that sensitivity to oral, they can do fine with progesterone cream or suppository progesterone for some.

SPEAKER_01:

Did I did I hear you talk about this on your podcast once about that relationship to PMDD? Is that what?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Okay. That that will and we'll link to that episode in this in our show notes for anyone that that, you know, raises your antennas hearing all of this. But yeah, we should. Yeah, it's really interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

It is super interesting. There's a woman, Terry Eisenhower, who wrote this paper about it and did the research about it. There hasn't been much more past that. You can find her on the PMDD websites and stuff like that. Neurosteroid sensitivity is what she calls it. Some women's PMDDs can be caused by progesterone, their own progesterone from this happening. So those women, if they start to take oral progesterone, oh my gosh, it's a mess. Even topical, they can have a really, really hard time with it. And it's not that they have too much or too little, it's a sensitivity in the brain to that progesterone and those metabolites. It can also be called GABA sensitivity, GABA receptor sensitivity.

SPEAKER_02:

I have a question on the estrogen and testosterone. Are those for bioidentical only in cream form or do those come in oral too?

SPEAKER_00:

So estrogen can come in or there is bio-identical estrogen, but with estrogen, as soon as you take it orally, because of it going through that first hepatic pass of the liver, majority of it is gonna be converted to a different estrogen called estrone. Estrone is more inflammatory and more weight producing. So it's gonna cause you to gain weight and inflammation and has more risk for breast cancer. because of that. Because the estrone we make in our fat tissues, estradiol can convert to estrone. We need some estrone. It's really good for bones. It's very, very proliferative, the most out of all three of them. So we don't want to take it orally because of that. As well, when you take estrogen orally, it raises sex hormone binding globulin, that very important protein that we don't want too much of because then we can't use our hormones. As well, it raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. And we saw in the WHI that women that were on oral estrogen past 10 years post-menopause at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. We do not see that with transdermal estrogen. So, if you're taking estrogen through the skin, there is no increased risk of heart attack and stroke, but yet there's still so many doctors prescribing bioidentical estrogen.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's I think what my OBGYN wanted to give me like a year or so ago. And I was like, I don't want to take this pill. Like she didn't even tell me anything about it. I would just take this. And I was like, no, I'm not taking that. I want to take like just because I knew that there were these creams and yada yada. So and then testosterone, same thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Testosterone, when you take it orally, will raise SHBG. And it's not, once again, not a great way to take it. We don't want to take it orally and because we have the option not to, then please don't. Same with the estrogen. Always lean on the side of caution. We want to take these hormones as naturally as we can to mimic what our own bodies do. So testosterone is best through injection or through cream. Estrogen is going to be best through patch, gel, cream, suppository. And you can take estrogen through injection. And some women we have had to do it. It's not our preferred way, but some women, their skin has a very hard time absorbing things. And so we do injectable and they love it. It works great. It's just, you have to take another shot, which is why we don't go there first. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I think that right there was really helpful because I know when I first started researching it, and I feel like we're all still learning, that whole piece of like pill versus cream, like it's very confusing. And thank you for breaking that down. I think that was really, I mean, this whole thing has been helpful, but that was really helpful because I think- Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And everybody's different. Right. And that's also really important to hear is you'll find practitioners that will be, they've learned one way, like pellets, you know? This is what we do. We do pellets. We're going to give you this pellet in your butt that's going to be in there for three months, and it's going to release testosterone and estrogen. We'll give you a progesterone pill, and this is what we do. run away from people like that. You want somebody that's going to work with you and see what's going to work best for you and your body. Because like I said, some people's skin doesn't take in patches. I've had women feel like their patch just literally falls off their skin and they're like, this isn't working. Well, I got to do injectable. Some women can't do the oral progesterone, so they got to do transdermal or they got to do suppository. It varies widely. I mean, I prefer the patch with gel to top it up or a cream to top it up because I go through my estrogen really fast with my fast metabolizer of drugs. So if I put on estradiol cream, it's literally gone within a few hours. So I use a patch, a lowered patch to keep a steady dose, and then I top up with my estradiol cream that I have.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's interesting. Okay, so we could talk to you for hours and hours and hours. And our listeners can, this is so incredibly knowledgeable, but I know we need to have a part two.

SPEAKER_02:

So many more questions, I feel like.

SPEAKER_01:

Also, I really want our listeners to go to your podcast because you have so many episodes that cover this and so much more in this vein. And it's really incredible how much of a deep dive you do on everything. So you guys absolutely have to check out Karen's podcast, The Hormone Solution. But here's the other great thing. Our listeners can come to you and work with you, yes, to figure out how they can get on, you know, BHRT, what's best for them, etc. So please tell our listeners where they can find you and also what kind of programs you offer.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're one of the few, I think, telemedicine companies that we really take a very holistic approach to this. You know, we've talked lots about hormone replacement therapy in today's discussion, but There's the importance of having all those lifestyle pieces. I really don't want people to think like those aren't important. To feel your best in the second half of your life, you want something that's really comprehensive. You want to be paying attention to all of those areas of stress management, diet, exercise, and the hormone replacement therapy. It all goes together. just so that you can feel great. I mean, I've never felt this good in my life. I don't know if I've even looked this. I feel like I look great. I feel great. I'm going to be 48 in a month. And it's just like, yeah, bring on 50. I'm stoked. Let's just see how good I can look at 50 now.

SPEAKER_02:

amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

So yes, very, we do a very holistic approach, we can prescribe in every state. So we in throughout all of the states in the United States, as well as British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, we're working on getting more provinces. It's all telemedicine. And then we've so we've got private coaching. And then we've got group coaching as well, where I really wanted to be able to give women all women an option to get help. I created a group coaching program six years ago, and it's been amazing. We've got a few hundred women in there. It's really, really affordable. Anybody can, I think, afford it nowadays. It's always a good deal so that you can get the help that you need. We do weekly group coaching calls. We do lab reads. We have meal plans. And we walk you through what's going to happen in these perimenopause and menopausal years and what you can do to help mitigate these symptoms and live essentially a great life symptom-free. And then we've got programs where you know, it's a monthly program, you get private coaching calls, you get blood work done, you get hormones, you get, it's kind of all wrapped up into a monthly fee. So we've got that as well. So you've got, you can do a one-off, a session with our nurse practitioner and get started, get going on the prescribed HRT, or you can do a group coaching call, or you can do our VIP where it kind of includes everything from month to month. And then I just came up with my own line of over-the-counter hormone creams, which is fabulous because yeah, and so really super affordable compared to what you would get in a pharmacy. They're super clean, which also you will not get in a pharmacy. So there's no parabens, no chemicals in them, super clean. It's like coconut oil, shea butter, I've got a low-dose estradiol. I've got the only over-the-counter estradiol cream that's available to the public right now, which is pretty exciting. It's low-dose because I feel like once you do get into the higher doses of estradiol, you do want to work with a practitioner. This is just a 0.25 milligrams. It's a starting dose. It would be great for somebody that's in perimenopause that's maybe still cycling, but it's getting a irregular, they're in their mid-40s, they're having symptoms of low estrogen. So you could start with that. And then I also have a combination cream that's higher dosed, it's more concentrated and it's got estradiol as well as estriol in it. And I really focused that one on for the face and skin because it helps build, the research shows that it will help to build collagen in the face, reduce wrinkle depth and shrink pore size by anywhere between 40, sorry, 60 to 100% after months of use. So I've created it. People love it. It's definitely my top seller is the face cream. But you can use the face cream if you're in menopause. You can use it systemically as well. It's a higher dose, so I don't want somebody in perimenopause to use it, but you can use it.

SPEAKER_02:

And is that on your website or how would people?

SPEAKER_00:

It's on my website. Yeah. And then I have a progesterone cream that's a 50 milligram progesterone cream. And you use that as a cycling woman, you would use that days 14 to 28. And one bottle will last you for three months if you use it that way. which is really amazing. It's like $50, which it's usually about $50 to $60 a month for progesterone. Yeah, that's fantastic. That's great. I've never heard of it being over the counter.

SPEAKER_02:

So that's really helpful for someone who's kind of like just starting and great.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. And someone that can't afford like a hormone, like I won't lie, it's expensive to see us privately as it is any hormone clinic. Like you're looking anywhere between $400 to $800 for your initial call. with any of the hormone clinics that are throughout the United States. I have yet to find somebody that's much cheaper than that. And so once again, we just want to make this available to the public. So we created these creams to not only have a clean product, but also something that people can just go online and buy. And if you go into my site and in my shop, each of the creams, you'll see that you can download my user guide. It's like a user guide to bioidentical hormones. I break all of this down for you and what symptoms you're looking out for to say that maybe it is time to start progesterone or maybe it's time to start estrogen. I break it all down in this little ebook that I made. That's just free. You just go on there and download it.

SPEAKER_01:

That's fantastic. We'll link out to that in our show notes. All right. Well, before we get into our wrap session, I just want to say thank you so much because you're actively changing women's lives daily and congratulations on all your success. We're really grateful to have you here. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks, ladies. It's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So here's our wrap session. Just a few quick fun questions. What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack? Besides, of course, you're like, you know, fabulous estrogen cream and everything that you just gave us.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, can't that be my beauty? Hormone replacement therapy, even internally, is like the best beauty care. But you just want something quick.

SPEAKER_01:

Whatever. No, it can be your HRT. Absolutely. I was teasing.

SPEAKER_00:

I really do feel like that has kept my skin the best.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, your skin is beautiful. Taking it internally as well, like systemically as well as topically.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. Okay, great. All right. And then the next one, we call it our five-minute flow. You just got out of the shower and dried off and Uber has paid. There's Uber in Canada. I was just in Canada and I took an Uber.

SPEAKER_00:

You have an Uber there, yes. Uber just alerted you.

SPEAKER_01:

There is Uber, yeah. Okay. Uber's five minutes away. What are your go-tos? What are you going to do really quickly to get into that Uber and on time your holy grails like your favorite lip gloss, etc.?

SPEAKER_00:

I would just jump into the Uber.

SPEAKER_02:

You don't need anything.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't. You've got that gorgeous glowing skin.

SPEAKER_00:

I can't tell you how often I go out without makeup on. So yeah, I'm not a big makeup girl. I would make sure that maybe I throw in some dry shampoo if I couldn't, you know, or you said I just hopped out of the shower. So my hair's clean. So I would blow dry my hair and I would do my hair because I would at least do that much. But then I wouldn't bother with makeup and I would just run out the door. Nice.

SPEAKER_02:

Love it. And how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I don't do a good job. No, I I'm getting better. One thing I do in the winter that is my daily Nirvana is I sit in my hot tub. We live in a very cold, snowy place. So our hot tub outside is beautiful. We live in a rural area so that we in the forest. And that's definitely like a must have for me.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. That sounds lovely. That's awesome. Yeah. All right, Karen. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure. And we're very, I'm very grateful to meet you again. You really changed my life. So thanks. It was great to chat today.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 148 - Thriving Through Perimenopause: A Deep Dive With Karen Martel (Full Transcript)

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. Today, I am so excited. We are sitting down with someone that I'm a huge fan of. I'm fanning out a little bit. I feel like I know her. Fan girling. I've been listening to her for two years, I want to say. So with no further ado, this is Karen Martell. Karen is the CEO of Hormone Solutions, heads a clinic and product line offering bio-identical hormone therapy and a holistic approach to addressing hormonal dysfunction in women during peri- and postmenopause. As a certified hormone specialist and transformational nutrition coach, Karen is a distinguished authority in women's weight loss and hormonal health, with a wealth of expertise, and that is a fact. In perimenopause and menopause, Karen is recognized as a leading expert in navigating the unique challenges and transitions women face during these phases of life. As the esteemed host of the highly acclaimed women's health podcast, The Hormone Solution with Karen Martell, she delves deeply into the intricacies of female fat loss, hormone optimization, and the complex interplay between hormones and overall health. Karen's mission is to empower women with the knowledge they require to seize control of their well-being and thrive throughout every stage of life. And she is wildly successful at that. And I can't wait to talk about it. So welcome to the show, Karen.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thank you for having me, ladies. I'm so happy. That was really sweet. Thank you. I do it myself when I meet other people and I'm like, Oh my god, I've been listening to you because you're feeling you have this intimate relationship with the person because they've been in your head talking for years on end. When you actually meet them, even if it is just on video, it's like, oh my gosh, this is like meeting a star.

SPEAKER_02:

It's very exciting. I love it. All right. Well, before we get started, we like to kick off with a little nirvana of the week and I'm going to let Amy get the ball rolling so you can, so we can just get into the groove of it.

SPEAKER_01:

That reminds me, I posted this weekend on Instagram, this, it was like a quote that I had seen before and it reminded me of our nirvana that we do called Glimmer. I recently learned about a term called glimmer, which is essentially the opposite of trigger. Glimmers are those micro moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, the more these tiny moments will begin to appear. And I was like, Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I do love that.

SPEAKER_01:

So very similar to our nirvanas. So I would say my nirvana this week or weekend was I got some one-on-one time with my younger son. So my husband and older son went away for the weekend. They went on a trip. And so I was just here with my younger son, which like we're never here, just me and him. So it's cute. We just like got to hang out a lot and do fun things like, I don't know, just go like shopping around and have little dance parties. He was teaching me a TikTok dance and like all just fun stuff. It was just cute to have some one-on-one time with him. So, yeah. What about you, Katie?

SPEAKER_02:

Mine, without a doubt, is this moment right now because I'm so excited to talk to Karen. And shortly, I'm going to give my little personal Karen Martell anecdote on how she changed my life. So, this is my nirvana. Wow. Really, honestly. So, Karen, what was yours?

SPEAKER_00:

My nirvana, I would have to say, was this moment where one of my girlfriends from the States left me a voice note. We leave each other these 10-minute-long voice notes all the time. It's hilarious, right? Just get on the phone and talk. But we do. We just go back and forth with these silly voice notes all the time. She's off to Costa Rica today. She left me this really sweet little message where she just said something like, I'm off to Costa Rica early in the morning. How was your weekend? He's like, okay, love so much and I'll talk to you soon. And I was like, and my son was listening to it and he said, why does she say I love you? I said, you know what? Because we do. We love each other. We're really good friends and we love each other. And for some reason, it just stuck with me. And it was this moment of realizing what great friends I've made in the last few years in this industry. And for those listening, when you're in this industry, it's very lonely. Even though it seems like we're so out there talking to so many people, day-to-day, you're by yourself in your house, in your office with nobody around. And if you live in an environment like I live, which is in the middle of nowhere in this little town, there's nobody here that understands what I do, that nobody's in this industry. So all of my close friends now all live in another country. So it just made me reflect on the importance of having friendship and love from other women that understand you and where you're at in your life. Because prior to that, I didn't really have a lot because of where I was. So I was just super grateful and I had this like such touching moment about it. So that was my Nirvana.

SPEAKER_02:

All right. Well, before we get into all of this, I just want to, I'm going to try to be really concise, but I also don't want to be too short-sighted because I want you to understand the impact that finding your podcast really did have on my life. I, as a lot of our listeners now, I have two autoimmune conditions, one hypothyroidism and one is Addison's, which is pretty rare. I don't know if you're familiar, but I don't make stress hormones, cortisol or all testosterone. So I've spent the last decade pretty sick, like in and out of moments. I have good months, I have bad months, I have bad years. And towards the end of my 30s, I had a partial hysterectomy, kept my ovaries. But over the course of the last few years, my health was really deteriorating and I didn't know what was going on. Because as you know, perimenopause symptoms are a laundry list. It's not just hot flashes. I wasn't having hot flashes. So it didn't occur to me. This is what's happening to me. It was like a big learning curve figuring it out. And I figured it out by listening to you. I stumbled across your podcast. And I think I was like, you know, I had like stubborn 10 pounds I was trying to lose and your podcast used to be called the other side of weight loss. So I thought, Oh, this is great. And I was listening to you. And I can't tell you how many times I'd be driving around in the car, listening to your podcast, and I'd be screaming at the speakers, if you could hear me, like, yes, Karen, that's me. Yes, I experience that all the time. I feel like that all the time. So I finally, last April, decided to take the plunge and try HRT, even though my labs were coming back like fairly regular, but because I had that partial hysterectomy, I wasn't having a normal period. So I could never gauge where I was in my cycle. So it's hard to tell where your hormones are supposed to be when you don't know where you are in your cycle. But I thought, well, let me just give it a try. And I started an estrogen patch and a progesterone bioidentical cream. Within weeks, I started feeling really good. I started having great energy. I started, sex drive came back, looked like myself, felt like myself. Within months, my autoimmune conditions were practically in remission. I went from having like multiple bedridden days a week, sometimes horrible months at a time without a good streak for longer than a couple of days, to now I commute into New York City three days a week and work, come home, cook dinner for my family, play with my kids, go travel and feel great. Like I used to not even be able to travel without it really wrecking me. It completely I feel at 42 years old, I feel like I did when I was 25, healthier, better than I did for an entire decade of my 30s. And 100% it is because I stumbled across your podcast, without a shadow of a doubt, and just how incredibly informative you are. And you're really, really great at helping the listener understand all the complexities of it and how it can affect people in all these different ways. And you bring so much science and so much fact and so much of the studies and everything behind it. It's really what you're doing is we're Jewish, and we would call it a mitzvah. I mean, it's really, it's amazing, and I'm so grateful. So essentially, thank you, because you really, like, I went from thinking I'm going to be sick and tired for the rest of my life, this is just what my conditions are, to like, hey, I'm alive, like life is back.

SPEAKER_00:

Why did you have the hysterectomy? I think that's important for your audience here.

SPEAKER_02:

I had a lot of complications from like post-pregnancy, like prolapse and things like painful intercourse, like things like that, and horrible, horrible periods, like really painfully horrible periods. So that was, and that was just the first, the doctor said, this is what we do. We're not gonna, like that's just the only option I was given. And I took it, and like ultimately, It was a good move. I was happy I did it. But then it just sped up the menopause, you know, so yeah, and you're on thyroid medication. I am. Yeah, I'm on thyroid medication. I was I've been on thyroid medication and medication for my Addison's disease since I was like 30. Yeah. I do. And fludrocortisone. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Yeah. So yeah, that all makes sense to me because the same, I didn't have a hysterectomy, but at 42, I hit menopause, but all my numbers looked good. And it was the thyroid medication had raised my sex hormone bonding globular, which is a protein that binds up primarily testosterone and estrogen. And so if it goes up, you can look like you have fine labs and blood work, but your free levels of hormones are really low because they're getting bound up by this protein. And so I couldn't figure it out. I was like, what is happening? And it took me years to ever even hear somebody talk about that, to talk about the fact that thyroid hormones could do this. But I just did the same as you, where I was like, I know I'm going through menopause, I'm having hot flashes, low sex drive, I can't sleep, suddenly I'm gaining weight, my periods become irregular. So I found a doctor who was willing to prescribe to me and I was like, I have to start this. And then since then, I've just been this huge advocate for women can take hormones early and that's okay. A lot of doctors are like, we can't give you estrogen until you're in menopause. Well, hello, perimenopause can be over 10 years long. So you want women to suffer for over a decade because they have these irregular estrogen cycles where sometimes it'll be high, sometimes it's low. and suffer and gain all this weight and be uncomfortable and have low sex drive and dry vagina and all of these things. When we just given her a little estrogen, she would have probably been a lot better. And then the other thing is doctors don't tell women that, oh, if you have a hysterectomy, yes, we can leave your ovaries, which helps, but your ovaries atrophy faster once her uterus is gone. So you will start to go into that perimenopause menopause state quicker. And typically when there's not the prolapsed uterus and things, but the heavy bleeding, the poor periods, the postpartum depression. A lot of that is due to low progesterone levels. So once again, women aren't being told, oh, you're 38 and you're suddenly bleeding out every month and you can't sleep and you've got horrible PMS. Well, let's put you on birth control pills. Let's give you an ablation or let's give you a hysterectomy. And those are your three top choices when that woman could just use a little bit of progesterone cream and probably be totally fine.

SPEAKER_01:

It's unbelievable. This. I, years ago, as the audience knows, I have vestibular migraines and they first started coming on, I don't know, maybe six, seven years ago, whatever it was. And a lot of it revolved around when I was getting my period, et cetera, et cetera. But at that time, I didn't know anything about hormones. It wasn't even a thought in my mind. And then one of my doctors was like, oh, you're probably peri-menopausal. I'm like, what are you talking about? Because it didn't even occur to me. And she's like, no, that can be 10 years. I'm like, oh, I didn't realize that. That being said, I didn't do anything about it until a year ago when I started taking hormone replacement stuff, and it's massive. The vestibular migraines got better from a lot of different things I did, but just in terms of general energy and just weight gain and all that stuff got so much better once I started taking hormones. And I feel like I speak to all of my friends, and everybody has something with their tire. They're this or that. And I was just with my girlfriends a couple of weekends ago, and I said to two of them that I was with, I was like, you've got to get your hormones checked. I'm telling you something is going on with you. If you're feeling tired, if you're feeling like Non-motivated or like get them checked and they both like we're like, okay I'm making an appointment on Monday because I just think there's not a lot of awareness. No one knows who to go to Regular doctors like my OB like literally has never had a conversation with me about it I mentioned at one time and she was like, oh, yeah, you can take and it was like synthetic prescription She wanted to prescribe me like there's just such little I mean, there's a lot of education now because of obviously your podcast and all these wonderful people putting out information, but like the more science-based, you know, MDs that are obese do not talk about this. They're not even, even if they don't know about it, they should refer and be like, you should go see, you know, an integrated or whatever. It's just, it drives me crazy because to your point, things can be mitigated perhaps easier by just doing an estrogen cream or something.

SPEAKER_00:

I read zero to seven percent of medical doctors are taught anything about menopause and they're taught zero about perimenopause. They also aren't taught about bioidentical hormone therapy in med school. They have to actually go and take an extra course and pay out of pocket for that, which who's going to, what family doctor is going to go do that? None of them. And so they have no education in this. And then, so we're telling, you know, you're telling your friends and I'm telling you like, oh, go, just go to your doctor and get your hormones checked. You obviously are having hormone problems. Go have them checked. And then they come back and they're like, my doctor said everything's fine. Every time. Because they'll look at the ranges, say, oh, you fall between 100 and 1000. So you're fine because you're at 101. or something like that. The ranges are ridiculous. They don't tell women to take that test on a certain day of their cycle, which is really important. So if they test it on day three of their cycle, it's going to look like they have no estrogen or progesterone. If they test on day 12 of their cycle, they're going to look like they have this massive amount of estrogen and no progesterone and think, oh my gosh, you're estrogen dominant. Like, oh, Panic, panic. So it's, unfortunately we can't rely on doctors. I always say try because that's typically the cheapest route for most people, but please don't expect them to have an answer for you or to come back and say, oh yeah, you've definitely, you're going into perimenopause, let's help you with this. They don't know how to do that.

SPEAKER_01:

So for our listeners, um, sorry, Katie, did you want to go?

SPEAKER_02:

No, I was just going to say, no, you go ahead. Cause we're probably going in the same direction.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I let's break down just kind of like a one-on-one here. So anyone like, what are some of these like surprising symptoms or just symptoms in general of perimenopause? Because I think, you know, it would be helpful for our listeners to understand what that could entail. I'm sure it's a laundry list, but.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah, there's a lot of, there's a massive list of what perimenopause, it's usually perimenopause too. I think everybody has it in their head. I know I did. It was like if someone had asked me in my 20s or even 30s, what do you think menopause is? And I would have been like, oh, you know, when I'm in my 50s, my period's just going to disappear. I might have a few hot flashes, maybe gain a little weight and then it's over. and you're an old woman, or not an old woman, but you're getting to the second half of your life and you have no more period, and that's what it entails. And that's the furthest thing from the truth. Hairy menopause, we're seeing starting actually earlier and earlier because of the toxic environment that we're in, because of the stress that we're now under. We're now seeing it starting anywhere typically at mid-30s to late-30s for women. That is the typical age that we start to see perimenopause kick in. It can happen earlier, it can happen later, but typical, the majority of women, that's where we're going to see things starting to go amiss. And so first things that women will notice is period changes, heavier cycles, more emotional, maybe can't sleep around their cycle, maybe get some night sweats around their cycle. and they'll put on a few pounds of weight, typically no more than five pounds, but it kind of comes out of nowhere. You'll be like 38 and suddenly you wake up and you're five pounds heavier. You're like, I didn't change anything. Like what's going on here? That is the shift that starts to happen is that we don't ovulate as often. So as we get older, we don't ovulate as often because we come into this world with X amount of eggs. And so once those eggs are done, you no longer are going to be ovulating. And so we start to get months where there's no ovulation. And when there's no ovulation, we don't produce the bulk of our progesterone in the second half of the cycle. And if anybody here has ever tracked their cycle to get pregnant, we all track for to see what you check your basal body temperature every day. And you look for a spike in temperature on day 14, which is when you should be ovulating around that time. Temperature goes up and stays up for the second half of the cycle means you've ovulated and then it drops and then your period comes and the cycle starts again. So think of basal body temperature as a reflection of your metabolism. And so if you're no longer ovulating all the time, your basal body temperature isn't going up in the second half of that cycle. And there's not a lot of progesterone being produced. We produce a little bit of the adrenal system, the brain and the spinal cord, but very minimal compared to the ovaries. So now you've got the second half of the cycle, the temperature doesn't come up, which means metabolic rate's not coming up. Progesterone's really, really important for thyroid function. It also buffers the cortisol. There's no such thing as a progesterone steal, cortisol steal. I think there's a lot of misinformation around that, but they do have this relationship with each other where progesterone, because it's so calming and so anti-anxiety, it can really help tamper down cortisol levels and just stress in general. It's very calming. So now we are getting more anxiety, basal body temperature goes down, and progesterone acts on what's called the GABA receptors of your brain. And without it, we can have trouble sleeping because GABA, you've seen it in supplements, is very calming, it's anti-anxiety, and it induces sleep. So now we've got some insomnia, metabolic rates going down, we've got anxiety. Now we're probably eating worse, right? Because of all of that put together, we're more insulin resistant. The weight can continue to creep up at this point because of this like perfect storm of what's happening as we're starting to lose that progesterone. Some women will begin to lose testosterone as well. Testosterone we make in the ovaries as well as the adrenal system. It's almost about a 50-50 ratio. and so some women will start to lose it through the ovarian function and a hundred percent of our estradiol or estrogen in the ovaries is made from that testosterone. So if testosterone starts to go down, estrogen then can follow And then also if you're stressed out and the adrenal system's tapped, your testosterone can start going down as well through there. And testosterone is a woman's most abundant hormone when we're fertile, which most women don't know. So signs and symptoms of that coming down are, of course, the typical sex drive can start to go down. Women will notice that they can't put muscle on very well when they're working out. Muscle recovery. So after a workout, they just seem like they can't bounce back. Energy. Women will say all the time, like, oh, I'm just suddenly so tired. Women will be diagnosed with like chronic fatigue syndrome because the testosterone can influence energy that much. And you can think of testosterone as your lady balls. And it really does. It gives you that masculine kind of like get out there, get things done, be a little bit more aggressive with stuff. And so when we start to lose that, women find that they become more timid, like they can't get stuff done, they're tired, they don't want to work out, they don't want to have sex. And so that can start to kick in on top of the progesterone kicking in. As you start to get farther into your 40s, now estradiol starts to drop, and this is the primary hormone for women. Estradiol has a lot of bad press about it, but I tell you what, when that starts to go, that is when we see these horrible perimenopausal symptoms really kick in. And prior to that, you will see an estrogen dominance profile because you're losing that progesterone. We need progesterone to counterbalance estrogen. So that's why the heavy bleeding can start, the tender fibrocystic breasts before your period. because that's estrogen, which is proliferative growth. And so things can get out of control growth if we don't have enough progesterone. So you can start to get all of these symptoms because you're estrogen dominant, not so much that you have too much estrogen. but because in comparison to progesterone, and there isn't much, then you can start to get these symptoms of the estrogen dominance. So that's when, as I was saying before, that's when you typically would go to your doctor, because some women will start to bleed so heavily that they get anemic, they're bleeding, like they're going through a tampon every 20 minutes, and they're just like, oh my gosh, take it out. Like take the uterus out, get rid of it, I can't deal with this anymore. when it's they could have just used a little bit of progesterone. So anyways, as we start going in and losing the estrogen. then things really kick into gear. That's when we start to see the hot flashes, the night sweats for a lot of women, vagina dryness, and atrophy. So atrophy is like it actually dries and the walls of your vagina start to thin and they get really... Women will actually say to me, it's close because it dries so much and it atrophies so much, you can't actually get anything in there. You can't have sex with your partner. I've had women come to me in tears saying, oh, I haven't had sex with my partner for years because I tore last time. You know, you get these micro tears because it's so painful. And yeah, sure, you can try lubrication, but lubrication is different than vagina moisturizing than actual like your own vagina lubrication. It's much different than like going and getting yourself an over-the-counter sex lubrication. Very, very different. We want our own body to create the moisture down there so that we don't atrophy. And so that can start to happen. Depression, we need estradiol to help make serotonin. So a lot of women will now start to get depressed on top of the anxiety, thanks to the low progesterone. It has something to do with our sleep. So a lot of women will start to have even worse sleep. It's text drive. Estrogen is just as important as testosterone is for sex drive, sometimes more important. So it helps with sex drive. It helps with our skin. It helps to build collagen. So it helps with the wrinkles. So suddenly women will start to notice like, oh, my skin is suddenly aging really, really quickly. This is typically because they start to lose the estrogen. They can start to lose hair on their head, get a foggy brain because our brain is rich with receptors for estradiol. And so that's where the foggy brain comes in. You can't think straight. Women quit their jobs. This is a growing epidemic where women that are in these high up jobs that they need to be working, their brain needs to be working really, really well for it that they have to quit. We just had somebody a few weeks ago like that, and she said, I had to quit my corporate job because I couldn't think straight anymore because of the loss of hormones, Alzheimer's. And then we started to get susceptible to all of these diseases. So even if you're somebody that's super lucky, about 80 to 85% of women will have some degree of symptoms. 20 to 25% of those symptoms will be severe, We see the highest amount of suicide in women that are between the ages of 45 and 55. So if you're somebody though that you missed out on, you didn't have any of that happen to you, what's going on in the inside is also really important to take note of because you could not have hot flashes, still have a sex drive, all those good things. But what's going on on the inside, like we need estradiol for proper heart function, for bone protection, to ward off Alzheimer's and dementia, for our bowels to work appropriately, for our immune system to work appropriately, which is probably why you felt so great when you started hormones because it does really help with the immune system. It helps with thyroid function. So Then, of course, on top of all of this, the number one thing that we hear about and complain about is the weight gain. Everybody thinks estrogen is going to make them gain weight, but the loss of estradiol will cause more weight gain than any other loss of hormones because it's so important for blood glucose. for insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control, it has a huge impact on that. And then as we start to lose it, we become more insulin resistant. We start to put on that midsection weight gain, which is the worst place to carry fat. We see type two diabetes go through the roof in menopausal women. So there's just a little list, actually. Yeah, right. We could keep going.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, we just have, like, the... We're the ones who have the babies. We're the ones who have to go through this. Like, I mean... Oh, it's terrible.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I hate sounding so doomsday. No, but this is the truth. Right. There's so much we can do about it, and we'll talk about that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. And there's so many things to like, you know, as you were naming each phase, I was thinking, Oh, I remember that. And then that's when like, my hip pain started. And I remember that happening. And that's what you know, it's like, right, and like all the inflammation and And when my progesterone, I look back and I think, I kind of think I know when my progesterone started to tank because I was like angry and like I was so stress intolerant. And if my kids were screaming, I would scream at them instead of being able to just coolly handle it. You know what I mean? So it's really, amazing how much it can impact every aspect of your life and how it can, every woman can experience similar things with different things at the same time. So let's get into what can we do about it? And how can we get all of our great mojo back and feel good again? Tune in next week for our part two with Karen Martell, where we get into how we can survive through perimenopause, not only survive, but thrive. She goes deep into bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and more. If you don't want to miss it.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe, and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 147 - Insider Tips For Natural Skincare & Haircare With Ayurvedic Therapist, Kirti Tewani (Full Transcript)

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Nirvana Sisters Podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well-being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters-in-law and your hosts.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm Amy Sherman. And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. Today we are sitting down with Kirti Tejwani. Kirti, a cross-cultural individual born in India, raised in Spain, and currently residing in New York, is a dedicated Ayurvedic therapist, speaker, and founder of Better Green Health. Her mission is to inspire individuals to seize control of their health and well-being and lead a life of balance and fulfillment. Kirti's commitment to holistic living also extends to her approach to skincare and beauty. She integrates 14 years of experience in beauty with Ayurvedic principles and modern techniques to find non-toxic and efficacious beauty products. In her view, authentic beauty originates from within, and we can radiate beauty and vitality by nourishing the body and mind with wholesome foods, herbs, and self-care practices in addition to maintaining good skincare. So I feel like you could not possibly be more aligned with all of the things we think and feel as well. So welcome to the show, Kirti. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, ladies.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, we'd like to kick it off with our Nirvana of the week. So I'm going to let you, Amy, you go first. What was your Nirvana? Get the ball rolling.

SPEAKER_00:

I would say that my mother-in-law's in town, which is really nice because She doesn't come up that much and she doesn't come up without her husband and dog usually. So she's just here by herself, which is nice just to get some quality time one-on-one. So she came in last night and is here for the weekend. So I'm enjoying my time with her so far and just looking forward to just having good conversations and spending time with her and the kids and everything. So I would say that's my nirvana. What about you, Katie?

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. We love Judy. I think mine was yesterday. I had one of those great days of balance. I was able to spend my morning volunteering at school for my oldest daughter. And then I went into the city and did my work there and had a great afternoon. And then I came home and prepped a little bit for this podcast and had some family time. And it was just one of those days where I was like, oh, I checked like all the boxes. Got to check today.

SPEAKER_00:

You're like, can't every day just be like this?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it was so nice and like nothing was overly crazy. It was like, you know, everything was like, it was like just the right amounts of things. So I was able to manage it all. So it was it was really nice. What about you, T? What was your nirvana this week?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my God, so many things. But if I have to pick one, I actually socialized yesterday. We had like a little mom's night out. Not once I checked my phone. And that was such a big accomplishment because usually I'm worried if the kids are by themselves, but because my husband was home, so I wasn't worried about the kids. I wasn't worried about work. It was late night and not late night, but like more into the evening and yes, it was nice to like completely disconnect and be present in the moment. And I feel like in the world that we're living in, we're spending less and less time in the present and we're always like distracted by so many things around us. It was nice to actually connect with people who were also not on their phones. So everyone in that room was fully present or as present as they could be.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's fantastic. Doesn't that time just fill your cup so much, that time with friends, right? Yeah, for sure. All right, well, let's get into it. First, really quickly, let's just touch on Better Green Health. It's your blog, is that correct? Correct.

SPEAKER_02:

It's my blog. On and off, I've had it for two years, but then I worked on it for a little bit and I wanted other Ayurvedic practitioners and doctors to kind of be a part of it. But it's really hard to find good quality writers all the time. So it went back on the back burner because life kept happening. And then I revived it again in January. So we've been posting pretty consistently, updating new blogs about self-care practices, Ayurvedic practices, basically practical things that will improve your life. A lot of us are living in this thing, I need supplements. You don't need supplements. Sometimes you just need sleep. And even understand that from the inside and listen to yourself and listen to what your body wants can actually solve so many problems, but we often just ignore that inner voice. So the blog is mostly a reflection of if you want supplements, there's an option, but let's choose what else we can do in life to make our life easy, which is completely in our control.

SPEAKER_01:

I was looking through it earlier, and it is such a great resource. And I feel like for our listeners, most of the things, if not everything that we talk about today, they can probably find something tied back to on your blog if they want a resource to dive deeper. So we've had someone on before, an Ayurvedic specialist, a couple of years ago. Justine Lemos, and she was the first person that gave us a really deep dive understanding of what it is. And for our listeners, go if you want to go back and listen so that you better understand Ayurvedic practices. But what we would love to talk to you about today is because you have the most amazing content on your Instagram channel, with all of your skincare practices, and your hair practices, and all of these great things that we can do at home DIY things. So we would love to get into that with you. Does that sound good? Oh, it sounds amazing. Okay, great. All right. So Amy, do you want to kick it off since I'm doing so much talk?

SPEAKER_00:

Sure. No, no, no. So first topic, and I feel like this has been so prominent over the last few years, hearing more and more about it. So firstly, hair loss, hair growth, that category I feel like is just booming for women post-COVID. So we'd love to hear about that and hair oiling because I started doing that actually in January as part of my mood board for the year. I'm going to take better care of my hair and I started doing a bit, but I actually don't know if I'm doing it right. I'm just experimenting. So I would love to hear more about that practice and actually how to do it right and how that may or may not contribute to hair growth.

SPEAKER_02:

Everything starts from the inside, right? Hair oiling is an amazing practice. And I am obsessed. If you guys haven't seen my channel, I'm sure you have seen my channel, but I am obsessed with hair oiling because a lot of us just focus hair oiling equals to hair health. But if you think about it in the deeper sense, in the Ayurvedic sense, yes, it does benefit your hair. But at the same time, when you are massaging your hair, you're also getting psychosomatic benefits because you are relaxing your mind, your nervous system is decompressing, your body is decompressing, you are forced to be in the moment. And just that movement is not only helping your hair thrive, but also your inner body heal. And that is one thing that a lot of people don't understand. And when it comes to hair oiling, You know, it is great for your shaft. It is great for your scalp. Ayurveda has recommended hair oiling as a part of your hair care routine. It's like a pre-wash regimen that I also recommend to people to do. But at the same time, it is some you time, you know, even if it's five minutes or 10 minutes that you're giving to yourself to nourish your own body, your own mind, and that self-care practice. In addition to having great hair, does hair oiling prevent hair loss? Absolutely. Because one of the biggest reasons of hair loss is stress. So when you're doing hair oiling, you're not just protecting your hair from the outside, but you're actually having those psychosomatic benefits, which is helping you decompress. So you are reducing hair loss and not just for the nourishment. Because a lot of people are like, well, you know, it's going to clog my pores. I'm like, no, it's not. Your skin, it's the same skin that is on your body, your face, and your scalp. It's skin. So if you're moisturizing your body, your face, and you're not moisturizing your scalp, it doesn't make sense. So no, it won't. If you correctly hair oil, you warm up your oil, you massage it all over your head, and there are certain marma points that are more beneficial to massage, you will see benefits on the long run. To shampoo it correctly, I've posted multiple videos on like, a lot of people are like, well, I have to shampoo four or five times. I'm like, because you're not shampooing correctly. You do not need to shampoo even twice if you shampoo correctly. The two ways to get oil out of your hair in one shot. First one is flip your hair upside down. and then shampoo it and add a little bit of water and keep massaging your scalp with the same amount of shampoo that you took. And the second, if you have curly hair, you know, that's going to be a little bit difficult. But if you have that situation, you can section your hair. You know how you go to a hair salon, when they blow dry your hair, they section your hair. And when you section your hair and shampoo your hair, you're actually thoroughly cleaning your scalp. Bajing gave you benefits, but now we need to get rid of that oil in order to refresh. Same way we clean our body, now we need to clean our scalp. pore cloggings and all those problems only come if that oil is sitting for ages and ages in your head and you're not able to clean it properly. So if you do things properly, you know, there's so many benefits that it just doesn't stop at one thing.

SPEAKER_01:

And what type of oil do you use for hair oiling? Does it matter?

SPEAKER_02:

In Ayurveda, we call it different doshas have different hair types, and those different hair types could benefit from different hair oils. Like people who have vata dosha, for example, which is excess air element in the body will benefit more from something that's warming. you know, a warm oil. So something like sesame oil, which has warming qualities. Now somebody who has spitta dosha, they will benefit because they already have excess fire element in their body, they're going to benefit more with cooling oils. So jasmine, amla, almond, all of those have cooling properties. And then somebody kasa dosha, now they again want to increase the fire because they are too grounded. So again, something heated, is going to be more beneficial. So depending on what hair you have, what type of hair you have, certain oils can benefit you more. But at the same time, there are certain oils and certain herbs that are particularly focused on your hair that can benefit everyone. Brinjal is a great herb for your hair that can benefit anyone. Hibiscus. Jasmine, amla, one of my favorite things that I speak a lot about is amla. And again, the benefits are way beyond just hair and not just externally, but even consuming some of these herbs internally can help you have amazing hair.

SPEAKER_00:

What was the first one you said? It cut out a little bit on me. I just wanted to make sure I heard it. Sorry, the reception's bad right now. What did you say? It's called Bhringraj. Bhringraj. Okay. Yeah. The reason why I was asking is because I think the majority of our listeners, or some of them, may not know their dosha like me. And so if there's certain oils that kind of like work for everyone, I think that's great feedback. So we know kind of like if we use that, we'll be okay if we don't know our dosha and haven't gone that far into Ayurvedic. So that's great.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, Amla oil works great for most people. Just make sure when you're buying your Amla, it actually is Amla oil and it's not, you know, mineral oil infused with 5% Amla.

SPEAKER_00:

You want to make sure, is it like 100% that we're looking for?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, so Amla oil, you can either get Amla seed oil or you can get Amla extract. infused into a carrier oil. So those would be the two different things. But then there are certain universal hair oils from certain companies that work for a lot of hair, all hair types. And everything you buy mostly would work for all hair types, unless you are very highly, extremely imbalanced in your doshas, then you should try to opt for something that is more dosha prominent. And if you want to take a dosage test, it is available to take on the Better Green Health site.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, perfect. I will do that then. Question. So, okay. Once you've picked your oil, then what do you do? Like break it down and like, if our listeners want to, you know, hair oil in 101.

SPEAKER_02:

So once you have your oil, warm it up. The first step, warm your oil with a double oiling method. And then one of the easiest way to find your crown chakra, which is right here, anterior fontanel. You know, when the babies are born, they have this jelly belly spot, like a really soft spot on their forehead. That's the spot we're going to start hair oiling with. Okay. And the reason we started here is because this is in the Vedic world, they believe once you have achieved wisdom, there's a Lotus that's going to open up and you're going to connect yourself to the divine. So this is where all your energy is coming in from. And then there are important marma points here that is connecting your entire body as well. So you start the massage from here, then you go on this next point, which is If you see people balding, this is the first spot they're going to start losing hair. If you need a high ponytail, that's going to be another way to kind of recognize that spot. That's the next spot. And then the third one is in the back of your hair. So like, let's say about three inches from your hairline above. That's the Krikatika Marma. And that's another very important point to massage your hair. And then you can slowly massage it all over your hair. So the first step would be to take your head, hand, sorry, your fingers, and you go up and down in the movement. And you do it on your entire hair, just like a wave. You know how a wave moves up and down and you do it and you repeat that process three times. The second movement is a round movement and I call it my special chumpy way. So you do the round movement again, all over your hair. You start from front to back, all over your head, taking sections and going all the way in the back and then the middle of your hair. And again, you repeat this three times. And now how does a spider move? Like up and down. And you go all the way up and all the way down. And you again, repeat the entire process three times. If you want, now you can repeat this entire process again to kind of extend the time. But if you even do it once, you're immediately going to feel like And that is one of the goals with the Chumpy because again, I know that people are extremely focused when it comes to hair oiling on their hair health, but the benefits go way beyond just the hair health.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so I have a silly question. So how much oil, I'm very specific, how much oil do you actually put in those areas before you do the massage?

SPEAKER_02:

So again, it depends. If you are someone who has extremely oily hair, you don't need to put a lot of oil. You can also work with your existing oil on the hair, so you need a little bit. But if you have extremely dry scalp, you know, irritated scalp, somebody with scalp psoriasis or problems, you can perhaps use a little bit more oil.

SPEAKER_00:

And is that like when you say a little bit more, is that like a full like droppers worth or like? Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

You can use at least like five to six droppers. Oh, okay. Wow. It depends how much oil you want to use. But if like there are moments where I would completely drench my hair in oil. But I don't recommend doing that all the time. Because again, too much of anything is not good. But once in a while, if you want to do that for a full experience where your hands can just completely move without your hair blocking anything, you know, the more you oil your hair strands and everything, and it's an amazing experience. And it's extremely beneficial if you have access to steaming. after hair oiling, because then you go in the shower or even like a steam room, then the pores open up and that oil gets an opportunity to penetrate inside even deeper. So that's where you're going to find tons and tons of benefits. And Ayurveda is big about steaming, especially after body massage or hair massage.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. I have a steam shower. I'm going to have to try it. I've never done any of this before. Just practicing what you were doing, trying to do it, was relaxing. I can only imagine how much of a relaxing practice it can be. Do you also believe you use rosemary oil as well for hair growth? Yes, you can.

SPEAKER_02:

And I've spoken to a bunch of people regarding what has worked and what has not worked for them. Using just rosemary oil doesn't work for everybody else. And I have posted tons of recipes where you have fenugreek, curry leaves, rosemary, aloe vera, you know, a mix of everything, because I would always believe in a balance. Every ingredient has its own potency. It's either hot or cold. But if you make a combination, then you have certain heated herbs and certain cooling herbs. And that's just kind of a good balance. So now you have this mixture of compound, but you need And every ingredient has its own benefit for your hair, but at the same time, it also has other benefits. The smell and all of those, a combination of all of those is so beneficial. So rather than focusing on maybe just one single ingredient, sometimes it's beneficial to go and get something that has multiple ingredients in, or if you want to make your own, you can do that too. Again, there is nothing wrong with just using plain coconut oil either. Like if there are some people who swear, like my hair, amazing, they feel amazing after using just plain, simple coconut oil. But then all of those depends how damaged are your hair. Does it need a little bit more? Overall, your head likes a cooling environment. And that is going to be beneficial. And not even just for your hair, but even your brain inside, you know, it's always go, go, go, go, go, go, go. So something cooling is more appreciative for your hair. So herbs like hibiscus, herbs like amla that have cooling properties, even coconut oil has cooling properties. All of those can be very beneficial for your hair.

SPEAKER_00:

And how often do you recommend doing it? Like once a week or?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it depends how many times. It's like a pre-wash regimen, right? Okay. Before you wash your hair.

SPEAKER_00:

So for me, that'd be once a week because I don't wash my hair that much because I have dry hair. But for others who wash their hair a couple of times a week, like you could do it a couple of times a week. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, let's dig into some skincare tips. You have so many great pieces of advice on your IG content, on your feed.

SPEAKER_00:

And your skin is glowing as I'm looking at it, Alice, of like the glow.

SPEAKER_01:

Glowing, absolutely gorgeous skin. And plump. I also saw on your Instagram how all of these people are asking you your age. And this was like a whole thing going on and on about your age.

SPEAKER_00:

And I was wondering that myself.

SPEAKER_01:

From like 23 and up, right? Totally.

SPEAKER_02:

It was funny. Every time, at least once a week, I get like these weird comments. Like, why do you look 25 and 55 at the same time? Like, somewhere around that. Why do you look 23 and 53 at the same time? Like, it's always in between 20s and 50s that people start guessing my age. And I was like, all right, you know, if you guess my age correctly, um, you know, you're gonna win something. And I did pick some winners and I sent them a little something but it was really fun to do that to see I think over 4,000 people tried to guess my age, and it was fascinating to see that, and how much people were interested in just guessing a random person's age they saw online, or maybe they follow me, I don't know that. But the reason I did that was, first, it was fun, and second, just to kind of see how people would act and react. And there were a lot of comments would say like, I would give like, you know, 28, but I'm giving you 41 because I follow you and I see how much you know and like those kind of comments or people would be like I would give you 32 but then you have gray hair so maybe I'll give you 52 like that was the assumption like generally people just associate gray hair with age. people don't understand the concept of premature graying, or they don't understand some people get premature graying in their 20s, but they color it. So you don't see it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I know someone that went premature gray when they were 16. That's a thing. All right. Well, give us all the tips. All the tips on glowing, gorgeous skin.

SPEAKER_02:

So I think one of the simplest thing is to get plenty of sleep. And we all underestimate the power of sleep, but you know, beauty sleep is not just a cliche word. It's actually a real thing. The more you sleep, the more your skin is going to glow. There is no doubts. And even for hair, like you could be doing all the hair oiling in the world, but if you're not sleeping enough hours, your hair loss and your hair fall might not stop. So sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to your health. Number two is your gut health. And people, again, underestimate that so much. Well, I'm going to eat whatever I want. Well, then skin is the visual representation of your gut. Like whatever is going in your mouth, reaching your gut is what is going to show up on your skin. So find that balance. You don't have to eat salads every single day, but you don't have to eat a bunch of candy every single day. You have to find a balance of how much good food I am feeding my body because that's eventually going to show up on my skin. Number three, one of the most underrated or underestimated things is emotions. Nobody understands how emotions have an impact on your skin. And I always tell people when somebody is like, well, you know, I keep breaking out. And one of the first questions I'm like, how many hours do you sleep? Okay. Eight hours. That's almost good. How much stress do you have? Oh my God. I live on like the top of the edge all the time. I'm like, try doing some incorporating some practices and you might see a big difference in how you will have these internal hormonal shift towards having good skin just by reducing your stress levels. And I believe now science also agrees to that. high levels of stress, high levels of anger, and all of those things can lead to inflammation in the body, which will result in bad skin and even toxic relationships. Sometimes people are like, well, everything is fine, but they constantly have issues with their partner, with their parents, or one or the other relationship that they're carrying that baggage with them. So even those toxic relationships can have a huge impact on how your skin looks. And then yes, of course, the skincare that you're using needs to be as clean as possible, good quality. But I think that is the last factor that plays a very important role on how your skin looks. There's so many other factors. I actually was looking into this company that claims that their supplements can help people reverse aging. And when I took the test, it literally says 90% still depends on your lifestyle and your diet. Amlas are only working 10% here. And it's just a fact. It's just a fact. You can take all the amla in the world, but if you are constantly living on the edge, you are still going to age really quickly. You can eat all the pomegranate because now, you know, modern science confirms the pomegranate extract helps to produce more urolithin A, which is a gut microbiota that helps to really reverse aging. There is scientific proof now. And what's funny to me is, Both research that goes with Urolithin A incorporates pomegranate and amla, but I'd rather recognize this 5,000 years ago without the research. Very fascinating to see how Ayurveda has categorized amla as one of the biggest rasayana, and now modern science is catching up with it. Sometimes I see this research and I laugh. I'm like, okay, so you kind of agree with what Ayurveda has to say, but in a different way. The language is different, right? And I think it's easier, it's never been easier to actually take care of yourself with the amount of awareness we have. We have so much awareness. And if someone comes to me and be like, well, my acne is not going away. I'm like, all right, let's start here. Let's figure out what could be the problem. Even if hormones are the problem, then something is off in your lifestyle. Something is off in, you know, your diet. There are people who are like, well, I constantly like, have you done any A-B testing with your food? Maybe you're eating something that your body's not able to digest well. You're not celiac, but maybe your body has a very hard time digesting gluten and just try to cut it out for a few days or minimize the consumption of gluten and see how your skin reacts to that. So there's so many simple ways, but you just have to, again, listen to your body. Like, I ate this today. Did I go to the bathroom the next day? I ate this today. How do I feel? Do I feel bloated after a salad or do I feel great after a salad? So those are, I think, really simple things that are directly connected, again, to your skin.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, there is such a strong disconnect. I feel like in the Western world, and we've talked about this many times about people wanting to accept that what you put into your body is such a huge factor of what is happening to your body. You know, it's really, it's like a part of our culture. There's a disbelief in it. Right? And these practices have been going on for so many years. There's so much efficacy behind it. It's really amazing. I mean, my husband has psoriasis, and he used to travel all the time, constantly, and his psoriasis would be horrible. And now his stress levels are down dramatically because his travel is down drastically, and his psoriasis is completely gone. So, you know, something as simple, he's not taking any medication. He hasn't changed much of anything else. He does take good care of himself. But it's, you know, it's an example right there.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Of lower stress. I was also going to say, even for like teenagers, like a lot of teenagers obviously like go through puberty and have bad skin, but they also don't eat well. Most teenagers are like sugar and like crappy food. And I was talking to a friend of mine's daughter recently, and she was saying that she had really bad skin, but she was able to clear it up. And I was like, oh, how did you clear it up? And she's like, I cut back on sugar. And I was like, smart. But to have awareness as a teenager and be able to do that, I thought was really impressive. But Yes, it's so true that we're so focused and even we always talk about different products and all these things, but if you're not doing those basic things like you're never going to get anywhere and then the products only help, but they're not going to make or break you. It's really like how you take care of your gut and what you're putting in your mouth, which is so true.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, especially for young kids, you know, when they're at that sensitive age of puberty and they start feeling less confident because, you know, their friends start judging them and it's just a normal thing. Kids do that at that age. You know, but I think we as parents should have the ability to just not go to Sephora and buy them products, but actually make them understand that, you know, your skin is it is what it is because something is off in your gut. A dermatologist is going to give you and I'm not saying don't go to the dermatologist you should probably go to the dermatologist and get a quick fix on the top so your confidence level as a teenager you know doesn't disappear but at the same time while you're doing that you should also start focusing on your inner body because that's where everything is going wrong. The topical products will help you suppress it but it will not help you from not coming back. It will keep coming back and you'll get addicted eventually at a very young age to these topical ointments. But so you have to take care of your body from the inside. And I think that's why like, with the awareness that we have right now, I think we should constantly encourage our kids, okay, you want an ice cream? How about we eat vegetables this entire week, you know, and towards the end of the week, we can go have an ice cream. And there's nothing wrong with that, instead of giving them an ice cream option every single day. But I think we as parents need to have a little bit of accountability on that.

SPEAKER_00:

I also try to explain to my kids, which they don't fully get, but at least I put it in their head and maybe they'll think about it one day, is just the ingredient list. Because even if they are having chips, if the chips have five ingredients instead of 30, they're going to be in a better place. So I try to just, because they don't equate it to gut health and skin health. They equate it to like, oh, I can eat whatever I want. What does it matter? And I'm like, no, it's not healthy, right? And it's, it's hard, I think, especially for like young boys to understand that, but at least trying to put it out there, like less ingredients, the better, because, you know, just looking at these ingredient lists and like, you know, Doritos and all this stuff, it's so nasty that, you know, just getting that awareness out there, I think in general, which I think is out there, like just, you know, on TikTok and all the social media platforms, I think there, there's a lot more to your point awareness of this stuff than there was, you know, when we were younger. So I think it's positive. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I think most of our listeners, I would assume, probably are aligned with, you know, working on the inside out. So I would love to, because you have some fantastic tips for natural skin care that I've seen. You create masks at home, you use rose water, I think you used honey. So give us a couple of those because I'm sure our listeners would love to hear and be able to do something like that at home themselves.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, I've always said honey is one of, one of my favorite cleansers. It leaves your skin like with the feeling of a baby, you're going to literally feel like a baby skin with honey. But again, it's not a makeup cleanser, right? It is not, it will not remove your sunscreens because you need oil-based cleansers to remove sunscreen. But if you are, you know, somewhere you're not using makeup, you're not using sunscreen, you're indoors all day. then I would highly recommend just use honey for cleaning your skin. Clay masks. There are tons of clay masks that are available in the market, but something as simple as a little bit of a pinch of turmeric in Greek yogurt, that's an amazing mask. Wow. One of my favorite go-to masks. You will get instant brightening. The lactic acid from the yogurt and the anti-inflammatory and brightening properties of saffron, you are going to see your skin, whoa, I just had. And a lot of people are like, well, you know, turmeric is gonna stain. No, it's not gonna because of an addition of the yogurt, it is not going to stain your skin. And if it is staining your skin, it's probably because you're putting too much of turmeric in there. You just need like a little pinch of it. And like, there's so many simple things. You can make your own rose water. I posted a video about how it's very simple. It takes literally 20 minutes to make your own rose water. If you're not confident in the brand, you know, for the most part, people don't do that because it's still time consuming, but there's so many of these simple tips. Don't aggressively exfoliate your skin. You know, if you really want like one of the simplest exfoliator, Coffee, you made coffee, you had coffee, you have now grinds that you don't know what to do. You can use that as an exfoliator on your skin. Coffee is amazing for brightening your skin, for aging, for signs of aging, so many things. So not necessarily you need to spend a lot of money in order to have good skin. You can have everything in your home. I've also posted like an affordable skincare hack where you can take jojoba oil because the sebum off your skin is very natural compared to the chemical aspect of the jojoba oil. So it absorbs into the skin really quickly and add a few drops of frankincense to it, an essential oil. So now you take a $10 carrier oil, you know, buy from a good company, and then you add this essential oil that is going to last you forever. The ratio is for every ounce, you add four drops of essential oils or five drops of essential oils maximum, and you're going to see your skin thriving. And if you have a few strands of saffron at home, infuse it. Now you have your own saffron oil, which is amazing for depigmentation, skin repair. Saffron actually has the ability to repair your skin's barrier. So there's so many DIY things. If people are like, I don't want to go spend a lot of money, you don't have to. But again, you make the commitment to consistently do things. If you have the budget, then there are plenty of good companies that sell good saffron oil. Everybody has their own favorites, but you have the options of getting things if you don't want to make them at home. But if you want to make that at home, again, you have plenty of options to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

Wait, how do you wash your face with honey? Is it really sticky or do you mix it with something?

SPEAKER_02:

No, you just wet your face, just rinse your face with water, take a little teaspoon of honey, just rub it on your palm, your hands are still wet, and then just start cleansing your face with honey. That's it. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_01:

You can do that first thing in the morning, right? Because if it's first thing in the morning, you're not rinsing off your makeup and your skin, you can start your day with it. You may not have to try it.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. It sounds lovely.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, well, let's get into oh, you know what I really want to talk about is tongue scraping because I saw we we have talked a little bit about this Amy, but I don't think we've ever been able to do too much of a deep dive on it. We did with Oh, I will edit this out. I can't think of her name. But tell us a little bit about tongue scraping. And maybe if you could just break down into like the two or three things that you see the most when you look at someone's tongue, what does that mean? And then why do we scrape our tongue?

SPEAKER_02:

So in Ayurveda, tongue scraping is recommended because when you sleep at nighttime and you wake up in the morning, all the metabolic waste, it basically goes up because your oral health and your gut health is connected. It just goes back and sits on your tongue. So when you wake up in the morning, we have this white coating on the tongue. Majority of the people have it. I think everybody has it. Some have it more, some have it less. And that is a sign of the metabolic waste. So if you clean that out, not only you're increasing the perception of taste in your body, but you're also enhancing your oral microbiome. Some people, and again, your tongue, even according to Ayurveda and Chinese medicine can actually talk a lot about your internal health. But focusing on Ayurveda, if your tongue is extremely highly red, you have a pitta imbalance. If it's extremely pale, then you have an extreme mata imbalance. So when you go to an Ayurvedic doctor, the first thing they do is like, show me your tongue.

SPEAKER_00:

That's what my acupuncturist used to do every time I went in there. Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. They really want to see the tongue because it can literally translate what's going inside your body. The cracks, the shapes, everything can be connected. Something's off in the body. Let's see the tongue.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. And so when you scrape your tongue in the morning, is it, you're kind of like giving it a fresh start almost so that the, what did you say? The metabolic waste? Is that what you said? The metabolic waste doesn't just build up essentially. Exactly. And then that in turn affects your microbiome positively.

SPEAKER_00:

I've actually been doing tongue scraping for years and I probably haven't talked about on the show, Katie, but it's made a huge difference I feel like in my oral health and just like I can't even if I don't do it I feel gross like I can't even drink anything because I just feel like I'm taking germs and like you know um I love once you start scraping you're never going back to not you can't and it's not like with you it's just for our listeners we don't mean tongue scraping with like a toothbrush we mean with an actual tool that you just do it for a second and it like I also think it helps with, and I don't know if this is right, but immunity. I feel like it keeps you healthy. I mean, not to jinx, but I haven't gotten a lot of colds and stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

So again, internally, your entire body is connected, right? And even modern science agrees with it. Your good oral health is connected to your gut health. Your gut health is connected to your brain health. Your cognitive health increases your immunity. And all of those things again are interrelated. So a good oral microbiome, a healthy oral microbiome is again, is going to help your body internally function really, really well.

SPEAKER_01:

I have a tongue scraper and I tried to use it and I don't know if I was like too aggressive or something, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't get into it. Maybe I'm just being too aggressive.

SPEAKER_00:

That's what happened with my husband and he was like, Joey. I'm like, no, you don't have to do it that hard, right?

SPEAKER_01:

It can be a little bit more superficial than that. You don't have to like

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, you don't have to be aggressive on your tongue. Definitely not ideal to be aggressive with your tongue. I just do it quickly. I don't know. Well, your gag reflex sometimes, it's a muscle. Your gag reflex is a muscle, right? And it can be trained over time because sometimes people go like with the tongue sweeper all the way inside. I'm like, yeah, you need to go that back. And if it's not trained very well, you know, you start and then you slowly train yourself in your muscle to work. And the more you do it, the better you're going to get just like oil pulling or anything else.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. Okay, great.

SPEAKER_00:

I want to hear about oil pulling because that I haven't done and I feel like I've seen things about that and I don't know much about it.

SPEAKER_02:

So oil pulling, Ayurveda sees it as a preventative practice. But as you might have seen on TikTok, now everybody, especially this one company, and I work with them, it's very interesting how they have literally changed the scope of oil pulling because It's not easy to swish oil in your mouth. If you take traditional sesame oil, which even I can't do because I don't like the taste of sesame oil, or traditional coconut oil, because then you have to go melt it. And so they created this fractionated coconut oil, added menthol and some essential oils, which are beneficial like cardamom and fennel are very effective for bad breath, clove oil, which is very effective for your gums as well as your teeth. So they've added all of these tea tree oregano essential oils to it and made it palatable, basically, for people to do it. And because you have all of these essential oils, and even traditionally, Ayurveda never said to oil pull for 20 minutes or 30 minutes like people were doing. I'm like, you're going to have a TMJ if you do it for that long. No, two to five minutes is more than enough. But I feel like what the company has done very successfully is made the oil more palatable for people. And that's why people have been able to sustain their practice. So a lot of people were like, well, my teeth are not whiter. I don't have bad breath anymore. And some people are like, my gums are regrowing. I'm like, your gums cannot regrow. That's just not how it works. What probably happened, because their gums were inflamed, now because of oil pulling and all these essential oils added to it, the inflammation has gone down. So now the gums are becoming normal. And because they're normal, and they're not swollen, you know, they feel like they're growing back. And I'm like, because your gums are not going to grow back. That's just not how it works. Some of the claims do not make sense to me at all. But because I know the practice, I'm kind of able to put a little bit of logic behind it. And I always tell people, well, I don't think your gums are growing back. I think the inflammation is going down. What are the benefits of it? So bad breath, again, a good oral microbiome, especially if you're a mouth breather, you are going to have dry mouth. It's going to help you with that. And a lot of people, when they sleep, they put retainers in and, you know, you tend to have this biofilm covering your teeth. So it's able to get into those deeper corners and help you clean your mouth even more than just traditional brushing and flossing.

SPEAKER_00:

Does it help with whitening teeth or it doesn't? Because I feel like I've seen. Doesn't help.

SPEAKER_02:

So traditional oil pulling doesn't help with whitening your teeth, but it can help to, if you're someone who drinks a lot of coffee, coffee is going to stain your teeth, right? So it's going to help with the decoloration because you're swishing it in your mouth. It is kind of cleaning your teeth a little bit. So it's not like it's whitening your teeth, but it's doing a better job in cleaning your teeth, which makes it feel like, oh, my teeth are whiter. But your teeth are not. It's not whitening. It's not doing the job of whitening your teeth. It cannot whiten your teeth.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. So what was the brand you were talking about? This brand is Gurunatha. So I have to tell you something funny about this brand. So Katie had recently recommended this brand. They sell a teeth whitener, which Katie has found really helpful. But I was in my son's room, which is so funny, and he had that oil on his sink. And I don't really go in there that much. And I was like, where? Wait, which one? Jackson? Yeah, Jackson, my 17-year-old. I was like, where did you get this oil? He's like, oh, I bought it online. I was like, oh my God, he saw that video on TikTok that everybody's seen. I was like, well, why did you get it? Have you tried it? He's like, I haven't tried it that much, but I don't know. I think it's going to make my teeth whiter. I'm like, okay. I just thought it was hilarious because you know, teenagers are finding this stuff and using it, which is great, right? Holistic, it's good for you. But like, I was like, it's so not like him to have something like that. I'm like, is this yours? Is this your girlfriend's? Like, how do you have an oil pull? I'm like, I got to try that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's so funny. And it's good to know to like, you know, the younger kids are also doing. It's a practice once you get into it. Again, it's like tongue scraping. Once you start oil pulling and then you stop oil pulling, you're going to be like, something's missing. I won't feel clean enough.

SPEAKER_01:

What is the order in which we do all of these oral practices? Do you brush your teeth, tongue scrape, oil pull or back?

SPEAKER_02:

Tongue scraping first, always, first thing in the morning. And then traditionally, according to Ayurveda, you're supposed to brush first and then oil pull. Then rinse your mouth with salt water or modern salt. But out of convenience, people clean their tongue, they oil pull, and then they brush their teeth. because then whatever toxins are sitting, you know, you collect a lot of bacteria with that oil and it's going to sit in your mouth. But if you brush after, then you're able to remove everything and clean the oil that is sitting in your mouth better because you do not want that oil to reach your gut. Right. Neither is doing it even before brushing. It's not wrong. In fact, it's just a little bit more practical. And then you just thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. I'm going to try it. I was hesitant on the oil pulling. I don't know why. I guess it just seemed unappealing to me. But you don't have to do it for that long. How many minutes did you do? Two to five minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

More than enough. Okay. No, absolutely. Don't do it for ten. No. Even those two to five minutes are going to give you a nice, nice jawline.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, seriously. It's like exercising. Exactly. Exercising that jawline.

SPEAKER_01:

Alright, great. I'm trying it. Guru Ananda, I love their whitening strips. They work really, really well. I saw you use them as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I use them and I like the fact that it's the only whitening strip that doesn't leave my teeth extremely sensitive.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, same. That's exactly why I like them.

SPEAKER_00:

I need to try that. I know you recommended it.

SPEAKER_01:

So before we let you go, this can be such a vast, broad question because I can only imagine the amount of herbs and everything that can be in one's Ayurveda practice. But what are some of your favorites? What is in your routine that you use and why or that you suggest the most?

SPEAKER_02:

I take amla every day versus vitamin C, high in antioxidants. You're going to get sick less. And one of the most important things that people don't kind of relate with each other, vitamin C helps to synthesize collagen naturally in your body. And collagen, the more collagen, the less you age. And that is not just for your skin, but pretty much your entire body, right? Collagen is good for your bones, your hair, your skin, your nails, everything. I always tell people, like, if there's one supplement that I recommend people to consume is Amla. And get your herbs from a reputated company. Don't buy your herbs from a random Amazon company. I always say that. Make sure you know where their sourcing is coming from and then get your herbs. And one practice that I live by and I absolutely love is just massaging your feet for two minutes before going to bed, especially if you have sleeping issues or, you know, insomnia or whatever, like that one practice is going to be insanely benefit for people.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. And massage your feet with lotion, oil?

SPEAKER_02:

Oil, preferably warm oil. Just massage your feet for like two minutes, you know, like reflexology, basically giving it to yourself. You're going to sleep like a baby after that.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice. Okay. All right. So where can our listeners find you? Your Instagram is?

SPEAKER_02:

kirtitawani, just my name. And TikTok is also kirtitawani, just my name. And my YouTube is also just my name, Kirstie Tuani.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Well, let's do our wrap session. You might've just given away some of your secrets, but let's do it just in case there's some more, which I'm sure there probably is. So what is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

SPEAKER_02:

Hack? I think saffron. It is the key to, it has so many benefits for your skin. Consuming saffron also enhances like, you know, saffron tea or saffron milk. also enhances your cognitive health, because your brain health is really important. It's not just how I look, it's also about where my brain is functioning, right? And then saffron also has immense amount of benefits for your skin.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, the next one we call our five minute flow. You've just got it in the shower and Uber pings you. They're five minutes away. What is your quick, you know, what are your quick things that you do to get right off and get ready and get out the door in five minutes? Like what do you put in your face, your hair, et cetera?

SPEAKER_02:

I think my hair, I would just leave as is unless I washed it. Even then I would just leave it as is. I might put a little bit of oil if it's just too frizzy or depending on if it's raining outside or something like that. But I would just take any oil that I have available on my counter. I would put it from head to toe and grab a multi-stick and run. like a multi-step for your eyes, cheeks, blush, whatever you can use. Oil will give you all the glow you need. You're moisturized. That's one of the most important things. A hair tie. If my hair is looking messy, just put it in a bun and just get going.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

How many oils do you have on your counter?

SPEAKER_02:

More than I can count some days. I have a lot of oils. I mean, everybody who knows me knows that I'm absolutely obsessed with oils for face, oils for body. And again, my kids, I drench them every day after the shower. Now they know, they come out of their own shower. My son is now old enough. he puts oil on his own body and then he gets stressed and just use regular olive oil. In the summertime, we use regular coconut oil, sometimes sesame oil, and then I give them oil massages and they get very excited for their weekly full body massage. Again, a body oil. One of my favorite body oils is from this Ayurvedic company, called Sahajan. They have this beautiful, gorgeous body oil that smells divine. It's just amazing. And it absorbs into the body really well. And I think the base does have a little bit of sesame oil, which traditionally Ayurveda recommends.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I'm going to get that. I need a new body oil. What's your favorite face oil now that you're on the body oil topic?

SPEAKER_02:

Ranava, saffron serum. 100%. Like one of my all the way at the top.

SPEAKER_00:

What's the brand? Ranavath. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

We'll have to get the spelling.

SPEAKER_02:

We have that in Sephora too now.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Sephora sells it. Great. Ranavath, face oil. Okay. Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. And then our last question is how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

SPEAKER_02:

By taking small breaks. So everything, I'm trying not to just go back to back to back to back all the time, because that is what causes a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety. So I make sure sometimes I even block like those five-minute things. I put, you know, do some inversions because the head needs a little bit of more blood flow. It's also good for premature gray hair. And just take those tiny little breaks, just for my brain health, my soul health, myself. and get back to work. And I think that has definitely increased productivity. That has definitely changed the way I react to certain situations. So yeah, I think Everybody should have these tiny little me time breaks where you're doing nothing. You're not on your phone. Taking a break doesn't mean I'm going to scroll on Instagram or TikTok. Taking a break means I'm just catching up with my own breath, just being conscious in the moment and letting everything go.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a good reminder. And before you leave, and you can say pass if you don't want to answer, but now I'm curious. I need to know how old you are. If you don't want to say it, just say pass. That's fine too. I'm 38.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, beautiful. Yeah. You could be 22.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. I was like, I'm like, she has kids. So she's not in her twenties. I was thinking like somewhere between like 30 and 35, but okay. Yeah. But I'm 38. You look amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, well, Kirti, thank you so much for being with us today. I feel like we've got so much great, fun information from you and our listeners are going to love it. So we appreciate it. Thank you. Of course.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for having me. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 145 - How to Get Your Teenager Talking with You, Boost Their Confidence and Motivation, and Navigate Those Cringe Moments featuring Teen life coach Will Elliott (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 145.

[00:07] Amy Sherman: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

[00:18] Katie Chandler: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

[00:27] Amy Sherman: Welcome back to the show, Nirvana Sisters family. It's Amy and Katie, and we are so excited for today's guest. And let me tell you about him before we get into it. Will Elliott is one of the world's top life coaches for teens and is dedicated to helping the next generation live confident, bold, and purpose driven lives. He coaches teens and parents, helping them develop unshakable confidence and indestructible character so they can take action to become truly unstoppable. He's passionate about making personal growth fun for kids and taking the stress out of parenting by teaching parents to connect effectively with their teens. And this subject is so relevant for our audience and us. We both have. I have two boys. One is 17 and, well, one's almost 17 and 14. And Katie has two girls, ten. And how old's Reese? 610 and six. So she's like preteen. I'm in the thick of it. And for our audience, I found will just online on Instagram. He has incredible content. So if you haven't checked out his homepage, if you haven't checked out his instagram, we'll put a link in our show notes. But such good advice. Literally, a lot of the things you have in there, I'll do. You'll be like, text your teenager this. And I'll be like, oh, my God, I'm going to text jackson this. But such good info. So, will, why don't you just jump? First of all, welcome to the show. Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into this, because I just think your perspective is so refreshing.

[02:02] Will Elliott: Yes. So it's a very long story, but I think the best summarization is I wanted to become the leader that I wish I had when I was in high school. And I know that sounds pretty cringey or cliche, but I was so desperate for someone to give me life principles that I could use to improve my confidence, teach me how to set goals, not in a cringy way, and stop procrastinating, get off video games, all these different things that I was really, really needing as a middle school and high school boy. I just started posting content on social media, giving that advice that I wish I had. And so now I've grown an audience of parents, mostly. So I find myself being the middleman. That's the best way to describe myself, is I'm the relatable, fun one for the kids, but I'm also a little bit older and more mature than an average teenager, and I just communicate what they're feeling and what their needs are to parents, and I think they appreciate that perspective. So, yeah, that's a little bit about my background. I've been doing it for about five years now and absolutely love every single day. I've helped thousands of kids, mainly with confidence and a lot of other things, too. So, yeah, thanks again for having me. Great.

[03:17] Katie Chandler: Yeah, I'm excited.

[03:18] Amy Sherman: Yeah. Thank you for all of your knowledge and wisdom. We really are savoring it. I guess there's so many things to talk about. I feel like we could go everywhere, in all directions. But I guess the first thing is you were saying about you talk to a lot of teens, and how do you just get your teen to just talk with you and tell you what's on their mind? I mean, I have boys, right? And they're very different. One is less talkative, one's more talkative. But just, like, how do you kind of get them out of their shell and less one word answers and that kind of stuff?

[03:52] Will Elliott: Great question.

[03:53] Amy Sherman: Yeah.

[03:54] Will Elliott: I was definitely the kid that rolled my eyes when my mom asked me how was my day? I was like, mom, I don't want to talk about anything. Or I would just say, I don't know. And I feel like that's what most parents kind of tell me. And so I think the first thing is lower your expectations, especially the teenage boys. I think lowering expectations of how much they open up to you about their relationships at school or their friends or what's happening at school, their grades. I think lowering expectations and balancing that with asking them those questions while they're doing something they enjoy. So this is what we always, or what I coach, is indirect communication. So using the opportunities, like in the car, shooting hoops outside. My parents asked me the deepest questions when we were shooting baskets because they knew that I would open up rather than, let's say, at a dinner table with my siblings around. But they knew when I was having fun and when I was doing something that I enjoyed, I would be more willing to open up about things, and I probably didn't even know about it. So I would say using indirect communication, lowering expectations, also talking to them about their interests, just creates a safe space for them to feel seen, heard, loved, and understood, which obviously opens up the door for you to ask a little bit more personal questions about things that you want to know. Maybe they don't naturally open up about.

[05:22] Katie Chandler: It's very true. The piece of talking to them when they're doing something that they enjoy. And I've noticed that with my girls from the time that they were really little until even now, they like to do arts and crafts. So we'll be doing that a lot, and we'll start talking, and then that's next thing I know, it's all coming out right, but versus when you're sitting at the dinner table, they feel like they're put on the spot or something, and they don't want everybody else to listen. Or even in the car, they feel like they're locked in.

[05:53] Amy Sherman: Right. Trapped, yeah, for sure. I find that when I play video games, or at least sit downstairs in the basement with my kids when they're playing video games, I definitely get more insight into what's going on.

[06:08] Will Elliott: Yeah, I think we're all like that, too, not just teenagers.

[06:12] Amy Sherman: Totally.

[06:13] Will Elliott: Yeah. I'm a big supporter, and I'm very convicted. And if we talk to teenagers like we talk to other humans, and when we approach teenagers, like we want to be approached as adults, that's ultimately what they're craving the most. That's what a teenager is all about, is they want to be independent. And even though they're not an adult, they want to be treated like an adult. And so using those small things, like, what do we open up or when do we open up the most? And just asking them to do the kind of the same thing, I think that always helps.

[06:40] Katie Chandler: All right, so I want to know, what's some of your advice for getting teens motivated and staying motivated? I mean, I feel know mine are younger than yours, Amy, but I'm sure you could speak to this better than I can. They seem to have so much on their plate all the time, and there's so many extracurriculars, and there's so many demands at school. I'm sure it's really. I remember it was really hard to stay motivated. It's also, you want to just have fun when you're a teen. Right? So what are some tricks there?

[07:11] Will Elliott: Yeah. My perspective on motivation is very different, and I am not a huge believer in motivation. I know that I have not gotten where I am today because of motivation. I think a lot of kids and a lot of people are under the assumption that they need motivation in order to take action, where, in reality, action is the thing that usually gives motivation. And so when we can help kids kind of shift the perspective and help them just take action even when they're not motivated. And I have a lot of tips around that. But I think as the parent shifting your perspective towards, I don't want to motivate my teenager, but instead I want to help them build momentum. I want to help them build action. And I'm going to do that by praising little things that they're doing. Well, then the more that they do that, it's kind of like going to the gym. When you go to the gym and you start seeing progress, even when you maybe just start out going to the gym, you're not crazy motivated. But when you start seeing progress, you start to get more motivated. You're like, oh, this stuff is actually working. I actually want to go back. It makes me feel good. So action leads to motivation rather than the other way around. So I think the more we can build Momentum, that's the secret.

[08:21] Amy Sherman: Yes. Give us an example. How do you do that? How do you help them to build momentum?

[08:28] Will Elliott: Yes. And that's kind of the question that always comes after what I just explained. And so I'll leave it at this. Most students, or I'll start with this, most students really feel as though they can't do anything right. And I've had thousands of conversations with kids, with teenagers, and they feel bombarded by this idea that everything that they're doing is not good and definitely not good enough. And that's really exhausting. We don't like when we are bombarded with that message. So from school, from sports, social media is the biggest thing. And so I think the more that we catch kids doing things right, catching teenagers doing even the littlest thing correct. When my parents caught me, or let's say, said, hey, will, I notice that you got up on your first alarm this morning. That was really awesome. It subconsciously gave me kind of this hit of, oh, wow, I actually did something right for once. You're pointing it out. And obviously parents catch kids doing things right a lot, but I think being really intentional about it is how you build momentum. The more that you catch them doing little things right, the more they're going to want to do those little things right. Hence leading to bigger opportunities to do big.

[09:43] Katie Chandler: Had Erica Brunwasser. She is a parent coach for kids that are parents that have much younger kids. And she said something very similar and I applied it to my girls and it does, it works really well. What were you going to say, amy?

[09:58] Amy Sherman: I was going to say, it's funny. I try to do that very intentionally. As much as I can sometimes. I'm not always thinking about it, but I do find that I get a little smile if I say, hey, I noticed you did XYZ. That's awesome. I'm proud of you. Whatever. And I have this. I was going to bring it up later, but I'll bring it up now because I think it's relevant for so many people. I am very much of that mindset. Like, positivity breeds positivity. Motivation breeds motivation. Like every little tiny thing. What if your partner, AK, my husband, and probably others husbands or wives are not on the same page? He's very much. I wouldn't say stricter, but more like that type of philosophy he doesn't buy into. He thinks it's like, soft. It's hard because we just have different outlooks.

[10:50] Katie Chandler: Right.

[10:50] Amy Sherman: And so how do you deal with parents who are not always on the same page with how you discipline or how you react to those sorts of things?

[10:59] Will Elliott: Yeah, I mean, you're always going to have a balance, and I think a balance is really important now. For me, I was an athlete, I went division one for a couple of different sports, and I had coaches that didn't catch me doing little things. Right. And I learned certain things from them and I had other coaches that did, and I learned certain things from them. So if you have a partner that doesn't do that, I think it's even more important for you to do that. You obviously can't control them. And so just doing your best to find the balance and knowing that there is good things, there's pros of both. Right. And so I think just having faith that they will get different lessons from different parents.

[11:43] Katie Chandler: Is it kind of like his perspective is you do your chores because you're supposed to do your chores, and then I'm not going to give you a pat on the back. It's your job. Is it more of like, that perspective?

[11:53] Amy Sherman: Yeah. Or like the trash every week? If he doesn't take it out proactively without us reminding him, then that's not good. Where I'm like, well, okay, he forgot, but if I ask him, he does it with no problem. So what's the big. His. His philosophy is more like, well, he should be doing it proactively. We shouldn't have to remind him. He'd been doing it for five years. Why do we have to remind him every week? But every once in a while, he does do it by himself without us telling him. And I'm like, jackson, I loved how you did the trash without us reminding. I. But I like that idea of, like, you're not going to change your partner. They are who they are, and they have their positives and negatives, too, just like I do. So everyone puts a different perspective. It's just like teachers, right? Like, some teachers are amazing for a certain kid's learning style and some aren't. But to your point, they probably learn from both styles in different ways. So it's a really good outlook. I love that.

[12:44] Katie Chandler: It kind of raises the question of if the positive reinforcement is one way, is the other way, sort of teaching a child to have grit, because grit, I think, within children is huge. To be able to persevere through something if they get knocked down, to get back up again and to keep fighting and not just to give up. And my kids, they're not in sports. And I really feel like my ten year old did sports for the first time this past year, and she's learned a piece of some grit from sports activities. And I feel like that can really just get surpassed with children these days. And then it hurts them in the long run because you have to have grit when you're in the working forest, in the real world and everything, right?

[13:33] Will Elliott: Yeah. Grit is my favorite word. It's my favorite thing to talk about. I definitely find it really hard to help kids develop grit just because my kind of definition of grit, the way that my mentor explained it to me when I was in college, is doing things that you don't feel like doing, but knowing it's going to help you with your long term vision. And so it's really just saying no to instant gratification. And I always like to remind parents I had zero grit until college. I mean, late college, I started knocking on doors, doing door to door sales, and I never really had to go through a whole lot of super uncomfortable moments that I would say called for a ton of grit until then. And so just because your kid is not really developing grit that you can see on an everyday basis when they're in high school doesn't mean that they're never going to be gritty. I would say that's one of my biggest strengths. It's led to me doing a lot of things that I'm doing now, and I didn't learn it until later. So I do think that the second parenting style does lead to that. I mean, my dad specifically didn't give me a ton of validation. I had to work really hard for that validation. And that's still something that there are pros and cons to that, of course, but it didn't come naturally to him giving it to me. And I think that probably subconsciously gave me a little bit of grit. But there were more moments, the more that I got older, that gave me clear opportunities to develop it with social.

[15:09] Katie Chandler: Media and the instant gratification of that in the world that we live in today. I feel like these generations, that's even a bigger issue because of that exact reason. It's a little scary, right? They're so used to instant gratification. They're so used to that. Like, or that.

[15:29] Amy Sherman: And so many options, like, oh, this is work. I'll do something else. I also think. And tell me what you think, will. I feel like confidence probably aligns itself with grit. I feel like sometimes my kids will say things that don't sound confident to me, like they wanted to do something. They asked the teacher, and the teacher was like, no. And I was like, well, don't take no for an answer. Go back. And they're like, no, it's okay. And I'm like, well, if they had a bit more confidence, they might go back up to the teacher and say, you know what? I heard you. But XYZ, so I don't know. Do you think they kind of go hand in hand a little bit?

[16:06] Will Elliott: For sure. I would say that, for me, a lot of confidence comes from my faith in myself that I can get over the no's or essentially get over the hardships. And I think a lot of students, they're kind of in the same boat, and they just need to go through those hardships. It takes a long time to learn, like, even in that example, it takes a long time for kids and teenagers to learn to keep persisting through that failure. Right. And so a lot of the things that I see in the parent side of my coaching is that they are fixing a lot of the kids issues, and so that really robs them of opportunities to actually learn those types of things. And so, yeah, I think it just takes a long time for us to develop the, I guess, awareness as well as the maturity to keep persisting through those exact moments. But the more that they practice that, the more that they obviously get gritty and attach that grit to confidence.

[17:08] Amy Sherman: And I'm sure parents are ruining it for a lot of kids, too. I'm sure. You see, like, I see you talk about on your feed all the time, like the helicopter versus the lighthouse parent. Talk about that a little bit.

[17:17] Katie Chandler: Hear that?

[17:18] Will Elliott: Yeah. This is, I think, the best explanation of what I see in kids today for the parent side of things. I see a lot of kids problems. And for all the parents that are listening to this, it is not your fault that you helicopter parent. It's also if your kid isn't confident or let's say if they're not being persistent and they're not developing grit, it's not just the parent's job to bring that out in kids. I mean, the society we live in and the world we live in doesn't really help kids. Right. It's a very difficult time with social media and everything. So it's not just the parents fault. There are different things that you can do. So the best way to describe this is helicopter parents try to fix, and they are primarily the coach of their kids. Now, that is essentially ten plus years of habits that you've had to kind of cultivate in order to get your kids understanding the importance of hygiene and talking to adults. Right? So up until about twelve years old, you've had to kind of be a helicopter parent. They need that to some extent. But it seems like when they reach the tween years and especially the teenage years, it seems like their needs shift and change completely. And so maybe they wake up one morning and they don't want your advice, they roll their eyes and they storm up to their room. And so with their needs changing, your habits, as the parent I've seen need to change as well. And that's where lighthouse parenting comes in, where you need to be more of a counselor rather than a coach. So just be there as their teammate rather than, let's say, a general manager that's calling out the plays. It's like, hey, I'm here with you. I'm here to learn with you. I don't have all the answers myself. I'm just going to be consistent. I'm not going anywhere. And that is what a teenager is craving the most. Right.

[19:11] Katie Chandler: And is it? Also, they need to learn their own lessons, they need to make the mistakes, they need to fall on their face sometime. You can't save them from everything every second, right? And if you're doing that, they're pulling away more and then they're shutting down more. At least. I mean, I've noticed that in this house, my husband is definitely a helicopter parent. That's Amy's brother. He's rolling helicopter right into ten years old.

[19:45] Amy Sherman: He's like, more than helicopter, I would say.

[19:50] Will Elliott: You're exactly right. So I've spent a lot of time coaching kids. I've had some pretty awesome relationships that have lasted multiple years and not only from my own experience, but from their experience. They grow absolutely the most from falling on their face, like you say, and failing and missing a basketball team or getting rejected by a girl they like or whatever it may be. That's really hard in the short term, but it's awesome in the long term. And that ultimately kind of comes back to grit as well. It's like if you're robbing your kids of opportunities to build character through difficult times, short term hard leads to long term easy. That's what I've seen in my own life. I've spent so much time, I think, going through hard things that my parents allowed me to fail in, but that helped me develop the character to do the things that I love doing now. And so I always like to say, don't rob your kids of opportunities to develop character through short term hard. They need short term hard to have long term easy.

[20:56] Katie Chandler: Just say that again because so you said short term hard is going to say that again? Yeah, please.

[21:05] Will Elliott: Yeah. Short term hard is going to help your kids develop the character to experience.

[21:12] Katie Chandler: Long term versus short term easy. Rather, when they're children, making everything easy for them is going to potentially make the long term really hard for them because they're not going to develop any of the skill sets that they need or the character that they need to power through and to persevere and to become what they want to become, et cetera. Agreed.

[21:32] Will Elliott: Yeah, exactly. They probably will learn all of those things, but it could be when they're 25 or 30 years old, and that's when it's harder to learn those things because you have so many other things going on in life, from what I've noticed. Right. Yeah.

[21:50] Amy Sherman: I agree with that philosophy. I think sometimes, especially for high school kids, and I'm just thinking specifically on school, and I know you have a whole thing about, like, you shouldn't talk to your kids about grades all the time in school, and it's really hard not to, especially in high school, but that kind of stuff, especially with grades. And when you're in high school and it counts, it's really hard to have them do really bad on a test or when it really counts, it's painful, even though it's a good lesson. It's like when they're younger, like middle school, much easier. High school and the stakes are higher. How do you coach parents through that?

[22:24] Will Elliott: Yeah, school is really hard. I think for me, I was not a good student, and so it's easier for me to kind of look back and obviously acknowledge that school is not everything. I think that perspective is really helpful in and of itself. Just reminding yourself that school is not the only definition of success. Now, I empathize with parents out there because it is so important. I think especially in high school, because grades matter, you might be the one paying for college. You really want them to succeed in a good school. But I always like to say that your definition of success for your kid will be the thing that your actions follow. And so if your definition of success is really only school success, then of course you're probably going to nag. You're probably going to try to fix their situation in school. And the more that you can zoom out. My parents really regret not doing this. They were very zoomed in. They nagged me a lot. And they always kind of say, I wish I would have just zoomed out. I wish I would have just seen the bigger picture. Because a lot of the times, obviously, when we are zoomed in, we can't really see much around us the important things. We often lose sight of the important things. And I think the posture of school is the first thing I always like to work on with parents of just reminding themselves that it's not everything. And then from that posture, I think there are good things that you can do. And yeah, I'm open to talking about those too, but I really think the posture and zooming out is super important.

[24:01] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I think it's also super hard these days, too. To your point about social media, because you're hearing about high school and college and it's so competitive and everyone is insane about grades and school and competition. It's like, to your point, just taking a breath and zooming out and being like, everything's going to work out. It is hard to do that in the moment, but it is a great.

[24:21] Katie Chandler: And when you say zoom out, do you mean aside from just being so hyper focused on how they're performing in school, zoom out to see how are they doing? Personally, when you say zoom out, what do you mean?

[24:37] Will Elliott: Yeah, I mean, looking at it from a different perspective, and I think that brings a lot of things into the equation, I would certainly say giving yourself perspective of if your child gets a 70% on a test or if they get a c on their report card, I think accepting the fact that that's happened, zooming out, looking at it from a fresh perspective, looking at it in the big picture in mind, and then from there, then you can go forth and maybe set boundaries in the future, whether it's for screen time. I also think zooming out also looks at just a different version of success. Like, my parents knew that I was going to be successful because I was developing the character and I was failing a lot, and then I was learning from that failure. So the more that you can remind yourself that school, at the end of the day, is more about the character that your kids are developing than it is about the content they're learning, I think especially as they get older, that's another way to zoom out. But, yeah, I'd say those are the two biggest things. Everything changed for me for my schooling. I was a 2.2 GPA student until I started looking at school from the perspective of I get to learn character traits. So instead of I. I wasn't motivated in school because I didn't see the purpose. I was like, mom, I'm never going to use this math. I'm never going to x, y and z.

[25:56] Amy Sherman: This is what Jackson says to me all the time, by the way, when am I going to use this in the real world?

[26:00] Will Elliott: Yeah. And so the session that I always come back to with those types of kids is the one that completely changed my life. And my mentor came to me and said, it's not about the math that you're learning, but it's about the problem solving skills that you can learn in math. It's not about the history that you're learning, but instead it's about the study or the mindset of learning. And those are two things that certainly has helped me in my life. Right. So the more that I looked at it like that, I found more purpose, therefore I found more motivation and momentum, and I went from a 2.2 GPA student to a 4.0. And it wasn't because, wow, I was.

[26:36] Amy Sherman: In high school or in college.

[26:37] Will Elliott: This was in high school. Everything changed when I just started looking at it from a different perspective. But that really helped from leaders and mentors helping me zoom out because they were zoomed out.

[26:50] Amy Sherman: Were those mentors that you had in high school? Did your parents find someone for you to talk to? How did that.

[26:56] Will Elliott: Yeah, it was just a track coach. So my track coach was my biggest mentor in high school specifically. And then I found a couple more in college that taught me a lot of what I know, too.

[27:05] Amy Sherman: That's so special that you had someone in your corner to help you grow in that way. That's special. There's not a lot of coaches and teachers that are like that. So that's incredible.

[27:17] Will Elliott: Yeah. That's what I'm trying to change, though. So hopefully we'll have a lot of awesome mentors out there that can teach these kids these life principles, because, again, it changed my life and it continues to do so now.

[27:27] Katie Chandler: That's fantastic.

[27:30] Will Elliott: Yeah. Very grateful for them.

[27:33] Amy Sherman: Yeah. When you were talking about, we touched on this before about this motivation or intrinsic motivation around certain things, whether it be taking the trash or like a big one for us, too in the house is like meeting with seizures at school. Right. It's like you don't understand something or you do bad on a test or you have questions or just like building a relationship, even if you don't have questions, like that idea of doing something proactive, what you were saying before, like something hard now that will make it easier later and get. It's like that phrase, you can lead a camel to water, but you can't make them drink. There's that certain piece where it's like we're telling you all the things to do. If you're not doing it, you have all the resources at your fingertips. If you're not doing it, there's nothing we can do. But I feel like with both my kids, every year, there's like a little bit of improvement and there's a little bit more proactiveness. But again, is it a maturity thing? Is it eventually they'll lock in and all of a sudden they'll see value from it. What do you think about that?

[28:35] Will Elliott: Yeah. So I can speak from, obviously, my perspective or my experience and also the kids that I've coached. I think we lose sight of the idea that kids are going to find something that will motivate them down the road. The expectation that kids need to be motivated towards school, I think, is an unrealistic expectation. For the most part, they don't need to be motivated. For example, like, I wasn't really motivated to go and talk to my teachers or do those types of things.

[29:03] Amy Sherman: Right.

[29:03] Will Elliott: But the progress that you're mentioning is so important to recognize and also to remind yourself, because when they do, let's say, in college or potentially out of college, or if they don't decide to go to college, when they do find something that they are passionate about, or even if it's like 50% passionate about, more so than school, right. All of these things are going to come in handy. They're going to subconsciously be reminded of them because of the little habits that they get to pull from. So I always like to remind parents that thing that they're passionate about is coming. And when it does come, you're going to be blown away by all these little habits and how they start to improve them. It's kind of like a compounded growth scale. Right? So when they find that thing, their confidence skyrockets, their motivation skyrockets, and so on and so forth.

[29:57] Amy Sherman: Yeah, I totally agree with that. I mean, we're all like that, right? I wasn't a great high school student either. It was fine. But when I got to college, I was taking classes that I liked and I enjoyed them and I was passionate about them, so I did a million times better, which I know my kids eventually will be that way, too. It's just like the time in between letting them figure it out is hard, right. Because it's like you just got to have patience and know it's going to work out and they're going to find something. But in those teenage years, it's really hard, especially when they're not telling you things or rolling their eyes or not really giving you anything. It's hard to absolutely hang in.

[30:30] Katie Chandler: Right?

[30:30] Will Elliott: Yeah. And I like how you said patience. It really is patience. The world is really good at convincing you that everything won't be okay, or at least putting the questions in your mind of what if this happens or what if that happens. And so the more that you can just bring yourself back to the present moment and remind yourself that everything will be okay. That's always what I like to tell parents, because it really will.

[30:53] Amy Sherman: Yeah. And I do like the reminder of lowering expectations. I try to do that, and I always tell my husband that, too. He'll say things. And I'm like, you got to lower your expectations because that is not realistic. That is not going to happen. So. And so whatever he's like, well, why not? It should. I'm like, I have said that to lower expectations, which isn't, like a popular thing to say, but it is true. I mean, these are kids at the end of the day, even though they may seem like grown ups and you talk to them like grown ups, they're not fully developed, so these things aren't going to be perfect. It's a really good reminder. What are the teens telling you? Like you were saying you talk with a lot of parents. What are the teens telling you? What are the biggest things that are happening in their world? Like, what are they focused on and what annoys them about their parents? Everything. Besides everything.

[31:44] Will Elliott: Yeah. Okay. So I guess the common messages, I have a couple of deep ones that always come to my mind, and then one of the things that annoys them the most, I'll talk about that, too. But I would say they feel a lot of pressure, lots and lots of pressure from all directions. Like I was saying before, I feel like pretty much every single session, so I do group coaching as well as one on one coaching. And every single session I think kids are just saying how exhausted they are from the pressure of feeling like they have to have everything figured out. One example, and I know not many parents are like this, but I think a lot of schools do this. They put a lot of pressure on like 8th graders to have their future job figured out. And the amount of kids that come to me and they get super close minded towards goal setting is because in 8th grade they're being pushed to figure out what they want to do for a living. And so I think it's just from society they have this idea that they have to have everything figured out. And I always tell them, you could be 35 years old and not know what you want to do and you're still so young, you still have so much time. Right. And so, yeah, I think the pressure from society is the biggest thing. They really feel misunderstood. And I know pretty much everybody did as a teenager. I know I did as well. And so I think the more that parents can seek to understand rather than trying to be understood, I think it's the best thing that you can do for not only their confidence, but your connection with them. And then the one thing that they dislike is lecturing. And I talk about this all the time. I talk about this all the time. It's really important for parents to guide their teenagers. But when they are closed minded to hearing any type of advice, that's how I kind of define lecturing. So turning little things into life lessons, turning jokes into 30 minutes lectures, that's what they don't love. They just want you to seek their heart. And then from there they're going to be more open to those amazing gold nuggets of wisdom that you have for them. The long answer. But I know, yeah, I've heard a lot from kids, so I have about a billion more.

[33:59] Amy Sherman: Give us another one. That's a good one.

[34:02] Will Elliott: Another thing that they don't parents doing.

[34:04] Katie Chandler: Yeah.

[34:06] Will Elliott: Talking about school. Twenty four seven is definitely a big one. They really want you to invest in their interests. And for those of you watching or listening that think the only interest is video games, they want you to invest in that, too. It might take some time for them to open up about things like video games, for them to not roll their eyes that you're trying to watch them or ask them questions about it. But the more that you invest in their interests, the more they're going to be open to talking about school. That's just how it is. I always like to give the example of if you hated your job and you didn't like the people that you were working with, and you were there for 8 hours, and you also weren't very good at that job, and you came home from work and your whole family just wanted to talk to you about that job and the work that you had to do after that job, the job that you hated, you probably would not want to talk about that either. And that's exactly how they feel. So the more you can pull back from school, it's a win win. Not only do you connect with them better, but they also tend to do better in school because they don't feel like all this fear of failure, all the pressure that I mentioned before, too.

[35:12] Katie Chandler: It's interesting because they're at school all day long and it's like we don't lose them to school, but in a sense we kind of do. And we have no idea who they are in that classroom, what they're doing, if they're okay, if they're happy, if they're not happy. So I feel like for me, I'm trying to pull that out more than I'm like. So how'd you do on your recent test? Now, granted, I have fourth grader and a first grader, so it's very different. But it's hard as parents to not focus on that thing where they are all day long. But I can see the last thing they want to do is get into that. They're exhausted by it.

[35:52] Will Elliott: Yeah. And I think talking about schools is fine. I think sometimes I always tell parents to just do it after you've invested in their interests.

[36:02] Katie Chandler: Right.

[36:03] Will Elliott: The whole point of investing in their interests is to truly learn about their interests and show that you care about that. But it's also to open them up about the other things as well. And so, yeah, it's really tough. I think part of the issue is the school system. I'm not a huge fan of homework or those types of things. I mean, I don't need to talk about that, but it's just super hard for kids. I coach kids that have 4 hours of schoolwork after school and it's impossible for parents to connect with them and they feel misunderstood. And there's not a whole lot that parents can do in that situation because, yeah, there's not a whole lot. So I feel for parents out there, too, and the kids who got to.

[36:48] Amy Sherman: Do all that you mentioned earlier about sports and you being a d one athlete, because the whole sports and parents thing is like, there's just so many different types of parents around sports. But what's your feedback for kids that are athletes and my younger one's a really good athlete and my husband gives them a lot of constructive feedback, I would say, but I always feel like there's a time and a place. And what's your thought around giving feedback or whatever around sports?

[37:21] Will Elliott: That's a loaded question, I think. Yeah, I don't think it's a cookie cutter approach, and I think it's all very personal to the parent, to the kid, to the kid's goals, to the coach. I mean, all those different things. So I'll leave you with kind of a cop out answer for a parent to give feedback, but also make sure that they're showing up to listen. And that's using the critical question. I talk about it all the time, and it's going to your kids, let's say after a game or after a practice and asking, do you want feedback or do you just want to talk something along those lines? Do you want to vent or would you like advice? My parents and my dad specifically, he didn't know anything about baseball. He grew up in England, but he always gave me feedback for baseball, and it would always drive me crazy because he had no idea what he was talking about. And then it was totally different than what my coach was telling me, and it was just bad for me because I was kind of like the middleman here. And so I think the more that you can just show up and ask them if it's cool to give feedback, that'll literally tell you where they're at and what their headspace is and how open they are. And again, after you connect with them and, yeah, I always like to say connect before you. Correct. I think that's a common thing out there, but that works for parents looking to give feedback in sports, too. But, yeah, it's a hard question.

[38:45] Amy Sherman: No, I know it's different. And, yeah, that's a whole nother episode, probably. And then before you head out, two questions. First of all, we'd love to know. I'm sure everyone listening wants to obviously follow you. And what types of sessions do you do? Do you do personalized? It sounded like you do a variety of things. So can you tell us a little bit about how you work with parents and teens?

[39:05] Will Elliott: Yeah, so I don't do one on one coaching anymore. The main form of coaching that I do is through my app called unstoppable you. And so it's just a monthly membership that students can join. I make personal growth fun for kids and so we have weekly sessions. It's not a group call, but it's more of a live stream that is super fun. I give out gift cards and I do gamification and it's only 45 minutes long and kids absolutely love it. And then I also do parent coaching on the side to supplement that too. I have a podcast for kids and I just started that called unstoppable you or the unstoppable you podcast. Social media is the best way for parents to, I think, kind of get an idea of my coaching and that type of thing. But yeah, it's really just my app and podcasts.

[39:51] Amy Sherman: And what's your Instagram handle?

[39:52] Will Elliott: Is it coach coaching with Will?

[39:55] Amy Sherman: At coaching with Will? And so I'll leave you with this question. So you were saying that, and I'm thinking I'd love my teens to subscribe and listen to your app. How do I get them to open up about it? Like, if I say that, they'll roll their eyes, like, whatever. So how do you get them to actually do something like that? Because I think it would be so valuable for them.

[40:13] Will Elliott: Yeah, it would be, and it definitely is. But it also is extremely hard to get kids bought into this if your mom and dad, I've noticed, and we have a lot of statistics to back this up. 98% of kids who hop on one call are bought in for future calls just because they go into it thinking it's going to be like therapy, thinking it's going to be totally different than it is. I'm absolutely crazy. On live stream I go lots of enthusiasm, their language. I'm very much holding back right now, too, but yeah, so that's kind of one side of it. In March, I'm opening up a confidence cohort, which we're going to be talking about for twelve weeks. Everything under the sun of comparison, self talk mindset, sports mindset, confidence, all of that stuff. And I will probably be doing introduction calls. And so I call them buy in calls. They're ten minutes where kids just get a meet with me and that works 100% of the time. So there's not ever been a single kid after four years of coaching that has left a ten minute call with me not wanting to do it. And so those are super valuable and yeah, 100% success.

[41:20] Katie Chandler: What ages do you suggest this for?

[41:26] Will Elliott: Yeah, the unstoppable you app. I would say the sweet spot is twelve to 18. I have a lot of 910 year olds that get a lot out of it. I also coach some 23 year olds in the app. So if they're hungry to grow and they're open to grow, they're going to get a ton out of the content. I know some parents even jump on the student calls just to learn about confidence and they get a lot out of it too. Yeah, it's a lot of fun.

[41:49] Amy Sherman: Okay, so it's not too late for my 16 year old to learn some.

[41:53] Will Elliott: Get them in here.

[41:54] Amy Sherman: I'm like, I did so many things wrong.

[41:56] Katie Chandler: You're an amazing mom. Well, thank you so much for your time. All right, we have a couple of wrap session questions for you before you go. What is your favorite wellness hack?

[42:09] Will Elliott: Cold plunging is absolute without a question. Cold plunging. Cold life sponsor is a partnership that I have and they are amazing and so cold plunging changed everything for me.

[42:21] Katie Chandler: Love that. Yeah, very.

[42:23] Amy Sherman: That's so great. Okay. And how do you maintain your daily nova? You have a lot going on. You have like super energy. You're dealing with kids. How do you kind of keep.

[42:31] Will Elliott: That's a good question.

[42:33] Amy Sherman: Keep the peace. Exactly.

[42:35] Will Elliott: So I'm a big runner. So that's what I did in college. So I would say running cold plunging, honestly is kind of an answer to that one as well. Yeah, I would say a little bit of a deeper answer, which is my third. And that is shifting my posture towards service. That always helps me find my nirvana is just reminding myself why I'm here on earth. And that is to impact kids. And that always kind of brings me back to feeling like I love to.

[43:03] Katie Chandler: Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, you do.

[43:07] Amy Sherman: So much. Thank you so much.

[43:09] Will Elliott: This was so much fun.

[43:10] Amy Sherman: Such good advice and such good feedback. Yeah, we could talk to you for hours, but we're going to tune into all of your sessions and coaching. I'm so glad we found you. And thank you for coming on and saying yes to our ask because I think this could help a lot of people. So we really appreciate it.

[43:26] Will Elliott: Well, yeah. Thank you so much for having me. You guys rock.

[43:28] Amy Sherman: Thank you. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness. So you don't have to. Bye.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Episode 143 - Product Junkies - February: A Quick Round Up To Start Your Month Off Right (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 143.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome to the show, Nirvana sisters family. It is Katie and Amy here. And today we are bringing you another product junkies. It's our first product junkies of February, and I think we have some fun products for you. So let's just dive right in. Amy, I'm going to kick it to you. What do you have today?

Speaker A: Diving right in for February. Well, I'm starting off with kind of a tool that's not new, but it's new to me because I never used it before. Really? So I got an eyelash curler. And it's funny because I had one literally for probably 20 years that sat in my makeup bag somewhere that I used occasionally, and I could never use it. Right. And then when I was at Sephora, one of my many trips to Sephora, I found a new one. The brand is.

Speaker B: Here we go again. I can't see it.

Speaker A: The brand is, I believe it's, like, on the thing, and it's so hard to read. Tweezer.

Speaker B: What's it called?

Speaker A: Tweezer man. It's like an old school brand.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Tweezer man.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And it's funny because when I was looking at them, I was like, oh, let me just grab a new one, maybe my old one's just kind of, like, old and raggedy. So I got this one, and it's funny, there was two different ones, one for round eyes and one for almond shaped eyes. And I was like, I don't even know what kind of eye shape I have, but I'll try the almond shape, and this one's so much better. So my old one must have been more like, I noticed when I would use it, it wouldn't fit on my eye comfortably. I didn't even know there was, like, two different kinds of eyelash curlers. So this one's almond shape, and it fits so much better. It just fits across my eye. Like, see how ends lay, you know what I mean? My other one was shorter and more rounds for round eyes. So I was like, oh, that's why this one works better. So now I've been using it, if I just did that correctly, but I've been using it, and it's made such a nice difference because it just lifts my eyelashes instead of them down, they just lift up a little.

Speaker B: Bit.

Speaker A: It gives it, like, a little facelift. So I've been using this, and it makes my eyelashes look longer, and I just like it. It gives a little pop to the eyes. So kind of like an old school device, but new version of it. And then, FYi, I looked up the difference between round eyes and almond shaped eyes. Apparently, round eyes are like, if you. The whites at the top and bottom of your eyes. So, you know, some people have very distinct round eyes. I was like, so I guess I have almond shaped eyes. So anyway, this one lays much better on my face. So love it.

Speaker B: That's really interesting because I've never been able to use that tool myself, and it's for the exact reason why you described, like, it never laid properly. And then it would, like, pinch. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker A: This one doesn't do that. So I'm telling you, get an almond shaped one. I just happened to notice, I was like, what's the difference between these two? And I saw one said round eyes, one said almond eyes. I'm like, oh, and this doesn't pinch. That's exactly what happened to me.

Speaker B: That's revolutionary. Now everyone is going to find their.

Speaker A: Breaking news around here, but little optimization.

Speaker B: Yeah. That's a good utility tool. Okay. All right, well, my first one. Do you see how I look very glowy today?

Speaker A: Yes, you do look glowy.

Speaker B: So I am using the, say, glowy super gel today. And what I did, I did my normal routine, obviously washed my face. I used some toner, my moisturizer, and then I mixed a couple of pumps in with my tinted SPF and a.

Speaker A: Couple of pumps of the, say, with.

Speaker B: Your tinted SPF and then just used a touch of. I mean, I didn't really want to put on a lot of makeup today, so I just have on a touch of concealer and a little bit of blush. But super glowy, no filter. I turned on all of my lights so that we could really see. Amazing. Yeah. Wow. Great one. It's their glowy super Gel, illuminated, primed, dewy skin is what it promises. And I agree that it does. And it was editorial list 2021 best clean highlighter. So you can use it as a highlighter, too.

Speaker A: Yeah, I have that. I just never use it because I've never mixed it with anything. And that's a good idea. I think I've used it before. It's just like a base coat, but I never mixed it.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: Like, a little.

Speaker B: When I first got it, I was using it only as a highlighter, and it works for that. But my skin has felt really dry and matte lately from, obviously, the cold. So this is really helping with the winter skin. But it has vitamin C in it. It's anti inflammatory from papaya seed oil. It has nourishing rosa canina fruit oil and squalane oil. So it does feel nice on the skin. Oh, nice.

Speaker A: All right, I'm going to bust mine back out and try again. Is there a certain color, or is it? Just one question.

Speaker B: They have two colors. There's universal champagne, which is the one I have, and then warm golden bronze. So the golden bronze is definitely tinted, kind of like those drunk elephant tint drops. But who knows? It might be for more pigmented skin. That's what I'm guessing the warm golden bronze one is. But this is nice. It's very lightweight, and it just brightens up your skin. Yeah, it's really pretty.

Speaker A: I think that's the color I have. I'm going to try it again. So you just mix it with your SPF as, like, the last.

Speaker B: My skin looks very hydrated today. Right.

Speaker A: It really does. It looks really glowy. It looks like when I see other people wear it. That's what it looks like.

Speaker B: It just doesn't look.

Speaker A: Try it again.

Speaker B: Okay. What do you have next, love?

Speaker A: Okay, well, I'll stick with eyes. I've been really into brown mascara lately. So this one is the YSL. It's just their brown. It's the YSL lash clash. And this one, I mean, it's their only brown one. I don't know if it has a specific name, but it's lash clash brown. I have another brown mascara that I bought from too faced, I think, which I don't like as much because I don't see the brown. But this is good for just, like, every day when you don't feel like wearing black. Sometimes black is too harsh, and you just kind of want a natural little.

Speaker B: Yeah, I've been wanting to try that one specifically. I think I saw it on TikTok.

Speaker A: Yeah. First of all, yeah, the mascara is really good just in general. Like, I would get this in black, too, just because it's, like, a nice, thick wand, and it's, like, volumizing and really pretty. But I just put on brown without anything on, without a mirror, so it's, like, hard to see. But sometimes I'll just put this on with nothing, and at least it's, like, something, because I have no. My lashes are so blonde that if I wear nothing, I'm, like, look like a psycho. So anyway, I put this on just by itself. But a lot of times what I do is I'll do a black wash of mascara and then brown so it's not as harsh. So that's been my favorite lately, just for, like, the day. One coat of black, one coat of brown, good to go. And it's just, like, a little bit of a softer look than the harsh black mascara. Or I'll just put on, like, two layers of brown. It just depends, but it's great. I love it, and I like the packaging. It's, like, thick and feels good. It's just, like, a good packaging, too. It just feels good to the hand, but it's really nice mascara. And when I'm done with this, I'll probably try the black, too. It's very volumizing.

Speaker B: It reminds me the brown. It's like a minky brown color. Jlo I mean, years ago, probably within ten years, she was at an event, an awards event, and she had fake eyelashes that were, like, beautiful, soft mink brown, and it was stunning. And I've always tried to find something to kind of replicate that, and I feel like this would really do it. Yeah, it was good.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's true. Because sometimes black is so harsh. I haven't been wearing any fake eyelashes for a long time, like, all the ones I diy, but I do have brown fake eyelashes that I'll sometimes put on with the same brand that I do. The black ones. Head candy, I think, is the brand, but they have brown ones. And sometimes when I was doing my lashes a lot, which I haven't done in, like, I don't know, a long time, I would do the brown ones, and it was like that same idea. It was like, just a little bit more natural, more light. It didn't feel as heavy. I'm into it.

Speaker B: All right, well, my next one very much complements my last one. And it is. You probably have seen it because it's gone viral recently. It's the one size pink blurring powder. Have you seen this?

Speaker A: Oh, yeah. I haven't tried this out, but I like it.

Speaker B: Is very cool, and it does exactly what it's claiming to. So the brand is one size. It's the blurring setting powder, finely milled blurring powder for all day wear, 24 hours, shine control, and a soft matte finish. It is available in multiple shades, rather for different skin tones, but the pink really gives you that filter finish, like, blurred effect. And I think great for when you're very dewy like this, because there's parts of your skin that you don't want dewy, even when you want the rest of it dewy, like the tzone and then down by your laugh lines and under here. So it's amazing how much it really works. I need to get one of those powder puff triangles. I think that's probably the best.

Speaker A: Think that. I think your brush is actually better, according to Erica. I think so. I think Erica Taylor goes for the brush, like just the tip and a light. Yeah, that's nice.

Speaker B: Okay, so now I'm like, I have glow. I could stand for a little more glow on my cheek with some actual highlighter, but it really.

Speaker A: Yeah, that really works nicely. And is it a loose color?

Speaker B: It's loose, right. I don't see my laugh lines instantly. Right. They just disappeared.

Speaker A: I wish I can get rid of.

Speaker B: Great. This little amazing smile line here. And it's like when you can see it in the really your pores. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker A: That's really am. I have the pink powder that Erica Taylor always recommends, the Westminute delier pink powder. But it's pressed and I feel like it doesn't. I don't know. I want to try a loose powder. I feel like it might go on better. I feel like the pressed. I'm always like trying to get more on the. It works. But I don't know, I just want to.

Speaker B: I mean, this, you can really pick up a lot with the brush really easily, which is good because then you can tap it off, but you don't.

Speaker A: Want too much on because if you put too much on, does it get.

Speaker B: But I never put too much on because then if I get too much, I just tap it off like that. But it really does what it says it's supposed to do. And it's a good price. It's $34. We don't always mention prices, but this price point, I can't not mention it. There's a lot in here.

Speaker A: Price and that's a lot. Yeah. I wonder if they have a travel size.

Speaker B: That would be nice because I want to. Travel size would be nice also just because I want to use it for touch ups. And I'm not going to lug this thing around. But it's supposed to last 24 hours. I haven't paid too close of attention. Whether or not it's really holding up all day long. But I will and I'll report back.

Speaker A: You'll report back? Well, yeah, I have a little actually, like the hourglass loose powder, like setting powder, I guess, but it's not pink. It's kind of like just translucent, I guess. And that's pretty good, but it doesn't give that blurring effect. It just kind of, like, makes you less shiny, and it's nice. And I have, like, a little travel size of it, but I wonder if I can get a travel size of that and test it out. But that looks really good on you.

Speaker B: That's really pretty.

Speaker A: That combination right there is, like, perfect.

Speaker B: Matte where you want to be matte.

Speaker A: And where did you put concealer? Just under your eyes.

Speaker B: I always do a little bit of concealer under my eyes, and I'm usually, like, a little red around here, so I do it there. Yeah, I've been doing. I don't really have any other makeup on, but if I did some blush and some highlighter, I'd be good to go.

Speaker A: Next one is this elf?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: We love our elf. Elf lip oil. We're always testing lip oils over here. I really love this lip oil. I've tested so many. This one was, like, the only one I could find because I've been looking for it because I feel like they've, like, I don't know, sold out everywhere. But I happened to see this one. This was the only color I could find. I think this color is. This one is called honey.

Speaker B: It's like a brownie.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's, like a brown beige, but it's really, like, barely any color. I mean, the good thing about this is it's, like, very nourishing and hydrating. Like, I really notice. See, it doesn't really have a color, so it doesn't really matter.

Speaker B: No, I think it does color.

Speaker A: You get.

Speaker B: Yeah, a little bit.

Speaker A: A little bit pretty, but it's very pretty. I've been obsessed with this because when I say it's hydrating, it doesn't feel sticky at all. You know, some lip oils can get a little. They're, like, thin and maybe a little bit sticky. This one is very hydrating. It almost feels like a balm, but not as thick as a balm. And it's very shiny. I feel like it's not sticky, and it's just, like, that sheer tint of color. And they say on their website, a glass, like, shine. So I've been doing it plain, just, like, without any lipstick. But then last night, we went out to dinner, and I had, like, a pretty lipstick on underneath and put this on top, and it just made it chime. But it's really beautiful product, and it's, like, $8. And if they had more colors, I would get more. Just, like, put them in bags, because it's just like a good thing to throw on, but it just feels really good because I'm always putting on. I don't use aquaphor as much anymore, but, like, my lineage mask, which I love. I feel like I'm always putting that on because my lips are so dry. But this really has helped with the hydration. So I really just need to put this on during the day instead of doing some sort of balm or whatever. So anyway, love it. Glow revivor lip oil again, this one was called honey brown or something like that.

Speaker B: But there's like a. I'm going to see if I can color one today at CVS. I really like it.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Honey top.

Speaker A: Honey top.

Speaker B: It's pretty.

Speaker A: I like it, too, because it's small, just like.

Speaker B: And it's exactly on with our 2024 trends. The brown lip. Yeah.

Speaker A: So the brown lip with the brown mascara. There you go.

Speaker B: That's funny. I was on Instagram for a few minutes this morning, and there was a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow at front row fashion week in the. She was complete. Like, she could have been walking down the street today with how she looked.

Speaker A: Really.

Speaker B: She had, like, the brown under lipstick and the eyebrows weren't overdone. And then she was wearing all black with black squared off boots that weren't chunky. She looks so chic for even today because it's so spot on with the 90s coming back in trend. That's hilarious.

Speaker A: So funny. Oh, by the way, in our last trend episode, we were talking about those two lipsticks I was trying to think of.

Speaker B: I remember if I talked about it.

Speaker A: Okay, so here are the lipsticks. Because one was zinc pink, if anybody remembers. And then a friend of mine who listens to this show often, she texted me this week. She's like, yes, zinc pink. She's like, it's actually from the 80s. I'm like, oh, yeah, you're right. You might not know zinc pink because you're a baby, but zinc pink was huge. And then the other one, she was like, I know the one you were talking about. I'm like, what was it?

Speaker B: Frosted brownie.

Speaker A: Do you remember that color? It was like a brown frosty. It was so pretty. But think pink frosted brownie. Those were like, remember the brand?

Speaker B: Frosted brownie brand.

Speaker A: I think they were like, revlon, if.

Speaker B: We could find it, get it today.

Speaker A: So funny.

Speaker B: Nice.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, it's like, right. Doesn't exist anymore. It's like, who knows? But it was like everyone wore those colors. So funny.

Speaker B: All right. My last one is, I'm completely obsessed with this. It's insane. It works so well. It's so cheap compared to products like it on the market. And I am freaking out that I found it because I desperately needed it. So it is the guru Nanda signature whitening strips for your teeth. So I have bonding on my teeth, and I've had them done at different stages in life, so it's really hard to get bonding completely. Like, perfect matching color to other bonding. So they are Uneven, which I hate. It's one of my biggest insecurities. And then my teeth stain so easily. I drink too much coffee, blah, blah, blah. And they're sensitive. So the whitening strips are really hard on my teeth because it's so sensitive, so I have a hard time doing it. These are great because they are for sensitive teeth. They're enamel safe, and the main ingredient is coconut oil. So, yeah, it's very easy to use. This pack alone comes with seven treatments. I did one every. Like, this is my second order. I did it seven days in a row. I noticed a difference on day two.

Speaker A: Really?

Speaker B: They go on really easily. After you've worn them for a little bit, they do start to get like, yeah, it's kind of gross. Like, you don't want to talk to anybody, but if you wear them for 30 minutes, they're effective. If you wear them for 60 minutes, it's like a super treatment. It speeds up. It obviously just works so much faster. When you first take them off, you can see, like, white dots on your teeth. And at first I was kind of thinking, what's going on there? But by the next morning, all of my teeth were whiter. It works really well. And they're $10 for this box.

Speaker A: Wait, what are these called?

Speaker B: The brand is guru Nanda, and it's their guru nanda. It's their signature whitening strips. And they also make, like, an oil pool thing. Oil pooling. So there's a lot of different things that the brand makes, but I can't get over that. It's $10. Like a crest whitening strips pack at CVS is much more than that. So it's seven treatments. It works really well. And I will probably just keep buying these and keep buying them because they're effective.

Speaker A: That's great. Yeah. It's funny that you say that. I've been using a new brand, too. I forgot the name of it. Maybe I'll talk about it next time. And I haven't been consistent. I've done it, like, twice, but I want to do it for a week and actually see the difference. But they're really good, too, for sensitive teeth. And I forget what the brand is.

Speaker B: Called, but I'm obsessed since I've been doing it so much. I do feel like the occasional zap. You know that zap that you get in your teeth when it's hitting the sensitivity piece a little bit.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: It's worth it. And then if it's, like, bothering me, I just take them off and I skip a day.

Speaker A: Or you could just do it every day.

Speaker B: I've been a little aggressive because I've really been. Yeah. The color of my teeth have been driving me crazy for a long time, so I was happy I found them. Yeah.

Speaker A: Nice.

Speaker B: What's your one?

Speaker A: Good one. And where did you get first I.

Speaker B: Ordered through a TikTok shop and then I found them on Amazon. Yeah.

Speaker A: Oh, perfect.

Speaker B: Yep.

Speaker A: Awesome.

Speaker B: So that's it, folks.

Speaker A: That's all we got here today. We just got a quickie. Really good.

Speaker B: I am going to go jump on that elf lip oil. I think it'll be great for my upcoming trip to Disney that I'm doing in a couple of days with the kiddos.

Speaker A: Yes, it's good to be throwing your daily.

Speaker B: I need to get. Where did you find Sephora?

Speaker A: Sephora? Yeah. And just remember, get the one that's shaped like it's okay.

Speaker B: But remember, guys, we have links to all of these products as we do for every product junkies in our show notes on our blog. So check it out and thanks for listening. We will see you next time. Bye.

Speaker A: Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters, if you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness. So you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 142 - Taking Big Bites with Kat Ashmore (@katcancook) - Easy Week Night Recipes, Her Full Skincare Routine, Life, And All The Things (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 142, Taking Big Bites with Kat Ashmore (@katcancook) - Easy Week Night Recipes, Her Full Skincare Routine, Life, And All The Things Write Out The Title.

Amy Sherman 0:06

Welcome to Nirvana sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Katie Chandler 0:18

And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation

Amy Sherman 0:27

Welcome back to the show Nirvana sisters family. It's Amy and Katie and we're so excited to have Kat Ashmore back with us. Yay. It's been years. So just for the history. So cat came on our show a couple of years ago, I looked back it was episode 38. Now we're like on 150 or something which is crazy. You were not just starting but like somewhat new to the space now you've obviously evolved and we're so excited to catch up with you and hear more but let me give our listeners because we have so many more listeners. Now. The scoop on cat Ashmore aka cat can cook so, cat Ashmore is the chef recipe developer and digital creator behind cat Ken cook graduated from the award winning Institute of Culinary Education in New York and went on to work for Martha Stewart developing retail recipes and producing cooking segment segments. On the eight time Emmy award winning the Martha Stewart show Kat lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband Michael and their family. Welcome back to the show. We are so excited to have you here. We've been following you are so proud of everything you've done. We can't wait to hear everything. So welcome. Welcome. Oh,

Kat Ashmore 1:30

so so great to be here. I can't believe it was it was what, two years ago?

Amy Sherman 1:35

Yeah, it was like 2022 I looked back. I can't remember what month but yeah, I was looking back and I'm like God, Episode 38. That's crazy.

Kat Ashmore 1:42

So Oh, wow. So long ago. I know. Time is such a funny thing. I don't even know half the time like what was last month what was five years ago. It's I know it all together. Now. It's so it's so great to be back here with you. Yeah, thanks. So good to be here.

Katie Chandler 2:01

We start with our nirvana. Before we get into it. We're so excited

Amy Sherman 2:04

to catch up. And let's let's start off with we haven't done this in a while. Katie,

Katie Chandler 2:08

I know what was your Nirvana this week, baby? Did you?

Amy Sherman 2:12

I did. So Katie knows I love I get crazy sometimes with organizing. And so I went to the container service like my favorite place. And I got these like new closet organizers for all my sweaters. Because all my sweaters and how like they pile up. And I've been trying to figure out for years, like, how do I do my sweaters needs they don't fall over. So anyway, I got these like, closet organizers for my sweater. And now they're all like neat and organized. So when I walk in, I feel so good. So I did that organizing. And then I also did organizing, like all my makeup and skincare. So I move stuff that stuff out of my bathroom and put it like I have like a little vanity, which I never used. And I'm like actually using it and I organized it and everything's like has a home. And it just feels clean and organized and lovely. And I just love that feeling. And I don't do it enough. But sometimes I get crazy and I start organizing and then I don't do it for like months, but it just feels good to have that organization. Does my Nirvana this week. What about you, Katie? I

Katie Chandler 3:10

would say mine was I found my favorite game that I used to play. It sounds so nerdy, but I use my friends and I used to play this game until like, midnight all the time on like Friday nights. Instead of going to the club. We would play rummy cube. And I first got it all these years. I forgot about that game. Yeah. Oh, fun. My My kids are old enough to play now. So I found the game. And we've been playing it after some weekends. So we did it a couple times this weekend was it's fun. I love it. I'm obsessed. That's so fun. That was mind blowing. What about your cat?

Kat Ashmore 3:43

My Nirvana was probably. So we recently moved into a new home and we have a hot tub. And we've been going in the hot tub, like every couple of nights, I would say. And we had a big snow here in Connecticut. We're not big. But it was our first one of the seasons, which is always really pretty, right? Because it's not gray. And yeah, it's all just really white and beautiful. And there was one night where it was snowing and we were out in the hot tub and I was with the kids who are five and seven now. So even my seven year old and I wasn't expecting this but he's he doesn't want to be with me as much. You know, he's got like, the video games and these things that I'm not really a part of. So when we have an opportunity to just all get on the same level and just enjoy something together and there's no distractions and we're like catching snowflakes on our tongue. And it was one of those moments, you know, where you kind of like hover above your life and you're like, This is joy. Like these are the good old days, like snapshot. Yeah, it was very powerful, you know? And then I was like, Yeah, Looking at them, like 30 minutes. Right? It was pure bliss. And I just think it's so important to recognize those moments of like, this is happiness. This is happiness. tuck it away somewhere, you know, tuck it away and take this

Katie Chandler 5:17

opportunity. And I feel like as they get older, a gray.

Amy Sherman 5:22

Yeah, that's so good. And it's crazy, because last time you were here, your kids were like really? Little, little little. Yeah,

Kat Ashmore 5:27

yeah. While Okay,

Katie Chandler 5:29

that's when you had just gotten back to work. So that's yes. Certainly back to your work you when we talk to you, you just kind of been in was it maybe a few months that you had done the transition into Captain Cook and really diving into to your tick tock following and everything. And now here we are huge fans, tell

Amy Sherman 5:47

us tell us all things tell us.

Kat Ashmore 5:51

I mean, everything's, everything's great. It's like, everything's good. Everything is really great. Yeah, it'll be four years this summer, since I started creating on, cat can cook. But really, you know, I would say 2021 is, I mean, that's the first year that I was able to monetize it all. It was the first year you know, I switched my website over from Squarespace to WordPress, like I could started to, like, actually make it a real business. Yeah. And so it hasn't been a long time. But so much has happened. And I feel like when you put when you place yourself in the right position, sometimes the universe just kind of like, does works really quickly. And it's like, okay, she's, she's here. She's ready. Like, yeah, let's go. Yeah, it's

Amy Sherman 6:45

amazing. And it's so fun to just have watched you grow over these last few years. And like, tada, hello, cookbook. I mean, amazing. Congratulations. You I remember, because it was so impactful. I remember when you filmed yourself, getting the call about doing the book, or like the deal had closed, or whatever it was that it was like so much. No, I remember that. And now it's like, it's here. And you have this beautiful, incredible book. As I just said, like just going through the last few days, I'm obsessed. Thank

Kat Ashmore 7:25

you. It, it feels to me like the book I would want to have. Yeah, the book that, you know, I waited a while to do a cookbook, having been in the industry, having gone to culinary school and working for Martha and I have had a couple of opportunities to do cookbooks in the past. But it didn't feel like I needed to do a cookbook until until now. All right, until it felt right, because it's out of immense respect, and appreciation for the cookbook industry, that I just didn't want to do a book unless it was going to be something really different. And it was really adding to the conversation, changing the conversation. And it feels like this book is that it

Amy Sherman 8:13

really is I mean, I am not a good cook by any stretch Katie's much better than me. And I'm always looking for like really simple, easy. And I was going through this and I have like a few cookbooks that I sometimes like out but like, this is just so user friendly. When I was I was saying to Katie, what I really enjoyed is that in the beginning of the book, you have the pantry staples, which I think it's so helpful. So for our listeners, there's like little section on salt and pepper and oils and what kind of milk and gluten free and just all these staples so that way when you go to the recipes, it's all like you have all the answers you need. And then when I was looking at these recipes, I was like, Oh, this recipe is three steps. This just these four steps. Perfect. So that's that's like amazing for someone like me who really doesn't cook a lot but like I just told my son, my younger one who's now in eighth grade, but he's like in the phase where he is eating non stop. I can't keep up with him. And I wish I'm always like I wish he was like a good cook so I could just make all this stuff so he would just have stuff so I told him I was like go through the book I just got this weekend, pick out recipes that you want me to make for you and I'll have these ready to go but like I don't know exactly what you like your your tastes are changing all the time. So like pick some recipes, so he's been

Kat Ashmore 9:27

phenomenal. If he likes if he likes meatballs, the chimichurri meatballs are a great one because you can you can form them and freeze them or you can just make like a double or triple batch and then freeze them and they're just ready to go. You put them on green bowls, you tuck them into Pietas you you know just eat with your fingers, which is usually what I do. Yeah, so that kind of thing. But these recipes are really it's what I make at home. Yeah, like I don't make multiple meals for dinner idea. I know people are like, how do you do that? It doesn't mean that my kids eat every single thing on the plate, I make sure that there's a safe food on the plate that I know they're going to eat, or to usually that I know that they're going to eat. Sometimes they'll take a little bite and be like, No, but like the turkey feta burgers that I just made them a few days ago, and my kids ate them two nights in a row. And it's like, they have kale in them. I mean, they wouldn't eat kale on its own, but they will eat them. Now, they wouldn't eat them last year, but things change. Those kinds of recipes, I think are just so helpful. And it's really familiar concepts, right? It's just taken in a modern kind of unique direction, like the meatloaf, for instance. You know, like, everybody knows Mila, but like, this is just the amazing meatloaf with caramelized onions and horseradish, and it just like keeps up the flavor. And it's familiar, but it's different at the same time. It's not intimidating at all. Which is why I like it. I find most cookbooks just like out of my reach. Like they're just too complicated or just feels too like, yeah,

Amy Sherman 11:11

it's very approachable. Very, like I said before, like very user friendly, not intimidating. Like it's, it's fabulous. So what is your I mean, there's like, how many recipes in here over 100? I think, like whichever one? Well, I have like two questions on this. Like, what's your favorite one? And then like, give our listeners three. easy and quick weekdays like weekday meals, you can make them every week?

Kat Ashmore 11:31

Week? Yeah. Yep. And so look, so the first recipe that always comes to mind when people ask about this is the most complicated recipe in the book. Now, when I say that, it's not complicated. It was very complicated for me to develop it because it took me three years, but it's the three year gluten free bread. And it literally took me three years to perfect this recipe, okay, 1000s of hours of iterations. By the end, I was like asking my husband like, what do you think about the crust on this? And he was just like, I don't know, like, always the same thing, you know? So my new but I'm obsessive. And this is a bread that it's gluten free. So yes, you buy some of the ingredients that maybe you don't have on hand, but like you buy them, you have them. You can mix the dough, you can bake it, and you can eat it in the same day. There's no overnight rest. So if you wake up on a Sunday, I make it every single Sunday, wake up on a Sunday morning, you're like I want fresh bread for dinner. You can have that. So that is a recipe that I'm really, really proud of. And people have been chomping at the bit to get this recipe and it was the one recipe I knew I had to save. Yes. Yeah. Well, I was like, this has to be in the cookbook. The beaks good. All of the baked good recipes are fantastic. It's like my husband is often like, I don't know why people are so crazy about your salads, like it's your baked goods. They're like crazy good and a lot of them are gluten and dairy free or just have less sugar. I'm always looking at how to make how to keep the integrity of a recipe. So that it tastes like you know it is a brownie it is a piece of cake it is those things. It's just like how much can I cut back on the sugar without it affecting the integrity of the recipe and how can I be importing flavor another way? What is the role that this ingredient so I a lot of things go into account. But the New York style Crumb Cake is fantastic. And it basically mimics those, like big squares of crumb cake that every New York corner store sells in cellophane that like vanilla cake with like the bolder size crumb topping. Yeah. Yeah. looks phenomenal.

Katie Chandler 14:02

That's for sure. Yeah.

Kat Ashmore 14:04

I mean, it's just phenomenal. But I really think as you said that dinner is really the Achilles heel for a lot of people. A lot of kills me, right? It's just like, and it's often not very fun to make dinner with your family. I mean, even for me, and I love to cook but usually it's just like I have to cook something because I'm their parent, and that's part of the deal and like, supposed to feed them. I wish they would intermittent fast, but I haven't been successful with that yet. So when it comes to dinner recipes, so I've got two different chapters. There's the Sunday suppers, and then there's the weeknights, chapter. And one of the most popular recipes with my kids aside from the chimichurri meatballs, that kill and betta turkey burgers, like they love the miso teriyaki pork tenderloin, Wine. And it's a really quick thing to make because pork tenderloin, it's, you know, it's lean, it's not expensive, it is quick to make. And you just have this beautiful miso teriyaki glaze that is literally I mean how many ingredients the I think it's five ingredients, and it's fantastic. So stuff like that, where you're able to all enjoy the same protein, maybe your kids won't eat the vegetable or you know, something like that. But at least you're not making completely separate meals all the time. Yeah,

Katie Chandler 15:35

that's what I feel like I'm doing with my youngest and she's my oldest has come around and she'll eat just about anything. I've been in front of her. But your tip, you told us this when you're on the first time of having a safe food that they you know, without a doubt, they're both going to eat. I've been using that ever since and it really does work. But you know, then I end up cooking like an extra protein just to get that in her as well. But I feel like the weeknight thing. It's the time crunch, right? That's why ball so it's not super fun to cook when your bedtime routine is in half an hour. They have to get up early. So blah, blah, blah. You know, it's a totally different story when it's on the weekend. Coming

Amy Sherman 16:13

up with what you're gonna make it That's the worst part. Like every night, like, what are we going to eat? I mean, yesterday. Yeah, when I think about it, like yesterday, I marinated chicken and I did like slip over all day, just throw it in there. And I like forgot I did it. And then at five o'clock, I was like, Ah,

Kat Ashmore 16:27

I forgot I already put that in. So like that was like I don't think about it every day. But like the thinking about it is the worst part, right? You're like, oh, like, plastic problem, right? And everyone says the same thing about it. It's nice to think about it in the morning. Yes. When you're sharper. Ideally, plan out your meals on a Sunday, that's when I like to do it. I do my grocery shop on the weekend. And then I plan out my meals on a Sunday where I'm rested, because nobody's going to be innovative or creative or, you know, even that mindful when they're in a rush, right? Make it enjoyable. But even in the morning, okay, even in the morning, get up out your protein, take a quick look at it, it'll take you five minutes, just like wrap your head around. This is what's happening, even if you do nothing with it, right? It's, it's the mental shift of like, Oh, now I have to think about this. Yeah, in the morning, when you've got the most motivation, the most energy. So

Katie Chandler 17:30

true. Well, and that's what I love about in your book that you hear at Staples, because if everyone has these in their pantry at all times, and you know when they're running low, that's an easy thing to add to the grocery list. And then you pick out a couple of things to add to the grocery list the proteins, vegetables in your set. I mean, sometimes the meal planning through the week, what I need to make those meals happen is overwhelming. So to be able to have something to have your book where it's it's people don't use cookbooks as much as I feel like they used to. And it's all like Google and searching online and Pinterest. It's there's something so refreshing about having a book in my hand, I can open it up and I can say oh, I need 12345 ingredients. And I've got my pantry staples. It's it just simplifies the whole thing. I really thought What is one of your favorite meals to cook when you have like all the time, and you're on it?

Kat Ashmore 18:21

Yeah, when I have all the time. I mean, that's more project cooking. So I love to do things that are just like slow cooked that can kind of like bubble away. I love soups and stews because there's so many different directions you can take them in. They're all about building flavor, which is something I'm really big on. Like the whole soups and stews chapter is. I mean, I hope it's obvious that they're like knock out of the park. Good. But one of the things that my kids actually love are these slow cooked indoor ribs because and they could not when I tell you they are the one of the easiest recipes in the entire book really they cook they literally cook themselves. Okay, so you are doing a combination. I've got spices here I add a little bit of dark brown sugar, you've got paprika, oregano, garlic, onion, coriander, but you can use whatever spice blend you want to. You don't need you I'm not dogmatic about what spices you use. And then the key is just cooking them low and slow. We're talking like 250 degrees for like three and a half to four hours and just forget about them. You take off the tinfoil you Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, just so simple. So on a Sunday and the nice thing about that is that when you've got something that you can just forget about, you've got mental energy and physical energy and time to maybe be a little bit more creative and make your own salad dressing. You know, pair it with something else. instead of like, I just have to like steam up some broccoli because I'm supposed to have a vegetable, right?

Amy Sherman 20:06

recipe actually, like doesn't look intimidating at all like this looks like oh, wait, I could make this. Maybe I'll make

Kat Ashmore 20:12

your hiring imitating Yeah, it's not intimidating at all. I

Katie Chandler 20:17

feel I feel like all of your recipes are really approachable. I mean, as I'm flipping through, they're like, five steps, six steps, right, again, five steps.

Amy Sherman 20:27

I mean, it's really figuring out how long

Katie Chandler 20:29

you could do it.

Kat Ashmore 20:30

I think kids. Yeah, that is, that is a huge, a huge part of the recipe development process for me is that much like Coco Chanel says, like, a woman should accessorize and then take one thing off before leaving the house. I am. A lot of my editing is removing things, removing ingredients, removing steps, like how much does this really needs to be done in two bowls? Can it be done in one bowl? Like, maybe I'll add the baking soda at this stage instead. So it activates more. So a lot goes into a recipe being simple, and spirit

Amy Sherman 21:05

thoughtful, almost like harder to make it simple. I would think hard enough to iterate constantly to get it.

Kat Ashmore 21:11

They're harder. I wanted the recipes to almost all be on one page. I I'm always eliminating steps like how much does this really need to chill on the refrigerator? Like, can I get away with it? Maybe I need to replace it with a different ingredient. So I'm always looking at how can I make this? easier, less time consuming? And really just take up less mental energy, you know, and love? Yeah, one

Katie Chandler 21:37

of many reasons why you have three plus million followers on? Is that right? 3 million plus?

Kat Ashmore 21:46

It's not quite it's, I mean, between Instagram and Tiktok on like just under 3 million. Yeah, yeah.

Amy Sherman 21:56

And speaking of the 3,000,001 of the big things that made you go viral was your hungry lady salads, which I know we talked about last time, which we're still obsessed with. And for our listeners, there's a huge section in the cookbook with all the hungry lady salad recipes, which is incredible. Because to have all that in one place. They're so good. If they

Kat Ashmore 22:16

are just chapter, it's the largest chapter in the book. And it's not actually all of the hungry lady salads. Oh, it's just like, your favorite. I mean, I have like 46

Amy Sherman 22:28

Oh my god seven.

Kat Ashmore 22:30

Second book, like just salad. I mean, there are gonna need to be factored in I did actually just redid just signed to do book to Oh, my

Amy Sherman 22:39

God, hey.

Kat Ashmore 22:41

Yeah, that's actually just fine to do both two and three of my

Amy Sherman 22:46

gosh.

Kat Ashmore 22:49

Oh, it's good. I mean, yes, the orders have been so strong. And the enthusiasm has been so strong that it's the way that the community has shown up. It's really our book. And I always say that, like, I am the voice. But you all are the microphone, I don't exist with that. I mean, you get the message out, you get excited about it. Or else I would just be like sitting in my kitchen, like dancing to my food without anybody there. So like that's not quite as effective. But yes, so the hungry lady salad section. So the entire book is about 90% new new recipes. And then 10% fan favorite recipes. Great hungry lady salad section is 18 recipes. So 14 of them are brand new, and four of them are fan favorite. Amazing.

Amy Sherman 23:37

Great. Yeah. Those salads, like I know, we talked about this last time, like you can make them and just have them for like how like a couple of days for the mom with your

Kat Ashmore 23:46

daughter and have them for a long time, even up to a week. I mean, it's yeah, that's I mean, that's what I'm always I'm always wanting to give back that gift of time. You know, one of the things we just never have enough of so taking advantage of when you have some time, make this salad have it in the fridge so that like you have something to look forward to for lunch every day. You know, it doesn't just get the job done. It's like and then you have more mental energy to think about dinner like it's all this all plays into each other. Like I don't want you waking up being like, what am I going to have for breakfast? What am I going to have for lunch? What am I going to have for dinner? You're not going to you're not going to do your best work that way.

Amy Sherman 24:28

It's, it's all laid out. Okay, so this book is truly gorgeous and stunning, like just the photos and the layout and all that stuff. What was your favorite part of like putting this together? I imagine it's such a creative and fun process and I'm sure very, very grueling as well but like what was your favorite part of the whole experience?

Kat Ashmore 24:48

I think my favorite part of the experience was crafting the story around the book. I'm very much a storyteller at heart that is at like the core of All of the content I do, and it has been the most common thread through my whole career, whether it was you know, telling stories on television with Martha or then on corporate side, or as a gourmet foods buyer telling the story on a retail level, and I love to write. So really creating the recipes. I mean, if I had my way I would be in my kitchen, listening to music, just creating recipes, writing recipes, editing recipes, from morning to night, that yeah, like it, there's nothing I love more. And I look at every recipe, like a story, like there are different characters that you need that round out the story. And they bring out certain things in each other. And it creates this like holistic, rich story. So creating the recipes. And then also just like writing the head notes about each recipe because it my communication style is very personal. I want people to feel like they are at home with me cooking with me. And I always love to read that in a cookbook. I want that. That personal element, you know, because it's in there are my favorite stories to read even even now. Yeah,

Amy Sherman 26:15

it's so true.

Katie Chandler 26:16

You do an excellent job with that. Feeling like someone is in in the kitchen cooking with you and

Amy Sherman 26:22

like a friend. Yeah,

Katie Chandler 26:23

it's definitely a piece of huge factor of your fan following and everything you just make. It's like you talk you're talking to your girlfriends or your friends about how to make something or, and that reminds me, we were speaking about it earlier, before we got on that you are fans that your followers are constantly asking you other questions about your life, not just about the food, because they feel like they know you so well. Right? I mean, you guys are very connected. So we were just talking about absolutely stunning your skin is so what skin is scanning all the things that are that's, you know, other things going on in your life like that gorgeous, glowing skin. How are you getting at? What are you doing?

Kat Ashmore 27:03

Thank you. You know, it's still so I'm so grateful and humbled by it. And I really receive all the compliments that I get around my skin now, because I wasn't historically someone that was complimented on their skin like not that it was like horrific at certain points. It just like wasn't that, you know, it wasn't notable. And so it's really amazing. I do work at it. I mean, there's a lot that I do, right? So some people are kind of like, Oh, that's too much. And it might be I mean, for me, I really

Amy Sherman 27:40

we need to hear the whole breakdown because we love this. We need to

Kat Ashmore 27:44

be entire everybody listening? Yes, I mean, take notes. So there's the topical stuff that I use the products and then there's the stuff that I use that I use and just lifestyle choices that help right like, I don't drink alcohol anymore. That helps. Yeah, that absolutely helps. Okay, so I'm just more hydrated on a regular basis, I eat a lot of whole foods that helps I drink a lot of water, that helps I do a cold blast at the end of my shower for 60 seconds. So like as cold as I can stand it. That helps, right? Like I do Transcendental Meditation every day. That helps, right like stress is all of it is reflected in your skin and in the way that you look and the way that you feel is also reflected right. So all of those lifestyle things matter. And then as far as like my skin routine, on a daily basis, how much like into the weeds Do you want me to go we want the weeds like the weeds. Amazing. Okay, so yeah, because it's like a non negotiable for me to do these things. So in the morning, I do my first skincare related thing I do is I do guasha every morning with a base oil. I am very like regimented with my mornings I wake up very early, usually around 434 45 I do like my workout in the mornings. I first thing I have is three two ounces of warm water with lemon and salt. Like those types of things. I do my guasha that's the first skincare related thing. And then I go upstairs before I get in the shower. And literally thinking of everything I did this morning. Before I get in the shower. I love it. I use an oil based cleanser. So I've been using is it better skin for better skin. I think that that's the name of it. Just some kind of an oil based cleanser. Yep. So I will just put that on. I hop in the shower, rinse it off. Like especially in the winter time I'm doing a lot of stuff that is hydrating even when it's cleansing. Yeah. So I will use that. I get out the net First thing I do is I put my toner on, I just like tap it all over my face my Declan Tay, my neck, my hands and then I will put on my red light therapy mask. Which do you guys use a red light therapy mask? Yeah,

Katie Chandler 30:14

fun. Yeah, I don't use it religiously. But I have one anytime you

Amy Sherman 30:17

have the Dr. Dennis gross one er, which one do you have?

Kat Ashmore 30:20

No, I have the current body one. Okay. And I have used it every day for four months. And it's made a really big difference in the, like, tone of my skin. I see brown spots have faded. That's like the biggest difference that I wow. That's how long do you wear it for? 10 minutes. Okay, so what I always do is I put on my robe, I put on the neck one and the face one. And then I do stuff like I pack the kids lunches. I'm never just like sitting hanging out, right? Like I'm always doing multiple things at once. So then I do that. I take that off. And then I use a serum I usually use so my friend Jenna launched a company called bios. And so I don't know if you see it and B Y O F stands for free. You have to look it up. It's like a pink. It's like a pink container. And it's basically like vitamin C and bakuchiol Is it bakuchiol gradient tavas li butchering it, but it's fantastic. It's, it's kind of touted as like a retinol alternative. I still use tret every few days at night, but it's just you know, I use some kind of serum. So I do my serum. And then after that I will do my moisturizer. So I've been loving the Dermalogica moisturizer lately. Fantastic. And then I spray the like a tanning spray. You know Santro PE spray. Oh yeah. So that gives you a really nice glow. And that's my morning is that like a crazy lot and then I take liquid collagen like when I go downstairs which is like completely changed my skin. But that has mostly just changed the skin from like, it's almost like a balloon was blown up in my skin. Yeah, when you plump? Very much so. Okay, it's time at

Amy Sherman 32:27

the gym because I want to shoot. Okay, so what's the nighttime routine?

Kat Ashmore 32:30

nighttime routine is I will do so I take off my makeup with either LMS or again, like an oil base. And I've been using the Dermalogica precleanse lately that I love. I love Dermalogica products, they sent me a bunch of stuff to try. And so I've been using the pre cleanse and I absolutely love it. It's really light. So I take that off. And then I do a second cleanse with just like a set of fill or something like gentle but like a proper cleanse, right? A double cleanse. Yep, yep, yep. And then every I switch it up a little bit where every few days I will use the P 50. By biology reshare shorts is like, great. It's strong. Yeah, I do that. Why is that? Yeah, every few nights, I would say I don't use that if I'm using Tretton Now when that night. I do try it like every third night as well. But one of the things that I swear by is it's called aisle lucette. And it's a French name.

Katie Chandler 33:30

I just ordered it. What is that? I

Kat Ashmore 33:34

use it every single night. It's unbelievable. Do you know how to use it? No.

Katie Chandler 33:37

I was gonna do my research before I came. I ordered it like yesterday.

Kat Ashmore 33:42

Yeah, it is very potent ironic acid cream. Okay, the treatment so it, it won't like burn your skin or anything. I mean, it's like a very nourishing treatment. But you basically put it on damp skin. So I will do that. Like right after I have the toner, I'll just put a little bit of water on my skin. Take like a good sized amount. It's not expensive, which is part of why I like it, because sometimes they'd be like, if something's too expensive. I don't want to use a lot of it. So it's like you can use a good amount. And I just put it all over my face to the point where it looks pretty white still. And then I will just take a little bit of a thick moisturizer like Egyptian magic or something like that. And then I just like Pat, I kind of slug it in in that sense. And you wake up with the most moisturized glowy Oh, yeah. So now I have like French pharmacy

Amy Sherman 34:44

same caterers just talking about that. Yeah, I need to order that. It sounds amazing. So do you do that when you put retinol on because I use Trent known as well. Like is it that you do that on top of the Trent Nolan?

Kat Ashmore 34:54

I do. Okay, some people say not to me You know, you hear different things, whatever. I think you have to be your own physician to play with your cover. What? Yes, exactly. I, I do I find it very, very nourishing. And I'll do a face mask like, maybe once a week. Yeah. Nothing crazy. But that. Yeah, that's one of my favorite products. And that's

Katie Chandler 35:22

what I read about that product is that it pulls moisture into your skin from wherever you're adding the moisture. So like you said, Your face has to be damp before and then you're putting on like a heavy slugging cream afterwards. It's really helping that moisture seep into your skin. So if you read if you use it while your face is dry, and then you don't follow up with a moisturizer, it will actually dehydrate your skin because it'll pull the moisture out.

Kat Ashmore 35:48

And that makes sense. Yeah, so a lot of sense. I like to know the why behind things. So I Yeah, hearing that, because I wasn't aware of that. I just knew you needed to use it on damp skin. Yeah, it's really, it's really fantastic. And then I use that canopy humidifier. Yeah, yeah. So I use that every night. And so I love that you just gave us the whole like, nitty gritty detail because we Yeah, I love that I am like the opposite of a gatekeeper like I want, I will share everything I know it

Amy Sherman 36:24

or not. So I ordered the college and because I had seen you talk about it so many times. And I was like, I need to order this and obviously your skin looks amazing. So I just started at like, I haven't been super disciplined. But lately I have been but I got it maybe like a month ago, so I don't Okay. You know, I know you said it has to you have to do for like a few months for you to like start here for a month. Yeah, we'd

Kat Ashmore 36:43

say yeah, I mean, it worked for me quickly. It was like within the first five weeks, I would say Okay, everybody started commenting on it to me. Wow. My followers like I wasn't planning on even sharing it for three months. Yeah, people are like, what are you you know, asking all these questions and now

Amy Sherman 37:03

you do like the two teaspoons in the morning or two tables table. Every morning.

Kat Ashmore 37:07

My husband takes it now my mom takes a deep dive on me. It's been this it's Modere Okay, and if you see like my the before and afters my college and highlight it's like comical.

Amy Sherman 37:22

No, I watch I was like, before I bought it, I watched it. I'm like, this is incredible. I mean, it's what year the plane was like, I got the one that you recommended, like the plane one it kind of tastes like here. It's like a Yeah, like part. Oh, yes. It's not bad. But there's also flavored ones. Do they kind of work the same? Yes.

Kat Ashmore 37:41

So they're all the same amount of collagen? Yeah. But like it also has hyaluronic acid in it too. Right? So it's like you see a lot of these same ingredients. It's just like I mean, the college is expensive but you can you get what you pay for like I use less Botox now. And I don't use any like eyelash serum anymore.

Amy Sherman 38:03

Oh, really? So it's affecting like your hair grow?

Kat Ashmore 38:06

Yes.

Amy Sherman 38:07

Wow.

Katie Chandler 38:08

What a good for nails also right like the

Kat Ashmore 38:10

the strain our joints? If you I mean, I have been takes it because of his joints. Like he has no shoulder pain for the first time in like 15 years. Wow. It's great. Yeah, it's really good. I mean, I know I get offers. I get like brand deal offers from different supplement companies and stuff like that constantly. You know, I'm going to be very selective with who I work with. Because I don't want to be doing a million different things. Like I want to be doing stuff that works.

Amy Sherman 38:40

And we trust you. I also bought the walking desk, like not the walking desk, the treadmill from you. And it's so funny, because you just I had been researching for a while and then I like forgot about it. And then I saw yours. I'm like, I'm just getting on and she recommends because I know it's good. And that's been so nice. Just not be sitting all day and just like walking during the day. So that's great, because I've noticed, like, obviously, you have so much content around cooking, but now you have a lot of like great lifestyle content. Like I'm wondering, I'm like staring at your sweater slash sweatshirt. I'm like, is that an Amazon or is it here? You

Kat Ashmore 39:13

get it? Like I love it isn't deadly, Steven? Okay. Yeah, it's, you know, it's the kind of thing where I think very much like Martha in a way, like she started out in catering. You know, she became a firebrand. And I just, I've always operated in the sense where I am going to listen to what people want from me. And I'm not going to I'm not going to sit here and think I know what people should want to see from me. I'm going to talk about I mean, like, I am a like, I'm very passionate about the things that I believe in and like creating a life that I'm excited to wake up to every morning. So I talk about it all. I love it and

Katie Chandler 39:56

it's working for you obviously.

Kat Ashmore 39:58

There are so Many food creators and there's so many websites Food Network New York Times cookie, if you just want recipes, go there like, yeah, the only thing that's really different about what I do is that I'm doing it. So I my content is very personality forward like, people better than me, people are taking better photos than me people are putting together better outfits than me. But like, I'm the only unique thing about my brand.

Amy Sherman 40:28

That's right. That's right. And you know what, I always like to follow people like you that have a specialty, right? But then you start seeing their lifestyle, and you get to know them more personally, because that's when you like, can really connect and start trusting and like it just it makes just for better overall content and like, whatever. So we love it all. And you are going on a book tour. I'm read so let's hear about that. Like where where's it starting? Because I was just saying to Katie, I think you're like your first stop is near her. I was like, Katie, you gotta go. Yes.

Kat Ashmore 41:02

So the first event is going to be the 23rd in Madison at RJ Giulia And then third, okay. And then it rolls out where I'm going to be in Danbury of Barnes and Noble there, I'm going to be at the Del Mar in Greenwich for a really fun event. And the kitchen Atlas scowl is going to be making a few of my recipes for the appetizers from the book. So it's really fun. And then I'll be traveling a bit where I'll be in, you know, I'll be in Rhode Island at the William Sonoma in New York at Columbus Circle Boston, Dallas, Texas, I'm going to be hosting an event with my friend Alex from the Define dish. And we're going to be hosting an event together and then Houston and more stops may be added. But I have the full list on both my website and my Instagram. Okay, yeah, you need to come. I know, I'm actually surprised that we haven't prioritized DC yet. I mean, a lot of it is just based on analytics. Right. And we're on the ground. shoveler Yeah, most people are, but I know that I've got we've got a lot of people in DC for sure. Because if you can let me know, as well. Yeah, no, definitely.

Amy Sherman 42:21

I can interview live, we could do an ironic live q&a from the audience. You see what I'm saying? I got it. I got. Um, one other thing I wanted to mention, I know we talked about it last time, and you mentioned it reasonably somewhere. But and I again, always think of you about this, like, what can I add to my plate like that philosophy? So like, if I'm making a salad or I'm making like yogurt in the morning, I think to myself, like, what can I add? That's like healthy that's gonna see shaped me. Like, can I add that? Can I add whatever and like, that has stuck with me. I think it's such a good tip. Yeah, I'm

Kat Ashmore 42:51

so glad it's been huge. For me. It's really been huge for me, because I don't snack that often. Now, and I don't even realize that I don't really snack until people are like, knows that. Like, it's crazy to some people, but my meals are really satiating. So I just, I don't snack that much. And

Amy Sherman 43:12

I need to make I saw in the cookbook, and then I noticed it on your feed when I looked because I totally missed this one over the holidays. Like I love peppermint cookies or anything like peppermint around the holidays. And I saw those peppermint cookies. I was like, You know what I really need to make that they look

Kat Ashmore 43:26

No, they're so good. Yeah, my seven year old said that those are the best cookies he's had in his life so far. Like, well, I mean, that is the ultimate review. Yeah, absolutely. Like, you'll note that there's granulated sugar, and there's butter. Yeah, there. Yeah, I am not afraid of classic baking ingredients and not afraid of any ingredients. I want. A cookie tastes like a really good cookie. So

Amy Sherman 43:57

if you're gonna have it, you might as well. Yeah, we're just

Kat Ashmore 44:00

like, how much do we actually need? And by cutting back on this, what changes do I need to make so that we still get the texture we want? We still get the Browning we want. You know all of that. That's just that's my way. But

Katie Chandler 44:14

we're still letting a cookie be a cookie. Yeah,

Kat Ashmore 44:16

very much. And again, that way you aren't feeling like, Oh, I'm going to this place. Do I need to make like, healthy cookies that I'm going to want to eat? Or do I need to make like totally indulgent cookies that I can't eat but other people will enjoy? It's like, No, you can you can do both.

Amy Sherman 44:33

You can do both. Okay, like we could literally talk to you all day. We love you. We love like so fun. I just like and we need to meet in person. So Katie, and I need your book tours like this is

Kat Ashmore 44:45

great. We have to make that happen. Email me and we'll we'll chat about

Amy Sherman 44:49

that. Well, we'll figure out something. So let's get into our little rap session. I know we did this last time but I'm sure well, we basically like the first question what's your favorite wellness or beauty hack? I feel like we went through your whole routine. So we Love it. But just give us one thing like your favorite hack.

Kat Ashmore 45:02

Yeah, I'm okay. My favorite wellness hack, I will say because this is a mental wellness and we haven't talked about it but yeah complimenting a stranger a day. I do it every day. Oh, I love

Katie Chandler 45:13

that. I think I saw that on your content at some point. Did you talk about it at some point?

Kat Ashmore 45:17

Yeah, I have I've talked about until that's why I compliment one stranger a day. And I will also like, anytime I go to the grocery store, I get an extra bouquet of flowers, and then I will give it to someone in the parking lot. Sometimes they have to, like be a little bit creepy and like, follow people to their car. Because there aren't a lot of people here today. But I do it for myself. I love that when I'm having a bad day. It's this storyline of like, I'm not any good. I'm not enough. That's usually what is at the heart of it. So like, the best way for me to get back in touch with my goodness is by doing a good deed. And so instantly, I feel like I'm a good person. So it's not completely all altruistic. And

Amy Sherman 46:05

yeah, it makes you feel good. And it makes make someone's day.

Kat Ashmore 46:09

That's completely. Yeah, I swear by.

Katie Chandler 46:14

It shuts down those automatic negative thoughts that we all have. Right. It's like,

Kat Ashmore 46:19

quiet outside yourself. Yeah. That's great.

Katie Chandler 46:24

All right. So you gave us the play by play of the routine. What's the five minute flow? How you get out the door quickly? Uber's right around the corner.

Kat Ashmore 46:34

That was this morning for me literally before I had to jump on to something. So the one so I have I've been under painting, which I swear by doing, you know, the contour or bronzer and the blush, whatever underneath, whatever kind of foundation you're wearing. Or tinted sunscreen, but I have been using this slip tent by

Amy Sherman 46:59

Oh, I use that. So good. I'm obsessed with

Kat Ashmore 47:03

that. So I'm obsessed with it. I love the Ilia Skin Tint too, but like this is my newest obsession. And this concealer by Natasha de Nonna. Oh, I've heard of Yeah, I've heard of Taylor I've ever used really filler of every list. Yes. Yes. You can like bring it down. If you're not wearing anything else. You can bring it down a bit and just spot treat and treat that as like you're on vacation. Yeah, so that is like, huge. And then I will be like very much like a multiuse person where if I'm putting a little bit on my lip, I'll just like that, you know, dab it on making you and then Thrive mascara is my jam. I use that with a CoverGirl primer. Perfect. I don't know. Yeah. Just quick out the door. Yeah, but you know what it is? Don't Don't you feel like it's the high maintenance to be low maintenance thing, because I do so much with my skincare. I don't 100% do that much.

Amy Sherman 48:04

I don't need to do that. Yeah, I also find and Katie, and I've talked about this before, like the older you get, the less makeup, you need to if you're taking care of your skin like yeah, makeup doesn't look as good as like because your texture is different. So like, the less you can wear the better. But to your point, you got to do a lot of stuff to make it where your skin looks dead. So you don't really have to wear much, but just like a little thing here or there.

Katie Chandler 48:25

That's right. Yeah. Yeah, too much makeup. The older you get. I feel like is ages,

Amy Sherman 48:30

people who didn't do it totally does it totally. The

Katie Chandler 48:33

base has to be in shape. The skins got to be Yeah, on point. All right. So I know what your how you maintain your daily nirvana. Remember what you said last time? I'm curious what it is this time if it's same or not? How do you maintain that?

Kat Ashmore 48:48

Meditation is huge for me. That's like, oh, that's one of the big I mean, it's a non negotiable, it has totally changed my life where I'm just so much less reactive to external circumstances. It grounds me in something really solid. So that's huge. And also daily movement exercises. Like some kind of daily movement, whether it's, you know, walking, doing an incline walk in the morning, going to a, you know, a bar class, just like working my body out.

Amy Sherman 49:20

It just like something. You got it. Yeah.

Katie Chandler 49:23

You've been practicing Transcendental Meditation for years, right?

Kat Ashmore 49:26

I have. Yeah.

Amy Sherman 49:27

Anyway, you're doing that at some point. You inspired

Katie Chandler 49:30

me to find the Westport or the, you know, the Fairfield County representative here and I started working with her. Like a year ago, I hung up with her for a while I've fallen off I need to go to one of them. You know, like, refresher.

Kat Ashmore 49:45

Yeah. Just to get you back then. Yeah, yeah, of course. And, you know, meditation is one of those things where people always feel like I'm not good at it. And it's just like, nobody's good at it. Right? Right. was against everything in us as a human to like, it's hard, or water.

Amy Sherman 50:05

I appreciate it when I do it. I really don't do it a lot. But when I do it, I appreciate it so much. And I have to I feel like at least for me, because I'm not I don't do TM or anything like that I'll just do like a, Melissa would help like just someone guiding me and that helps. But I really need to force myself to do it more because you're right, like every time I do it, I feel so much more grounded. I just like don't worry, you know, put it in your calendar. If you do that's the way that I implement a new habit is I put it Yeah, calendar I put it in my phone. Repeat every day. Well, I have my I put this on our Instagram, but I have my like, my yearly mood board on my screensaver as my phone and it literally the best tip like we're kidding are building your year to doing this. It takes two seconds you like do it on your Well, this one, I think I made this one make a mood board. You basically you could do it a super easy way. Or you could make it more complicated. But the super easy way to do it is you take nine photos from your phone like you could just find inspo anywhere like, quote on Instagram, it's something from patients wherever you just take those last nine photos in your phone, you screenshot it and you put it as a screensaver. It's like the easiest thing. This I think I made in like Canva, which took me two seconds. But I just took a bunch of things. I literally downloaded it and now it's on my screen. And so it's like my reminders of are my things that I want to do that. I'm ready to go fast. Because I've been every year I always have these things. And it's like I write it down. And then I never look at it. And this was like, I started doing the nine photos. But then I was like We don't want to add more things. So then I of course like wanted to make a fun collage. But the easiest way is just like take a screenshot of this last name photos, or 12 manifest

Kat Ashmore 51:51

whatever it is. I just wrote it down. Yeah.

Amy Sherman 51:53

I love that. Yeah, we want to hear. So it's been it's fabulous. Yeah, I I love it. And I actually there's this quote on here that I had last year and I carried it over to the shirt. And my husband was like, will you sent me that quote, which was so cute. And the quote is, and it's by this person, Judy Haller, who's actually just like, she's like a keynote speaker. I've just been following her for years. And the quote is, assume the best will happen. Which I love. Because how many times are we always like, oh, like you always think negative. You're like, Oh, what if this happens? What if my husband's like, very skeptical about everything? So like, he saw that quote, and he was like, Oh, can I have that? And I was like, Yeah, I mean,

Kat Ashmore 52:34

that too.

Amy Sherman 52:36

I mean, yeah, that's so it's like, such a good thing to think about, because there's so many times right, where you're like, thinking through something, and then sometimes I'll just change my mindset will be like, but what if this happens instead? You know, even even with my kids like, a basketball game, well, what if I do that or whatever? But what if you don't? What if this happens, right? Like, right, he might spend

Kat Ashmore 52:58

time projecting the future you might as well do it positively.

Katie Chandler 53:01

Or just for what you want. Yeah, I

Kat Ashmore 53:05

love that. Yeah.

Amy Sherman 53:06

Anyway, well, like I said, we could talk all day, but this is nice. Thank you for your time was so good. Everybody, check out cash, Moore's book, big bites, and of course, she's on Instagram and Tiktok and all the things. We love it. We love you. Thank you so much for coming back. Congratulations on everything and we will chat soon. Can't wait. Thank

Kat Ashmore 53:27

you so much for having me.

Amy Sherman 53:30

Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. also find us on Instagram at Nirvana sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana sisters will continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to buy

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here or view our podcast episode guide.

Episode 141 - The Most Accessible Wellbeing Tips For Life Satisfaction & Happiness With Sally Joy Wolf (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 141 .

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation. Welcome to the show Nirvana Sisters. Today we are sitting down with Sally Joy Wolf. She is a well being, advisor, advocate and keynote speaker who empowers and inspires others to flourish. She loves creating fun and unique corporate workshops, integrating themes such as meaning and purpose, post traumatic growth, authentic and vulnerable, leadership and positivity. Her work integrates her studies at Harvard and Stanford, her certifications in positive psychology, coaching, resilience, meditation and spark type advising, and her lived experience with metastatic breast cancer. Sally is a LinkedIn top voice whose work has been featured in media including Allure, the independent, Glamour, Netflix, health and entrepreneur. And her cancer journey was just recently profiled on Good Morning America and CBS New York. So a lot of media accolades and exposure and for good reason. So we're excited to have you here. Hi, Sally.

Speaker C: Hi. I'm so excited we're finally sitting down.

Speaker B: All right, well, we're going to start with our nirvana of the week and I'm going to kick it to Amy to get us started there.

Speaker C: I would say this week was a.

Speaker A: Very busy week because it's, know, what are we, like 2nd, 3rd week back from the holiday? And so everything has been really kicking in. And so for my other job, I had a very big deliverable that I got done and sent out last night. And so I feel really good about like, okay, done. Next. It was just like one of those things that was wearing on me, so it just felt good to press that button.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: See you later.

Speaker B: That's nice.

Speaker A: What about you, Katie?

Speaker B: Mine's kind of similar. I had on Wednesday, I ended up not having to work in the city, so I had a day at home and I had a laundry list like this long of all the things to do, things for the podcast, things for the house, things for the kids. And it was like one of those wonderfully productive days where everything got done without me being frazzled and stressed over it. I was able to just do like check and that was for sure. By the end of the day I was like, oh, what a great day I had. I feel so productive and accomplished.

Speaker A: I know you're like every day just be so productive.

Speaker B: So I think that was it. What about you, Sally?

Speaker C: So actually, also from Wednesday, I had my first print byline last year, which was really meaningful because I grew up in the magazine industry, and the piece that I wrote was an essay about a dear mentor and boss who unfortunately passed away. And the piece was specifically about this necklace I'm actually wearing that I wear often, that she gifted me, and the lasting legacy that people can leave. So I had held on sharing it publicly until her birthday, which was this Wednesday, and that just gave it a little extra meaning for me and a deeper connection. And then it led to a beautiful catch up with another former colleague yesterday. That happened because she saw the piece. So just that gift of one thing leading to another and feeling very meant to be in that.

Speaker B: I love that. That's fantastic. All right, well, let's kick it off, because I feel like we have some great things to cover, and I'm just excited to pick your brain on all things. I know you work with a lot of people on positivity and being present and being resilient. And so what are some of the key points that you teach people, for example, maybe positive tools for being more resilient?

Speaker C: Sure. And it's such a good point in the year, I think, to have this conversation because people often use the new year. I mean, we can do a reset anytime, but especially after feeling frazzled in the holidays, I think there's a lot of this. How can I be more present in the new year? How can I be more positive or resilient or whatever word people go to? I always start with gratitude, which I know seems like it gets a lot of airtime, but the reality is it gets a lot of airtime. People talk about it a lot because it's actually scientifically proven to work well for us. And I also start there because I find that it's usually accessible for people in a way that some of the deeper stuff that I think we'll talk about in our conversation, like meaning and purpose, can be a little bit more challenging. So starting with gratitude. I've listened to several of your episodes, and I know a lot of people talk about food and nutrients and well being and how we nourish our bodies. So, like kale and quinoa, I know, are kind of like those superfoods. Gratitude is that for our well being from a positive psychology perspective. So going through your day and saying, at the end of the day or in the morning, in the next morning, I'm going to write down three things I feel grateful for, or if three feels too hard to start with one. Right. But being mindful about that, the beauty of it is that you start to notice that gratitude can come in really small pieces. And it doesn't have to be alone, meaning you're not necessarily going to have a day where all you feel is gratitude or grateful. So gratitude can coexist with something that might feel darker. Like you can be sad and grateful at the same time. You can be struggling and also grateful for what is going right. And so I love to start with gratitude because people can usually find that one or two or three things a day. And the last thing I'll say on that is that when you start to prime yourself for it, you notice far more than you expect. So maybe day one or two or three is one thing, two thing, but then by a week and two weeks and you start to have this practice, you're going to have, like, a list of eight, maybe not every day, but a list of ten. Because you're going to be in a moment and be able to just almost know that that's a moment you're going to want to recall later, because it is a moment where you're feeling tapped into something deeper. And so going along with gratitude is also really being present, which you actually mentioned earlier. So many people love to talk about how good they are at multitasking. We are not good at. No one is good at multitasking in the way that I think people think they are. And I have one friend who's an exception. She's a quadruplet. So I kid that my friend Jodi has been multitasking since the womb. But Jodi aside, we think we're okay and, right, you get a notification and takes you down this rabbit hole and you're not really present in something else, or when you're with your kids or for me, I'm an auntie, and we're so excited to be with them. And then we're on a device or we're doing something else. And so what happens is that we're not really experiencing that moment as deeply as we could be, and we're less likely to actually genuinely appreciate and enjoy it. We're also less likely to remember it in a way where it can actually boost our positivity. So really savoring. So gratitude is sort of like that. Can I appreciate this? Can I find something that is elevating to me for my day or whatever it may be, or in that moment? And savoring is really about being super mindful and activating. I like to think of it as activating all your senses. And if you can activate those two things, gratitude and a bit of savoring in every day. You are setting yourself up for a really good day, week, month, year.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's funny. Our nirvana that we were just talking about that we do is sort of kind of in that same vein, like trying to pick out that small thing in the day that brought you joy, brought you a smile that made you grateful.

Speaker C: Right?

Speaker A: So I love that. It's a good point and something we should consistently be remembering because they can be small things. It doesn't have to be some major thing.

Speaker C: Right. And scientifically, it's shown to make a huge, measurable difference, like quantifiable difference in how we would describe our own individual life satisfaction. So we think that things like our life experience dominate. Like, well, how good of a life? How satisfied am I? How happy am I? We think things like falling in love or getting the dream job or having a healthy child, those are all important good life experiences for some people. Or on the more challenging side, having a serious diagnosis or deep grief or whatever it may be, that's life experience, too. We think that will dominate our pie, meaning a pie chart of how content am I? And yes, in those moments, those are a big deal. But science shows that only about 10% of life satisfaction really ties to life experience, and about 40% is tied to mindset and gratitude and savoring, and also going through life with that sense of awe and appreciation. Those three things are all connected like that. Awe, gratitude and savoring. It actually is responsible for about 40% of life satisfaction and happiness. So the reason I start with gratitude and savoring when I'm talking to people about this is because it makes a measurable.

Speaker B: It's really interesting because gratitude, I believe, begets positivity. Right? I mean, that's the idea is that if you're taking a moment to reflect on something that you're thankful for, that's something that is typically positive. It can really shift your mood and your mindset for the day. It can really shift what you are expecting out of your day. Instead of waking up and stressing out about all the things that need to get done, whether or not I have time to get it done. And starting the foot with the negative, stressed, scared mindset, you're saying shift and start with gratitude and the savoring piece, I really can appreciate that. And I think that is, do you find that it's hard for people to do that? Because that requires people to kind of slow down, take it in, stop multitasking, like you said. I mean, there's been times in my life where I was trying to do everything at once. Be the mom, do this, do that, do this, do that, and next thing you know, the day is over and you're pulling your hair out of your head. So to be able to compartmentalize things that you need to do in your life at certain times, live in the moment, how do you advise people to achieve that?

Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, first of all, yes, it is hard. And we all are juggling so many different responsibilities and hats or titles or however you think about it. And so I think there needs to be a bit of self compassion and sort of just acceptance that not every day is going to be a day where you are able to focus 100% all the time on the single thing that you're doing. Right. So just starting with the fact that it's hard, and at the same time, there are little micro steps that we can take to set ourselves up for better success. And I'm a big believer. So I don't really do New Year's resolutions anymore. There's so many things written about how by mid January, crazy percentage of people have already dropped the resolution, sometimes by January 2 or third. And I think that often happens because they're so big and so right. Like December 31 happens, and you're doing all these things that maybe you say, oh, this isn't so good, but tomorrow I'm going to stop this. Come on. So I'm a big believer in consistent, small steps leading to big lasting change. And so with respect to the multitasking or the savoring and the full presence, look at our phones. Love to tell us how much were we on the phone last week or the devices? So can I cut that by 10% this week, or can I set limits that help set me up for success? Because I do think the screens are often the biggest source of distraction, and they're created to distract us. Notifications are meant to. There's a reason they're red. Something I did just at the beginning of this year, which I think is working. We'll see. What the data says is I put my phone on more of a grayscale than a color, which I had heard the color is like kid in a candy store. It's just meant to activate things in our brain and make us go back for more and more. And social media is designed for that especially. And so I changed that ever so slightly. It's a lot less exciting. Like, the pictures aren't as vivid, the notifications aren't red. It sounds little and silly, but it's actually not silly. And then I was mindful especially with the first few days of the year when I was in Connecticut at my sister's and with her kids. And I don't get to be with them as much as I might want to. You know, we tell them to get off their iPad sometimes, and then what are we doing? Like, the phone is right there. And so I was very mindful about, no, I'm ice skating right now. Nothing is needing me. Right. No, I am doing this right now. And whatever it is, and I'm going to enjoy this more if I am not checking something else. And the truth is, I realized it at the end of that first day. I realized I felt a difference. I felt less anxious having grabbed my phone less. I felt better about the memories I had made that day, meaning they were clearer, more salient. I could savor them more because I had been more present while I was experiencing them. And so I think that's the best first step in general, is to just try to 10% here, like, say, this next hour or today, I'm going to turn my notifications off at 08:00 p.m. To try that or put my phone down an hour earlier or not grab it first thing in the morning. Like, little achievable things. Sometimes they'll be achievable, sometimes they won't. It depends on the person. It depends how important it is to you. And then asking yourself, did this change? It's really like a little scientific experiment with yourself. So did this little experiment of turning notifications off for an hour, did I feel better or worse after? And if you felt better, the reason we don't then keep doing that is we worry about, will my office need me? Will I miss something important and then kind of say, like, okay, well, what did I not see in that hour that I didn't get notified more often than not, absolutely nothing.

Speaker B: And it doesn't have to be all day where your notifications are turned off. It's like when we're with our family or when we're working, if we can be really tuned in and focused on that moment and not distracted by the outside things, you can get more done and have more of a savoring experience in that brief amount of time because you're present instead of. Sometimes I would be with the kids, not just when I was a stay at home mom, only not working in addition to and distracted by all the things. But I'm with them all day, and I realized I was half there, I'm half with them. And so it's not as enjoyable and it's very stressful because I'm thinking about all of these outside things that I have to get done. So instead it's like quality over quantity.

Speaker C: Yeah. Look, when you're half here and half there, you're not an either, right? It's like this unsteadiness. And I don't know about you, I find myself, like, even just a show that I'm enjoying binging or watching or whatever it may be. Sometimes I'm rewinding, like, I don't even want to admit how many times, because.

Speaker A: I realize your mind starts wondering.

Speaker C: I just, look, just going to reply to this one email while I'm watching this one thing, and I'm like. And then I'm like, the episode ended, so checked out. And that's what often happens. Or, like, I get a notification, I go to do one thing on my computer, I actually get distracted by something else, do other things, and I walk away without having done the one thing I intended to do because I'm not fully present. And so that's the other thing. Even when you learn all of these well being tips, and you both are expert in such a breadth of well being in terms of what you've covered here on the podcast, and yet, I'm sure for you as well as for me, I know it's a decision to break in and to use what we rate. I start off with two questions whenever I am working with clients, and most of my clients are in the corporate space, but it's all well being work, and the questions tend to be a version of how knowledgeable are you about well being? And then how often do you use the knowledge? And there's always a drop, right? Because we can know all the things that are good for us, and then there's a real moment, and we're human and we get distracted. So I think it's a constant choice, like you were saying, katie, to lean into that time with your kids when you're with them or whatever.

Speaker B: And it's not always doable.

Speaker A: It is a practice, and it is something that you have to continually build. It's like building a muscle. Because even, like phones aside, sometimes when I'm in a conversation with someone, my mind is going a million miles an hour, and I can't focus on the person. So I have to just remind myself in my head, okay, just listen to what they're saying, breathe, calm down. And then to try to clear my mind. But it doesn't happen overnight. You just have to keep reminding yourself. And I feel like, keep building that muscle. But you're right, it is a choice that you have to make every day, every conversation. It doesn't just automatically happen.

Speaker C: I love that you just said that. Because that's why I said at the very beginning, start with that self compassion and kindness and that breath. Because none of us are going to be perfect or always having a day where all of this feels accessible to us. We're human. Even any well being expert, if they're being honest, I would say that, yeah.

Speaker A: It'S funny that you said that about the grayscale. I was just listening to a podcast the other day that was talking exactly about that. There was a study, and then when people put their phones on Grayscale, they used it like, I don't remember the number, but much less of the amount because it wasn't as exciting. And it went through this whole history of video games and how they were created, and it all started with slot machines. It was like this incredible history of how these addictive types of screens started and they feed into the addiction. But the point, I guess, that I'm making is that I think the awareness of all of these things make all of these decisions easier. So just like anything else, if you kind of understand the why behind it, or are aware that you're not paying attention, you're going to pay attention more, or aware that, oh, I want to use my phone 10% less today. It's like the choices and the awareness is like that first step, because then you can make it happen more than just sort of going through life without any hundred recognition.

Speaker C: I don't know about this grayscale.

Speaker B: I have to educate myself on the grayscale thing.

Speaker A: You do it through accessibility or something.

Speaker C: Exactly. Look. And so often I think that's true, it probably did begin as an access. It's in the accessibility section of the iPhone. And I think that's because it probably began as something for someone who might have had colorblindness or something else. But it's actually a great hack for everyone to try. If you find yourself on there a lot, because it's just a lot less exciting, I will say I've already had moments. And it's also interesting to see how quickly you adapt to things as a human, which is a strength that all of us has meaning. Like, in this case, adapted to it. And I forgot I had done it, and I was like, wow, these pictures, like, kind of dull. I forgot that. I'm like, suddenly why does the whole world. I'm like, oh, right, I did that. I chose that all right, well, I.

Speaker B: Want to talk a little bit about showing up as your true authentic self in everything that you do. And I can imagine that I know you work with a lot of people in the corporate space, that this is something that you cover a lot there. And personally, as someone, I don't think I ever felt like I was truly stepping into every moment as my authentic self until I was in my forty s. And I don't know why. I know I'm not alone in this. I've heard a lot of people say this, but it's not always easy to do. We're influenced by other people. We have our own insecurities and it can take us into all these different directions, and then that can steamroll and spiral and make people show up in a way that isn't authentic to themselves. So let's talk a little bit about that and how you work with people there.

Speaker C: Sure. Authenticity has gotten a lot of attention recently. I think it was actually the word of the year from one of the dictionaries last year. And it's like all of a sudden everyone everates. So I feel like everyone will be talking about it throughout the year. I've thought a lot about authenticity, really, from the early before I was doing well, being work directly. I was very conscious of having spent about 20 years in the corporate world, high pressured kind of environments, management consulting, a little banking, and then in house at a bunch of media companies. And I remember early on in the corporate know, being pretty young, out of college and getting all this advice about your work self and your other self. And I never really understood it because to me, I was myself and I was Sally and I felt best at work when I was really getting to know people and really connecting. And ultimately I made a lot of friends at work. And there are people decades later I'm still in touch with. And that was true at every job. So I constantly was kind of going back. And I had studied psychology as an undergrad and then before Brene Brown was a household name, when she had this TED talk that many people, it ended up being most popular ever. But I feel like I saw it before most people had. And it was all about vulnerability. And I just remembered thinking like, this is actually where the magic happens. And so it's not that being vulnerable or being authentic or whatever other words come up for people, but really about showing up as your true self or your full self. That doesn't mean that every single detail of your life has to be shared with every single person in whatever the place is right. So I just want to say that explicitly because I think that's where a lot of people struggle or kind of resist this sense of being authentic or vulnerable, that it's some sort of detrimental thing or there are things that they want to keep private. Absolutely. Brene Brown has this beautiful quote that I love about we share our stories with those who have heard the right to hear them. And so you choose, and there are layers of how deep you go, probably with different colleagues or different people, right. You meet at a conference or whatever it may be in the workspace or neighbors or all of that. But what I do with people when I'm working with people, especially when I'm working with a big group at a company, and they're all colleagues and it's a version of professional development, but it's really about, it's all based on positive psychology, which is the science of human flourishing, which means you start with your own self awareness and get to know yourself. And then because you get to know yourself better. What are my triggers? What are my glimmers? Which are the opposite of triggers, like the things that get me really excited, what elevates me during the day, what depletes me, and then also sharing that with others and being able. And you can share that without having to talk about anything going on in the workplace at that moment. I'll ask people to whip out their phones and pick up a photo from their favorites folder, or maybe it's their screen saver folder, their screen saver on their phone, and they'll be in a breakout. Or if it's in person, the person beside them and talking about that photo. And what about it makes it such a favorite for them? Because what they're going to do is tap into their own sense of probably gratitude, inspiration. It's going to be authentic because they're picking something they already love. And then that's a beautiful way to start to connect with people more deeply. Doesn't have to be dark. It doesn't have to be your deepest fear, something that frustrated you about someone else. And the real definition of vulnerability, which a lot of people don't realize is about, it's an uncertainty in emotion and how sort of like something might be received, but it doesn't have to be from something dark. Giving someone a compliment has an element of vulnerability because you don't know how it's going to be received. You're taking a risk. And so that's where I usually start, with authenticity and with vulnerability. And there's this great cartoon that I saw it on Facebook. I have no idea who to credit for this. It is two frames, and it's two black and white stick figures. You don't know what gender, nothing about them, right? Totally discernible. First frame, I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Sounds a little dirty. You don't know where it's going to go. And the second frame, the I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Two black and white stick figures. Second frame, they both reveal these big, huge red hearts. That's it. That's authenticity.

Speaker A: That's vulnerability. Yeah.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker C: What we all want.

Speaker A: I think, in social media, which is the field that I work in, there's been a lot of discussion over many, many years about authenticity in social media. And I think TikTok has made that more relevant, because for the most part, when that platform started or when it started to become bim, I think big. I think people liked it because the content on there felt more authentic. It felt more relatable. People are talking about, it could be something deep, but it could be something light, but they're not using a filter, or they're just being their true self. So therefore, it's more relatable. Therefore, you're going to keep watching. And so I think you're starting, or will or do see a movement in that space where people are coming on camera and they have a pimple on their face, or they're not perfectly made up. And I think that makes it easier for everybody else because they feel like, okay, I can connect with people on social media or whatever, and I don't have to feel like I have to be perfect.

Speaker C: Yeah. And we connect more. We've trained ourselves to think that being perfect, appearing perfect, looking like I was the biggest victim, feels like the wrong word, but the biggest perpetrator of this, in terms of the story I told myself, I had to go to Harvard because I decided it was the best. I mean, now it's like they need some brand help right now. But when I was growing up, I had heard, I read somewhere Harvard was the number one school. And then I was like, I got to go there. And I wanted to get certain jobs, know, look a certain way. I had, like a million theory dresses. They're all. And blew my hair every day. And all of then, and I had a cancer diagnosis, and suddenly there are real scars and surgical drains and fatigue and all these things. And I will tell you that that was and is, it's an ongoing health situation for me. One of the hardest experiences of my life, probably the hardest and also one of the best in what it has gifted me in terms of genuine human connection, because it's when we let down that facade of perfect and actually let people in. You want to talk about real well being. Well being is, more than anything else, based on real, deep human connection. And that happens from difficult life moments so much more quickly and organically, I think, than it does from when times are good, when they're quote unquote well.

Speaker A: It'S also like, just like when you have friends, right? You tend to gravitate towards the friends that are vulnerable, that are telling you something that's not so perfect, because you're like, that's who I want to talk to. I want to have a deeper conversation. I don't want to have a surface conversation with someone, but if someone tells me a little bit about themselves that's more personal and more authentic, then I'm going to want to say something, too. And then you want to be around that person because they make you feel comfortable.

Speaker C: I strongly agree. I have found that ever since my. So I was first diagnosed a little over eight years ago and went through kind of early stage breast cancer with a double mastectomy and several months of chemo. Was bald, kind of what most people visualize. And then about two years later, it had been detected again. My oncologist felt another lump beside an implant where I wasn't really supposed to have breast tissue. And also a full body PET scan then revealed that it had spread to my hip bone. So for breast cancer, if it could come back sort of as many times, a dozen times here or whatever, I mean, you hope it doesn't. But still considered fully curable, when it spreads outside of the breast region, that's when the vocabulary changes and it's metastatic. It's incurable. It's stage four now. I knock a lot of wood. I have been incredibly fortunate being on all the medicines that I'm on, and I'm also acutely aware of the fact that that could change in any moment. But you kind of go through these difficult life journeys and moments, and they really help crystallize the ability to connect in a deeper way. And so I am very open with my cancer journey, and I'm part of whether it's conversations within an entrepreneurial community that I'm a part of or meeting someone for the first time and just chitchatting when we get to know each other, my health journey comes up. And it's a choice that I make because it's connected to everything. It's to why I pivoted into well being. It's connected to. I mean, if you google me, like I've written for allure, I've written for entrepreneur, but it mentions my cancer journey. So it's not a secret. And I'm proud of how I've navigated it and I share it because I know it will invite deeper connection and it just requires that whole that I'll show you mine if you show me yours. I think where we struggle as a society is people are nervous to go first because they're not sure how this goes back to that definition of vulnerability. How will it be received? Right? I don't know. And so what I have found, I have a gift for where cancer has gifted me. The opportunity is to give someone else the permission slip to share because I am comfortable sharing my story. And when I do that, it invites that back. And so I've met countless people in this, I mentioned this entrepreneurial community I'm a part of. It's called the upside and I absolutely love it. And it's about 250 people and I've met people for the first time, virtually, and they'll tell me something and then they'll say, I've never told that to someone else in this community. And it's not that I have these magical superpowers, right? It's just that because I've shared something, it's not specifically about work, it's just like personal and professional, they're all integrated. And so it impacts me. Some weeks I have a lot of doctors appointments, other weeks I don't. Some weeks I'm wasting a lot of time dealing with our health insurance, right, or whatever it may be. And so I'm very open about my health journey because I can't just check it at the door, but it gives other people a permission slip to be open too, is what I'm curious, your.

Speaker B: Cancer journey, how it has, because I know you were in a different career, you're on different career paths, and was it the cancer diagnosis and your journey that had you pivot into the well being space? And how has it shifted how you look at life, how you see things?

Speaker C: So I was in the media industry for about 20 years and actually had the best job I had ever had at Time Warner. I was running multicultural business strategy across HBO and Warner Brothers and Turner and my boss and I, we created this incubator where we were investing in storytellers in the same way that a VC would invest in a startup company. So it felt meaningful. It was a lot of diverse, innovative new storytellers, and it was sort of the best job I ever had. Best boss I ever had. Like I said, she gave me this necklace I wear every day, and yet I turned 40. And I kind of just thought, I think I'm done. I wasn't feeling it anymore. There's this amazing Steve Jobs commencement speech he gave at Stanford in 2005. And I quote it often. I actually usually quote this part about making meaning out of our stories. But another piece of that talk, he asks. He invites people to really look in the mirror every day when you get up and ask, like, is this what I want to be doing? Am I feeling this fulfillment? And if the answer is no, too many days in a row, that's telling you something. And I think these big birthdays that are divisible by ten, right? We really should be reflecting on our lives all the time. But those birthdays are somehow those points where if we haven't reflected for a while, that's when we do. And so I had turned 40, and I basically said, you know what? I think I'm done with media, but I don't know what I am moving toward. I know what I'm moving away from, but I'm not sure. And I had really loved, well being sort of extracurricularly. I discovered dance classes in my thirty s that I adored. I read a lot of Brene Brown and other thought leaders in the well being space for pleasure, but I didn't really have a specific vision of what will I do with all of that. And then life handed me the curveball of a cancer diagnosis, and that was a difficult time. And it also gifted me medical leave from my job. And in that time off, I signed up for this deep dive course in positive psychology. And it was something I had had my eye on for a long time and just didn't feel like I had the time to dedicate to while I was working full time. So I basically took this course, and I was learning about things like meaning and purpose and post traumatic growth and growth mindset and knowing our strengths and vitality, both mental and emotional and physical. And I was just like, how did I not learn this? Because I was a psychology major and I got two masters and an MBA. Fine. You don't necessarily expect to learn that stuff, but a master's in education, maybe. And I went to Harvard and Stanford, and these were supposed to be the schools that were the best. And I just sort of started to really reflect about that and think we've gotten it wrong. What we believe is the core curriculum that everyone needs to know. The history, the math, the science. Sure, that's important, but I believe the core curriculum for life should be all of those things that I just mentioned and alluded to. And so that along with just wanting more control over my schedule, which being a part of a big company often doesn't bring, I felt like I really wanted to figure out how can I weave all of this together? The well being, the control over my calendar, and the ability to kind of just like what I've done is create a portfolio. So I have this Solopreneur corporate wellbeing business. I had the gift. I had pitched it to HR while I was at NBC Universal during the pandemic. So I actually had this gift of being able to pilot it there and really support hundreds of employees during the pandemic with classes on gratitude. I started with gratitude there because it was like, we're a couple of weeks into the pandemic, and it was like, what can you access now? So gratitude and growth, mindset and meaning and purpose and flow. And I had about a dozen different workshops and coached employees one on one. And then I went out on my own. And I love it because what I mentioned earlier about that Steve Jobs commencement speech, and we can only really meaningfully connect the dots of our lives looking backward or most meaningfully. And my roots were as a camp counselor before I ever set foot in a company, I was a sleepway camp counselor. Camp that I was a camper at, and then I was a counselor, and I was always like, only I could be a counselor at a company. And that's kind of what I get to do now, right? Camp for me was always about community and connection, and that's really what I get to bring into companies and usually through some sort of inspirational keynote at like a town hall or an all hands meeting, and then into a workshop. And it feels really meaningful to me. And then at the same time, I've also started to lean more. And this is another well being tip into advocacy, because when we can see our story, so meaning and purpose are related, but they're different, meaning is more backward looking and reflective. It's that how can I make sense of my story? How can I come to genuinely believe that I'm meant to be living with this metastatic cancer, even though I did everything right and it was screened since my early thirty s, but genuinely kind of see this as a path that I'm meant to be on. And meaning is subjective. So the meaning I make from a cancer journey will be different than another cancer patient. The meaning that two people take from a layoff might be totally different, but the gift of being able to make meaning as a well being tool for all of us is that if we were to make a bell curve of resilience, we have all heard of PTSD. That's like the tough end of the resilience bell curve, right? That's the struggle. Post traumatic growth is the other side, but almost no one has heard of it. And it is best accessed when we can grow through what we go through. And so when we make.

Speaker B: I just want you to define post traumatic growth. Are you saying after someone has experienced a trauma or during the trauma, it is what they have learned and how they have grown and what they are taking away from the experience, as opposed to struggling constantly on the trauma of the experience.

Speaker C: So I would focus on the after. Right. The post piece post traumatic growth, so very much not necessarily in the midst of it. If someone's really struggling with something, then it's harder to access, like, with gratitude. There's a little bit of that muscle element with building resilience in general. So if we can look back at our lives and see other moments, maybe with a smaller struggle, but where we feel like we have grown forward, not just gone forward, but grown forward, we can kind of say, like, yeah, I know that was a hard moment in my life, but I know I have this in me to grow through this, and then the best ways to access it are to really. It has to be authentic to you, but authentic to you is subjective. Right? So what I mean by that is that meaning making, we make meaning. It's a choice. So the way that I make meaning or you make meaning, even if we had a very similar struggle, can and likely will be different in terms of what that story is that we're telling. But when we can access a story that subjectively, authentically resonates for each of us with a struggle that we went through, we are more likely to be resilient after it. But I want to clarify, it doesn't mean that you would choose that struggle. In other words, I can tell you all the ways I've grown from this stage four cancer. Also, if someone could offer me a cure tomorrow and I never had to get another scan or take another pill or injection, like, yes, please sign me up. Right? So it's the ability to look at our story and tell our story in this moment in a way that feels meaningful doesn't mean we would have chosen it, doesn't mean that if it could magically be undone, we might not choose to have it never have happened. But given it did happen, we are moving forward in a way that we feel like we've grown in a way. We're better. We're better than before. We're stronger than before, 100%.

Speaker B: And I can really appreciate you're speaking to the strength that someone gains from the struggle and what they're learning from the struggle and how, whether they would have wanted that moment. Of course, no one wants to have these moments in their life, these great struggles in their life, but to be able to sit and find something positive out of it, to be able to say, this is what I've learned, and this is how I've grown. And to be able to say that to yourself is like a massive accomplishment, right? Like, I am going to take these bits and pieces and I'm better for it and to be proud of it, because when the lows are low, you can't see the other side, right? You can't imagine getting stronger from this. You're just mad. It's hard. It's scary. So to come out on that side, you're a survivor, you're a fighter, and you applaud yourself by finding those meanings and growths.

Speaker C: And then you start to do it a little earlier in the challenge, the next time, kind of, like, recognize this. And so I want to connect it into that purpose. What I was starting to say, purpose is more forward looking. So purpose is that connection of, here's what I'm doing. Here's how I'm connecting it to service in some way that is beyond myself. So whether it is one person, someone's purpose can be deep in caregiving for one other person, right? They have one person they work for, or it could be dozens or it could be hundreds or million, right? If you're Oprah, it's probably, like several hundred million, whatever it is. But that purpose piece about what we are doing, going beyond ourself. So I've leaned into a lot of advocacy that I never would have found if not for this health journey. And that takes me anywhere from the MTA, because traveling around right now, being immunocompromised is so much more complicated than it needs to be. And so if each train just had one masked car, right, rather than, like, I can mask, but someone next to me might be unmasked. Coughing so one car. So I go there monthly. I've not yet been successful, but I'm determined. It's such an easy thing to do. And just last year. Another quick health example. I ended up needing surgery. So I knocked wood earlier, right? I said, I'm doing well on all my medicines. And I am, but medicines have side effects. And one of mine, which was highly unexpected, was that a medicine meant to strengthen my bones, actually ended up damaging my femur, almost like the reverse of what it was supposed to do. Wow. And so I needed surgery to prophylactically get a titanium rod and several screws in my femur, because I was told that if I didn't do that, my femur was highly vulnerable to breaking in two at any moment. Like stepping off a curb.

Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker C: Right? I had a PET scan, which we do to make sure there's no cancer. And then I got the good results. But I could tell that the nurse was like, there was a butt, right? You could tell. And that was not what I expected the butt to be, because I had never heard of this. And so, at any rate. So I'm sitting first in cancer land at MSK with a surgeon. But then I went to another hospital. I went to HSS, and I learned know often these doctors do the best they can, but they're very narrowly focused in their lane. And so what it turns out is the problem is that oncologists are using this medicine at much higher levels, because that was what a clinical test was or trial was, but much higher levels than they're using the same medicine for osteoporosis. So, at HSS, they were not at all surprised that I was in this situation, because I had been on the medicine at much higher doses for many more years than they ever let someone be on it. So this is a lot of detail, but the reason I'm sharing it is immediately I kicked into that, okay, this must be in my path for a reason, right? There's that meaning making. Because I am young and healthy, and, yeah, I'm not excited about needing a titanium rod, but I can deal with crutches. I can get around. I can handle physical therapy. I'll be okay. Right? Better me than someone older or less physically able. And here's the purpose piece. The purpose piece is. Okay. Now, HSS Doctor, I need you to coordinate with the oncology community, because shouldn't be happening to anyone. And I need to speak up about this more to make sure it's not happening to anyone, because that's the privilege that I see, and it comes from all these different places, right? Like, being so well educated and articulate and having the cognitive capacity, even while in this complicated medical journey, to be able to connect these dots and say, no, this didn't need to happen and this shouldn't happen. And here's how I can help it not happen to someone else. And so when we can lean into meaning and purpose, they really can help us navigate these unexpected, difficult twists and turns just with a better sense of self efficacy, with a better sense of connection to the world. And I think that's really what deeper well being is, right? It's less about that positivity, like the smiley face positivity, and about that deeper connection.

Speaker B: I think it's so profound and we couldn't agree with you more. And it's so incredibly accessible, which is part of the reason why we do this. It's a matter of sitting down and thinking through things. This is something that anyone can do anywhere at any time. And we could talk to you for hours and hours and hours about it, but we're not going to keep you any longer. We thank you so much for all of your time. But before we let you go, let's get into some silly, fun wellness stuff that we just like to call a wrap session. But these are some fun little questions for you. What is your favorite wellness or beauty hack?

Speaker C: So for me, my favorite wellness hack is a dance party. Meaning a party. It could just be me, with me. But before anything, before we recorded today, before I give a keynote, before, especially if I have any sort of nerves, like if I'm going to be in front of a large group leading a workshop, I put on a song I know I love and I let myself dance my heart out. I love that sometimes I actually will put on Zoom, just like a meeting with my friend so that I'm actually don't feel totally alone. Sometimes I'll do it alone. It could be like if I'm in public, like in a bathroom stall or an elevator or whatever it may be, or if I really have no privacy. Just like almost like listening to a song and moving my hips. But when we are embodied and we really kind of feel aligned in all the ways, it's almost like you feel your own glow. You feel unstoppable. Sia unstoppable is a song I love to use because of what it says. And so that is my favorite go to because. And shift your mood in a matter of seconds.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's a lot of fun.

Speaker A: It's a great one.

Speaker B: All right, this next one, we call it your five minute flow. You just got out of the shower and dried off and Uber has pinged you. They are right around the corner. What are you going to do? What are your holy grails? To get out the door on time.

Speaker C: My God, I'm so quick in general, because my only daily thing is a keel's moisturizer, like SPF. Cover the bases with the sun. Pretty cloudy today, and that's like I stopped using. It's just kind of like one of these pandemic resets. Stopped using a lot of the product that I'd used in my hair, like shampoo, conditioner, and then it's like towel dry. I mean, blow it if I have more time, but otherwise it's okay. Whatever it is, put it up in a clip, and maybe I put on a little bit of on top of the untinted moisturizer, like a little bit of a tinted moisturizer or some powder. But I don't know unless I'm doing something where I really feel like I need makeup, I'm pretty easy and outdoor.

Speaker A: And then how do you maintain your daily nirvana?

Speaker C: So I think a lot about energy. Like for whatever it is, this podcast, invitation, a potential client, seeing a friend, whatever it is, dealing with emails, does something energize me? Sorry. Everything impacts our energy. Does it elevate my energy and a little or a lot, or does it deplete me a little or a lot? And I really try to choose things, meaning experiences, people, places that elevate me and minimize the other, and it impacts everything. I'm a solopreneur, but I will only take clients where I feel like they genuinely get it. They care about well being, and time with them will elevate me because that's such a precious thing. Right?

Speaker B: It kind of reminds me of spoon theory. Are you familiar with spoon theory?

Speaker C: Tell me a little bit.

Speaker B: Was developed by a community of people with chronic illness, and it's spoon theory. The spoons are the energy. And so how many spoons is this event going to take? But I like your take on it. It's the opposite. You'll gain spoons from certain people that you're with or in your way, energy going up and down from the events of your day, from who you see and everything. Well, hopefully this is raising your energy today and we're not taking it from you because you raised ours.

Speaker C: Absolutely. I had a good time.

Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you so much. It was so, just so enlightening to hear about your journey and about your point of view on all of this, because I think it's just a really good reminder and reset for us, for audience that this stuff is really what's important at the end of the day, and it's accessible.

Speaker C: And I think that's the it always frustrates me that we don't learn this in school more.

Speaker A: No, this is what kids should be learning. We talk about that all the time, like this kind of stuff, and it's accessible.

Speaker C: And I post a lot of well being content on LinkedIn. So great kind of conversation that you enjoyed. We can connect there because it is accessible. So for sure, LinkedIn is where I probably am the most active from a social media perspective. I also am on Instagram, Sally shoots, and then my website is my name.

Speaker B: All right, well, thanks, Sally. Thanks for being with us today.

Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 140 - Refine Your Year: We Dive Into 10ish Wellness Trends In and Out for 2024. (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 140.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Speaker A: You welcome back to the show Nirvana Sisters fam. It's Amy and Katie. And we are back. I was thinking, Katie, this is the third year in a row that we are doing our 20, our wellness trends. So this year is 2024. But it's crazy that we're in our third year of doing this. And it's funny because I feel like a lot of the things that we talk about in these wellness episodes end up that we start seeing that through the year or we've already interviewed someone about it. And so every year when I'm researching this, it's so fun to me.

Speaker B: 100%. I totally agree. And beauty trends also, not just wellness fun, forecasting it and then seeing the buz on it and everything. So it's exciting. I love it.

Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so I'll kick it to you. We're just going to bang through these really quickly and high level it for you all.

Speaker B: Yeah. I think a big trend that we are going to see, that we've started to see. And it's really, I feel like just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Is that a saying? Scratching the tip of the iceberg?

Speaker A: I know what you mean. Scratching the surface.

Speaker B: Surface is the more exposure and more open conversation to women's health. Circling menopause and perimenopause. There's a lot of celebrities that have started brands or products targeted towards menopause. There is more discussion about it. It's becoming less taboo, as we have discussed over the last couple of years, we've had many guests about, I think, you know, pop culturally, seeing a lot of celebs like Naomi Watts, she started her brand stripes. That's a women's products for dry skin and vaginal dryness and things like that. And then ever now, telehealth medicine for menopause is a company that is getting started by Drew Barrymore and going to be, it's supposed to be online menopause treatment and personalized care based on real science. That's what it says on their website. And it's telehealth that is going to be widely available. And then Judy Greer. Yeah, it's very cool. Judy Greer, she's the founder of wild supplements and those are menopause and perimenopause supplements. So I think it's just a matter of time before this thing that has always been kind of like hush hush. It's definitely getting more and more out there. I think it's going to be even more so. And we're going to see a lot of that in 2024, which is great.

Speaker A: That's a great, yeah.

Speaker B: Speaking of, I had, like, full blown perry yesterday, like vertigo, like you. And I was thinking I needed to text you, but I was having a migraine. I couldn't even look at my phone.

Speaker A: Oh, my God.

Speaker B: Thank God for all of this stuff.

Speaker A: I know. I'm really happy to see there's more visibility because I think, again, it used to be like a dirty word. Nobody wanted to talk about it. And you're seeing more and more people starting to talk about it to normalize it, because to your point, perimenopause can go on for ten years. People just don't like, they don't realize what it is. So I think the more education, more awareness, the better.

Speaker B: So what is your first trend? What's your buz. That you've been hearing?

Speaker A: So when I was doing some research, I saw something that caught my attention from forbes, and it was vagus nerve stimulation, which I know we've talked about many times, which is amazing, but to actually see it written in, like, a mainstream magazine, and basically there was a woman interviewed and she said, I'm seeing a huge increase in interest from the wellness community in the vagus nerve, and how simple stimulation of this cranial nerve can counteract the fight or flight response in our body. And we have a few episodes regarding the vagus nerve, but I think, again, that is like a term we probably didn't even think about, hear of a couple of years ago, a year ago, and now I think that's becoming more into the forefront. So whether that vagus nerve stimulation is through deep breathing, mindfulness, and then it was funny because I read that it also said, even humming or laughing has been shown to calm the body after the flight or flight response is triggered. And so I know when we spoke with Steph Magenta, and we recently did that replay, she was talking about humming. And I've noticed that I've been adding that in, like, when I'm feeling a little anxious, just doing a little hum, for some reason, that helps. So anyway, that whole idea of vagus nerve stimulation and different tools you can do, whether that's like, through an external tool or just using something in your body to calm yourself, is in the forefront. And I think it's really important. And a great tool for our listeners.

Speaker B: I saw that article, and that was on my list for today because I. It's really interesting. It's so becoming so prevalent that in that article, it said the vagus nerve stimulation has been viewed over 55 million times on TikTok. Oh, wow. So there is definitely something to be said for people are taking notice. And you have a friend that had a tool that was a Vegas nerve stimulator that we used, and it was so cool after we used it, we were really relaxed and mellow. Do you remember that?

Speaker A: Yes. It was like a tool that you put on your neck, and it makes your lip kind of move a little bit.

Speaker B: Yeah. And it stimulates your vagus nerve.

Speaker A: Yeah, I forgot what it's called. Like, true Vega or something like that.

Speaker B: Yeah. We need to find out and we'll put it in the show notes because it really is very cool. I want to get one and then just one other vague stimulator that is so easy to do is sighing. Did you know that?

Speaker A: No.

Speaker B: You think about it. You do it when you're stressed. People sigh when they're tired or stressed. If you're stressed, like, that's so true.

Speaker A: I feel like when I get in the car, I just do that. I'm so funny. You know another thing that Steph Magenta told us, which I do all the time now and again, I don't know if this is Vegas nerve or what it is, but a breathing technique is just, like, in for four and out for, like, I feel like I was always doing the breathing in, but the breathing out for four helps because then it's, like, balance instead of just breathing in and then just shortly breathing out. Just that long breath. Do that a couple of times is really helpful.

Speaker B: Yeah. All right, fake nerve.

Speaker A: What do you have next?

Speaker B: So my next one is a beauty trend that I think we're going to see a lot of hearing a lot about the 90s makeup coming back. So to be, like, a little bit more specific, I think we're going to see less of the laminated, thick eyebrows and more of the natural, maybe even too thin, which I don't love eyebrows coming in, and then less of the super dramatic mascaras and lashes. A little bit more natural there. But this was one that I'm really excited to try is lipsticks that have kind of, like, a brown undertone to them. Yeah. Elf has come out with a few. Nyx has come out. Merit dior, like, really beautiful brown, burgundy ish, pretty colors.

Speaker A: There was this one brown lipstick I wore in the course I can't remember the name of it. I'll have to think of it. But you know what I'm talking about. There was like two lipsticks that everyone wore. There was one kind of frosted pink one.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Do you know what I'm talking about? Of course. I can't remember the name. It was like maybelline lean or something. And then there was a brown one like that, too. I have to research and try to figure out those.

Speaker B: You should try to find, you know.

Speaker A: What I'm talking about, though.

Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, colors in my head, I.

Speaker A: Remember that frosty pink and I remember that brown. It was like a late color. I can't remember, but I've got to look it up.

Speaker B: Latte brown. It's pretty.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: I remember there was ones that smelled like lattes and things like that. They're still like lip gloss like that. So the 90s makeup. Yeah, I've heard as well. Blue, which I'm not really into, like blue eyeshadows and things like that frosted look. So we'll see which way that goes.

Speaker A: Yes. Well, on the note of blue. Well, I'll tell you my next one, then I'll go back to blue because I had some other fun things about blue. But I have something very funny, which you probably read it, because I have a feeling we're looking at the same sources, but we're always talking about our favorite category of self care, which is bedrotting. I found a new name for it. Okay, you ready, everybody? It's called, and I will probably butcher this name, but Dolce Farniente, a wellness trend we're seeing and certainly encouraging in 2024, is what we Italians call Dolce Farniente, or the sweetness of doing nothing, said Andrea Quadro Carizo, co founder of QG Spa of Wonders, which offers twelve destination spas and seven wellness resorts around the world. As a society, we're overstressed, over scheduled and overtired, leaving little room for joy and wonder or open ended self care. But we've begun seeing the pendulum swing in the other direction. We now aspire to achieve work life balance that Italians are famous for and practicing doing nothing, clearing your brain and schedule, is the first step on the road to true wonder in relaxation. So, of course, this resonated with me immediately. And then I laughed because I was like, I can't wait to talk about this with Katie, because that one just sounds very much more, I don't know what I'm saying. Much more.

Speaker B: It's way more glamorous than glamour. That's rotting. Yeah.

Speaker A: Dolce farniente.

Speaker B: Dolce Farnie and day.

Speaker A: That's going to be doing all year long. It's literally when I go to my calendar on a Saturday and I have no plans. It's the best day ever for me. I could do nothing or I could do something. It's up to me.

Speaker B: Exactly.

Speaker A: Anyway, we'll see more of that this year, which I'm very happy to see.

Speaker B: Dolce Fernie and day. Did I say it right?

Speaker A: I think so. I don't know.

Speaker B: All right, perfect.

Speaker A: We need someone italian to tell us.

Speaker B: Yeah, we do. We need Italian. All right, my next one is called skin streaming. And I saw this, inStyle.com, it's their big forecast, 2024 trends skin streaming, which is essentially just streamlining one's skincare. People are going away from the ten step process with all of the different things and trying to streamline and get more of your actives and hydrators and everything into maybe three or four products instead of ten. And just to simplify so that they can have more dolce foundiente.

Speaker A: Nice. I like the tie back.

Speaker B: I am for sure in that camp because I have gotten down to, like, I think, two or three products, and I'm pretty pleased with it. Right now. There's only one product that I want to get into my skincare routine, and once I do, I'm going to be set.

Speaker A: So is that morning and night you only have a few products.

Speaker B: Morning I have two products. Night I have three products. And I would like to add in. I need an active. I need a vitamin C. So I'm going to throw a vitamin C into my morning and then I feel like I'm going to be solid. I'm good.

Speaker A: Well, it's funny that you say that. So I've noticed that, too, with products. And I think we talked with this at one point of just like brands now, instead of just like having a niacinamide and having all these separate ingredients, they're combining more. So to your point about vitamin C, you might want to try the one that I've reviewed before, the wise beauty. Vitamin C, because it has vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, I believe, and maybe some, and maybe some ceramides. I can't remember exactly what's in it, but it's a couple of things. So when you're using it, it's not like you have to use four different things. It's all together and it's really nice. So that might be a good one for you. To try and it's not irritating. You want a good vitamin.

Speaker B: Exactly. I need to try it because that's like the point, right? Get your actives and your peptides into one, right?

Speaker A: You don't need like ten different individual products? No, I like that idea a lot.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Okay, my next one still on the Forbes article. And it's funny because I've heard this term a few times lately, and I didn't know what it was literally until yesterday because I was listening to another podcast that was talking about this as part of a different subject, but rucking. R-U-T-K-I-N-G. Not to be confused with the other word, but that would be good too.

Speaker B: That's good too.

Speaker A: But rucking is literally walking with a weighted backpack. So I guess this was something that a lot of, like, I don't know if it was bodybuilders or weightlifters type.

Speaker B: People did, but military also.

Speaker A: Oh, is that what it is? That's probably what it's from. I think it's like a nod to back in the hunter gatherer days when people would carry their materials and food and using your body to carry weights, especially for women, as you grow older and your muscle gets weaker. This other podcast I was listening to was talking about how you should obviously be lifting weights, but rucking is a really good way to kind of do that when you're walking. So I have not tried this yet, but it says that it will be a top wellness trend in 2024 as people look to build endurance, improve heart health, burn calories, and strengthen bones. And it does say to. We're saying. While rucking has traditionally been seen as a high intensity and suitable only for the uber fit, new fitness brands will make wrecking more accessible and mainstream with weighted packs designed with different bodies in mind and a load starting at a lower, more accessible weight. So I'm hoping that some of these cute brands, like Bala or something, comes up with cute weighted backpacks. So it's just like ten pounds or five pounds instead of like these crazy ones. Anyway, I thought that was cool because you go on a walk anyway, you might as well throw something on your back and try it out.

Speaker B: Yeah, in the military, they call it your rucksack. Rucksack.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: I think it's literally like they're carrying their backpack with all of their things that are going to get them through whatever the job is for the day. So it's weighted. It's heavy, right? Yeah.

Speaker A: That's like what backpackers. I mean, when I was in college and I backpacked around Europe, like, you had your backpack on your back. I mean, that's how you're getting around. So it's a kind of, like, old school practice, but more visibility on it.

Speaker B: Yeah, I like that.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Nice. All right, well, my next one, and this is really my next few, are things that we saw a lot of in 2023 that I don't think are going anywhere that we're going to see a lot more of. And cold plunge, for sure. Cold plunge, sauna, red light, that category, that's a trifecta. The three of those people. I mean, of course, it's people that are a little bit more well to do. They're able to have these things in their home. It's not the most accessible thing, but there are a lot of people that are getting saunas and cold plunges and red light therapies, and then there's great places that you can go to, like restore hyper wellness and other med spas that are offering all of these things. And I think it's just going to be more and more popular. There's so much science behind how beneficial.

Speaker A: There's also accessible, like the higher dose blanket that I've been seeing that's much more accessible. There's red lights just that you could put on your desktop again, that are much more accessible. And then for cold plunge, I just. At the end of my shower, when I'm feeling brave, I don't know, maybe most of the week, I do like, or I try to do a minute of cold, it probably ends up being ten to 15 seconds, but it does help wake me up. I didn't do it today. I forgot. But, yeah, see, there you go.

Speaker B: You just broke it down. Totally accessible ways to do it.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Or jump in a lake.

Speaker A: Jump in a lake.

Speaker B: Exactly where it's cold.

Speaker A: Jump in the east river. I'm just kidding. So back to the blue. Aquamarine makeup is back and bolder than ever. 2024. Gen Z and millennials will find new ways to incorporate this 60s staple into their modern beauty routines. And I agree, like, the little much to do the whole eyeshadow thing. But Michaela, who's massive makeup artist on TikTok, she just came out. She had created a line with P. Louise that it's all, like, blue and beautiful. So she must have known that this blue eyeshadow is coming or just maybe predicted it. But I have a couple stats, which I thought were fun. So blue eyeshadow aesthetic was that. This is. According to Pinterest predicts, blue eyeshadow aesthetic was up 65% last year, fun blue nails were up 260%, light blue prom makeup up 70%.

Speaker B: Oh, my.

Speaker A: Aqua makeup look up 100%. And blue quince or blue quince makeup up 85%. I don't know what that is, but the only one that resonated with me was fun blue nails, because I do tend to get blue nails occasionally, and I have seen some really cute. Mine are, like, kind of greenish right now, but I have seen some really cute, bright, kind of, like, royal blues, which I would definitely try. That's fun cute.

Speaker B: What's quince? Kensey Quince.

Speaker A: I don't know why I wrote it. Kense. Q-U-I-N-C-E-I don't know what it means. I'll look it up while you're telling me your next trend.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's interesting. The blue prom. That's so funny.

Speaker A: I know. How funny is that?

Speaker B: I'm literally seeing pictures of my mom when she went to prom.

Speaker A: I know. I do love that 60s blue eye. Not for me, but I do love that look.

Speaker B: That would look. So the next trend that I am reading a lot about are bracket sports, and pickleball was all the rage in 2023. Right. I knew people that were all of a sudden playing pickleball like crazy, and I thought it was for, like, I don't know, 80 year olds.

Speaker A: I know.

Speaker B: It's a very fun sport. People are really getting into it, which I think is great. It's a less intense version of tennis or racquetball, and it's supposed to be a very social sport. Have you played pickleball?

Speaker A: I have played a few times, yeah. I've played with the boys.

Speaker B: It's fun.

Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know all the rules, but it's fun.

Speaker B: So pickleball was big in 2023. Badminton is on the rise for 2024. Dr. Daniel. Amen. I was listening to a podcast with him, and he is a leading neuroscientist. He was saying that people that do racket sports, they have, like, brain longevity. So badminton is a racket sport played using rackets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger items, the most common forms of the game are singles and doubles, and it's the one that has the white thing that looks.

Speaker A: It has, like, a ball on the end and then.

Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker A: Waffley thing.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: There's also something called, I want to say not pickleball, but paddleball, and I don't know what that is either.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: But apparently that's a big thing, too.

Speaker B: That paddleball racquetball, tennis, badminton, even ping pong. Those are all considered racket sports that are really good for your brain health, apparently. So I don't know if that's why it's on the rise or it's just a new social activity, but.

Speaker A: New social activity, yeah. And it's maybe more. It's your point. Like, pickleball is a little bit easier than tennis because you're not, like, running across the big thing. But pickleball can be intense if you watch people play. And I also. Who was it? I feel like I saw or read or heard somewhere that there's been so many more cases of knee injuries in the last few years because of pickleball, because so many people play and will stop short and hurt their knee, which makes sense. I could see that. So just be careful. But I like that. And I think that is a good way to. I mean, think about ping pong, right? When you're playing, you're like, yeah, it's so fast. It's so fast. So I can see that that's a good brain exercise. Okay, next one I have is in the beauty realm. Sticking with that. By the way, I looked up kinsei makeup while you were talking, and I'm not sure, but I think it might have to do with, like, quinceignera.

Speaker B: Oh, okay.

Speaker A: Something like that.

Speaker B: That's what I very initially thought when you.

Speaker A: Okay, next one. Head to glow. So body care will have a major moment in 2024. Boomers and Gen Z will double down on luxury lotions and in home spa experiences. So a couple fun search deaths. So sunscreen was up 75% last year. Body lotion aesthetic was up 245%. Spa aesthetic, I guess, to design your home, was up 60%. Body skincare routine up 1025%. And body care was up 845%. So it's interesting, what we're seeing now is people, like, they've got their skincare routines down. They're, like, in a rhythm, but now they're like, wait, what about the rest of my body? What's a good routine for that? So I think that was a good one. We don't really talk about that too much.

Speaker B: No, it's true. And I was just teaching Madeline this, by the way. Sidebar. Maddie asked me to teach her how to shave her legs, my ten year old. So we did that with a real razor or electric. With a real razor.

Speaker A: Oh, wow.

Speaker B: Yeah. Went through the whole thing. But that reminds me, because I am trying to get her to understand that she should put lotion on her body every day. And I don't know what point in my life I started doing it, but I've been doing it for decades. And it's something that unless someone, I think, tells you to do it as you're growing up, it's not like first nature to just put lotion all over your body. Right.

Speaker A: When you have a baby, you're doing every night, you do your bath time routine and you put your lotion on and everything.

Speaker B: Exactly. So I like it. Body care, body lotion.

Speaker A: Good one. I'm still using my body oil that I've been using for a long time that I think I've talked about several times on the show. And now I just do it like, I keep it in my shower now. So I just tell off of my shower and do it there. And it's so good because it just stays on better. It keeps my skin moisturized.

Speaker B: I love it. Yeah, I need to get some of that. I want to try it. But it is true.

Speaker A: If you think about just really quickly, like how you're exfoliating your face, how often are we exfoliating our body? Right. And things like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, I just bought a great. When we were in Montreal. It's kind of like a mitt that is an exfoliant. It's really thin, but it's really, really nice. I got it from this beautiful store. I should reference it because her store was gorgeous, but I use that from time to time, and it's just my skin feels, like, so good afterwards.

Speaker A: Yeah, that's nice.

Speaker B: Nice. All right, well, my last one is a continuation of seeing adaptogens and nootropics. Mushrooms. I mean, when we had Julia Marar on the show a few years ago, talking about psilocybin and mushrooms, having psychedelic experience as therapy, I feel like that was so early in this revolution of what's happening with psilocybin and mushrooms. That's the one extreme. And then the adaptogens and the nootropics and things like that is the other. And you're just seeing it more and more like you're seeing lion's mane in gorilla and mushroom coffee and adaptogens everywhere. So I think it's great. More products are readily available with these things where I go to get my coffee in the morning before I hop on the train. They make the most amazing overnight oats. Dairy free overnight oats. And she makes her own granola that has lion's mane and reishi in it and a few other things. And it is so good. I love it. I'm obsessed that's good. Yeah.

Speaker A: I have a coffee that think it's. I think the brand's four sigmatic. We'll put the link up, and it also has mushrooms in it, in the beans, and it's supposed to help you focus more and yada, yada. So I love it. Okay, well, I have two more, and they're kind of related. They're still both in beauty. So the first one, which is not surprising, is just like hair longevity. So basically, talking about not only trying to, how a lot of people were losing hair during the pandemic, and it's become like a bigger challenge with women losing their hair. So there's that piece which we've talked about a lot, or it's becoming more visible, but there's also just, like, the skin, scalp health, and being proactive about your scalp. So the fun fact that I found was the skin on your scalp ages faster than the skin anywhere else on your body, and the effects are written all over your strands. So while multistep skincare routines prioritize longevity by smoothing, brightening, and tightening, such as, sorry, such a focus hasn't extended to the hair on our head. So in 2024, this was an article in well and good. It was saying, prepare to rethink your hair care routine with longevity in mind. And there's tons of new product launches that help with that. I see a lot now about, like, hair oiling and just different things for the scalp. And it's funny because we talked about this a few years ago with Eris, the founder of Scene and CEO or founder of the company. And she was really into the scalp health because she's a dermatologist. And so she obviously got this before it became a little bit more mainstream. But we're going to see a lot of products that helps to address that. I thought that was relevant because I started, I'm trying to be better with taking care of my hair, with doing some sort of weekly oil massage and deep mass conditioner on my ends or something like that. So when I do my big wash, I do that before. I've been trying to do that just to get my hair in a better place, because I just feel like it's been frizzy and not as healthy. So, yeah, more products coming out about hair longevity.

Speaker B: Love that. Yeah.

Speaker A: And then the last one that is sort of similar but not really, is skin barrier health, which I also saw popping on well and good, and basically, like, strength training, your skin, it says, will become the most single most important part of your beauty routine in 24 and it's basically saying that a strong skin barrier is crucial for overall skin health, protecting against external elements and retaining moisture. So everyday habits like improper use of actives can compromise the skin barrier, leading to dryness, irritation, acne. It's also talked about how niacinamide, which we've talked about a million times, has gained popularity for its gentle yet effective properties in brightening skin and addressing various concerns without irritation. And then traditional barrier building ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, fatty acids, often complemented by calming ingredients like, I've never heard of this, Cantella Asiatica and colodial oatmeal, which is funny because I just talked about that oatmeal serum. And then it also said that body care is following the trend with barrier friendly products from different brands that help with the barrier of your actual skin, not just your face. So it says there's drugstore luxury brands all introducing products for severe barrier concerns. I know when Natasha B. Was on our show, she recommended a couple face moisturizers that were good for barrier, but for skin barrier. But this was saying there's a few brands for body care called Marie Veronica Spyclart, which I haven't heard of, Ren and Pericone, MD, which have barrier friendly skin products. I thought that was interesting.

Speaker B: Yeah, I like that. And it's funny as we're going through, like, I'm noticing a trend within our trends, and I feel like this is something that we're seeing a lot of is longevity. Longevity in every category, instead of products and activities and things that are like, instant gratification. I do feel like there's a little bit more of a focus on what can I do now to just keep this going and improve and longevity, long lasting.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: I think it's great. Brain health, skin, hair.

Speaker A: Right. What can I do now? The proactive things, not trying to react to like, oh, I'm losing hair, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. Just like you eat clean because you want to have healthy gut and all of that. It's catching up to all of these things. To your point, the rucking that helps to build strong muscles so you don't.

Speaker B: Lose muscle mass. Exactly. Longevity. All right, 2024, here we come. Longevity.

Speaker A: And the year of Dolce Farniente.

Speaker B: Dolce Farniente.

Speaker A: I love it. Hope you all enjoyed this, and I'm sure we'll be talking about many of these trends in future episodes as well. And see you next week. Bye bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters if you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness so you don't have to. Bye.

Episode 1 - Product Junkies: January - Wake Up Your Winter Skin With These Glowing Faves (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode .

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Speaker A: You. Welcome back to Nirvana Sisters. Nirvana Sisters fam. Happy 2024. Back in the saddle with Katie. Hi. We haven't even caught up, so we'll do a full catch up offline. But how was it was good.

Speaker B: It was super chill. And I had my parents here, which was really nice. They haven't been here in a while. And it was good. It was just very relaxing. It was like, we did a lot of cooking and played a lot of games, hung out with the kids. We took the kids, the girls to the Rockets. Radio city, second row. We had epic seats. It was great.

Speaker A: Oh, my God.

Speaker B: What about you? You guys did an impromptu little trip?

Speaker A: We did, like, literally a last minute trip. We weren't doing anything. But the kids, who are still off from school, have the longest break this year for some reason. So I was, like, just looking for some last minute deals. So, yeah, we went last minute to Arizona, to a couple of different places, and it was amazing. It was just nice to be in good weather. And the best part, I put a reel up about it, but the best part was having meals together uninterrupted, relaxed, not rushing and just connecting with the kids because that's why I wanted to go away. Because when you're home, even if you're on break, you're not, like, connecting because everyone's kind of doing their own thing, but on vacation, you're all together all the time. So it's so nice. You never just get that quality time together.

Speaker B: It was great. I love it. It looked great.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: I had no idea you were there until.

Speaker A: I know. It was like, we planned it a couple weeks before the most, I think.

Speaker B: Which was actually good.

Speaker A: A little sponsor.

Speaker B: Let's dive in.

Speaker A: Okay. We're diving into a little product junkies. January. What we're loving right now, Katie. I'm kicking.

Speaker B: I am so psyched about this product. I have been eagerly awaiting this moment. I'm sure you've seen it on TikTok, the a three. One three. Have you seen that?

Speaker A: I have seen it. Is that a retinoin?

Speaker B: It's a retinoin. It's a vitamin a. And I saw it on TikTok. It's from the french pharmacy in Europe. You can go to the pharmacies and get the most amazing products right there at the pharmacy. You don't have to go to Sephora or something, so everything is so readily available. So there's this website called french pharmacy, and this is all over TikTok, at least in my feed. And I have had the hardest time finding the right kind of retinol. I've been trying all of these different retinols for years, and for a while it was making my skin so crazy, so I just completely stopped. And then I saw TikTok talking about how this is just a really gentle one. It's really nice. It's called a three one three vitamin a pomade. So it's kind of a consistency of aquaphor. I want to say it's a little bit like that, only it's a little moisturizing. So it's very soothing. And I'm tolerating it wonderfully. I'm able to do it three or four nights a week if I put my moisturizer on first. And I have been doing it for a month. And I have noticed a difference already without a shadow of a doubt. It's definitely helping. This is no filter, and I just have this crappy light here. But my pores are smaller, my skin is a little bit plumper, and it's definitely more hydrated, for sure. But I want to do a repeat review on this. I want to check back in.

Speaker A: Yeah, maybe how it's working because it's supposed to only get better.

Speaker B: I want to say I've been on it for, like, four to six weeks, so I'm going to review it again when I'm at maybe like three months and then maybe six months. Six months.

Speaker A: Okay. That's good to know. And so you put moisturizer on first, then you put that on, and then. Do you put on anything after that?

Speaker B: Obviously, you only do it at night. So I cleanse, I do my very calming Larouche moisturizer and then this, and that's it. And I wake up and my skin is, like, so soft, it's crazy. It's fixed. My texture, too. My texture is, like, softened up. So it's really good.

Speaker A: That's great. I've seen that online. I wanted to try it. I mean, I use a trentinoin, which, I don't know, trentinoin stronger, but I'm not positive. And my skin tolerates it fine because I've been doing retinol for so long, on and off. But the tretinoin is, the consistency is a little. It's almost a little pasty. So when you put it on, it doesn't easily spread.

Speaker B: You kind of have to work it in.

Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, if I do moisturizer first, it helps. And it also does make my skin more dry. I can't use it every night, so that might be a nice.

Speaker B: Yeah, see, that's the opposite to what any retinol has ever done to me. This is the opposite to what usually retinols dry me out. And I feel like I'm so dry to begin with. I mean, it's dead of winter, and this is hydrating me for sure. And actually, I just pulled it up. The reason why it is so mild, it is the mildest form of vitamin A. It's called retinol esters. So it is just super gentle. And then if you do try it, it's suggested to just start slow. Maybe start with, like, one day a week, and then add two. I kind of ramped up pretty quickly. I kind of know what my skin can go through. So I did, like, two or three days, and then I pulled back, and now I'm doing it, like, three or four nights a week. Nice.

Speaker A: Love that. Okay, well, on the skincare topic, I have two skincare things to review. So this one is new, and it's more of a drugstore find. It's aveno calm and restore triple oat serum. And this is really good if you have red, irritated skin or, like, inflammation. So I don't have any serums that have oat in it. Like, I didn't really think about it, but I was getting a facial, I don't know, I guess before the holiday day, and she put a serum on, and she was like, oh, your redness. Because I have this one red patch that I'm trying to get rid of. It's, like, texture and red. And I've been trying to get rid of it for a while. And she put, like, a serum that they had made in house with oat in it. And she said the redness went down. And then I looked, and it really had gone down. So I was like, oh, where do I get an oat serum? I've never even heard of that. And she's, like, the only one I can think of because they made in house is, like, the savino. So I bought this, and it's actually really nice. It's very thin, and I put it on first thing in the morning. Sometimes I do it at night, just depending on how I feel. But it really does kind of calm that redness and inflammation, especially for the winter. So I'm really enjoying it.

Speaker B: Sounds like it's soothing.

Speaker A: Yeah, sometimes. What I also have been doing is putting a little bit in my hand and then mixing it with, like, a liquid bronzer. Like, either the Westminutelier dewdra or the westminutelier. They're like some sort of tanning or bronzer drop kind of things, or, like, the drunk elephant ones. And mix it together and then kind of put it on with a brush, and it's just like a light. Just kind of thins it out and makes it, like, glowy.

Speaker B: So nice.

Speaker A: I really like it. I've only been using it for, like, a month, but it's a good serum.

Speaker B: To pair with other serums and easy to get. It's a vino. You can get that at any drugstore for the most part.

Speaker A: Exactly. I think I bought it on Amazon, but, yeah, I'm sure they have it at the drugstore, too.

Speaker B: Kids, too. I wonder. Maddie might like it, like, if it's gentle for sensitive skin and everything.

Speaker A: Yeah, very gentle. I mean, the first ingredient is water.

Speaker B: Okay. I think another reason why. I don't know. This is just conjecture, but I have a theory. The other reason why I'm tolerating the a three one three so well is because, I am embarrassed to say, but I wasn't wearing sunscreen every day, and now I am.

Speaker A: Where have you been?

Speaker B: Shame on me.

Speaker A: That's all we talk about.

Speaker B: On me.

Speaker A: What's that phrase, that cobbler? Like the shoe. Do you know what I'm talking about, though? That phrase? It's like the cobbler about a shoe. I don't know. I have to look it up online. But it basically says, like, you tell.

Speaker B: People you don't do it for yourself.

Speaker A: Yeah, but there's, like, a famous phrase that I'm forgetting. But we'll cut this entire thing out.

Speaker B: No, it's hilarious. You're just getting your idiom mixed up. That's all it is. Okay, so I'm using the tinted sunscreen by LaRouche. It's the tinted mineral anthelios light liquid sunscreen. And this is an SPF 50, and it's great. I mean, it's just such a good one. It's almost like a too sheer to just do it as I think it's during the warmer months. And I was actually getting a little bit of color on my face from the sun then I probably could, but it's a little too sheer for that. I'm just so pale right now. I don't know. I definitely need a little bit of a build up. If I'm going to work, if I'm just like, hanging around the house or running errands, then I'll just wear.

Speaker A: You'll just wear that?

Speaker B: But that's one thing I like about it, is that it's very thin and sheer and it just doesn't feel like some sunscreens, they leave film or they pill a little or something. And this one's really nice. So La Roche always has such great products.

Speaker A: Yeah, you always find good La Roche stuff. And my local cvs doesn't have that many La Roche things, I feel like, because I've never seen that.

Speaker B: Our cvs is really familiar. I've noticed that when I visit my parents, they don't have a whole lot of La Roche products at theirs either.

Speaker A: Yeah, there's like some stuff. But I have to look for that mineral. Yeah. Because I still am using the beauty of Josene, one that I reviewed, which I still love. Very thin SPF 50. I don't know, I think it's mineral. I'm not sure, but, yeah, it's great. Well, congrats on wearing sunscreen every day. Do you wear it as your first or your last?

Speaker B: I wear it as my last. And it's like before, I was doing these retinols at night and then I wasn't. Sometimes I would have sunscreen on, but sometimes I wasn't. And now I'm being really religious about it because the retinols make your skin sensitive to sun. So, yeah, I put it on very last and I think.

Speaker A: Do you use that in place of.

Speaker B: Your moisturizer in addition to in the winter? Yeah, for sure. But it's the mineral. I feel like the mineral piece is what makes it so nice on your skin. Right. Don't you think?

Speaker A: Well, some mineral sunscreens are. That's why I asked. I don't like the texture, but they're getting better.

Speaker B: This one's.

Speaker A: That's good.

Speaker B: That's very lightweight and it doesn't leave like greasy filmy or anything. It's very nice.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: Yeah, love that.

Speaker A: Okay, my next one is something I've been wanting to try. I've been using it for, I don't know, a month or two. It's a recommendation by our friend Natasha B. Beauty junkie monkey. It's the topology. Peptide complex eye cream.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: I was looking for a night eye cream because I didn't really have a good one. I think I was telling you I used that beauty of Josene like retinol eye cream, which is good, but it's thin and it's like a different consistency. This one's very thick, which I like for the winter, so it just feels really soothing. I don't know about results yet. My under eyes definitely look good, but.

Speaker B: I don't know what's your under eyes look great. Let me think.

Speaker A: I have a little bit of my favorite, that color corrector that I wear, the Milani one. I mean, that's like every day, but that's all I have on. Yeah. So I really like this a lot. It's just like a nice thick, it's really nice for the winter and I've been testing it out, so morticon. But I think it's good. There's no scent. It's just like a nice feel. Sometimes I use it in the morning, but I mostly use it at night because I felt like in the morning I have stuff, but at night I didn't have a good one to sleep with.

Speaker B: She loves her topology and actually she's the first person that I ever heard that brand reference from. But I mean, she goes on and on and on about it. It's supposed to be so great.

Speaker A: Yeah, I would like, well, I have their matrixal and I have their.

Speaker B: What's the other one?

Speaker A: The matrixal and the arguraline that I use. And so I think the combination of those with this has improved my skin because they're all peptides.

Speaker B: It's like all different types of try.

Speaker A: I'm into it.

Speaker B: Okay, well, back to skin. My last one is Charlote Tilbury's flawless filter. I mean, this thing has been around, but we have never reviewed it and I don't use it a lot. But I started using it in the last, I want to say just like few weeks. I feel like the first time I used it was like Adam's holiday party or something. But when I first bought it, I thought that it was going to be more of like a concealer coverage situation. And it's not. It is. Yeah. It's like a, it's just like a base to have really glowy, healthy skin and to help your makeup sit on your face as it should and stay. And that's exactly what it does. It really gives you, especially like in the winter when your skin is so dry and I'm more fair, it just gave me a nice base to have dewy fresh face instead of dewy.

Speaker A: Yeah. I have one that I've had for years that I never used. I maybe used it once or twice. I have to try it again.

Speaker B: Is it not thick? No, it's actually really thin. And I feel like the first time I got it, I was disappointed because I didn't know how to use it properly. But I think the idea is that you really do have to layer your coverage with it. So I'll put coverage on, and then I feel like, oh, look, I'm a little too shiny or greasy, but then you have to set it with the powder. And if you do all of those steps, it leaves you with beautiful, flawless, photo finish looking skin.

Speaker A: So do you put it everywhere or you just kind of put it.

Speaker B: No, I put it everywhere. I take dots of it, and then I blend it with my brush.

Speaker A: With your finger brush.

Speaker B: And then I do my concealer on top of it. I don't ever do foundation. A lot of people do the foundation stuff. I don't do that.

Speaker A: I know I never do.

Speaker B: And then I go through everything else, and then I finish with the translucent setting powder. And under all of that, I still look like I have glowy, shiny, healthy skin. But you're matte in the right places. Like your tzone. You've got your powder and your concealer.

Speaker A: And you're still using the powder. Like the twisty one.

Speaker B: I use that one, and then I use the kosis.

Speaker A: I still have to try that kosis.

Speaker B: Finishing powder as well.

Speaker A: Pro tip on the flawless filter. There's a dupe for it. Elf halo glow, which a lot of people use and like it better or like it the same. I haven't tried it yet because every time I go to get it, it's always sold out. But that's another good one to try, because some people buy, they'll buy either the Charlote Tilbury one or the elf one, but they'll buy, like, a different color. So a lot of people will buy them in a bronze color, so they'll use it as, like, a bronzer instead.

Speaker B: Of a skin, which you can definitely do that consistency. I could see how that would work.

Speaker A: Right. Okay, so speaking of makeup, my last product, which I'm in love with, I just discovered it. I don't know if it's new or not, but it's the makeup by Mario. It's called the soft pop plumping blush veil. Soft pop. This is like a tongue twister soft pop plumping blush veil. And this color is called perfect pink. There's other colors too. It's just like a soft.

Speaker B: Is it powder or cream?

Speaker A: It's cream. Very light. And I just apply it with, like, it's all you need is just, like.

Speaker B: A little bit, like, look, it's pretty.

Speaker A: And then it's just pretty little.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: See what I'm saying? See how bright it is?

Speaker B: It really so nice pigment. It's like heavily pigmented.

Speaker A: And a lot of times I'll use, I'm like putting on a lot right now just for the drama of it all, but a lot of times I'll use my finger for blush and I've decided that sometimes my fingers almost rub in the blush too much and then I have no color. So I started using a brush with this because I saw someone using this and I was like, well, I'm going to try it. And it works so well. You literally need like a couple of dots and you're good. It's such a pretty color and such a nice formula. Really thin, not greasy, just like really nice for the winter. So that's what I've been using. I brought this on vacation with me and wore it every day.

Speaker B: It is a really pretty color. Nice.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: All right. Well, is that our quick.

Speaker A: Well, that's it.

Speaker B: It's just a quick one today.

Speaker A: But we'll be back with more of these. So hope everyone had a great new year and we will see you next week.

Speaker B: Happy New year.

Speaker A: Bye. Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us. Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness. So you don't have video. Bye.

Episode 134 - Product Junkies December: Holiday Gift Guide (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 134.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Speaker C: Hello, Nirvana Sisters family. It's Amy and Katie. And we are here with a holiday gift guide from product junkies. And happy early holidays. Happy post Thanksgiving. We have some fun things to share with you today. And also, just a reminder that everything that we always mention is in our show notes and on our website, so feel free to check them out there. But I am really excited to get in all of these things because I am doing shopping and I don't know what to get, and I keep looking at gift guides and I'm very excited to hear what you have, Katie. So I'm going to start off with you and tell us what you got. What's your first holiday gift idea?

Speaker B: When I was thinking this through, I feel like it's always good to give people gift ideas, things that someone wouldn't necessarily want to buy for themselves. Right. Those are the best gifts sometimes. Or something that maybe one wouldn't necessarily try because it's maybe out of their comfort zone, like something like that. Those are great gifts. So my first one is under the beauty product category, and it is the luxury end of a product that one might not buy for themselves because it's kind of outrageously priced for what it is. But it's an amazing gift. And it is the Mason Pearson hairbrush. So Mason Pearson is an English brand and they make the most amazing hairbrushes. And I've bought one, I sprung for it actually, not a few years ago, many years ago when I was at a friend's wedding in London. And the mini brush that I keep in my handbag, it's small. It's called their pocket brush. This alone is $120.

Speaker C: What? I had no idea they were that expensive. That's crazy.

Speaker B: Crazy.

Speaker C: But I don't brush my hair, though. I just brush it with my hands because it's curly, so I don't really yeah, and I guess when I wear it straight, I do brush it, but yeah, I just use kind of like a comb. See, I've never been like a big brush girl. You're a big brush girl.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I brush my hair. You always have your yeah, 100 times a day. Unless it's like up in a bun all day. But this brush, I'm pretty sure I bought this in, I want to say, like, 2018, and it's still in phenomenal shape and I use it a gazillion times a day. And the wonderful thing about the Mason Pearson hairbrushes and this type of brush is that it is really great for redistributing the oils in your hair, so it gives your hair a beautiful shine. I mean, it's a great brush. It does great things for your hair. This is the bristle and nylon hairbrush. It's the combination. And that's what I love so much, because I have thick hair, but they have different options. They have just the nylon. They have just the boar bristle. The combo I really like, though, they also have a child's bristle hairbrush, which is really kind of cool. So it's kind of like a bougie hairbrush, but I love that.

Speaker C: That is a great gift.

Speaker B: Yeah. I bought this for myself. I was on vacation. When you're on vacation, you might treat yourself with something. It was that kind of like, on a whim thing. So it's a good gift. I wouldn't do this if I was in my right mind at a store looking for a hairbrush. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a hairbrush.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: What do you have?

Speaker C: Okay, so my next one is a comfort gift, and I feel like it's such a good gift to buy someone, because, again, you're probably not going to buy them for yourself. And it is ugg slippers. I know that's kind of, like, generic or chewy, as the young kids say. However.

Speaker B: Oh, my God.

Speaker C: Chewy.

Speaker B: Wait, hold on. Pause. What is chewgi?

Speaker C: You've never heard that word? Oh, it's kind of old now. I think it's passe. It means, like, basic not cool anymore. I don't know. I don't even know if people are even saying that anymore. But there's always a debate about Uggs, whether they're chewy or not. I've seen that online. However, I love them, and I just got these new ones. They're the tasman slipper, and they come in, like, all different colors, but they're great for men or women. I actually got a pair for Jewels for Hanukkah, because he wanted them, because he saw mine. And I don't know, I just feel like it's a good husband present. It's a good wife present. It's a good friend present. Mom, dad, it's, like, easy and cozy and comfy, and you might not buy yourself, like, a nice pair of Ugg slippers. So big fan of these. I've been literally wearing them every day since I got them, so that's my first gift recommendation.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good one. Maddie loves her Ugg slippers that she got for her gift.

Speaker C: Yeah, they're so cozy.

Speaker B: They're so cozy.

Speaker C: And if you work from home, just, like, wearing them around the house. So good. They do have, like, a bottom, so it's not like you're sliding, know?

Speaker B: Yep, totally. All right, so my next one is for the person that wants a Mason Pearson hairbrush but doesn't want to spend quite that much money. So I went to the salon this morning and got my hair did, and you couldn't tell because I have it thrown up in a bun, but I needed a haircut.

Speaker C: What'd you get done?

Speaker B: I just got a okay. And she when my hair was soaking wet and crazy knots, because they do such a good scalp massage and everything. She used this brush that was blowing my mind, and it was like the feeling of the Mason Pearson, which I never use on my hair when it's wet. First of all, because it's many, it's miniature, and I have too much hair for this wet head. But also because I don't know, I think that's probably the main reason I feel like it wouldn't get my tangles out. This hairbrush is similar in the feel and the design and the bristles to the Mason Pearson. It's called YS Park, and the miniature size of the Mason Pearson is $120. The regular size of the Mason Pearson is, like, $240. This YS Park is not super on the cheap, but $79 for the regular size. And it worked beautifully in my knotted, wet hair. I didn't feel any pulling anything. I'm ordering this for my girls.

Speaker C: What kind of bristles are they?

Speaker B: So boar bristles, like the Mason Pearson, I believe. Or maybe it's something similar to a boar bristle, but it has the exact same feel, and it has a nice wooden handle. It feels exactly like don't. There's no better way to say it. And then also, I think there's different heights on the bristles as well.

Speaker C: It's great.

Speaker B: I'm obsessed with that.

Speaker C: I'm getting one that actually just reminded me when my hair is wet and I do want to brush it out. It's like a comb brush. It's like a wet brush or wet dry brush or something. It's like a vented know, those kind of brushes. Like the back is open. That's actually what I use when I want to brush my hair. But it's very infrequently to brush my hair. But you just reminded me that I do have that. But that's good. So that's almost like, similar to the Mason Pearson, but just a little bit less expensive.

Speaker B: A little less expensive. You can get the regular size one for $79 versus the Mason Pearson regular size for, like, 252 40. Yeah.

Speaker C: Nice.

Speaker B: Okay, what's your next one?

Speaker C: So my next one relates to the segment we have called Five Minute Flow. And again, getting out of your comfort zone or getting something that someone may not buy for themselves is like, the Merit set. Oh, yeah, the Merit beauty set. So we've talked about Merit a bunch on our show, and we've reviewed I remember Katie, you're the one who introduced me to the brand, and we've reviewed the different products. But if you go on their website, they have a lot of different sets. I think the weekday set is the one that I think is the best one, because, again, it's like total five minute flow. It's literally like the bronzer, the blush, the highlighter concealer. It comes with a little brush and a mascara. It's like, all you need. And I've seen it online too. I don't see it on their website. But you can buy this. And it comes in like, this little cute bag.

Speaker B: Yeah, the bag is cute.

Speaker C: More giftsy. Anyway, I just thought that was, like, a good set for someone who wants to get ready quickly, easy, and all the products are fabulous, as we know, and all the colors are great and so easy and so minimal, and I just thought that'd be a fun gift for someone 100%.

Speaker B: I love that mirror beauty stuff is really good. It has so many great reviews, too. So, you know the chrome nail trend that you've gotten me into? See, look. Yeah.

Speaker C: Wearing my chrome now. Did you get some?

Speaker B: I got them. And they didn't have exactly, like, what yours was that I really liked, but I thought it was like a rose.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: So if you don't want to go and get a gel manicure also, not to mention it was an upcharge for this chrome dip. Was yours an upcharge?

Speaker C: No, mine isn't a dip. Mine's, like, they do it on top of the gel. It's just like a powder.

Speaker B: Powder. That's what I meant.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: She charged me, like, 15 extra dollars for it on top of what I know.

Speaker C: Correct. It's ridiculous.

Speaker B: So I found a great set of nail polish colors by OPI that I feel like are a really good knockoff. And you could get somebody this set. It's kind of a fun gift for the holidays.

Speaker C: That is fun.

Speaker B: They might want to wear it on Year's Eve or something. And it's great. Different colors. They have, like, a nice chromy silver, a nice gold, a nice champagne, a nice copper color. The ones that I really liked were the OPI Glow the extra mile. That one is, like, a nice light gold, and then the other one I mica be dreaming. And that one is more of a really strong, bright gold metallic composition is kind of like this coppery rose goldie pink color. And then take a night on bourbon, which is, like, the most no, take a right on bourbon. Such a random name is like a silver, which I have on my toes. So you could get somebody those, what, one, two, three?

Speaker C: Do they come in a set or those?

Speaker B: It doesn't come in a set, but you could just order the four colors and make a little gift set out of it. It's a really cute gift for a lady in your life.

Speaker C: I love that.

Speaker B: And, like, reasonably priced. It's not going to be outrageous. It's OPI nail polish. Yeah.

Speaker C: That's fun because I never buy nail polish for myself, but I'd be excited to get that as a gift.

Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.

Speaker C: Okay, so next I have another beauty gift, which is I think I've talked about this brand before on the show, but it's Skin and Senses body oil. I'm, like, obsessed with this body oil. It's all I use. I don't even use moisturizer anymore. I always use this body oil. This one's called The Skin and Senses Shine Revitalizing and Smoothing Body Oil. And the scent in this one is vanilla bean. Yuzo. And it smells so good. It's not a strong scent because I don't love a strong scent, but it's like a hints of vanilla. It's a clean brand, and I thought a gift set would be cute because they also have this body lotion called Love Yourself.

Speaker B: Oh, nice.

Speaker C: And so I feel like these two things are a cute gift to give someone, like a body oil and a body lotion. And this brand is a really nice brand. All the ingredients are clean. It also looks pretty on your countertop. And the oil is just a beautiful oil. And the lotion is really good too. I just got this recently and it's also really good. So cute little gift set.

Speaker B: Do you know the price point?

Speaker C: Yes. So the Shine body oil is $42 and the body lotion is $29. So depending on your budget, you could do both as a set or you could do one or the other. And another thing, I know I mentioned these are clean, but they're also nontoxic, which I guess would be considered clean, but that's how they specify it phthalate free, cruelty free, and vegan. So really nice.

Speaker B: Has that oil lasted you a long time?

Speaker C: Yeah, it lasts me a really long time. They were just having a Black Friday sale, so I got another one to keep in my shower because that's also an easier way sometimes when you're already in the shower, just to put it on when your skin is a little bit wet and then it just sinks in and it's also faster. You just kind of, like, throw it on in the shower. It spreads quickly and you're done.

Speaker B: Are those glass bottles?

Speaker C: They're glass.

Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it's nice. It feels a little bit more luxury.

Speaker C: Yeah, and it smells so good, it's almost like I was saying this vanilla bean flavor, but it just gives you, like, a little nice scent.

Speaker B: Nice scent, yeah. Okay.

Speaker C: It also does come in unsensitive if you want unsensitive. I've had both, and they're both great.

Speaker B: All right, well, my next one would pair lovely, like, wonderfully if you put a little bit of that oil on your feet and then slipped these fabulous, cozy, earth, plush lounge socks on. I was gifted these a year ago, and I am obsessed. Anytime I'm at home, they're on my feet. I don't really wear them out. I wear the white ones out sometimes with sneakers if I have, like, leggings on, like the scrunch sock look. But they are so soft and so warm and so comfortable. And I was gifted them a year ago, and like I said, it was a set of three, which, by the way, jump on it because they are on sale right now from 55, marked down to $38.50 for the set? For the set of three. I don't know how long that's going to last, but that's great. Yeah. And they hold up like they launder beautifully. They've lasted.

Speaker C: Yeah, they're really good.

Speaker B: They're so good, they almost look like they're brand new.

Speaker C: I have them too. I got them as a gift. I actually wear them to sleep a lot.

Speaker B: I feel like we both got them as a gift from your mom, maybe. Did you?

Speaker C: I can't remember. Probably.

Speaker B: I love them. I'm obsessed.

Speaker C: That's a great gift.

Speaker B: Yeah, really good one. I mean, who wants to go spend money on luxury socks? Exactly. No, I barely spend money on socks that I'm running around in every single day. I'm, like, the last thing on my mind to spend my money on. I haven't bought them yet, but I felt them at the store I need to buy. Some are the ugg plush socks. They were. Oh, I didn't know they were so soft. Yeah. So I might have to buy those and test them out. I feel like they would be a really good gift too.

Speaker C: Oh, that is gift. That is a good gift. And I also love cozy earth pajamas, sheets, comforters. Like, all their stuff is so soft and so good.

Speaker B: Yep, all good gifts.

Speaker C: Next on my list in the clothing category is my new favorite brand, Perfect White Tea.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah.

Speaker C: So good. So one of the things I think would be a good gift, because, again, it's, like, not something you would probably buy for yourself. Although I did buy it for myself, but most people probably wouldn't. They have these bundles on their website. So you can buy, like, three T shirts or three tank tops or three vnecks. And I bought the T shirts. They're called the Harley T shirt. And it's just, like, a soft, thin, perfectly cropped, good tee, like, good fit, simple, good fit, great material. So they have a bundle pack of, like, white, gray, and, like, a black. It's like a charcoal, but it's like a vintage black.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: It's not like, super know. It's almost like yeah, like a charcoal vintage black. But anyway, I think that would be such a good gift to give, like, a good friend, like, nice T shirts. Or, like, the tank tops are also really cute. Same colors and then the V neck, depending on what they like. But I just thought that was, like, a good gift to have as a set. So I love this brand. I feel like I've been buying so much of their stuff lately because they have the best sweatpants, sweatshirts, T shirts, like, all kind of basics, but, like, really good quality. Made in California. Love it. Perfect white tea.

Speaker B: And the brand is perfect. White tea or perfect tea? Perfect white tea.

Speaker C: Perfect white tea.

Speaker B: Okay. Yeah, I have, I want to say, like, one or two of their shirts, and it is a good gift because it's not cheap. But if you want a good T shirt that's really soft and not thick and drapes nice and fits, really. It's it gets expensive, so it is good.

Speaker C: And they have really nice sweatsuit sets and good loungewear. I love it. Really good brand love.

Speaker B: All right, well, staying in the clothing category, sam or Sam NYC, they make coats, park goods. Best.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: I just bought adam bought me one of their coats when we were in Montreal. We saw it, and it wasn't on my radar, but it's this white, vegan leather, kind of like bomber style coat, almost. And we didn't buy it there because I didn't feel like I needed it. And then when we got home, I looked for it on the website and it was, like, half the price of what that boutique in Madre.

Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker B: So we ordered it, and I cannot tell you, it is the warmest jacket. It's insane how warm this jacket is. I was not expecting it to be so warm. So I wear it into the city when it's freezing out and the rest of my body is ice cold. And anywhere the jacket is, is, like, perfect. It stays perfect temperature. And does it have a hood? It's super chic. Yeah, it has a hood. I'll have to take a picture and post it when this goes live because it is very chic looking. And it has, like, the built in gloves. Not with fingerless. Like the built in with the thumb out as well. Yeah, but I'm looking on their website right now, and they have so many cute, different styles. They have, like, sherpa and park.

Speaker C: I'm wondering if that's the so I went shopping a couple of weeks ago with my mom, and I saw a Sam jacket that was vegan leather, but it was like a cognac color, and I loved it.

Speaker B: I'm looking at it right now on their site.

Speaker C: I'm obsessed.

Speaker B: It's, like, so pretty.

Speaker C: Yes. It's so funny that, of course, we like the same thing. I wanted to get it. I didn't get it because they didn't have my size, and I was still thinking about it, but then randomly, I got a gift card for Aloe Yoga for my birthday. And Aloe Yoga has a similar jacket to that in the cognac color. And so I got it at Aloe.

Speaker B: Nice.

Speaker C: But it's similar. So I forget what the price of the Sam one is compared to the Aloe one, but I got the Aloe one on, like, a Black Friday sale again or something like that. And it's similar. So two versions, same thing.

Speaker B: Yeah. My jacket, I didn't see it in white, though. It's white and white.

Speaker C: I just saw it in the cognac or maybe black.

Speaker B: They don't have it. The website doesn't show it in white anymore either, and I think that's why wow. It's probably sold out, but I got it on sale. Like, I got it for half the price.

Speaker C: So it's do you have it behind you?

Speaker B: Yeah, it is. It's right behind me. I could put it on. Hold on. I'm not wearing the right sweater for it, but hold on.

Speaker C: Oh, I can already tell. It's so pretty.

Speaker B: See, it's, like, so warm and so cute.

Speaker C: That's adorable.

Speaker B: Loves. And then the hood is like I love that.

Speaker C: That's so pretty. Oh, I love it. Looks great. It's beautiful. I said I love it. It's great. It looks beautiful on you.

Speaker B: Thanks.

Speaker C: Really pretty jacket.

Speaker B: It's insane how warm it is.

Speaker C: I love the zipper that the hood goes into it. Yeah, that's a little bit different than the one I saw, because I don't think it had that zipper. I love that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Sometimes that hood is, like, annoying.

Speaker B: Sometimes a hood is annoying. But look at how high this comes up when it's cold. This is, like, clutch right here.

Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, I love it.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I love that it's vegan leather, because it looks leathery. It looks very cool.

Speaker C: Yeah, but it's, like, soft. I side note to erase this, but I want to send you a picture of the one that I got from Aloe, because I want to see if you like it. Do you thought it looked too big, but I think that's, like, the style of it. I'm keeping it, but I just want to see what you think of it. That's a great gift. I love it. Okay, so I've reviewed this before, but I'm adding to it because I'm just, like, obsessed with all the balms and all the glosses. I just can't get enough of all these balms. So I think I've reviewed the lineage lip mask before, and then last product junkies, I reviewed the balm, but even this is, like, a cute set, because this is like a nighttime sleeping mask. Although I wear it sometimes in the morning, too, and then this is, like it all day. So, like, a cute little set like this. I actually am going away with my mom, and my mom starts spending her daughter this weekend. Stephanie and Christine. And I bought them all the bomb for a little fun gift. And then I recently also got these summer Friday balms, which I'm sure you've seen, but these are so good, too. The lip butter bombs. I have the which one is this? This is the pink one, which I can't remember the name of it. I think it's called, like, oh, pink sugar. And then I have the brown one, brown sugar. But again, cute set or individually just I can't get enough of lip things. I have a problem. All I do is buy lip balms. Lip glosses. I just love it because you just can put them in all different bags, and I don't know. Yeah, so anyway, that's just, like, a fun gift.

Speaker B: Do you keep a lip something, like, on your bedside table and in your robe pocket? And I have it in my car bedside table.

Speaker C: I should. I am always worried, though, the dogs are going to grab it the only reason I don't have it. But I should put in the drawer.

Speaker B: But yeah, I like to have them everywhere. Everywhere? Yeah. All right. My last one is a fun gift that I don't know. Give it to the girl that likes her beauty products or likes to get glamorous or give it to the girl that maybe she should step out of her comfort zone and try it and have some fun with it and wear it on, like, New Year's Eve or to a holiday party or something. So it's the Fenty diamond balm all over diamond veil.

Speaker C: Dying to try this.

Speaker B: It is so much like it's like glitter and sparkle and makes it look like it's wet, but it's like a little bit of everything. It's very kind of powerful. Like, you don't need a lot. And I don't know if you're going to be able to see it on here. I feel like you're not going to be able to see it's going to.

Speaker C: Be too hard picture. But I've seen that and it's so pretty.

Speaker B: Yeah, it really is beautiful. I should put it on. Part of the problem is that I have no light in my office. That's really the problem.

Speaker C: Hold it up to the camera again. I just want to take a picture.

Speaker B: I just want to see.

Speaker C: Okay. So pretty.

Speaker B: It's so pretty. It's $42 and you can do it on your lids. You can do it as, like, a little bit of a highlighter on your cheekbone. I mean, you can really play around with it. I see a girl, even on their website that looks like she has a little bit of it, like, on top of her lip gloss. It's really beautiful. I'm kind of obsessed with it, but for me, it's not an everyday wear.

Speaker C: Right. It's like if you're going out at night, going to a party yeah, exactly. Gives a little umph you can even.

Speaker B: Just like you don't have to put it over your whole lid. Like, it would be nice if you just finished right in the middle of your lid with it too.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: Just like a little pop.

Speaker C: So pretty.

Speaker B: It's a beautiful one. All right.

Speaker C: That is a really fun gift. Okay, so my last gift might be the best one of all. And you know what it is, Katie? It's nirvana, Merch.

Speaker B: Hey now.

Speaker C: Hey now.

Speaker B: It wasn't fun.

Speaker C: Just a little plug for our Nirvana Sisters shop. If you go on our website, Nirvana Sisters.com, and click on Shop, we have all our fun merch there. We haven't really talked about it that much. I don't know why. We launched it earlier this year and it's just there. But, like, great sweatshirts. We have the crop sweatshirts that say keep glowing or hustle on doses. We have the Nirvana Sisters tie dye, black heavier champion sweatshirt. We've got tumblers that say Nirvana in a bottle. All the fun things. I actually just posted a reel on our shop today. But one thing I wanted to mention is we are doing a 20% discount through the month of December. So if you do want to get a fun Nirvana gift for a friend or your mom or your sister or anyone else, it's 20% off. Just use the code Nirvana 2023 and it'll be 20% off for all of December. So thought that would be a fun one to add into the mix.

Speaker B: Katie, I love it. Yeah, they are great gifts. Cute little teas and everything. Lots of stuff about the teas. Nice. All right, happy holidays.

Speaker C: Happy holidays, everyone. That is our product junkies December and it's our holiday gift guide. Thanking you all, as always, for being Nirvana Sister fans and listening and following us and giving us feedback. And have a good holiday season. Bye bye.

Speaker A: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us.

Speaker C: Tune in next week for a fresh.

Speaker A: New episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness, so you don't have to. Bye.