A Deep Dive into DNA with Tanya Pennington - podcast episode cover

A Deep Dive into DNA with Tanya Pennington

Apr 21, 20231 hr 14 min
--:--
--:--
Download Metacast podcast app
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episode description

Are you aware of how significant a role your genetics play in your overall health and wellness? Tanya Pennington is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Specialist. She works with clients who are in need of lab testing, which cannot be done through a doctor. Doctors treat disease, while Tanya is helping to optimize health through nutrition and lab testing. (https://tanyapennington.com/about) I learned a ton during our conversation, and I know you will, too.

 

What we discussed:

 

  • How we met (2:59)
  • Owning her store and ultimately selling it (3:39)
  • Hypothyroid diagnosis (6:46)
  • The threshold to what western medical doctors can provide (8:39)
  • How to go about participating in intense sports that won’t cost you your health (8:49)
  • What’s different about her way of looking at genetics (13:36)
  • Her recommendation for a DNA testing company (14:14)
  • How her program works in regards to analyzing her clients’ DNA (19:31)
  • The importance of testing your DNA (22:11)
  • Actionable results (25:42)
  • Adrenal fatigue and how to treat it (27:42)
  • The effects of living in a heightened stress state and her experience with that (33:58)
  • Tangible things she does now to stay in a parasympathetic state (35:35)
  • Sleep hygiene (39:16)
  • Hormone replacement therapy (42:53)
  • Taking lifestyle factors into account when you get blood panels drawn (52:10)
  • Her protocol when working with clients (55:34)
  • Carbs and female hormone health (58:48)
  • Her new course (1:00:22)

 

Where to go to learn more from Tanya or sign up for her course:

 

 

If you loved this episode, and our podcast, please take some time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or drop us a comment below!

Transcript

Hello, ladies and gents Robert Sykes, he does have his.com today. I've got special guest, Tanya Pennington on the line and we dive deep into DNA testing. She does a DNA testing clinic group with her clientele. So we dive really deep into what to look for with different tests. What those precursors could indicate and how epigenetics and lifestyle design and factors are going to play the major role in how those genetics or Illustrated in your body. So thoroughly enjoyed that

conversation. We dive into hormonal health and how to to use the genetic testing in tandem with blood work and hormones to really, truly optimized ones, being so thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Tanya is a wealth of knowledge. I've always enjoyed interacting with her at various conferences. She is brilliant. I've got no doubt that you will take something from this and be able to apply it to your own day-to-day life. So without further delay, sit back relax.

Enjoy the conversation with Tanya Pennington. We are live 10 you, how are you doing, great. How are you doing? Robert, I'm good. I'm good. Do people ever say, Tanya, is that bother you? My name is Tanya and I said, Tanya. So I'm the Man to answer your question. It doesn't bother me. It doesn't. Okay, that's good. It doesn't bother me. Yeah, I think, you know, it's interesting. I just had to fill out. I had to write my name out, phonetically.

So that, when my name is announced Oz, you know, they say it right and I thought and so I put thah@n Dash y. Uh, and I thought you know, I guess maybe my name is kind of spelled wrong be because like there's it I've seen it dispelling with a no and that to me makes sense like Tanya you gotta know when they're with an a. It's like taenia. So I don't know. But yeah. No it's yeah. It is Tanya but I do get tan. Yeah, quite often. All right. Well you will never ever get

Tanya from me again. How are you Les? We saw each other was, I guess this passkey token, right? Yeah, it was this past keto Khan. Yeah. And I was trying to think of the last time I was on your podcast, and I actually think it was like, I think it was 2019. And the reason I think it was that year is because I think we touched on the fact that I was about to run a 30-mile Spartan Race. I do think that is correct. That was 2019.

That's that's crazy. Yeah, I ran that race at the end of 2019. And so we talked at some point before that That which is not. Wow. Well, a lot has happened your life since she doesn't 19. I'm assuming a lot, A lot has. Yeah. Well, let's dive into it. What is the? So people listen to this, definitely go back and listen to that first podcast with Tanya. But what hasn't happened since then? That you've been? They've been dive into it. When I say akito-kun, you were

like this awesome Booth you had. I mean your booth was rocking. I mean you had like all the displays you been doing a lot of DNA and Homo panels lately with your clientele, right? I have Yeah, I have. And that's a lot of what I talked about at Key token. You know, thinking back to that podcast. I think that I was, I had been a functional nutritional therapy practitioner at that point, maybe for a year or two. And I had just started getting into lab testing as a restorative Wellness

practitioner. And I'm still doing both of those things, but I also had at the time my brick and mortar store. So I just sold that July of last year. So I had that for a total of ten years and 101 brick-and-mortar, like what I was included, but then so that was a supplement and nutrition store. It was called Total Nutrition, which there are total nutritions all over. However, this it was completely

individually owned and operated. So I wasn't, I didn't end up being affiliated with any of the other told a nutritionist, but I had that for ten years, I probably was done with it at

eight years. And I don't know, maybe that happens for a lot of businesses, but my life had just my business life had kind of started going in a different direction that just, I wasn't spending the amount of time at my store that I needed to. And so, and luckily, I had a great staff but the opportunity came in July of last year, to be able to sell. And, and so, I jumped on it, and it's just been amazing to open up my plate for some other

things. So, I'm a hormone in Fat Loss specialist For women and I use DNA and blood chemistry both to help mainly women over 35 who are looking to lose stubborn, wait to get their energy back, you know there's a whole slew of symptoms but those are generally end up being, you know, the top two that women come to me with and know. I do this through my DNA reset for fat loss program, which I launched three times a year. I'm just wrapping up one class

right now. That began in In January, the next one, we launched in April but we actually start working together in May there's a little time in there between launching it and starting because you know but he's got to get their lab testing done and it mainly I have a history of working with with women one on one. That's really what my entire practice has been is a one-on-one model but one of the things that has changed you ask what's changed in my life?

One of the things is I'm currently in the process of obtaining my doctorate in clinical nutrition. So I mean that really Fills up my schedule. And so I actually had been out on a bike ride one day and God just downloaded an entire program to me and said, here's how you can do it. And so I just, I took out my ear pods. I was listening to some podcasts at the time started talking to my husband, we talked the rest of that bike ride, on the way home, because I just had to get

all of this information out. And then I went to work and I created this program but my background, which I think we probably talked about A lot about in the last podcast but my background began in the health and fitness industry.

When I was competing in figure, competitions and dating back to 2002. So you can do the math on how old I might be. And, and then I switch to competing in CrossFit, competitions running half, marathons running, Spartan races anywhere, from 3 to 30 miles and doing really well, and all of these things. But after so many years of doing all of this, I ended up finding myself. Self being diagnosed with

adrenal exhaustion. And and when that happens when, when you really have done this to yourself, I did it to myself other. There's other implications that come from that. So I ended up with a hypothyroid diagnosis. I had low testosterone low progesterone. I was losing hair. I was gaining weight. I had no energy. I had no motivation. And that's one of the important things to know is a lot of times. It's okay. If you have Both thyroid. You know, why where did that really stem from?

So, that's one of the things that we look into. But here's what I should point out. I should rewind that getting to this diagnosis was not easy because my conventional doctor told me that my labs were all normal that all she said to me, actually I should she didn't just say my labs are normal. She said I wish I had your Labs because you're going to live to be 100 years old. All you. All you need is some vitamin D. Your vitamin D is a little low. I was actually dead.

Ava stated at that point, because I felt horrible. And the reason I had gone in there is because I felt horrible. So needless to say, I started my own Journey found a functional practitioner, who did not live in my state who ended up diagnosing me with, with everything that I named earlier, and I began my own healing Journey. So, so today, I do less competing in things. I still enjoy being active. I do a lot of mountain bike riding with my husband. Most recently I've taken up dirt bike.

Riding with my Just for fun and I trained at our home gym but it's I really, I'm not competing in any one thing at least at this point in time. And so it was really through my own healing process that I was able to create a roadmap to help other women who are in my shoes to get my same results and I basically step in where their doctor steps out. And so yeah. So those are a lot of the women that I work with it. They've kind of been through the mill with with their doctors already.

D. Yeah I think there's definitely a threshold to what typical Western medicine provides. And oftentimes the solution is much further beyond that threshold. Yeah, yeah. And there's a time and a place for it, right. Yeah. Totally. Of course need Western medicine but but maybe perhaps we are going to our Western medicine doctors for the wrong things. Yeah, I agree when it comes to like knowing what you know.

Now I mean you're a badass by ever since the word like you've competed in multiple different events. You've done the, the Competitions, you've done the Endurance Sports, the strength and conditioning Sports, the agility sports, like you've done all that stuff which is very impressive. So people like you like me that are very, you know, type A go get them, do everything be intense? Go all out like that.

Oftentimes comes at a cost. I mean that's what cost you the adrenal fatigue and led to the thyroid condition. How would you go about filling that cup? Checking that box of doing all those intense? Sports in a way that doesn't cost you. Your health, like, is there a way to do that in a sustainable manner? That doesn't, you know, down regulate your thyroid and cause any hormonal issues and doesn't you know take some years off your life. I do think so. And you know what?

I think that one of the things that could have given me some great Insight if I had had this in my 20s, when I was starting, all of this was honestly to be able to run a DNA test because when I take a look at my DNA results, it's so interesting. My DNA results tell me that I am a very average athlete. Okay. Like that that my athletic ability is just not. About average. Now, does that mean I can't do amazing things? It doesn't mean I can't do amazing things.

I did. And I mean, and I really did very well at all of these things. My 30-mile Spartan Race. I finished second in my, in my division, you know, I generally would take Podium. However, if I knew that, okay, I'm not necessarily meant to be elite and any of these things and furthermore my DNA tells me that recovery for you Tanya is exceptionally important beyond the average person. Then I could have said okay so if I want to take on these Endeavors I need to make sure

that I am focusing. Even more. So on my recovery right? Which is is my sleep making sure that I'm getting enough calories making sure that I'm doing all of those things so that I can continue to do this but admittedly Robert especially back in my figure competing days. I was working 10-hour Days by myself. I don't know, I said about myself. I was working 10-hour days living by myself is what I was gonna say. I had two dogs and I would go to bed.

Around 10:30 11:00 because you know you had to get in that extra cardio session before going to bed. So I would get to bed around 10:30 11:00 and I kid you not I wake up at 3:30 to get my first workout in because I had to work out you know this probably 40 minutes from home get back. Be able to work a 10-hour shift. I mean I was doing nothing for my recovery. I absolutely thought I was

invincible in my 20s, for sure. So I think that and not everybody's going to have information about their DNA nay but I think that focusing on your recovery can allow a person to do more. Yeah, totally agree. And I feel like in regards to like, I like to think of any type of intense sport, there's like a yin and a Yang. Like you can't go 100% all out, a hundred percent of the time

but you can do that. If you have if you allow the pendulum to swing in the other direction from a recovery standpoint, I bet that's the reverse diet to the competition prep so to Speak. And I feel like a lot of people don't I mean realistically you should probably spending be spending more time in that building recovery, caloric Surplus, you know, State then in the utmost intense State and I feel like many people fail to do that. Absolutely. And especially with can

competing. And I was guilty of this myself. I think people do too many shows in a year. Yeah, because we're is that recovery between shows. So when it comes to diving, you know, on an individual level into one's DNA, to figure out what their genetic makeup is going to, you know, best position them for, as a return as it pertains to recovery. Like what are you looking for?

Because a lot of people will go to like 23andMe, get some, you know, generic, you know, genetic Test and it'll spit out. Some very, very high level. Often time, superficial Insight like hey you shouldn't do well with fat or you need to you don't process caffeine very well or something like that. That's just not really actionable. So what are you doing? That's different than those superficial high level. Yeah, oftentimes generic

templates. Yeah, you know there's those like the 23andMe and then you also have some DNA companies who say, you know, give us your saliva. And we're going to tell you exactly what your super Odds are we're going to tell you exactly what you shouldn't eat. But there actually isn't clinical evidence, at least, not yet for a company, to be able to spit out that detailed of information on your foods. And so, one of the things I will

say is be careful of a company. I think that over promises on things like that because it actually isn't technically possible yet. Is there even a legit company? That does any of that? Like, like, what is the best one that you know of? Because if like a lot of the bull or scamming my people getting scammed right now, It's true. It's and as you know, it's like all they have to do is scroll through Instagram and then somebody's trying to sell them, you know, you know, but

different topic. But like a never really well right, which I'm also not a fan of and so. So there's so many things out there. And it's so enticing to think that you can get a list of exactly what you should be eating. I mean, that sounds amazing, but there just isn't enough clinical relevance yet. So I did a lot of research into different companies in the one that I settled on. Who I really like is 3x for genetics, have you heard of

them? I haven't but I'm going to Google them while I'm talking to here so that I can be sure to look them up later 3x for genetics. Yep. 3x for genetics. They will only do report on DNA where I mean there is so much clinical evidence that it can be backed up time and time again. And so, and what they do is you send in your saliva sample. And I can't remember the exact numbers, but they take so many. Different variants.

They don't run all of them quite yet, but any of the variants that they have, that they know that they're researching that they may come back around and have more information on. They'll keep that information on you so that you could then get a new report without having to then send in another saliva sample then. So, I love that. And so this particular company, what they do is they actually give a report to each person with Some different topics.

You're going to learn about your cellular, Pathways your cardiovascular, health, your energy, which your energy section, really tells you if you have trouble losing weight or if you don't, and it's pretty spot-on. It actually tells you are you made to live in an apocalypse. I for one. Am I actually make fat very like a professional? That's one thing that I am a professional at is making fat I do not utilize my fat for energy

very well. It's all very interesting and I have known throughout my entire life that I had to work harder than the person next to me and this kind of gives me the answer and you go oh okay and here's why it actually tells you, you know. Do you need more recovery than the next person? Are you more likely to be good at Sprinting and you know powerlifting or are you more likely to be better at you know, endurance type training, are you

prone to injury? And it's just so interesting because time and time again, we get these results and and, you know, I talk with clients about them and they go, oh my gosh, I've always had joint issues, I've always had. And so an important thing to mention here is that when you do get these results, it doesn't mean necessarily that you are destined End for being overweight, right. It doesn't mean that you are destined for any of these

things. This has everything to do with our epigenetics and so I have known my entire life that I have a harder time than the person next to me. And so of course, throughout my entire life, I've done something about that, right? It's your lifestyle epigenetics are your, your lifestyle, are you going to turn these genes on? Or are you going to turn them off? And and so that information is incredibly valuable and what's not Nice.

I think that probably one variant that people hear often about is the MTHFR, Gene variant, okay? Now, that's great. You can get that information on your DNA report, I for one do have that variant but then you take a look at your lab work. You take a look at your blood work, your blood chemistry. And you say okay, my DNA says that I am likely not to methylate very well, but am I. And then your blood work will tell you.

If Homocysteine as elevated well yeah in fact you are not methylating well at this point in time and so that blood work kind of gives you that real-time information so that you can see if your DNA is actually having an effect on you know, the symptoms that you are experiencing and there's not any company that's doing both those in tandem, right?

So like your work when the client like you're having them go through this 3x for getting that documentation but then you're the one that's analyzing their blood work in tandem with that data. Yeah. So so to answer your question, I don't know of a company who does both and so yes. I what I actually do is I order a bunch of 3x for text test kits and I send them out.

To all of my clients, individually with their, welcome packet, and everything else that I give them, because when they are registered under me, I get their results into my practitioner online portal, which gives me even further insight into their DNA beyond what they're going to get through. PDF God you got you okay?

That makes a lot of sense and then for blood work like it when you get your their data back and you can say okay I need to check from a blood sample, blood panel standpoint, if they're methylate incorrectly or whatever then you just follow that up and have them take certain certain blood Labs. So every person is soon as once I launch my launch, my program, everybody is signed up, they all go into their portal and they have what's called pre-work and that's when it kind of tells

them, here's what? Going to do the first week. One of the things is you're going to go to LabCorp and you're going to get your blood draw. So they'll have a requisition form that I have sent them. So I order a very comprehensive blood panel on everybody so they go in, get their blood drawn there. They know they're going to receive their 3x for test kit from me. They'll get that in the mail swab, their cheeks, send their saliva in. And then that way I am, receding all of their results.

Gotcha, and you only work, Females you work, with both male and female. So I mainly work with females. But I'll tell you this now in my past working with clients one-on-one, I've worked with both in this particular program, I'm only working with with females. However, what has happened is the women have come back and said, okay, is there somebody else that you can recommend? Or are you willing to take on my husband because he wants to do the same thing that I'm doing right now?

So I actually am putting together. I'm not going to have a Group program for men, kind of the feedback I'm getting from them as they don't necessarily want the community but they do want the, you know, the answers and the protocol. And so I am setting up a way for men to be able to do the testing through me for me to interpret. And then I actually send them a loom recording about all of their results. What's going on in their bodies? And then here's what your protocol is.

So I am setting that up. I'm going to sign up for that bad boy, because I want to hear the results for sure. It's pretty fascinating, Robert. It's I think that people love learning about themselves, but when you can really learn and go oh, that makes so much sense for me. You know, I take a look at my DNA and I say, of course I was diagnosed with adrenal exhaustion, of course, today I have to focus on keeping my stress levels down on a daily

basis. There's actually a variant that will tell you whether or not you're likely to Lee to gain fat when you're stressed. Yeah, yeah, no, I think it's super viable information. I feel like there's been a lot of pushback for people from people against testing their DNA. Like, I don't know if it's because they're concerned that the government's going to get their information and clone them.

I'm not really sure what's going on there, but I feel like I've heard that too and I'm in this, I'm in the same. I'm where you are. I'm, I don't, I don't know exactly but I figure they have all the information on us already anyway. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at and I feel like nobody wants to close On me anyways, I'm aware of I don't feel like I'm that valuable of an asset to the government. May be a man who knows but I feel like from a genetic standpoint.

Like it just simply equips you with more data more information that you can then make actionable decisions with him. It's the kind of the same thing as like people don't like stepping on the scale and I get the reason people like stepping

on the scale by the end the day. Like I tell all my clients, look, it's just simply data, it's not good or bad, it's just a numerical value that you can then act upon, and make decisions accordingly with like It's not a inherently good or bad thing and I think genetics pretty much the same way.

Like it's not inherently good or bad, it's just simply dated that you can then act upon It, you're so right and one of the main conversations I have with my ladies, prior to even showing them, their results is, I tell them, here's what I want you to know your genetics, your DNA, what you're going to learn about yourself is not your destiny and and I show them my results because if somebody were to look at my results, never having seen me before and they know something about DNA, they're

going to guess that I'm not just overweight but that I'm obese. I mean that is My DNA says and so and because I'm able to stand in front of them, not being that way. My whole point behind this is, some women are going to get these results and they are already going to be in a place where they want to lose a lot of weight and I don't want them to feel that. Oh, well, of course, I'm this way. This is how I'm always going to be because that's not it at all. This particular company.

Any, any DNA that they run any variance that they're going to tell you about? Out, you can do something about every single one of them. This is not a medical DNA company that's going to tell you about specific diseases that you're likely to get. Yeah. And there's that's a good point. I feel like you know, like people don't test because they don't want to know, which I don't think is great. But I think at the same token the inverse of that is equally bad which is like people test.

They see a you know a genetic predisposition that they're more likely to gain weight and they just kind of like lean on that as a scapegoat as a reason not to Act, according to work against that happening. Like, it's like, there's two edges to that sword, like people, you know, they don't need to look at that data, as something that's inherently

going to dictate their future. Like it's just simply a precursor that they can then change in form through epigenetics through their lifestyle decisions. Absolutely 100%. What about the act in three Gene to act in three? I think that's right, acronym? Right? Acting three, you know, I don't know. I actually it's so interesting. Can you bring that up? I had just written that one down recently because I've been going through the clinical guide to making a spreadsheet with all of these.

And I know I just wrote that one down on my iPad notepad. Yeah, it's, I've had a few clients that have that. And like if, if you get the double x snip for the actin three Gene, you're supposedly less able to build muscle from a hypertrophy standpoint in. Your recovery is hindered.

So I didn't know if you had any if you had had clients with that snip and kind of what what you what the conversations of the dialogues been like with them, I do and But I'm going to have to look that one up. I think that's right. I think that's right. I couldnt 880 see in three. I think that's right maybe I'm wrong but I mean I kid you not I just wrote that one down but the nice thing about all of these is that again, there is something that we can do.

And so what's nice about these reports is that they also say okay so if you have, you know, if you have this variant here is what you're going to want to stay away from here, is what you are going to want to focus on. You know, it's interesting.

There's a part of me that is almost I had said earlier that, you know, if I had had these results back in my 20s, perhaps I could have, you know, not been diagnosed with adrenal exhaustion but at the same time I'm so grateful for everything that I did in my athletic Endeavors that I think I probably wouldn't have applied myself as much because my DNA says I'm so average. Right? Yeah, totally. And so I think that with these specific it's never about Specific variant.

It mean you really have to look at so many different variants and that's what this company does is they take so many different variants and they go because of all of these it leads to this it's never about just the one variant. Yeah, 100%. And I feel like a lot of people

like a lot of these generic. I don't even know how they get some of this information, like they'll have your data and then like when it comes a lot of the food recommendations, I think they're basing those recommendations off of Of what, you know, the heart American Heart Association recommends more so than the actual genetic data.

So I think, looking at the data as data objectively and seeing, you know what, that snip predispose you for is the only way to go when I agree with you completely, when it comes to adrenal fatigue, adrenal exhaustion. So that's a term that a lot of people in the evidence-based Community, push back on. They say there's no such Thing as adrenal fatigue. It doesn't work. That way nonexistent. I'm assuming you're not in that camp. I'm not.

Now it's not an actual. There's no conventional medicine, doctor, that is going to give you a, you know, an adrenal fatigue or exhaustion diagnosis. Of course they're going to wait until they see, you know, something like Addison's disease which is now non-reversible. Yeah. But you know, the warning signs prior to getting there is not anything that they are going to. To acknowledge for sure. So what is that? Like, what, what comprises adrenal exhaustion?

Like how does that look from a lab standpoint? From a, what kind of phenotypes are you illustrating? Like, what does that look like for people? So when I was working with that particular practitioner, and we had done. And again, this is another thing where it's never just one thing she had, run my labs, and my sodium was incredibly low. In my potassium was incredibly High. My that and those two are generally going to point toward an under production of cortisol.

If it were opposite, if you had a higher sodium and a lower potassium, generally it's a hyper too much of a production of cortisol. And then my cortisol, my salivary panel backed that up my cortisol production in the morning, so you should have this Colonel Rhythm throughout the day of cortisol and so it should be highest of course at rise and then it drops to a lower level around noon.

It drops to an even lower level around 5 p.m. and then of course it should be at its lowest level around you know 10 p.m. to midnight in my diurnal. Rhythm was a tries, I was bottomed out completely around noon. I was still low around 4 to 5, I was still low and then around 10. To 10 p.m. to midnight. I was then high. And so you often see this dysregulation of cortisol levels, my diurnal Rhythm was completely off, which explained the not sleeping at night.

I mean it was and if I did happen to fall asleep, I could easily be woken up. Yeah. So when you get that diagnosis, when you get that feedback like what are some things that you changed in your life instantly to fix and correct course, So it's funny. I do I feel that I actually do more now than I did at that time as a preventative. So that I don't end up there again, because I'm so predisposed to it at that time. I cut out coffee, I completely, I cut down on my training.

I was making sure that I was sleeping. I mean, I did like the complete opposite of the lifestyle that I had been living, at that time, prior to that, I I was training no less than three hours per day and sometimes even twice a day. So I really pulled back on that. And so I would do maybe 23, Max days of weights and in between that would be still movement, but something like yoga. It could be as simple as

stretching doing the sauna. Just things to kind of bring me down into my State. Now today, I still do those things but I incorporate even more, you know, breathing exercises, which dramatically can change, you know, your HRV which at the end of the day changes, your heart rate throughout your day when you can see these things happen.

Right? Before your eyes, if you can focus on, making sure that you are getting into your parasympathetic State, I actually had A scare recently, I say recently, this was in October of last year and I had, it was just such a bizarre experience, Robert. But it really showed me that I had been going back in the wrong direction again. And I got a headache one night, and it wouldn't go away. And I even ended up taking ibuprofen, which I generally don't, but it had gotten to the

point. Where, you know, you just had to and it didn't take my headache away and I had this headache for five days in a row. My heart rate was elevated. My heart rate was actually over 100 beats per minute, for almost all of those days. And I had been in contact with my different functional medicine doctor than the original one. But one that I'm really close with and he had sent me to urgent care to get some things checked out and they did. I mean, all they ran all of these tests.

They did an EKG had me pee in a cup and, you know, and nothing was being found finally over the weekend. He said, Ed, I need you to go to the emergency room because we need to rule out an aneurysm. He said it's unlikely but we need to rule this out. And so he wrote that up for me. I went to the emergency room, nine hours, I spent in there all the tests that they ran, again, they ended up.

I mean, this is almost embarrassing for me honestly to tell this story, he ended up saying we need to test you for meningitis. Hmm. Do you know how they test for that? I do not have the test. Uh they do a spinal tap. Okay, not again. And so I mean, you know, I'm going to say no. And so so I said, okay? And so they do that, and of course, everything's perfectly fine. Clear liquid. Okay. So I leave in the same condition. I've been there, nine hours, we

come home. And I tell my husband I just could not get comfortable in bed. Can you rub my neck? I just, I got something I need rubbed out. He rubs my neck for 20 minutes and he says, I've never felt your neck this way before ever. I don't What's going on? After 20 minutes, Robert headache was gone. Heart rate back down to 65 and everybody lived happily ever after wowee. You like prior to that, where you increasing your training? Getting less sleep under more stress.

Like what was the what was the cat I will? I will say more stressed. It's so my graduate program had started not too long before that I was creating a program. I was, I mean, I was literally, I can't even say this was due to training. This was from my laptop. Yeah. This was from my laptop and I remember thinking. So, interesting, a few days prior to even getting the headache.

I have this thought in my mind, that you've been looking at your laptop too much, like I literally told myself that I felt like I was stuck in my sympathetic state. It was, it was so strange prior to this headache. Like, I knew, I had the red flags and I just didn't pay attention to them. And so, you know, and then all of this fell through went through. And I thought I've In stuck in my sympathetic State. And because my neck muscle was so contracted because of how I

was looking at my laptop. However, many hours a day, my body thought, oh, she's Contracting better, give her the heart rate, she needs to run, right? Because she's clearly in a stressed State and Never again, yes, not good. You gotta you never again and so

daily. I focus on getting into my parasympathetic State, and this is a lot of what we cover in the program to, because there are so many people living in this state, and they don't even know it because we've really increased our Baseline, rest State, and when we think we're resting, we're actually not resting. So what are some tangible things that you do daily? Now, to ensure that you spend time in the Pathetic state. So every morning I start out by literally.

I'm not allowed to look at my phone or anything for hours after waking up. So for me, my Bible studies is my thing. So, I do Bible studies for about an hour, I then we'll spend a little bit of time, allowing myself to read a book that I'm learning something from, then I cold plunge, which is the, which I are, you guys still doing cold plunging? Yeah, every morning. Okay, what am I? Absolute favorite forms of hermetic stress. I feed my dogs, I work out.

I mean, I literally have this kind of this morning that takes a few hours that allows me to just like arrive at my day. So that, by the time I'm checking emails, I've already set the tone for my day and not, somebody else who's needing something from me. And then I set my alarm on my phone for every few hours and every few hours I have to do something that brings me into Parasympathetic State and that can be a breathing technique that can be sitting in our.

We have a massage chair at home which I highly recommend. I'll sit in massage chair for 20 minutes. Sometimes I just hang from a bar, just allow myself to just completely hang. Allow my body to completely relax. I'll go for a walk even a 15-minute now. The whole point of these walks when you are trying to get into your parasympathetic, state is not to take a brisk. Walk, it's actually to do

something. That's completely counterintuitive and it's really to just kind of like Mosey around and just kind of feel the the breathe that your skin, feel your feet, hit the ground, notice things around. You just sort of brings you back and then when you get back to doing the work or the things that you're needing to do, you're actually more productive and see. I was caught up, I was getting caught up again and oh I've got to get this case study done. I've got to get this.

Project done. I was going to take a break right now, but if I get started on this sooner, then I'll get done faster and that's a lie. You actually get done faster. If you can take some time away to get back into your parasympathetic State come back and your focus is so much better than if you had just Tried to power through the whole time. Yeah, I completely agree. Do you have like a use, a standing desk? Uh-huh, I'm standing right now.

Yeah, yeah, I think that's a game changer to because like, I spend so much time sitting in front of a computer as well, and it's just like, I get up and move and then I to think that not having, you know, not looking at your phone or any screen. First thing in the morning is key, I've been waking up and then I'll read a chapter in my book on the floor with the so right, you know, you've met with the so right device. Yes, yes.

Yes. I'll just lay on that and stretch out my. So as muscle while I read that first chapter of a book and it's like that I think is simple as that is. I think that definitely helped a lot and doesn't it sound so simple.

Yeah, super simple but not I mean I think so many people are just so reactive like they wake up, they wake up to a blaring alarm clock and then they look at their phone, check their DMS, check their emails and I do check emails and clients and stuff pretty early in the morning but not before. I read I stretched like I think that like not simply just not looking at your phone. First thing the morning, probably the single best thing that most people can do just set

the day off, right? I agree with you. I think that would be the number one recommendation because if otherwise, I mean you really are living on somebody else's terms. Yeah. Absolutely. What about sleep? Do you do anything, like, sleep hygiene wise? That's out of the norm. So I do use orange blue, blocker glasses in the blanks. And so, now I use blue blocker, glasses during the day, looking at my laptop which, you know, are mostly clear.

But at night, I use ones that have an Orange Hue to them to emulate. The idea that, you know, the sun has come down because I do also spend too much time indoors. I really do. I just, I know this, I do try to get outside, I do take my walks but but even still I'm just it doesn't help that I'm also a homebody and Justin, like completely happy at home. And so at night, you know, that orange really allows your brain to go, oh, it's evening time.

Maybe I should start producing the right things in order to Want to go to sleep and not something that I have all my ladies do to and across the board. They say it's a game changer for their sleep. Yeah, totally. Totally give get a pair of glasses as well. You know, use those, I need to get better at use them. I haven't used them much lately, but I also try to not be on my phone and screens after the sun

goes down. Yes. Harder. Like I'll typically wake up and start using like, I wake up, you know, three or four and I'll start doing email shortly thereafter. So I start we but then I like ending early to because I don't have any shame in saying that I go to bed at 8:00 p.m. I have no shame Robert. I mean, I I woke up and looked at my report from last night and said I slept eight and a half hours and I thought I mean that feels like winning the lottery.

Yeah. Now one thing I noticed like I've gotten worrying and my Garmin watch and my my deep sleep is usually pretty good, but my REM sleep is non-existent, and I think that's because since I wake up earlier and most people tap into the majority of the rooms, The latter half of their sleep phase. Yes. And I'm just waking up before my body. Next, we would. So I'm pretty much missing out on all that REM sleep. Yes. Yeah. What time do you say? You wake up three or four

depending on the yeah. Yeah. So I think really it's usually about the 3:00 hour that that REM usually kicks in. Yeah. But I will tell you deep sleep is I think of all of our sleep is like the most important. That's, I mean, that's where most of our recovery happens. Yeah. If I had to pick one for sure, I'm glad that I'm getting too

deep instead of putting them. But I wouldn't mind having some more room so because you get cooler dreams, you know, I mean, the dreams, it's just crazy, they're just dreams. You don't even want to talk about, right? I know, I know, let's talk about hormones a little bit, so if your typical client demographic is, I think I read somewhere on your like Instagram, bio that, most of your female clients with 35. And I'm, is that right?

Correct? Yep. Okay, so that's one thing I've seen grown in prominence, a lot lately, like the Two years especially is, you know, bioidentical hormones, HRT for both male and female. And that's like a lot of it's pretty unchartered territory. Like there's a, it's like the wild west out there when it comes to hormone replacement therapy. What is your take on that? Like some people like you know,

you used to compete. I compete like I've always competed in natural Federation, so they're very incredibly strict going on the Federation on not taking anything. And I think there's a lot of benefit to that for sure, but as you age as we've gained more insight, as to, you know, what we can do proactively to prevent some of these aging phenomena occur, you know, like, there's a lot of things backing up the benefits of hormone replacement therapy. So where does one? Where does one?

You know, skirt that line. So, here's where I stand on it because I'm not completely against it. But I also do not believe that it should be our first line of Hmm, I do not believe that you should have your hormones tested and say, oh, I'm low on this and this and so let me go replace

them. I think that if you end up there, you end up replacing that, you know, because because you've done the other groundwork to foundational work and you find that you need to what I call top off, because you're still not feeling well, and we think that these particular hormones can help you, then I think fine do that but I think that there's so much ground work to be done.

First before you get into actually replacing because so often, you know, so often our hormones are low because of our lifestyle, how we're eating things that were not focusing on. So here's what I find often times, is women come to me and they come to me, for hormone reasons, we don't necessarily do anything specifically for hormones, but because we're focused on balancing blood sugar levels were focused on nutrition.

Shin will get them on a good supplement protocol not necessarily supporting hormones yet but supporting some more foundational systems in the body. Then we retest and we find oh I've actually increased on my testosterone. I've actually write a fallen into into range on some of these and there are times where I might have wrapped up working with somebody and they're not technically in the quote-unquote optimal range on a particular hormone. But I Ask, how do you feel?

I feel amazing. Well then let's not go. Get you on, you know, hormone replacement therapy, right? If you feel good. So, these ranges that are out, there are certainly guidelines, but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself. You know, how do you feel here? And generally once they've done so much of this work, it's a very small population of the women that I work with, who end up actually going and getting on hormone replacement therapy.

I will say One thing that a lot of women do end up using is and you don't have to get a prescription for.

This is a progesterone cream. Yeah and that's just something that a lot of times I find it's usually around that 35 age that progesterone begins to decrease it yet but but again you're you know that has so much to do with your adrenals, you know your adrenals produce progesterone but if you're living a stressed-out life cortisol which your adrenals also Zeus is going to take precedence and so that that progesterone gets lower, that's one hormone that I find is hard to bring back up

compared to testosterone and estrogen. Yeah, I think I think, you know, definitely doing all the groundwork prior to going the right of exogenous hormones. Has absolutely Paramount. I feel like some people just look for that quick fix scenario and reach for the hormones that really giving much thought to what the long-term repercussions of. Would be so I'm 100% on board with their. Do you think from a female standpoint? Like let's look at menopause for

instance. Like when women go through menopause it becomes harder to preserve lean lean tissue and a lot of times women will reach for the hormone replacement therapy therapy simply as a way to preserve the the muscle that they built, because as we both know, the more lean tissue have them, that's like the longevity organ. I've heard it described as such, so they They would benefit from preserving as much of that, as possible.

Is that preservation via the Exotics hormones, going to outweigh any negative repercussions down the road or are they, I guess, what I'm asking is, can women truly optimized by allowing their by to run, its natural course of action without any hormones? Knowing what we know now about the science? I think that I think that women Through, of course. First lifting weights, right? Which is going to help increase the testosterone in the first

place. But with along with supplementation, I see women get their testosterone into what would be an optimal range. You know, around that you know, 5055 Mark without having to get into exoticness testosterone. And I think when you talk about long-term effects from it, I think one of the main things is Is once you're on it, it's going to be really hard to get you off of it.

Because now, once we've got you on that exoticness testosterone, your body has said, oh cool, I don't really have to make this anymore, you know, she's giving it to me. And so now, if you do choose to get off for one reason or another, you lost the doctor that you are working with. I mean, hero all hear all sorts of things. Now, you your testosterone levels are even lower than they were prior to To getting on the exoticness testosterone.

One of the, there's a product that I use and now I can't. I cannot sugarcoat this. This stuff tastes disgusting, okay? I'm gonna just really does and I just, you know how there's some products you can say, well, some people are okay with it. Some people are not, this one is just flat-out disgusting but it's just incredible in terms of what I see both in how women feel and how their Labs look after. It for a period of time and it's nano formulated DHEA. Plus by scientific?

Quicksilver scientific. Is that? I think that's who it's by. But that now they've got that's the purpose of this particular product is to help increase your testosterone, but what they use our natural to help your body increase your own levels of testosterone. So we're not giving it synthetically.

It does also have some DH Hea in there, which I find that the vast majority of women over 35, do need because, again, that's something else that your adrenals produce, but they also have Maka in there and I'm a huge fan of Makkah when it comes to balancing our hormones in general. And so, that particular product, it's one teaspoon. I have, I have women. Take one teaspoon, five morning's a week, and then we cycle off and on that as well.

You don't want to stay on it all the time, but incredible. V and even there are some women who don't get up to again that optimal range. But they find that, you know what, I'm putting on more lean muscle in the gym and so I feel good and so we have to also be careful of not chasing those optimal markers in the functional world.

Yeah, that's super key. I feel like I've seen several guys that have, you know, quote-unquote low, they're low on the testosterone range, you know, giving the proxy there. But like they They feel great. They're building muscle like everything's solid. Like their recovery is great.

They're getting stronger. So like you definitely take those ideal reference range with a grain of salt and also, to in the other reverse of that, like a lot of those reference ranges are all in the reference ranges are based off of a general population average. And I don't think the general population that we see ourselves in now is an ideal population, sample? Correct.

Well, and here's the thing. I think that, you know, when you look at conventional ranges, those of course are Like you said it's based on, you know, a majority of the people and where they are, but in the functional World we've said, oh no, here is really where you should be and which I think is great because now we're looking at a more optimal range, but I also think in the functional world, we can end up chasing those numbers and and we just can't, I actually did work with a male.

I've probably been done with him for maybe about six to nine months, but he had really low testosterone. I think he was around somewhere between two and three. 100. And so we got him on the program, got him on some, you know, some supplements. And he didn't end up retesting because he just said, he felt so, I mean he felt amazing after

going through this protocol. I wish he would have retest because I would have loved to have seen how high is testosterone got, but I can't imagine that it went from, you know, between two and three hundred up into an optimal range for his age, based on what we were doing. But I think it just goes Show that that we can't change those

numbers. Yeah, and is crazy, how big an impact lifestyle factors have on those numbers to, like, testosterone specifically, remember getting a test, you know, at the end of a prep it's obviously quite a bit lower than it is at Baseline because I'm just a super depleted at that point. But I also had a test not too long ago, probably a year ago. Now after I'd had like a week of just crazy stress and like no sleep and it was in the tanks

but that was also not a Be good. You know reference point because I don't typically not sleep for weeks on end. So like you got a really take your lifestyle factors into consideration to with when you get in these blood panels drawn, you do. But I also I love that you got it tested at that point. Because isn't it fascinating to actually see things play out? Oh, for sure.

I mean, it makes you realize how important sleep is like, sleep is one of those things that we're always seemingly willing to just, you know, kick down the curb so to speak, but yes. Once you get the tangible feedback, like, you know, you'd feel tired, you know, you don't feel optimal, you know, you're not as strong, you're not as energized.

But when you can actually like look at the blood panel, I like, guys, like they look at their testosterone is like, you know, that that's what makes them masculine. Like, if they don't have a high testosterone, they feel like puny, you know, side when you can not sleep for four days and then get a lab drawn. See your testosterone literally cut in half. It's like well shit. I guess I better prioritize sleep a little bit more. It's true. It's so funny.

You say that to you in all my years of Owning by supplement store, you know, men would walk in and they'd say, oh, you know, just want to see if you have some kind of energy pill and you know, just a little tired and and I and this would happen so often I would say, well, have you ever considered a testosterone booster? And it's like all their hand on their hip. Oh, well no, I'm no good in that area. It's like I am not coming after your manhood, nor do. I want to talk about it.

Yeah. But but you know that oftentimes is one of the causes of that the Teague is that that lower testosterone and in fact, as men get, you know, over 40 and 50, you see this transition of less testosterone in this aromatization into, you know, this elevated estrogen as well. So, I mean, it's so important to have this information. Yeah. 100%. And on the same token, I've had

one client. That was 55 years old and he had like, 11:00 told us, I don't know who's free test was but like, wow, crazy out of me. That's way higher than mine. Wow, no money is but he's 55 years old and rocking 11:00

12:00. Total testosterone like you get some weird outliers like that too, so it's just interesting, but I think really not getting so hung up on the numbers like, I'm like we're centered it like use the data, you know, as a way to make actionable decisions but then also really leaning to being self-aware and knowing your body and how you actually feeling. So many people are not in tune with their body at all, they don't even know.

They're even know when they feel good because they don't, they're just chronically tired. Like they don't even know how to compare that. I mean, that is just one of the most important aspects of. That's one of the things that we really talked about through my program as well. I shouldn't even say we talked about it so much. It just happens because of the process we go through. And I take everyone who comes into the program.

I guide them through a 21 day detox and it's not until you can kind of like what I call clear the white noise like just get some stuff out of the way that all of a sudden. Now, you're Paying attention to how you actually feel. And you're so right so many people have no idea how they actually feel because they're normal is completely off, you know, because they've been feeling a certain type of way for so long that it's it's just how they feel.

Even if they're tired every day. That's their normal. Yeah. Totally, when it comes to nutrition, any talk about nutrition at all here? But like, when you're working with these, these clients, a years to this group setting, do you find that they tend to respond better to a certain nutritional protocol or is everybody eating something different? Or how is that structured? So I base this off of their combined based off of their DNA results and their labs.

And so your DNA, for example, tells you whether or not you're likely to have type 2 diabetes, that's what mine tells me. I'm fact mine says, you're very likely to have type 2 diabetes. However, I take a look at my Work. And it says, you know, your insulin is a three, your A1C is a 5.1. And so I know I'm good, right? So based off of that, I can decide, you know, do I, I like eating keto and so if I want to eat keto, I do that. But I can probably handle a little bit more carbs.

What? I would consider a low glycemic type diet, okay? However, if I'm taking a look at somebody's DNA and it says, you're likely to have Of type 2 diabetes and then I look at their labs and they have a 5.6 A1C and a 12 insulin. I'm going to say for that Pete, that person at least for now therapeutically. Let's use a ketogenic diet to, you know, see some change in these Labs so that we can change your story. So that you don't, you know, end up with this diagnosis.

And so, and for that person then It's such a hard thing diet because I would like to say, let's just how do you continue eating? He do. But if they're not going to comply or just, they don't like they just don't like doing it there. You know, thinking about other Foods, then I find a middle ground with them. Once we have gotten their Labs back to where we want them to be once their A1C is in, you know, more of an optimal range that the insulin levels have come

down. Then we can talk about maybe a more low glycemic approach way of eating. Yeah. Use keto a lot therapeutically. I find a lot of times with my ladies, they do want to add in sweet potatoes. They want to add in, you know, those lower glycemic carbs and so I work with them on that. Yeah, I think that makes total sense like I never want to be dogmatic towards nutrition. Like I I like strict.

He do it works really well for me, but it has to be sustainable for them that they have to enjoy that style of eating. I do get a lot of pushback from Mostly females that females require more carbohydrates from and hormonal standpoint. Because they oftentimes say that, you know, if you're consuming strict keto, without any carbohydrates, you're going to be spending more time in a sympathetic nervous State.

And you need to have some carbs to balance that out and kind of relax more return to parasympathetic State and improve overall, hormonal regulation, and, you know, their menstrual cycle for instance. And when I've, when I've worked, Them. I often times find that that dysregulation stems more. So from them just simply not

eating enough in general. And if they consume a well-formed occasion that with ample calories ample total fuel, all of those symptoms subside I mean is there any evidence that you've seen in working with your demographic of them? Simply like all those things equal they just have to have the carbs to improve their hormonal Health you know I'm in complete agreement with you Robert. I was going to say the exact

same thing that you did. What I end up finding is because because sometimes, they'll say, oh well, I've been trying that diet but I'm just, I'm just still so hungry and I'll say, okay, you know what, let's have you track exactly what you're eating so that I can take a look over it. And I mean I look at these Diaries at times and I'm thinking, oh my gosh, I mean there are so many women, eating 800 calories and then that's no exaggeration.

So here's here's the thing. If I think, what happens a lot of times with women, as maybe they just don't Like these maybe they don't like meat enough maybe they're just and if they're not willing to eat enough of these particular Foods, then we have to work on. Okay, well where can we bring in a sweet potato? Where can we bring in some butternut squash? Where can we, you know, bring in some of those things that they will eat so that they do stop

under eating. But I think that the main issue when you talk, you know, is it going to cause hypothyroid? Is it going to cause is it, is it going to be seen as a stressor? On our adrenal glands, I think I think almost every time it has to do with not enough calories as opposed to not enough carbs. Yeah, hundred percent agree but I like hearing you say, because you have a lot more credibility as a woman than I do and I work with a lot of women. Yeah. For sure not.

That's, that's reassuring to hear. Well, shoot, we're already an hour and I don't take up too much of your time here but talk to me about this. This course you've got one coming out here soon, right? I do. So, I am going to be launching it in April, mid-april we're going to launch. We start together May 23rd and so but I launched early because again I've got to get your DNA test kit to you. I've got to get your requisition form to you, so you can get your

blood draw. So that I then have time to interpret all of these results. By the time we get started together in May and so, you know, one of the things that I just did recently is I sent A group of ladies, a feedback form on the program. Like, I want to know all of it. What did you love? What did you not like what, you

know, what can make it better. And so one of the things that gosh, I'll say 90% of the women are still some women who are sending forms in but so far, 90% of the women have said because I said, what would you recommend to? You know, somebody coming into the program or thinking about coming into the program and they said that its intense. So many of them said, it's an intense pain.

I love hearing this from them, you know, I'm just putting this program together and I just want to give everything, right? Everything that I know. And so I thought, you know what, when I launch it again I'm going to make sure that these women prior to coming in know they know what they're getting in for. Like this is an intense eight weeks and I do want you to be at a place in your life, where you are ready to soak everything in for the eight weeks that we are

spending this time together. You know, this program is not Not really for somebody who's just kind of starting to get into, I want to, you know, figure out how to lose some weight. It's not going to be for that person. It really is going to be for the person who's they've been trying things. They've been to the doctor their labs are quote, unquote normal but they just, you know, don't have the energy, they're gaining

some way. Maybe they're having hair loss, they're getting the lower belly pooch. Just kind of all of those things that you don't know where to get help. Those are the women who come into this program. Yeah and then we just hunker down and I teach every single week I go live with you. We all need. Of course everything's recorded uploaded into your portal so that you can watch it later when necessary. And my guide you through the 21

day detox that we do together. And we just really Implement so many lifestyle interventions. And what I say to the women is this one of the things I say is I want you to catch a few All's I am going to be throwing so many balls at you, but it's kind of like, you know, if you're in a tennis court and there's that thing which I don't know what it's called, but it's like shooting balls out that you're supposed to hit with the racket.

But if I'm if I tell you go in there and catch as many balls as you can just decide that you're going to catch three because you know that you can catch on to those balls and hang onto them. Just let all the other balls go by. If you try to catch every ball that I throw at you, you're not going to end up catching any of them? Because you're going to keep dropping other balls.

So while it is an intense program, I tell the ladies to choose the things that they can grab on to start to make those things a part of their daily lives. And once those things become just like, brushing your teeth. Now, choose a few other balls that you can grab onto and, and Implement. And so, all of that being said, I've designed this program where women can go through it time and time again. Do you need to continue optimizing? Your health come back into the

next program. Let's In your Labs. Let's get you on a new protocol. I mean, I have so many women who were in my current program, they're already on my waitlist for this program coming up in May and so so it's just designed to keep going. I love it. I love it. How do you like the group setting compared to when you were doing the one on one? Here is why I like the group setting because I'm able to

teach so much more. When I was doing one-on-ones, I could only meet with women one time per month. And yeah, that's not enough. Yeah. Yeah, It's Tricky. I mean, like the like, I've always done one-on-one and I like one-on-one, because I get really deep with that individual.

But I like I think I'll probably always do the one-on-one because, like, when I'm working with competitive athletes that are stepping on stage, like like that, it's very individualized, like, their macros are all uniquely. Everything's very different for that individual. But I'm thinking about rolling out, some type of group coaching format as well and it's not like going to be me, you know, calculate their macros or anything so much.

That is I want people to be able to lean into one another and have the format to follow. Because I think there is a

strength in numbers. And I just recently, signed up for this Mastermind class with a business setting that nutritional setting but like just, then we've been able to interact with other people within that group setting has been beneficial for me. So I think there's a lot of value added when you have people with similar interests, similar goals in mind, all being able to kind of work together.

Plus, it takes a little bit of a load off of your shoulders because Someone that knows more or follow your program in the past, like they can answer some of those questions that that you didn't have to answer. Yes, to all of that. I, in fact, a lot of the ladies on the feedback form said the same thing that they really enjoyed the community aspect, I

think it's powerful. Now one of the things I did offer going into it I thought what I was going to do is offer for a handful of ladies to be able to upgrade into one-on-ones with me. I ended Up not doing that. Just as protection for myself in time just because of where I'm at right now with school and everything.

But what I did offer is for some ladies to be able to upgrade to where I did a very deep dive, like I pulled up their results and I recorded a loom for them and it was anywhere from 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending on how much they had going on and just sent them that information on themselves and every single woman who did that upgrade I loved it to learn more on themselves so I think there are things that we can do in the group setting to allow it to still be more personalized and

feel like you said, I like to actually have a bond with each person that I work with that admittedly was maybe a little lacking. This round one of the things I'm doing for this next round. I'm not taking as many ladies. Yeah. And that's a decision that I made because I do want to To be a bit more connected with each woman. Yeah, that makes sense. I think having like a threshold cap as that people are in there. Otherwise, it just becomes like a noxious Facebook group, you

know? You don't want that. Yes. Yeah. Which I opted not to have a Facebook group as well, for that exact reason. Yeah. What platform are you using? We're totally going. A little business Deep dive here, but what platform you're using hosted all on? Well, I'm going to change that. So what I use for this program was practice better. I did not like it and I and it maybe it's just me and maybe I wasn't using it properly, but a lot of the women said, it just

wasn't very intuitive for them. I love practice better for one-on-ones. It just storing information and it's just a little Hub where all my clients live, but I also have because I do also have a monthly membership that women have the option to join. So, maybe you're not able to invest in my group program, but you still want to work with me in some capacity. I have a month. A membership. That's 37 dollars a month that is hosted in kajabi and I'm going to do that.

That's actually what I'm going to do for my program. This next time is move it to kajabi. I didn't think I was going to be able to but another thing that I've done for myself Robert and all of this trying to take better care of myself, as I've hired an operations manager for my business, prior to bringing her on, I was doing everything. Anything. I mean anything you saw my bit like I was doing at all, which is why? At the end of the day, I wasn't doing enough because I'm only

one person. So, she is helping me and she's like, let me do this for you. And she is setting all my stuff up and, you know, checkout pages and things like that. So, that's awesome. It's also, I do enjoy kajabi. Have you used it before? Yes. Oh, my deeper State keto program that we made that I made with keto connect way back and like, 2017. We originally put on WordPress and then I migrated over to

kajabi a couple years. Ago. And so it's on kajabi, but then I'm in the process of building out, this Behemoth of a competition, Prep course, and it's going to be on kajabi as well. That's not live yet. It will, hopefully be launched in May. But I like kajabi. I think it's got and they recently just updated their

whole Community aspect. They good, haven't really dove into that but I'm excited to see because I didn't really like the community aspect before, but I think with the update it's got a lot more functionality, their Community. I She created a community for my membership ladies before and I deleted it because it was just it was clunky and it was not

good. So, that's another thing that my operations manager is doing is looking into that the community portal for me because hopefully, we'll be able to utilize that this time as well. You and I just, you know, like when we you want to get on this year, right? I'm not I won't be there this year. Hope we need to just like sit down and talk business someday and just like talk about courses and yeah we seem like have a Biz Dev Deep dive sometime soon. Yeah let's do it.

I think it's so helpful. I've Got, I've got a girlfriend who, you know, we just, we kind of have her own Mastermind and I mean, it's just so incredibly helpful to be able to run these ideas by each other. Yeah, 1000% agree. Well, until then, where do people go to sign up for your course? Given the waitlist dive into your life a little bit more? Yeah.

So if you go to my Instagram account which is Tanya dot, Pennington dot Miller, you can go to my link tree and you can see the Are to add yourself to the waitlist. Basically, what that does is it puts you first in line to hear about the program, that's who I will release the program to to begin with. And then if they're still spots available, then I release it to the rest of my email list as well, but that kind of gets you first in line. Get you all the updates about it and everything.

And then of course, I put info out on my Instagram as regularly as I can. Hopefully, more now that I have my operations manager and then my website is Tanya Pennington milord Calm and you can learn more information there as well. Awesome. Well I will certainly link out to all those. Make it easy for people to find

you. Tanya, I've always enjoyed chatting with you, I learned a ton every single time we talked and I'm excited to continue this conversation from a business standpoint but then also I'm gonna hit you up for from DNA standpoint here soon to. Yeah sounds good and thank you for having me. I'm anything that ever has to do with you and Crystal. I think that the two of you are just two of the most stand-up people that I know. And I mean Every aspect. So it's just an honor to be able

to be here with you. Yeah really appreciate that. Out of curiosity where in the world did we first connect? The how did we meet originally? Was it through Instagram or you know, I don't we met at I think the first-ever keto Khan was that? What we first met? I think it was the first ever win in the work. You do con I, so I'm an introvert. Okay, so I don't ever just like go up to people and but my husband is the extrovert and so he gets me To go up to people.

And you had talked competition and I have no idea.

There was like some question and my husband was like, go ask him and I'm like no way and and he's so great like I just this is why God chose him for me because anyway and so I came to ask you a question and we had a conversation and Crystal was there and she was your girlfriend at the time and she was so super quiet and it's just been amazing to see how she has just completely blossomed since that first time, Then I think I started following her at some point.

You had her doing a competition and she was talking about something about the week prior to the show and I offered her. I had a list for all of my athletes. When I was coaching to laugh, here's a list of things that you're going to want to, you know, have in your little pack, or whatever, leading up to the show that had more to do with female type stuff, right? And so then I sent her that list and then I just have always Kind of stayed in contact with her.

And yeah, that's about it. We've really only met in person. You know less than a handful of times. Yeah, it's crazy. That's crazy. Well, like I said it's always awesome chat with you. I have utmost respect for you. It was great meeting your husband as well, the conference I mean y'all are just killing it on all fronts, so there's ever anything I can do to help push yells needle forward and on any shape or form just let me know. I appreciate that Robert. And likewise you bit tiny?

Take care. You too.

Transcript source: Provided by creator in RSS feed: download file
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android