Be. Play. Love‪.‬ Katie Hendricks, PhD & Sophie Chiche

In our society, we treat our body like machines. We push them hard and only pay attention to them when they break down instead of preventing the breakdown in the first place.
 
For many people, the solution is investing in all the trackers, watches and monitors to know what’s going on, but we completely abdicate our health to external influences in the process.
 
As a society, we’ve become so obsessed with biohacking and hitting the right numbers that we’ve ended up completely disconnected from our bodies.
 
In many ways, using the typical strategies of taking care of our health creates the very stress we’re trying to avoid. The more we can connect with our bodies and pay attention to what they are telling us, the easier it is to have wellbeing. This is especially true for chronic conditions that affect the microbiome.
 
How do we commit to taking care of our bodies without piling on more stress? In this episode, Naturopathic Medical Doctor and a Certified Functional Medicine Doctor, Dr. Mary Pardee shares why connecting with our bodies is the key to preventing illness and expanding our healthspan.

 
We really need to start focusing on the preventive model where you’re stopping disease from ever establishing instead of waiting until something happens. -Dr. Mary Pardee
 
Four Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-Death is something we should talk about
The problem with the biohacking movement is that it’s based in a fear of death and an unrealistic lifespan. How do we shift to focusing on healthspan instead? 
 
-Don’t delegate your health to a device
The problem with fitness watches and similar devices is that they train us to put more attention on a machine than what our bodies are telling us. How do we use them without disconnecting from ourselves? 
 
-Health awareness, not health anxiety
Paying attention to our wellness should feel like a natural part of caring for ourselves, not another source of stress. How do we take care of ourselves without letting it cause more anxiety? 
 
-CBT for gut-brain disorders is a thing
Our emotional state has a lot to do with how our bodies deal with chronic conditions. How can we use whole body thinking and diaphragmatic breathing to work through the anxiety that comes with chronic illnesses? 
 
Guest Bio
Dr. Mary Pardee is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor and a Certified Functional Medicine Doctor who specializes in integrative approaches to gut health and longevity in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder of modrn med, a medical practice that provides medical and health services to patients via in-person consults as well as telemedicine. For those who can not work one-on-one with a modrn med practitioner, Dr. Mary also created a gut-health course that dives into the most common gut related complaints and natural solutions to start healing. Go to https://www.modrnmed.com/ and https://www.onecommune.com/marypardee for more information.

Words have so much power, not just in the definition but also in the force behind them. Some of the worst things we say are to ourselves, and we often don’t even know it’s happening.
 
There’s a reason why we’re so good at addressing ourselves negatively. Our culture teaches us to stay in check, not to get too full of ourselves and it also teaches us to elevate others.
 
We’ve been taught that we can’t be “too much”, and sometimes we’re trained to feel like we’re not much at all. Our internal language is just a reflection of this.
 
Most people have a default critical brain, and it defines the context in which we hold ourselves. The good news is: we can change this by daring to expand into our muchness.
 
How do we learn to speak to ourselves more lovingly? How do we do away with the power dynamics that make us diminish ourselves? In this episode, we talk about the root of our inner critics and what we can do to change our internal language to one that’s more kind.

 
Speaking kindly to ourselves is one thing we can do to increase our self esteem- one simple thing- that can make a huge difference. -Sophie Chiche 
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-The power of your internal language
Sticks and stones may break bones AND words can change our physicality. Why do words, especially the ones we say to ourselves have so much power?
 
-From power over to power with
So much of our society is built on power hierarchies. Often it’s the root cause of people diminishing themselves and elevating others. How do we shift to a space where we see and treat each other as valuable equals? 
 
-A new way to relate to yourself
We can’t talk ourselves out of being critical. How can we use a “hmmmm” to release the criticism and invite curiosity and creativity?
 

Whenever we make a commitment, set an intention or create an affirmation, we often need a little reminding, and words do that so effectively.
 
Some people write words that remind them of the commitment on Post-it Notes or in journals. That’s because words can be a powerful anchor that brings us back to what matters. They can be metaphors we can apply to all sorts of contexts or statements that move us.
 
Written words are something we can add to our consciousness toolbox, and printing them out on our skin - even temporarily - can deepen the commitments we’ve made to ourselves.
 
When we combine the life-changing power of words with the affirming effect of tattoos, the power of an intention is amplified.
 
How can we use words to recommit in a powerful way and deepen our relationship with ourselves?
 
In this episode, we’re joined by the founder of Conscious Ink, Frank Gjata. We talk about how to use temporary tattoos to support our intentions. We also discuss how to grow and change without suffering.

 
The more fun and alive we are, the quicker we learn and the quicker things get seated in us. -Frank Gjata
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-How to tattoo a context instead of static words in a commitment
There are so many ways tattoos can be employed to remind us of what’s important and what we want to focus on. Their permanent nature can be intimidating for a lot of us though. Can we use ink in an open-ended way so that the body art evolves with us? 
 
-A case for play in any context
We’ve been taught to explore and talk about heavy topics by taking a serious and somber approach, it’s work after all. Can we actually achieve more by dealing with heavy topics with more light-heartedness?
 
-How to leapfrog suffering
They say in order to have a breakthrough, we first need to have a breakdown, but that might be the messaging of our Upper Limit problem. How do we uncouple change and suffering? 
 
Guest Bio
Frank Gjata is a transformational coach, accomplished writer, speaker, filmmaker and the founder of Conscious Ink. He is dedicated to creating innovative tools that support people (including himself) to wake up, live consciously and enthusiastically love the life we live. In 2010, Frank founded Conscious Ink, an empowerment company utilizing temporary tattoos to support people on their personal journey. With his creation of this innovative company, Frank actually invented an entire new category for temporary tattoos, geared at adults in this meaningful way, as it never had existed before. Today, Conscious Ink is recognized internationally, serves tens of thousands of people, supports countless charities and causes through its “Give-Ink Back” initiative, and can be found in hundreds of retail stores around the world. With a unique ability to communicate deep, meaningful and transformational concepts in a fun, lighthearted, and sometimes even quirky way, Frank and/or his work, has been featured in publications, such as Mantra Yoga + Health Magazine, Shape Magazine, Modern Meditation, The Good News Network, Fitness Magazine, Forbes, and Yoga Journal. He’s been on numerous podcasts, and was a member of the Speaker Selection Committee for TedX Bend. Go to https://www.consciousink.com/ for more information.

Being kind to ourselves is an ongoing conversation, and one of the ways it expresses itself is through the things we do to nourish ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. 
 
Ultimately, our ability to fully experience and express our essence is hinged on our daily habits and practices of self-care and self-love.
 
We can think of each of these daily habits, from the state of our minds to the foods we eat and the people we are around, as deposits and withdrawals to our wellness bank. What fills that wellness bank? What depletes it?
 
This work requires us to become aware of and unlearn the habits that make it hard to be kind to ourselves. It also requires listening to ourselves and our bodies because every morsel of food and activity will leave clues as to whether it’s working for us [or against us!].
 
What are the non-negotiable practices that make up our lives? How do we learn to eat in a way that supports and truly nourishes us? How do we take an inside-out approach to our well-being? In this episode, we talk about the practices that allow us to live essence-filled lives. 
 
Energy is like money. Some habits drain our energy, others replenish it. Choose habits that refill your energy ‘bank account’. That’s how you become in charge of your life. -Sophie Chiche 
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-Tokens of wellbeing 
Whether it’s a stuffed pig or a crocodile, how can we use little objects to remind ourselves to be well?
 
-Experience your body as a friend 
Most people think of the body as the automobile and themselves as the driver, and they only pay attention when there’s a breakdown. How do we see the interconnectedness of all the pieces of our health and practice proactive wellness? 
 
-Unlearn the unkind 
The way we give attention to ourselves is a reflection of the way people have attended to us from a very young age. How do we change it if we might have picked up some harmful messages from our environments growing up?
 

Our bodies are the vessels we occupy from the start of our lives, but so many of us feel disconnected in this home we have within ourselves. If we live in our bodies, how can they feel so foreign to us? For a whole lot of reasons, we’re taught to ignore body wisdom even though it holds the most potent information about ourselves and how we move through the world.
 
How do we get acquainted with our body wisdom and why is keying into this innate knowledge so important? In this episode, we’re joined by licensed clinical professional counselor, dance/movement therapist and author, Erica Hornthal.
 
We talk about movement and body awareness and why it’s critical to our ability to be, live, create and heal.
 
When the body is the source of your pain, no one wants to revisit that. But we can’t escape our bodies. You’re bringing the place where the pain happened with you all the time, you may as well dialogue with it. -Erica Hornthal
 
Four Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-Our bodies never stop speaking
Human beings are always moving, even when we think we’re stuck in a freeze response, there is still so much happening within. How do we learn to decode what our bodies are telling us through even the smallest of movements? 
 
-How to find safety in your body
One thing that cuts us off from our innate body wisdom is how we’ve been conditioned to sit still and not “act weird”. How does this impact the movements we do make and how do we learn to move on our own terms again?
 
-Meet in movement
People don’t have to understand your body’s messaging to support you. How can we use mirroring to recognize, validate, and normalize what people are feeling? 
 
-Movement speaks where words fail
Before we can process a thought and speak it, our bodies have already felt and noted something. How do we use this to move through the world with more self-awareness? 
 
Guest Bio
Erica Hornthal is a licensed clinical professional counselor, board-certified dance/movement therapist, author, and the CEO and founder of Chicago Dance Therapy. Since graduating with her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College Chicago, Erica has worked with thousands of patients aged 3-107. Known as “The Therapist Who Moves You,” Hornthal is changing the way people see movement with regard to mental health. Erica is the author of Body Aware and The Movement Therapy Deck. For more information, head to https://www.ericahornthal.com/ and follow @‌the.therapist.who.moves.you on Instagram.

You’ve likely heard about the “whole body yes” and “whole body no”, and maybe even practiced using these to make your decision-making process a little easier. But choosing is really hard when we don’t feel that nudge from our body wisdom, and we just feel “meh” about the whole thing.
 
When it’s not a definite yes or no, we’re stuck in limbo, and that’s a dangerous place to be.
 
Learning to locate ourselves within a moment of indecision can be as simple as taking a breath. It interrupts the patterns of anxiety, fear, and adrenaline, and that creates a whole new structure for us to make a decision that is based on our actual wants.
 
How do we figure out what we want when it’s not a whole body yes or no? In this episode, we talk about the quickest way to cut through indecision.
 
Finding your “no” actually opens a space for “yes”. -Katie Hendricks  
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 
 
-How to identify your energy source
What’s the difference between introverts, extroverts, and INTIMATE extroverts?
 
-The space between a whole body yes and a whole body no is limbo 
When we feel ambiguous about a choice, how do we find the answer by locating ourselves?
 
-Learn to trust your inner signals 
A lot of our confusion and doubting our own experience is the result of mixed messaging we receive as children. How do you identify your wants when all you know are the rules and regulations of what we were told to do?
 
The Choice Map