Latest / Health Unscripted / Allow me to reintroduce myself...
Transcript
- 0:06SPEAKER_00: What's up guys?
- 0:07SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another week of Health Unscripted.
- 0:10SPEAKER_00: This week I'm gonna do my introduction episode.
- 0:13SPEAKER_00: So I know I've already done three episodes so far.
- 0:15SPEAKER_00: If you haven't checked them out, please go back and listen to them.
- 0:18SPEAKER_00: The first one is why salad rocks.
- 0:20SPEAKER_00: It will literally change your life on salad.
- 0:23SPEAKER_00: Um, the second one is about HIT workouts and why they're not for everyone.
- 0:27SPEAKER_00: And the third one is all about toning.
- 0:29SPEAKER_00: So kind of like what that word means and how we actually use it in practice.
- 0:34SPEAKER_00: So today's episode, I figured why, you know, not get to know me if you're gonna listen to me.
- 0:40SPEAKER_00: So if you're someone who follows me on Instagram or any form of social media, or you just happen to like stumble across this podcast because someone shared it, or you were searching through Spotify or Apple, hello, it is awesome to have you.
- 0:52SPEAKER_00: And I really hope you enjoy this fun-filled 20 minutes.
- 0:56SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna try and keep this under 20 minutes.
- 0:58SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, okay.
- 1:00SPEAKER_00: But that's the goal here for Health Unscripted, literally to talk all things health, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, holistic health, everything, and just kind of how it all comes together, just all different topics.
- 1:12SPEAKER_00: So, what makes me qualified to talk about that?
- 1:15SPEAKER_00: So, um, to go into my journey, I guess we can just start from when I was like a little nugget.
- 1:22SPEAKER_00: And basically, you know, you grow up an athlete, you grow up playing sports your whole life, you grow up a tomboy.
- 1:27SPEAKER_00: Um, definitely ran in my family.
- 1:29SPEAKER_00: My mom, for those of you who don't know, nicknamed the Mominator.
- 1:32SPEAKER_00: She's six foot tall, always been super athletic.
- 1:35SPEAKER_00: I learned how to throw a football from her.
- 1:37SPEAKER_00: So, no shock that I, you know, then became a high school football quarterback for our flag football team.
- 1:44SPEAKER_00: No, it wasn't powder puff.
- 1:45SPEAKER_00: We actually had a football team and we were freaking awesome.
- 1:48SPEAKER_00: So, anyway, grew up an athlete, never really watched what I ate, never cared about that.
- 1:53SPEAKER_00: We always had the standard like American family dinner, like a protein, a carb, and some veggies.
- 1:59SPEAKER_00: My mom was very good about veggies because we were also very active.
- 2:02SPEAKER_00: So that was kind of what we ate for dinner.
- 2:03SPEAKER_00: But then I'd also like house an entire bag of Doritos and eat fast food.
- 2:07SPEAKER_00: And we did grow up eating fast food because it was quick and easy and cheap.
- 2:11SPEAKER_00: And, you know, coming from a low-income household, that's what we could do, you know.
- 2:16SPEAKER_00: So going into high school, would play sports, had a, you know, was skinny, was a stick, was a size zero.
- 2:22SPEAKER_00: I ate McDonald's and still ate like crap, but was running around a lot.
- 2:25SPEAKER_00: So, of course, we we, you know, eat a McChicken and go to the bathroom and you still have abs, right?
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: So anyway, then I got into college and I still kept up that like wanting to be active, but you're not playing sports anymore.
- 2:40SPEAKER_00: So it was kind of like, all right, I'm not in a sorority, I'm not gonna do sorority.
- 2:43SPEAKER_00: Nothing against sorority life just wasn't really for me, and I didn't have the money to spend on it, to be completely honest.
- 2:48SPEAKER_00: But we like I started to work out at the gym, but then the 24-hour food hauls kind of you know, pizza and cookies at your disposal definitely added that freshman 10.
- 2:59SPEAKER_00: I will say, I think I definitely had a freshman 10 I was carrying around, still trying to squeeze into my like zero skinny jeans, which looking back on those pictures is mortifying.
- 3:09SPEAKER_00: Um so I really didn't have a good base for nutrition.
- 3:12SPEAKER_00: I did so much cardio and you know, barely touched weights.
- 3:16SPEAKER_00: I did like bicep curls and random stuff, but I really had no idea what I was doing, and the elliptical was like my friend, the stairmaster, all that stuff.
- 3:23SPEAKER_00: So I called myself a cardio queen.
- 3:25SPEAKER_00: I got into pharmacy school and then, you know, was was understanding drugs, but still not really health.
- 3:30SPEAKER_00: I was still probably a size four, so by by all means, like still relatively in shape, but doing things the wrong way.
- 3:39SPEAKER_00: So then I went into um I came home for summer one one time from college and met a girlfriend of like another of a group of friend of mine, and she was like, I'm doing these fitness competitions, and I was like, What are those?
- 3:52SPEAKER_00: What do you mean?
- 3:53SPEAKER_00: And she was like showing me pictures, and I was like, bodybuilding competitions, like we can do that.
- 3:58SPEAKER_00: You want to look like that?
- 3:58SPEAKER_00: And I was like, actually, that sounds freaking awesome, and I was super interested.
- 4:02SPEAKER_00: She's like, Well, let me let me uh introduce you to my coach.
- 4:04SPEAKER_00: So I went to meet her coach, and he was this like shorter, like huge, jacked, like Haitian man named Jocelyn.
- 4:13SPEAKER_00: I still remember him, I love him.
- 4:14SPEAKER_00: What's up, Jocelyn?
- 4:15SPEAKER_00: How are you?
- 4:16SPEAKER_00: And he was like, no bullshit.
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: He was like, Listen, if you're gonna show up and you're gonna be on this team, we are not messing around, do not waste my time.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: I'm not wasting yours.
- 4:24SPEAKER_00: And I was like, damn.
- 4:26SPEAKER_00: So needless to say, I started working with him and was like 17 weeks out from my first show at that moment.
- 4:32SPEAKER_00: I had no idea.
- 4:33SPEAKER_00: This was back in like May or June.
- 4:35SPEAKER_00: So being on that pre-show diet and that that competition diet and watching my body change, I just assumed like I would never have abs.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: Like my body was not one for a six-pack.
- 4:45SPEAKER_00: My genetics, nope, could never happen.
- 4:48SPEAKER_00: Um, I tried and it just wasn't happening.
- 4:50SPEAKER_00: So I figured that was just unattainable for me.
- 4:52SPEAKER_00: Well, being on this diet and actually learning how to work out properly and be in the gym and use the machines and squeeze and mind muscle connection and just being so disciplined, learning how to say no.
- 5:03SPEAKER_00: And granted, it's not easy.
- 5:06SPEAKER_00: It's not easy to learn on any on any spectrum, but when you're like having to do this stuff because you're going to get on stage in front of a lot of people, you ultimately want to bring your best package.
- 5:15SPEAKER_00: Plus, I'm very competitive, so I stick to something if I know I have a possibility of winning, just to put it plainly.
- 5:22SPEAKER_00: So I followed this diet for a very long time.
- 5:26SPEAKER_00: Um, obviously, it you know got more and more sparse as the closer the show came up.
- 5:31SPEAKER_00: Peak week was essentially just like protein and veggies at every meal, like no carbs, barely any fat.
- 5:37SPEAKER_00: And um it was not healthy looking back on that, right?
- 5:41SPEAKER_00: But I did my first show, I got all tan.
- 5:44SPEAKER_00: And for those of you who are like, why do you have to get so tan?
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: It's because the lights on stage are so bright that you have to be tan in order for your muscle lines to show.
- 5:52SPEAKER_00: Okay, just for everyone to to clear that up.
- 5:54SPEAKER_00: I got that question so many times.
- 5:56SPEAKER_00: So I got lean, I went from 134 to like 108 pounds.
- 6:00SPEAKER_00: Granted, it was too much weight for me to lose, but I didn't really have much muscle on my frame because I had never done a muscle, like a strength training program, right?
- 6:09SPEAKER_00: So I did the show, I won my class, I became obsessed.
- 6:12SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I'm good at this, I'm gonna do more.
- 6:15SPEAKER_00: However, it got in the way of pharmacy school.
- 6:17SPEAKER_00: If anyone's tried to cut carbs and like studying and and anything that requires energy is not easy to do when you're irritable, you're exhausted.
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: So it was really affecting my studying and my my school.
- 6:30SPEAKER_00: So I didn't do shows until the summer.
- 6:32SPEAKER_00: So wrapping that up, I did about two more um the next summer, and then I kind of like hung it up for a little while.
- 6:38SPEAKER_00: Like I was like, nah, you know what?
- 6:40SPEAKER_00: I like the way I look, I'm gonna just continue doing this on my own.
- 6:42SPEAKER_00: I'm done with the shows, they're super subjective.
- 6:45SPEAKER_00: I I hate them.
- 6:46SPEAKER_00: So I graduated pharmacy school, I started working for Walgreens, and I kind of was like curious.
- 6:52SPEAKER_00: I'm like, you know what?
- 6:53SPEAKER_00: I want to see what kind of package I can bring.
- 6:55SPEAKER_00: I want to I want to do this again.
- 6:57SPEAKER_00: Like I put on some muscle, let's do it again, and let's do it in a more healthy way.
- 7:00SPEAKER_00: Like, let's not take diuretics before the show.
- 7:03SPEAKER_00: Um, I was all natural, by the way.
- 7:05SPEAKER_00: I know shows now are not all natural.
- 7:07SPEAKER_00: I was all natural aside from taking like water pills the the week of prep.
- 7:11SPEAKER_00: So I did this show natural.
- 7:13SPEAKER_00: I I came back in at 118 pounds instead of 108, so I had put on 10 pounds of muscle, and it was definitely my best package, but again, the posing was not my favorite, and you know, it was fun to do, and I'm glad I did what I did, but it was again not healthy.
- 7:28SPEAKER_00: So I continued under eating and over-training, and then working in a stressful environment like pharmacy, not prioritizing my rest, not prioritizing my recovery.
- 7:36SPEAKER_00: I mean, I was 25.
- 7:38SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you do at 25?
- 7:39SPEAKER_00: We were still partying, we were still going out, South Florida, like that's what we do.
- 7:44SPEAKER_00: So I really like threw my body into a tail, like a whirlwind of of metabolic, like fuckery is the best word I can say.
- 7:54SPEAKER_00: Like my insulin was so off and overshooting, my thyroid was messed up, my sex hormones were messed up, I was like perimenopausal what my levels were.
- 8:03SPEAKER_00: I was fatigued all the time, no matter how much coffee I had.
- 8:06SPEAKER_00: I felt like utter shit.
- 8:08SPEAKER_00: And I was just like thinking I was burnt out from the pharmacy.
- 8:10SPEAKER_00: And so I went and got blood work done, and all that came back on my blood work, and I was like, holy crap, what do I do?
- 8:17SPEAKER_00: And my doctor was literally like, eat some damn carbs, stop cycling.
- 8:22SPEAKER_00: We're taking you off birth control, and we're starting a thyroid supplement.
- 8:26SPEAKER_00: In hindsight, I should have done a couple of those things, you know, alone before starting on medications and whatever.
- 8:33SPEAKER_00: Um, but it it really was like a big learning, like epiphany moment for me that, like, holy crap, like my body is not as resilient as I thought it was, and I'm not treating it as good as I thought I was.
- 8:46SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I looked apart, I have like an eight-pack or a six-pack or whatever.
- 8:50SPEAKER_00: So you you think that I'm healthy, but I was a mess on the inside.
- 8:54SPEAKER_00: So I was like, well, I gotta get my hormones all figured out.
- 8:56SPEAKER_00: I have to fix my energy, I have to fix the key element to my metabolism, which is my thyroid, right?
- 9:04SPEAKER_00: So I started on this journey with doctors, went to endocrinologists, hated them, ended up finding functional medicine doctors who were taking more holistic approaches, who cared about my nutrition and just overall blood work.
- 9:16SPEAKER_00: And so I started working with them, not cheap, but definitely more along the path and the vision that I wanted.
- 9:23SPEAKER_00: So I started increasing my style, my calories, I started eating more, and I got to a place where I felt better again.
- 9:29SPEAKER_00: And I was like, wow, like who knew from crash dieting and doing these shows that like this could happen to you?
- 9:35SPEAKER_00: So fast forward, I I had to leave Walgreens because the work environment was just awful.
- 9:41SPEAKER_00: Like, imagine starting your day every single day super behind, like more than half of the previous day already behind, and it's a fresh new day.
- 9:51SPEAKER_00: Like it was just so much.
- 9:52SPEAKER_00: We were set up for failure.
- 9:53SPEAKER_00: The stress level was obnoxious.
- 9:56SPEAKER_00: So I went to Publix and I started working for Publix, which um definitely a better, a better company and a better work environment, just longer shifts.
- 10:05SPEAKER_00: So I went from like eight-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts, which suck for me.
- 10:10SPEAKER_00: But, you know, we did that, and then I was like, all right, this is what we're doing now.
- 10:14SPEAKER_00: I was still, you know, keeping up with my health and fitness, I was feeling good.
- 10:17SPEAKER_00: And then came like just helping, you know, then came the year that all of my girlfriends were getting married.
- 10:22SPEAKER_00: Uh, I was like 28 and everyone in the world was getting married.
- 10:26SPEAKER_00: I had like 10 weddings that year, and I was in five of them.
- 10:29SPEAKER_00: And my girlfriends, you know, I'm always like the fitness one, like came to me like, hey, I'm looking to lose a little bit of weight.
- 10:35SPEAKER_00: I want to fit, I want to fit in my dress, I want to look better.
- 10:37SPEAKER_00: Can you like help me with a diet plan?
- 10:39SPEAKER_00: And I was like, yeah, sure.
- 10:40SPEAKER_00: So I just did it and it it was working.
- 10:42SPEAKER_00: Like it was good.
- 10:43SPEAKER_00: I was I was able to help friends and family like lose weight and kind of exercise in the gym and and do all this.
- 10:48SPEAKER_00: And so I had friends who were like, you need to do this full time.
- 10:51SPEAKER_00: And I was like, what are you talking about?
- 10:53SPEAKER_00: I have a full-time job.
- 10:54SPEAKER_00: There's no way I can do this full-time.
- 10:57SPEAKER_00: Like I'm already way too busy.
- 10:58SPEAKER_00: What do you mean?
- 10:59SPEAKER_00: And so they were like, no, really, like you're good at it.
- 11:01SPEAKER_00: You should you should do this.
- 11:02SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I don't want to be a personal trainer.
- 11:04SPEAKER_00: Like, what other options are there?
- 11:06SPEAKER_00: Right.
- 11:07SPEAKER_00: So I sat on it for a little while, and then another friend of mine and I went to a Tony Robbins conference, like a motivational as shit conference.
- 11:15SPEAKER_00: And I was like, damn, this life seems awesome.
- 11:17SPEAKER_00: Like, I would love to get out of pharmacy.
- 11:20SPEAKER_00: By the way, I was already hating pharmacy at this point.
- 11:22SPEAKER_00: I probably wanted to quit a year after I started because it just wasn't the life that I thought it was going to be while in school.
- 11:28SPEAKER_00: Like, you'd think you're going to be able to help people and make all these differences and change their lives, and really all you're doing is giving medication for problems that could potentially be fixed through the right diet and exercise, through preventative nutrition.
- 11:42SPEAKER_00: And you don't really get to help as much as you think because you're stuck behind a computer trying to meet KPIs and metrics that are unbelievably ridiculous to meet.
- 11:51SPEAKER_00: So um, it was just like moral burnout at that point.
- 11:54SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to get out of pharmacy and I was like, but how do I, like, I'm not an entrepreneur?
- 11:58SPEAKER_00: How do I do this?
- 11:59SPEAKER_00: So I sat on it again for probably like that conference was in May.
- 12:04SPEAKER_00: Come October.
- 12:06SPEAKER_00: No, come September.
- 12:08SPEAKER_00: I was like, okay, I'm starting, like, let me think about this.
- 12:12SPEAKER_00: Like, how would I go about doing this?
- 12:13SPEAKER_00: So I developed like a name and was asking around for names and bought a domain and came up with the big day nutrition and it was available.
- 12:20SPEAKER_00: And I was like, okay, this could be my name.
- 12:22SPEAKER_00: Then I went to, I created a logo, I got someone to create a logo for me, and it like was a process, and I was like, okay, I like this logo.
- 12:28SPEAKER_00: And originally I was only gonna work with brides.
- 12:30SPEAKER_00: It was like the big day nutrition.
- 12:31SPEAKER_00: We are working with brides and grooms and people getting ready for their weddings because that's what I had experience in.
- 12:36SPEAKER_00: I did it for girlfriends, and then so that's how I started.
- 12:39SPEAKER_00: And I literally sat down one day in October, I filled out an LLC, I created a Facebook page and an Instagram, and the rest is like history.
- 12:50SPEAKER_00: Um, so excuse me, of course, the voice is getting better, guys.
- 12:54SPEAKER_00: It's getting better.
- 12:55SPEAKER_00: I'm just like, I don't know what it is, allergies or something today.
- 12:59SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm kind of like feeling it.
- 13:01SPEAKER_00: So I created this.
- 13:02SPEAKER_00: I just literally like people always ask me, How'd you start?
- 13:04SPEAKER_00: I was like, I literally sat down and just freaking filled out stuff and it created a domain and it was it was there, I bought it, and I just created the pages, and that's how we got started.
- 13:13SPEAKER_00: And then I started working with clients for free, and then I started working for clients for a reduced rate, and then like as I got better and got more popular, I've been increasing my prices and I've invested in business coaches.
- 13:24SPEAKER_00: Many of them I'm about to invest in another one because I want to learn as much as I can.
- 13:30SPEAKER_00: And obviously, being a drug nerd, business is not my my strong point, right?
- 13:34SPEAKER_00: So I want to learn marketing, I want to learn all the things.
- 13:38SPEAKER_00: So that has been my journey up until up until you know a few years ago now.
- 13:43SPEAKER_00: I'm it's been a little over two years that the big day nutrition has been in business.
- 13:47SPEAKER_00: We now work with everyone, not just brides, grooms, anything like that.
- 13:51SPEAKER_00: Mostly I will say we do work with women who are just tired of the dieting hamster wheel, the rat race, the fad diets, the restrictive diets, um, and I'm really interested and love working with people who are looking for a sustainable lifestyle plan.
- 14:08SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what we offer.
- 14:09SPEAKER_00: We do it through macros, we do it through changing your lifestyle, either increasing or decreasing exercise, focusing on sleep, stress, all of the different things that actually make a difference in your in your life and in your overall health, not just you know, nutrition and exercise.
- 14:25SPEAKER_00: So that's where we're at now.
- 14:26SPEAKER_00: It's been such a fun journey, and all I can say is it has not been easy.
- 14:32SPEAKER_00: I'm you know, entrepreneur life is definitely something that I'm I'm you know learning every single day and trying to still find that balance.
- 14:41SPEAKER_00: And I kind of just have or come, I can't speak.
- 14:44SPEAKER_00: I'm coming to the conclusion that this is just how it is.
- 14:48SPEAKER_00: Like if it's easy, you're kind of an exception to the rule.
- 14:51SPEAKER_00: You're not, you're not uh the the norm.
- 14:54SPEAKER_00: So it's just kind of rolling with the punches, and I guess I never even said I got to finally leave pharmacy.
- 14:59SPEAKER_00: So that was something that was awesome for me.
- 15:01SPEAKER_00: It was a monumental moment to put in my two weeks and be like, I never want to look back or like I never want to come back to this career.
- 15:08SPEAKER_00: Like I always have it in my back pocket.
- 15:10SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna keep my licensure, but I never want to like be in this setting again.
- 15:16SPEAKER_00: I don't, I want to just continue actually helping people and actually, you know, making a difference in people's lives instead of just selling medication and making a company richer.
- 15:27SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 15:28SPEAKER_00: So some of the things that I've done to get to where I am now are obviously like certifications-wise.
- 15:32SPEAKER_00: And if you're looking to become a health coach or looking to break out of corporate America, first obviously come up with a plan and get like a side, get a side hustle or get something that you, if you're really passionate about, like obviously it can be done.
- 15:47SPEAKER_00: Even if you don't think it's possible, it it totally can be done.
- 15:50SPEAKER_00: I sat down and I went through and researched health certification programs because I was like, I'm gonna go back and become a dietitian.
- 15:55SPEAKER_00: And then I realized it was four more years of school and I was like, I am not gonna become a dietitian.
- 16:00SPEAKER_00: So I researched health certifications and health coaching certifications and found one through ACE.
- 16:06SPEAKER_00: Loved their program.
- 16:08SPEAKER_00: They're actually very much like they're a very good program.
- 16:10SPEAKER_00: They're nationally accredited, it's awesome.
- 16:12SPEAKER_00: So ACE Fitness is where I got my health coaching certification.
- 16:16SPEAKER_00: I'm still keeping my Farm D.
- 16:18SPEAKER_00: I've done a plant-based certification through eCornell.
- 16:21SPEAKER_00: I have done a uh mindset, what is it called?
- 16:26SPEAKER_00: It's a mindset coaching, health mindset coaching certification.
- 16:30SPEAKER_00: I'm in the middle, like almost really done.
- 16:32SPEAKER_00: I have one more week of a functional nutrition and metabolic science certification so that I can, you know, just get more information on these underlying diseases that most of us have, like hypothyroid like myself, or PCOS, or you know, anything else like that that deals with the metabolism and how to treat it through supplements and through nutrition instead of just continuously throwing drugs and saying, like, well, this is where you're at now, this is what you have to deal with, because that's absolutely not true.
- 17:00SPEAKER_00: So it has been awesome.
- 17:02SPEAKER_00: I am apparently losing my voice again, and I'm not sure how long I've been I've been chatting.
- 17:09SPEAKER_00: Oh, 17 minutes, guys.
- 17:11SPEAKER_00: Look, I told you it was gonna be under 20, and we're at 17.
- 17:14SPEAKER_00: So I'm actually very proud of myself.
- 17:15SPEAKER_00: I probably left out a ton of info that is irrelevant, but I just wanted to say, like, if you, you know, don't think that you can do something because of the time it's gonna take, or you're super unhappy with where you're at right now in your life or your job or anything like that, like you a thousand percent have the power to change it.
- 17:35SPEAKER_00: If you are not feeling satisfied in your life as far as how you look, how you feel, you're you know, you don't have that energy, you are not feeling great about yourself.
- 17:45SPEAKER_00: There's you know, you're lacking confidence, anything like that that you really want to change, like that is a hundred percent achievable.
- 17:53SPEAKER_00: And obviously, we can help you do that.
- 17:55SPEAKER_00: Um, all my goal is to just help as many people as I can get on a sustainable path and stop doing these freaking crash diets so that you don't ruin your metabolism like I did once upon a time.
- 18:07SPEAKER_00: So thank you guys for listening to another episode.
- 18:10SPEAKER_00: If you um have any questions or comments, please either find me on Instagram, shoot me a comment here at Dr.
- 18:17SPEAKER_00: Dwyer.
- 18:18SPEAKER_00: You can find us on Instagram at the big day nutrition as well.
- 18:21SPEAKER_00: Uh like, comment, subscribe.
- 18:23SPEAKER_00: I don't think you can comment on here.
- 18:24SPEAKER_00: You can on YouTube.
- 18:25SPEAKER_00: I'm putting this on YouTube by the way.
- 18:27SPEAKER_00: Um, like, share, download, subscribe, all the things, and I will see you guys next week for another episode.
- 18:33SPEAKER_00: Bye.