Keep it Positive, Sweetie - Work Life Harmony w/ Melissa Proctor 

Episode Date: October 19, 2025

This week, we sit down with Melissa Proctor, who went from "Queen of the Court" to CMO of the Atlanta Hawks. She shares the real truths behind leadership, motherhood, and maintaining work-life harmony. With humor, honesty, and heart, Melissa reminds us that success isn’t about the title, it’s about your why. Also, we take our first KIPS road trip to learn all about Pravida Health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host, Chris Renee Hazel, and this is the Keep It Posit Sweetie Show. Hey, kids' family, I am so excited about this episode because I have my dear friend Melissa Proctor with me. Melissa is the CMO of the Atlanta Hawks, and she is the co-founder of Pravita Health here in Atlanta, Georgia. Guys, we have known each other for a few years, but it feels like forever. kids family please give a very warm sweety welcome to Melissa Proctor Melissa finally we got you here thank you so much I know you are busy this time of year or all the time you're a mother

and a business woman so I don't think there's every moment where you're not busy so thank you first of all thank you so much for having me as a fan of the show and the fact that I've seen so many episodes I am honored to finally be here thank you so much thank you I appreciate your support you came to my first live show you let me know that you've watched the episodes so i appreciate it thank you yes so we met like three years ago which feels like an eternity i we're both like it was way more than that i think it's about three years ago doing the bmw uncork series and immediately we hit it off like we were locked in from that day on and um what i love about you is that you've always been a dreamer

like me from a very young age you had all these big dreams that probably seems so outlandish to people who heard it. Yeah. Right? You wanted to be the first female NBA coach, but you became the first female ball girl for the Miami Heat. Now, a little backstory. I read that you, at the age of 15, you wrote letters and you called the Miami Heat every

single day. Tell me about that. I harassed them. So when I was 15, my mom who was a registered nurse, you know, born and raised and believed, knew nothing of American sports. I said, I told her I wanted a job. Yeah. And she said, okay, Mel, if you want a job, get a job,

and whatever you're going to do for the rest of your life. No clue at 15 what I was going to do. I was an artist. I was always drawing and painting. But I knew that I loved watching basketball. One of my cousins introduced me to the game, but I would watch it like a soap opera on TV for the storylines. Whenever I watched, I never saw women.

So this is before there were female referees or assistant coaches or anything. Yeah. And so I said, you know, Mom, I'm going to be the first female coach in the NBA. She said, okay, go get a job in the NBA. And that was it. Like, she laid down the golf. And there was no other option. Wow.

And so I'd never been to a game, never been to the Miami Arena, which is where they used to play. And so I started calling 1-800 number, like white pages. And I called, I mean, how else do you get in? Right. Making phone calls. And I think I got someone in community relations. And they were like, I'm sorry we don't have any jobs for kids. Try the equipment manager.

And so I got connected to a guy named Jay Sable, who was then the equipment manager. And I started calling him. He wouldn't pick up. And I was like, let me write letters to Jay. So I would write letters, but I would draw on them. I would draw pictures of the players. I would draw, you know, Miami, logos, basketballs, anything.

And so one day I called him again, and he picked up. He was like, I've got your letters, you know, you're a tremendous artist, but I don't have any jobs for girls. Yeah. I was like, I don't know what you would do. You know, this is grunge work.

It's coming early, staying late, mopping sweat, you know, folding towels. And I was like, well, I want a job. Yeah. Clearly, I have no other option. Right. And so I kept calling, and he was like, if you call me one more time,

I'm not going to hire you. And I was like, okay. So then I stopped for like a week, and then I kept on calling. Come on. Then eventually he was like, you know what? You have a lot of heart. Like the fact that you, he's like, well, why don't you come in for a preseason game? And to me, I was like, actually go to the arena like for a game.

Whoa. I had no idea. And so I went. And that was my first NBA game ever. I think we played the magic that year. And I got an outfit. It was like a Reebok champion, like sweatsuit. Oh, can tell you nothing.

I was like, this free? And it was the most amazing thing. It was like watching TV come to life. in the real world. That was the beginning. Take us to that moment when you walked to the Miami arena and was like walking into your dream literally. How did that feel at that age?

I mean, I don't think I knew the gravity of it at the time because I was just kind of like, I hope I don't mess up. Mind you, I never played basketball. I was always a artist. So I never like, I didn't know how to rebound. Like, it was real. I was like, going to go into the basket and rebound. I was like standing directly under the basket like.

I got hit, got, got, knocked down, busted lip, all that, first day. Never forget. And it was one of those, like, learn quick. And there was a guy named James, one of the other ball boys who was definitely, like, from the hood around the Miami Arena, he was like, hey, I'm going to show you the ropes. Love that. And he took me under his wing, and he was like, this is how we hustle.

We got to carry, you know, like shoes for the players or carry their bags in and out the locker room. But because women weren't allowed in the locker room, I couldn't go back there. Like, I couldn't do what he did. Right. So I had to learn a whole other world on the court. So I ended up trying to help. Stan Van Gundy, who was an assistant coach at the time.

And I'd be like, all right, well, let me help you with the players. So he'd be like, stand right here and hold his pick. And I'd learn so much about the game. Wow. But that's so they ended up calling me queen because I used to love living single. And Queen Elizabeth was like my person. Yes. And so I was queen and I was the queen of the court.

So I would be out there diving for loose balls. Like I was in a game. Like I really thought I was like contributing. Yes. But it ended up being the beginning of my career in sports and probably one of the most amazing jobs I ever had. Wow. I love that.

when you think about the drive that our generation has that I feel like this new generation lacks, they're not calling in writing and really going after what they want. And I don't know where we lost that in the translation of the times, but I think it's something that isn't a lost art, you know, and to really get what you want.

What do you feel is something that you could tell this younger generation really how to go after what they want the way you did? You know, so much of it is like, I'm just not accepting no foreign answer. Yeah. And I think a lot of it was my mom. My mom would always say, nothing meets a trial but a failure.

She's like, the least you can do is ask. The worst they're going to say is no. Right. And I realized for a lot of times, you know, if you have pride and it was like, or the expectation that everything should come to you. Right. So it's like, well, you just need to give it to me.

There was so much more of like, she would always say, you got a kiss ass so you could kick it. And that was like her term. And so I remember coming in as a ball kid, there are people who are incredibly disrespect. like I'm you know I'm just here popping up sweat yeah but I'm sitting with you know billionaire people behind me you were like I remember Jimmy Buffett was behind me like every name and I had no idea who he was and I'm like why do people ask you for your autograph right and one day he was like

I'm Jimmy Buffett I was like oh my God yes there were so many things where it didn't matter who you were like you respect everybody regardless of you know what class you are regardless of what role you play and I think that job taught me that and I think for this next generation there's so much of that that needs to happen. And there's so many examples of people who, you know, did a little bit of work and got a lot of success. Yeah. And now everyone wants to replicate that.

Right. But the reality is you don't see it. And I think the social media, microwave society just shows you the highlights, but not the work. Come on. I don't think we had that viewpoint. I mean, there were still some to a certain degree. But you saw more of the grind.

Yeah. And I think for me, I'll tell everyone, like, to this day, if someone said, hey, you got to go mop up sweat this game. I'm like, all right, and I know how to make a mop. I'd be out there because I'm never too far away from where I started. Yes. So it doesn't matter what stage of career you're at. You should always be able to humble yourself to go and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Absolutely. I agree with that. And that's something I live by too. It's treat every person with respect. I don't care what they're doing. Because we are never too far from that. I learned in corporate America when I started working at Turner, they were like, you know, you always respect the assistants and the drivers

because they hold the keys to everything. It's stuff that you don't even think about. And I was like, wow, if you're trying to get with any CEO or CMO and you're like, I want time on your calendar, those are people who hold the keys to the top. Sure do. And so even when I'm interviewing people now for roles, I'll say, hey, I'll ask, you know, the assistant or the person that works the front desk, how do they treat you? Yeah. Because it's not about how they treat me. They're always going to talk up for me.

Right. But it's so much more about them. And I'm like, oh, I have a no-jerk policy. Yep. I do the same thing. That is so, yes. I always want to make sure that my team and anybody who's representing me is representing me, to the fullest.

100%. Yes, because you definitely don't want that. And a lot of times you won't know unless you ask. You never know. Yes, that is so true. Now, you wrote a book from Ball Girl to CMO, and I want to know at what age did you realize that you could handle leadership at the highest level? Like, when did you, to even write a book?

You tell me all the time, Crystal, when do you write the book? I'm still waiting on your book. No, thanks. Thanks. You know, I don't know that I ever knew, to be honest. And the only reason I wrote my book was for my daughter. And so I had my daughter, her name is Marley. She's 11 now, but when she was born, my mom had passed away two years before Marley was born.

And my mom and I were real close. That was like my bestie. And I really believe that I gave birth to my mom through my daughter because she is my mother that came back to life. But when she was born, I had so many questions for my mom that I wouldn't have asked until I became a mom. And I was just like, man, God forbid something happens to me while Marley's still young. So many people were like, oh, you should write a book. Your story's so interesting. And I was like, I don't want her to have to hear my story.

through other people. So I was like, let me just put it down. It took a long time to actually get it done. I'm not a writer. I'm not a reader. But it was so much more for her. So when I was done, I didn't even think about sales or actually launched her in September 2020 in the height of COVID. Yeah. No book launch, no part, no nothing. Yeah. People are like, well, how are you going to market it? I was like, I don't care. I wrote it for her. Wow. And this is a lot as a marketer. Like, marketing is your thing. I didn't even think about it. It wasn't the reason. That wasn't the why. But in terms of leadership, so much of my journey has been like wherever God has had me at that time. And I would raise my hand to take on these jobs and people would tap me on my

shoulder say, hey, you're interested in this. I may have wanted to go and try a whole different career. At times, I was like, I'm going to go working an ad agency and it never panned out. But I just have opportunities that got coming. And so even in going to the Hawks, I'd gotten laid off when I was eight months pregnant with Marley. Oh, wow. I was at Turner for about 11 years and it was part of a digital health and wellness startup. And then one CEO left, a new one came in. You were the last business started and the first one to get cut. So the entire business unit got laid off.

Wow. And I was like out with HR recruiting young interns because I started as an intern in that company. So no one could believe. You're like, listen, it has to be an attorney. That's what this is. Yeah. And I was like, well, I'll just figure it out. You know, I had my daughter in about a month or two later,

I ended up going to a draft party at the arena, Phillips Arena then as a fan. My home girl was like, girl, you have no job. It's a free party. come on and so i went and then ran into literally an old mentor of mine who had left turner to go to become CEO of the hawks yes when i was still at turner so i hadn't spoken to him didn't have any conversation he knew that i love brand building he knew that i love basketball it's my first year in that land i was a ball girl on the court for the hawks yes mopping up

swed one season and he would sit court side and see me didn't it doing my thing and literally i ran into him and he was like oh i want to introduce you to some people and he walks me around the party and introduces me to every C-level executive that's for the Hawks. And everyone I met, they're like, oh, we can't wait for you to start. And I was like, start what? And ultimately, he was like,

I know you love basketball, I know you love branding. I might need some help building a brand. We're in the middle of redesigning our jerseys. I know you're a creative and an artist, would you mind sitting in on some meetings? You know, I have a team here, but I love your perspective. And I was like, absolutely.

And I started doing it for free. Like, I was like, I'm just happy to be out my house. Right. I think my then mother-in-in-law was there. The kid, I was like, give me out of here and so I go one started going to meetings and one became five became 10 and he was like I think I should pay you you know can I would you like to consult absolutely yes and so I started consulting and we started consulting on building a brand yeah the hawks were gonna be

yeah um and then that turned into becoming vice president of a brand strategy never had that as the vision of what it was going to be but ultimately um some years later he was like you know what do you think about being chief marketing officer and I was like no thank you really absolutely Absolutely not. I want to know part of it. Why? Why not? Well, I think at the time I had become an individual contributor and I loved it. And I could work with every department.

I was helping with digital monetization. I was helping with design stuff over here. I was giving perspective on how to build out an internal agency. But I didn't have a team and rec reports and it was just very freeing and I could kind of contribute in every way I was. Yes. That's that creative in you. Yeah.

He needed like specific help. And I was like, ooh, don't box me in. Right. Yes. corner. Right. And then ultimately, you know, it kind of came to a point where he's like, Melissa, I really need you to do this.

Yeah. And I was like, do you know why I want you to take this role or be CMO? And I was like, no, wow, he's like, because you don't want it. Wow. And I thought it was so compelling at the time. And he was like, look, most people want this job because they think it's going to give them money or power. Sports don't pay.

You know, the perception of power is always one thing. And I had a mantra and I was like, I just want to make dope-ish. Like that's, we have it on a wall. Like that's all I want to do, make stuff that's cool, different, and people can, like, gravitate towards. And he's like, that's why I want you to do this job because of your why. Yes. And after that, I was like, okay, I total imposter syndrome was afraid.

I said, well, if I do, can I get an executive coach? He was like, you want a coach? And I was like, yeah, I don't know what I don't know. I may have gaps. And I want to help, you know, fill those. And he was like, so interesting. Most men would say, if you get a coach, they think they're getting fired. And here you are asking me for a coach.

And I was like, that's just who I am. And that coach, her name was Cheryl Jordan. She's amazing. She helped me so much in just 360 figuring out that I was a micromanager because I was always used to doing the work. Exactly. And so I was like, if you're doing it, hey, how is it? Where is it? Can I get it?

Okay, Melissa, stop. Get out of my business. But it was in here. And I'm like, yeah, that's her. That's me. Someone was like, you gave me your project today. And tomorrow you're asking for an update. Like, I didn't even start yet.

I think I struck a nerve. Hours. So where are we on that? I mean, real talk, real talk. That is so funny. Because that is so me. I'm working on it. And so, I mean, in terms of preparation for leadership, I don't think anything could have prepared

me. And then when I was put into it, it was like, okay, understanding what works, what doesn't. You know, how to be better. I think of myself as a servant leader. I want to make sure that I leave any environment better than it was when I got there. So even for my team now, they've been with me a long time. They're amazing people. work really well together.

And I'm always like, how can I help you be a better person? Right. Outside of the Hawks are here. If you decide that you're going to leave, that's flattery. If other people are poaching you, that's because we're doing a great job. Yeah, absolutely. Instead of trying to keep you for myself and I had a lot of leaders throughout my career that always were, it's probably keep you under my arm because you help me look good.

So I just want to keep you right here without stunting your growth. That's so good. You are a true definition of your guests will make room for you. The fact that, like, everything you've done from. being an artist. You're an incredible artist. There's another thing I wanted to ask you. Have you ever, like, put your work in, like, in a museum for exhibits? You know, it's wild. I was just looking through some old pictures this morning, randomly. Yeah. And I found an exhibition, pictures of me at an exhibition. I had done in, like, high school.

And I was traveling around Florida. I had a manager helping me manage my art. Funny, I think you need to do that, too. I, you know, and it's so crazy because I would do, like, artwork on commission. I went to Wake Forest on an art scholarship. Yes. And so I had done a lot of exhibitions. And when I, I moved. moved to Atlanta, started working at Turner. At one point, I had a design job. Wow. And it was the end of my art career. Once I got paid for creating,

it was like, it almost took the passion for it away because it just became work. Wow. And so my daughter, Marley, is an amazing artist. She loves anime and characters. Like, I see it through her now. Yeah. But I don't have the desire. Really? Because I was going to ask you.

I mean, I do a little something for you. I need some of that in my house because it's so beautiful. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. Like, you guys have to get her book and you can see some of her artwork. It is absolutely stunning. Yeah, I haven't.

I figured it may come around another time in my life. But, you know, for now I say that I use my creativity to find, like, creative solutions to business challenges. Yes, yeah. So it's still, like, using the same muscle, but in a different way. Right. Speaking of business challenges, and you talked about imposter syndrome very on, very on early in your career. How did you overcome that? And what was, like, one of those moments that really stand out where you, literally outer body experience,

you experiencing imposter syndrome where you're like, I don't belong here. What is happening? Who do you think you are? Because these are all the thoughts that we think when we're right where we belong, but we don't think we do. I don't even know if I just have one. I mean, there's so many throughout my career. And I'll probably say maybe what I started at the Hawks because, you know, the perception

was, you know, the CEO, I worked with him previously. He brought me in. It was a little bit like, oh, you're just here because you know him. Right. And whichever, so I really had to come and improve myself. And I remember when we had to onboard a new ownership team. And my boss gave me the job. It's like, Melissa, help with onboarding.

I don't know anyone who's onboarded an ownership team for a professional sports organization. I'm like, I have no clue what I'm doing. And it was calling other teams and asking questions and just figuring things out. They're like, okay, they're not from here. Let's do tours. Let's do this. To put these finders together. Let's help educate.

Right. And by the end of it, they were like, it was such an amazing experience. he was like, you know, I'm going to promote you to this new position. I'm like, what? And so much of, and what I learned in that is like, nobody knows what they're doing. Come on. And it's certain times, especially for senior level, like, people think that, oh, you have it all figured out. No.

And I'm like, no, no one knows. And it's so freeing when you finally get that point. It's like, you can't mess up. It's like you're, and I think COVID was a great example of that because there were so many leaders. Everyone was figuring it out on the line. Yes. And some people in better ways than others. But once you get that, it's like, oh, you're trying.

trying to do is make the best decision for the business that you can at the time. No, for sure. And through experience, it helps you understand what things may or may not work. But that's ultimately. And I was like, oh, none of y'all know. I mean, cool. If anything, I'm resourceful. I was like, I'm going to figure something out.

No, for sure, yes. What are some of the challenges that you have faced as a woman in sports? Because we both know that being a woman in sports is a very male-dominated industry. And you are one of the few women that are in a high position. You know, what is that? thing. It's evolved so much. I remember when I started with the league, almost 11 years now with the Hawks, I would go to

NBA meetings, and it would be a lot of men. You know, some women, but it's so different now. It's much more diverse and seniors on the business side. Even some on the basketball side, but definitely on the business side, you see a lot more women presidents and teams and things like that. How does that make you feel? There were none. So, like, there's opportunity. Yes.

A lot of you can't be what you can't see. So seeing St. Marshall when she was, you know, leaving up the Mavericks. And it's like, okay, I got it now. Like, that's a thing. And so there's definitely opportunity. I almost see being a woman in sports as a superpower. Yeah. Especially on like, who's buying tickets? Who will we

market to? You know, a lot of times, like, it's us. It is us. Yeah. Uh-huh. And that's a good thing. I mean, early in my career, there were definitely times where, you know, I would be helping out and, you know, working on scouting reports back in the day, you know, I would do stuff for the heat. And I remember having someone tell me, like, we don't pay you to think, we pay

you to do what we tell you to do. And I was like, yo. What? I don't like that. That's not necessarily what I see for my life. But as I've grown, one, I'd never forget those things. So as a leader, I want to make sure that everyone feels empowered. But as a black woman, I mean, and you know me.

I'm normally in sweats and, you know, some Nikes and chilling. She got dressed up for me off. I got, I chained on my inner crystal. I styled myself. But I remember when I first got promoted to CMO and I tell the story how I went to go park and they have reserved parking spaces when you're an executive. I was like, I got come out, and I'm an executive now. I can park in a good spot.

Okay. And so I went to park at the arena in the reserve place for Players Park, and security came out to my car and said, excuse me, I'm sorry, you can't park here. The space is reserved for executives. And I was like, okay. And so I had to take out my badge and show, and it said, like, executive on the bottom.

And it was a brother, and he looked at me. He was so confused, like, oh, oh, all right, all right, you know, go ahead. But I realized in that moment, I was changing his perspective or stereotype of what an NBA executive looked like. Exactly. Because I got locks and nose ring, and I'm the same all the time regardless. Yeah, you are.

And I don't think people expect that. So the number of times where I've gone places and people just underestimate. And that's just because I'm a woman, because I'm a black woman. Right. In sports in this position. Yeah.

It's interesting. But I love, like, when I get to talk to youth and they're like, oh, man, but you're so cool. Yeah. Like, oh, I didn't expect that. And I'm like, yes, you can be a regular person. I always say, I'm just warm in the seat. Yeah.

Because this job isn't mine forever. You know what I mean? And ultimately, I'm grateful for the opportunity and as many people as I can help while I'm in it. I want to do that. I don't define myself by the job, but a lot of people define me by it. Oh, Melissa.

How does that make you feel when you don't define yourself by it, but other people do? It's so annoying. I go outside. People like, oh, y'all, that's Melissa, from the Hawks. Hey, let me get some tickets. Hey, let me get a job. Hey, I got this thing, this brand.

I want to promote. And I know that if I didn't have this role, none of them would be speaking to me. And I know that And I'm okay with it But I realized when I was at Turner A lot of people got let go After all the changes

And the company sold a couple of times And I saw people Felt like they were going to a divorce They're like, how can they do this to me? And I'm like, it's a job. It happens. But if their whole identity Is wrapped up in this position

If they lose the position, they don't know who they are That's real I saw people today If I was a greeter out Walmart tomorrow I would be equally as cool And still very much me You'd be the coolest greener I was going to help welcome to Walmart you know what I'm saying like it's all good yeah but I always have to maintain that mentality because I can and because I got laid off when I was eight months pregnant I think now I can go to work every day like you never know and that's okay yeah and it's freeing because I'm not holding on to it I would be sad because I love what I do and I love my team but at the end of the day that means God is just prepare me for my next adventure absolutely yes speaking of an adventure you went to get your master's degree in design studies

and branding from Central St. Martin's College of Art and Design at the London Institute. It's a mouthful. It's a mouthful. Listen, I love London. Me too. How did you end up in London? A random story. So my mom, I mentioned she's from Belize, she's colonized by the British. She went to nursing school in England. Really? So my entire life, I heard about her friends in York and all these things. And it wasn't like fancy or fabulous. Like if you were in Belize, you either were a teacher or nurse. And if you were, then you went to London for nursing school. Wow. And so she did.

And I had never been to Europe my entire childhood. And I just remember, it was like a mythical place. Yes. When she was, I would see pictures of her. She was the only black person in her class. And so I would always be like, you know, one day I'm going to go to London. Yeah. I have family from Jamaica.

My father's from Jamaica. I have an uncle and two cousins and an aunt that moved to Jamaica. Sorry, moved from Jamaica to London. Okay. So they were like my, I'm my British cousins. And I was like, one day I'm going to visit them. And I remember an undergrad at Wake that had a study abroad program. So I did a semester abroad.

It was the first time I got on a plane in London, and I fell in love with it. But I was at a house with a bunch of Americans, and, like, we traveled. We did some really cool stuff, but I didn't feel like I really got, like, an actual experience being in London. Because it was kind of like, it was an Americanized experience. Okay. And so I said, if I can go back, I want to go to, like, a British school, be in a dorm, live with people from all over the world. Yes. And so that's what I did.

After I graduated, I came to Atlanta, I worked at Turner for a year, and they offered me a job, like six months in. And I was like, oh, man, this is a great opportunity, but I really want the chance to live abroad. And so I turned down the job, and I got into the program in London. So one-year master's degree. And so I literally went as an excuse to live abroad and have that opportunity. And so I couldn't do it.

And what I realized, then, if you didn't have the amount of money you needed for the year in your bank account, they won't let you go. So it wasn't like you can get financial aid and all of that. So I needed $20,000. And I was like, how am I getting it? One of my colleagues at the time was like, why don't you just ask for it? So I made some proposals, and I was like, I'll give my artwork or I'll just be a great citizen.

Give me $20,000. Yeah. It was the year the All-Star game was in Atlanta. So I was mopping up sweat for the game and I was shopping it around, gave it to players, you know, anybody, family members. And ultimately, it was Tim Hardaway, one of the players that I knew from my few days who was like, you know, my wife and I started a proposal. We really believe in you. Wow. This is the father, Tim Hardaway.

Yeah. What? Tim Seat. So when I was a ball girl for the heat, I like. worked Tim Jr.'s birthday party. He was like, I was a ball girl. He was like, hey, can you come help out of the party? I'm like, oh, I'm going to Tim Hardaway's house.

It was like, can you carry his ice? Put it in his bucket. I was like, all right. But from then, they were like family to me. And so he's like, my wife and I have always believed in you. We love you. And I was like, well, I'll pay it back over time. He was like, pay it forward.

And it was the biggest blessing. And so that's what got me to London. And it was amazing. Awesome program, great friends that I made lifelong friends from my experience, now going to school in English. And coming back, like, I wouldn't trade it. And I'm so glad I did it at that stage of life. So you were a mother at this point?

No. Oh, you hadn't had my mother. Okay. I remember you were returning you and like, no, this is way back. Okay. Oh, I was going to ask, how did you manage that? But wow. I don't know.

That's a whole other world. Right. That's crazy. Similar to you, I've always wanted to study a bride. I feel like the British actors are the best. So when we went on strike a few years ago, I remember I started, I'm always like a solution-oriented person, not like, oh, what are we doing? What's happening?

How can I make the most of this time? So I started looking up different schools that I could go to to do like intensive courses in London. And I remember I told Tyler what I wanted to do. And he was like, oh, he was like, I wouldn't do it. He was like, only because this strike is going to be over with before you know it. Well, it wasn't. It was not over before we knew it.

And I was like, dang it, I should have went. But it's one of those things where I still want to do that. That's still a dream of mine. Yeah. Totally. I do. I want that experience of studying abroad. I just, I remember it so vivid.

because I got to, like, feel like I was immersed in it. Like, at first I was like, okay, you're in, you're out. But it was like, you know, getting the bus and going to the markets for groceries and making friends. And, like, it was such a great time. I think I was maybe like 25. Wow. And so it was just good.

Yes. I'm sure that helps shape you as well. It's something about moving away from home that really does a lot of shaping. For me, it was Washington, D.C. You were London. And I know those moments definitely shaped me for sure. Yeah. When you think about your leadership style,

What are some of the core principles that anchor every big decision that you have to make? You know, from a work perspective, I always think of my values. I go back to my why, and I'll tell the team. So we've been explaining, like, why we're doing that, like, just don't rush through it. Like, explain how we got there in the why. And so when it comes to, like, business decisions, a lot of it's, like, focusing on the, what are we doing? What do we need as an orientation? What do the fans need?

What does the community need? Which is important. When it comes to personal decisions, I talk a lot about it. in my book as well about my guiding principles. Yeah, because people ask you yes, instead of like the. My career. Yeah. And that's a different one.

And I think at some point in my career, I remember I wanted to be in branding. I've gone to grad school in London to focus on brand strategy. I love branding. I want to learn more about it. And I think I was maybe 26. I'd come back from London. I worked for a couple years at a job. And then I finally, my baby was like 28.

I got a branding job. Director of Brand Strategy. Got to rebrand TV to True TV. oh wow and I was like oh man this is cool yeah I got to work on it but when I got the brand job I was like what's next do I retire like what are we going to do right um and so I had to kind of redefine what you know success kind of look like to me and at that point I had a lot of mentors that were like you know we should really create your guiding principles for your life and your career what should that be and I never really thought of it so I took some time to you know ask these questions of like

what would I do if you know for free you know what is my super power, what things do I dislike, despise, what keeps me up and I had all these things. And I kind of landed, I call it my starting five. And almost like the filter that I use for every decision that I make, both personally and professionally. And so one is, you know, I have the ability to both be really creative, like with the art, but also strategic from a business sense. And I've had business strategy jobs that I hated because it was all strategy and there

was no creativity. And I had all creative jobs, like I mentioned, with the art job, which at first I liked and I was like, that's not for me either. but my superpower is when I can bring both of those together. Right. And this role is very creative and strategic business-wise, and I think that's why I thrive in it. Yeah.

The second is I get bored real easily. Like, if I can do it in my sleep, I don't want to do it. Right. And so I'll always say that I want to be adding more tools to my personal toolbox. If I was an agency of one, what new capability am I adding to my capability's presentation? So anything that I do, if I could already do it before I start, I don't need to be doing it. The third is my mom was not the best. with money growing up, you know,

whether it was, like, stuff getting cut off or, you know, bill collector's calling, and I said, whatever I didn't want to be able to pay my bills on time or ahead of time was the goal. Then after I had my daughter, it was thinking about generational, you know, wealth building. Like, what can I do for her long term? You know, I'm not leaving her in debt.

Right. My fourth is some sense of, like, work-life harmony. I don't think there's ever balance. You know, we both work really hard. Harmony is a good way to put it. It's harmony. You know, sometimes you've got to work really hard. Sometimes you've got to live really hard.

in a great way. Yes. And making sure that I'm always in a position where I'm able to do that when I can, especially with my daughter. Like being able to spend time with her when she needs it, that's important. And then the last one is authenticity. Because how I am right now is how I am, no matter where you see me in any environment, trap house at a White House, like, Melissa is going to be what she is.

And so those are like my starting five. And every decision I've made, I ladder it up to those. And I'm like, does it check these boxes? And if it does, it's something that I know that I would be. happy with. So even from a professional sense, people have come with opportunities and say, hey, how would you like this opportunity? I can very easily say, well, can you handle these five things. If these can be met, we can have a conversation and it's not. That's cool. I love that. Guiding principles. I'm going to take that on. I got to find out. Yeah, I love that.

And it can evolve, but I think it's so much of who you are at your core. Yeah. That, like, that's important. Like, another one now is Atlanta. You know, I had had opportunities to leave Atlanta. And my daughter was like, uh-uh, I'm not leaving Atlanta. And so I'd love to travel and, you know, go places. And so at some point, like another opportunity came and she was like, no, mom. And I said, you know what, you didn't ask to be here. And if I could do anything by just having you stay here because you love this as your home, I can make that sacrifice for you.

So like a silent six is being in Atlanta, if it's work-related. Yeah. That's important personally. Yeah. Speaking of motherhood, you are an amazing mom. And Marley, when I tell you, she is true to herself. She is so herself. Baby, when I tell you, she's very matter of fact.

She is not fake. No. Like, I love that child. She was like, you did a really good job. I always told the truth. Sometimes I'm like, little less truth. Little less truth. Bring it back.

Bring it back. Right. When you talk about work-life harmony and having a child, how do you find harmony with everything that you have going on? I see you bring her to games. sometimes against her will. Sometimes she's looking like, I do not. I'm like, girl, do you understand who your mother is?

When she eats, she's ret to go. That is her. That is so funny. But how do you find harmony and everything that you have going on with motherhood? You know, she is my first priority. And I'll tell everyone, if I have to leave, because she just started volleyball randomly. She tells all her friends that her parents forced her to pick a sport.

And I was like, okay, you pick this one. Right. but I really keep her first and so for as many things and you know her dad and I we co-parent really well and I'm grateful for that that's good but it's so much like I will think of all the stuff I have to do and I was telling a friend of mine I often ask her how can I be a better mom to you wow and I've asked her since she was really young and she'd be like you can give me more candy like it was real it was real kid like now she's like no mom like you're good or helping her sore through feelings that she has or you know she's like you can make you can be

less cringe when you drop me off at school. And I was like, how? I'm like, oh, like, turning down the volume at a song I really like to embarrass you. I'm like, no, I'm going to be cringe. That's what it is. But just to like being able to communicate with her and make sure that we're good. And at some point, you know, like I recently started an entrepreneur endeavor. And I asked her, she's like, you know, you work a lot now. Or you're always tired. And I'm glad because she gives me perspective of gaps

that I don't even see that I have. I'm like, okay. So how can I have the balance and I'm like okay so note to self I need to put work away when I have time with her like make that focus time and she's like hey we watch the movie together sometimes I'm like yeah put it on mm-hmm like I'm here but you're not watching mom correct yeah so I'm like you know what like stop that like just sit with her and be there because yeah we only have a couple hours she's going to bed and so it's just trying to be more intentional um about things but it's tough yeah I can imagine yeah speaking of taking on new professional endeavors um how has that been

let's talk about it. I'm excited. I actually went. You have Pravita Health. And I want you to explain what it is because it was fascinating. Like I went to your facility and we're actually going to go there too, but I went to the facility and it was absolutely amazing. Next level, like futuristic, amazing. Thank you. And so myself and my business partner, Dr. Trevor Turner, we opened up a wellness center in Atlanta and Buckhead and it's all around longevity and like orthopedics, but really how can you live as well as you can for as long as you can. Yes. And having all of these different modalities or services that we offer to do that. And, you know, I was experienced wellness.

My mom was a nurse, as I mentioned, an orthopedic nurse, ironically. And, you know, someone brought an idea to me around like, hey, how do we, you know, could we do something like this? And Dr. Turner and I were introduced and we were like, okay, if we were to do this, like, I want to be able to inform people of all of these things that have been in Hollywood and things like therapeutic kinds of exchange where people are taking all the microplastics out of their blood. Like, that's something that's like, only billionaires do that. I'm like, actually, no, it's pretty affordable. And, you know, you can do that here. People don't talk about it, especially in the black community. So for me, personally, in being an

investor, initially, I was like, I'm going to be a silent investor, just in the background. And then that quickly changed. And I'm glad it did because you say our community does not know about these things. I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for you. So thank you for not being silent. Well, you know, and I'm a, you know, God puts you in places where you didn't. Like, this was never my, this was not my idea to be where I am as a part of this business. But, you know, things changed and it made it so that was the opportunity. And I was like, there was clearly a reason and I'm going to walk in it and, you know, do the best I can as this vessel. And so it's amazing because now we just had an open house on Saturday and people came in and we learned about we have IV therapy.

We have an AI robotic massage table, which it's called escape. People love it. Literally this robot is giving you a massage. using the AI, they learn all the different massage techniques. I mean, I've done it a bunch of times. And I'm like, it really is good. It is. In ways that you, I'm like, oh, okay.

I didn't know what to expect, but it was amazing. I felt really good afterwards and relaxed. It is. And so even as an owner in Pravita, you know, I decided to invest in an executive physical because it's very much what, it's kind of the crux of everything that we do, get all this data about yourself, whether it's genomics, whether it's your gut health, understanding what vitamins you're deficient and not just taking random supplements, but taking supplements that really are for you based on your deficiency.

I love that you all do the IV cocktail, all the vitamins that you need, not just pumping you with random stuff. And then for people that may not want IVs, we have a partnership with vitamin labs. We'll make supplement packets for you, personalized based on what you need. We have an amazing head of imaging, and so we have a Dexas scanner that tells you about your bone density. Oh, I did that.

I had the bones of a 30-year-old. Okay. He was like, you don't have any, there's no, like no, Osteophenia. Yeah, none of that in your future, I was like, come on, Lord. You know, but there's so many things about yourself, you don't know. So as a part of our executive physical, we're a prenuvo partner. If you've seen pernuvo, you get a full body MRI, and I just did it personally.

I'm coming to do that. I've been wanting to do that because that was something that the wealthy was doing to kind of get ahead of cancer or any other ailments. You know, you have stage one cancer. Yes. I mean, some people may have brain aneurysms and walk around and be unaware. And so the idea of preventative health is something that, you know, in America, we're just so.

used to reactionary. It's not that has to go wrong. Then you're sick and now you're in the system trying to get well. Yeah. And so for us, the whole idea of prevention and making it personalized to you is really, really where we are. And then predictive. So a lot of it is the data.

And ultimately, if you come in and you, you know, use our services, you'll know more about yourself than your primary care physician. Yeah. That's amazing. It's crazy. I did not know. My mother passed away from a brain aneurism. I had no idea that those scans would actually help with that too because I had before,

probably I haven't had them lately and I don't know if it's because of like work stress when I'm working like when I'm filming and stuff but I was having these really bad dizzy spells

and I was like because people can have brain aneurys and not even know it that's crazy having no idea yeah and I know it's not hereditary but like to hear that this can actually let me know

like what's going on in my brain as well I'm definitely got to do it now yeah I mean and Dr. Turner is phenomenal And so much, I mean, people, we talk about, like, shoulder injuries, knee, hip, I got back problems. Yeah, because I was like, girl, I was like, oh, what's going on? My spine. I think I got a slip, this. You're like, come over, we'll look at you.

And I'm fine now. But now my thumb, I was like, I don't know what is going on. After 40, it's like, everything just start breaking down. I'm there with you. But this has truly been helpful for me, even just to know where you are for a baseline and be able to go back. Absolutely. I'm grateful for it. We're just starting out.

And so the goal is really gross. want people to come in and learn about it and take a tour and sample it. But, you know, ultimately, like, I want Pravita Health everywhere in every state. And that's, you know, the long-term vision. And, you know, I hope that if we're doing things the right way and, you know, treating people well and really ultimately helping them making impact on lives, that's where we'll go. I love that. And I think this is a good time to go.

Should we go over there? Let's do it. Let's do it. Well, we'll finish this at Pravita Health. All right. We're going on a trip and your baby. We're out here. Hi.

Hi. You're ready. Hey. Welcome to Pervita Health. We are here. Hey ladies. And this is our amazing team, Trinise and Andy. Hi, welcome.

We've met before. How you doing? Welcome back. It's so nice to see you again. Thank you. Happy to be here. Happy to bring my key to positive to the community here so we can learn more about Pervita Health. Super excited for my dear friend, Melissa.

And excited to show them everything you guys have to offer because it is definitely because it is definitely next level futuristic. That's what I was telling her earlier. I was like, it's just a futuristic experience. So excited to see all you guys have to offer. Cool, let's do it. Let's get a tour. So as we come back through this door past the massage room,

you're going to see two kind of large medical interventions on the right. First one over here is a table we use for diagnostics called a Dexas scanner for the ability to tell you about bone density, which is huge, especially as females age, we're really focus on the prevention of osteopinia and osteoporosis, which is a major factor on how well people are moving and continue to move by avoiding fractures in their hip

and spine. I told them I had the bones up with 30-year-old. Yes, you're like since you got it done. You're probably, yeah, you were blessed with good habits and probably good genetics as well. So yeah, lose them in the fat. Thank you parents. That leads us to the next part, which is body composition. So Dex is the gold standard for body composition, which is great. It tells us not just about where your muscle is and where your fat is, but also about a hidden piece of fat that you can't see on the surface called visceral adipose, which is the fat around your organs, which almost acts like a hormone that secretes inflammation. And so we always pay attention to how much fat and how much muscle people

have so that they can be resilient and age in a healthy way. But making sure that we don't have a lot of fat around organs is really, really critical. We would treat patients differently depending on if there was a lot or a little of that. As we move kind of past that room, if you look over here on the left side, this machine, you may have seen an ICU before, it's called a TPE or Therapeutic Plasma Exchange. And we've got emerging data now that shows

there's no other tool in medicine that really reduces mold, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and now microplastics all together in a single session. We have some patients who are coming. because there was an Italian study that showed you could reduce cognitive decline. And, like, for me and my family, that's really important. I had a grandfather with Alzheimer's. My dad, my grandmother, yeah.

When you talk about microplastics, there's a lot of studies around drinking from plastic bottles and even microwaving plastics. Is that the type of microplastics that you're talking about, this helps remove? Yes, and we're finding that they're hidden in places maybe we wouldn't even expect. So I could ask for a paper cup, but it turns out the paper cup is lined with plastic. on the inside. So, and even if I ask for a glass bottle, I heard that about, there's plastic on the cap, right? So I heard that. Yeah. Exactly. And we, to what extent those cause disease, we're just scratching the surface. Wow. I'll give you one example. When we do heart surgery,

we take plaques out of people's heart, we're finding that microplastics are embedded in some of those plaques. So the degree to which they cause either disease that we don't think about or disrupt hormones, et cetera. Those are things that we're still studying and learning about in medicine, I think a lot of people are becoming more attuned to how significant they really may be. Yeah. So what is that process like? You draw the blood out. It goes through.

So this would be staffed by a nurse who's done this a bunch of times and is excellent because she stuck me and she did a great job. It was a painless insertion. But you get two big IVs started. And so one of those IVs would take out your blood and your plasma. It would filter out the dirty plasma with all the inflammatory factors in it. and then it would put your blood back into your body and the same, basically, procedure. Oh, wow, so you're using both arms.

Oh, okay, got it. Oh, Lord. I'd have you like this. Yep. I cannot. I did that. Yeah, so Melissa has experienced it. So have I.

But we had a patient who came in. Actually, he wore VR goggles the whole time. That would be me. So he just hung out for a couple hours and got his TPE and then took off back to right. So no big deal. There's no real recovery time associated with it. But, you know, I would say afterwards, I kind of felt like I did a hard workout. Really?

Yeah, so I took one night off and I was back in the gym the next day. Awesome. Okay. Good time. Yeah. Yeah, as we keep moving this way, you'll see this semi-rigid hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Hyperbaric oxygen kind of became known for treating divers who had injuries that stayed down too long under the ocean. I supervised the chamber in Florida years ago, and then we got interested in it because it

improves wound healing really well. So for me, if I'm doing any kind of orthopedic procedure for a patient, or especially here for our skin care patients, if they come to get chemical peals or micranetaling, or maybe a filler of Botox, being able to push oxygen under some pressure underneath the skin while you have a quote, fresh wound, a lot of times enhances your outcomes.

And so we pay attention to that because we always say there's a good way to treat patients, there's a better way, and there's a best way. And really what we're trying to do is give everybody the best way. every time they come in. As we keep moving to the side, there's an IV therapy suite. You're probably familiar with IV therapy because there's a lot of places that do it. One thing that's unique about how we do it is every IV a patient gets here as a prescription from me.

And that prescription is really based on your unique micronutrient profile. So that means the kind of IV you're getting is going to be different from what I would get or Melissa would get. Right. Because it's going to be tailored to your specific physiology. Right. And we, at Pravito, the mission is always personalization. So we want you to have the most effective IV you could get every time. I love that. If you have a need for that type of therapy.

Okay. And then as we keep moving down the way, we have this kind of very bright, light, fancy room, which is where the aesthetics are done. My room is a little more basic as we, as we're doing ortho. It's a little more straightforward, but this device is called a fluorescope. Oh, wow. And so if we have to do an advanced procedure for somebody's spine or joints, this giant C allows you to rotate around the body,

and that allows me to capture essentially a three-dimensional picture. So it enables me to be very, very safe in the event that I need to do a procedure. It also enables me to be highly accurate. So anytime we want to treat something, it needs to be guided by an image so we know that we're hitting the right target. We do have a source of doing that without rating. and that is this big ultrasound machine that you see over here. I use ultrasound for a couple of other purposes to diagnose as well.

So a lot of us sometimes think that the best way to get a picture done is to get an MRI. And MRIs are great for some things, but they're still pictures. Right. And so if a patient comes in, sometimes they'll say, I'm hurting, I'm hurting, and I had an MRI and it said I was normal. And so I'll say, well, let me put the ultrasound probe on your shoulder or whatever it is and watch you actually move, and sometimes we pick up on things that we would miss with a still picture like an MRI.

So ultrasound gives us an advantage in that regard, and then we have a tech come in once a week, and the nice thing about that is she's trained to do heart, liver, kidney breast, ovary, pelvis, prostate, et cetera. So especially if someone's coming in here to get surveillance for any kind of hormone replacement therapy, we can look at all the, quote, risk factors and really minimize them however possible. Right. Yeah, I recently went and got a breast exam, did the normal exam, and they called me back

for a second look. And it was the ultrasound that they were able to really get a good look. So I understand what you're saying. So when you take the ultrasound, I have to help you get a better look into things. Yeah. And in the United States, I think approximately 40% of women have done breast tissue that requires ultrasound. And they all get callbacks.

And of course, when you're in the patient and you go get a scan done and they call you back, it makes you nervous. Right? It's anxiety. Oh, my gosh. I was filming when I got that call back. So on top of like the anxiety and pressures of work, then it's also like, do I have cancer? Right.

You know, and it's never the call that you want to get. But as a patient, I was also like, why don't you just give, if you know I have breast, this breast tissue, just give me an ultrasound instead of taking me through all that. Right, right. And then, yeah. So, yeah, so we do use ultrasound for that. And then there are some patients who, let's say, they have. who let's say they have a family history of a particular kind of cancer or

let's say an aneurysm or something that's otherwise hard to detect we will offer them we have a contract with Pernuvos so they can go get full-body MRIs for surveillance I just learned that I knew that you could find that you may have cancer in any stage with the Pernuvo scanning but my mother passed away from a brain aneurysm so when she told me that today I was like okay I really need to get it because I don't know you could also see that if I've had an aneurysm before, that's crazy. We have actually a patient in our practice that signed up as a member,

had a similar story, you know, her mother had passed from that, and actually found a really, really tiny one, right? But now she knows, and at least she has the opportunity to do something about it before it becomes severe. Right, right, yeah. So we're very much about empowering people with data. The more data you have, I think, the better you can prepare and make better decisions. Absolutely.

Yeah. Love that. All right, Duck. This is my favorite part, one of my favorite parts of your facility is the escape massage. This thing is crazy. I don't think people are ready. We were very proud to roll this out, so we were the first people in Georgia to have one. So today we have Bigfella.

He is in here. He is about to get a massage. Are you guys ready? Hey, Big Phelan? Hey McFerlin. It's so funny. Are we professional? We are professionals.

We are professionals. All right. So they're going to show you how this is done. Come over here. Because you're in your other shot. There you go. Never switched you back to the camera. Right.

All right. So. Keep all of that. She's going to give you, what's going to get in? Trenice is going to give you a tutorial. How you do you? how this works, it's amazing. All righty, so you already have your clothes on,

which is perfect. You'll lay on the table on your stomach and your face will go in the face rest. Once you get on the table, there's gonna be a full onboarding process for you. It says welcome Wes. It'll do a body scan, you can change the bolster setting, the headrest, and the armrest setting,

all with a touch of a button. You can change the pressure, the music that plays, and even the video that plays on screen. Okay. All right, okay. No problem. Yeah, so because we capture so much data on each patient, typically we use a screen like this that enables us to put all the things up at one time.

And that makes it easily more understood and visualized so that you don't leave thinking, well, gosh, they told me so many things and now I'm lost. Right. So you can see a bunch of different kinds of data and we call this concept the digital twin. So if you look up here, there's two different sets of DNA. On the far left side, we would typically get. One is the DNA that you would use from your saliva, and that's what your mom and dad gave you. And the other is actually the DNA of the little microbes that inhabit your colon, and we call

that the microbiome. There's been a lot of evidence about how the interaction between the bugs that live in your gut affect your immune system and your brain in particular. And so we use that as a way to stratify risk. We do draw blood and look at micronutrients. So anybody who gets a medicine or a supplement here is getting it because we test it in such a way that we know your unique prescription is unique to you. We do get exercise data and so you see that guy on the bike. That's called a...

You did it. So it's a point of myself. No, no, I got to do it again. It's just we'll have to get the music a little more hardcore next time. But yeah, so that tells us about how well you breathe in oxygen, how well you pump it to your muscles, and then how well your muscles. use it. And it used to be we used the VO2 max for athletes who are trying to win races. Yeah. But we also found that for like during COVID, for example, if you wanted to be the person who is super sick and you wanted to get out of the hospital and get off a ventilator,

well, it turns out having a higher VO2 max predicted your survivability in a better way. So on the one end, it's applicable to pro athletes, but on the other hand, it's applicable for everybody. Yeah. Who wants to just have a good quality of life and a good health. span. Can I ask you something, speaking of COVID? Have you noticed a rise in people with breathing issues after COVID? Because I know for me, I'm implementing like running into my workout schedule or workout regimen now. And for a while, like I could barely like keep up. I was like cutting it off. I was like this is too much. Just even breathing was hard. And even with singing, like I can't hold my breath for as long as I used to. And I'm wondering if COVID had any type

implications on it. We've definitely seen some patients have longer-term pulmonary scarring, so little scars on the inside of their lungs, depending on how they responded and the severity of the disease they had. But you can train that, right? And so the important part is, one, recognizing it, and it sounds like you have some insight because you're working out all the time, so you notice the difference. Yeah. Right? But then we can test for it, and we could program the way that you work out in such a way to optimize how much volume you take. in and out when you breathe and hopefully get you past that limitation so you don't notice it anymore. Yeah, it's a lot better now, but I notice like the last two minutes of my mom today,

my heart was like, it felt almost like constricted. Like it was like, it hurt. I was like, well, we'll book your V-a-2 next. That's nice one. Yes. Whenever you're at. Yeah, yeah. So we do use images, which we talked about a little bit. So you see the Dexa scan here, ultrasound that we talked about over here. And the way we're using ultrasound is typically to get an actual picture of the inside of your blood vessels. So you draw a cholesterol panel and it's like well maybe you got black in your arteries, maybe you don't, we don't really know, but if you take a picture of it and actually look inside we can be very confident. And then the discussion about how we minimize cardiac risk

becomes much better informed. And you see the whole body MRI over here on the right side which we talked about and we do use some data for wearables. So for example I think Melissa is wearing a glucose monitor right now. Melissa is not a diabetic but we're learning about the kinds of food she eats and the order in which she eats in how it affects how you release glucose and insulin and how you recover from workouts right so we find a lot of meaning from that data and when you put it all together really the goal is that you know so much now about your individual physiology you become the master of that right yeah and there was a

paper published related to microbiome called the American gut project there's a term they used in that paper called citizen scientist and I was like well I want every patient who comes in the store to become a citizen scientist because when they're informed by that kind of data you can make the best decisions for yourself well this has been amazing very informative I'm glad we got to come and share your facility with people I think the older I get the more I am being more cognizant of my health and making sure I'm taking the proper steps and especially with this last

demonstration it shows you so much I recently went to the doctor because I Every time I go for my annual, I get blood taken, so like around nine panels of blood taken to really see what's going on, what I'm deficient in, and came back that I was borderline diabetic. Yes, so when you said you're on the glucose monitor, I was like, hmm, that may be something I need to do as well, just to make sure that those levels are changing. I recently took on fasting this month, and I was doing a 16 to 8, or, yes. Intermittent fast window?

6 to 18, yeah, intermittent fasting window. So 18 hours, I'm not eating, and then from 12 to 6 I'll eat. I wanted to ask you, how sustainable is that? Can that be a lifestyle, or is that something that you shouldn't try to do? No, I think it's been sustainable for a lot of people. For me, you know, we use, like in Melissa, know, something called a fasting mimicking diet, which is like a five-day protocol. We see other people who do 1212s.

We see people who do other intervals besides 16-8. people do one meal a day, which I would not be good at doing, but some people really like it, right? So I do think there's a lot of data to support that, and if you find that it fits your lifestyle. I have found that I have so much energy. I don't know what that is. I don't know to come resting more. I'm going to bed earlier and waking up earlier and making sure I work out every day. But this is my second week, and normally around 12, 1 o'clock, or even like around, sometimes around that 2 or 3 o'clock window, I'll feel a crash coming. And I have not felt that in this past two weeks.

I used to joke around saying it was nap time. Like, when we were in school where we had to go to sleep, I was like, maybe this is just kind of carried on into adulthood. But I feel like it was my eating habits and even my schedule and not resting enough. But I did want to know if that's something that's sustainable. Yeah. And I think to your point, if you were to study that phenomenon you just described with a glucose monitor, what you would probably find, and I know this from personal experience,

is that time when you felt like it was nap time is probably because you had a big glucose swing up and then a big swing the opposite way after your insulin was released. So it's that low period that gets you feeling like, oh, it's after lunch a menachoma. Yeah. Right? But it sounds like you're, you know,

mastering your own fate because with the 16-8 window, it sounds like you're not having the crash, which is great. Yeah, no, that's crazy. So since we got here, I had my lunch with me as soon as the clock strikes, I was like because I didn't want to be in here like oh no I'm sorry you know what's so interesting is I told you as you know becoming a part of Provita I decided to get an executive

membership for myself to do the executive physical so Dr. Turner mentioned I've never worn a glucose monitor my mom was diabetic my entire life yes she actually had gestational diabetes when she had me wow and so I've always seen her you know shoot insulin and just that was norm so putting on this glucose monitor I was telling Dr. Turner the first week I had it those swings up, down, nap time. I saw it, and then I did a five-day to prolong fast. And it was even the entire time while I was

fasting. And I felt amazing, and I'm like, wow, and he said it. He was like, now you have the data, and it shows you. Sleeping better, like, all of the things connected. So understanding, like, how fasting and the benefits of that, but also seeing how it impacts, those are things I would have never been privy to

or really understanding the data behind it without going through this process. So the glucose monitors, it's something that you like have to line Yeah, it's super tiny. Did it hurt right here? Not. He had to put it on for me. I was like, I can't do it.

I was like, oh, I didn't feel it. Oh. So simple. So easy. Maybe when you don't know, you don't know. Yes, sure. That's a normal feeling, I think. How long do you keep it on?

The one that we have lasts for 15 days. So, you know, you can do it once. You can do it twice, but being able to see over time. And then you can take a picture of what do you eat so you understand where those highs and lows come from. Right. And then for me, I wore it. I mean, I was still doing CrossFit.

So I was doing pull-ups and overhead squats and stuff. Oh, it didn't bother you. Didn't interfere with me at all. And then, of course, when people around you see you doing it, they're like, what is that? Yeah, yeah. You're like, I want that. Right. I want my glucose to be better than yours.

And I'm like, let's go. Everything's a competition. Right. But it becomes a team, and I think, you know, people engaged in a common pursuit. They hold each other accountable. And that community is very powerful. Absolutely. And that's really what we're here to create is power in community.

Yeah, I love that. Yes. So tell the people where you guys are, where they can find you. We want to send as many people as we can your way so that we all can live a better, healthier lifestyle. Thank you so much. Yeah, we're on the south side of Buckhead, close to Piedmont, Atlanta Hospital. Address 1801, Peachtree Street, Northeast, Suite 150. We have a beautiful video about how to come in if you're coming in for the first time. I'm free parking, so that's great.

We love reparking. Free parking. In Atlanta, pervita.com. We're on Instagram. We're on Facebook. We're on LinkedIn. in. You can see all the information, testimonials. I think the people who are coming in are really having an impact. And as Dr. Turner mentioned, we're trying to create that community. So thank you

for coming. You are now part of our community. Yay. I love it. Thank you guys. Thank you guys. We just finished our very first Kipps field trip. I hope you all had an amazing time touring the Pravita Health facility with me. I know I did. I've been there before, but today I learned so much more. What I want you guys to focus on is getting in front of your head. health issues versus trying to catch up with them, all right? In the meantime, in between time, keep it positive, sweetie. And remember, share this episode with someone who can use a little positivity. Have a good one. See you next time.