Kyle Kingsbury Podcast - #28 Cofounder and CEO of Paleo Fx Michelle Norris

Episode Date: April 9, 2018

We sit down the Michelle Norris and dive into the creation of Paleo FX, ayahuasca, and creating balance. Check out Zerogravitysoul.com Michelle on Instagram Twitter Facebook Connect with Kyle Kingsbury on Twitter and on Instagram Get 10% off at Onnit by going to Onnit.com/Podcast              Onnit Twitter         Onnit Instagram

I want to talk to you guys today about a very special book, Own the Day, Own Your Life, by our CEO, Aubrey Marcus. It is an excellent book. We ran an incredible podcast on it. If you haven't heard about it on the On It podcast, please listen to that one. But really, it's just a how-to. It's the ultimate how-to. There's a lot of self-help books. There's a lot of diet books. There's a lot of exercise books out there, and they'll teach you a wealth of things, but they don't teach you how to put it all together. Own the day teaches you how to live a perfect 24 hour cycle. And once we can accomplish that, you could repeat that through every day to change your life and have a dramatic impact on how you move throughout the day, how you think,

how you feel, how you stay hydrated, everything top to bottom. There's no stone unturned. Talks about how to get the most out of your sex life. There's just really nothing left on the table once you read this book. It's an incredible top to bottom piece on really how to get the most out of life, which is truly the mission here at Onnit. How can I live each day a little bit better than I did in the past? And I think that Own the Day really accomplishes that. So we want you guys to check out that book over at ownthedaybook.com. We're doing pre-orders right now and we'll continue to make sales through Amazon and all these wonderful places you can order your books at. Aubrey's also done it on Audible. So if you're a huge fan of Audible the way I am,

you can pre-order the book there as well. Ownthedaybook.com. All right, everybody. It's that time again. It is the annual On It World Open, the 2018 Jiu-Jitsu tournament of the year, and it's going to be held at Paleo FX. Here's a cool fact. If you buy entry into the On It World Open, you get a free ticket to Paleo FX, which is an amazing conference. It's going to be from April 27th through the 29th at the Palmer Event Center in Austin, Texas. We've included gi and no-gi divisions for kids, women, men, masters, and seniors. Advanced division winners will earn a spot at the Onnit Invitational. All it takes is willing to get choked and you get a free ticket into Paleo FX. If you're in Austin, register now at 10, that's 1-0-P-A-T-X.com. Yo, yo, yo, On It podcast, and we've got an excellent guest, Michelle Norris. Michelle

is the head leader, CEO, and founder of Paleo FX. Paleo FX is a health and wellness conference that's held every year here in Austin, Texas. And it hosts some of the greatest influencers and thinkers in health and wellness. It's not just paleo. It has everything to do with health and wellness. Guys like Rob Wolf, who we've had on the show, Aaron Alexander, Mark Sisson. Truly, the list goes on and on. Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Michael Ruscio. People that I've been fascinated with and blown away with.

A lot of people with great books out that I've read that have influenced my course of direction when it comes to health and wellness, as well as great movement practitioners. Our buddy Mike Salemi does a kettlebell clinic there. Paul Cech will be speaking and talking about the last four doctors you'll ever need, along with a host. I think he has four lectures. So that guy could do an entire seminar, a three-day seminar just to himself easily. But man, so many great thinkers that come to this place. So we dive into what was the course of action to create this? What was the reason behind it?

What was the seed that they planted in wanting to come to that we also dive quite a bit into ayahuasca which has been uh an immense tool and um transformative piece in my life as well as aubrey marcus's and most definitely with michelle norris and her husband keith so excellent discussion here i know you guys are going to love it check out the podcast on a podcast we've got michelle norris the head and founder of paleo fx with us thank you so much for having me here that that was quite interesting i love it we get that we get the clap and it's on and i looked at the i looked at the hourglass and our one hour timer is going my man ryan giles has a set we're locked and loaded oh we're jumping right in so let's let's let's start from the beginning you know and and and first let me say uh a big thank you to you a lot of gratitude for you because i had we're going to talk about a lot of stuff on this podcast but

i had um this feeling i was doing my own podcast living in vegas for a short while and i had this calling to go to Paleo FX. And it's a place I'd always wanted to go, but ticket prices were high, not for Paleo FX, but for just to get out there, right? And so I had done an ayahuasca ceremony, and I asked in ceremony, should I go to Paleo FX? And a lot of the great speakers that you have, they're like Rob Wolf and Mark Sisson. I've read all their books. So whatever they're going to say on stage, I've probably downloaded more than that from the years they put into their work.

And so I thought, well, if I'm not going to learn that, what's the reason to go? And it was like, you have to go because you're going to meet people. It's the connections. And so, of course, after that ceremony, I looked, prices were cut in half to fly out. My buddies at Mind Pump were like, hey, dude, if you're going to go to Paleo FX, just stay with us. We're going to get giant Airbnbs. You can be dude on the couch or have your own room and we'll take you everywhere. They fed me the whole time.

Like it just, it worked out perfectly. And then of course, at Paleo FX, I meet Aubrey Marcus. We share a flight home to vegas and spend the entire time talking about health and wellness and diet nutrition plant medicines all the cool shit yeah and here i am working it on it now that's awesome thank you of course well we're um you know that's the thing about paleo effects um yeah you can hear a lot of what they're going to say in some of their other stuff online and podcasts and you know just different things that they do in facebook lives the whole nine yards but there's

nothing quite like being there in person it's just completely different the energy getting to actually go up and meet you know people are going to get a chance to meet you this year um they have they listen to you every week they They, they, um, are changed by the things that you say. Um, you know, Aubrey's changed lives. Rob's changed lives. Mark's changed lives. All of these people change lives. But the really cool thing is to get to go up and say, Hey, you've changed my life and this is how you've done it. And I've been following you, or I've been listening to you for however long, that's just the coolest part of the whole thing is that interaction and community. And you can't get that through a blog or even a podcast or any of that stuff. It's the live event that's just electric and it's fun.

And just being around like-minded people who get you know what you know you aren't the weird person out at this event you're you are the norm and so it's really cool yeah there's there's a lot to that and just speaking of the energy of the event like i've been to i've worked bodybuilding trade shows and mr olympia and stuff like that when i had you know bodybuilding sponsors and whatever and it's funny because it's the whole place stink like farts everyone's freaking protein shakes with artificial flavors and nasty stuff and give me give me give me what's the free thing that i can get you know and it's kind of this free for it's like black friday almost yeah you know and then you go to paleo effects and they have vital farms and the and the best the best bone

broths and kombucha and it's all it's like this hippie organic mecca and it's so rad because everything they have there is just the highest quality ingredients and it's the best thing to put in your body and it's the stuff you read about but maybe you haven't tried and then you get to try it right there you know and it's just it's insane yeah it's like i'm a kid in a candy store there you know it is it is insane i hear you i always feel like i don't have enough time to get on the floor that's my biggest complaint about pale I always feel like I don't have enough time to get on the floor. That's my biggest complaint about pale effects is I don't end up with enough time to get on the floor and actually go see all the new stuff and try all the new stuff. And so it's, it's pretty cool. Yeah. I was super pumped to be there. So let's talk like, how did you, your husband, Keith

is big time in strength and conditioning correct yes yeah and he is a guy that many people have pointed me towards i've been following online for years um how'd you come up with paleo effects what made you want to bring this gathering to where you have this really what's become the mecca of health and wellness and everyone that i've learned through over the last 10 years that's guided me in my message and my approach to personal, how I've healed my body and grown as a person, but also in the message and wisdom that I deliver to people through the podcast. It's all in one place. What made you want to make that come to fruition? Well, we attended the first annual, it was the inaugural ancestral health symposium. I don't know if you're familiar

with that, but it's decidedly academic. It's a, it's kind of our sister symposium, but it's definitely an academic symposium, lots of science. And the thing is, is that, you know, Keith and I geek out on the science, you geek out on the science, you know, a lot of the leaders in this space geek out on the science, but at the end of the day, you have clients and we have clients at our gyms and they just want to know, what do I put in my mouth? And when do I do that? And what do I lift or do I run or do I, what, what do I do physically to, and when do I do that? They just want to know the X's and O's. They don't want to know all the behind the scenes stuff. They they're happy. The science exists, but they don't really care about it. Um, and so it, we needed a, a, a practice. We needed

the theory. They're the theory and we're the practice. In fact, our name originally started out pillow effects theory to practice. And, um, and that's really what it is, is we realized when we were on the runway at LAx when we were flying home to um that that i just was like you know that was great but at the end of the day people need to know how to do this they don't the science doesn't impress a lot of people they're just like okay it just confuses them so um we started talking about it and we got home and we decided this was in August of 2011. And by October, we had decided we were going to put on Paleo FX. And we launched Paleo FX on March 14th.

So our anniversary was just last week. It actually happens to be Keith and I's personal wedding anniversary. Oh, wow. That's nice. So we launched our business on her. Yeah. I think Keith secretly wanted that so he'd remember but anyway we um so we launched it on our anniversary and uh it's just been it

was a crazy ride we did it during south by the first year which was the biggest mistake ever and we will never ever make that mistake again. But we thought that it was a good idea and that we could kind of like piggyback on some of the stuff that was happening in South by. And plus, of course, college kids were out of school for spring break. So we thought we would be able to get some of them as volunteers and be able to attend and stuff like that. It just was, it was fundamentally a success from the beginning, but financially it was a disaster the first year. And so we went into debt and we actually laughed that the only reasons Paleo FX2 came out, it was so we could get our money back on the first one. And then, you know, every year we're like, we're not going to do this again. But now we've, we just realize how much it, a difference it makes

in the entire movement. so that was really it we saw a need and we filled it yeah you guys have sourced so many of the great thinkers and it's it's nuts to me because i didn't see them all as as dominoes i didn't see the connection until paleo effects and i was like shit everyone every book that I've written on, I could go through the books. Grain Brain, Brain Maker, Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Grace Liu, Dr. Michael Ruscio, guests that I've had on the podcast, all gut health specialists, all at Paleo FX. And then you go down, Mark Sisson and Rob Wolf, guys that I've just went deep, super deep into their work, both speaking here. And from there, there's many, many more.

How did you guys source? Did you have, do you have people gravitate towards you or did you guys really just have a general knowledge of who has having an impact in this world? Well, we had relationships with a lot of these people. Um, so we built relationships and really honestly, Rob, we, we lovingly tease him that it's partially his fault. And also he, so he's partially to blame and he's also, um, we're also very indebted to him. And because, um, when Rob decided to get on board was when everybody else started, okay, okay, we're going to check this out if Rob's doing it um and so we like i said we lovingly tease him that he's kind of at fault for it but at the same time we're just super grateful to him um that he trusted us and he wanted to see what we were going to do and um we like i said we just

had relationships with him and art devaney and um several of the big speakers. And it was, it kind of went from there. And so we just, you know, reached out to the ones we knew. And then we've had over the years, we keep being introduced to new speakers and stuff. And then, yeah, now we have speakers that reach out to us. And we had 427 submissions for this year, which is insane. It's an insane number of submissions and, um, and it's, it's tough to go through that many, but we, um, but yeah, that's, that's the power of being on one of our stages. Yeah. So how many, how many out of the 427 will actually get to speak? about 89, 90. I'm so privileged. I love it. Yeah.

Um, yeah, about 89, 90. Um, and actually we plan on taking that number down even further next year. Um, but we are just, um,

we're just very blessed and in the movement is very blessed to have such incredible thought leaders in the space that very blessed to have such incredible thought leaders in the space that are willing to give their time to this and also that just have such a great heart for it and really want to help as many people as they can and you know we have become a platform company for that and that's what we do and that's what we're best at and so yeah yeah i'm super pumped we were talking about it before the podcast that we've got two people that have been just instrumental in in helping me to think differently about all things and that's paul check he's going to be a speaker this year for the first time and dr joseph mercola yes and i've had

paul on the show already and i'm talking to my buddy, Aaron Alexander, who's also does movement practices at paleo effects. Um, he's got the aligned podcast has been the first two time guests on the on it show since, since I took over and, uh, he'll be setting up an interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola. So I'm very cool for that. Yeah. Lots of good stuff. very cool yeah um love aaron he's sweetheart he's spent uh quite a bit of time here in in austin we've gotten to have dinner with him when he's been in town outside of paleo effects which is nice because you know a lot of times we don't get to to spend a lot of time with the speakers when we're at the event because we're just crazy. But anyway, so that's kind of cool. Yeah. He's amazing. He's the only guy when I walk around, when I walked around with him at Paleo

FX where I no longer felt weird because I was next to him. He will out weird you no matter what, like it drops into that. He's, you know, he's an inch taller than me. He's got a great build and he'll drop into a squat where he's like an inch off the ground. And I'm like, how do you do that? But he'll just, people will, you know, they'll be walking around. I'm like, oh my God, I didn't see you. Sorry. And they'll have to walk. Cause he'll be like, you know, ass to ground in his squat, opening up his body, just constantly

working on his instrument, you know, just tuning his body like no one else. He's, he's a beautiful human. Oh yeah. No, I crack up because I always i always um i liken him to like a monkey that has to move all the time he's always he's always doing his arms and legs and you're just like i just like crack up because it's um it's awesome yeah anytime he passes a tree he'll hang on the tree oh yeah like he can't just fucking walk by a regular tree let me hang on this for a minute and open up my body yeah there's something to that

though oh yeah it's really special to see that and it's inspiring yeah and he's one of many right you have we have leaders in gut health leaders in movement leaders in kettlebells leaders in diet nutrition leaders in the keto space yeah it's it's uh it's fantastic yeah we run from everything from sustainability to spirituality to mindset to entrepreneurship. It's not a diet conference. I mean, it's not just about the diet because the diet is just a tiny little piece. When you start thinking about what a paleo lifestyle looks like, the paleo lifestyle is all encompassing.

It's, you know, what do you do in your spare time? What are you? It's not just the toxins. We're not just removing the toxins that we have in our food, but we're removing the toxins that we put on our bodies that we use in our houses or toxic thoughts, toxic people. Those are all part of this is eliminating all of that so that you actually have a very holistically healthy, well-rounded life and ultimately happiness. Yeah. Our ancestors didn't watch reality TV. That's just out. That's right. Yeah. I totally agree with you there. Yeah. There's so much to that. It's easy to get narrow in our focus and really dive into things. I think at different stages in our life, we do focus on one thing because that becomes a priority and that's okay. But ultimately,

it has to be global. It has to be global for ourselves, global for our family, our communities, and then the entire earth and beyond. It's just how we approach this thing from something that is sustainable for the way that we live, the way that we treat others and the way the world works. Yeah, that's amazing. So what got you into plant medicines, which is one of my absolute favorite topics. And it's definitely something that's changed my life. Actually, I have Whitney to thank for that. Really? Whitney Miller. So she was training with keith um when she was doing um competing when she was real heavy in her competing and um when she went to peru her first time and

came back keith noticed she was a completely different person and was like okay there's something he had been interested in it and had been we'd been talking about it for a while. And, um, but he was like, man, you need to see Whitney. She's like totally different. And he was like, there's definitely something to it. And, um, so we really did start looking into it, um, much more seriously. And then, um, we were able to, um, go do plant medicine out actually in the Redwoods. Our very first time we did dieta and it was amazing and completely life-changing. And it's part of my life for good. I can't say enough about what it's done for me. I really had a very difficult time.

And this is actually something that I'm working on. It's part of my new project that's going to be launched soon, is that being a woman, being a CEO, can be really tough. And the problem with the way that we operate, particularly women in leadership, we operate in a very masculine way. We tend to try to mimic what we believe men do. And we work, the way that we work and everything is we see ourselves in this man's world instead of creating our woman's world. And so what happens is we mimic masculinity in a false way. It's not authentic to who we are. And so it's that age old, you know, well, if a man did it, he'd be called assertive. But if I do it, I'm called a bitch. And the thing is, is that it's because we are not authentic to that, what we think, how we think that men operate. And we don't, we don't operate like you

do. So, um, when we do it, it's false. And so that's why we get called a bitch or whatever, because we're trying to be assertive and demanding because we think that's how men operate. And that's not really how men operate. Y'all are completely different. When you come to a boardroom or a table or something, you're going to come and you're going to come in your power and you're going to, you know, stand for what you believe in and everything. But at the end of the day, if the guy across the table is a friend of yours, you're going to concede where you need to concede and you're going to, and you're going to, it's, it's a fine dance that men do when they're doing

this. Problem is when women want to assert power, when they're around men, they tend to be iron fisted. And that's how I was. I was very iron fisted. And instead of coming in and listening to it was, um, I'm the CEO, it's my way and that's it. And there was no, I didn't have any capacity for flexibility when it came to what I decided was what we were doing. And I realized that that was, first of all, getting in my own way. My company wasn't going to grow that way, and nobody was going to want to continue to work for me. And the thing is, is I had been in positions of leadership and managed lots of teams and very large teams or whatever, and I had never operated like that in the positions that I was in. But what I realized was when I was actually the one

completely in control and wrote the check, that's where I started doing that. And I think that it's a big disservice to women for us to operate that way. And so I've just been really working on that for the last couple of years, especially through the plant medicine and really understanding how to operate from my feminine power and that I'm a lot more powerful in my feminine power than when I'm trying to mimic what I think a man would do in my place. And so it's just completely changed my life. So at some point I need to tell Whitney, thank you. But yeah, it was really ultimately Whitney that got us really super interested in going. And it was funny because when we were getting ready to go, Keith misunderstood and thought there was only one position available for this retreat.

And he was like, well, Michelle needs this and she can take it. And I was like, I kind of laughed about that a little bit later, but it was true. I really needed to, I really needed to go and just really get my mindset right. And what's really interesting is that every time I sit, I learned something really new about myself and about my journey here and why I'm here and what's my purpose and all of that. And it's just been incredible. Yeah. That's funny that Keith sent you because when I discovered it, I talked to my wife and she was like, you go. I don't want to puke. I don't want to shit my pants. It doesn't sound interesting. I'm good with psilocybin and traditional temezcal and things like that and and uh and then of course i went and

i couldn't i couldn't talk to people about my experience without just opening the floodgates yeah for two weeks yeah like even just going through the visions that i had and what they meant to me i would just break down and cry every. Like it was just like a whole part of me was ripped wide open. And so of course she could not only see that, but feel how important that was to me. And then she was like, all right, I'm in for the next one. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. Yeah. And she's, she's been a part of 12 ceremonies with me and that's really helped us grow together. You know, I think without that, um, the personal growth that i've had in in knowing i can release what no longer serves me from alcohol bad food like i don't reward myself with shit food anymore yeah that's

a big one right how many people do that like they lose a certain amount of weight and then it's like okay now i can eat this bad this bad thing that'll destroy me from the inside and right and then thanks to guys like pearl mutter we see it's not just gonna put put on five pounds. It's going to fuck up your neurochemistry. It's going to make you think worse. It's going to make you more emotional. Like there's all these things that go into our food. It's truly either poison or it's medicine, you know? Agreed.

So many downloads along the way for both of us. And then, of course, in a relationship, what a great tool to have, to be able to have new perspective and to see each other and to really open up communication in a way that I didn't think was possible before that. Yeah, I completely agree. Keith and I have done about 52 ceremonies together. I have 61 under my belt, but he's a little bit behind me. I went to a few retreats by myself, which was really, really great. Um, but yeah, he, it has been really incredible for our relationship and how we both approach everything. I, you know, it's interesting you on this plane, when we're here, when you haven't gone and done that everything

i feel like there were still moments and time even though i really worked hard and did a lot of self-development before i ever did aya was this um victim mentality about things that happened. And, you know, and you, and I would still find, even through all different forms of self-development, that I would still go back to that mindset at times. Well, this happened, what, you know, and it's all of that. And it's like, I finally realized through Aya that it just happens. There's no, there was no real reason that there was nothing I did wrong, or it was nothing. It was all of these things. And it was like, why did this happen to me? I'm a good person, and blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, I started realizing how much when you have to go through a struggle, that's where you change. That's where you become a better person. And

that it's actually through those struggles that I was able to grow. And that's where you become a better person and and that it's actually through those struggles that i was able to grow and you you know you that's where you grow and so i finally really realized that through the medicine and um and it didn't seem like any other type of self-development was ever going to probably get that completely through to me yeah it's it happens in your own personal experience right and it's this it's the idea that there's gratitude for everything and and you know i always i use like using the analogy like if i walked into the gym and used just a barbell every day i would reach a point where i'm not going to get any stronger like i have to add more weight as a new stressor or i have to change up

the dynamics with speed or some other form to create new stress so I get new growth and new development. And the beauty of life is we always have challenges where there's no lack of challenges and stressors. And it's really how we view those. But looking back on everything, and certainly when we go into an altered state of consciousness through plant

medicine we can look back on that with appreciation for all of it because it's easy to see how those stressful times in our lives equated to better living and some outcome that we really do desire we really needed those things as catalysts for change i completely agree and And, you know, it's interesting too, is that I am happy with where I am and who I am now. And I wouldn't be that person if I hadn't gone through a lot of the things I was just like, why her? Why all the questions of why? And then I finally got to a point of release on that and a place of peace and understanding that she had served her time here. And she had moved on. And it was kind of a humbling thing to think.

She was killed three days before her 23rd birthday and a week before her college graduation. She was a music and worship ministry major. And she's also a lot of the reason why Paleo FX exists because we wanted to carry on her legacy because she had changed so many lives in such a short period of time. But what was really interesting is to look and realize, damn, her work was done so fast. She already had gotten to a point where her work was done and she was being rewarded. And I am humbled by that.

And I have a lot of peace around her death and, um, feel her presence all the time. I've, you know, gotten to talk to her during ceremonies many times and, um, sing with her. And, uh, she was a beautiful musician and a beautiful singer, gifted, very, very gifted. And so it, um, yeah, super humbling and realizing, you know what, I, um, I, I find beauty in the ashes and, um, and that the beauty from what happened to her is that paleo effects exists now. And, and, uh, we're, uh, we're very blessed and i i feel like i'm the person that i am because i had to go through that yeah that's incredible perspective i think a big shift for people too in whatever however you want to word it a breakthrough dose or a heroic dose as terence mckenna would say is it is a

a total shift in how we view death you know and again like you can read about this in books you can read about it in ancient texts and and religion and spirituality but until you really understand it for yourself and embody that and know i'm not my body there's something here that will live on past my body like that understanding is a is a giant shift in the way we look at things moving forward and knowing that everything on this plane is transitory and everything's changing like the only constant is change right but to experience that and to be okay with that there's a different level of of allowing and comfort in in the knowing that it's okay, that it's changing. It's okay that I'm aging. It's okay that my job is changing or that this thing is going on. That's difficult right now because nothing lasts forever. Agreed. There's a piece of me that will, but everything here can

change and that's okay. Yeah. And that's something too, that's also, um, made things for me. So I'm one of those people, I'm a super taster. So if I had to like taste anything that was kind of gross or even if it was like a pregnant woman, but it was, I would not put myself through it. I'd be like, even if I knew it was something I really needed to do for myself, for my health, for whatever reason, I wouldn't do it. And, and actually having started doing plant medicine and understanding everything's temporary at nothing's going to last forever. That actually started making me like, okay, I horse down, you know, stuff that I need to take supplements and what have you that I need to take that are good for me that I may not necessarily like the taste of or what have you. And, um, but that's it. It's like,

we're nothing's going to last forever. And so why do you get, I, you get your head caught up in that whole thing of, Oh, well, this is miserable or whatever. And I realized, and this actually was not this last ceremony, but my very, um, the second to last one, am i'm in you know the washing machine when it's just a lot there's a lot of information coming at you and um and we call it tibetan circus porn when it's just this weird kind of strange like things and, and a lot of it almost, it would feel very almost degenerate and demented to me whenever I would see it. And I would get this overwhelming sadness and just like pain and

like, why really do I have to go through this again? Do I really have to see? And then finally, this, that second to last time she said, you're the one that places the title on this you're the one that places the tag on it whether it's good or it's bad you're you're the one that's doing that you're making the choice that it's either negative or it's positive so why are you why can't it just be why can't it just be something that you just you try to enjoy, or you try to have some gratitude for, because you're going to learn something one way or the other. So why not let it be? Why not? Why just let it, why not just let it be? Why do you have to put any kind of tag on it? So then the next night when it started, I thought, okay, I'm just going to lay here and

kind of enjoy it. And I did, I just like really here and kind of enjoy it and i did i just like really and it was beautiful it was this amazing experience and it was and it was some of the same things i had seen before some of the same visions i had seen before that you know kind of circus stuff that's coming at you and when it's spinning and lots of colors and you know weird clowns and all kinds of stuff and And I'm seeing all this and I'm like, oh, okay, this is kind of fun. It's all right. It was not like this, I didn't place the tag on it.

And that's what I think we do in life so many times is we place a tag on something. Oh, this is negative. Oh, this is positive. Oh, that's negative. Oh, that's bad. That's not good. And we do that. We place these labels on everything. We have to tag everything. And it's like, why do we do that?

Why can't we just be and let it be and be okay with whatever it is and be grateful for whatever message it's gotten? And it may not be anything that's gonna, you know, light your pants on fire. But at the end of the day, every experience should ultimately mean something to you in the fact that you're human. And wow, you got to experience this and that, that part's just cool. And so, yeah, I am so grateful for the opportunity to even all some of the bad stuff that I've had to see or be, you know, witness in some of my visions. It's been really a lot of growth out of that. Yeah. It's interesting when you, when you talk about that, it's like this, this idea and so much in, in, you know, Carl Jung and great psychologists would talk about that. Like what we, what we place, these labels we place on things, those then become the lens through which we see the world. Right. But we're the one that fucking puts the lens in front of

our eyes when we see that. And most people have no idea. We create our own reality through that, right. Through that lens. It's through, it's how we view the world that becomes our experience i i yeah and and you know that's the other part of it too is that i um one of the biggest lessons i've ever learned and it was the actually the first time that i actually got mariotto um because my first ceremony i didn't really get anything i felt vibration but i didn't really get anything. I felt vibration, but I didn't get any visions or anything. But my, my second one was the very first thing you're not in control. You control nothing. You think you're in control. And it was the craziest thing is to have, it was kind of a release like, Oh shit, I'm not in control in control it was like I finally understood the only thing that I can control is how I either respond or I react to something a response is mindful and reaction is gut and knee-jerk and not no thought behind it and usually turns into some kind of

chaos or or some kind of negative and it was some kind of negative. And it was like, I, when I recognized that it was like, oh my God, this is so awesome that I'm don't have to be in control. I don't need to be. And then, um, one of the last ceremonies, I, a few, um, few months ago, maybe, yeah, it was in October. I got that I don't want to be in control. What I want is influence, not control. And influence comes from a place of respect and garnering respect and where people want to follow you. You're not demanding something or saying it's going to be this way or it's going to be that way or what have you. Not, you're not demanding something or saying it's going to be this way, or it's going to be that way or what have you. And I just realized, damn, that's a completely

different way. And it's part of that working into my feminine too, is operating from that feminine. I can garner respect and not have to be in control and, and just be able to influence the things that I want to influence and say, okay, well, this is my vision for what we want, what I want to do here at payload effects or whatever I'm doing and, and take the ideas in and then help get them going in that direction, but not go, oh, well, it's going to be this way or, you know. Yeah. It might look different than the idea. Right. Yeah. But it's, it's, it's the to be this way or, you know. Yeah. It might look different than the idea, right?

Yeah. But it's the action steps necessary to make that come to fruition. And then in that, having the flexibility to let new things come in that you might not have seen or had an idea about. I like that idea of influence too on others because ultimately as you become a thought leader or somebody who has a message to share, it's not the message for everybody. There's no one fucking message that goes to all people and is well-received, right? And so to be okay with that, to be okay with those who wish to hear, will hear. And it's beautiful to see how Paleo FX has grown from that. You have a lot of like-minded

individuals that are a lot, in many ways, working on the same things through different avenues, ultimately our health and, and what we, how we get the most out of life. And that's, that's a big, obviously, you know, hear it on it. We wish to live each day a little bit better than we lived the past, you know, and just continue to make little improvements over time because those add up. But that idea that we can influence others in a way that is better received and those who are willing to listen will hear the message and gravitate towards that. And those that aren't ready for it, that's okay too. You know, everyone walks their own path and there's plenty of people out there who'd rather get shit-faced every weekend and eat like crap and that's the reward. And the reward holds them in their own sickness and and unhealth and um that's okay too you know i think a lot of people that get into this space got into it out of necessity you know you listen

to rob wolf who was a raw vegan in college to try to pick up the vegan chicks. It's such a hilarious story, you know? But, you know, ultimately seeing that as like, oh, I'm not healthy. I'm way, way, way not healthy anymore. Oh, yeah. You know, and then that drive, like what is the spark that creates the fire and the passion to learn

and to really dive into these things and then to share our experiences and our stories with others who are willing to listen. Agreed. And, you know, this is something that I said a few years ago at Pillow Effects. We were actually talking about the, you know, podcasts and that we were challenging people to do a podcast. And so many people were like, well, there's just, there's so many podcasts out there already. There's no, I'm like, but not everybody like like rob as much as i love rob rob doesn't speak to everybody

and not everybody resonates with rob same thing with mark with nora with sarah with chris kresser and i mean the thing is is that you have a voice that's going to resonate with somebody and it's trying to get people to take that action on their own and just say hey you can make change you don't have to be rob wolf to make a change you don't have Hey, you can make change. You don't have to be Rob Wolf to make a change. You don't have to be Aubrey Marcus. You don't have to be Kyle Kingsbury. You don't have to be Nora or Chris or any of those people. Those people are taken be you and you're going to touch somebody's life. And even if it's one person, that's amazing. And, um, so it was interesting to see how many podcasts were out the following year.

And it was a lot. Um, I totally resonate with that because yeah, you don't, not every voice speaks to you. There's not something that's going to happen. It's really, it's really funny. You bring that up because I have a little story of when I was wandering through paleo effects last year, I may have had a microdose of some plant medicine and uh and i was hanging out with the mind i don't think you would be alone in that but anyway and uh the mind pump guys were walking around and obviously you know they do a million downloads a month there are five episodes a week

like rogan they're balling and so everyone they'd meet at these stands um they'd be like oh you're the mind pump crew and then you know instead of giving them a sample they'd turn around and hand them like a box and a business card. Like, do you guys accept sponsors on the podcast? We want to sponsor your show. And Sal, you know, being a great friend, he'd be like, hey, you know, me and my buddy with Kyle Kingsbury, he's starting a podcast. And this was before on it, obviously.

And it was funny because if people recognize me from fighting in the UFC, they'd be like, oh shit, dude, I used to love watching you fight. What are you doing now? And I was like, oh, I'm starting a podcast. It's going to be on this, this, and this. And it was very easy to talk to them. If not, if they didn't recognize me from fighting, then it was like, it was this weird pull

where I had, you know, like, oh, you're, oh, you don't, how many episodes do you have? Oh, zero, you know? And it was like fuck i felt so small in an instant and and then you know really diving into that and i couldn't really put my finger on it like why do i feel so fucking uncomfortable right now and then after a while i went um i forget what you guys call it it's like a it's like a barefoot meditation room it's a little tent that you have set up where you can just go the chill zone the chill zone yeah the

chill zone is so dope yeah so i go in there and and mike bledsoe's just chilling in there he's laid out giant smile on his face he's like come here brother give him a big hug and i drop into meditation i was like what's going on and i checked in and it was like oh i've never felt comfortable selling myself to others i've never felt comfortable explaining this is what what I do, this is what I know, or these are the things I'm passionate about. And I was being put to the fire right there as a first test because if you're going to do this, ultimately you have to talk about what you know.

And it was funny to see that dynamic there. And then fast forward to getting the job and on it, doing, obviously I'm in front of a camera way more often than I ever have before, not just with the podcast, but doing the life hack of the week through on it, social media and, and many other things. And so, you know, when I went to fill out the form to be a guest at Paleo FX as a speaker, there was one question and it made me, it made me laugh hysterically. It was, what qualifies you to be a panelist at Paleo FX? And I was like, I got this. And it sold out. A giant answer. But it was such a beautiful turnaround to see that. I have to say, that's the one question I love to read the most. It's hilarious. I love it. I love that question.

Rob's every single year. He says something new and hilarious and crazy, and we all get a big kick out of it. So I think one of the times that he wrote was there's, because payload effects, the standards are so low. So I can speak. That was one of his that we just died laughing.

And then the other one was, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a girl. And I was like, okay. All right, you're in. But yeah, it's this idea that you don't always have to know everything. You don't always have to know how it's going to work out. But if you follow your gut,

if you listen to your heart, and if you go towards the things that inspire you, they will work out. You don't have to figure out every fucking possible outcome in life. All you have to do is know like, oh, hey, I really want to do this thing and trust and have faith and belief that it will work out. And along the way, as you hit your speed bumps and roadblocks and you find different paths to take up the mountain, ultimately, you still find your way to the top of the mountain yeah you know i yeah i completely agree with that what's interesting um just in in watching how paleo fx has changed over the years

and what we've been able to um who we've been able to get at which by the way we i don't know if you knew this but dennis mckenna is going to be at payload what yeah no shit yeah when you mentioned terrence a few minutes ago i meant to tell you that but it's just like these these people that are just amazing people that you're like so we we listen to and we, we've been following for forever and, and it's so cool to watch how that's morphed and grown and who's come into the fold and who's, you know, just really killing it and making so many amazing changes in the world. And so, yeah, I just really, really, really like that we're in that space. And, and I, and I think it's because the people that are there are not afraid to go forward. And even when they have zero podcasts, when they have, you know, when you're just, you,

you feel so strongly and so passionately about what you, what you do know and what you feel can help other people. And you put that message out there. Amazing what happens. Yeah. How paleo effects kind of starts. So, yeah.

Beautiful. Well, I'm extra excited for this year's paleo effects for sure. Yeah. So, yeah. So Paul check and Dennis McKenna, I'll be on a panel together.

Massive. Yeah. Wow. Wow. They're going to be on a panel together. yeah wow wow they're gonna be on a panel together i guess i'm on a uh john durant hit me up who i'm a huge fan of i got to meet at a dinner with aubrey last year paleo effects huge fan is and we're i guess we're gonna be on a panel together yeah he was telling me so i'm like which i have no idea all i did was i just got the email that said that i was approved for the for the speaking engagement yeah I didn't see which panels I'm on.

I guess Sarah Gustafson is on a panel as well that I'll be on. I'm down for all of it. I have no idea. And I'm sure with the amount of speakers you have, you probably have no idea. I generally can keep everything, but this week has been a rough one. I'm a little tired so normally I can pull right where you're going to be and which

panels you're going to be on and I right now I'm drawing a blank and so I know you're on them but I just don't know why anyway so. Yeah I'm excited though honestly like I could be paired with anybody and there's a very high likelihood I'm going to know who I'm speaking with and what they're about and obviously have a lot of good stuff

to share and learn from. Yeah. Well, and the thing is too, what I love about PaleoFX too is meeting the new people. Getting to make these really great connections and new friends and that's pretty freaking cool

because what's great is there's kind of already a little vetting there when you're coming in is that they already are in your world they already are think what you do and how you live is norm is the norm and instead of you being a weirdo and you like what in the world you're you you don't want you don't want sugar and soy and gluten in your food? What's wrong with you? So it's kind of cool. Wheat's been a staple since Jesus. Come on.

Anyway, what's wrong with you people? Anyway, I just love that aspect of Paleo FX and getting to check out new people and meet new people. Yeah, many more coming. Yeah. So you said you you'd mentioned that you guys are working on something new you're birthing something new yeah into the actually it's me it is it's just me um so it's um i am going to be launching my own website. It will be coaching for women. It's around mindset, entrepreneurship, passion projects, and really just stepping into the feminine and working and operating from that authentic place

and finding our power there. And so, yeah, I'm going to be launching that very soon. I have, you you know we have social media build up for it right now um so we've been doing that so i can zero gravity soul is my all my all my social media so that's that's what we're doing oh that's amazing i just had a podcast with anahata that's the lady i was telling you about that I just visited out in Sedona. And we talked quite a bit about the Native American medicine wheel and balance. And then we just got to touch on for the last 15 minutes in that podcast. It should come out right around the same time shortly after yours or ours rather.

And she talked a bit about the divine masculine and the divine feminine and the aspects of the conscious and unconscious feminine, the aspects of the conscious and unconscious masculine. And how important it is that we embody the conscious versions of both of those because we all have those qualities. We all should have those qualities. It's not just for women to be nurturing. A good man should have some nurturing qualities. And not just for his children, but for his wife and for others and to be compassionate right many of the teachings we read about in the old books come back through these teachings but um yeah i'm really looking forward to that i think um i think that's a podcast you should definitely check out oh i definitely well amazing amazing person yeah definitely when you when you describe that to me about working with really helping women find themselves and and the beauty and the feminine that's the first person i think of Definitely will. twitter that's all of them on instagram and twitter though it is z-e-r-0 gravity soul um

because somebody had taken the other and wasn't using it but they wouldn't get rid of it so i put the number in so it's zero gravity soul with the number zero and then on facebook it's just zero gravity soul and uh yeah so i'm that's where i'm at and paleo effects is every year around the same time at the end of april correct yeah we um got ourselves moved back into april as of this year we were in may last year but we got ourselves back into april this year and we will be the same weekend next year the last weekend of april again so we're we're happy about that we just think that it's um much better for everybody as far as travel is concerned but also the weather's better and i noticed it was piping hot yeah

and it's just really difficult a lot of times in may because you have you know all kinds of graduations mother's day um it's proms the whole nine yards of course there's still a chance of proms and in april of course but um generally may is a pretty there's still a chance of problems in April, of course, but generally May is a pretty busy month for a lot of other things to go on. And so, and then of course you have Memorial Day weekend. And unfortunately, when you take the entire Palmer Event Center, your options for dates goes down dramatically. So we got stuck with Memorial Day weekend one year, and a lot of people were not happy about it. And we were like, I'm sorry, we're not, we didn't do it intentionally. And the same thing, we had it on Day weekend one year and a lot of people were not happy about it and we were like I'm sorry we're not we didn't do it intentionally and the same thing we had it on Easter weekend one year because the same thing happened we only had that option um and then you

know we don't want to go out into the summer here because it's just blazing hot it's brutal and it's not it's not fun it's not as fun for people to come to Austin and hang out. And we want them to really be able to enjoy their time in Austin too because it's such a cool city. So, yeah. And, you know, come over here to Onnit and hang out here. Yeah. Get some workouts in.

Get some food at the cafe. That's right. Hit the cryo. Hit the hot sauna with the infrared. Yeah. All the goodies. Yes. Well, it's been excellent having you on.

And I definitely want to get Keith on at some point. Yeah. It'd be excellent. And I'm really looking forward to Paleo FX. Oh, well, we're looking forward to it too. And I'm looking forward to hearing you talk. Awesome. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you guys for tuning in. Michelle Norris is an excellent, excellent lady. Somebody that I definitely want to spend more time with out here in Austin make sure you come to Paleo FX if you can I'm going to be speaking there along with a host of great influencers that

I've learned from for over the years and it's going to be an excellent one thanks for tuning in please leave us a five star review I ask quite often for this it takes 10 seconds of your time and it really helps get the word out about this great podcast thanks for tuning in guys