Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Maria Menounos on Why You Must Be the CEO of Your Health EP 399

Starting point is 00:00:00 Coming up next on PassionStruct. We have to take a lot more ownership over the health care situation in our lives because the doctors are overwhelmed. You know your body better than anybody at the end of the day. You have to keep fighting for answers. You have to keep pushing. If something isn't feeling right, you've got to keep going and getting a new doctor. If your doctor is maybe gaslighting you, and that's happened to me too, you just have to keep pushing. If the pain persists, so should you, you've got to keep looking. Welcome to Passion to keep pushing. If the pain persists, so should you. You gotta keep looking. Welcome to PassionStruct.

Starting point is 00:00:28 Hi, I'm your host, John Armeils. And on the show, we decipher the secrets, tips, and guidance of the world's most inspiring people and turn their wisdom into practical advice for you and those around you. Our mission is to help you unlock the power of intentionality so that you can become the best version of yourself. If you're new to the show, I offer advice and answer listener questions on Fridays. We have long-form interviews the rest of the week with guest

Starting point is 00:00:57 Ranging from astronauts to authors, CEOs, creators, innovators, scientists, military leaders, visionaries and athletes. Now let's go out there and become PassionStruck. Hello everyone and welcome back to episode 399 of PassionStruck. Consistently ranked by Apple as the number one alternative health podcast. And thank you to each and every one of you, come back to the show weekly to listen and learn, and to live better, be better in impact the world. I am so excited to announce the PassionStruct 50 Week Challenge, which just kicked off, and each week throughout 2024, I will be sending out a new challenge in our newsletter,

Starting point is 00:01:30 all aimed at helping you create a Passion Struct Life. You can join the challenge yourself by signing up for our newsletter at passionstruct.com and joining our Facebook group. Additionally, I have a special invitation for you. I'm excited to introduce our new Passion Struct Quiz. It's a unique opportunity for you to discover where you stand on the Passion Struck Continuum. Are you an orchestrator who balances various aspects of your life with passion and purpose? Or are you a vanquisher, conquering challenges and turning obstacles into opportunities?

Starting point is 00:01:56 Take the quiz on PassionStruck.com and find out which one resonates more with your journey. If you're new to the show, thank you so much for being here, or you simply want to introduce this, for a founder or a family member, and we so appreciate it when you do that. We have episode starder packs, which are collections of our fans, favorite episodes, that we organize in the convenience topics that give any new listener a great way to get acclimated to everything we do here on the show. Either go to Spotify or PassionStrike.com slash starder packs to get started. And in case you missed it, earlier this week I had two fantastic interviews. The first was with Jen Drummond, author of the new book,

Starting point is 00:02:25 Breakproof, Seven Strategies to Build Resilience and Achieve Your Life Goals. Throughout our discussion, I guide you on Jen's adacious journey to conquer the seven second summits. I also head on Dr. Scott Rick, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Our interview focuses on understanding the emotional causes

Starting point is 00:02:42 and consequences of the similar financial decision-making, with a particular interest in the behavior of tight wads and spendthrust. And if you love either of those episodes or today's, we would so appreciate you giving it a five-star review and sharing it with your friends and family. I know we, inner guests, love to see comments from our listeners, and more importantly, this brings more people into the past and struck community where we can bring them hope, meaning, and connection. In today's episode, I am thrilled to welcome an exceptionally talented and resilient guest, Maria Manunas. Maria is a renowned television personality, actress, New York Times bestselling author,

Starting point is 00:03:12 and journalist. But beyond her illustrious Priyana and Hollywood, she has a deeply-moving personal story of resilience, caregiving, and self-advocacy. As the daughter of Greek immigrants, Maria has built an extraordinary life branded in the values, hard work and determination. Today, we'll explore how her upbringing shaped her into the passionate and resilient individual she is. From her early life experiences to her breakthrough in Hollywood, Maria will share the defining

Starting point is 00:03:34 moments and challenges that have molded her journey. But Maria's story just isn't about the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world. She's faced her found personal challenges, including her mother's battle with Glyoblastoma and her own health struggles with the brain tumor and pancreatic cancer. These experiences have taught her invaluable lessons about caregiving empathy and the importance of being the CEO of your own health. And our conversation will delve into the emotional rollercoaster of dealing with a family member's illness while managing personal health crises. Maria will share insights in navigating complex communication tough times. Balance and care given was self-care and the power of intuition and self-avocacy in her

Starting point is 00:04:07 diagnosis and treatment. We also discuss her connection to the work of Dr. Joe D'Spenza, the technique she's embraced for healing and understanding her body's needs. And of course, we'll touch on her journey to motherhood and how it has reshaped her outlook on life. Doing this heartfelt and enlightening conversation with Maria Maninoza, she shares her journey. Of overcoming adversity, Embrace and change in living a life filled with passion and purpose. Let's get started. Thank you for choosing Passion Start and choosing me.

Starting point is 00:04:30 To be your host and guide on your journey to creating an intentional life. Now, let that journey begin. I am so honored today to have Maria Manunoz on Passion Struck. Welcome, Maria. Hi. Thanks for having me. Well, I'm going to start us off by talking about some of your foundations, looking back at your upbringing, how has being the daughter of Greek immigrants laid the foundation for the resilience and passion that you've shown throughout your life? I think my parents, whether it was through their culture or not, were just fighters and were hard workers and they just rolled with anything that came their way.

Starting point is 00:05:12 And so I watched my dad as a severe type one diabetic growing up, working his butt off to put food on the table as a janitor, cleaning multiple night clips throughout Boston, along with my mom and my brother and I. And so we watched a hardworking man just push through a disease that was very challenging for him because he didn't speak the language. My parents are both immigrants and trying to get a grasp on a disease when you don't even speak the language is very difficult.

Starting point is 00:05:42 There were no Greek translators. Let's just say that. So my dad would end up in the hospital constantly and ripped the IVs out, go back to work. And he never really committed to his disease. He was never, oh, I'm a diabetic owning it. I think sometimes we own our illnesses a little bit too much. And it's one of my messages is be committed

Starting point is 00:06:03 to possibility, don't be committed to the illness or the disease. And I watched him do that. And then when my mom was diagnosed with glial blastoma, state-tour brain cancer, she had a smile on her face. And she was never afraid. She was a total champion. And I don't know where she got the strength because I know I got my strength watching her walk through this the way she did. I don't know where she got the strength because I know I got my strength

Starting point is 00:06:25 watching her walk through this the way she did. I don't think that I would have walked through the things that I did without seeing that model. So whether it's my Greek foundation and our Greek groups are just plainly who my parents are as people, that's I think what laid my foundation down pretty well. Okay. And I want to talk more about your mom in a second, but this podcast in many ways is about how do you create an intentional life or how do you take action to unearth the life

Starting point is 00:06:58 that you want to create. And you are known for really having ambition and drive were there any defining moments or influences in your early life that sparked that? I think I was always mugging for the camera. I always was on the stage. So we used to clean this big nightclub called the channel in Boston. All the biggest acts would go through there. And I would just be on stage performing for my family. And they're just sweeping and mopping and cleaning. And I'm like be on stage performing for my family. And they're just sweeping

Starting point is 00:07:25 and mopping and cleaning. And I'm like up there with whatever drum said, whatever. I never learn how to play any of these instruments. But I would always be performing. I always wanted to be in in that arena. As I got older and started watching the news, I loved Joan London. And I loved how prestigious her position was and how she was doing something important. And I loved Joan London and I loved how prestigious her position was and how she was doing something important. And I loved chasing the fire trucks. I loved knowing what was going on and I was curious. So I think all of those things were just always in me. And then just the tough times I think growing up with my dad almost dying on the regular with his low blood sugar attacks and different things. I was really eager to get out and do something great to help my family and to make something

Starting point is 00:08:12 of myself. And I have a question here for one of my listeners. In an industry that's often criticized for superficiality, how have you managed to stay true to yourself and your values? Hmm. Thank you. Well, I appreciate that. I have to give my parents a lot of that credit. I think they did a great job raising me, but also keeping me grounded throughout this.

Starting point is 00:08:36 I always had my parents here with me. They would stay with me in California and my husband at the time, my boyfriend or partner. They were like my American Express card. I wouldn't leave home without them. So I would take them to the Oscars and I would take them to whatever event I was going to because to me, it was not meaningful or fun unless I got to enjoy it with them and see it through their eyes. Almost like parents say they want to see things through their kids eyes. My parents were immigrants from village with no running water. They didn't have shoes. They didn't have toothbrushes. And they grew up hard. So for me to get to see them live this glitz and glamour, that was

Starting point is 00:09:13 exciting for me. I didn't care so much. It was just more having them be a part of it. So I think being around them all the time definitely helped keep me grounded. Okay. And we're going to be talking about some of the low points that you've faced, but you've also had many high points out of all your achievements in the entertainment industry, which one do you hold closest to your heart and why? My achievements in the entertainment industry, I think, well, becoming a New York times bestselling author twice over was definitely shocking to me. I never thought in a million years I would write a book. And even when I wrote it, the publisher said,

Starting point is 00:09:52 don't even think about it. It's not going to happen. And what I made it, and not only did I bake it, I was number three on the list in the toughest category, advice and self-help, I was just blown away. So I think that for sure is something, I'm not big on awards, but that meant a lot to me because that was all from within, it was from scratch building something. And then I think my work on Nightly News, I think, was a big accomplishment to be a part of the most prestigious half hour of news when news is something that I was really passionate about pursuing was really exciting. And that's where I got to interview the Obama family. And that was historic because no one has had or had interviewed them as a family. So I would say those two things aside from my WWE performance. I mean, that's a given. Obviously being 4-0 in the WWE and wrestling

Starting point is 00:10:45 in WrestleMania as a highlight as well. Yes, I hadn't really understood that about you, but my dad is a huge fan. And when I told him that I was interviewing you, that was the first thing he brought up. Because you're wrestling career. So. Yeah, I grew up watching wrestling with my dad, loved it.

Starting point is 00:11:04 And then when I met my now husband, he was friends with Shane McMahon. And there was a moment where maybe he was going to go right for them. And then I would maybe wrestle as a little stockier then. So I could have really done some damage. But, but I ended up moving to LA and pursuing all of the things that I did, but it was always still there. I always still wanted to do it. And I'm just grateful they gave me the opportunity. Well, I'm going to just ask you one question since the wrestling thing came up. If you were

Starting point is 00:11:37 to create a wrestling alter ego for yourself, what would be your wrestling name and signature move? Well, I was going to be the golden Greek. That's where I really wanted to go with this, but then I got a brain tumor and then that just didn't work out anymore. But I wanted to be the golden Greek and I was going to have Greek dance into this and the arena and have everybody Greek dancing with me because I think interaction with the crowd is so fun. And maybe the signature move would be the buckle of our something, I don't know,

Starting point is 00:12:08 or just smush them. But yeah, crack some nuts on their head or something, wall nuts. Well, going back to your New York Times, that is such an accomplishment. And I have my own book coming out in February. So I know everything that comes with releasing a book and the pressure and everything else. So that's quite an accomplishment to do it twice. Thanks, almost three times. The third time I was just a couple books off, but. both your journey through cancer and your moms as well. And I wanted to first go into the area of reflecting and caregiving. Reflecting on your journey as a caregiver for your mom during her battle with Glyol Blastoma, what were some of the most profound lessons

Starting point is 00:12:57 you learned about caregiving and empathy that you can share with the audience? Well, I learned a lot about kind of the journey that you can share with the audience. While I learned a lot about kind of the journey that you can take, it's so hard because it's a challenging journey. It's there's so much work and there's so much pain and there's so much suffering. And you're at some point I realized

Starting point is 00:13:16 through my husband that I had been mourning her years before her even death because you lose a little bit of them along the way as they lose a little bit of themselves. I had some really great people through my show, Heal Squad, that were wonderful and helpful. This woman, Diane, was incredibly helpful. She just shared with me that this was my mom's journey, not mine. I think Gabby Bernstein shared that same sentiment with me.

Starting point is 00:13:40 A lot of people did that. It wasn't what I wanted. It's what she wanted. And sometimes that was hard to reconcile because I wanted a push and fight and come on, mom, get up. Let's move. If you don't move, we're not going to keep it. Once you lose it, that's it. You won't be able to get those muscles back. And at some point, she just didn't want to do it anymore. And I had to meet her where she was. And I think that's really hard for a lot of us that are dealing with patients that we love.

Starting point is 00:14:07 We want them to stay forever. We want to push them. And ultimately we do. We have to meet them where they are. So I think that was the toughest thing. Along with once you're in the system, that's when you start to see the flaws and the holes and we're so grateful for the incredible doctors that do incredible work, but they are still working within a flawed system that's really challenging. And again, people don't know it until they face it. I was helping a woman who reached out through my show this morning. And the email just made me sick to my stomach. It was like, nobody knows what's happening. I've lost 30 pounds. I've got my stomach bloated out to here. My dad died of pancreas cancer. I have no appetite. Every doctor is a three month weight, a referral here, fighting for a referral there. This one saying it's nothing.

Starting point is 00:14:56 No one listening to me. And so it's really hard. And when I started to even deal with hospice, I didn't know that they're given a certain budget a month and whatever they get to save, they get to keep. So that means maybe my mom will get certain things because they'll deny her so that they can keep that money. All of a sudden, I'm having a paper blood work out of pocket, which I shouldn't have. You start to see all of these things.

Starting point is 00:15:22 And so caregiving is a whole journey in and of itself, whether it's through the physical caregiving or the emotional caregiving. Sometimes you're scared to talk about the things you're scared about. Those were big moments for me. There's my mom looked to me like, I was her Tom Brady, I was her quarterback.

Starting point is 00:15:38 And I never wanted to show her fear. But there was one moment when I was really scared and the tumor had come back and I think it was John Edward my friend who's a psychic was like you need to keep having conversations with her and he really pushed me and I'm so grateful and I went downstairs and I sat next door on the couch and I just turned into her daughter and just cried and said I I'm scared. I don't know what's going to happen. I share that for people to know that you can do those things. On her last days, I had felt guilty about the times I was short or mean or stressed. And I apologized to her and I filmed it because I wanted to remember that I did it.

Starting point is 00:16:20 And I wanted to remember what she said. It got blessed. She was like, money, I have anything you did for me. Please, she was just so forgiving and so quick. But that saved me so much heartache over these last few years since her passing, because I'll think of a moment where I got short with her. And then I remember she forgave me and she releases me a bit every time. But we don't have those conversations because we're scared, but we need to. And that's part of the whole process. It's a tough process, but you definitely learn a lot and you grow a lot.

Starting point is 00:16:51 I'm going to ask you a couple of follow-ons to that, especially around having these difficult conversations. And I know for me, when my grandmother was in hospice for her lung cancer, and I showed up, she actually smiled at me and said, why are you wasting your time with me here? You could be out with your friends. But it was one of the memories I cherish the most. But as I was talking to you before we came on for the past three, four years, my sister has been battling pancreatic cancer.

Starting point is 00:17:24 And last year, my fiance's father lost his battle with lung cancer. And during both of those evolutions, I have had to ask a lot of tough questions. My fiance has had to ask a lot of tough ones, and they're not easy to do. When it came to discussing these tough topics related to your mom's health, how did you approach these conversations, who usually initiated them, and what is your advice to navigating them, if a listener is going through something like this? With my mom, it was me initiating them, but my mom had some moments where she wanted to ask me for my forgiveness for things, like little things she felt guilty about growing up.

Starting point is 00:18:02 where she wanted to ask me for my forgiveness for things, like little things she felt guilty about growing up. And I was like, Mom, you're holding on to this and carrying this. I don't even remember that I fell or whatever it was. So I think we both were having those moments. For me, I just had a muster up the courage and just do it. And I just share it with people all the time because, like I said, the guilt we carry later is just too painful and so unnecessary because if we can just muster up the courage, you probably

Starting point is 00:18:33 will be released of any of it very easily. So you just have to do it. Just be like Nike, just do it. And for me, on my end, I remember even when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, I didn't tell anybody, but my husband and my best friend. And then at some point my husband said, you need to tell a few of your other friends, you need more support. It was so weird. I cried every time I told somebody, feeling bad that I'm telling them this because I'm

Starting point is 00:19:01 bringing bad news to their doorstep when I hadn't even cried about the diagnosis or anything else. So they're just, they're awkward things and you have to just do it. That's it. One of my favorite episodes I did this past year was with my friend, Chris Carr, who you may know. And we discussed her latest book, which is really all about breathing and emotions. What is your recommendation for listeners having navigated the grieving process with your mom on how, if they experience

Starting point is 00:19:33 something like this, they can find healing and peace themselves? I think the grieving process is different for everybody. I think everyone grieves differently. So just remember that. And whatever that looks like for you is okay. If you just need to cry it out for a couple of weeks, cry it out, let it out. If you want to bear it yourself and work, everyone's going to do it in a different way. I don't think there's a wrong way to really do it. I do think that trying to face as much of it as you can early on will help you later so that you can move on quicker and then try to carry their memory in a more positive way. So for me, I was like a walking zombie for just a couple of months. I just really sat in it.

Starting point is 00:20:17 And I think there was just so much disbelief like when you're taking care of someone for so long and then they're gone. And now your identity is gone. I was a caretaker for so many years. I was in charge of someone's life in a big way. So there are adjustments that have to happen and you have to find yourself again and figure out where you wanna go now

Starting point is 00:20:37 and what you're gonna do and reestablish new relationships like my dad. I realized so much of my relationship with my dad was through my mom. You know, you talked to your mom on the phone. Oh, mom What about dad this and then you say hello to your dad, but a lot of it was navigated through her So I had to reestablish a new relationship with him and ironically the pancreas cancer I think was the way because we got to spend real time just together in a special way while I was healing So yeah, I think you just the more you can

Starting point is 00:21:05 sit with it, I think the better. And I know I kept a picture and still have a big picture of my mom in my kitchen so that every day I can put my hand on her chest and say hello and feel like she's still there with me every single day. Find ways to keep their memory alive. I talked to her throughout the day, ask her questions. I hear her answers. So yeah. I think that's a very important thing to talk about because I earlier in the year, had Rebecca Rosen on the show who's a psychic and she talked about just how much you are able to communicate with the loved ones that you have and how you can get the answers from them in so many different ways. So that's

Starting point is 00:21:45 really a fitting way to for you to handle that. So thank you for that. And I know, and it's so hard for me to believe, but while your mom was going through her health challenge, you also discover that you have a brain tumor. How in the world did you balance caring for your mom while also having to take care of your own health? That was definitely my biggest concern, but I have a wonderful husband who really helped. And my dad really took charge. I sent them on a cross-country trip at one point because my dad was coming into my room, seeing me just recovering from brain surgery as rough. And he would just burst into my room and cry. And so I looked at my husband and I go, send them on a road trip. He's like, what? I go, it's their

Starting point is 00:22:30 dream. Send them on a road trip. I can't heal if I have to keep faking that I'm okay for him. So we sent them back to the East Coast. And I got my time to heal and they got a really great trip out of it. So everybody else just stepped up. Well, one of the things I really wanted to talk about and I've done it in a couple episodes that I've had PanCan executives and credit cancer action at work executives on the show is early detection. And I know for my sister for a time, she felt like something was wrong. Her

Starting point is 00:23:07 energy levels were depleted, but she really just couldn't put a finger on it. And I know you also faced a number of initial symptoms that prompted you to seek medical help. However, you weren't getting the answers that you seeked at that time. Can you talk about that? answers that you seek at that time. And you talk about that? Yeah, for at least a year I was feeling stuff. I was super bloated. I'd always had flat stomach flat abs and all of a sudden I've got a basketball

Starting point is 00:23:33 and I would take pictures of it in the mirror and be like, what is this? What's going on? But just documenting. And then I got an endoscopy and colonoscopy. They found some stuff but nothing connected to that. Then I started having severe abdominal pain, a couple of flights or one flight. I had severe abdominal pain.

Starting point is 00:23:51 I thought it was a salad. I was eating or whatever. Then I think it was in October or November, maybe I was in severe pain. Went to the hospital. They did a scan. They said everything was fine. So thereafter, anytime I complained of pain, my doctor, which made sense, he said, we just scanned your body, you're fine, there's nothing

Starting point is 00:24:10 there. But the radiologist had missed it. And so there was a two centimeter tumor on my pancreas at that time, it wasn't until I did a scan with an outside facility in January that they discovered it. And so I went back and, you know, was confirmed and I had to have surgery. So they took the tail of my pancreas, spleen, 17 lift nodes, and a fibroid off my uterus,

Starting point is 00:24:35 all in one surgery, got it all out, and pathology came back, cancer hadn't spread anywhere. It was a neuroendocrine tumor. And that was it. I was luckily able to catch it before because by the time we found it in January, two months later, it had doubled in size. So it was on the move, even from biopsy, it was grade one in biopsy, and then grade two in the pathology. Now they said that sometimes in different places, it'll be a different grade, but who knows?

Starting point is 00:25:06 Yeah, well, what went through your mind during this process, especially when tests like the CT scan initially showed that everything was fine, but you inherently knew it wasn't. It's weird because it comes and goes. So there were moments where I felt great, I was working out and I was feeling good, am I okay, and then it would hit. So it's a very sneaky little disease or illness or situation, whatever you want to call it.

Starting point is 00:25:33 But I knew I had to keep pushing. And maybe my mom sent that woman to me because I had tried everything at that point. Well, one of my good friends, Bill Potts, has beaten cancer six times. And he has written a great book called Up for the Fight where he advocates in the book for the importance of being the CEO of your own health. And I know this is something that you also would like to talk about.

Starting point is 00:25:58 Yeah. Can you elaborate on how your own intuition and self-advocacy played a critical role both in your diagnosis and treatment and why this is so important for other people to understand? Yeah, I mean, it's the basis of everything I do every day with this show. My podcast heals quad. I'm telling everyone every day,

Starting point is 00:26:17 we have to take a lot more ownership over the healthcare situation in our lives because the doctors are overwhelmed and you know your body better than anybody at the end of the day. So you have to keep fighting for answers. You have to keep pushing. If something isn't feeling right, you've got to keep going and getting a new doctor. If your doctor is maybe gaslighting you or that's happened to me too, you just have to keep pushing. If the pain persists, so should you, you got to keep looking. And sometimes you have to go to one outside facility, like I did, I had done everything at that

Starting point is 00:26:49 point that I thought was possible. I did not consider getting a second opinion on the CT scan, which is what I should have done. And so in the future, if you feel like you got a scan and you're still having pain, take it to another facility and get a second opinion because maybe they missed it. People are exhausted, people have intense lives, maybe they're dealing with a caregiving situation at home and they're still trying to do their shifts at the hospital. There's so many situations that could be going on.

Starting point is 00:27:19 People are being negligent, it's just they're human. So you really have to be educated in this. Financial literacy is really important. I think health literacy is really important now. Yeah, and I would just wanted to shortly tell the story of my sister's experience because she initially was found to have a two centimeter tumor like you described on her head of her pancreas and then where they do CT scans and they had shown that it had metastasized and that she wasn't eligible for it anymore. But she felt great. She didn't feel like their test was accurate. And so she advocated she had UT Austin do an MRI which showed that it hadn't

Starting point is 00:27:59 metastasized but still MD Anderson wasn't buying it. So she had to go through having to get a lipersus. They did an MRI. It didn't show anything. They then went in to take a piece of it to examine whether there was anything on her liver. They didn't find anything and then they reluctantly agreed to do the Whipple surgery and the doctor told her afterwards that he imagines after about five minutes he was gonna have to sew her up. But as it turns out they didn't find any evidence of it and she was able to have the whip. So my just like you is if you have intuition if you use whatever resource you have because wind it up listening the help of a board member at Pancan who actually went to a doctor he knew at MD Anderson who got

Starting point is 00:28:46 the oncologist who were treating her to do a board to review it everything. But if that had never happened, she probably would have never had that surgery. So what did they say about the MRI that had all the metastases on it? Was it somebody else's? They can't explain it. They can't explain if it was a bad reading or what exactly happened. And I also have a hard time understanding why they only rely on CTs and will not look at MRIs. They at MD Anderson, they only use CTs. Yeah, and the CTs, they said aren't clear enough. Yes, the whole thing is so confusing to me. Yeah. One of the areas I wanted to go into with you is I understand that you were able to

Starting point is 00:29:33 diagnose your cancer because you had access to a full body scan. And for the average person, insurance, let's face it, they're not covering these. Although I am seeing more companies that are providing them for a person who doesn't have access to things like that, what is available for them to detect pancreatic cancer and what would you suggest if they did want to do a full body scan? So it's really hard right now. It's definitely a mission of mine to get these covered for people because it makes sense for insurance companies to do this. But there's, it's just you have to keep pushing. And I think an MRI is going to be your best bet is getting somebody to give you that MRI to check

Starting point is 00:30:17 whatever you're feeling because a CT scan isn't going to be clear enough. If you can negotiate a financing plan with one of these outside scan companies, that's an idea of doing go fund me. People do that all the time with success where there's a will there's a way we have to fight. And that outside scan saved my life. So I don't know what I would have done if that wasn't available. Yes. Well, I just hope that we start using these things more prevalently because to me, you spend a lot less money when you detect something early than when they have to spend all the money and resources to fight it longer on. When we, this is another question from a listener and they wanted to ask you,

Starting point is 00:31:02 when the days were really tough, those really hard ones where you feel defeated. What was the motivation you had to overcome and be the strong warrior that it took you to overcome this and how did you remain positive? There were definitely moments I was on my knees and not thinking I was going to make it and really scared. My husband was a great resource of strength for me, but I also have such a strong relationship with God and our healing saints, Satan, Octarios, and the Virgin Mary. And I prayed all three of them every day. And I asked for help. I asked for guidance, like I always do. And I know they gave me strength. And I started to realize that I was predicting and ending to a story. And it stopped my choice. There's nothing I can do. And so I had to

Starting point is 00:31:47 leave it to God and I had to believe that there was possibly a better ending. I had a baby on the way. I had to focus on that. I started using this technique called choose wonder over worry. So I would say wonder what it's going to be like when the doctor calls me with good news next, and he would, I wonder what it's going to be like when I get through surgery and I'm okay, and I'm safe. And so I just kept doing that. You have to use tools in these moments. You have to use quotes, you have to use movies, whatever inspiration you can get. That's why I put the show I'm so passionate about what we do because we're bringing in experts that are sharing those tools that are giving us these different ways to look at things, these different ways to go through these devastating journeys. I think that we need more examples of people going through things

Starting point is 00:32:35 in a different way. For example, I had a moment recently where I thought something was going south and I said, I wonder if this is if we just instead of looking at things like, oh my gosh, can you believe this is happening? Oh my gosh, I have this horrible diagnosis. What if we started looking at it like, what if it's God redirecting us? What if it's God showing us that we need to pay more attention to this area or to something in our lives that's hurting us, that's not good for us, or something like that. And then once I thought that, I started using it.

Starting point is 00:33:10 And it really helped me a lot. I can completely relate to that because was that same exact situation that caused me to do what I'm doing today. And I really leaned into that relationship that I have with God. And I learned that I wasn't doing what he wanted me to be doing Which is what I'm doing today and speaking of those sayings that you brought up earlier

Starting point is 00:33:30 I know that you have a really strong connection to the teachings of Dr. Joe to spend a whom I greatly admire myself Can you share in addition to those thoughts some of the most effective techniques or tools you've adopted From his work connect with your body and soul for healing and understanding your body's needs addition to those thoughts, some of the most effective techniques or tools you've adopted from his work connect with your body and soul for healing and understanding your body's needs. I think Dr. Joe's techniques have been a game-changing. Tony Robbins as well, it's funny, he and I were chatting the other day and I was just saying, how grateful I am to him again, because if I hadn't gone to his seminars, I wouldn't have gathered those tools that helped me through these challenging moments. That was more foundation being laid down. Life isn't happening to you.

Starting point is 00:34:11 It's happening for you. With Dr. Joe, it was a whole other level of calming my nervous system down and really changing my thoughts. I had a lot of really fear-based thoughts that were taking over my brain a lot. And I was able to really make incredible change in my head. What goes on between my ears and then of course that had its effect on my nervous system and took anxiety away and so much. So I credit both of them immensely with helping me pour a new foundation because the foundation we get as young people is what they,

Starting point is 00:34:53 you gotta keep pouring. I have additions, building additions to my house. Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a mother and how it has changed your outlook on life? Well, my priorities are in a whole other place. For example, I have to go right now because I have to go be with my baby. She is the light of my life. It's been a 10 year journey to get to her. And I know that she's ushered in a whole new chapter of her, me and my family. It's just pure joy. She's the greatest thing that ever happened to me. She's my greatest blessing. And I'm going to teach her and I am teaching

Starting point is 00:35:30 her by example every single day to be the CEO of her health. Well, Maria, thank you so much for doing this. It was such an honor to have you on the show. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Appreciate it. What an incredible interview that was with Maria Manunoz. And I wanted to thank Maria and Pancan for the honor and privilege of having her appear on today's show. Links to all things Maria will be in the show notes at passionstruck.com. Please use our website links if you purchase any of the books from the guests that we featured here on the show. All proceeds go to supporting the show. Videos are on YouTube at both our main channel at John our Miles and our clips channel at passionstruckClips. Please go and subscribe. Every time your deals and discount codes are in one community place, a PassionStruck.com slash deals. Please consider supporting those who support the show.

Starting point is 00:36:10 I also wanted to tell you about the PassionStruck 50-week challenge, which just started in January. Every week in my newsletter, I'm going to drop a new challenge that will help get you closer to living a PassionStruck life. Go to PassionStruck.com right now and sign up for the newsletter and get access to every challenge throughout the year. And you'll also be able to sign up for a Facebook group that will be supporting everyone who's taking the challenge.

Starting point is 00:36:34 I'm at John Armiles on all the social platforms and you can sign up for my work intentionally newsletter on LinkedIn. And if you want to know how I managed to book the amazing guests like Maria Menuno's on my show, it's because of my network, go out there and build your network before you need it. You're about to hear a preview of the PassionStruck podcast interview that I did with Jen Gottlieb, a powerful figure in the world of personal branding, and an authentic communicator. Jen has an illustrious career as a VH1 host, Broadway actress, and co-founder of Super Connector Media, and she brings a tapestry of her experiences to the table. Her best selling book, Be Seen, is not just a title. It's a manifesto for those

Starting point is 00:37:10 seeking to make a difference in their field. I'm very guilty of like saying like, oh, I can't do that. I'm not good enough at it. I'm not good at that. But if you just take the word yet and you tie it on to any sentence and you say, I'm not good at that yet. All of a sudden, you give yourself a little bit more like, you do it, a little bit more courage. I'm not good at that yet. All of a sudden, you give yourself a little bit more, like, you do it, a little bit more courage. I'm not good at that yet, because maybe you got good at it. But you absolutely can get good at it.

Starting point is 00:37:32 You absolutely can. And if you look backwards for proof that you are good at learning and implementing and sticking with the commitments that you make with yourself and you have done really awesome things in your life, then you can always bring that part of you back. The fee for the show is that you share it with family or friends when you find something useful

Starting point is 00:37:47 or inspirational. If you found today's episode with Maria Maninos, useful or interesting, then definitely share the show with someone who could use her advice. The greatest compliment that you can give us is to share the show with those that you love and care about. In the meantime, do your best to apply what you hear on the show so that you can live what you listen.

Starting point is 00:38:04 And until next time, go out there and become Ash and Strong. you

Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Maria Menounos on Why You Must Be the CEO of Your Health EP 399

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