THE ED MYLETT SHOW - A Second Chance at Life - w/ Maria Menounos

Episode Date: August 4, 2020

Stress kills and life is going to keep on hitting… so what do you do? This interview is going to change lives! Life is hard… especially right now. And as so many people across the globe are staring pain and tragedy in the face, this interview couldn’t come at a better time. Everyone’s struggle is unique. But the skills you’ll learn from this amazing guest can be universally applied to almost any circumstance to help you SMILE through the PAIN. Positive energy literally radiates from this woman and I am so excited and honored to have Maria Menounos on this episode of The Ed Mylett Show. Maria is an Emmy winning reporter, TV personality, pro wrestler, actress, and businesswoman. And even with all of her life’s achievements, she is NOT immune to the battles that life throws our way. But her ability to use the power of a smile to change her own state of mind and the state of others around her is truly transformational. In this interview, Maria takes us on her life-changing journey from learning that her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer to finding out that she ALSO had a brain tumor and would need an operation. Instead of allowing STRESS, FEAR, and DEPRESSION to paralyze her, Maria shares how she made a conscious decision to face her brain tumor head-on with HUMOR and how something as simple as a SMILE can make all the difference! Stress levels around the world are at an all-time high. Maria and I dive deep into the effects of STRESS on the body and reveal secrets on how to REDUCE the STRESS in your life RIGHT NOW. Life’s most difficult battles often open our eyes to what is really important in life and help us redefine the true definition of success. It’s almost like getting a second chance at life. Most of us are in the thick of a mess right now. But no matter what battle you’re fighting, this interview will enrich you, enlighten you and fill you with positivity.

This is the Edmmerwood Show. Welcome back to Max out everybody. I am really excited to have this lady on my show today because she's special. Not only is she a special human being, but she's had a very special life and a very very interesting last three or four years of her life as well. And so if you're on YouTube and you're watching this, you recognize her face probably immediately. If you're on audio, I can tell you that she's done a lot of stuff. She's maxed out a lot of areas of her life. She's she's a bit of television host, she's an actress, he even dabbled in the WWE. She's a sought after person of inspiration and

coaching now in the world. She's also a wife and she's become a friend of mine. And I'm excited about the conversation today because I think she's going to share with you some insights and perspective that she's uniquely qualified to deliver to you. So, Maria Manunoz, thank you for being here today. Thank you. I'm so honored to be on your show. Well, I was honored to be on yours. So it's nice to have you finally with our audience.

This is the max out universe that you're now a part of. And we could go a lot of places with your story. By the way, I've told you as I've told you this off-cam reader, I'm also from Massachusetts. I think that's why we have a connected energy. So I'm from the hood. I'm from Waymas. Waymas. By the way, I see that to everybody and they do that right there. Oh, that's yeah. Waymas. That's that far away area. Yeah, there's nothing No one ever goes that it was no like anecdote that is beautiful all my friends from way myth

Don't take that personally, but in your med where you medford where you work? Yeah, otherwise known as medford med fit Made a mass at least I did my research. I did this is impressive. Yeah. Did you have an accent on her? Good time and if I go back I have it in about two days. Me too. Yeah. Oh my god. I spat a potty and I get me to tie it and if I'm drunk forget it. It like it comes back like in a second. That is wicked awesome. It like it goes back like in a second. That is wicked awesome

Yeah, everything I go back like two days in a bus to the accent again But I'm weird. I go to Canada and like after five days. I'm like saying a suit So I don't there's something wrong. I'm gonna say why I'm very like yeah, I catch I catch them quick Yeah, for sure. I want to talk to everyone talk about today. Well, there's a lot, but I think that, you know, we're in an interesting time. You and I are just some of this off camera. And I'm just, I'm curious for you, how have you been navigating these times between,

you know, obviously COVID, no matter what time someone listens to this, it's made an indelible mark in society. At the time of you and I are recording this, it seems like maybe there's a resurgence of some type happening. Obviously, there's a presidential election. Everyone's talking about bad stuff.

There's the social justice and racial justice issues that the world is grappling with and trying to make change in right now. What have you been doing to kind of cope or thrive during this time? Anything different or unique? Yeah, I think so. I'm leaning very heavily on the tools I've acquired at our mutual friend Tony Robbins, seminars and books, the Gabby Bernstein, the Esther Hicks, the Wade Dyer's, all of the tools that I've been acquiring these last three years.

Oh no, well, last decade actually, because Tony was probably eight years ago when I first started going to seminars. I'm leaning heavily on my tools because it is a really challenging time. And then my show, Better Together, that you were on, was just a once a week show. And that was really my way of continuing my education and the spiritual and emotional physical health world, and how to get better in kind of all areas, including even finance and relationships and more. When COVID hit, I needed to be with people.

And I decided to take my show to every day, so that I could be there. And it really quickly became my same space to go to, to try to be positive, to be away from the news, to continue to keep in some form of alignment. And so that's what I've been doing. I've been, you know, leading heavily on my meditation and trying and then being honest when I'm faltering, like when I'm having moments, you know, today on my show is like, okay, there's another pandemic. There's another flu in the pigs. And yep, this is awesome.

And so I kind of confront everything head on. However, I'm feeling is how I'm feeling. I'm not going to be perfect at every moment. I'm not going to be happy go lucky, even though I'm a pretty positive person most of the time. I'm trying to give myself those moments and allow it because you have to, right? Like those are the uncomfortable moments that you can grow from. It can't always be rar rar rar, sunshine and rainbows. Like Rocky says, life's going to keep hitting. So yeah,

it's interesting to give yourself a little bit of grace, which your industry is not really known for you know, I think the pressure of being in your industry being on camera all the time, a period of look perfect, a perfect, you've had a life event we're gonna talk about in the minute that I think gave you some perspective that you need, but before we get to that, it's really where I wanna go from my own benefit.

Candidly, I've been looking forward to today. There's some shows I'm like, I'm just excited to share this person with the audience. And then there's some shows where I'm excited to share this time with this person for me. And so, I'm excited about that for me today. But give us one of those tools though you're referring to. Which one you need to.

You said meditation, but is there one thing you do? Do you have a gratitude exercise? Is there something you do with your breathing, physically, water, anything you do? Specifically one of those tools that you're relying on right now? One of the biggest things is I end my night with my prayers, but what I added to my prayers was literally listing everything that happened that day that I was grateful for. Down to the butterfly that flew near me, right?

To the great phone call, I had with someone that lifted me in a moment I needed to be lifted or the deal that came through or my health that continues or whatever I list every moment of the day. And part of it is actual strategy, right? So when you list everything you're grateful for, you are in an alignment that continues to pour more of that towards you, right? That's just energy. And so it's a smart technique, but it's also a great way to end your day

because it's so easy to go through your day and remember the bad, right? And then hold on to the bad and forget the good. And so when you do that, a force you'd say, oh, that was actually a pretty good day. It wasn't at all what I was thinking in this moment. And then you pray for more abundance and in all areas and for protection.

And so we end in a peaceful place. And that's been really helpful for protection. And so we end in a peaceful place. And that's been really helpful for me. And I know the laws of attraction are really powerful. And so I use it to my advantage. And I try to teach other people, like part of my prayer is like, I'll say, please continue to flow abundance of help into my life, into my family's life.

Please continue to flow money easily and frequently into my life. Please continue to flow amazing, incredible people, investors, collaborators, producers, to help bring my visions to life and to help me in my personal life. And so I keep those things like ongoing every night. And it helps because every day, at someone comes in in my life, and I'm like, I literally call someone comes into my life and I'm like,

I literally call it God's week. So I'm like, thank you God. Yep, you heard me last night. Thank you. Yep, I'll take that person. Thank you. I'll take that person. I'll take that moment.

That's what I do. Well, what it does, too, is it opens up, you have that reticular activating system in your brain. And when you do something late at night like that, where you start to take inventory of your gratitude, your mind starts to look for those things the following day because it knows you've got this ritual in this routine and it begins to change the filter

that you look through the world with. And you begin to see these things that were always there, but maybe you missed because you weren't looking for them. I'm gonna tell you something about you that I noticed before I knew you, when I would watch you in interviews, and one thing I've noticed today when I did your show, a couple of our mutual friends have told me this about you.

It's this one thing I want to tell you that you do and maybe you're not even conscious of it. I really love people that have gifts I don't have. So I noticed gifts that I wish I had and other people. And one of the things you do a lot, this may seem really small, but I think it changes someone's life, is you smile a lot. And that he just did the second one. And like, she's got this like legendary laugh too, which is kind of like this thing with you. Like, people kind of know when they're that laugh at you. But I actually, when I look, when I listen to you, I'm talking about all the way back when I'd watch you like on e and I watch other hosts standing there with you. There's like a little bit of a

light that comes through you. There's an energy about you. I think it's one of the reasons you're so successful in your career. I don't think most people put their finger on it. Like I want to smile when I'm around you. I kind of want to be a little bit happier when I'm around you. And I have this way that I think I do, I have an impact on people, but I've kind of a serious look. I'm not conscious of smiling enough and laughing enough. And maybe that seems like a simple thing I'm saying to the audience, but it's something

Maria really does well. Go look at a bunch of YouTube clips of interviewing people and you'll see what you see right now. More than a more than a normal host is playing the role of hosts right and I do do it on your show that's not on purpose is it is that just the way you are. Oh funny thank you so much no one's ever said that to me. Henry Winkler calls me Holly Go Lightly. I will say this when you were saying it, I heard my mom in the background, because my mom, when she was first interviewed, the very first time someone interviewed her about me, it was Team People magazine, I was getting some award,

and they said, you know, tell us about Maria, she goes, Maria, she was always smiling. Wow. Yeah, and I was from Go, like always smiling, and so yeah, that's my mom saying that just connected right now with what you're saying because I smile even in like tough moments like it makes no sense sometimes it's just. It's just there and I love laughing Maria. It's a huge tool. I'm hoping everyone driving in the car Everyone in their treadmill right now goes, you know, you can change your state by smiling. You can change your state by laughing more often. It sounds so hokey and basic, but I'm telling you,

you know, you learn this from Tony too. We do depression. We do anxiety. It's a physical move. We do joy though. We do peace. And one quick way is, it's very difficult to be laughing off camera when we're physical move. We do joy, though. We do peace. And one quick way is, it's very difficult to be laughing off camera, but we're on camera,

but we're not recording it. You were taking me through a really stressful thing you're going through in another area of your life. I'm watching you because I'm crazy. As you're telling me the story, you're sort of smiling as you're telling me the story. It minimizes the impact that has on us. This is one of Maria's really truly great gifts you guys. I'm telling you, and it's something you should start

to add to your repertoire of being more intentional about smiling and laughing more often. And when you see people changing their state, I'm smiling more because she's smiling back at me right now. This isn't... You know, funny is when I was doing IVF injections, I found that when you smile through the pain, like through the pain of the injection, you don't feel it.

So literally just smiling through the injection, you won't feel it. Wow, guys, okay, 300 shows 20 billion hours of personal development in business and we've stumbled into unsharted territory right here. I'm telling you, this is breakthrough stuff. Very, very good. So you are an expert now, though, on some difficult times. You are an expert now, though, on some difficult times. So smiling, talking about smiling through. I let's smile all the way through it. So, so guys, here we go.

This is where you just go, wow. Okay. So, I want to talk about, you know, defining moments in life. So those of you that don't know, Maria was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017, I believe, on your 39th birthday, actually, correct? That's when I had surgery. Nourgery on your 39th birthday. Yeah, it was like two months before I got diagnosed. And prior to that, I'll let you tell it, but prior to that, this is interesting. Your mother was also diagnosed with brain cancer prior to that.

And my recollection in researching it was, when it happened, you actually prayed and said, Lord, why couldn't I please have this because I'm the fighter, I'm the strong one. Is that true? Yeah, it was challenging with my mom at some point and I was so Tired and sad and I just said God, I wish you gave this to me. I could have handled it better and then boom

I got diagnosed with a brain tumor So when we talk about how powerful Words are and the universe and all of that like listen medically My neurosurgeon believes it had been there for probably a decade. And I actually feel like I know the inciting incident of it. I know I was going through a really toxic situation. And I remember getting all these rashes.

And the doctors didn't know what they were. But now when I look at some of the deeper research with the tumor that I have, which is called the meningioma, it makes a little bit more sense, but yeah, I did. You never wanna see people that you love and pain, and I know now how tough I am. And I was just kinda like, I would fight harder. My mom fights in her way,

and I have to accept the way she fights now. But I'm like, come on, get up. Like, walk, keep moving. Like, don't give in. And so it's challenging because the brain, once it gets damaged, it's hard to overcome that damage. And so radiation and the cancer itself and the the key mose and all of this stuff, we've actually been very successful against it. So she was diagnosed late August 2016 with stage 4 brain cancer. It's called glioblastoma. It's one of the deadliest cancers you can get. I think the medium life expectancy is like six to 12 months. Luckily, I didn't read that in the moment.

I was supposed to get on a plane that next day to London to interview Renee Solberger for Bridget Jones Diary, too, I believe it was. And I got a phone call from my dad, and they said they found a tumor, and I collapsed. And I ended up somehow getting packed by a friend and sent to the airport the last seat on the plane flew to the East Coast and within two days we got that diagnosis. So I had to become an expert really fast and luckily with my position in this business I was able to get the best doctors together and I created like my board of

brain tumors, my board of directors, and I got opinions from everybody and I used their guidance at first, but what I realized along the way and my biggest lesson in all of this is that you have the guidance inside of you that you really need to get through a major life crisis or a major disease too. So I'm not a doctor, but what I've realized is my gut instinct and my intuition for my mom has been the most powerful and most successful tool. I've had to keep her alive now almost four years later to all of the doctors surprise. And it's one of the things I coach people on the side. So I have had over a hundred brain tumor patients at this point in the last three years that

I've coached through brain surgeries and cancers. And then I've dabbled with other cancers too because I think the same methods apply and it's things that people aren't telling you, right? When you get sick, you lay your everything at the foot of a doctor who has maybe 15 minutes with you every time they see you. And they don't have the time to look at you as an individual to really look at the full picture. That's why people talk about holistic, but they get the wrong idea of holistic. Gotta look at what started this. And usually with cancer, is there's an emotional component

that people are overlooking. There's a trauma, there's a deep rooted pain that has manifested over the years, and then compile that with like four diets and stuff is just, you know, has manifested into something physical. So with my mom, I knew instantly we needed to deal with the emotional.

I knew we needed to deal with the spiritual and of course the physical. And part of the physical were things that they would not recommend necessarily. I started researching the ketogenic diet. And most doctors kind of, you know, they're like, oh, we see patients, families, you know, torture them all the time, just let her eat what she wants., we see patients, families, you know, torture them all the time,

just let her eat what she wants. And I'm like, so are you basically giving in? Like, so her neuro surgeon, when I suggested it, he said, listen, we don't have the evidence to support this, but I think it's a good idea. To me, it made sense, instinctively, if you are pumping sugar into my body and an MRI to see where the cancer is, okay, let's avoid sugar. So I modified the diet because I didn't think the ketogenic diet was healthy on its own anyway because I can't imagine ingesting that much fat is really smart. So I said, okay, we'll use the fats as a cheat since she can't have the sugar.

But we're really just going plant-based, hopocrates, let food be that medicine. And so I did a lot of this stuff and then I supplemented her But we're really just going plant-based Hupocrates left food be that medicine. And so I did a lot of this stuff and then I supplemented her because I also think the other thing that people forget with cancer is that you can't take an ailing body, pump all these toxins and all these treatments in and not try to support it at the same time to handle all of that.

And so for me, supplementing her body with as much as I could to offset some of these things, whether it was kiddie supplements or liver supplements or brain supplements or just vitamin C, high dose vitamin C, and all of these things. Adding marijuana, all of these things made such a big difference. And then also, like I said, using your gut instinct. And so I had pre-researched a facility in Mexico knowing there might be a moment as a good producer that you might need it. And you don't want to be in that frantic moment.

What do I do? You want to be like, oh, we're in this moment. Got it. I know where I'm going. And so we did a lot of that. And ironically, when I took her to Mexico, I had been suffering from a lot of pains in my head too at the time.

And so I went and I got an MRI that I had been putting off because at some point I realized I am crazy. I went to the doctor and I said, I'm getting these headaches. And yeah, I'm slurring my speech on said and all this weird stuff's happening and then I looked at him and he go, oh shit, and he goes, what? I go, I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but I think I have a brain tumor like my mom. And I got it with myself. Yeah. So I got tested and the day I checked my parents in in Mexico, I literally unpacked

them, put all their things away, set them up because they were going to be there for two weeks, and the doctor called me and he's like, I don't know how to tell you this, but you have a brain tumor as well. And so I instantly started filming myself, because I wanted to remember how I handled the scariest worst moment that you're ever going to have. So I documented the entire journey and I made a conscious decision. So funny that you pointed this out and this is so crazy, but I made a conscious decision to go through it with humor and and positivity because it was such a crazy lightning striking kind of moment. I've had the head researcher in the country say it was literally like lightning striking.

This doesn't happen. Mother daughter, tumors isn't a thing. And so my best friend was horrified, but even I had pre, this is a good one. So I had pre RSVP to an event for my mom's neurosurgeon, Dr. Keith Black. And it was to take place on June 7th. And so then I get diagnosed. I end up in his office.

And I can't believe this is happening. He's like, you know, here are the dates that I have available. It was like June 2nd. I'm like, oh, I have shoot. June 8. Okay, cool. We'll do June 8. So June 8 happened to be my birthday. And I was like, okay, this is happening for a reason. This is my rebirth. I'm changing my whole life. Whatever. So you look to me. He's like, so that event June 7th, honoring me, obviously you're not going to come. And I go, no, I'm not going to come.

And he's like, what? I'm like, I said, I'm going to come. I'm going to come. And I'm going to need the distraction, so whatever. So now mind you, I go to the event. Oh my gosh. And I'm seated with my family at the table. We're the only ones I know and my best friend who flew out and she's God bless her.

She stayed with me for a whole month while I healed and whatever. And we're watching them on our Dr. Black, this like who's who event in Hollywood? And they're showing him operating on people's brains on the big screen. And I'm like, yeah, that's gonna be me in four hours. Oh my gosh.

You literally, I saw Dr. Black as, you know, we were talking before the sit down part and I go, hey, I'm watching you to drink minimum during my brain time. Oh, oh my gosh. Okay, hold on. There's a lot to unpack. There's a lot there.

First off, by the way, if you're not watching the YouTube, she smiled through that whole story, which most people will think, you know, about their mom's cancer, their brain surgery. Guys, it's a huge key. I'm telling you, it's a huge key. Okay, a lot to unpack there. I'm going to go, I'm going to touch on a couple of things you said there. Is it your contention that you believe, and I'm not asking you, Brian's not a medical doctor, guys.

I'm asking you your opinion is someone who's had a mother with stage for brain cancer, and you had a brain tumor that was operated on. Your contention that you believe there's some sort of trauma or emotional stress that might induce a condition like that. Oh, for sure. I mean, think about it. Stress kills.

We all know that, right? So stress is deteriorating. The system's in your body, right? Just like core diets, deteriorating. And then all of those things start to take shape over time, right? It's like an accumulation of bad choices. And they just eventually catch up with you. So I always say, okay, cool, we can abuse our bodies

and eat donuts and junk all through our 20s. And our 30s things start to shift. And then you get like a thyroid condition. Oh yeah, thyroid condition, don't let that's easy. I just take a pill for that. And then it just accelerates. If you don't make the changes as the bricks hit you on the head, right, the thyroid issue is the brick on the head, must change too much stress on the body, too much, you know, poor whatever, lack of sleep, whatever

it is that you're not doing right or well, is going to accumulate. And then I do believe that the worst effect eventually is the cancer. I just see it with people. And honestly, after over a hundred conversations with people, the second I say, so, okay, we talked about diet, we talked about the treatments, we talked about the supplements, okay.

What about the emotional part? And they're like, how did you know? I'm like, I think I must say my dad's got cancer, he's had it for many years and multiple radiations, multiple chemos. My dad has what they call light post sarcoma. And I've discussed this a little bit with my dad, although, and he's probably gonna watch this or hear this him and my mom. So we haven't discussed it to the extent

that I'm gonna say it here. But now he's getting uncomfortable before he knows what I'm gonna say. But I have wondered, my dad, I think, would be the first to tell you that he's sort of a chronic worrier. And has lived on a lot of stress, some real, some sort of magnified.

And I have wondered, because there's no really genetic history in my family of that type of cancer, I have wondered if it was stress induced, worried induced, anxiety induced, just cumulative over years, or if there was one significant event. And so needless to say everybody, I think the lesson here is that even if you think you're great at coping with stress and you thrive in it like us achievers that are mainly listening to this, there is a toll that it's taking on you physically to some extent, whether it's aging you or giving you an illness or a disease, and we need to do more self-care. We need to do more things to inoculate ourselves from stress next question. I have I'm curious

By the way, I'm enthralled with this like who the heck has a mother with stage 4 has a brain tumor Has the surgery on her birthday and the night before is at her neurosurgeons honoring this is like what like hello But oh, I was singing jingles the night before I have video of this I was like Oh, I was singing Jingles the Night Before. I have video of this. I was like, it was the night before surgery and all day the house. Not a creature was happy. Not even a mouse. And I have video of my best friend like smearing at me. And then my husband looking at me with the death stare, you know, and then as we're driving in the minivan to the hospital the next day, I was like, as my birthday party bitches! I was like wanting to murder me, but I'm like, what am I gonna do?

Like, am I gonna impose more stress on my family? I have choices, right? And my choice is to go through this and make it fun because you have a choice. Like, I had a choice. And to me, it's another prop. So if someone's listening to this, go through whatever crisis you're going to make your choice, how you're going to do it.

I was cracking jokes all the way through and it made it easier for me. It was like smiling through the injection. It made it better for me. Yeah. By the way, what a metaphor of smiling through the injection. Like I just so you know, that will be stolen by me and I will be using it.

I mean, I'll credit you for it. But you guys, I think this is so bad because first, a lot of you listening to this may know someone right now who's had a diagnosis of an illness. I think you should send them this. The second thing is, if you haven't had that, every single one of you will face a crisis, will face a defining moment

in your life. And I hope you remember this show or go back and listen to it during that moment when it happens. I'm curious because I know what it's like to find out a parent has cancer. I know that feeling. You said that you fell to your knees. I'm happy. You don't mind me asking, what is the difference between hearing mom has cancer and hearing you have brain tumor? How did it get it affect you differently? How did it affect you differently? Mine I literally started laughing. I mean first I started taking notes as like okay in men and g. I'm like the producer side of me is taking notes. And then I call my best friend. And I go, hey, Kevin went to the store.

I just found out I have a brain tumor. Don't tell anybody. I have to tell them first, but I had to get it out. I'll call you back. She still hates me for that call. And that was a voice message. That was a voice message. No, I talked to her, but I was like, quick, it was like a voice message.

And then Kevin came home, I might, we need to go outside and we went outside and we sat in parking lot up against this concrete wall and I turned the camera on me and I just started talking and I was like, oh, I have a brain tumor too, this is crazy. I laughed and then the first thing I was concerned about was will I ever work again? Right, are people not gonna hire me? And the first thing I was concerned about was will I ever work again? Right.

Are people not going to hire me? And so I was worried about that. And that's where there were a lot of pivots in my life because I realized I was valuing the wrong things. And I realized that I needed to redefine success in my life because success for me should be my health without my health. I have nothing. And I should stop worrying about what outward success is, right?

Like, I think we all need to redefine success. Even people we were talking about before on the show, friends of ours, how much is enough? And why, I mean, I'm all for goals and stuff, but when it's at your health's expense, what's the point? At what point do we not sit back and say, okay, I achieved, I did amazing stuff, I can pay my bills, like why am I gonna continuously

throw myself into the fire? What's it for so I can continue to impress Ed and all these other people? Or am I am pressing myself? Do I even care anymore? Like we have to redefine what successes in our country because we're chasing after ideals that don't even, it doesn't exist, right?

All these Instagram accounts, all these things are all fake. None of it is real. The only thing that's real is the love you have with your family and your friends and your health and your essence, like what makes your essence in your spirit, what makes your soul sane. That's real. Nothing else is real, right? And so to answer your question more straight on, when my mom was diagnosed, I was at a charity event for dogs. And I remember there was this little dog that was like

Traumatized terrorized and it took forever for me to gain his trust and get him in my arms And I was holding him and I was like I'm gonna hold him all day so that this dog knows love And it was crazy because Just a minute before I got the call I said Kevin you need to take him now And I gave him a cap and and then I got the phone call and I walked outside and that's when I found out. And I was like, think full, that the dog didn't have to feel bad. Because here was this dog that was just starting

to trust and just starting to feel love. I collapsed, like I felt to the ground. And so, it was the most excruciating and painful thing in the world to hear your mom as a brain tumor, to have to fly across the country with that knowledge. I was trying to research on the plane. Luckily, I'm a producer, I'm a doer, so I quickly shifted as much as I could into, okay, I have to produce her health care now.

But when night would come and there was no more work to be done, and I had to be alone with that thought of, oh my gosh, she might die. I spent three in the morning out screaming crying outside of Hartford Hospital in the middle of the night and apart screaming crying, guttural cries. And then how to go into action. That was like two, two first two, three nights.

And then when we found out what had happened, what she had, and I had to start beating up plans, I had to go into action mode. And from that moment on, it was, you know, you teeter between doing and then feeling. I mean, part. The really eloquent, by the way, I can picture it when you're saying it. That thing you unpack, I talked about a minute ago, of this, when's enough enough thing, and the fakeness of the world and chasing it.

And I've noticed with myself when I was sort of a privately successful person, maybe five years ago, when I become a more publicly known person, I do feel that there's a addictive component to that whole thing. And I, you know, I looked upon to teach these things too. And there's this interesting space that exists because if you go too far the other way where it's like, let's just be happy with our family and lay around all day and cuddle. Then there's a whole element of life

that you miss as well, right? And so that message that Marie is giving you is the message for the achiever, addictive, compulsive, obsessive, crazies of the world. I can tell you on the other side of it at nearly 50 years old, you know, the first jet wasn't enough, the second jet, like it just gets to the point where like that's just really stupid stuff. And like the fourth jet didn't make

me any happier than the first one or houses or, and I know people driving make rolled their eyes and say, oh wow, but I think there are lessons there as you chase this road. You know the six needs. I know the six needs. There is a need to grow as a human being. It's a need. And to abandon that need can also rob you of some fulfillment in your life.

But if that growth you're seeking everybody is constantly linked to the other need of significance and recognition, I feel that that's the pathway to emptiness. Not, I think the misnomer, and the thing that is, misunderstood is this idea of wanting to grow all your life being unhealthy, that's not unhealthy. It's growth that somehow gets intertwined

into recognition and significance. Don't you agree? That's what it is. You know what I'm saying? Yep, yep, yep. And that's the one I want everybody to be sort of leery of and look out for. Okay, day of surgery. Someone's going to go that you were just at his gay and making sure you only had two drinks,

you know, something to do. So do you, was there fear you're not going to wake up? Was there, was there clarity like, wow, what's important to me, I assume Kevin was there is in this room right now. What did that day in particular change you at all? The moment's going in, what were you experiencing? at all the moments going in. What were you experiencing? Yeah, I think, um, you know, a few days before I had a birthday party on the six. And I got to have a lot of love around me, not everybody knew at the party what was happening. But I got a lot of love going in. And then my two best friends were with me and my parents in Kevin. I only told my parents two nights before,

because I didn't want them to be burdened with that information. So we literally snuck into their room one night. I was like, hey, guys, so guess what? I have a brain tumor. Nobody deal. It's not cancerous. It's like, you are, it's like, we're going in the surgery in two days. We're going to be in and out all good. And we confuse them. And so two days later, you know, we're driving in the minivan to surgery. I had pre-written letters, so Kevin and I had gone away the weekend before. And I had pre-written letters to my dad and my mom and my husband. And you know, the one to my dad was the most important one to me because, you know, there are certain people in your life that like you really want to make

proud. Like my mom, I didn't even have to try. She was proud of me regardless. My dad was a very proud man and, you know, I lived to make him proud. And so I had to write this letter to him to let him know that when I came out the other side, I was going to be a really different Maria. And I wasn't maybe going to have things for him to brag about because I was going to change my really different Grilla. And I wasn't maybe going to have things for him to brag about because I was going to change my life. It wasn't going to be about feeding that machine, right? For other people, it was going to be about feeding me. And so I wrote this letter to him and I said,

you may not have things to brag about anymore. And I hope that you'll still love me. And that, yeah, it was pretty friggin brutal. And so I gave them my best friend and I said you know give these to them when I'm under and you know and that was it. It was like all of you guys take care of each other if something happens then I knew that Kevin would take care of them and they would help him and Maria your face really changes when you talk about your dad. happens. Then I knew that Kevin would take care of them and they would help him. Maria, your face really changes when you talk about your dad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What is that?

That gets different with your dad. I could see that right now. Yeah. I mean, I love them so much. So I want to make them proud. And I just, I've almost lost him a million times. It was like before my mom was sick, my dad was type 1 diabetic. And I've had to, again, use my instinct to save him. So I could be in school. We're so connected. So I could be in school and have this feeling, like he's not okay. And I would run home and find him comatose and how to revive him. And so, he's not okay and I would run home and find him combitose and how to revive him. And so, they say cats have nine lives. My dad's had a million. We knew the fire department by name.

They were at our house every other day. And so, my dad has been like this precious thing that I've almost lost so many times. And so, I love my parents and, you know, having devoted my life, my adult life to keeping them healthy and alive and strong and happy. And so yeah, that was the most painful one to write. I think it took forever. I was crying, crying.

This is the first time I've actually mentioned that letter without hysterically losing it. And so yeah, it was, I wasn't really thinking too much that day. There were days leading up to where I was like, oh my God, they're gonna saw my head open. This is insane. And Rocky Balboa's quotes have always gotten me through tough times.

I know that sounds kind of funny, probably to people. It ain't about our hard to hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. And so, you know, day of surgery, I had my rocky theme music as they wheeled me out. Really?

Yeah, I was like, I want my music. And so I got wheeled out of the like prep room with my family. Everybody kissed me. I kissed them. And I was like, I'll be waiting for my birthday presents. And then that was like my last words to them. And then my rocky theme music. And then I remember them taking me off the one bed and putting me on the other. And I remember being like, and then I was gone. So the moment where I'm now alone, and you know, you think you might know what's gonna happen. Like, okay, here comes the sock kind of moment.

Luckily I went out. And when I came back, Kevin, I, you know, I told Kevin like film everything and he's filming and my first thing was the Rocky Belbow quote. It's not crazy. That's crazy. You know, we're, I'm just picturing you like the way you tell stories, I can see it.

And it's funny little things like we're talking off-care about how much influence 20 Robins had on Sony people. So is sliced alone. Like of art, and I'm a little bit older than you, but like art generation, these rockin' oozer, big deal, David Dawkins, but on my show, we both watch Rocky too, like a thousand times in our life.

One of the good things. Yeah, he was at my birthday the two nights before. And so it was so funny. So when people magazine had me on the cover for the tumor, And that was like when we finally told people. And they were like, oh, are you going to social this out? It was kind of like one of those awkward moments, like, oh, I'm going to social out my brain tumors thing,

whatever. I said, actually, I have something. So I socialed out the moment where I quoted Rocky and I don't really talk. I'm just waking up out of surgery and I sent it to slide. And it happened to be his birthday and I didn't even realize. And I said, if you didn't know how powerful your words are and how much they've meant to me before, I think this stills the deal. And he wrote me back the most beautiful letter and he said at the end, he goes,

P.S. Rocky would never, ever, ever want to fight you. That's awesome. He's such a good man. He's such a good man. That is the best story. Geez, I am loving today. Can we keep going a little bit? Yeah, okay.

Okay, okay. How did affect your face? I didn't mean specific. Yeah, okay. Okay, okay. How did affect your face? It didn't be specific. Did it, did it, if you had faith before, we don't need to be specific about what it is if you don't want to, but did it get stronger, weaker? Didn't impact it at all.

The way you look at the world, energy, universe, God, anything like that, I think you go through an experience like that. You had to have reflections about it at least. Yeah, I mean, my parents, I group Greek Orthodox, I've always been really connected to my faith and my church and um, I think as I get older and more connected and definitely these experiences have connected me so much and I've been studying a lot of the spirituality and like I said the, you know, the Gabby Bernstein's and the extra-Hixon, all of them when they're talking about being connected

in the universe and all of that. I started to see, even with my mom, anytime I needed something, it was there. I just had to listen. I had to be still enough to hear the message and see the message. And so one of the things I'm always teaching people is, like you have to know that everything's intentional, right?

Things just don't happen. So I'm looking to figure out the doctors are telling me my mom's tumor is growing. I need to make a decision. And I'm praying, God, show me the way. What do I need to do with her next? And I'm on this very computer right here and I'm doing some work and I'll set up a pop up and it's the side effects of chemo

I never read those. Okay, click on that and I huh oh Well the side effects of chemo exactly mirror the symptoms of brain tumor regrowth so when you start to learn about an MRI and how you don't really know how to distinguish between tumor and scar tissue and inflammation, they all look the same. I remember in that moment being like, thing-ding-ding, thank you God. Okay, I hear you. Maybe this isn't regrowth of tumor. Maybe this is just inflammation from the radiation or some of the treatments. Maybe it's chemo overload. Maybe we need a detoxer off of the chemo.

The chemo's mirroring the symptoms. She's been doing seven or eight months of chemo. Maybe we need a detoxer. That's when I took her to that facility in Mexico. In fact, it worked. We detoxed her off the chemo. We put her on marijuana. And from that moment on, she came home two weeks later, her tumor only shrunk from that moment

on. What's a marijuana to paint or something more than that? No, the marijuana, you know, not in studies officially yet, to help reduce tumors. And so, aside from the, you know, helping in the pain department, a one-to-one ratio with brain tumors is what they suggest of CBD and THC. And so in Mexico, they put her on it, I kept her on it. This last go, I took her off the marijuana because she was re-diagnosed in September, the tumor came back.

And she was out of my, my purview at that point. She was back east cheating on her diet and not using this device called Optune, which is so amazing for brain tumor patients. It more than doubles life expectancy. And so her tumor came back. So this time we didn't do the mirror wanted because she was so weak.

It really makes you so lethargic, as you know. I mean, you don't have a lot of motivation. And so, I didn't use it this time. And we had great results anyway with the medication that we did use. So, luckily, we didn't, but it worked the last time. So. Well, blessing you.

You are for your mom. By the way, you're the only person I know that when asked about their own brain tumor spends 98% of their time talking about other people. I think it's beautiful. This taught me what about life you would say. Lessons of wisdom. So most people face their death at the end of their life when they're too old, potentially,

too change anything about it because they're about to die. You are given a gift, to some extent, of facing a threat to your life, right? Or the way of life at least. You could have woken up and not been able to walk. Talk. Think the same. I woke up, trust me, ahead issues. Yeah. I've seen some of the trust me, I had issues. Yeah.

I've seen some of the videos which I know on YouTube. We will put up right now. But guys. Yeah, my eyes were going crazy. They thought I was, they gave me eye patches because I was seeing triple, because the nerve that controls the right side of my face is the one that was most affected, because as you tried to peel the tumor off of it,

it was damaged. So yeah, it was a little crazy for a while. But I had solutions instantly. I was like dreaming up my superhero character. I was gonna have the superhero like alter ego, but it was gonna be my permanent ego, I guess. And I was gonna have my patch. And I was designing these thigh high foods.

I was gonna be the sickest living superhero. But, you know, I'm just a little bit mad. I wanna go back. I just curious, do you think like you were given this because you're equipped to handle it the way you are too. Like, do you believe in it? Yeah, I do. I think that I probably was given it because I could show people another way.

Yeah. I didn't know it as I was doing it, but when I look back, I'm like, you know, it's hard to create a path, a new path, right? So when someone shows you some things possible, then you can follow, right? So to me, as I'm coaching patients through these things, I'm always like, you have a choice. Like, trust me, it worked for me. Like, you can do it too. Why wallow and cry and call your friend. I'm like, oh my god, I have that, like, you have a choice. And, you know, there's another path for you.

So yeah, I think I'm a communicator. I think I was going to be able to hopefully impact people and get them to understand that they are connected to something greater. And if they listen to it, the answers always appear. Like that chemotherapy thing. That appeared. I meet someone new, I know it's for a reason, and it's for whatever's happening in my life

in the moment or to come. Everything is intentional. And so- I think everything also, I don't wanna interrupt you there, but like you and I are both big believers that everything you need is within you now. And you started out, you started early in the interview by saying something amongst so many brilliant things, which is that if you'll get quiet and listen,

you have the answer. And I think I was so beautiful, but I don't want to cheat the audience out of letting you answer it because I asked you two questions back back there. This taught me what about life, would you say? Um, I promise so much. I think it taught me that your life, it really is about your choices. Um, that we have more power than we know and more choices and that it really is. It really is about your health and your, your fulfillment and your happiness and the love you have with your people, you know, whoever your people are. That's the only thing that matters in that last moment, right? So I kind of had that moment, right?

Where you're like, oops, what's going to happen? Am I going to be okay? Am I not going to be okay? Well, guess the only thing that mattered is the fact that I had Kevin and that he loved me and that I left him and my parents and my dogs and all of that. I've had some friends who were having some rocky times in their relationships and it's so easy to be tempted and say, oh, I'm just going to go have fun with all these new people. And yeah, we're going to get divorced and that's it. I'm like, okay, but guess what?

When you're sick, she's your right or die. She's going to take care of you. This other person, yeah, you can go have fun. That's going to be it. And so I've actually mended a few relationships because of this knowledge. And it's true. That's all you have in the end is your relationships and your health and your love

and yeah, I mean, I've had friends when I asked you this because it seemed like it didn't happen with you. And I know we're going deep guys, I know today's been heavy, but I wanna give you the gift of this woman, you know. I feel like for some reason, your story's more relevant right now, Maria, than it's ever been with all of, I think a lot of people think they're going through a crisis in their

life right now. And perhaps there's some perspective given here as well, also tools. But I've had friends, we've all had this everybody. We've had an experience. We've watched a movie and it makes us think something different about the way we're going to be around our children or our parents and it lasts for three days and then we're back in the mood we were before. Or we've had a business set back or a relationship break up and we promise ourselves if I have another chance at a relationship I'm going to do it this way next time and then we don't and we go back into our old patterns. Patterns are incredibly powerful things in our life

as you and I both know enough a lot about. But it's been a few years now for you. It seems to me that this had a real impact on you. Is it because you regularly remind yourself of the incident? Is it, because I want people to create lasting change in their life.

And even today, listening to you, a lot of people right now are reflecting on their perspective, on their coping skills, on what really matters, on reducing their stress levels, on their nutrition, on the people they love, on all of these things, on laughing more and smiling through the shot, right, and all of those things. But this change seems to have been, I don't wanna call it permanent, but it's been long lasting for you, and I hope it to be permanent.

How have you done that? Was it just a massive pattern interrupt this one incident? Or is there something else you've done that you just don't allow yourself to lose that moment? Yeah, I think I was going against my grain for a really long time, unknowingly. And once you're in that kind of rat race, right, you just, you're in it. And so for me, when I got out of it, I was like, okay, this is a rebirth.

I am making major changes to my life. And I want them to stick. And so I almost like, you know, when like yogis have to practice, like they have to give up their material possessions, I wanted to give everything up. I was trying to sell everything. I was trying to go real extreme.

And my husband was like, ow. But I knew that to hold onto it, I was gonna have to really protect it carefully. And whenever I would go out and do any public speaking, people would come up to me and say, like, I had this too. And then I went back to my old ways. And anytime someone said that to me,

that was just another reminder. And so I also have the gift of still having a brain tumor. And that is my constant reminder of leading a calm life, choosing the people I wanna work with, choosing the people I want to work with, choosing the people I want to be around. And all of the weekly lessons on my show keep me grounded in that space too.

And so I really held onto it because I needed it. I was suffering so much before and didn't know how to get out of it. This was my get out of jail free card. I was stuck in a dream that wasn't my dream anymore. So, you know, a lot of us start off in life and we have a dream and then we accomplish it and then we kind of get stuck there. Because then we're accomplishing and it's easy and it's easy and it's easy and it's easy. But then you're just doing what's easy and no challenge, no growth comes, right?

And then imagine if you're in toxic situations where people don't want you to grow on top of it and they're holding you down or whatever. And so for me, I was stuck in a dream that wasn't my dream anymore and I needed to reinvent and I needed to change my whole life. so for me, I was stuck in a dream that wasn't my dream anymore. And I needed to reinvent. And I needed to change my whole life. And for me, this, this new chapter has been about all of that kind of spiritual and emotional growth. And I will say, and I say all the time, if I hadn't been doing the work with Tony and those seminars, I wouldn't have been prepared for this moment because I had those tools in my belt. I had the life is happening for me not to me. I was able to eventually apply it to my mom too and then realize that the gifts from my mom are what I'm learning that I can impart on people. So she's like almost like my my guinea pig, right? Like I'm experimenting

on her and being like, wow, that works. We can apply this over here to all these people. When I look back, when I was little, I always wanted to help people. I love solutions. And I look at my books, everything I've written, everything I've done has always been a helping people. My network, after best TV, it's about helping people. And so I love helping people.

So I'm able to apply those things from my mom over to everybody else and it fills me. And so I knew that I had to hold on to it really tightly. And do I fault or sometimes now, like, you know, I'm going through a challenging time and I have to keep relying on my tools. And I have to keep remembering you can't allow these situations that aren't real to take your health. And it can be challenging in moments, but I balance back really fast because of all of it now. I gotta tell you, I told you that today was going

to be for me. You said when you were a little girl, you wanted to help people. Actually, you helped me today. And I know you've helped this. I hope everyone stayed to the end here. Is that idea of being stuck in a dream that's no longer your dream? Oh, man, are there millions of people, including me and some of the things I do every single day still, that those are old dusty dreams, frankly, that I'm just in because I'm good at them.

Yeah. Easy for me and I get significance and recognition for staying in that dream. And I might lose some if I didn't stay in it. And I think that was another one of your gems of the entire day. By the way, her show better together you guys is awesome. She has a way as a host, obviously she's a professional host. I'm an amateur but she has this way of, the guest is the star. Yet you contribute when you're doing it.

It was a very easy experience to be on your show, and I highly recommend it to everybody, because she is so unique with her background, her ability to communicate the tools she shares throughout the show, and just her real desire that I hope I share as well, it's just really served people. So I think you're wonderful. I'm so excited, we're friends now. I'm waiting on the tequila night. We're gonna get out there and do that soon.

But is there anything else you wanna share with the audience? Anything? We make sure we mention the things that were important for you today. Should they follow you on Instagram, even though we're both, they and its social media, it's still an important place,

as you know, for business media for change. Where do they find you on social? Is Instagram the best platform? Yeah, at Maria Menunos, me now in OS, very simple. All right, guys, go follow her. Thank you, Maria. It's awesome.

Thank you. Oh my God, you're amazing. You know what? The best thing about hosting is when you listen. And you're an amazing listener and you're an amazing digester and you're giving so much great takeaway for your, for your audience. So you are amazing at it. Don't say you're an amateur. Thank you. I appreciate that. Hey guys, make sure you follow me on Instagram too. I run the max out two minute drill every single day. So when I make a post 730 Pacific 1030 East, and if you make a comment the first two minutes, you're in a drawing every day to win something.

People have won coaching calls with me, my guest, my book, tickets, a senior speak. Some people have flown on the plane, which is cool. I had never done that until I was an old man, so you could do it as a until I was an old man, so you could do it as a younger person. And then also, if you missed the first two minutes, make a comment on every post every day and reply to other people's comments. It increases your chance of winning. So everybody, I hope you shared this show today with Maria, with people you love and care about, and that you continue to max out your life. God bless you. Take care. This is the Edmmerlich show.