The Livy Method Podcast - Let's Talk Next Steps with Dr. Olinca, Dr. Deena, and Dr. Beverley - Spring/Summer 2024

Episode Date: July 11, 2024

Gina discusses next steps in this special panel discussion featuring Naturopath Dr. Olinca Trejo, Learning Expert Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Beverley David. Our expert panel shares what makes The Livy Method different and how The Method surprised them. They also discuss goals, doubts, and the power of community.If you are in the Spring/Summer 2024 Support Group, you can check out the full video here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodspringsummer2024Topics covered:Welcome dream team!The top things to focus on when it comes to weight lossWhat are we doing with The Livy Method? – Trust, instincts, relationships, and truth.Taking back our power - Breaking down old habits and beliefs.We are all still learning together – Tending our knowledge and compassion garden.Generosity – The key to so much of what we do together.Being in this together is a beautiful thing – The power of community.Reaching our goal – Feels, challenges, and how to help it stick.Grace and collecting data in our life - Noticing the little bits matters!Bridging the Gap – Why we have all the feels on this.When doubt creeps in, keep doing what works - Hope is not a plan.91 days is the start – It takes time to build a badass toolbox!Take note - What resonates with you, or feels different here and now?Things that anchor us and help us to keep doing the work.Where should we go next? How do we level up and dig deeper?Validation in the health care system – Tips for the health and life we want.Menopause - Stop, assess, and embrace what you need.Learning prioritization - Our relationship with time and tasks.Our tapestry is the sum of our life so far – Weaving in compassion and curiosity.Find the sweetness in your day amidst the hard work – We are all worth it.We are still here, all in and working hard with you!To learn more about the Livy Method, visit www.ginalivy.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Gina Livy and welcome to the Livy Method podcast. This is where you'll have access to all of the live streams from my 91 day weight loss program. With a combination of daily lives, guest expert interviews and member stories, there is something new almost every day. Miss the morning live? Want to re-listen to one of our amazing guest experts? Well, this is the place. This podcast is hosted on Acast, but it's available on all podcast platforms, including the one you're listening to right now, Spotify, Apple,

and Amazon Music. you're going to have this ability to now reframe. Allow yourself time throughout the day to stress the fuck out. The thoughts and the feelings and the behavior cycle can start changing. We're going to talk weight loss and we're going to have some fun today with my panel of guests, naturopathic doctor, Dr. Linka Trejo, learning strategist, Dina Kara Schaefer, and clinical psychologist, Dr. Beverly David Alinka Trejo, learning strategist, Dina Kara Schaefer, and clinical psychologist, Dr. Beverly David in the house. Hello. We're all crying. Good morning. I know we don't want to talk over each other, but good morning, everyone. Good morning. This is too fun. Right? This is someone, just as I'm reading the comments, talking about the dream team you have learned being in the program.

You've all been here for a while now, and I would love to know your thoughts on a variety of things. So I have a whole list of stuff here. So let's get right into it. What do you think is the most important thing to focus on when it comes to weight loss who wants to go first it's like high school you know the rock paper scissor most important thing you can pick one thing if you could pick one thing what would it be i would say realizing that this takes time i think a lot of people may come into things thinking and wishing it's really quick just like prime amazon you know we want it tomorrow we want it by the end of the day um because when we set ourselves up some realistic time frames then we're less likely to be disappointed when we might not see the things

quick enough um and to remember to focus on all of the other things that you help people identify the the non-scale victories to think what else am i gathering during this lesson this journey this chapter um because it happens it happens and it's almost like the byproduct it's the so just to keep your eye on on a on a further away goal you know it's it is a marathon it's not a sprint um so collect all of that love that that. Love that. I would add to that, that for me, what I, what I get patients to focus on always is remembering their why. And I think that the reason for change, cause this isn't you, we always say this, right?

This is a lifestyle program with the added benefit of weight loss, but we're, there's so many things that we're changing. And I think that your reason for change should be meaningful to you. Like really dig deep in there. And it's those meaningful, deeply emotional reasons that are going to motivate you and keep you on track. And I think that all, very often we go into things like this

with an all or nothing mentality and with a very black and white, right? Mentality of must be perfect. And I think that realistically nothing in life is black or white. There's a lot of gray and we often let perfection be the enemy of good. Right. And so when you can keep on refocusing on your why, because there's going to be ups and flows and there are going to be things that take you off track or whatever it is. And when you keep on coming back to the why you're doing this, and it's like something that really means so much to you that again, like Dr. Beverly said, it's more of a long-term thing, right? Rather than just, I just want to see the five pounds so that I can get into that dress or whatever it is. Like it's so much easier to make the changes and to get back on track, even if you do have those slip ups. And I think that

is so important. Nice. Love it. Dina. Oh, thank you. I could listen. I could listen to Dr. Lincoln, Dr. Beverly all day. I forgot. I was like, oh, I better say something. How little this all has to do with food and movement. Yeah. And, you know know I'm always going to bring the lens of a learning strategist but that ultimately this is a journey and opportunity of not just self-discovery but like that unlearning piece around rest and stress and boundaries and what still hurts so deeply that needs tending to and kind allyship so I'm just amazed every session every season that I do this alongside just how much I you know I was trained you're all raised to think like it has to do with this over here we've been looking in the wrong place and so I'm always nudged by you to be like actually it's about all this other stuff here

yeah it's never about the food I can say the same in my 30 years of helping people lose weight when they come to me and they're having a hard time it is never about the food okay so we are on week 11 of the program and people are about to go out into the world throughout the summer and people are going to ask them, Oh my goodness, you look amazing. What did you do? How would you describe the method? I think of the living method as like a space maker. Like I, I put the things I needed to an order over here and it freed up my bandwidth and capacity.

It rebuilt my trust in my own instincts and body. It had me nourish myself well. And now the reason I look great is not because I ate something or didn't or drank the water or didn't. Because I have more capacity and inner resourcing to do all the other shit I want to do. And so maybe that's why a person looks great. Because they're actually feeling great. They're not maybe so riddled and sleepless with shame and, oh crap, I ate this and I'm beating myself up for that. But maybe they were able to sit with that long enough and see through that

and tend. And it means now that they are starting that business or entering that relationship or bringing new energy to long standing relationships. So that's why I think people might be looking and feeling great and how they might describe it to someone. Nice. I love that perspective because I think there's a lot of people who feel that, but wouldn't necessarily say that, like speak their truth of what the experience was for them. I love that. Okay. I would describe it as a lifestyle program that helped you unlearn what you have always been told about weight loss, in that it helps you

break down the notion that weight loss is about calories in and calories out, which in medicine has been the narrative, right, that we have always told patients. And I think it is the only program that I at least know of in medicine that challenges that notion in that instead of taking power away from you by saying like you are a failure because you eat this or like you you know you're not eating properly or you're not exercising enough or whatever it is it actually gives you your own power back and your locus of control back to work on all of the things that you need to work on while unlearning that it's not about the food and it's not about just the movement, right? It is about so much more than that and the lifestyle and, you know, all of the

baggage that often we have and we carry by doing a lot of these like yo-yo diets and all of the baggage that often we have and we carry by doing a lot of these like yo-yo diets and all the things that we've done in the past that have brought us here. Yeah, so true. I woke up thinking exactly about that. I'm going to circle back around to that, but Dr. Beverly? I just agree with both of the ladies because it really is that. It touches on everything. Whenever I describe it to people, I talk about the community that you have formed, the support, the soft touch, the investment that everybody brings to one another. So it's a collaborative approach to unlearning and relearning.

And it really is about nourishing. It's so nice to reassure somebody this isn't about restriction. This is about intuition and celebrating your body and helping your body do what it needs to do because it's a remarkable, remarkable vessel that gets us through our world. And we've we've become to not like it. We've become into it. And actually you turning the mirror around and say, let's celebrate and let's learn how to do this differently. And food is not the enemy. You know, food is very important.

So but, you know, I couldn't have said it better you both said it very well well I have a comment from Marisa here when I first started a year ago I had no idea the depth and work and issues and how hard weight loss is the psychological piece uh goes so deep I always thought about it as eating and exercising, but boy, was I wrong. Yeah. I look at this program as a course to understand how to get healthy and live a long, functional, happy, satisfied, confident life. Do you ladies ever lie in bed and be like, I just wish I could just get people to understand? You know when you it, like you understand it and you know what people need to do, but you're just trying to figure out how to just wrap them in a blanket of knowledge and get them to understand it. It's hard to describe.

Do you know what I'm talking? Do you feel the same way? a hard question to answer because even though people might be watching and thinking that we know we know how to do it we we don't I lie there and I think am I doing this am I all right am I do I believe this because old messages old schemas creep up for us all where we think oh my goodness I'm saying it but am I doing it and am I believing it and so yes I wish I wish I had the answer for everybody but I also personally think do I have the answer for me as well because I I'm sure we all think and feel very similar ways at times um so it's a it's a heavy question yeah i'm with dr beverly on that one that i don't walk around feeling i have the answer what i feel into and have that lying awake at night is look at all the damage that was done to so many people over so many years and decades by systems so much larger than us.

And for me, it's like it's a self-compassion project of when I fall into those threats like this isn't actually of my own doing. That loud, angry, relentless voice around did I eat the right things? Did I move in the right way? Should I be doing this? That's inherited. And so it's a very humble process for me. That probably is lifelong. You know, I don't think I'm going to arrive at a day that's like, Oh, I solved it. Like I have, I have an absolutely benign relationship with food and movement and

a loving relationship with my body 24 7 that just wasn't the world that I was born into and this program and this community heals so much of that but there is an aliveness to to what's like what I've been indoctrinated into that I just need to keep tending so I don't think it's for me it's like a oh I unlearned it I got it there is something I understand but the practice of showing up and being like oh that habit reared its head oh that inner dialogue got really loud so there's um I think what happens or can happen for people is a little bit more space and the pause between that angry voice that shaming inside and then what we do after that's I think where the freedom can come not from like the know-it-all energy of like got this like doesn't

everyone no no I think there's like um there's a gentle humility around it. That's, that's sort of what I lie awake with. Nice. Nice. Yeah. I mean, I like hormones, you guys, because I understand when I get them. And that is like the one piece that I'm like, your hormones are your friends. And then everything else, I feel like, uh, I listened to the lives with these beautiful ladies. And every time that I listened to one, I walk away with like, Oh, Oh yeah. Because I was trained, you know, through a system and I come from a system that is a lot more holistic, right. Then the conventional medical like system. And I still walked away from that graduating what 15 years ago, with we need to

eat better, we need to take out gluten, we need to take out dairy, we need to exercise more. And I think that it's been an extremely humbling process through for me for the last 15 years. And, you know, I know that hormones have a huge role like into it. But I think that I through this program I've realized it's opened so many things for me and even so many demons for me right with like with my patients or with my own self that I've been able to recognize that I didn't even know if I had that I was like oh I do do that too or like oh I didn't catch it that's actually what I was saying to somebody with a different undertone because it's so hard to unlearn and break away from patterns that feel so familiar to you and so safe, right? And every time that I go

to a conference or speak to somebody else in medicine, I have to catch myself to be like, oh, no, this is like so much deeper than this. Because we try to oversimplify, especially in medicine. We try to oversimplify this journey and it is so complex. And for most of it, it's lifelong. Yeah, that oversimplification. I did that. I did that. I mean, I feel like a horse's ass because you go back a couple of years ago.

I'm like, you don't need maintenance. I tell you everything that you need to know about maintenance. And now two years running a maintenance program. Man, it is like, I am learning so much. It's a whole other can of worms. Like the work is done in maintenance, not, not even in weight loss. You think you're doing what you need to do to lose the weight. Once you get into maintenance, it's like, it's also work. And I remember thinking, oh, I, you know, why do people need a maintenance group? They don't need a maintenance group, but man, I remember thinking, oh, you know, why do people need a maintenance group? They don't need a maintenance group. Man, I was so wrong. Admittedly, I was so wrong.

Every single group, I learn so much. Every single group. I'm not on my weight loss journey, but I'm on another journey and I'm learning so much from you, from our members, from the experience. What is what if you could pick something that, what is the thing? Cause you know, before you got into the living method, what's the one thing that surprised you about the program? If you could pick one thing that was surprised you. How generous it is. I, I've,

I am continually in awe of the generosity of spirit and so where i see that is the the myriad uh like resources that you've created and provided so for someone who's on the go and so it's by audio for someone who wants to read for someone who's on the go, and so it's by audio, for someone who wants to read, for someone who wants to journal, for somebody who wants to track, that there is no singular method or modality. And then the generosity of insights from people of all kinds of disciplines that you bring in by way of like these experts, the generosity of community, the generosity of your staff in their affirming care. So you might be asking what's one thing of doing the program. And I could say, you know, I don't think I realized just how critical sleep was really. I really don't, I don't think I knew walking in how crucial sleep and weight loss and feeling well were. But if I took an even bigger step back, just how committed to accessibility and offering, offering.

Because maybe this, the way that Dr. Beverly phrases something, the way that Dr. Olinka, the way that any number of your experts, the way that your guests, when they come on and share their stories, that maybe that touches one or five people, that maybe the updated book reaches somebody, maybe the app touches somebody, this like overpouring of ways of accessing what you're trying to teach people. So yes, I've been, I've been kind of like, Ooh, I had to recalibrate around sleep. What I've really been so touched by is just the offerings, like the generosity that's here in weight loss by Gina, very truthfully. Oh, I love that. I love that you feel that because that is the intention to help every single person

and understand that people are dealing with different things and they learn differently and they have different needs and just trying to support everybody. There I go, lying awake in bed, trying to just wrap everybody in a big blanket of knowledge and love and just help every single person get across that finish line I love that you I love that you noticed that Dr. Lincoln Beverly I agree I think the word generosity was just spot on because

just how you personally turn up Gina Gina, it blows my mind. Every day, Monday evenings, it's just so different. It's so different to have this person that is walking with you, doing it with you in real time, that it's just outstanding, you know, to think that people have that much access to you because, you know, we're seeing you go through life too, and it's very personal, but it's very powerful because it helps us know, yes, we have ebbs and flows, you know, we, we,

we've seen you go through seasons, you're in your summer wear today. But that commitment, sun, snow it's it's incredible and you should that's illustrating let's turn up let you turn up we can turn up um and if we can't we can replay it you know just like dina said that the accessibility is phenomenal, that it just is available in so many different ways. Yeah. To listen, to watch, to hear. It's great. Well, I love this question. I'm glad I asked.

I'm going to add you to the mix, though. You all are showing up as well and sharing your knowledge so freely. You are there on the journey with our members as well. So right back at you. Dr. Linka? Honestly, I couldn't have said it better myself. I think the one thing that I always say about this program too, and I use this metaphor a lot, is by somebody by the name of Jonathan Haidt. And he always says, we're 90% chimp and 10% B we are way better when we have a community and we do, when we do things in groups. Right.

And I genuinely feel that this is the only program that I've ever been a part of where everybody around you is rallying for you. Like the experts, you, everybody on Facebook, like people that you don't know, you know, and this is one of my favorite things. Sometimes after the lives, I will go on Facebook and see what people are saying. And just the way that, you know, strangers answer each other and like rally for each other and support each other. I think it's such a beautiful thing because I think that that community is so, so important.

But the one thing that I really love that you focus on with this program is also that you allow people to give themselves grace, because I think that for so many of us, right, when we have tried to do something and we haven't, especially when it comes to weight loss and we haven't been able to either achieve our goal or maintain our goal it's always every program is like well it's on you it's not on me like you are the failure you are the problem you didn't do this and like and I think that this program through your experts to yourself through the way that you show up, through all of the beautiful things that our ladies have already said,

you create this space for grace to say, girl, like we got you. Yeah. Like, you know, we know where you're at. We've been there. And like, let's pick yourself back up and like, let's keep working together. And that I think is beautiful.

Beautiful. I think I learned that through so many missteps in my own life. And you know that feeling that you have when you feel like you've made a mistake or you've done wrong or you're just like, you know, that it's just that you can't like you just know you're better than that. You wanted to do better than that. But what happened happened. And I just, you know, so many people in my life have given me grace. Some haven't, some haven't, and that's maybe turned out for the best,

but it was the, the, the compassion, which was that new word that I learned, um, for myself. I think that's where I want other people to know, like you can't, so I say, you can't, as long as you keep showing up, you can't mess it up. So people are at week 11 in the program and they have feels. I think both ways. I think it's important to cater to both. There are people who are very, very excited about what they've done, but then also might be dealing with not trusting what they've done.

And there are still feels to unpack with being successful. And there are people who feel like, okay, well, maybe I didn't get the results that I wanted, or I'm a bit disappointed now in hindsight and reflecting back. I could have done this. I could have done that. What is your advice to both people who have been successful but maybe have to either move on to maintenance or signing up for a fall or joining us for Bridging the Gap, have to continue? And the people who are feeling like maybe they didn't do their best. What would be your words of wisdom for both camps? Should we do proud first? People are not proud, but people who have reached their goal,

people who are happy with what they've done. Should we start with that? Let's start with that. Is that an easier one? I mean, I feel like I'm'm gonna eat a slice of humble pie with this one but I um honestly I think the most important thing for me in my personal life has always been to try and identify the challenges that prevent consistency for me okay you know and sometimes that can be the emotional piece. Sometimes that can be like, whatever it is. I think, um, consistency, I always say this, but consistency has always given me the best results in my life and every single aspect. Um, and consistency is hard, right? It is, but I think that for most of us, it's not, it's not the first time that we've tried to incorporate healthy habits into our life, right?

And I think looking back and reflecting back on everything you've learned or everything you've tried to unlearn and really trying to identify, like, what typically gets in the way for me? Like, what is it? And if you have access to working with somebody that can help you work through that, I think it's amazing. If you don't, you have so many resources that we've given you through this program to try to work through that and recognize also the benefits of things like routine, right? Like I legitimately up until probably the age of 40, like I scoffed at routine. I was like, please, like I am, I am who I am. I love being spontaneous. And when I realized this, that yeah, like your body and it exists, like everything in your body works on a rhythm, on circadian rhythms, right? Like we all, like your body loves routine and maybe trying to find

diversity in that routine, which we talk about even with a microbiome, right? Like you rotate your fruits or you rotate this, but having that routine that's led you to that success, I think it's, it's really important. And also recognizing like where you might need help and acknowledging that so that you can continue on this journey would probably be my two things. Love that. I think for either of those, whether we call it success, whether we call it a continuation, I'd ask maybe four questions to all of that maybe five that I've written down what does it mean to you that you are experiencing pride or disappointment or worry or nerves what does it mean to you and then what do? Like, what is your self-talk? Do you now think something about

that? You know, whether you've succeeded, you think, I've got this. Do you think it won't last? Do you think, like, what are you telling yourself? Third question, what does it mean to you that you have succeeded or that you have not yet or you have more to do? Because that is often something about ourselves. Do we then identify that we think I was never going to do it or it's, you know, it's too hard. This won't last because we want to identify the self-talk now and for the future. And then ask the big question, when did you learn that? Because you might think, I failed, I can't do this. And actually, was, did you learn that now or have you been told that a long time ago? And it's just coming up again.

So ask yourself questions about what you're feeling and experiencing in week 11, because that will help you identify your next step. Do you want to move on? Do you want to carry on? Do you think there's something wrong with signing up again? And what would that be? Why would it be wrong to carry on nourishing and learning and involving yourself in this group? But many of us might think, I didn't do it. I failed. I'm out. I didn't pass the course. I didn't pass the test. But it's, let's look at what you think. What does that mean to you as a person? What does that say about you as a person? And then actually, how long have you thought that? Because it probably isn't the program. This is probably old narratives, old scripts. And then let's just take this apart and start looking at it.

And then jump in, jump into keeping on knowing that you are important, you are worthy, you matter. Which is the program. That's the work. That is the work. We started off by saying it's not about food. It's never been about food. It's all of that. You've done the diets before. You know the food. We know what to eat. We know the difference between an apple and pie, you know, or apple pie. Okay, the lines might be blurred. Dr. Dina. One of the things I love so much about your questions, there's just, um, there's like a, a genuine earnestness in trying to meet the richness of your questions. Like, I know I'm not the only one. I'm like, okay, I have to remember to say this and this. And then this

also, I'm like, Dr. Beverly, you had five organized. What? All right. Well, let me try to make some of this. All right. Oh, so very articulate and eloquent. Um, so number one, I could like try to listen to both of your questions. And really, I wonder how many people identify as like, I succeeded or not, or a bunch of people in the middle being like, I don't know, I had some real good days. And then like, there were some flops. I think there's going to be a lot of people, right? I mean, Dr. to your point, Dr. Link of like, some black and white, not really, there's like a bunch of gray. So I just wonder if there's lots of humans being like, you know, some things really, the wind was at my back. I felt like some things were easeful and in flow and I could do it. And then some other things like, whoa, I messed up, languaging around messing up. So no matter where you're identifying in that, I feel like there's

something for everyone around savoring, even a step back from that noticing successes, even if they're very subtle. And the successes could be, I feel like I effed up, but then I came back. Or I went on vacation and I noticed that I actually didn't want to do anything to do with any program at all. And I just wanted to live my life. But then when I came back from vacation, I was behind in the group, but I kept coming. Or maybe what was different for me this time around was I tracked more of my water and that felt useful and informative to collect that data. So it can be very small and not just the pounds or us, you know, that chart that has a downward trend. It may be other things that have to do with persistence or consistency or generosity of spirit turned inward, that kind of compassionate, caring voice.

So something around even the most nuanced of celebration like look what you did or look what you tried or look what you did some of the time look how heartfelt you were look at the kind community you were part of the next one might be for folks who feel like it didn't go very well like it was more of a mess than not and And that is to return to that work of the word of grace. Was that mostly around context? Like if you're caregiving, holding three jobs, just had a baby, recovering from surgery, like how much of the mess was actually contextual? And that anyone would have had a hard time, who wouldn't have a hard time if you're trying to spin and keep afloat so many plates, you know? Or was it around choice points?

And with that gentle, compassionate turning inward, oh, okay, look, some of those choices weren't aligned with the goal that I'd said, that why that I'd come in with. I'm going to give it another go. And then the last piece is around wherever you fall in that, I feel successful, I don't feel successful. What did work for you? Yeah. Was it having an accountability buddy? Was it morning walks? Was it some kind of rest routine keep that going so that that like self data collection of like I feel uplifted when I feel nourished when I feel more in my own body when don't stop don't stop that don't stop those things that work for you so see mine's so much more unwinded than Dr. Beverly, but I really tried. I really, I gave her,

I gave her, I don't know what to say. I am never going first again. No, I'm looking to you, Dr. Link. I'm like, talk about like the politeness of when 30 women get together on a panel. No, you go first. No, I really just want to listen. There's like a real spirit ability and thoughtfulness here, you know? So nice. Well, I think as we're all interested in what each other's going to say, I'm like, I'm sitting back. I can't wait to hear it.

To your point of celebrating, we do have that celebrate and inspire post on Monday. And I always say to the members, it's not about a before and after. If you got them, great. We love to see them. But it's really just about celebrating the fact that you are still here. You've made it to the end of this program. You've put in 91 days, or you're on your way to putting 91 days if you're working behind the program. I don't care. You are still here. 91 days later, you are still here and that is something to be celebrated. Okay. So people are, we have a gap coming up in between groups. And so people, some people are a little nervous. They're a little unsure. We have this new Bridging the Gap group. But this is something that it's not just what's happening right now. But I feel like sometimes with weight loss, people feel that they're at their limit for

health. Like they'll say, I should really know what I need to do. So I'm going to hope for the best and try it on my own. You know, send me prayers because I'm going to try to figure this out on my own. Is there, what is going on there? Do you think it's a lack of, of like, like not a lack? Is it like afraid to ask for help or to think that they should know what they need to do? Like, what is that about? I'm asking my experts because I try to figure it every time. I'm like, why would you like, you feel like you're a bit pained having to try to figure it on your own.

So why are you doing that? Why wouldn't you just. That sounds to me like a lifetime of accumulated things not working out. Like how many times has a diet or a program failed us? There is a loop that we've all experienced where we work so hard at something. And then that ricochet happens afterwards. And so when we ask people who've had a broken trust to trust, that's a hard, that's a tall order, I think. The beauty is through repeated programs, seasons with you, we rebuild that trust.

That it's not just you have it or you don't and them's the breaks. It's something you can rebuild. But I would never want to make someone feel badly for feeling nervous or a little on tender hooks. Like, I don't know. I'm really good with structure and then structure goes away. What a normal thing. What a normal thing. So I love, I like Dr. I could listen to you forever on consistency. Also, could I just listen to you for five more hours on hormones?

Sorry, this isn't about me, but I just. So, but the idea of continuing what has been working and the like kindness around having the tender feels. Who wouldn't have the tender feels who wouldn't have the tender feels so you're not in it alone and you actually give people a very sound way to move forward even if they don't do bridging the gap but like how great there is actually a programmatic way um to to have that kind of, that through line to fall. But I really like bringing a lot of care around, even though you're not actually being just left like, see ya, did your 91 days, ciao. You're not saying that.

But that has happened for people over and over and over again. And in their own bodies, a sense of doubt. Can I pull this off? Could I actually step into the dream or the goal or the wish or the aim? And so the best advice I was ever given by a lovely mentor is that hope is not a plan. And if structure worked for you if consistency and accountability worked for you and we keep doing that there doesn't need to be a new thing we can keep doing the things that we're working that's so huge that hope is not a plan because I think so many people either are hoping or feel hopeless, especially when it comes to weight loss and not just losing their weight, but being able to maintain and sustain their weight. It feels like a very hopeless situation. And then when you're constantly bombarded by the media that is reinforcing it. This is hopeless. You will never, or people,

you know, we've, I, someone on my live the other day said, well, they saw someone, you know, who said, wow, you lost a lot of weight. Well, you better hold on to your fat clothes because you're going to need them. Oh, you're just going to gain that all back. It's so hard to have hope, but hope isn't it? Hope hope is hope is not what we need yes no dr linka you're yeah i you i feel like my job here is i'm like you guys just listen to these ladies i'm gonna go um you know we're gonna get to hormones we're gonna get to hormones but no like I I think that uh what Dr. Dina said is so beautiful and eloquently put I I feel like I need a t-shirt that says like hope is not a plan like that is the most that's the most beautiful quote that I've ever heard um but I you know for me I I always think of that like 91 days in the,

I guess in your lifetime is like a millisecond. It literally is a split second in time. And so I don't think that anybody can unlearn all of the things that we have been taught, wrongly so, for what, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, sometimes 70 years, right? In 91 days. I just, I mean, some people can maybe, and you guys are unicorns and like, we'd love to meet you all. But like for most of us, that's impossible because we have so much of that self-talk, right? That Dr. Beverly talks about. And we have so many of those like bad habits

that we don't even know that they creep up. But then, you know, all of a sudden you're like 30 days out and you're back to your old habits because your brain is lazy and inherently it wants to fall back into habits that feel the most familiar, right? And I was just thinking we're talking about uh about this earlier I was thinking like man like I picked up tennis I think when I was

like 38 I think and it would be the equivalent of legitimately me getting on the tennis court having like one lesson in tennis or two and just be like okay you're gonna go to Wimbledon like I wouldn't you know it's just like, I can't like, I'm literally five years in and like 90% of the time I get there and I'm like, I think I'm getting worse. I don't even know that I'm getting better. 10% of the time. I'm like, I am Serena Williams and like, I am unstoppable. Right. And so I think that with anything in life, you have these ups and you have these downs and sometimes you feel so confident. Sometimes you doubt yourself, including Dennis.

And so I think that this, for me at least, what I've learned through this program is that I will never stop learning through this program. I have not just eaten one slice of humble pie. I've probably eaten a couple of humble pies altogether. And, you know, and it's, it's for me, at least it's just the beginning. Right. And so if, if I can learn something from it and I've done this for 15 years, I think that everybody can. And it's sometimes for me legitimately, it's like one thing that I pick up and I'm like,

Ooh, this is amazing. And then I implement it. Right. Or I'm constantly working on one specific skill or one specific argument that I always have in my negative self-talk or whatever it is that I find is my biggest barrier and the one that I have to keep on going back to. But yeah, I think that this is more about giving you tools in your toolbox and sometimes just shining those at tools and sharpening them and um building a way better stronger badass toolbox so that you can you know walk through life with it yes love that badass toolbox i'm getting that on a t-shirt ask me about my badass toolbox i'm writing all these down i'm working on merch

dr beverly you're smiling what do you what it's so hard isn't it because we want to we want to give the i don't know i think just like the ladies have alluded to and suggested we've all probably done something before but i want everybody to answer the question you asked us at the very beginning what if you were going to tell somebody about this group would you talk about and then write that down in your badass toolkit to say what was brilliant about the course for you the workshop the program that whatever we call it and then think okay what was it that stood out was it learning about water learning about um when to eat and how to keep ourselves um sustained through the day being mindful mindful of our appetite and our fullness

and things like that, that are very different, like illuminate the differences between the diets that you might have been on before. Because then you might start noticing, wow, that other diet was restricting. And that other diet left me hungry. And that other diet, I knew that as soon as it finished, I would want that, that, that and that. Okay, because we know ourselves. So is do we already know if there's something that we're craving? Or have we started noticing, wow, I really am not. I'm not craving that because Gina has taught me that I am not hungry. I am not, you know, because I'm eating properly. I'm giving consistency and regularity to my gut and to my sleep. So that will hopefully help us not just go, okay, I'm rushing back to eat that thing that I feel like I've been missing for 91 days because we're not missing it. We've got all of these bits through the day and through the weeks and through the months.

And then just like Dina said, keep doing what you're doing. You don't have to suddenly think oh right day one of doing it alone now I'm going to change it keep doing what you're doing it's working um trust the process trust it because little little little it will start working your body will trust you, you will trust you. And if you if you even keep just a few non negotiables, if you think actually, I'm going to make sure I remember the value of water, I'm going to make sure I value my afternoon, nuts and seeds, like whatever that thing is that you're going to be like, right that I'll never forget that bit, I'm going to shout out to anybody that will hear me because this is what really made a difference, then that anchors you and the anchor then can help the other things happen. But you think, you know what,

I am gonna, you know, be mindful of the portion and mindful of my satisfaction and feeling of fullness. So just know yourself from the past so that you can help predict what might happen in the future. Yes. And your work is not done. It's continuing. It's continuing. Okay. I'm so cognizant of the time. I'm starting to get stressed. I have so many questions. Okay. So I know what I would want. I want more of this for our future groups. I want, I want more of this and these conversations. If there, I have a feeling Dr. Link, I know what you're going to say, but if I was to ask you what you think is missing or what you'd like to add or what you are itching to talk about, maybe that we haven't covered yet in the Libby method, what would it be? What would we add?

Or hormones. We can start with that, as you know. And I'm working on projects with all the ladies, but we're going to do a menopause add-on with Dr. Alinka. We are going to, and no doubt we will see Dr. Beverly and Dr. Dina join us in that conversation, but we're going to talk hormones. We're going to talk all the pauses, perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause, such an important, such a relevant, and such a huge, massive conversation. And people have been, talk about blowing off the conversation. I have done

this in the past. People are like, does your, does your program work for hormones? I'm like, yes, because I know that it's about sleep and stress and moving your body and all of that. But I haven't been able to articulate it in a way to give people a more validating answer. You know, like, does your, am I going to be able to, I have hormone issues. Does your program work for that? I mean, my, my answer is yes know, like, does your, am I going to be able to, I have hormone issues. Does your program work for that? I mean, my, my answer is yes, of course, but it's not very validating. So we're going to go down that rabbit hole. Why, what, let me ask you why, why the ladies are thinking about what they would add. What, why is this so important to you? Why do you, why do you want to go down this rabbit hole? I, oh, how much do we time?

Like we, I have like also questions. I'm like, oh my God. I know, you know, my Mexican minutes. Oh my God. Okay. Listen, I think that up until now, at least in my practice, I have seen women, especially, I'm going to say generalizes women. Sorry guys. But I feel like so many of us

feel completely invalidated by the medical system. I think that often I see patients who feel super frustrated because they feel like their hormones are working against them and your hormones are your friends. A lot of the time, we just need the basics in order for your hormones to do what they're meant to be doing. But we just, we respond to the environment, all of us, right? And just your hormones do too, but we all respond to the environment that we are placed in. And so a lot of the times doing this program actually helps us rebalance our hormones and put our hormones in an environment that is a little bit more conducive to balance. However, a lot of us, I think, feel like there's something off,

and we can't fully understand what it is, and we can't put our finger on it. And there's so much information out there. Not all of them, not all of it is the correct information. And so my goal and why I wanted to create this program with you is so that we can empower people to have great, meaningful conversations with their primary health care providers and say, like, listen, because sometimes, you know, they'll go in and be like, I mean, maybe, like, I don't really know. Or they send them for tests that are not the tests that we need to be doing or whatever it is. So it's giving, again, the power back to patients and being like, this is what I need. These are the resources that I have for you so that you can get the help that you need. Because this program is a great foundation. But there's at least what I see is that sometimes when people get frustrated, they're like, this isn't working for me. There is a reason, right? There's a lot more than this. And so this is the, okay, if this isn't working for you, like, let's look at the hormone piece

and like, well, I would love to treat every single one of our members. I am only one person. And sometimes if we don't have access to care, like, you know, with a naturopathic doctor or whoever it is, that's going to be at taking care of you with your PCP, just having the information and feeling the power to take control of your health can be so powerful so that you can get again, the help that you need to move forward. And it's just, yeah. So go ahead. Sorry. No, I was going to say, but it's just not, it's for no i was gonna say but it's just not it's for me as you know this isn't just about the weight loss it's about living a healthy powerful strong badass life for the rest of it because i think so many women walk through perimenopause

menopause and postmenopause and she's like well this is it like this is the body that i got and like it's just that that's this is how i'm gonna got. And like, it's just that, that's, this is how I'm going to go. And that's not, yeah, it's, it's, that's, that's not true at all. And there's so much that we can do regardless as to where you are in that hormone journey. Yeah. Well, I love this question because you, you sort of hit it on the, the, the nail on the head is this is the foundation. Yes. Weight loss is the mission, but you're able to build on that. And for some people, you need to be healthy in order to lose weight. So what is that? If your weight isn't moving, what is that missing piece? Beyond menopause, also I'm speaking to men as well.

I'm speaking to everybody right now. I will say this when it comes to menopause. I've been thinking a lot about this and sort of what, what I want for people in this conversation. I think it is a great opportunity to assess where you are at in your life and the way that you are living. If your stress levels are through the roof, if your diet is crap, if you live a sedentary lifestyle relationships you have in your life, if you're not being social, if you're not making time for your friends. And I, I think I'm trying to embrace this time in my life rather than being pissed off and confused and angry and all the fields, which they can come up. It's like, if I am feeling like

that, then there's a disconnect with how I'm living my life. Like there's something wrong there. This is for me to say, okay, maybe I need to stop prioritizing everybody else above and beyond myself. Cause I'm so broken down that I don't have time for myself. Right? Like, I think it's a, I think it's a stop assess and, and, and really meet yourself where you're at and who you want to be, how you want to live, how you want to feel. I do believe and always have believed that when it comes to menopause, that it's the state of our body when we reach menopause. That's the problem. Not so much that there's something wrong with our bodies. Anyway, we're going to go down that rabbit hole.

But I want to pose the same question to Dr. Beverly and Dina. What's something you are itching to talk on? What's something that you'd like to add to the conversation in general? Yeah, I can go, because you mentioned the word prioritization, and it's been really beautiful to come and talk with the GINA community, and also to come and be invited to train your folks internally who work, your team, and talk about prioritization. And one of the, I'm very, I'm continually touched, actually, that you would include a learning strategist because it's not a very well-known position. What the heck is that? And also, isn't that just for students people in school and yet there isn't one student client whether they're in high school or university who say their parent comes and I and I you know they do a parent session where they're like this is so helpful for work I'm like yes may this may

this little weird niche learning strategy profession grow. And so thank you for, in a way, just like enfolding and integrating this work. It's very touching to me. And so we've had great conversations about procrastination and overwhelm. And I just want to keep expanding everything to do with what we traditionally call time management because of how frazzled and short on time we feel. Because management isn't the right word. It's really our relationship with time. What is our relationship with tasks and to-do lists because if we expand it further I think about all the folks who are

struggling with focus who might actually have a diagnosis of ADHD who feel like distraction is with them at every turn I'm here and I should be I should be reading you know this chapter week 11 chapter on Gina but I'm also doing this and this and I have 73 tabs open and like oh how do I stick to this one thing at a time and bring that same grace and compassion and unlearning to that internalized sense of like have to be productive have to always be on so I want to have conversations around non-toxic productivity, around what we think of as work-life balance, work-life integration, and how, you know, workaholism or perfectionism is part of that big picture of what is my relationship with time and tasks, yet still be unapologetically ambitious and creative and alive,

but not necessarily to the point or not in the ways and modes we do things that we collapse at the end of the day. And I say that without any judgment, but there's something really rich there in this time we're all living in, given if I say, how are you? 98% of the times the answer is going to be, I'm busy or I'm burnt out. Wow. Jessica said always in panic mode, always in panic mode, doing everything in panic mode. Okay. Love that. Love this. I'm getting excited. We're going to have some amazing conversations moving forward. Lastly, Dr. Beverly. Just more of the same. I think it's brilliant.

You know, I find it really hard whenever it's our sessions to think, how can I speak to everybody? Because it's so hard. It's so hard to decide, gosh, what do I want to teach them and share? Because I work across the lifespan and I would love to start at the beginning, at the very beginning, to think, which we touch on because there's only so many chances to connect. But it's hard. I just do wish everybody had access to understand where we come from, our beginning, even how our mother carried us, you know, the pregnancy, our early childhood attachment, how all of about, what we do about, it's every part of that is part of our tapestry. And it's hard to think, how can I get the psychology piece for you right? Because we could talk about anything and start anywhere. But I suppose you know my biggest message is to keep on injecting compassion, curiosity, care, forgiveness, gentleness, to be able to catch it when our internal critic turns up and bullies us and tells us we're less than.

And to be curious about that, to think, am I though? You know, am I doing the best I can am I a good person regardless am I worthy regardless you always are and when we check when we're able to identify that voice everything gets easier that we go to the doctor and say there's something up I you know I need to talk about something we're more likely to do that we're more likely to to tell somebody I'm struggling with time management because we we know it's what we're worth we're worth it we don't have to worry and think that we're less than so tricky it's um just yeah each group brings a different a angle. And just keep doing what you do, Gina, because it just evolves.

It evolves. And just like you said, a couple of years ago, there was no maintenance group. It will keep on evolving as you help us identify the need and the want and the landscape out there. It's changing. It'll change. It does keep evolving because even our members are more savvy. Like they're coming in with like the deeper questions

and not just like, can I put cream in my coffee anymore? Like each group I find does have a certain theme, a feel or a word to it. And my word, I just said, um, last night for this group is compassion. I think that is my word for this group is compassion. Each, each group is like same, but different. And there's a different focus and a different feel. I have completely gone over my time. Um, there's a lot more that I would like to say. Here's Christy. This is a, this is a panel of all panels. I'm in awe of all four of you amazing women. And we are equally

in awe of all of you. Here's Joanna. So much shared knowledge today. What a blessing to listen to all the expertise of all of you. Thank you. I feel the same way. I feel the same way. Okay. So we're going to do more of this because our job is not done. I'm talking, we could talk about so much more and we will, um, ladies. So this is our, our last kind of get together of this session. Uh, please come join me in the bridging the gap group. I'm inviting you. Um, you can come join me at my house. We can hang out poolside. We can, uh, eat our fruit snacks together we can like we can hang out um final like wish for our members in like two sentences or less because we don't have time ease, ease of mind, ease of body, ease with your journey through the past 91 days, that if we just took this very tense grip and we just loosened it a little, I wish for you a slightly loosened grip. And maybe that comes in the form of compassion

or in the form of humor. Like, gosh, we take it all, all of it so seriously. And please let us not forget in all that we're trying so hard to do and all that we are so responsible for, there is the sweetness of summer there is beautiful daylight there are butterflies there are patios may there be ease and fun even a little bit in the midst of suffering and heaviness and the hard hard work we all do that's what i would wish love that Love that. I wish for everybody to be a little bit more great. And to honestly, I feel like I would love for people to love themselves, to know that they deserve to feel good and they deserve to feel happy and they deserve to have energy and they deserve to prioritize themselves even if it's for the first time in their lives I um because I think that so often we are juggling

so many balls and some of them are glass and we feel like we can't drop them. And some of them are plastic and we feel like we can drop them and eventually we'll catch them. And unfortunately, I think that for the vast majority of us, we treat ourselves as if we were one of those plastic balls. Yeah. And we are crystal. We are the finest of diamonds um but you know we we have to treat ourselves as such and I um and I I would love for us to walk away from this group with compassion and grace and pride and self-love and knowing that like we you know we deserve we deserve this and we deserve better and we will continue to work towards that because we worth it I love it I love it

all of that Martin Luther King said it didn't he you? You're as good as anybody. You always are. You were born perfect. You were born worthy and valuable. And don't forget that. Every day, every day, tell yourself that you are lovable regardless. Oh my gosh. And I love all of you. I dropped the mic. I love all of you. And I'm so grateful and appreciative for you taking the time, not just today, but always for our members, because I know that you truly care. And that is, it's really rare to find people who just want to help with all their heart and are so giving in that way. And really understanding of the hard work. I say, our members are working really hard to make real change.

They are working through some really big fields to make real change. And they're not just in the pursuit of weight loss, as we know, fitting their ass into their jeans. It's so much more than that. Thank you so much. I hope you have an amazing summer, but I'm going to be,

I will, I will see you. This is not a goodbye. This is till next time. Thank you for another amazing summer, but I'm going to be, I will, I will see you. This is not a goodbye. This is till next time. Thank you for another amazing group. Ladies. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day to everyone who joined us live. Thank you so much.

I have been watching the comments. You are also beautiful and all amazing into everyone who has downloaded and listening to this podcast. I hope you found some really good tidbits and takeaways because I know that you did have an amazing day, everyone. Thank you.