The Liz Moody Podcast - Advice Ep! Pursuing Creative Endeavours, Navigating Grief, Tackling Negative Body Image, & More With Robyn DelMonte of @GirlBossTown

Episode Date: July 31, 2023

The next episode of our advice series, where every month, I’ll be joined by a new special guest. This month I’m so excited to welcome Robyn DelMonte to the podcast to answer your questions. tips ...for creating social media content if you don’t know where to start how to uncover who you are, regardless of what everyone else thinks  tiny ways to bring more joy into your daily life how to make time for creative endeavors when you’re exhausted from your 9-5 why you need to be paying yourself energetically (+ exactly how to do it) how to balance caring about how you look and wanting looks to matter less tips for navigating grief + loss what you can do + say to help someone you love experiencing grief and so much more!  For more from Robyn, follow her on TikTok and Instagram.  To join the Healthier Together Podcast Club Facebook group, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthiertogetherpodcast. Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Pre-order my new book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now!  This episode is sponsored by: AG1: visit athleticgreens.com/healthiertogether and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today.  Olive and June: visit oliveandjune.com/HEALTHIER20 for 20% off your first Mani System.  Paleovalley: head over to paleovalley.com and use the code LIZM for 15% off. Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Healthier Together podcast. I'm your host, Liz Moody, and I'm a best-selling author and long-time journalist. This podcast is all about helping you live your healthiest, happiest life, whether we're getting hacks that actually work for building confidence, uncovering the latest research on the health effects of alcohol, or working through childhood trauma with science-backed methods. And yes, those are all real episodes, so if any of those topics sound good to you, scroll on back in the archives. We are back today with another advice episode where every single month, I'm
Starting point is 00:00:30 I'm joined by a very special guest and we answer all of your questions. If you haven't listened to last month's advice episode yet that I did with Andy Bartz, you absolutely should because it was such a juicy conversation. We talked about questioning your sexuality later in life, what to do if a family member cheats on their partner, how to make more couple friends, and so much more. You can always send any questions that you want answered to ask at lizmoodie.com, or I'll be taking questions on Instagram the last week or so of every month, so be on the lookout for that. Everything is always 100% anonymous. Today, I am so excited to welcome Robin Del Monte
Starting point is 00:01:07 to the podcast. You might know Robin by her name on TikTok and Instagram, Girl Boss Town, where she shares her perspective and hot takes on all things PR, brand strategy, marketing, pop culture, and so much more. Robin has amassed a following of over 650,000 people while sharing her takes, explanations, and predictions, and is considered the internet's agent. Her advice is, is truly amazing on this episode and we get into so many different topics, including tips for creating social media content if you don't know where to start. How to uncover who you are, regardless of what everyone else thinks? Tiny ways to bring more joy into your daily life. How to make time for creative endeavors when you're exhausted from your nine to five. Why you need to be
Starting point is 00:01:52 paying yourself energetically and exactly how to do it. How to balance caring about how you look and wanting looks to matter less. Tips for navigating grief and loss. Robin lost her mother as a teenager and she does a lot of work in the grief space. So I wanted to be sure to ask her all of your questions about this topic. We also get into what you can do and say to help someone that you love who might be experiencing grief. And so much more. I do want to give a small warning.
Starting point is 00:02:19 And this is just because I am a super perfectionist. We had a little audio trouble with this episode and the quality of the audio is not where I would love it to be. I debated re-recording, but honestly, I love the content so much that I couldn't not share it with you. So hopefully that won't impact your listening experience, but I just wanted to give a little warning, mostly because I just love this podcast so much, and I always want it to be the best possible experience for all of you. And I don't want you to think that this type of audio quality is what we would normally have. But the conversation truly is so, so, so good. So I hope that makes up for it.
Starting point is 00:02:54 It is, as you can see, a very wide-ranging conversation. And as always, we would both love to hear your thoughts on our advice and your takes as you're listening. So definitely screenshot and tag us on Instagram. I am at Liz Moody and Robin is at Girl Boss Town. And if you love this conversation or a piece of Robin's advice really resonates with you, please share it with a friend or family member or co-worker or just anyone in your life. Sharing is the best way to support the podcast. And you all ask such interesting questions.
Starting point is 00:03:22 So I think this episode will help so many people, whether they're looking to tap into a more authentic version of themselves or even dealing with a loss of their own right now. I wanted to give you a super quick reminder before we get into the episode that my brand new book, A Hundred Ways to Change Your Life is officially on sale for pre-order. You are going to love it if you love this podcast. I basically distilled the most life-changing device that I've gotten on this podcast into 100 science-backed actionable tips and I put them into one book. On every single page, you get not only an explanation for how to have more energy, how to love yourself, how to overcome roadblocks, how to up-level your relationships, and so much more, but also an action
Starting point is 00:04:02 tip, exactly what to do to use that science to change your life starting today. Pre-ordering is hands-down the best way to support authors. It essentially tells publishing houses how excited that they should be about a book. So is an extra thank you. We are also doing a giveaway for a $1,000 credit to an airline of your choice to travel anywhere you want. Just go to 100 Ways to Change Your Life.com. That is 100 ways to change your life.com. And you can order and enter. You can only enter to get the $1,000 credit if you pre-order.
Starting point is 00:04:32 And we're actually closing this giveaway soon. So run over there and do that today. A hundred Ways to Change Your Life.com. You can get all of the details there. And one final thing. If you missed the announcement, I wanted to let you know that we are officially changing the name of the podcast. to the Liz Moody podcast.
Starting point is 00:04:49 I am very nervous, but I'm also very excited about the change. And I want you to know that the content here is not going to change at all. I just really want the podcast name to reflect the scope of everything that we talk about on here. It's just so much more than what fits into a lot of people's idea of a health podcast. The name change is not happening just yet, but I want you to know that when you see the Liz Moody podcast pop up on your podcast app, it is still me and we are still having the same incredible conversations with the experts that you know and love every single week.
Starting point is 00:05:21 Okay, let's get right into it with Robin Del Monte. Robin, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you here. I'm such a fan of everything that you've created for yourself on the internet. You have such a strong brand, but then you also have this authenticity and vulnerability. And I just love what you're putting out there. Thank you so much. I feel like for a long time, I thought I had to be one or the other to really gain a following. And then when I realized that gaining a following wasn't the entire point of my career or who I am as a human, I was like, you know what, if I just show myself, like, I can do both and it actually ended up getting me exactly where I needed to be because I have the side of me
Starting point is 00:06:01 that's very pop culture, business oriented, but then I've gone through so much in my life that I know others can relate to. So slowly opening up and showing that side of me to my audience is very important for me and is the most personal, obviously, to me that I love doing. It's been amazing to have the platform to do so. You say that growing a following isn't the sole purpose of your brand in your life. What do you think of as the purpose of your brand in your life? When I think about what the purpose of my life is, I like to think about what makes me genuinely happy.
Starting point is 00:06:37 And throughout therapy, I've made a list of things, like, from very small to big, of things that actually make me happy and to focus on that. And I did learn that in therapy, but it's also in one of Oprah's books, who I love, because she's like, I accomplish all of this and I'm still like, okay, what's next? So I think the purpose of my life is to live a life of fulfillment where I can say I'm genuinely happy. And what I like doing the most is definitely my philanthropic work with grief camp and being kind of a role model for girls or guys who maybe don't have a traditional, background or a traditional story or a traditional family and show that they can find success as well.
Starting point is 00:07:18 You said you have little things and big things that make you happy. Can you share some of those? I am very much a music person and that's what inspires a lot of my ad campaigns weirdly enough. So when like a really good song plays during a movie or a TV show, that is something that makes me so happy that I hyperfixate on, driving to the beach with my guy best friends in New Hampshire knowing we have like the whole day ahead of us. I love the beginning of days where you're like, I'm already having so much fun and I have the whole day to go. And there's like so much to look forward to and you're already having so much fun. I love being by the water period. Like I'm such a water baby. And definitely having a good meal with my best girlfriends from childhood where we feel like we're all
Starting point is 00:08:05 at the same point in life again because in the real world, we're all in such different places in our life. But when we all get together, it's like we're all teenagers again. And that's very comforting to me. Those are some of the things that make me really, really happy. What do you do on a day where you wake up and you're just kind of in a funk? Will you schedule in one of those things? I would like to say that I would do that. But as anybody who's listening to this knows, when you're in a funk, it's really hard to do something good for yourself. But I've been trying to do so. Also my therapist, and I have been talking about kind of proactively doing those things. travel so much for work. I travel once every week or two weeks. So while I'm home, I tend to
Starting point is 00:08:46 just like decompressed and stay in my room because I'm not home that much. But that leads to me kind of like hibernating and bad thoughts, even though it's what I need. So it's proactively being like, okay, Robin, you're going to be home for a week. Make at least one plan with friends, with yourself to get out of our house and do something that will make you happy. In the moment, normally when I'm sad and not like, I'm going to go do something that makes me happy. I wish I could. But it's harder than it sounds, but I've been trying to proactively schedule that into my daily life, so I always have it. I love that. Okay, so we're going to get into so many different questions from listeners. We got so many good ones. But let's start off in the social media realm because you're an expert in marketing. You're an expert in
Starting point is 00:09:27 Brandon. We got a lot of amazing questions in that capacity. So let's start with, I want to start sharing my life on social media, but I feel like I have nothing important enough to say. Do you think I should still try to find my voice and build a personal brand, or does that mean that this just isn't my thing? That question within itself is kind of contradicting, because listen to what you're saying. You're saying you want to be on social media, but you feel like you don't have anything important enough to say. Why don't you say that? Why don't you be honest on social media and be like, hey, I love social media so much. I'm trying to find my thing. Come along with me to try different things. That within itself is something to say and is something that a lot of people can relate.
Starting point is 00:10:08 to? And how about when you're trying to find your niche or your voice, you bring along the people who are following you on that journey? In your mind, like what separates the people who people want to follow along on their journey and people don't want to necessarily tune in and come along? I've tried to like put this down to a science or a formula, obviously, because this is my job. But if I'm being completely honest, sometimes I do think it's random. I think there is so much skill. and some people have such likeability. There are some influencers that they could say, I'm going to go skydiving and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Starting point is 00:10:44 I'm afraid of heights. I would want to do it just because they're doing it. They can't put my finger down and be like, oh, this is why. In broad terms, people will be like, they have to be authentic. They have to be honest with their audience. But these are things we all hear. I kind of think they're buzzwords. I think that the person who is following along with the shirney needs to see a little bit
Starting point is 00:11:03 of themselves in you. It all has to do with the algorithm. What the audience interest is, the type of content you're putting out there, I really genuinely, even though this is my job, I probably shouldn't be saying this, don't think there's like a science or formula behind it. But clearly, some people just have it. And sometimes it is something so random. And we're all like, why are we all obsessed with Emily Mariko silently cutting vegetables in her kitchen? Or why are we all obsessed with Alex Earl who has great advice in getting ready in college when I'm, authority in Boston. I don't really think there's like a science to it. I think some people just have
Starting point is 00:11:39 it and that goes a long way. But if I was trying to start social media, I would say the worst thing you can do is try to find that formula and try to fit in a box of what's worked before because that's not who you are. It begs the question though. I think a lot of us struggle with like, who am I? And then when you have to distill that into a brand to put out there, you're like, oh my God, it almost sends you into an existential crisis. Every day. Literally, every day. But then I also beg to ask a question, but like, am I my brand?
Starting point is 00:12:14 Am I who I am my brand? Or is my brand my job? Or is it an extension of me? There's so many paths you can go down when asking those questions. And I definitely struggle with it every single day. Because sometimes I'll be sitting here and I'll be like, this is my passion. I get to do my passion for a living. I never thought I would be able to do that.
Starting point is 00:12:36 And I know the privilege that comes with that. It's so incredibly massive. But then sometimes I'll be like really upset that a video I made didn't do well and isn't getting likes. And then I'm letting it affect me so badly. And I'll look at my life and who I am and my friends. And I'm like, am I really basing myself on likes? Am I really going to have a bad day over validation and likes on the internet?
Starting point is 00:12:58 it's such a tough line to draw and complex to be in. I completely agree. I struggle with that a lot. And I've even seen friends who art creators struggle with how much social media has made us dependent on outside validation versus all of the other ways that we were sort of self-validating before. It's a bummer of the platforms. And I'm still not quite sure the best way to navigate that. Yeah, me neither.
Starting point is 00:13:24 But at least for me personally, social media has given me so. much more than it's hindered me, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it has hindered me. This next generation coming up, I think it's special. I see signs of hope in the younger generations on social media and even the fact that I have a career because of social media in a creative way is like so special and cool and something to look forward to. Even people whose careers aren't on social media, it has definitely thrown them through so much. Has there been anything that's been helpful on your journey of figuring out who you are? Oh my gosh.
Starting point is 00:14:04 Like so much, but also like not enough, a lot of inner child work. I started to get into therapy really deeply around March because I was struggling. And the majority of what we're doing is inner child work. Especially with the Barbie movie that just came out. Talks a lot about that.
Starting point is 00:14:23 I think like when you're trying to figure out who you are, it's really good to look inward of like who you were before the world, social media, boyfriends, friends. Who were you at your core? And obviously, growth is incredible and amazing. But it's also really good to look back at like those things that made you you before they were affected by others and everything. For you, what is that? When I was younger, I grew up in a house with a lot going on. and I wasn't always allowed to express my emotions or be heard and now being able to express my emotions and be heard by an audience and know my worth and my value.
Starting point is 00:15:14 And not that that's all invalidation, but to be able to freely express that. And even like fan girl over TV shows, I am such a fan girl over these teen TV shows. And it might not seem that much, but it brings me so much joy and I feel like a kid again. And it's little things like that that I've been able to kind of turn inwards. And that's why I love volunteering at the grief camp that I volunteer with because I'm around young girls and teens and I see a lot of myself in them and kind of reconnecting with myself through them is just like so helpful. I was talking to some of my friends after we watched the Barbie movie, which I think is like
Starting point is 00:15:50 a phenomenal work of genius. We were talking about how the movie makes it really clear how the movie makes it really clear how the hobbies that little boys have are endorsed as adult male hobbies, but the hobbies that little girls have aren't endorsed. We're so diminishing of what women love in this society. And I thought that that movie illustrated that really nicely. That's my whole career. I mean, I grew up being a horrible student, not because I wasn't educated or enough, but because I had a lot going on at home. It couldn't really focus in school. and the things I was interested in were pop culture, e-news, celebrities,
Starting point is 00:16:30 like us weekly. Like, I was just engulfed in pop culture from the very young age. Because it was kind of my escape. And I was told from guidance counselors to adults in my life that that's a vapid hobby to have. You're a little girl from Nashville, New Hampshire. You're not going to do e-news. Like, you can't even get a C in English. And the first job I booked was e-news.
Starting point is 00:16:51 So I completely, completely agree with that. that and the fact that a lot of what we're interested in even being a fan girl of something is so looked down upon or looked as vapid. And to be a fan of something and the art of that and the science behind that can be used in business, marketing. So many things that I want to say women, but people are interested in those types of things. It's looked at as valid and it's genuinely given me a career and has changed my life. So I'm really glad that the movie spoke on that because I couldn't agree more. I've always been a fan of Taylor Swift, but I became a Swifty during the pandemic where I'm
Starting point is 00:17:28 very into it. I'm watching all the theories. I'm going to the concerts. All of that kind of stuff. And it's such a beautiful sense of community, too. I feel like we live in a world that can feel so lonely. And being part of these fandoms and connecting over these things, I think is so much more important than we give it credit for because it automatically makes you part of this community.
Starting point is 00:17:50 Yeah. I've been a Swifty for life. I went to speak now as my first big stadium tour. And I've also been like a groupie in a sense. Like I loved boy bands growing up and I would follow them on tour. Loved Justin Bieber, followed him on tour. And none of my friends were into that. And they were like, girl, like, you're spending so much money on these concerts and traveling hours. Like, what are you doing? And the sense of community I got from fandom genuinely changed my life. And I'm being so serious. So I couldn't agree with that more.
Starting point is 00:18:23 It's like the best experience. And then at ERA's tour, I was sobbing the whole time. I cried so hard. I cried so hard. I was just looking around and I was like, these are the lyrics of my childhood, my adolescence and my adult years and watching everybody experience it together is so incredibly special. And there's not enough of this in the world at all.
Starting point is 00:18:43 Yeah. There's not. There's no feeling like singing with 70,000 other people. It's just not. another feeling like that. Okay. Let's do. How do you allow yourself to be creative when people expect you not to be? I'm really into arts, crafts, dancing, cooking, but people make comments about wasting my time and money since I work as an engineer and everyone is toxic and judgy. If you think about it, this is your life. You wake up every morning as you, you go to bed every night
Starting point is 00:19:13 as you, in a sense, you have so many people that love and care about you. But at the end of the day in the world, like, you kind of just have yourself. And I would just say to listen to what you want to do. I lost my mom when she was 50. And I always think to myself, tomorrow is not promised. And at the end of the day, like, when I watch somebody become so sick and lose their life and I watch my mom, like, in that hospital bed, I saw her just obviously be sick. But I was like, if I was in that position, would I be thinking about what other people
Starting point is 00:19:45 thought about me? Would I be thinking about judgment? No, at the end of your life, you're going to think about the things that you love and that made you happy. And other people's judgment, a lot of the times, is just projecting because they want to be doing the same things, but they're scared. So I wouldn't take other people's judgment to heart too much. I'm so sensitive.
Starting point is 00:20:05 But try to look at it like you only have yourself in this life to really do the things you want to do and dream the things you want to dream. and to go after those things. And everybody deep down wishes they could be doing the same. The number one rule of habits is to make the things that you want easier and the things that you don't want harder. Yet so many of us want to eat healthier, but so few of us actually take the steps to make eating healthier easier.
Starting point is 00:20:33 That's where Marley Spoon comes in. What I love about this company and what's different than all of the other companies out there that are doing stuff in the same arena is that you can customize your choices based on the effort that you want to put in. So if you want them to send you ingredients, so you can make your own 20-minute meal and get into your chef energy, they'll send it to you to all be in perfect portions
Starting point is 00:20:53 so you'll eliminate waste. Great, that's sorted. But they also have meals that you can just heat up. They have ready-made breakfast, which is always such a tough time of day to get a healthy meal in. They have grab-and-go snacks. Everything is made from farm-fresh produce
Starting point is 00:21:08 with high-quality proteins, and you can select by dietary preferences, including Mediterranean. diet, which is the top diet that doctors on this podcast recommend. Also, things like gluten-free, dairy-free, low-sodium, anything that you need. The food is so good and it's so gourmet-feeling, like you feel like you're at a nice restaurant. We're talking like chicken Milanese with a crunchy cucumber arugula salad or everything bagel salmon with truffle chive potatoes. My favorite recent meal was the creamy lemon chicken tray bake. I had one of those moments where I looked at my plate and
Starting point is 00:21:39 He's like, wait, I made this. And so quickly, like so easily, it's just so little effort for so much reward. Marley Spoon just makes eating well feel easy instead of stressful. And honestly, that is everything. This new year, fast track your way to eating well with Marley Spoon. Head to marlyspoon.com slash offer slash Liz Moody for up to 25 free meals. That is right, up to 25 free meals with Marley Spoon. That is Marley Spoon.com slash offer slash Liz Moody.
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Starting point is 00:22:31 Your skin isn't just getting older. It's being actively broken down by something called senescent cells. These are cells that have stopped functioning but refused to die. They sit there, releasing inflammatory signals, breaking down your collagen, degrading your skin barrier, and accelerating every visible sign of aging. Scientists call them zombie cells, and as they accumulate, they are one of the primary drivers of how old your skin looks and feels. The team at one skin, a group of female longevity researchers and PhDs, spent five years testing over 900 peptides to figure out how to help reduce the accumulation of senescent cells. and they finally landed on it. OSO1, the first peptide scientifically studied
Starting point is 00:23:14 to reduce skin's biological age at the molecular level. OSO1 goes in and it clears out the senescent cells so it helps skin function like healthier, younger looking skin. It is not masking the signs of aging. It's not targeting one thing. It is actually rolling the clock back at a cellular level. I've been using the face moisturizer for almost six months now and I love it so much.
Starting point is 00:23:38 It feels amazing. It goes on really smoothly. It's not tacky at all. And I actually see a difference, which I just feel like is never the case with skincare. You want to always like see a real difference. And you're kind of like, do, do I? Do I? And this I genuinely do. Because it's clearing the senescent cells, it doesn't just target one thing. So my skin looks firmer. It looks glowyer. The texture feels dramatically smoother. And I feel like you can see that too. I also love the body moisturizer. It dries down really quickly, which is always a pet peeve of mine with moisturizers. I hate that, like, sticky feeling when you go to put your clothes on. This does not do that. But it does moisturize really, really well. And then again, I'm reducing my skin's biological age. I am not making it just look younger.
Starting point is 00:24:21 I am making it actually younger. One skin has four peer-reviewed clinical studies in over 10,000 five-star reviews. The data backs everything up for a limited time. Get 15% off with code Liz at one skin. dot CO slash Liz. Again, that's 15% off at one skin.com with code Liz. What's the saying, like the only people you have to please are your 5-year-old self and your 85-year-old self or something like that.
Starting point is 00:24:52 And that's not to say to shut the world out, but it's like at the end of the day, really, like you genuinely are only yourself. Like you have to focus on those things. I completely agree. I also think that setting boundaries with people and saying, I'm not interested in hearing your thoughts. on this just so that they know that the line is drawn there and that you aren't interested in
Starting point is 00:25:14 their opinion. So you don't have to keep saying it. And then if they keep saying it, you know, a good boundary is you remove yourself from the situation. Definitely. Also, it's come up in so many podcasts recently that hobbies are what make us happy. Like hobbies are one of the key parts that make life worth living and particularly creative hobbies. I have a older friend. She's in her 60s And she says all of the time that she's not the creative person, that like her siblings, her friends are their creative people. And I'm like, maybe you are and you have been your entire life. And you just haven't gotten the permission to let that side of you out. And it makes me so, so sad that she views herself that way.
Starting point is 00:25:51 And she says it enough, too, that it's very clear that she wants that, you know? Totally. I'm a big fan of anything that you can do to let those sides of you out is very much worth it. Okay, let's do. I'm currently working a full-time corporate job, but not feeling fulfilled by it. I want to make time for other creative endeavors outside of work to feel more fulfilled, but all I want to do at the end of the day is watch TV because I'm so exhausted. Do you have any advice?
Starting point is 00:26:21 That was and still is legitimately me. I feel this on such a personal, personal level because I don't want to be. I don't really have a lot of gray area. So I'm either going, going, going, and then when I'm done, I am in bed, watching TV, happy with my dog. And I'm so exhausted. And I speak about this all the time with my friends who are still in corporate America, which is a beautiful thing. This is not like hating on corporate America at all. But I think about parents.
Starting point is 00:26:53 And I'm like, how do people get up, go to work from nine to five? By the way, school gets out at three. How are moms supposed to get their kids? kids, if they're at work till five, then do extracurricular activities and come home, cook, then what? There's like an hour left in the day? How are you supposed to have a life outside of that life? But I will say if there's any type of advice, obviously, there are weekends if like during
Starting point is 00:27:17 the week really isn't the best place for you. Or if you're at a job and you have like good work friends or your work has like a kickball league or goes out to lunch, make it so that you. you're able to do these creative things that you love, maybe even during the workday, obviously with permission, or find time on the weekends or maybe pick like one day a week, be like, I'm so exhausted, but I'm going to put myself out there because I know I'm going to be glad that I did it at the end of the day. But you are not alone in that. But folks on weekends, plan it out ahead of time to you almost like have to go, maybe just one day a week, or look to
Starting point is 00:27:55 your works communities and people at work that have similar hobbies as you and maybe try to figure out if there's anything you can do while you're working. I would also ask if you have more energy before work or after work because I think some people like, I'm not a morning person. I'm not going to wake up at six and like have my day. What's it called? You're five to nine before you're night. I'm never going to do that. But for some people that works really well, I'm an evening person and I get that energy at like seven or eight at night. And so for me, having that be the time that I'm devoting to the things that I care about the most makes a lot of sense. So I would say, where is your energy? And then also I do think.
Starting point is 00:28:31 that people can recoup a lot of the energy they're giving to work by setting better boundaries with work. It's so hard. It's so hard to do. But it can sometimes even be like one conversation with your boss that's like, I need to not be answering emails after 7 p.m. I'm so sorry. I can do it in the morning, whatever.
Starting point is 00:28:50 But being clear about what those boundaries are. And then also what you're setting for yourself as expectations. I remember when I was in a corporate job, I would be working on a presentation. until like eight at night and I was like, oh, this has to be done. But it didn't really. It was just like it had to be done in my head, you know? Same. Same. Looking out for those opportunities where you're like, am I putting all of my energy to work first and paying myself energetically second? Or is there a way to kind of switch some of that and pay myself energetically first? Yeah. I would make myself sick. Like I would be up till like nine o'clock at night working at something. And I remember like my last days at those jobs I would leave. I'd be like, technically. that really didn't mean anything. Like, it's just so weird how much time and energy you put into
Starting point is 00:29:36 your job, obviously, because it's your job. But then at the end of the day, you're like, this could be done in the morning. And I'm just pushing myself. It's just so crazy. But in your head, you feel like, no, I have to get it done. Even the culture of, like, inbox zero, I'm like, yeah, sure, it feels good, but does it feel good? Because we've pedestalized productivity so much. Like, why does your inbox need to be at zero? It's crazy. How much pressure are you putting on yourself and how much could you free up some of that energy to give back to yourself? Because again, I just feel like so many parts of advice and life and this conversation are like, you have one life.
Starting point is 00:30:09 Like, what do you want it to look like at the end of the day? Yeah, exactly. We're going to get into some questions about grief. And you've mentioned your mother a few times. Can you give us a little bit of background on what happened with that situation? My mom got sick when I was 15, just turned 16. Actually, today I got my license. My mom had a brain aneurysm.
Starting point is 00:30:32 And thank God that she had it in Boston while my little sister was training at Skating Club of Boston because she was taking a mass general, which is an incredible hospital. And they were able to save her from her brain aneurysm. But it took around like six months to a year of recovery and rehab. But she was able to survive that, which is such a blessing. After the brain aneurysm, my mom was definitely a different person. in a sense, but we were still very lucky to have her. And this is around when I was finishing out high school.
Starting point is 00:31:04 And a year after her brain aneurysm, she was diagnosed with a rare form of anal cancer, not colon, actual cancer of the anus. And she was treated for six months. And after six months, they said, okay, she's good. She's cancer-free, which was great. And then around six months after that, she woke up one morning, paralyzed from the neck down.
Starting point is 00:31:29 and was taken to the hospital and died seven days later because the cancer was actually growing the whole time and she wasn't fully cured with it yet and she passed away when I was 20. So from the time I was 16 to 20 was very much a roller coaster on top of other personal family issues that we were going through at the time. And from 16 to 20, I feel like our very pivotal years of growing up and needing a mom. mom and figuring out who you are. And I was kind of in fight or flight for all four years. So Thursday will actually be nine years since that happened and have come so far.
Starting point is 00:32:11 But at the same time, like grief definitely isn't linear. And in a weird way, I feel like it almost gets worse and better at the same time. I knew the cancer part. I didn't know the aneurism part. It's interesting. My mom got in an accident when I was two and was in the hospital for a long time and had these like residual effects on my life. It's interesting that part of your story is sort of parallels parts of mine. Also doesn't need to meet a person passing away. I grieve my mom twice.
Starting point is 00:32:37 I grieve my mom once she became sick. And then once she passed away, which are two very different processes, but they're still just as important when some things that you need to like turn in words on and think about when you're healing. Yeah, that's been a huge thing for me. My parents got divorced as a result of the accident and all these different things. And there is this like grief for the relationship with both of them that I would have had, the life that I would have had. And then also, like, I was two to five when all of this stuff was happening. So it's like another formative developmental period, but a very different one than high school. I'm grieving this stuff that I don't even have conscious memory of, which is really interesting.
Starting point is 00:33:17 Okay, let's do this one first. I lost my mom when I was seven and I never fully grieved her death. I was so young, family just kept moving on, other family issues. How do you allow yourself to grieve after so long and you're so afraid to let that wall down possibly for the first time in your life? Well, I cannot speak from experience because I was older when all this happened, but I do volunteer at a grief camp called Experience Camps. And some of the campers that I've worked with since they are younger, their parents or siblings
Starting point is 00:33:48 or caretakers passed away kind of before they really got to know that parent or they don't really remember what it was like when they were around, which is also hard in part of the grieving process. First and foremost, you're not alone. And however you choose to grieve this is going to be your own journey. But I would say when it comes to being afraid of letting your walls down, because it's been so long, one, again, you're not alone. And two, the fact that you're even asking yourself these questions and thinking these kinds of thoughts just shows that you're open to the idea, which is massive and something you should be so proud of yourself for doing, because a lot of people never get to that place where they're ready.
Starting point is 00:34:31 So take everything with a grain of salt. If you're able and capable of receiving and affording therapy, maybe speaking to a grief therapist, getting involved with an organization like grief camp, where you can be around others who have experienced grief as well. And in some way, that makes it at least less scary when I was going to. through it, but definitely try to start knocking down those walls a little bit. And if it gets too much, you know yourself, be like, okay, wait a minute. Like, I think I still need a little bit of time.
Starting point is 00:35:02 And that's okay. But also try to push yourself to get there because sometimes when the walls start coming down, you're like, whoa, this is too scary. This is too much. That's actually when you need it the most. Know your body, like know your emotions, work through it slowly. But just be proud of yourself that you've even got into the place where you are where you're like, hey, this was never talked about.
Starting point is 00:35:23 And that's kind of weird. And I kind of want to get into this a little bit. That's huge. And that's something you should be really proud of yourself with. I completely agree. And I'll say from my personal experience, this past year, I've been working on in therapy and kind of exploring the grief around and how my mother's situation impacted me.
Starting point is 00:35:45 And it's one of the more difficult things that I've ever done. but I also have gotten to know myself so much more in the process. I feel like there was a part of me that wasn't available to me. She's like, oh, the wall is up. And it's like the wall is kind of up inside yourself. Like you are denying yourself access to a part of yourself. And I think there's something really beautiful about saying, I want to be my whole self.
Starting point is 00:36:12 I'm not going to keep this part of me compartmentalized. And acknowledging the wall is huge. A lot of the trauma from my childhood has nothing to do with my mom's passing or my mom getting sick, which I found out through therapy. And I didn't even know that some of these walls existed until I started to speak about things and talk to my therapist and kind of approach that. But the fact that you're recognizing, hey, I'm putting this wall up, again, is massive and very important and will allow you to look at things differently when you start to take it down. Is there an example of what the walls were about or like how you had that realization in case anybody else is in a similar place? I don't know if I've ever really spoken about this on social media and I'm not going to get too deep into it because it's not necessarily my story to tell. But I grew up around addiction and from a like 10, 11 age throughout my whole adolescence life being very close to somebody who was struggling with addiction.
Starting point is 00:37:12 and that's another scenario where you're constantly in fight or flight. Everything is waiting on baited breath and like constantly waiting for the other shoe to fall, always, and watching somebody go from good to bad, good to bad, and just wanting the best for them. And then also realizing like this isn't who they are, but like they're still treating me this. They're so much that goes along with addiction. But I was always in fight or flight in waiting for the other shoe to fall. And now in my life, when things are going good, I'm still waiting for that shoe to fall. And I still have codependent relationships and abandonment issues where I'm like, if I get in a fight with a friend, a coworker, a boyfriend, I'm just wanting to make it better so badly right away because I'm so scared, something bad is going to happen.
Starting point is 00:38:04 and that's not something that I related back to that issue in my childhood until I started to really dig deep and think about the parts of my childhood that I kind of blacked out or didn't really acknowledge until now. Is it part of the process? If you're like, oh, I'm in a fight with my friend. I need to make things better immediately. Do you hold yourself back now to practice allowing for that? Yes.
Starting point is 00:38:28 How does that work? I mean, I'm trying. It's so crazy because I'm such an independent person. and I feel like I've gotten so far in life a lot by myself because I've had to. And with my friends, I'm always giving this badass advice. And in my career, I'm like a go-getter. And then in my friendships and relationships, I become so meek and so codependent. And I was like, this is not making sense.
Starting point is 00:38:56 Like, how am I becoming the opposite of who I know I am? just like recognizing that and now trying to hold myself accountable and do certain things that help with that. I've started to do that, but it's still very hard. Even when I get work critique from my team, I'm like, oh my God, like this is horrible. It happened the other day. So even though I'm like working on it so hard, I'm still finding myself in those patterns and it's just going to take more time to work through that. And to the point of the codependency, I think that I have this too, when a lot of your self-worth is coming from your relationships with other people, from what other people think about you, whether they're in your real life or on social media, when you don't
Starting point is 00:39:37 have that intrinsic sense of self-worth as powerfully, everything can feel so life or death. 100%. Yes. You're reading my book. Yep, that's me. It's a struggle for me as well, for sure. It's interesting. You said that it's not your story to tell. And I'm curious from a branding expert, from a social media expert perspective, that's something that I struggle with a lot. lot. Is my mom's accident and the resulting divorce and like all these things? It impacted my life so hugely. It's this incredibly large part of my childhood. But I also feel like it's not my story to tell. And so many people who were involved in that are still alive and around. And I don't want to hurt feelings. Do you have any advice for sharing our stories while being cognizant that they're not
Starting point is 00:40:23 only our own? This is something I struggle with as well. I mean, I talk about my mom's death a lot because unfortunately that mom jokes, she's not here to speak on it. And I know it helps so many people. And that's my story speaking about how I lost my mom. But when it comes to the other things that happened in my childhood that weren't me doing certain things or other people's stories, I tread very carefully with that for that reason.
Starting point is 00:40:53 And I think that you can still share, like I still say like I went through so much of my child. which led to this, isn't this? Like, I still tell my story, but I don't get into details, specific details. But I think about the parts that have affected me directly. It's okay to share. But that's something I'm still navigating as well. I still don't think that you should not be able to speak about those things.
Starting point is 00:41:18 Because it's your life. Because it's your life. It's more story, too, when it comes to getting into the details of certain aspects, especially with addiction. I tried very, very lightly. And I don't even really think I've fully dove into that on my platform yet. But it is important to talk about that's the struggle because I know so many people were raised around addiction or deal with it themselves or that story is important to tell.
Starting point is 00:41:41 And also I feel like the thing that I struggle with is as people get to know me, it's such an important piece of who I am is this element of how I was raised. And so I feel like I'm hiding something, but I'm not hiding it intentionally. And I feel like it colors my worldview and my actions and the conversations that I'm interested in having and all of these things. And then I can't feel like I'm being deliberately obtuse, but I'm not. Yes, 100%. It's hard. Okay.
Starting point is 00:42:10 I lost my sister a few months ago and I feel like I can't move on with life without her. Can you share some tips for what has helped you continue living life when it feels impossible and like no one understands? Yes, definitely. I can relate to this. First and foremost, I think community is so important. I feel like I'm sounding like a record on repeat, but my other friends who have gone through loss or my fellow counselors at experience camps, like having a community of people who have gone through something similar
Starting point is 00:42:40 is truly the reason I keep going every day because just not feeling alone in this, I think is step one because it is such a lonely feeling. I remember leaving the hospital the day my mom died and driving. in the car and just like having an out-of-body experience. It probably shouldn't have been driving, looking at everybody else driving their car and listening to music. And I'm like, I am having the worst day of my life. This will go down in history as the worst day of my life. But that person next to me is like going to McDonald's. It's just like, how can my world be ending, but continuing at the same time? It's the most bizarre feeling and you'll never understand it until you go through
Starting point is 00:43:23 it. So I think finding community and realizing you're not alone is very important. And then also, I'm not sure how your sister passed, but I think to myself, my mom was fighting to stay alive, to stay alive, actively fighting to stay alive, and would give anything to be here. So if I don't honor that and want to be here and do the things she wanted to do and do the things, things I want to do. I kind of think of it as a way of honoring her by being able to still live life when she can't. But that's not to say you are not honoring your parent or sibling if they've passed away and you don't want to live life anymore because that is a very serious feeling that comes along with mental health and grief. So I tread lightly with saying that and I hope people don't
Starting point is 00:44:19 take that the wrong way. But I would say find a community, try to honor them. And then if you are at the point where it's really, really serious and bad, definitely try to seek professional help. And I know when you're going into professional help, you're going to be like this person has no idea what I'm going through. Nobody could ever understand this type of pain. Like they weren't there. They don't get it. And I get that too. And that is true. But just having somebody to have a conversation with when you're going through those times is so crucial and will help you more than you'll ever know. Were there any little things that you did on a day-to-day basis that helped you feel a part of the world again, like structure you gave to your day or anything
Starting point is 00:45:06 like that? Honestly, no. I'm sure other people can relate to this. My mom's death didn't hit me until like two and a half years later, two, three, almost four, because I was, I was, I was went right back to college after it happened. Maybe I did have routines and stuff, but it was in the unhealthy way. I just went right back to being a college kid. I was at college. I was like, my mom's back home. Like, I'm good.
Starting point is 00:45:30 And then right after college, I went out to L.A. And I was like, okay, I'm in L.A. My mom's not home. Like, I'm good. I, like, set up things to get myself through it, which actually did the opposite and, like, shoved down my grief. Then when I moved back to New Hampshire for other family reasons, it's when I was like, oh my God, I can't do this life anymore.
Starting point is 00:45:51 Like the person who brought me into the world doesn't hear anymore. What is happening? Like it all kind of hit me way later because I was setting up things to distract myself. And that's not to say when you're going through these times, don't go to a movie with a friend that make you laugh. But I would say try to find the things that make you happy and be around people you love and get out of the house. That's the hardest thing for me at least. But don't try to bury it. It's like don't try to bury it, but also if you laugh at a movie or you're hanging out with your friends and you're having a good time, like, that's okay.
Starting point is 00:46:23 I think there can often be so much guilt in enjoying your life. And I think it's so beautiful the way you put it that that enjoyment of life is a way of honoring the person who's passed. And also being able to laugh at the situation you're going through or have quote unquote dead mom jokes, it makes everybody in the room uncomfortable. But that helped me. Like, that's why I like having a community of people who've also gone through it because you only get it when you get it. Laughing, maybe even being joking, which sounds so inappropriate, but it's not. It's the truth.
Starting point is 00:46:57 It's what everybody does who's gone through these types of things. And then also realizing, hey, if somebody passed away who was sick and in a weird way, you almost feel relief because you don't have to go through having that person be so sick and losing them slowly and you're so devastated and heartbroken that you lost this person, but in some way you feel a sense of relief because you can continue to live your life and you can get out of this hospital and your parent or sibling or whoever you're grieving isn't in pain anymore. That's another feeling that people feel shamed about when going through grief that is completely normal to feel as well. It is so not linear and there's so much.
Starting point is 00:47:43 many different emotions that you're going to go through and none of them should involve guilt. Was there anything that you told yourself or that people said to you when you were guilty yourself that was helpful? The statement that's huge with every therapist or grief camp and even everything that I've said is that grief isn't linear. It really isn't. It's never going to go away. You just learn to live with it. And that sounds like a negative statement and almost like no hope, but I weirdly find that to be the most helpful. Because, a lot of the times when you're going through these emotions, you just want it to go away or feel guilty for it. And you're like trying. Like, how do I fix this? Unfortunately, like, you're never going
Starting point is 00:48:24 to fix it. You learn to live with it. And that can be a beautiful thing. How I've learned to live with it is it's given me so much perspective on life and like going after things I want and like not taking things too seriously. Because at the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen next. but you'll learn how to live with it in a healthy way that works for you. When it comes to wellness, you're going to get the best results by focusing on the big needle movers. A lot of us spend a lot of time trying to optimize that last 1%, which creates a ton of stress and it actually doesn't help our health that much. At the top of the needle mover list, sleep.
Starting point is 00:49:03 And one of the best ways to optimize your sleep is to optimize your mattress, which is why I love avocado green mattress so much. First of all, this mattress is so comfortable. I have the one with the pillow top, which is medium firm, and it's just a dream. I miss it when I travel. It's better than even the fanciest hotel beds. Having a mattress that supports your joints and your body and feels good is going to help you get more sleep and better quality sleep. But then, on top of that, avocado mattresses are made with certified organic cotton, wool, and latex, and they are made safe and green guard gold certified. They're also Okotech certified, which is the gold standard. I look for it in any mattresses, sheets, or towels that I buy, which means the materials have been rigorously tested
Starting point is 00:49:45 for harmful substances. You can actually look for the Okotech standard 100 label right on the product, and I love this part. It includes a traceable certificate number and the name of the testing lab so you know exactly what you're getting. There are no toxic chemicals, there's no harmful off-gassing, it does not smell like it's going to kill you when you unbox it. This is what I mean. I'm not going to swap out all of my clothing, which is that top 1% of optimization, but by making sure that my mattress and my bedding are as good for me as possible, I literally reduce my exposure during a third of my life, which is a huge needle mover for a one-time swap. I will also note, and this is a me thing, but I sleep super hot and avocado's materials are really breathable, and it makes me
Starting point is 00:50:28 sweat the least of any mattress that I have slept on. And avocado is a certified B-Corp and a 1% for the planet member because caring for yourself and caring for the planet do not have to be separate things. You can get up to 20% off organic mattresses and more by shopping Avocados President's Day Sale right now at avocadogreenmatress.com. That is avocadogreenmatress.com no code needed. I'm genuinely confused how Masterclass gets literally the absolute top people in every single field to teach every single one of their classes. I use it when I want to learn things directly like the cooking class from Thomas Keller has all of the wisdom that you would normally have to go to culinary school for. But also, I'm being honest, this is like a use case I don't hear a lot of people talking about. I'll just watch it for entertainment when I want to do something that's far more interesting than scrolling.
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Starting point is 00:51:44 There are over 200 classes from the world's best, all for just $10 a month when billed annually, and you get unlimited access to every class on the platform so you can learn at your own pace whenever you want on your phone, your computer, or even in audio mode, like a podcast. If you're looking to stop scrolling and start consuming entertaining content that makes you feel excited and helps you learn, masterclass is it.
Starting point is 00:52:08 And the best part, every membership comes with a, 30-day money-back guarantee so you can start learning risk-free. Right now our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership at Masterclass.com slash Liz Moody. That's 15% off at masterclass.com slash Liz Moody, masterclass.com slash Liz Moody. You've said a few different times in a few different ways that the people who are going to get it are going to get it and the people who aren't going to get it,
Starting point is 00:52:38 and I completely agree. I think it's so, so true. Also, if I haven't lost somebody, I would still want to be there for my best friend or my partner or somebody else who is in the process of grief. Is there anything that those people can do to find that empathy or that would be really helpful as like an outsider? Yes. And I'm actually working on a project and developing something that I think will be very helpful for this in the future because this is the biggest question that I get when I share my story is like, okay, I'm the first. what the heck do I do? Like, do I just stand there, hug, cry, lap?
Starting point is 00:53:17 What do I do? And I get that. A couple of things that I always say is you don't even understand how helpful it is to do nothing, to just sit there, to just listen. And you'll be able to pick up on cues just from that. When somebody is grieving and going through this loss, their emotions are going to be all over the place. So one day they might want you to bring them their favorite smoothie.
Starting point is 00:53:47 The next day that favorite smoothie may remind them of their mom and make them cry. And you're like, what the heck is going on? So I would say just like actually sit there, be with them, listen, and seek what they need. A lot of the times people will be like, I'm so sorry for your loss, which is the best intentions. but instead I always tell people I would either ask what can I do for you ask them straight up like what can I do for you right now can I just shut up and go in the other room while you're in your bed crying but still be here on the couch can we go do something actually ask them what can I do for you and then the second thing is if you don't know this person that well and you're
Starting point is 00:54:28 not by their back in call as they're going through their grief or it's been a while I always say instead of saying oh I'm like so sorry for you're like to be like oh my gosh what's your favorite thing you did with your mom like what did your mom used to do for you on your birthday what is your mom's favorite movie ask them questions about their person because we live in a world now where it's like we're not able to speak about our people so by somebody being there for you and wanting to get to know that person more and giving you the opportunity to speak about that person does more than people could ever ever know and then I would say as awkward as it is when you don't know what to do, maybe you just address that. Be like, hey, like, I have no
Starting point is 00:55:13 idea what you're going through right now, but I just want you to know that, like, I'm here if you want to do something that isn't sitting on the couch and crying or like, hey, I've known you for 20 years. We've never ever hugged before and I want to give you a hug, but I feel awkward. What do we do? Just speak your feelings because the person doesn't know what to do either. Just like taking the elephant out of the room and being like, yeah, this is awkward. What are we going to do about this? Like, you know what I mean? There's a couple things you can do to go about this.
Starting point is 00:55:44 Freep is so taboo and isn't really spoken about enough that it's forced to be uncomfortable when it doesn't need to be. I think people are often afraid to ask about like what's your favorite memory with your mom, whatever, because they don't want to make you dwell on something that's going to be painful. Can you alleviate that fear? I think that's the complete opposite. I think what's the most painful is people forgetting about your person, not being able to talk about your person anymore, not having those memories be spoken aloud.
Starting point is 00:56:14 That's what's painful. So to be able to speak about, like when my friends are talking about their moms or like, oh yeah, my mom's coming into town, we're going to do this, this and this. I will never be able to have that conversation, like ever. I can't even say the words, my mom. Like really in conversation because my mom's like, here anymore. So to be able to give a person that time to speak of whoever they lost is like such a gift and such a joy. But I will say somebody just lost somebody and they're crying on the
Starting point is 00:56:46 couch and they're like unconceivable. You're not going to be like, can we talk about your mom more? Read the cues. But like if it's somebody that you're just becoming close with it. Then it doesn't need to be something sappy. Just be like, oh my God, I can't even imagine what you're going through when you went through that. What was your favorite gift? Your mom, I've gave you on Christmas for your birthday. Like, did your mom love Boston? Is she from here?
Starting point is 00:57:06 Just little things. Like, it doesn't need to be like, what you miss the most about your person? You know what I mean? Yeah, I love that. Okay, let's do a little bit of body image stuff. I have been working really hard to have a better relationship with my body this year, but I have a big vacation coming up with my friends
Starting point is 00:57:24 and I'm feeling really anxious about being in a swimsuit all week long. Do you have any tips for getting over that anxiety when you can't stop thinking about it? Well, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I have struggled with body image issues and EDs for as long as I can remember. And getting on the internet, it's been really, really difficult for me because for some reason there's this narrative about my body on the internet, even though I'm not like a fashion girl. I'm not like showing off my outfits or like my body or anything like that. And that shouldn't even be spoken about when that is the case.
Starting point is 00:57:59 But I think it's just kind of strange because I sit on the couch. I rarely show my body. And when I do, there's a lot of comments about my body image in a very negative way. Those negative comments are what I say to myself, which is what's so triggering to me. So I definitely understand what you're going through. And I struggle with it as well. I'm still struggling and working through that in therapy. But if there's anything that I've learned, who you are.
Starting point is 00:58:25 and the things people like about you, and when somebody describes you, a friend's describing you, or like people's memories with you, it legitimately has nothing, nothing to do with your looks. Think about your friends, who is in your inner circle. When you think about them, do you ever, ever think about their body? For me, no. Sometimes they're like, oh, well, she has a banging body.
Starting point is 00:58:52 Like, she looks great. But that's not like what I think about when I think my friends, I think about our memories, their personalities, who they are. And none of that has anything to do with body image. So as hard as it is, especially in a vacation setting where people are going to be taking photos. Something I also do is when group photos are being taken, I get in a couple of them, you know, for memories. But if I know somebody's like taking a picture for social media, I kind of opt out of that one if I'm not in the best headspace or feel comfortable because I'm like, you know what, I'll dwell on that. That'll like not really make the trip fun.
Starting point is 00:59:24 take yourself, unfortunately, if you're in a negative head space out of situations, that might trigger you. That's something that triggers me. And just remember, going on vacation, that is such a blessing. Like, take in your surroundings, be like, I am not working right now. Like, I am relaxing. Try to focus on the things other than your body, but also at the same time, have grace for yourself because that is extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely hard to do.
Starting point is 00:59:49 I will say the stuff we were talking about earlier, too, I think all applies here. Like when you're 85, would you rather look back on this vacation you took and think, oh my gosh, I had so much fun with my friends. I played volleyball on the beach. I jumped in the waves. I don't know what else people do at the beach. I'm not a beach girly. But like, I did all the fun stuff in my swimsuit. Or when you're 85, you're going to be like, man, the size of my thighs was really critical for this vacation.
Starting point is 01:00:14 We're taught that they matter. And they really don't. And speaking of the Barbie movie and everything else we were talking about really, I get really fired up about this stuff because a lot of. of the standards of beauty that we've accepted almost without question as a society are based on the patriarchy. They're based on trying to sell us shit. They're trying to make us feel always inadequate with something. And these things have also changed so much over time. Like what a perfect body is has changed over time. It's like it's a losing game. It's hard because sometimes I'll get on like the right side of the world in social media and I'll
Starting point is 01:00:53 think these things. I'm like, you know what? Yeah, like, do I feel the need to be small for this one person? But then I think about or see examples of those, like, when I was smaller or looked a certain way, I was rewarded for that. Or I see people who are the typical beauty standard and they're being rewarded for it. It's so hard to be like, you know what? Things are changing and they're great. But then you also still see that you wanted to be rewarded. When I was a certain size, I was praised more for my appearance or got more guys or jobs or friendship. It's so hard to be like, I know when you were unhealthy, you were treated best, but just like don't do that anymore. And you're like, okay, but I so want to.
Starting point is 01:01:38 It's such a battle and we are making strides in it. And everything we said is so true where at the end of the day, you could wake up tomorrow and find out something is seriously wrong with your health. And you wouldn't be thinking about your body. There's so many things you can say to yourself. but we live in the society that we live in. Like, the society we live in is so real. I was talking about this with my dermatologist yesterday because I was getting like all of these lasers and Botox.
Starting point is 01:02:03 I'm like starting this whole book tour in the next few months. And I'm like, I'm going to be seeing my face all the time. I'm going to be on camera all the time. That's a hard thing for me to just have to look at myself all the time. And so I'm spending all this money in time trying to make myself palatable for myself to look at. And she's like, yeah, yeah, but it's about the ideas. Like your book is so good. it's just about the ideas that you're sharing. And I'm like, yes, but I am also very aware that if I look a certain way when I am sharing those ideas, those ideas are going to be taken more seriously, accepted more, et cetera, et cetera. So it's like, we have to hold the truth of what is the society that we want to live in. How can we fight to make that society real? But also like what is the society that we live in? And it's almost like cognitive dissidents. Like I wish I didn't give a shit how I look.
Starting point is 01:02:51 but also I want people to take my ideas seriously and how I look as part of that. I have such a great community too. The negative comments are literally foul, but the good comments that come along with it, people are always like, but we love you for your ideas. Like, we love you for how far you've come. Like, it's the sweetest things that means so much to me. And I never thought I would be here. Sometimes they're tainted by, I'm like, I did this or I got this job or I got to shoot this.
Starting point is 01:03:20 I got on this panel and then like I'll get negative comments about my body while I'm doing those things. And I'm like, it's just a never ending cycle of being like I should be so proud of myself right now for accomplishing this or getting to where I am. But in the back of my head, I'm still thinking about the way I look, even though the way I look has nothing to do with where I got where I am. and it's so hard to ignore and especially when you have to see yourself on video and photos, that is what triggered me to get back into a really negative space because I'll go to this fun event and I'll be like, oh my God, that was a time of my life. I'm so lucky. And I don't get the photos back and I'll be like, oh, my God, I hate myself.
Starting point is 01:04:07 But at the end of the day, I think that I'm going to be working on this for the rest of my life and that's something like I'm so okay with and I recognize. but the bigger picture is society and I hope we get to a place where things change, but there's a lot of change that has to happen. And I don't know how that would happen. Yeah. I think it's happening. I think it's a slow process.
Starting point is 01:04:30 So that's why I think it's like two faceted advice. One, really try to gain perspective on where your body sits in terms of you living an enjoyment, you living an enjoyable life. If you don't let your views of your body as much as possible get in the way of like having fun on vacation, enjoying time with your friends, et cetera, et cetera. Your body is for living, not looking is something I always, always say. And I try to remind myself of that, like a mantra as much as possible. Look back at yourself from like 85, all these things.
Starting point is 01:04:59 But also recognize that we live in a society that makes these things incredibly hard and give yourself the grace within that. because I think that both things are true and it's one of the many contradictions of being a woman in the world today. I'm curious, the time that I find most triggering for my looks is when I'm in these influencer environments where I'm surrounded by people who are literally paid to be beautiful, are acknowledged by society as beautiful all the time and like really do it like as a job. And I know that that's sort of unrelatable, but I think a lot of people get triggered. and they're out with certain friends or kind of like in certain environments. I'm curious how you deal with that. Yeah, that's a massive trigger for me.
Starting point is 01:05:45 I went on my first like influencer event in a sense this month. And it was in Fiji, Love Island. So cool. Literally so cool. It was awesome. But I was around extremely beautiful women in bikinis the whole time. And I was so incredibly triggered. But I will say, I feel like working on myself has helped because I was in Fiji.
Starting point is 01:06:12 I'm a girl from New Hampshire. I was like, I know I don't like the way to look right now. I know they look literally perfect, even sitting down in a bikini. And that will literally never be me. But like, I'm in Fiji. Like, I have to take this in. Like, I really did do that work of being like, this is once in a lifetime. I was having so many gratitude checks.
Starting point is 01:06:30 So I think that when I am in those environments, it is so triggering. this is not relatable whatsoever, but like red carpets for me are, I get really bad panic attacks and I'm really lucky to have some friends like Tuffy and Serena Kerrigan who are constantly on these red carpets with me who know this and kind of are there with me, which I'm so grateful for. But I know when I'm in that environment, one, I'm surrounded by everybody who's literally beautiful, out of worldly beautiful. And I know that there's so many.
Starting point is 01:07:05 cameras going like my job is to stand there and to get like critiques and in my head it's just such a battle and such a struggle and it is so extremely triggering for me so I've kind of gotten ahead of that and kind of been like take it for what it is have the time of your life you grew up pretending to be on the red carpet when you were in the third grade in your bedroom you are that kid now love it and like don't look at Reddit or don't look at your comments after and really just take it in Sometimes people are like, don't look at the comment. Don't compare yourself. I'm like, if you are standing in a room with six supermodels, how do you not compare your,
Starting point is 01:07:42 it's in front of your face? Like, I get it and I follow the advice too. But like easier stuff than done when it's in front of your face. It's like so hard. For sure. I think that there's something really lovely about you even saying that because a lot of people can see you walking a red carpet and be like, oh my gosh, that's so dreamy, everything's so perfect.
Starting point is 01:08:01 She got flown to Fiji for Love. Island, but even the people that were pedestalizing are having these insecurities or having these moments or maybe having a panic attack and you don't even know about it. And by the way, my friends in this industry who I look at and are like, oh my God, you are gorgeous. Struggle as well with image. It's not just me. Like you were saying somebody might look at me on the red carpet and be like, oh my God, that's so cool. Like that's amazing. She's so confident and cool.
Starting point is 01:08:27 But they wouldn't know what I'm dealing with in my head. even the most beautiful girls in the world are struggling the same exact way. It's so helpful to contextualize it that way because literally it is a game and there are no winners. It's not like if I get here, I will feel a certain way, which I think is the thing we're all guilty of. We're like, oh, if I looked this way, my whole life would be fixed. If I had this much money, whatever. And then you have access and exposure to those people and they're still having all the same problems. You're like, oh, oh, okay.
Starting point is 01:08:57 It's like literally an unwinnable game. So why am I making myself play it? And even from a broader spectrum, I'll meet celebrities or work with celebrities that I've looked up to like my entire like I watched e-news instead of reading Hookdown Vonics. Like I've literally been celeb obsessed since I was six watching the real world, like wanting to be on TV. I'll meet these celebrities or see them in person or like be around their circles. And I'll just be like, oh my God. I thought that I wanted to be like a superstar. like my whole life.
Starting point is 01:09:28 And the more I'm around it, the more I'm like, oh my God, that is the complete opposite of what I want. Because even though they are so blessed financially or living out their dreams and some of them, they're made for it. They love it. Some of them I look and I'm like, I don't know if they'll ever fully be happy. There's so much that comes with that territory and there's so much privilege that comes with that territory as well.
Starting point is 01:09:52 And that's not to be forgotten, but there are certain aspects of the industry. certain aspects of things that I watch these people go through that people would have no idea where I'm like, wow, that is a lot that I would never want to be in that position. I think that being a celebrity sets you up and you don't always have to succumb to this, but I think it sets you up to really need more of that external validation and to really have to work very hard to have yourself worth come from inside of you in any sort of way. that can have all sorts of downstream repercussions because if you're not developing an innate sense of self-worth at any moment, people can take that away from you.
Starting point is 01:10:31 Definitely. Which I think is so tricky. Well, I love this conversation, Robin. Can you tell everybody a little bit about where they can find you online? Yeah. So it's at Girl Bossetown, G-I-R-V-S-T-O-W-N on Instagram and on TikTok. on my social media, the type of content that I make, half of it is essentially me doing trend forecasting, creative direction, and social strategy for brands and celebrities.
Starting point is 01:10:57 The other half of it is pop culture coverage. And then, like I said, at the beginning of the podcast, I'll sprinkle in a lot of my personal stories and struggles as well. We have a little bit of everything that I like to cover. Come and join me on there. I would love to see you. Well, thank you so much, Robin. I love this.
Starting point is 01:11:15 I hope that you love this episode with Robin. I love these types of conversations about body image and societal expectations and all these really, really difficult aspects of being a woman in the world today. I just want you to know that if you're experiencing similar struggles, you are not alone. And Robin is also just such a powerful voice in the world of grief, and I'm so happy that she's sharing her wisdom. If you would like to have your questions answered on any future advice episode, send them over to Askat Liz Moody.com. They're always totally anonymous. We will be back with a fresh advice episode on the last Monday of August. So tune in for that.
Starting point is 01:11:52 But we'll have all of our normal episodes every single Wednesday. And we have some very exciting ones coming up, including a deep dive into eye and vision health, which impacts so much more than I was aware of. And then an overview of a type of therapy that tons of celebrities swear by. So make sure that you are following the podcast. You do not miss out on anything. You're just going to go to the main page for the podcast on whatever app you listen on. So one with all the healthier together episodes listed.
Starting point is 01:12:18 And then you're going to hit the button that says follow. So you get the episode right in your feed every single week. Okay, I love you. And I will see you next Wednesday on the next episode of the Healthier Together podcast. If you have headaches, allergies, brain fog, skin irritation, or you've been dealing with hormone issues. You are especially going to want to listen to this ad. Every single thing that I just listed has been linked to chemicals and household cleaners.
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Starting point is 01:14:35 That is branch basics.com and use code Liz Moody. When you think about strength and resilience, like your ability to feel energized, to recover well, to stay strong as you get older, what do you think that actually comes from? Most people say working out or good nutrition, and yes, of course that matters. But there is a biological foundation underneath all of that that most people are completely overlooking. I have been diving deep into this lately with the team at timeline and what I've learned has genuinely shifted how I think about my own health. Every single movement that your body makes, every step, every workout, every muscle contraction depends on energy produced
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