The Feel Better Podcast: Ep 4 with Alisha Phipps
Kristen Rivenbark
All right, hello. I love this. I love the power of technology. It is so awesome we have done so many fun things together and you're in Boston, sometimes you're in Florida, I'm in LA, and it's amazing like we've been able to connect so frequently and only, only once in person in the last two years. Thank you for being here Alisha! We met through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition which is so cool. We were in school together at the same time, and have since graduated and have our own roster of clients. I like how we've taken our kind of niche in a different direction which is really cool so I'm happy to have you here. I love all of the knowledge that you have and all the little gems you can draw up regarding hormone health and really just kind of being a woman, you know you really take that to the next level so why don't you introduce yourself.
Alisha Phipps
Thank you, thank you so much for having me. I'm so psyched to be here. I'm so grateful that you invited me to be on your podcast and yeah I actually remember our first conversation like it was yesterday. I remember exactly where I was sitting and what we talked about and like it just left such a lasting impression on me and we had such a deep connection then and it's been so special to continue to grow in our friendship over the past couple years, so thank you again for having me here. Yeah, so I am Alicia Phipps, I am a self love, coach, and I help high achievers find passion, purpose and fulfillment, and that's because I am one, have always been, type a high achiever perfectionist, and after many years of working in corporate or paying corporate for 10 years and led me to major burnout and I just totally lost my passion, my purpose and fulfillment in my life, and so now I'm really passionate about helping others find refine that in themselves. It's so easy to lose ourselves in our society and conditioning and even just our everyday thoughts sometimes.
Kristen Rivenbark
So, what do you think is that pivotal moment in that kind of shift from that corporate typical nine to five lifestyle to the lifestyle that you and I are kind of after these days like where I know at least for me, it's years and years of thinking about it and wanting to make that shift but being afraid to. In your experience, having also kind of made that shift yourself. What do you think is the pivotal point where it becomes clear that you need to do something differently. Yeah, I think there's a couple of things.
Alisha Phipps
So for me, it was health related. Like, I went through this period of anxiety and depression and we'll get into the details of that as we go through here but you know that was a result of chronic stress over a really long period of time that I just left. You know without intention, like I just was not intentionally living my life, and for me that was a pivotal point, I realized that my health was at stake. You know, but in every hard decision. I say when I guide my clients, that it comes down to two things. First you need clarity, and what it is that you're desiring right it's no longer of this life that I'm living or this relationship that I'm in, or with this place this state that I live in whatever it is x y&z First you need the clarity, but that's just not it, where ahead where you want to hit Next, and then you need to muster up the courage to take the leap, because that's really all it takes is being really crystal clear. And, you know, having the courage to take the leap and those things have many, you know, lots of different timelines right based on what, whatever kind of decision you have to make big or small it can take, you know, more or less time for, for certain people to have so clarity and courage. I love that, that's, it's so true, those are just two really really imperative pieces. I like that, that's actually looking back, you know I can kind of pinpoint that that really is what was able to propel me forward without consciously thinking about that, you know, clarity and courage. That's really interesting. I do want to kind of go back to, you know, the way that the wrong career or, you know, who's spending your days in a way that goes against your true nature and what's ya know in alignment with who you are,
Kristen Rivenbark
how that impacts you physically you mentioned that it was really health related that made you make that shift and I think so many people don't realize the connection and they feel like, you know, it's two parts like, oh I don't like my job. Oh, I also have health issues without making that connection between the two. Can you talk a little bit more about that, What you were experiencing and how that's changed since you've also changed your career path
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, totally. Let me give you a little glimpse of what my lifestyle looked like that might help. So, yeah, I was traveling a lot, so I've traveled probably two months out of every year. I mean, out of every month, sorry, two weeks out of every month I was traveling on an airplane, lots of that time was over weekends and nights. When I wasn't traveling, I was, you know, waking up at 5am. I had an hour commute to work. I worked from seven to four and had an hour commute home, and then I sometimes like to work out if I can muster up the energy to do that so my days were really long, I took a lot of work home with me so oftentimes I was working into the evening. And that, you know, when I was in the office that was in a physical location so I was sitting at a desk all day, and you know I was your typical coffee first thing in the morning, you know, coffee again at three o'clock. You know, treats and candies and cookies and things all throughout the day because that's what everybody has in their office space. And so, you know I was just constantly on this roller coaster of just highs and lows right either really really tired or like, you know, pumping up with adrenaline and, you know, fake adrenaline in the form of caffeine and sugar, right, some kind of stimulant. So, that abuse, I'll call it to our body over a long period of time, just caused me major hormonal imbalance, I mean that it was just constantly spiking my adrenals, I was really stressed out at work. And, you know, over a period of time I just started to lose vitality in my life. And, you know, eventually that led into more chronic manifestation of that, which for me looks like really heightened anxiety or went through periods of depression. You know, I had really intense, like sugar cravings. I was really really really thin. And it was not in a healthy way. I had no libido, I was in a relationship and had no desire to, you know, be with my partner intimately. And, yeah, you know over time we, you know those things sort of just add up and you just think oh it's just normal, it's just normal and then eventually it's just too much right for the body to handle and that sort of what I experienced.
Kristen Rivenbark
It's so interesting and there's, you know, I think even just as basic as caffeine impacting your hormones and your right levels and adrenal fatigue and, you know, it's not always, you know, going to the McDonald's drive thru every day it can be something like that morning cup of coffee and then that afternoon pick me up and your body is just constantly in that fight or flight, and you're literally in fight or flight because you're rushing off to the airport and catching flights and coming back and you can't really come back down from that before you have to go back out and do it again. But, you know, I think there's just, there's so much glorification of that “busy.” I always grew up where you needed two phones, back when I was doing it, it was a Blackberry. And yeah, you need to be on training. You know, you need to be 24 Seven global like non stop and that was like Chase. Chase. Chase, that was always what I thought was a measure of success and it sounds like you did too, where it's like the complete opposite. If you're able to slow down and create some space and actually take a moment to figure out who you are and what you're doing. There's so much more to be said for that. Okay, So I think that's a good kind of segue into hormones and how hormones are impacted by food by lifestyle choices. Before we get into the specifics of that, what are some signs of hormone disruption, what are some of the things that people may not realize are actually symptoms of imbalanced hormones.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, so I talked about a couple of them already so chronic tiredness. That's like, you know, feeling tired and fatigued, all throughout the day, sort of waking up and feeling like you didn't sleep, waking up and feeling kind of like hungover really groggy. Another one is, you know, spiked energy at like 11pm, and then also sort of like waking up somewhere between like two and four in the morning, oftentimes with heart palpitations, these, these ones that I'm mentioning now are really tied to your adrenal sense if you have like really chronic adrenal fatigue. Some other symptoms are acne skin issues like eczema or rosacea, weight gain or weight loss like I talked about depression, anxiety, those can also be tied to hormonal imbalances. You know, low libido like I talked about earlier, sugar cravings, you know, irregular bowels and kind of the most obvious when we talk when we talk about imbalance from one place for women is like, people kind of immediately think about their period, right through their menstrual cycle. Is it heavy painful disruptive to your life, you know, those are kind of the kind of most common I guess, and if you like, take a step back and think about it it's like every function of our body can be a symptom of imbalance for months, right and when they start to all add up. Or maybe you think it's just normal that you have really bad acne because you've probably had really bad acne or it's just normal that you're tired all the time, and maybe elaborate on that one a little bit more chronic tiredness over like a long period of time right it's okay to be really tired if you're going through a really stressful a couple of weeks it's okay to be really tired if you are, you know, stressed out or going through a breakup or something like that right now I'm talking about tiredness over the course of like longer than three months that just does not seem to have any relief.
Kristen Rivenbark
Yeah, it's not just circumstantial it's just yeah, long term, and what are your thoughts on, on, you know, I know a lot of doctors, over the years will recommend birth control for managing some of the symptoms, painful period, acne, what are your thoughts on that as a means for regulating hormones? I have my own opinions on this. I'm curious to hear what you say.
Alisha Phipps
Well, It's really funny because that's exactly what a lot of doctors do is prescribe or synthetic hormones, let's just call them birth control pill, because that's sort of what most people take prescribed synthetic hormones for the relief of the symptoms but you're not actually relieving the problem, right, and there's an underlying hormonal imbalance that's happening. That's why teenage women often have like really intense symptoms and that's also because you know they're coming into the hormones like the system is finally like, getting online and it's trying to balance itself and so it's easier to just sort of masks the symptoms with the synthetic hormones to kind of stabilize and regulate things, and I'm not I'm not pro or anti by any means. I do what's best, I have done what's best for my body and that has meant 11 or 15 years of synthetic hormones. I'm not on them anymore because I also realized through my healing process that it was causing me anxiety, depression and just a lot of these issues that I was facing were actually just being covered up by birth control or, in some ways, making it much worse. I think, to each their own right, everybody has to make a decision, what's best for them, but I do not believe that at, you know, 10, 13, 15, 17, that women know what the best thing for them is, and I think doctors are over prescribing it, in my opinion.
Kristen Rivenbark
I think there, you know, there are certainly certain situations where it could be beneficial whether the pros outweigh the cons, but I agree with you, I think just kind of throwing it out there as an umbrella catch all like, oh you have cramps Oh you have acne here you go, and I do wonder too about the way that it disrupts the natural production of those hormones and you're introducing something and then therefore, your body doesn't need to produce those hormones because you, they're already being synthetically introduced, how does that impact you longer term? And I think it's just good to not to say, like you said not to say, you know, either way which is better for someone, which is not because it's all very individual, and there are certain times that may be beneficial and other times may not be so to be open to changing, you know, you're kind of habits if you will to, but just to be aware of that, that, that, you know, I think, weighing the pros and cons and understanding your options and things like that. I too have noticed an improvement in my skin in my cycle in my energy levels in my way, even since I have stopped taking hormonal birth control, and yes that could also be impacted by some of the other healthier lifestyle choices I've made, but I can't believe that there's a significant there for me specifically and I didn't realize that, you know, when I was in my 20s No one explained that to me it wasn't talked about. It's just what you did, you know, so I think it's just good to have that conversation and to kind of pique that awareness, a little bit. What are your thoughts on - I know I have some listeners whose bodies cannot produce hormones, the way that you know they show whether it's thyroid issues or, you know, other things that may come into play. Do you have any suggestions on helping to regulate the kind of the female system, because yes there's introduction of say bio-identical hormones or thyroid medication certain things you need if you physically need that? But is there any way that that can be supported through food and lifestyle choices as well. For someone who maybe doesn't necessarily produce I do want to talk about, you know, in normal circumstances, how we can do that but just kind of thinking about some of my listeners right now, curious if you have any thoughts on that. For someone who maybe doesn't produce those hormones naturally.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, for sure. Well, you know, I'm no doctor, but I, you know in my own experience when I was transitioning off birth control is really a challenging period for me. And as my hormones were deregulated, and that's sort of the only baseline I have for my own personal experience, and I took bio identical hormones are in the form of a supplement that really helped me like get to replace unbalanced so I think if you're working with, you know, a physician or a naturopath, even those are great people to suggest to him that some of the more natural routes or supplements or herbs that can really help with that like lack of production for someone with a thyroid issue or something like that.
Kristen Rivenbark
Interesting, what kind of herbs, would you, what would typically be recommended for something like that?
Alisha Phipps
You know, I don't know the specifics, but I know that there are, like, Absolutely, specific herbs for specific things right or imbalances, based on like what you're going through, whether it's, you know your thyroid or your adrenals or, you know, cortisol like whatever sort of is in balance there are definitely universe specific herbs and supplements, you know, I know one, you know that just sort of came off the top of my head is like a chasteberry people take that often if they have really heavy periods or painful periods. So there's certain supplements and herbs that are really great for specific issues related to hormones.
Kristen Rivenbark
Very cool. I love that. Anytime you can take the natural route, I guess, you know, a natural, natural Pathak doctor would be like a good complimentary kind of Yeah, similar to your regular doctor OBGYN.
Alisha Phipps
It's always nice to just get a different perspective. Naturopathic doctors go through a different type of training, really focused on natural solutions to heal the root issue. Whereas, oftentimes I find in, you know, traditional Western medicine, not always but oftentimes, we love to just fix the solution, fix the symptom, like the root cause. So, yeah, yeah, that's very true in so many different ways. I love it. Okay, cool. So let's talk about,
Kristen Rivenbark
I want to talk about some of the food so I focus a lot personally on what I call good foods, and I'm guessing that the foods that support your brain and your mental health, probably also are very similar because there's a lot of crossover up here with totally supporting your hormone health. Personally I noticed when I cut out a lot of processed foods and just kind of late night you know diner stops and Philadelphia and things like that. It started incorporating more like the whole grain, and you know, just more mindful and clean kind of dietary choices. Some of my hormonal issues resolved themselves naturally so I thought that was very cool because I can look back and I can see that change. I did things a little bit too dramatic years ago. I went to a raw food diet, and all that stuff but taking. Right, but taking away the processed foods was the answer, you know, not necessarily those diets but removing some of that other stuff. So, can you kind of get into a little bit more because this is your area of expertise, which I love, you know about what kind of foods, support your hormones, your hormones and also like when to incorporate them at different phases throughout your cycle, and things like that. I love hearing you talk about this.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, yeah. So overarching first and foremost it's really important that we stabilize our blood sugar. Overall, so sometimes we think about all these diets that we do or intermittent fasting or, you know like I talked about before that constant like from coffee to sugar to alcohol right because that was the sort of flow of my day coffee to coffee there's sugar into coffee to alcohol like and then, you know, do it again the next day. Yeah, all of those things really disrupt our blood sugar. So obviously, stable blood sugar plan looks like having breakfast, having a snack, having lunch, having perhaps another snack, and then dinner, right, If you want to eat throughout the day to keep your blood sugar really stable and that of course includes Whole Foods that, you know, protein, fiber, greens, incorporated at every meal, versus, you know, if you think about having caffeine and sugar all throughout the day that's not really a whole food diet that's going to help you stabilize your blood sugar, yes you're eating throughout the day but it's not stabilizing anything. So that's first and foremost, the most important when we talk about hormone balancing and keeping our hormones really in check.
Kristen Rivenbark
Before you go on, yeah you recommend in terms of stabilizing blood sugar, then, would you do you find that having breakfast. You know regularly and fairly early is most beneficial to stabilizing blood sugar because I know there's so much talk right now about intermittent fasting, you know, a lot of people are waiting until 12 One o'clock to eat. That's right, or breakfast or they're just going right to lunch. What are your thoughts on that from like a stabilizing blood sugar perspective.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, I think this is really, this is where we, we talk about bio individuality, a lot like this is a very unique thing for each individual person. For me, for my body type, I don't really do well on intermittent fasting, I've done it, but it just causes too much instability for me because, for such a long time I had so much imbalance. For someone who's never really had significant imbalance in their hormones, which is possible there are many people out there that don't write they have perhaps a little bit of imbalance but not such a significant or chronic imbalance, like I had experienced. It's okay. So those people do fine on intermittent fasting, and it's not a problem for them it doesn't throw off their whole system for some people don't even exam better. But this is where you have to be really in tune to your own body, and, you know, I encourage you know all my clients to explore if that's something they want to explore like, then go for it, and I'll guide you through it but, you know, you've got to be really conscious of what's happening in your body if that's really the right fit for you. Now, if we're looking at sort of like a quote unquote normal person that's out there, focused on stabilizing their blood sugar and getting their hormones in balance. You want to try and eat within an hour to an hour and a half of when you wake up, that's kind of the best window for ensuring that your blood sugar stays stable. So again, I don't know if I really answered your question but yeah you did.
Kristen Rivenbark
Yeah, I think, I think so I like and I know for you you prefer breakfast because you don't do well with intermittent fasting for me. I don't do well when I eat too early, is that well in my stomach it kind of weighs me down I get tired, but I do put, like, I will do, coconut butter in my coffee, because I need something so that I don't get super jittery because I am having coffee, so I'll do my lemon water my chlorophyll water, if I just then have coffee with no food. I will get that anxiety like jittery fingering that I don't want. So I'll add in like the healthy fats to kind of counteract that and then I'll have breakfast like an hour, hour and a half later, and I just found through trial and error that that works best for me because if I go right to breakfast I will get kind of nauseous sometimes if I eat right away but for others. They're like dying of starvation and super hangry you know if they don't eat breakfast and to have that person then attempt intermittent fasting is just like too much stress on the body already right off the bat first thing in the morning so I agree with you, it's very, very, you know, bio individual, but um, it's good to know too that it doesn't seem to disrupt that, you know, balance that blood sugar kind of stabilization so that's interesting so yeah I think listening to your body and doing what feels best for you. Okay cool, so we've got to balance blood sugar - what's next?
Alisha Phipps
Okay, our original question was, okay, what, What is, how do you eat for your cycle, I guess, yeah. So as I mentioned earlier, a whole food plant based diet high in fiber, so that looks like trying to incorporate greens, as much as possible, at every meal, if you can. Whole Foods, right, that means it's not processed, you're looking at having lean protein, veggies, whole grains, in there, like original form, not because the box says it has whole grains on it because you made your team off from the bulk of the key, you know that you bought at the grocery store. So, and fiber, whole grains, and healthy fats really really very very very very very important for ourselves, regeneration and to help kind of stabilize our hunger throughout the day so perfect that you add healthy fats to your coffee in the morning and that helps you release that jitters, for me, I have to eat a really high fat breakfast so maybe that looks like avocado toast or I might make a smoothie and put like a giant scoop of almond butter in there or maybe a half an avocado so that I know that I'm getting that real healthy fat that's what fills me up first thing in the morning, and again ensures that I'm stable, all throughout the day. And, you know, I try to incorporate healthy fats, at every meal, sometimes that's just olive oil or a quarter of an avocado, but making sure that you have those sort of four elements so fiber that Protein and Greens at every meal is going to ensure that you're staying really stable. And then of course, there are certain foods throughout the month that you can eat to help support your hormonal system and your cycle. One thing I try to do is like, if I'm going to have coffee or caffeine throughout the month I have it at the very beginning of my cycle so right after my period of time, I haven't closer to the start of my menstruation, so at the end of my cycle, I get really jittery, it doesn't matter like how much I have or how little I have or if I put fat in it or not, it makes me a lot more jittery. And I think that's just, you know, the cycle of what our hormones are going through.
Kristen Rivenbark
That's interesting. I definitely notice a different reaction, depending on the phase of my cycle so there are certain weeks that I can now pinpoint with regularity that much more social or more withdrawn, more sensitive to caffeine and even alcohol so I can have a glass of wine, you know, in, I don't know the luteal phase or something I don't even know what it is I just did there for and I could pinpoint where I have a glass of wine that week might be totally fine, wake up the next morning like it never happened. Go to Barry's boot camp and have a great day. Yeah, the exact same glass of wine. In the week before I actually get my period for example, can have like disastrous consequences like, yeah, it's so much harder, it gives me anxiety as right, you know like super tired the next day and I've noticed that that is dependent on where I am in my cycle, total it's just so interesting. Can you, you, I guess, how can we maybe you can help me explain that a little bit better in terms of like what's actually happening right there.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah. So, you know, if we look at the way that our hormones cycle throughout the month, they, they're on sort of an up and down roller coaster, right, And as we come towards into our menstruation, there on that sort of downward slope that's when we tend to feel more anxiety, we feel more tired. Sometimes people get really depressed. And that's because we're just experiencing this like major drop, before we have the shutting so that that drop on top of those disruptors like caffeine and alcohol. It's just too much for our system right that's when we start to feel that amplified effect. Again, when you're on the other side of your cycle you're at the end of your period, your hormones are back on the upward swing, we have a lot more tolerance and resistance and we can handle more caffeine and more alcohol, we feel more vibrant right we don't tend to feel that like anxiety and depression sometimes that can come on for people, asleep is a lot easier again a lot of people in Me included suffer from insomnia right before my period again it's just that major drop in your hormones your whole system is being is being shocked, and it can be hard to sleep. So interesting. And once you can recognize that it's like, I can almost visualize that roller coaster, because the week after I actually get my period I have so much energy I'm doing like higher and the work I want to run that's right want to make plans with my friend yeah I didn't want to see the week before.
Kristen Rivenbark
No crazy I love it though because then you can work with that so it's right. At one point I was actually still do try I've tracked it on a free app for years and years just because I like to have that visibility and to know what's happening. But I was actually looking at it by, by phase, each month to kind of pinpoint because once you have that awareness, then you can kind of give yourself a break and think like, oh, not, not what's wrong with me like something must be going on but like, Oh, that makes sense. Yeah, No, I am going to bail on those plans tomorrow. They know in a week, I'm going to be in a much better headspace and now I almost plan things accordingly. Like I know where I am in my cycle and I probably won't even make the plans to begin with, during certain times of my cycle, and other times, I'll make them knowing that fully well that I'm going to keep them because like, you know, I'm feeling good. So, yeah, I think it's really cool to be aware of that and, you know, even things work related like back before the pandemic, you know, networking events or right off site things or presentations or public speaking like if you can kind of pinpoint, you know, the best time for you to do certain things and then the best time to scale back, you can use that to your advantage so much and I think that's really cool. That was interesting to learn. Yeah, and it's just kind of live in a lot more.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, you can just allow yourself to live in a lot more flow and harmony and alignment. When you do become aware of what that's like for you each cycle.
Kristen Rivenbark
Very cool it's like, you know, it used to be. I always perceived it as like this inconvenience and now I can appreciate it in this really magical cycle that, like nature, is really very, very cool. So, thank you for the explanation. Yeah, what are your top five foods for helping to balance your hormones so maybe like fiber, protein, that, you know, kind of, maybe a little bit of a variety, what are some things that you always eat, you know, throughout the week.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, sure. So, um, I cycled through different nut butters, so I'm a huge nut butter fan and you know regular raw nuts are fine too. It depends on your preference. Some people like them roasted as long as they're not too salted. That's okay but, you know, the raw form is really the best that you can get. I'm a raw almond eater, you know, I kind of eat those, occasionally throughout the month. I do tend to like some variety so I do raw almonds and raw walnuts. It's, it's no human nature is such an amazing thing. It's no mistake that a wall that actually looks like a brain, right, it's like one of the best foods that you can eat brains. So, not only for your brain, but for your hormones too so walnuts are great. So I'm a big nut butter fan. On top of that I'm a really huge spinach fan, so I need to get one of those like, you know, big containers of spinach, and I put a handful. On the bottom of every meal that I eat, it's a handful of raw spinach, and I'm a big bowl food eater. For example, I'll tell you today, I put in a handful of spinach. I put about a quarter to half a cup of lentils. On top of that I put some roasted cauliflower, and I had a turkey burger, and I just heated up in the microwave, and so it's all kind of all wilted. I'm a big, like I said bowl food eater I'm kind of like that. So, it's one of the easiest ways that you can get greens in every meal people think it has to be like that to eat a salad or I've got to saute all these greens or veggies like, No, I just put them in the bowl and microwave them and they're like, it's perfect. So, that's my fat, my greens, my fiber. So, I'm a huge being like boom fan, it's what helped me regulate my hormones, the most they're the most readily available form of fiber, and as a society we are like so scared of eating beans I eat beans probably at least once, if not twice a day on top of taking my psyllium husk supplement and that's what keeps my hormones like stable and regular on top of if I have a night that I'm going to go drinking, I have a big glass of psyllium husk before I go to bed to again, stabilize that blood sugar that's going to be spiked and then crashing in the middle of the night when after my like alcohol craft is coming down the psyllium husk really helps with that. Oatmeal is another great form of fiber, soluble fiber that people can get but you have to eat a lot of oatmeal to get the same amount that you would eat. So I'm a big, big bean fan. I say that fiber greens are missing.
Kristen Rivenbark
Protein. Yeah, we've got that covered.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, protein, I'm a I'm a huge like fish or turkey burger fan, that's like kind of what I go to, those are my go to and eggs, of course but pasture raised organic eggs. I usually have a bunch of hard boiled in my fridge so that's like what some of my favorite foods for stabilizing blood sugar and stabilizing hormones, delicious,
Kristen Rivenbark
all my favorite foods, and then you can take the salmon and you can put it on the spinach and you can throw rice modificado And so yes, I love doing this spinach, like, a little bit. Well, it gets a little bit wilted because of the fish so I'll put a piece of salmon on top and then it warms up a little bit. Yeah, then a soft boiled egg. Er and dill, that's like my favorite. You've got to get your air fryer so you can do the salmon in the air fryer so I know I can't
Alisha Phipps
stop every time I love your Instagram like, oh my God I need an air fryer, I do my salmon air from I don't want to do this there right I want to make sweet potato fries like all those things, I cannot believe I don't have yet, so I know all the veggies, the cauliflower, the bread. Oh my god, I'm going shopping tonight with my boyfriend, So like I might come home with one if
Kristen Rivenbark
you will, and you can do the air find like chickpeas, you can do like lima beans and seeds in them, and the options are endless.
Alisha Phipps
Oh my gosh, I love roasted chickpeas, and they're such a pain to make, like, your own right, we now like half those ones from whole foods that you can buy right now. Different brands but, you know, making them at home is obviously so much better, but it takes a lot of labor, it's a labor of love for sure.
Kristen Rivenbark
Speaking of love, oh that's a good segue! I want to talk about self love! So you are, you know your title, what you embody is “Self-Love Coach.” What does that mean?
Alisha Phipps
I think it means like a radical self acceptance, that means a complete understanding and knowing of oneself, and really unapologetically being that person, like just showing up as you are, whoever you are, in every situation. And I think that just takes years of actually like for me it took years of recognizing how much I abandoned myself where I would abandon myself in relationships right I would do things for other people, people pleaser perfectionist right those are all things that drove my actions and behaviors first is what it was that I really wanted, like how I wanted to intentionally live and show up in relationships that work like wherever right all the different facets of our life that we get to show up and be in.
Kristen Rivenbark
Do you think that most of us are not living in our self-truth?
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, I do actually think most people are not. It's really interesting, I just took a couple women through my career clarity course which is like four weeks to Career Clarity, and it's for the woman who feels really stuck, and unclear on the direction that they want to go in their life. Maybe they're in a job that just like not weighing them up, and these, these women showed up and kind of went through it, and on the other side just had this like, incredible confidence, and like the one thing that they both told me it was like, Why didn't realize like how much of my life I was living, just like based on conditioning, and I wasn't really like living in my own truth and now like, I'm much clearer on what that is for me. And so, I think, yeah, I think most people are not living in their truth, they're just living based on conditioning or what they think they should do or, you know, other maybe more ego driven reasons right I'm going for that job because it pays a lot or I'm chasing after that guy because he's really handsome or sexy or whatever like, and it's not really in alignment with what we need, and then also all starts with awareness because sometimes we don't even know what we, what we need or want.
Kristen Rivenbark
Yeah, and we don't even realize I think it's happening, it's you know, maybe your parents told you that they wanted you to be successful and this is the definition of success and then in school you're told to be, you know, academically successful and do well in these areas of, you know, study and then go to college and get this job and without ever thinking about what it is that you enjoy or want or your purpose here, you know, and it feels so just so eye opening when you take a minute to pause and I always like to go back to thinking about like, what did you enjoy as a child like where did you get lost and get in that flow state and lose track time like what brought you so much joy and for me it was always being out in the woods, about nature like I love to explore and even just to be alone and buy like these little like nooks and bring them, ask and, and I got so far away from that like the opposite like 37th floor of a high rise in Philadelphia right have you further from that, you know, but obviously like I'm not just gonna go signifiers for the rest of my life. But what are some tips and tricks that you have, or for people who are maybe just starting to recognize that this is something they can even explore. What kinds of things to think about like how do you kind of peel back the layers of conditioning and start to figure out who you are, like, how do you get back to that.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah, I think a couple different things. One is starting to recognize like how you talk to yourself right what does that talk track sound like when everything else is quiet and sort of the easiest way I think for people to recognize that is like when you walk in front of a mirror, right, like what are the thoughts that come to your head and starting to become aware of those. Write them down journal them out and journaling, I think that is one of the, that was for me sort of the gateway into getting to know myself in a much deeper way, is starting to explore different questions, And I would buy, you know, journal prompt cards or things like that that would help me like start to explore some of these areas of my life that I wasn't accessing like we don't, we don't think about on a day to day basis right it's not like writing down your goals or, you know, whatever, you know, those are the two I would say those are the two ways to really start to bring awareness to.
Alisha Phipps
And then my last thing that I'll leave people with this like, you know, you can ask yourself in a, in a decision place for when you're in a place of making a decision or making a choice like, is this a self loving choice, right or is this a choice that I'm making for something else or someone else or ego driven or, you know.
Kristen Rivenbark
That makes sense. Yeah, it takes me to, you know journal prompts I think are super helpful, like free writing is always a really good tool as well. I like journaling like as soon as you wake up when your mind is kind of free and clear of the clutter and you're kind of like pseudo hypnotic states still. And also, you know, different resources and classes I think to like Lacey Phillips, to being magnetic, I find that works so interesting and like shadow work, and you know unblocking like inner child or you know, areas that you have conditioning blocks, whether it's around money or, you know, self image or self love. I think it's all really helpful to kind of seek out resources that will kind of guide you through that and it sounds like that's what you're doing with your clients right now as well which is beautiful. That's incredible. I do want to touch on kind of thinking about what brings you joy as a child and passions and things like that. Your equestrian lifestyle so you did. I know that you recently purchased a horse and you've been riding and just kind of like absolutely in love with that piece of your life. Is that something that you kind of moved away from and then came back to, re-found, how, how do you feel? I think, you know, cultivating like those passions and as hobbies, it's just such an important piece of life and overall health and well being. So, how has that impacted you in a positive way?
Alisha Phipps
Well let me just share a little bit more about my history there so I grew up riding. I started riding when I was about 10 And I wrote all through, you know, middle school all through high school, I had a horse I rode through college, I was on the equestrian team and at the end of that, I was so burnt out, I was like, I cannot go to another horse show so you can see what type of person I am right I'm like really, in, like I said before, type a high achiever I am all in all the time to everything that I'm doing and that has led me to burn out many times in many areas of my life so I took a break, I'm still writing but not very actively I would guess like through my 20s Yeah, mostly like through my 20s and at that time I moved out to California and you know I wrote out there a little bit but not very much, and then, you know since moving back to Massachusetts a couple years ago I got really back into it, it was just such a. It's always been my passion like it's the place where just like you said before, like I totally check out I lose all track of time. I think it's because it's a place where I can be really present and very like in my body, versus, like, in my head, which is a place that, you know, can definitely take over and take control. For many of us I think. And, you know, it is my place of reprieve like if I'm having a rough day like I'll just go at my personal struggle me like horses are the most intuitive animals on the planet, and they just have a way of, of knowing our energy like like No, like nothing else right they're used to, behaving and operating in a herd mentality and so they have a way of sensing energy from, you know from miles away so it's interesting if I show up there and I've had a rough day, or I'm really like anxious like my horses energy is totally different and I'll have a really challenging ride. And if I show up they're just like, totally present and calm, it's, it's a whole different experience. It's amazing though, there's something to be said there about the ripple effect that our energy has on living things, not just or so, everyone that we come across it. Yeah, I mean how, if you're having a bad day and you don't think that you are maybe portraying that to someone you're interacting with if you look back you can kind of see like that, that interaction was definitely more challenging because of the vibe that I was even putting off.
Kristen Rivenbark
Yeah, really cool I love that horses are so smart horses, pigs, dogs, I just love it but you know you kind of found something that's your outlet so if you're having a bad day, you have a healthy outlet, something that lights you up and benefits you all around, as opposed to maybe some, you know, unhealthy habits or outlets that people tend to lean towards. That's just beautiful. I hope that encourages other people to maybe think back to some of the hobbies and passions they had as teenagers and pick that up again because it's so much fun even something like drawing or painting or. Gosh, when I was younger, I used to like to knit and crochet just because it was like relaxing and just like that repetitive motion and, yeah, and you can do that keep your hands busy just kind of like gives you an outlet to check out so I love that you pick that back up and you've got this special little creature. So cute - Eating your hair.
Alisha Phipps
Oh my gosh, always. He's grown up a little bit. He's a lot less nimbley now but yeah for a while there, he was very, he was just three years old still like a teething baby, and so he was just trying to chew on everything, so.
Kristen Rivenbark
Yeah, well I want you to tell us where you know where you can find all of your platforms if anyone's looking for some self love coaching, you are definitely the go to I mean I find so much value every time we have a conversation about anything. But yeah, I think it's important like self love is important and it's something that I think we glaze over and it's so neglected and it's always, you know, lose weight, you know, get healthy, run build your dreams, lift weights, get a Kardashian booty, you know, we forget like to actually just love who you are and that like you said in the beginning radical self acceptance, I think that's so powerful, so where can everyone find you.
Alisha Phipps
Yeah so on Instagram, I am @nourishwithalish
It's also my website so you can find me there as well.
Kristen Rivenbark
I love it and you've got your course, your career coaching course as well.
Alisha Phipps
Yes! I am doing Four Weeks to Career Clarity, it's like a kind of a blend between just some one on one coaching with me, and some really specific exercise that I take people through to kind of get that clarity for their for their career, in particular, that I'm actually going to be launching pretty soon this kind of the first time I'm talking about I only have my web page on it up yet but that is the project for later this week so cool. Yeah, Canada, by the time this airs you'll be ready. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, hi, Ella Yeah. And one other thing I have my retreat coming up that I would love to just share about as well so please, I have my annual retreat that's happening over Halloween weekend and Old Orchard Beach, Maine. So for anybody on the east coast but we're, we're, of course, welcoming to anyone. Nationwide, of course, and that will run from Friday through Sunday, and I do it in partnership with my dear friend. Chef, Lauren and she's a vegan chef so it's all vegan food throughout the weekend, lots of women's wellness activities that we have planned on top of some yoga, it's, we have this beautiful space right on the beach so there'll be plenty of time to kind of soak in the last days of the sun, if it's around. Last year was like the most beautiful weekend we had. In October, we actually had a dance party on the beach. One evening after one of our dinners so hoping to have the same. This next year and then of course over holiday weekend so we'd be doing some really fun and witchy and spiritual activities and things, so anyone is interested in that, we have a few more spots still open.
Kristen Rivenbark
Oh my gosh that may, I may need to come out to me, for that wonderful, I love that. Oh my God, that sounds so cool. Love it, love it, well I'll put all this information in the notes, the show notes as well as your Instagram, your website and all that good stuff so everybody can find it there too. Thank you so so much. I just love you. I love spending time with you and it was such a pleasure, thank you for joining and showering us with all that good, juicy hormone health, knowledge, thank you.
Alisha Phipps
Thank you so much for having me Kristen, I really appreciate it. I'm so grateful.
Kristen Rivenbark
Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoyed the show, be sure to rate and review, and also follow along on Instagram @holistic.w.kristen and I will see you soon.
