Unlock Your Code to Thrive – The Epigenetics of Longevity

Introduction and Melissa Petersonu2019s Background 0:00

Hello, is Doctor Ken Holter for another episode? A special episode of the Peptide Summit. Today we have part two. Melissa Peterson, who we had to invite back. She just has too much knowledge, too much to say. So much amazing things, about longevity and how to live better, how to live longer and secrets to doing that and practical approaches. And, I'm proud to call her my friend and just so impressed with her knowledge and colleague. Today she can talk about a lot your codes to thrive, the epigenetics of longevity.

And, to add on to her previous bio, she's sought after expert and thriving for over 20 years as an author. New book just out. That is number 1 in 3 different areas already. And codes of longevity. And it has it's authored by herself and like 25 experts in there I have I have one chapter on peptides and but just some amazing people that that she just hangs out with, you know, she's doesn't look like it, but she's a geek. Knowledge geek. And she's just really a sought after speaker. She's just, amazing speaker, thought leader and epigenetics and precision longevity.

She's can really connect the dots in so many ways. She coaches experts, enthusiasts on how to lock their code and really harness their limitless potential, to flourish in business. And she's so positive. And whether it be health and life, you know, feeling and living their life optimize and that's their big thing is to get you to your optimal level, whether it's health and happiness and functioning. She's the host of Longevity Lab podcast, author of Codes of Longevity. As we just said, she's a visionary.

It's amazing. I love speaking with there is learn so many new things. And behind the 120 collective, for those who are ready, to be ageless, she's founder of longevity and, experts network for today's top health leaders. As an advisory member to Heads up Health Technologies and holds a position as chief limited officer at a peri on, Academy of Epigenetics. I can go on and on with all our titles. By the way. She's done so much stuff. It's incredible. And her her past is amazing. Her clinical training background, doctor of chiropractic and epigenetics, human performance success, coach fortification and holistic health and masters and wellness, leadership and performance.

Pair this with her past fitness and television career in the world of professional wrestling. And, it you wouldn't think you'd get from there to here and but it's pretty amazing. Those professional wrestlers. Yeah. Well, they're I think they beat themselves up. We've had some patients, and they're good people too. And you get a powerhouse that is, she's really on a mission, and her passion is just infectious. She inspires people at nights. People around the globe to express greater status of their health, well-being and human flourishing for generations to come.

She's what the world needs. And so, really, to discover it's possible for you to learn more, about, Doctor Melissa, you can connect to a number of ways. Doc. Melissa. Doc. Melisa.com. Or code soft longevity code e soft longevity.com and longevity life hub.com. And she's just so generous with her knowledge of so many people and trained so many people. It's a pleasure. You know, I'm a huge fan. I think that there's, like, the build up. You guys, I never I feel like I don't know if I that's a big over promise, but I'm going to deliver. I'm going to deliver.

We're going to have a great conversation. Oh thank you doctor. It's she's someone that you just feel good after you talk to her. You know it's it's it's. Yeah. I'm. I'm ready to dive in. I want to say thank you for having me back. You know, it's interesting. What people don't always realize is that, you know, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to bring this information forward. And I, first of all, want to applaud you, because for many months now, you've been putting this all together.

And when we did our first interview, it was many months ago. And, you know, it's crazy how much has happened. We you are in this book with me. We have been doing some fun and amazing things, and I feel to spend a few short months, you know, things have have rapidly evolved, even in health care where we're at, you know, this pandemic has created a desire for people to look in new ways beyond where they've been. So I, I'm really honored that I get to be here twice, because I hope that my first conversation around cognitive optimization is super helpful to everybody watching.

Yet I'm really excited about this because I feel like I'm just brimming, right. There's so many new things to talk about today. So thank you. Yeah. And I think things are just happening so fast. But in standard medicine, they move so slow. You know, I'm telling you, we would end the Covid crisis in a week if they would just listen to us, you know? Yeah. And I just want to be, mentioned. So in the one of your bonus gifts, is a is the book for $0.99. And please leave a review. I think you'll love it.

The reviews are great. And, and there's just packed with, so much information so that they know from all the experts and herself. And then you also get a, a course. Yeah. Mini course in, basically what she's been preaching and how to generalize life and, and practical and all science based stuff in her book. You know, you can read so much stuff on the internet, how do you filter what's good, what's bad? Well, here's the world experts and and as with her at the top, leading the charge and, and you'll just fine.

I think new numerous parts that you just go, damn, I can do that.

Epigenetics, DNA, and Longevity Codes 7:00

Which can change so much stuff. You know, the old standard of. Okay, just exercise and eat better. And, it it doesn't work. Well, I in this part you need to, but, it's so much, so much more than that I should say. Well you know, what was important to, to me about bringing the book forward, Doctor Kent, is that it is called The Codes of Longevity for a reason, because encoded within our very DNA lies our blueprint of limitless potential. And these are not just feel good words. You know, this is the reality.

If you really take a moment and think about what DNA is, and if you think about what's actually inside of each and every one of us, right? Like it's not just you and me and what was passed down from our parents or grandparents. Think about the lifespan of humanity and each generation that we have descended from. It gets passed down, it gets shared. It's it is the blueprint that ensures that we continue right to flourish, to thrive, to evolve. And that's what I don't think everybody really understands.

Our blueprint is there to ensure that we not only survive, but more importantly, that we thrive and evolve into new states of expressing what it means to be human. And so the book, while yes, it absolutely does cover sleep and exercise, like, you know, bioactive nutrients, eating for your gene type, it does include movement. And those are fundamental when it comes to living a long life. Well, the research is indisputable. You cannot you cannot make up for I mean, yes, you've got some great peptides.

We'll talk about that. But there really is no replacement for exercise and sleep like those two things alone. Exercise and sleep and see, that's the thing. I'm a hypocrite. I can't preach that because I eat like crap, but I exercise every four months for eight minutes. But I'm trying to get there. I'm trying to get there. I can take the peptide that mimics fasting and mimics exercise. Yeah, but. So I like cheating, but, and I'm pretty lazy, so, here's, here's what I say I love. First of all, I love and we all want we all want the easy button.

Let's just let's just be real. Like, the brain is also hard wired for that, right? Like, what's the path of least resistance? And of course, modern living is so convenient. It is so easy that of course, I don't want to go work out if I don't have to. Like, I get that. So I want everybody listening to first of all, no. That's that's a very real sentiment that many of us hold. And in part it's not because you're lazy, it's because the brain is hard wired that way. It's always going to look for efficiency.

And so when it's super easy, you don't have to go out and hunt and gather anymore. And you can just open up your cupboard or your pantry. Of course, you're not going to want to get up and go out. So first of all, let's all just press pause on cutwater shooting all of ourselves, okay? And yet the reality is, is that it all depends. It's super personal. And I want everybody know that what I'm going to talk about today isn't the Melissa way. It's not a judgment. There's like, the beautiful thing about life is that we all get to choose how we want to express it for ourselves and in any moment.

Right. So going back to the DNA, there's this potential within. But what life gives us is this beautiful tapestry. I like to call it a tapestry of complexity and contrast of information, of input of signals. And these are literally the codes. These are the codes of information that are literally talking to our cells, to our physiology. This interplay of outer world, inner world, of how these signals from life, our environment and our interaction with it, how that transfers in at the cellular level is designed intelligently so that as a human being, we know if it's safe to evolve and thrive.

Is it safe out there? Because if it isn't, I've got I've got to operate very differently. If it is, I get to operate differently. Okay. And so so again, innately we are programed there is this communication and this communication between the outer world and the inner world is really that, pathway, if you will, of epigenetics. It is the information, the signal from above, the gene that basically tells the gene what to do, turn on or off or up or down. And so I think it's really important that everybody listening.

And just a reminder our genes are not our destiny. They are potential. Just because they're there doesn't mean they're doing anything. They could be hibernating. They could be way overactive. What determines what we're able to do in informing the expression of the genes is in the quality of this, of the input of the signals of the codes, the information between the outer and the inner world. Now, a peptide is a code. That's why you're in this book. It is literally amino acids, right? It's literally a strands of information that are communicating at a cellular level, letting the body know what to do or not to do.

Right? If we think about it like these beautiful little chemical messengers very precisely dialed in, it's an exact chain of code. Do this. Don't do that. Okay. So they're shown like studies that they turn off all these bad genes and turn on. So you have you have the gene. The big thing is you can turn it on or turn it off. And that's what exercise does. It turns on a lot of good genes and turns off bad ones. So I don't do much of that. So I like to give something to do that. But it also makes when I exercise now I'm getting three, five times the benefit that I would, you know, so I don't want to do it.

I don't want one for one, I want five for one. You know, by doing all these things. And there are a lot of things you can do to get because you can't just exercise in each way. You're still sick, like, wait, what's going on? There's a lot of things that you need and can do to make that so much more efficient, you know? Right. So we 100% so there is a real secret to longevity. And it's called flexibility. And I don't just mean your ability to bend down and touch your toes kind of flexibility. It's about being adaptive resilient but flexible.

So think about the the willow tree. It can bend. It can move in this with the circumstances. And through it the fast path to metabolic like inflammation right. Metabolic breakdown dysfunction and disease is going to be rigidity. And why do why would I say that specific word. What I mean by that literally is the inability to adapt and respond, the inability to be flexible. So we get really set in our ways. It's black. It's white. It's yes, it's no, it's this or that. It's all or none. And there's very little gray space in between.

I think it's getting worse. People seem to be getting more black and white, you know, with health and you look at people that over exercise. Yes. They're not younger. When you look at their genetics and, you know, their age of their cells, they're often older than normal, you know, and all they do is exercise. And if you look at like a vegetarian marathon, right, mean they don't look healthy either, you know, and you check. So too much of a good thing, is not usually good. Yeah. We get really locked in.

I mean, you know, it's interesting. There's a couple of reasons behind it. On the one side, it's how we're being marketed. And message to and specifically with social media. You know, and you and I had a message the other day about Social Dilemma, but it's very real. So what's happening just in message messaging right now? And because everything's done by an algorithm, it shows you more of what it thinks you want. And so what it's reinforcing is a phenomena in the brain called cognitive dissonance or cognitive bias.

And so it's just reinforcing your view of the world now not making a judgment on anybody's view of the world. But what happens is when it becomes an either as long as they agree with me, his long. Exactly right. It's all good, very tolerant. As long as you. So good. But when we become really myopic, right. Like we get so single, single minded focus that the blinders are on and we lose the ability to see the tapestry of complexity, to see that what makes life really amazing, what allows the body to flourish and thrive isn't just one thing.

It's not just exercise. It's not just eating a certain food a certain way. It's not. It's not in rigidity. It's about realizing all of it has a signal information, a code, a way that it is informing you. And sometimes life is informing us by saying, note to self, I don't want that. Like that is just not my vibe. That just isn't working with me. And yet the reality that it's out there in that very moment that you see something that you don't resonate with that isn't quite a fit, isn't a match. It doesn't mean be damned. That's wrong.

It's in that very moment that you're like, not a match. You immediately also know what is a match. You know, it's say, it makes me think, also evolutionarily that you look at the dinosaurs they got so basically, became the experts and, and they're basically so good at one thing. They became very dominant, very huge. And then but that was in their environment. And as soon as that environment changed, yeah, they could not adapt. So even in this, you know, millions and millions of years was a downfall, was that they could not adapt.

And the small mammals yeah could adapt. And that's such a really cool example that you've just used because if we come back to an earlier statement that you made, which is there are there have been so many advancements and traditional medicine is easily easy. 20 closer to 50 years in some cases behind where we're at. And so that is kind of this example of dinosaurs, right. Versus and and like it or not, you know, like it or not, life is still going to evolve and forge forward. And so we get to choose, do I want to shut down and close myself off and stay back here in the way it's always been and kick and scream that I'm not going forward or I don't want to peek my head out.

Flexibility, Stress, and Healthspan 18:00

Do I want to look around? I want to get curious. Do I want to see what could be? And do I want to do I want to notice the ways that I can be a part of this, of whatever this is. Right? And that's individual for each of us. And then here's what I mean. I'd love to play a fun game with you. I'm going to tie a couple of these points together. So in the book, because of longevity, you know, I really kick it all off. We talk about the tipping point. We talk about the fact that where we're at right now, I like to say we are making the impossible possible.

So if you ask anybody, you know, you talk to anybody about living a longer life, what do they typically say? I don't know if I want to because I yeah, I don't have a lot to. Exactly. I don't know if already. That's right. Okay. And that is and let's think about why would many people come and say, I don't know if I want to? Well, because first of all, it's how they're feeling already in their body, but it's also what they're seeing around them. So they're seeing a perception of age, like at this chronological age, people look like this.

They sound like this. They move like this, right? And so the brain doesn't have proof that there's a different expression of what it means to be 120, or what it means to be 70 of what it means to be 49. Right? Like the brain is used to it being a certain set way. Yeah. When I was 20 year or high school, I'm 56 now or whatever, but it's the mileage out the age it's from. Is that I would think, you know, like the character on the bands. You know, I'm over just frail in a nursing home, like, who wants that?

And then you look at, you know, how how much money spent the last two years of life keep people alive at a nursing home with a stroke, and they have no life. I mean, I don't care takes them that. But that's what's done in standard medicine. Yeah, yeah. And here's the thing. Like you're not going to create thriving states in the last two years when you're already in complete breakdown indices. However, there's things that you can do right now. And that's what I want to do. Like I want to help it.

So what was happening if we think about this. So that is what we see. And so unconsciously that is just the information. That's the information that's coming into the system. And if we also look through the lens of science called psycho neuro immunology, it is essentially the communication between the brain and the body by way of the immune system. And so your cells are always listening, whether you realize it or not. There is always a communication pathway between the outer world and the inner world.

And it's always saying, are we necessary? Are we needed? Is it safe? Do we want to keep going? Is more possible or is it crap? It's terrible. We're shutting down or turning off or checking out. It's it's this constant, constant dynamic interplay. And then any moment, just like this, things can change. We've all heard of miracle healings and remissions. I mean, you've got some of the the most amazing stories yourself personally and of the clients you've served. So anything is possible. Let's just say that it truly is.

The potential is there. It's just a matter of if we individually have have a willingness or a desire to want to express and experience a different possibility, and it's okay if we don't like it. To me, I'm never going to like, if you don't want to exercise, don't exercise. I'm not going to make you want to change or I don't want to have to choose. Like they're not sure what to do. This doctor says this just this. And the fact that they'll make the wrong decision is more stressful than actually making a wrong decision and dealing with it.

Yeah. So they make no decision, which is making a decision that and you know it's so that's that's such a great point. It's so fascinating. So one of the things I do is I'm over an academy of epigenetic coaches, and literally one of our doctors was certifying the other day, and she was we're going through her session and, and she's talking and I had to I had to let her know. I said, here's what's happening is as a doctor, people are coming into you and your word is one of the most powerful, and it's one of the most powerful influencers of the expression of their health, their potential to heal and thrive.

And so the moment, especially when we look at genetics, because we were sold this idea starting back in the 80s, that your genes are your destiny, you got this gene. You've got here's why this is going on, because it's a gene. And that's and it was overly popularized. Right. Like that was that was the message. And what you haven't heard a lot about is the fact that that's not accurate. Yeah. You don't hear as much mainstream as saying, oh, genes are not your destiny. That was we realized that that was incorrect.

Your genes are, you know, because it's too hard to just in a statement tell somebody. Because if you think about it, of course, marketing, modern medicine, all of it. If we keep you sick, if we keep you broken, if we keep you lacking, if we keep you needing us, then I'm your dealer. So if I tell you, well, here's why then you don't have to be proactive. You don't have to be empowered. You don't have to take any accountability or control you for my destiny. That's that worried me about these home genetic tests.

And I'll tell you I've seen them. And unfortunately too much of the information that people are getting, they really do think here's my genes. This is my destiny. And the moment that even and there's tons of research around this, even the, the thought of the scene of that information, they don't understand that it's the epigenetics is what's going to determine how that gene does or doesn't express. And so, so what happens is now their brain goes up, this is what it is. So it's again cycle neuro immunology.

Brain and body are always talking. The immune system goes crap. We have you know we've got this bad or the other thing which means this bad or the other thing because a lot of these home genetic kits are looking through the lens of disease to give a name. Oh, diabetes. Oh, cancer. Oh, right. Old timers. And my parents died of that and. Yeah. Yeah. And what percent would you say genes are first epigenetic? Would they give me 20% is really the genetic code. But yeah 80% has more influence like studies on identical twins.

Yes, one gets diabetes and Alzheimer's and the other one doesn't. What's they got the same gene. It it you're right 100%. And I always love when that example comes up and it's pretty clear cut. You know it's 20 some people say 25%. So let's call it 22.5. Right. So right there in that low 20 percentile is how hard you work on changing. Yeah. And and you know what's fascinating is the change like and this is this is why in the book of Codes of Longevity, I didn't just look at lifespan through the classical lens of gerontology and aging, you know, and the hallmarks of aging. It's in there.

And we look at it because that's what's happening in the body. But then I stack in health span to say what are what through our lifestyle is informing our cellular health and function, the how fast or slow we age. And then we layer in WellSpan. And this is the well-being. And this is really, really important because again, we're classically trained to look to think that the body is a piece or a part and an input equals an output. And that is not at all how the body works. If it is, then we would have 100% of the time 100% of the same type of outcomes.

Yeah, just like you do that in a car, you absolutely you're going to get the same outcome. It's not calories in, calories out, doesn't, you know, correlate ation but doesn't always mean the same. And yeah, in the book I had the health span for when you took it out. But notice in the references it's in there. It's like I'm just messing with you. He does. He messes with me. But it's in there. Yeah. No it's it's true. And so but this is the really important part is again, we have been conditioned to think that we are a piece and a part and input equals and output.

So if I just take this pill, if I just do a procedure, if I just eat this way. Right. If I just do this type of diet, that's where we get back into that really myopic circle. And we just do more and more and more and just right. And then it's like, well, it's not this one thing. So it must be this, well, this, it must be this. And we go to these singular approaches. Again. The body is a system. It is many pieces and parts and depending on where you're at in the world, you know, the food you're eating, the thoughts you're thinking, the air you're breathing, the light you're exposed to, the quality of air.

You're exposed to the soil that your food is coming from. Every single input is information to your body. So again, back to identical twins. Even if they live in the same house, they eat the same food, they breathe the same air, they go to bed at the same time, they wake up at the same time. Almost everything appears to be identical, yet the thing that isn't identical is what's happening in this head space. And here's what I mean. You and I can could be twins, but you and I will never see through the same eyes.

The best we could do is be side by side. Right? Or maybe you're in front of me. You're back. But, like, we can get us close, squish our heads up as close as possible, but we're still going to have a different vantage point if we both look up at the same. You know, we're on opposite sides of the room. We look at the same light. We're both still seeing the light. Yeah, but we're seeing a different part of it. So now all the sudden we are seeing things slightly differently. Not exactly the same. But here's the big thing how I perceive that light and how you perceive that light.

I could go, oh my gosh, it's gorgeous. It's got it's a chandelier and it's, it's got crystal and like it's shimmering and you could go, oh my gosh, that's so tacky. Like what is it? Why why, why why. You know what I mean. Like we could be looking at the same thing but perceive it very differently. And this all goes way back to cultural editors. There's so much that goes into how kind of information gets taught and our perceptions and what things mean to us. But I know we don't have a ton of time today, but I'd love to make just a few really important points to kind of bring this to.

And just before I do that just, thing that's really helped me is I was very like, you know, like, facts are facts. Why can't you believe this? You know, now, I've learned that facts vary it cause this person sees a different than I do, you know, and it made me so much more toxic. It's like, how could this person look at. Here's the data. Look at this. How could you even interpret this some way different? What's your life experience? The way they look at things. You know, the facts are different for different people or because they facts are facts. No, they are.

And that's really helped me be much more tolerant, be, you know, accepting of other people's views and, and that's, that's the way it is and makes you actually, happier, you know, is that I don't get mad. I mean, I like getting political will argument, but never of like this. I have a great friend that's like passed away, which. But, we would just go at it politically. Never. And then was I ever mad? It was just kind of an exercise that we did. It was what we did, you know, was kind of like, was over that cartoon where they check in, check out after work, they're, okay, you know, and, because I accepted his view, and I knew he just thought he just viewed things very different.

Nice guy, very intelligent. You know, I was like, oh, you're stupid, you know? And you're a bad person. And you see things different, and it's really helped me, you know? And, it's great. So I didn't mean to cut, you know, and that's a perfect example of flexibility. That's a perfect example of the richness that comes from the tapestry of contrast. You guys didn't agree, but you agreed to disagree. And in that space you found, you gained so much more. I mean, thin, even more. If everyone agreed, of course.

And see and that's what I want people to, to realize. So if I fundamentally had to boil down what, you know, causes us to age, what would accelerates aging, how can we slow it down, stop it, and reverse? Because I'm all about reverse age and rejuvenation? Because we can it's proven it's here. We can easily live to 120 looking, feeling and actually being very vital and radiant. Not that vision that we kind of were brought up with. And that's what I was saying earlier. Like, we're at this moment just like Roger Bannister, when the four minute mile was said to be absolutely impossible by every doctor, every expert, every scientist.

And he he broke that four minute mile, the impossible became possible. So we are 100% at that point right now in human history about how this human body is going to evolve, how our life experience can evolve, how our potential can evolve. Yeah, we are we're right there. But here's the deal. So it's all a matter of choice. It's all about the head space and we what is going to speed it up and keep us on that same path? It's always been, in a simple word, I'll just say it as stress. Stress is not the bad guy.

I actually have a whole chapter on why you should say yes to stress. That's for the book. Just for today, for the brevity of today. If I had to kind of give us a way to understand it stress specifically distress, this chronic kind of accumulation of, I'll just say angst and tension on our system, a chronic accumulation of less than optimal inputs and signals and codes and information coming into the body that accumulates, accumulates, accumulates. So what happens as this accumulates? Well, you guys have covered this on the summit.

Now we're in a state of we're pro-inflammatory. What's at the crux of every client? Patient that walks in any provider's office is a mild, moderate or incredibly severe complex case that is driven by inflammation. And so we all then say, well, we've got to find the root cause, and there is no one root cause.

Relationships, Happiness, and the Longevity Mindset 33:00

It's all of the inputs coming in. Yeah. And so, so if we really want to say, all right, how do I slow down, how do I stop, how do I reverse age? How do I actually heal? How do I support my body to thrive and truly align with this path of optimizing? Like so I truly, if I wanted to, could live be ageless, right? Like, okay, I'm going to say I'm game. How could I really do this? And I talk about this in the bonus course. So you mentioned earlier that right now part of the gift that we're doing for the summit is that, we have the digital copy of the book for $0.99 for just like the next week.

And when you get it, you can get the paperback too, if you want. Your choice. But you're going to get there's, we'll have the link with this interview where you can put just your receipt and you're going to get access to the path to 120 course. It's a digital course. It's about a 3.5 hour course. And it pairs with the book. So it really goes into and it really goes into the box on that. And thank you for that. That's like invaluable. Oh my gosh. It's my pleasure because it's it's the things that we just don't really understand.

And and when we can have a deeper appreciation and understanding, then I believe information is power. What we choose to do with it is up to us. But at least when we know we can be at choice, we can make better choices for ourselves. And so this power, yes, yes, it really is. And that's what I mean. That's what's great about the summit and all these people you've brought together. And if I had to tell people one thing, right, it's this idea of flexibility and knowing that stress is the opposite of flexibility.

It's just like you and your friend, you guys could have gone head to head and you could have gotten really stressed and irritated and ticked off. That would have been rigid, right? That would have been inflexible, that would have been pro-inflammatory, that would have been fight, flight or freeze. That would have been all the hormonal imbalance stuff that's going to rapidly accelerate aging. You chose to respond. Agree to disagree. Let's let's have a little banter. Let's let me get curious about this difference of opinion.

We're going to go at it, but we're going to have fun. And so you were flexible. You were flexible. And this this idea of let's play, let's lengthen. Let's look forward. Let's move out of the rigidity. Simplest way I can explain right now to slow down that inflammatory process. In a 83 year standing study at a Harvard, the number one predictor to a long life is the quality of relationships, the happiness that comes from a connected relationship. And that's really what falls into that category of WellSpan this well-being.

And while everybody today listening may want to know the one thing the protocol, the procedure, I would I would say the one thing starts here, it starts within here. And it's about just saying self first, kindness, first flexibility. How can you be flexible to yourself? How can you be more patient and tolerant of yourself? You think that? And I think I actually bought the whole office a, free course on it was through, of course, it through the University of Arizona. I think actually, on the science of happiness.

Yes. And and I also think I don't have any children my own, but my girlfriend, I got Insta family. But what what I want from it, people say, oh, I want them to be successful. What does that mean? I really want them to be happy. Right? And whatever that means, you know, and I think also it's very important for happiness to be able to step outside your comfort zone. So there's that stress. But I find people and I want to keep like, you know, my brother is the example pro like he will never use stuff, you know, and won't go outside his comfort zone.

And he's so unhappy, you know, and I you got to experience the world. And his world is so small and he won't do anything stressful, you know, which is because it goes outside the comfort zone. And, I think that's important is exploring new things. And, that may be stressful at first, but you feel good after, and that's part of longevity. You know, it's it's continuing to new novel things. It's about learning, not just book learning, but it is about adventure. And it is about going outside of your comfort zone, because that is where evolution occurs.

And so when we go outside of familiar comfort zone, we do go into stress. And stress is actually a tool designed to allow us to evolve and thrive. I said that earlier, and again, I go into it in the book and I and I expand upon it in the digital course that's going to be free for everybody. They choose to get the book and it how does having passion for something play into that? Because I, I see what I see lacking in scenes and kids. You're like, oh God damn, we're on camera. You know, is that they seem to be lacking something to live for a passion, you know, a passion for something.

I don't care what it is. You know? We. Yeah. Well, I actually have a teenager, and so, and it's, you know, it's a really great. It's an interesting time. You know, as a child, like, he literally from the time he was two years old, he would wake me up, you would wake up and he'd be like, mommy, mommy, I'm awake and happy. Are you happy? Two he said this every day, mommy, I'm awake and happy for three years, every day. And it was his state of being. He would wake up just just a joy of like, I'm going to go out and explore the world today.

And he really maintained that, that effervescence. And and he's still a really happy kid. I'm not suggesting he's not. However, he's changing now. He's becoming a young man. He does have his own views and ideas and and he's becoming more autonomous. And he has a girlfriend and he's experiencing things that he's, you know, somewhere between being a kid and now becoming this, this grown up and, and there's it's interesting seeing this age group that, you know, social media is a real thing. I'm not saying it's it's evil.

It's we're living in a time where we have an opportunity to come into balance and harmony with technology. Too many people think that technology is the answer because they forget that we are the technology and the again, you know, every piece of tech is every hack is simply a fast track to what our bodies innately do. And it's a really funny thing how, again, we keep putting our power inside of ourselves when it's inside. However, these kids are on these devices and a lot of tech, and a lot of them do seem passionless.

And from multiple reasons. On the one hand, it's because they are so addicted and it's it's all by design. It's the dopamine. I mean, you think and you think about this, think about any addict, right? Like you get so absorbed into the thing and you just got to go back and get the next hit. Why do you see everybody picking up their phone all the time? Like every. Oh yeah. It's like, oh, God, you know, exactly like oh, notification. I got to check it. I got to check it. And what that does to hijacking the brain and this is such, such an important time developmentally for kids, I mean, their whole adolescence and into teens.

And yet, you know, brains being hijacked and they're not looking up and they're not going outside and and they're not recognizing the tapestry kind of back to that. They're being amputated to, you know, they're being very manipulated. And and so think about it all the time. If all you want to do is focus on getting your hit, you don't have a passion anywhere else because your passion is in this, this device. All you do is click a button. Yeah. And you going to be manipulated and judged and yeah, you know, and when you talk about like wake, you're so waking up happy.

I remember like I didn't know this, but when I had Lyme I said I'd wake up first thing I do was task. And I was just so unhappy about being sick, I just it couldn't take, I don't remember waking up but that was my first thought was damn because I figure you go to bed, I can wake up fine. You know, as you know and it's yeah. Not you know, being healthy is not a happy, vibrant state. Right. And so let me ask you, how did what was the turning point I know you went in search of, but what was the moment when you stopped waking up and cussing like, what was it for you?

Yeah. It just, you know, basically when I got better and got sleep, I never slept, you know, I never got deep sleep. And it was always. And, you know, just, day old, basically hyper intent. That phone. Phone. Oh, the house call me at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. How dare they? You know, like you just set off or fight or flight constantly. I was just had, like, constant panic attack. I'm not. It was never an anxious person. I'm not an Am. But I was just like constant sweating and heart failure to, you know, suction, can't breathe.

Actions kind of a good thing. And I'm like, I can't live like this, you know? And I was going to end it, and, but I can't because this is what I dream, you know? Yeah. I had to go where they had better frickin figure this out, or I'm going to end it, because if I can't, I know I was a terrible case because I had it since I was young. I had like, one pupil was bigger than the other. One side, my body would be sweating. I wouldn't be freezing cold. My arm would stop working, but I was. Oh, you're just growing up.

And, But, Yeah. And so for anyone that's has or had Lyme disease, it's like no one knows how horrible it is until you go through it. And people lose empathy after about two weeks, right? Yeah. Why, oh, why don't you just, you know, it's kind of lazy and we'll just eat better and, you know, exercise, but you want to, like, I think that you said something really important is that you had a Y. And even when things are the bleakest and even if it's a negative reason, like, well, I'm not going to end it because I, this is what I do.

And like that would that would be even worse. Right? So it was still not like this joyful thing of, oh, it's all going to be rainbows. No. Like when you're in the thick of the crap, you cannot just go from the crap to the joy. It just doesn't work that way. Yeah. And so what I tell people is, at least if you can get one rung above it, and to get to the one rung sometimes is just kind of just go neutral. Just go neutral. And you know, it's like, look, anger is actually better than depression because at least in anger you're activated.

You're wanting to take some kind of action, even if it's take it out, you know. So there's a purpose to every emotion. And I think that I was pissed at my disease. Yeah, it. And here's the slippery slope. It's important to let yourself feel what you need to feel when you're in what you're in. And yeah. And this act obviously happens when in chronic conditions because we get stuck there in this, that becomes all we know. We forget the more as we become our disease, we become our disease. Exactly. And that because yeah, yeah.

However however you know, this is if it especially if anybody's watching whether you are a client, this is your reality or you're a clinician working with people that are going through this, it is real. And it's important to just like I was saying to you, Doctor Kent, in the beginning, like, look, don't shame yourself that you're not working out. Like, let's just let's just quit adding more fuel to the fire of the coulda, woulda showed us, right? Like, let's just honor what's right now, I blew it.

I might as well not do it. And it's also, it's interesting that a lot of people or a couple I remember is one woman, especially so sick, and she had all the support groups and all they did was, you know, just talk about the illness. And, and I said, oh my God. Well, you don't seem so having so much. You had so much. She goes, I am I'm so grateful. But I've lost all my friends. They they want to talk about their illness and I want to go and dance and go do these things. And, you know, and I was like, oh my God, you know, of course she started crying.

I'm a big crier, you know, and I could have, like, cry when Shark Tank, they make a deal, I cry, okay? I love that you're in touch with your emotions. I don't know, like, I was like, are you crying now? I got Ellen, she's like allergy allergies. Yeah. You know, it's that's such a that's such a I mean, like, you and I could just keep chatting all day, and I love it. That's such a good point. Is the fact that oftentimes it is. What are. And now let's go back to epigenetics and environment. And environment are the people in that environment with us.

Right. Who are we interacting with every day. Yeah. So wherever you're at and your body, your health, your business relationships, your life in this moment, if where you're at and where you want to be seem like worlds apart, then it doesn't mean like, oh, it's not possible to ever get there. It's where am I at? Where do I want to be? Check in with your why? Why do I really want to be there? Why am I willing, like, am I willing to do whatever it might take to get there? Maybe. Maybe not. But where am I at? Where do I want to be?

Why do I really want to be there? Does it matter enough? Because your why is what is your fuel? If it doesn't matter enough gang, it's okay. Just quit pressure on yourself. Like if it really doesn't matter that much then just say it just doesn't matter. I think I like the idea of being different, but it is this and I'm fine with it. So either accept it, point, you know, or just say, no, I do want this and here's why. And then you get to start to calibrate and think of the path that you're on. You know, one of my friends, we were talking about this and so this was her analogy, but I love it.

It's like a ship, right? Like a sailboat. And if you just let the sailboat go, you without these little. I mean, you just have to do the steering wheel. Just a tinge. Just a tinge, just a tinge. Like it's just a little bit to stay on course. But if you take your hands off and the wind is going, you're going to go way off course, you're going to go somewhere else. And so the reality is, when you know where you're at and you know where you desire to be, then it's simply going all right. The moment, each and every day that you come up against resistance.

Think of that as the boat's going off course a little bit in resistance is, I feel like crap. I'm agitated. I'm frustrated. I'm I'm cursing at my condition again.

Finding Your Why and Taking Action 48:00

Right. I can't believe this has happened. That person would say this or that. That simply feedback is the tapestry of of contrast. It's letting you know this doesn't feel really great. All right, well, if I keep doing this, if I keep cursing, if I keep feeling grumbling, blah, blah, blah, blah, is this one course with what I want? Is this on course with what I desire, what I want to feel more of, what I want to experience more of? And if the answer is yes, then do it. If the answer is no, then you get to say, all right, well, am I willing?

Am I willing to stop moaning and groaning? Am I willing to go out and like change, change, physically change my body, get off the couch and go sit. Go stand in the kitchen, go outside, breathe in fresh air. I'm not even saying exercise. Just am I willing to do something different? To change my state, to change my body? To change my mind? Am I willing to release these friendships or relationships that are not healthy or at least cut off, like reduce? This is my path first, when we realize the overload to our system physically, mentally, emotionally, chemically or environmentally.

When you are cognizant of it, some you're not going to be, but the ones that you are, you're at choice to start to reduce, reduce. You don't have to remove. I'm not saying cancel culture. I'm just saying begin to don't think that this is the way it is. They can't get out of it. And I don't think there's a way out. Yeah, exactly, exactly. And so but there is and I think that's what's beautiful about the summit. There's always proof that somebody else has done it. Always. And, you know, just like for me taking up the the longevity legacy, it's like, look, the very few people think that they can live to 120 and longer.

Other people think, well, maybe I can, but I really don't want to. And because I haven't seen enough proof positive that living a long life can look really differently. And when the brain needs proof, right. So I am that I will live for today and eat crappy. But I don't realize that no, you may not die, but you're going to get a stroke is going to get, you know you're going to have a terrible life, not be happy for a long time versus, you know, even if I'm short, I do be happy for the rest of that one.

So let's do this as as we get ready, because I know we have to wrap up here in a few, I want to play this game with everybody. This is in the book. It's in the past 2020. But I want you guys to have this experience because this is a really great way to gain some immediate perspective and to tap into your own. Why? So this is finding our longevity potential. So, if you would with me, Doctor Kent, do you know the age of your oldest living relative? That's probably going to be a grandparent, a great grandparent, something like that.

I have no idea. I can guess, but, yeah. Okay. I think my grandmother lived a while. Okay. Both my parents smoked five packs a day, and, Yeah, tobacco is one of the fastest ways to age. Okay. Is there a fast track to. Yeah. Okay. And she lived to 90. Okay. So we're going to go with 90. All right. So we're going to do that. So 90. And now you said your current age is 56. Yeah. Right. Take the age of your oldest living relative and then subtract your current age. So 56 from 90 that is 44. Oh. My math really got 44.

Yeah okay okay. Well 30. So you have minimum at minimum 34 okay. It's 34 okay. All right. So you at minimum have 34 more years without any of your cool peptides, without any exosomes, without any cool advanced stuff that's already dropping in without the metformin and the age reversal protocols without any of that, just pure and simple at minimum, I need more time. There's more I want to do. I love that now that's the centenarian mindset right there. Like seeing that, you know what? There's so much more.

So you're lengthening. The more we can lengthen time, the better. Here's the interesting thing is that. So for me when I did this, my oldest relative was what, 94? I'm 49. There was a 55 year difference. I want to get older so I can just say whatever I want. Not my husband says the same thing. He's like, I'm excited to get older because I guess I'm just like, okay, I love that. That's a great mindset. But when I had. So here's thing the moment we know our potential. So you've got at least 34. I've got at least 55 more years at least before we get like we feel things.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was trying to do because is if you know that, like if you have now because every day we walk around and I don't really know if I want to live that long. Yeah, but now you have a, a real number of potential and possibility and you go, well, I've at least got 34. Do I want more a do I want to do I do I want to keep going those 34 years be I want to go longer. Am is doing what I'm doing now going to allow me to go longer. Maybe. Maybe not. Right. So that opens up new questions to ask ourselves.

Let's pretend that you still had Lyme as severely as you did. You'd be like, Holy crap, I don't know if I can make it another 34 years. What a long feeling. Like this. Feeling like this. So if I do, if I wanted to believe that more was possible, if I wanted to be able to live all those extra years, I can't do it the way I'm feeling right now. It's a good point. How do I want to be feeling? I also look at it though. And in college I was all crazy. And you know, I when thought I would over and under would probably be 25 would be my so time I would die.

So everything now is gravy, actually. So, but, yeah. No, it's true. When you look at it, I want to feel good for those that period of time. But yeah, especially kids. Kids don't think about because you don't think about getting all that you think about now. You know, you don't think about tomorrow, I think. But today, you know. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, there's so much out there, gang. And I will tell everybody listening that, you know, anything is possible. And it does begin here. So whether you're in a tough spot right now or you're in an amazing spot or somewhere in between each moment is a new moment.

And the only thing that that creates a change is a desire to change is a desire to believe more is possible, is a desire to get curious, is a desire to just say if you have to. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I desire and deserve more. Yeah, other people are doing it, so people just think like, okay, my doctors got me on a stat and which is the wrong thing to do for 90% of the people? But that's all I can do. You know, but after reading the book. Yeah, they're going to get, Yeah, there's something I can do that's also empowering.

And there's actually something you can do. Many, many things you can do. I'm going to say something really bold that might ruffle some feathers. I like it, okay. I am not here to save those who don't want to save themselves. Meaning? Meaning I'm not here to convince. I'm not here to persuade. I'm not here to tell the person on a Saturn that thinks the only thing they can do is take the statin. If that's all they want to do, I say, great. I only want each person. There's a lot of those people around and that's okay.

But guess what? And I mean this with complete and utter respect there. Not that that I can tell myself I'm not going to put this on you. That's not my client. That's not the person I work with. And it's not that I can't help them, but I'm not going to want it more for my client than they want it for themselves. That's always been my mom. I will not, and I mean that with love. Because I can't fix you. Nobody think you're wasting your time. And here's why. Because you're not broken. This is important for people to hear.

Both doctors and patients and clients. You're not broken. Yes, you may be severely out of balance. You may be expressing a lot of unfavorable signs and symptoms, but that doesn't mean that you're limited. That doesn't mean that you're broken. That doesn't mean you're incurable and you don't need a cure. Your body is simply saying, please tune in. Listen, I need some things. I need some help. I need some support. I need some hope. I need some belief. I need some compassion. I need some kindness. I need some flexibility.

I need some sunshine. I need some sleep. I need some water. I need some actual nutrients that are not chemicals processed in a factory, that are giving me nothing so that my cells can actually work right. So as we wrap up today, as I get ready to start to preach and I will not do that to you guys, I just want you to know that I'm not at all that it's all good. Wherever we are each at on our journey. And yet there is always more. Everyone is on a different path, a different time, a different path.

And we are enabling is key. Yeah, it is completely and it's and we are innately designed and programed in our DNA to evolve. And so life is always going to call. It's going to call you to the journey. You may not want to answer the call and that's okay. But you will always feel this angst of like, there's something more I need to, I want to, I want to learn. I want to explore one again. Even if you're tired and exhausted, you feel the call by watching something on TV, right? There's there's this tug and that is our evolutionary tug.

And we are meant to connect, to connect with life, to connect with one another, to connect to that inner voice. And that inner voice are the signs and the symptoms and the sensations in our body. It's about bringing our brain back to our body, not just everything is outside of us. You are the technology, the thing. And it's like my brother says, they're making me unhappy. You're doing this to me. It's like, no, it's from the inside, you know? Yeah, it's our choice. And that's a hard thing to hear.

It's our choice of how we desire to respond because nobody can ever do anything to you. It's your choice of how you are perceiving and receiving the signals, the codes, the information. Because you can. That's your said. No one's a victim without your permission, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's just, you know, life is amazing and you are miraculous. Each and every person watching you are more mighty than you have. Even the awareness of your DNA is your code are told they're not unless they're a celebrity.

Unless they're. Well, then guess what? Each day we get to tell a new story. It's the stories we tell to ourselves. But those. And first of all, I love watching those documentaries like on the Rich and think that they got everything fame, fortune. And they try to commit suicide. They're so miserable, you know. Yeah, yeah. Because they, they they're not loving themselves. It's never outside of us ever. And it's always in. And when you can fill yourself up first you become full. You become whole. We think that we have to fill our holes with things from outside of us.

Wholeness can only be given from within to fill it up so you can flow out and share all your gifts, all your genius, all your goodness with everybody else. So listen, this has been amazing. I love having conversations with you. I, I'm just hoping that people are still watching and they're enjoying this and getting a lot out of this, you know, because I'm just like, oh, this is this conversation is for us. It's really we want everybody to get something out of it. Do it. If they're both sending a check because a therapy session.

So I thank you for that. Yeah. No it's fine. It's just all that. I think two people watch this and then come back, you know, think like, you know what? Like some things will kind of hit them later to. Yeah, absolutely. And so, you know, I just I'm I'd love to know anybody. You know, if you've got questions. I'd love to know what really resonated with you during this interview. If you want to reach out to me, of course, I think all my links will be here below. And you can absolutely contact me through the codes of longevity, go to the Codes of longevity.com website.

And, you know, you'll be able to find out more about it. And I really if this interview resonated with you even a smidge, then I really encourage you to spend the $0.99 to get the digital so that you can get the $300 course, the path to 120 for free. Hey, I'm getting I it's I'm looking forward to it chocked full. And that's where I you know, we all get to come alive in our own ways. And so anyway, I just I'm in gratitude for all of you for you, Doctor Kent, for the summit, for the entire team taking the time to put this on for everybody tuning in and watching.

And, so yeah, I'll, I'll second that. Thank you, everyone, for taking the time and having interest to help yourself. And thank you for doing everything that you do. It's just unique, amazing. And what you're doing for people, is, is just heartwarming, really. And the way you can help people. So, get the book, follow her and all the stuff she does. Podcast. You'll be happier for it, right? That's what we want. Yeah. Yes. 100% healthier. Awesome. Thank you guys. That was great. Hey, thank you so much.