#101: How to Change Your Life & Health Through Positive Psychology, with Dr. Sandi Scheinbaum

Hey beautiful, it's Dr. Tabatha. I want to share something with you that I believe God is doing right now in women's health. We're in the middle of a massive movement and most people don't even know it. Every single day, 6,000 women in the U.S. enter menopause. That's over 2 million women a year, and by 2030, that's more than 1.2 billion women worldwide. So here's the thing, most of these women feel exhausted, bloated, anxious, disconnected from themselves, and the medical system is Doctors are handing out prescriptions and quick fixes, and no one is helping women heal from the root cause of their issues. That's where Fast to Faith coaches come in. As a certified coach, you'll be equipped to help midlife women balance their hormones, heal their gut, regain their energy, and reconnect their faith, the foundation that so many of us have been missing. And from a business standpoint, woo, this is one of the most lucrative untapped opportunities in the entire health coaching world. The global health coaching industry is expected to reach over $33 billion by 2023, and midlife women are the fastest-growing, highest-spending demographic in that space. Most importantly, these women stay with their coaches. They invest deeply because they are desperate for lasting transformation— body, mind, and spirit. So if you've been feeling that pull and that whisper that you're meant to do more, This is it. Now is the time to rise, to serve, and build a purpose-driven business that not only changes other women's lives but transforms your own in the process. Because when you help one woman heal, you help her family, her marriage, her faith, and her future. That's the ripple effect that we're creating with Fast to Faith. So join me, click the link to come watch this webinar. It might be the one thing that really moves the needle for you in this Next season. I can't wait to see you in there. Hi, I'm Dr. Tabatha, the Gutsy Gynecologist. I'm a triple board-certified OB-GYN and functional medicine physician. I've embraced the world of functional medicine and wellness through my own personal health journey, and I'm super excited to share my wisdom and unique perspective as it pertains to women's health. After caring for thousands of women, I've come to realize that your gut health determines your gyn health and your overall And it's a super gutsy thing for me to go against conventional gynecology practice to bring you the truth. No more Band-Aid medicine, ladies. We're talking root cause resolution on this show. So if you're struggling with hormone imbalance, weight gain, period issues, anxiety, insomnia, you name it, then you've come to the right place, and I want to be your gutsy gynecologist. So welcome.

Hi, Dr. Tabatha.

Okay, ladies, like, it's really time to get our shit together. It's the New Year. It's time to make the changes, hit the reset button, and most importantly, it's time for you to take responsibility for how you feel, how you look, how you move, what your life looks like. It's all up to you. You have the choices every minute, every day. You can choose to sleep in, you can choose to get up exercise. You can choose to listen to this podcast and get more tips and information to help you on your wellness journey and, like, thrive. So I'm so glad you're here because this is a good choice. Making good choices consistently creates change, and that is so hard to do. But I'm really excited about this episode today because we're talking about positive psychology. And positive psychology has been instrumental in me creating the life that I want. And so I, I just know how powerful it is, and I know that that is what's needed for you to create the life that you want and have the body that you want and feel the way that you want and have the relationships that you desire. It all comes down to your mindset. And how you view yourself and how you view yourself in the world. You're either viewing yourself as an asset and, you know, adding to the beauty of the world, or you're viewing it as negative. And so my guest today is really gonna, like, help us understand how can we focus on the positive strengths that we inherently have as a person, like, uniquely. And use that to harness, you know, our behaviors and our activities and to change our life. So I just, I love this episode. I'm really excited about it. And I want you to listen all the way through. If you need to pause and come back to it, that's the beauty of the podcast, right? And share this with all the women you know, because everybody really is struggling and a lot of us are Still good at putting on the okay face. How are you today? I'm fine. That's a bunch of bullshit. I say I'm fine, but I'm not really fine, you know? So I know that you're doing the same thing sometimes. And so it's time to just call BS on all of this and like start getting real about how we're feeling and what we want out of life. And that's really scary. You know, what I've come to learn and understand from Dr. Sandy, my guest today, is one of my unique character strengths is that I have courage. And, you know, courage has to be utilized, and it has to be, you know, decided over and over again to do that courageous thing and continue to be courageous because the fear and the Scare mindset are in our back there and they can come to the forefront. And so I really want you to like think about you when you're listening to this episode. What are the amazing traits that you possess that you probably totally just blow off and think are no big deal? But if we harnessed and we cultivated those traits, It could help you be your best self. So I really want you to think about this today because everybody's is different. And Dr. Sandy gives a mention of a quiz that you can take to help you decipher this and figure this out quicker. So the link is in the show notes. Do that after the episode. So I'm super— oh my gosh, I'm just passionate about you guys taking back control of your health. The doctor cannot fix you. The medical system is broken. So I am on a mission to help you get the tools necessary to have a voice, ask for another choice, do things differently, and take back control of your life and your health. So stay with me. If you are liking this, I would be so honored if you'd hit the subscribe and the 5-star. star review and send me your questions. Like, I truly am honored and I appreciate it. I just feel so blessed to do this for you. And so thank you. All right. Now let me get on to Dr. Sandy real quick and tell you how awesome she is. Dr. Sandra Sheinbaum trains people to become functional medicine health coaches and helps practitioners Find coaches for their practices, people like me. She believes that growing the health coaching profession will be the solution to combating chronic disease and lowering healthcare costs. She is trying to fix the broken system. I love it. So as founder and CEO of the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, she is a leader in the field of health coaching education. She's an educator and licensed Clinical psychologist for over 35 years. She was a pioneer in blending functional medicine principles with positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mind-body medicine. Dr. Sheinbaum is the author of Functional Medicine Coaching: Stop Panic Attacks in 10 Easy Steps and How to Give Clients the Skills to Stop Panic Attacks. So she's just amazing, you guys. So you're gonna love her. You need to listen to this whole episode because Tons of golden nuggets. Here we go. Well, welcome, Dr. Sandwee, to The Gutsy Gynecologist Show.

I'm so excited to talk with you.

I think this conversation is so important, and I've been waiting eagerly to talk to you about it because it's a new year and it's time to hit the reset button. And I just really want women to take ownership over how they're feeling and you know, how they're manifesting with their life and how things are turning out. And you are like the perfect person in my mind to have this discussion. So thank you.

I'm excited to talk about one of my favorite subjects.

Yeah, I would love for you just to like briefly discuss how did you come about knowing and understanding positive psychology? I mean, I know you're the expert, but I would love for my listeners to hear kind of your Sure.

Well, it was a long, winding path. I started out actually in education. I was going to be a teacher, and I was for about 5 years. I had a classroom, kids with learning disabilities, severe behavior disorders, and I was always one to focus on somebody's strengths. These kids, I would do tons of psychoeducational testing, batteries of tests, and others in my field were focused on the deficits and what's wrong, and we're going to pin a label on them. And I knew intuitively there was wrong— something wrong with that model. And I looked for, oh, he's really creative and he makes people laugh. And I always looked to the strengths. And then when I became a clinical psychologist, I continued to have that same perspective. So when my colleagues were busy coming up with a diagnosis and focused on what's broken, I would focus on, well, I don't know, like, yeah, he's been diagnosed with bipolar, but yeah, I'm really seeing there's so much potential here. And so I would always pick out what's going right. And then lo and behold, in the mid-'90s, I was still working as a psychologist, and then president of the American Psychological Association gave it a name. It was Martin Seligman, and he came up with this notion of positive psychology. It's where instead of focusing on what needs to be fixed, what's wrong with you, you focus on what's right. And then when I started studying functional medicine, here was another way of thinking that was remarkably similar rather than we'll come up with a medical diagnosis and how are we gonna treat it? It's focusing on the roots, which can be really strong and we can strengthen the body and people can then begin to heal. Uh, and it's always a very positive life-affirming perspective. Oh my gosh.

I love the idea of roots also being a good foundation and not, you know, we're always focused on root causes as the issue, like you're saying, and it really, it can be like the roots of our foundation and our strength. I love that so much because I've just been studying quantum physics and I can't, you know, agree more that what we put out into the world is what we attract. And so if we are using positive psychology on ourselves and in our lives, we're going to attract more positivity, right?

Absolutely. That is, is how it works. And that's why I'm so passionate about positive psychology. I brought it in as one of the cornerstones of the curriculum at Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. We're training health coaches, and they could be the ones who help people shift their perspective from, oh, what's wrong? Or it's so hard, or I don't think I can do this, or I know I'm going to fail again, to have a different perspective, a different mindset.

Yeah, I think that's really key, especially with chronic disease. People get so caught up in their diagnoses, and they really need hope and a different way of looking at their future than they've been getting from their conventional doctors. You know, it's like you go to the doctor, you get your pill, it either stops those symptoms or adds more symptoms. You go back and you're just stuck in this negative cycle and really you just go down this progressive disease pathway and they lose hope. I get women who are like at the point, at their breaking point, and I, you know, that's really hard to come back from. So where do we even start? Yeah.

So, it could start with, again, our foundation. And what is that from a positive psychology perspective? Well, this was studied by researchers who looked at what makes a life worth living. And they came up with this concept which we call PERMA. It means that in order to have a good life, you have positive emotions, you are entering in a state of flow where you get so lost in something, you have relationships that are meaningful. That's the R. You have meaning and purpose in your life and achievement, no matter how small that might be. So, now, let's set that to, okay, what goals do you want to achieve? Let's say in the coming year, the coming month, the coming day, break it down into the coming hour. And so, you want to do something where you have joy in doing it. You find that joy. You become so absorbed and engaged in the process. And then you have that connection with the community. You have some meaning in your life, no matter how small that achievement may be. Now, how do we get there? It's called character strengths. Those are the foundational elements, and we all have them. And these character strengths are the backbone that we have that leads to the sense of well-being. That's how we get there. So, you mentioned hope. Hope is the greatest predictor of future well-being. To have hope, and people who were in dire circumstances, miserable, horrific conditions, those who have hope that it is going to get better, it is going to find, it will improve, I can do something to change, for example. There are so many ways that hope can be expressed. thought about, but it is really, really crucial. And it might be— it doesn't— for example, even people with terminal illness still have been able to express hope. People— there's been studies of people with dementia who still have hope, and it's very tiny. It could be a hope that, you know, I could have that next breath and I can feel that sense as I exhale. I can have a moment of peace or that I can experience laugh. Humor, that's another character strength as well. It is a really important one to be able to laugh. These are things that are important not only for your physical wellbeing, but your emotional, your mental wellbeing as well.

Wow. Okay, so I love this. We're figuring out what our character strengths are and how to develop them. So how do I know what my character strengths are? patients all of the time who just feel broken. They feel blah. They've given to everybody else for like the past 20 years. They— and they're done, you know? They don't know who they are anymore. It's like, how do you even remember who you are and, and figure out what your strengths are? Because I know so many of us have just been inundated with the negativity of the past 2 years, and it's just— oh, it's hard. You forget, right?

Yeah. Yeah. So when people are often asked, you know, what are you good at? They'll tend to think of skills that require training and lots of practice. So I'm good at playing the piano. I'm good at sports. But how do we— how did we come to be good at those? Because we practice. Now there we're getting into character strengths. What does it take to have the self-regulation to sit down at the piano? Self-regulation is a character strength. It's a really important one to be able to decide, okay, I'm going to, you know, remember I'm going to drink my water.

Yeah.

And I'm going to set an alarm to remind me. That's self-regulation where you are imposing some structure, for example. You're following through on that. I'm going to get out of bed in the morning and not, you know, get my alarm to, you know, set another alarm and sleep in another hour. That requires self-regulation. It also is perseverance. Perseverance, and that is so important right now, to be able to keep going. And so many people who have chronic illnesses show perseverance where they don't give up. They may have gone to one doctor. They didn't get the answers or the treatment they wanted. And so, they maybe are listening to podcasts like this one. They are searching for a different approach. That's perseverance. When things get hard, not to give up, to keep going. What else? What is the— so character strengths are of the heart, of the mind. So for example, to have perspective, to be able to put things in perspective, to be able to look out and say, oh, you know, I probably won't even remember this experience in 5 years. You may have had a situation, maybe you're upset about something all day and And it's in your thoughts and you're just so focused on what went wrong. But go forward and think, am I going to even remember this like 2 years, 5 years? What about 10 years? Will this be meaningful to me? Think about some past things. I could certainly have a whole slew of those because I could think back through my life. I'm 71 years old now and there's a whole bunch of failures. And at the time, it was like, oh, the sky is falling. I'll never get over this. Now, I don't even remember those times or those experiences. So, that's perspective. It is judgment, being able to weigh things. It is prudence, being able to— that is another strength, being able to know when to be cautious. It is zest. That happens to be one of my top strengths, which we call signature strengths. So, what really makes you, you? So for me, it's zest. I'm always like bouncing up and down and super excited about things. Creativity is a strength. Love of learning. Curiosity is a huge one to be able to say, hmm, I wonder, I'm really gonna see what— I'm gonna look at, for example, this vegetable. I've never cooked with it. I'm really curious. I wonder what I could learn. Now I'm gonna go online and I'm gonna search for recipes with this particular vegetable. So you're combining those strengths. You're curious, you want to be creative in your cooking, let's say. You love learning, so you're going to go and you're going to find some new recipes. You're going to learn new techniques for cooking, for example. So they come in clusters. And this is really how we thrive, and particularly when we're using our signature strengths. So when I am sitting for a long period of time, and I might not be in my element, but if I'm out and moving and dancing and showing a lot of zest, then I'm happiest. And if it's creative, and if it involves learning, which is another one of my strengths, then that is something that I'm, you know, really in my element. So I hope that gives you some idea about character strengths. Some are of the heart. There's love, for example, And you may be thinking, well, how do I know what are my signature strengths? Well, you can go to the VIA Character. This is a nonprofit research organization, via.character.org. They have a free assessment. You can take it and you can find out what your signature strengths are. You can give it to your kids, to your colleagues, to your friend. You can have conversations to your partner about our strengths, and then you start having strengths talk. with people? How am I going to use a particular strength today?

Oh my gosh, I love that. I think that's a great idea. And I just— side note, I think you're my mom because those are my 5 signature strengths. I'm like, oh my gosh, you're describing me. So I agree, like when I sit too long, I am losing my fire and my light. And so you really do have to think like what lights you up, what gets you going, and you know, what drives you to live essentially is the way I think about it. And for kids to know that, and for you to know that about your partner, like, how powerful would that be to really hone in on those and just grow them? Because I find, like, if you just focus on what's working and the good stuff, the bad stuff falls away. It really does.

Absolutely. And, you know, you mentioned kids, and so many kids are thinking there's something wrong. And even adults with ADD— I always thought I had ADD because I was so easily distracted, and Again, like I'm always moving and fidgeting, and well, this is zest. Creativity is another one where often it is labeled as I have ADD, and then people are saddled with this. So focusing on what is a strength and how you can use that strength to look to help with your whatever your goals may be, and there's so Really well tied in with physical and emotional well-being.

Yeah. Thank you so much for that link, though, because that's in the show notes. That's really helpful. I think everybody needs to figure this out about themselves because I envision women being able to tap into those 5 signature strengths to really reclaim their health, you know, get into good, healthy lifestyle habits, change how they're eating, change their mindset and their perspective of themselves. I feel like so many women don't know how to love themselves. You know, I've been listening to a lot of men podcasts lately. Just, I'm trying to understand why women struggle so much. And men have no problem saying, I'm awesome. I did this, I did that, I'm doing this. And women, we really struggle. It's like in our nature or ingrained in us. That you don't focus on that. So, I think this is really important for women to just be able to say, hey, I'm really good. These are my strengths, right?

Absolutely. That is really— they're the key to wellbeing. And when we train coaches, that's one of the first things they do at our school. They take that survey, but we teach them how to coach other people using that survey. We work very closely with that VIA Research Institute, and it can be really transformational because it's all in these strengths. So, appreciation of beauty and excellence is another one that happens to be one of my top signature strengths. And it's because I'm always saying, oh, I love that. I love what you're wearing. I can read something and just appreciate how well-written it is. I can appreciate music. I can appreciate— and sometimes things can— strengths can be overused. Like when in my younger days, I would appreciate clothes and shoes so much that I got too carried away in wanting to have all those things. So sometimes our strengths Compliments and strengths can also, if we need to, they can be overused as well.

Yeah, exactly.

But this is a way that you, so, but appreciation starts with ourselves and being able to appreciate our own beauty, our own excellence.

Yes.

And seeing it in others as well and letting others know it.

And I think that's why health coaching is so amazing. You know, I finally got my practice together enough that I brought on a health coach. And I just think it's taken my patients to the next level because they really do need someone not only being their cheerleader, but helping them to see the value in themselves. And so that you can learn how to be your own cheerleader, you know, using this positive psychology. So tell my listeners, like, When, you know, you have this whole health coaching training academy, what is the purpose of a health coach? Like, a lot of people are misguided on that.

Sure. So a health coach helps people go from where they are to where they want to be.

Oh, I love that.

It actually came from the literal meaning of a coach. Think of an old-fashioned stagecoach. Coach comes to get you and takes you to your destination. That's what health coaching is about. It is not about telling somebody what to do. Some people may think that's what it is, like, oh, you know, I'm going to get a meal plan. I'm going to get the specifics of what I need to eat or how I need to exercise. Well, how does that work? You know, how many times have we had experts tell us, or have we read a book, here's the diet that you need, or here's How to exercise. Do we do it? I mean, most people have these New Year's resolutions, and 2 weeks later, mid-January, they're already not observing them. So, what a health coach does is really help you to set those goals and then often break them down into really, really tiny steps and hold you accountable, but also help you shift perspective. To say, for example, how often we don't see our progress. And a health coach can help you do that, can support you, can validate, but they are also somebody who first and foremost listens. They are not judgmental. They are not, you know, like your doctor or your nutritionist who might have an intention for you. And real or not, we perceive the doctor as the authority figure and we're going to They get scolded. And so, people tend to underreport when they're with their doctor. They might not say that, oh, they just had half a bag of Oreos the night before, or less extreme that, oh, maybe there was a whole lot of supplements that they were supposed to take. And yeah, they really didn't do it. They didn't follow up, but they'll tell the coach that. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And then the coach can validate those feelings. Hey, this is normal, and there's nothing wrong with you. We've all had those feelings, or we've all engaged in those kinds of behaviors. And so validates it. And particularly now, a lot of people are coaching in groups where it's, you really feel like you're not alone. So that's what makes this relationship so, so special. And this is, you feel like you really do have an ally and someone who gets you, someone who could just hear you out. And often that alone is important. And then the other area that I think is often missed with health coaching, and that is it is a really— it came from humanistic psychotherapy. So, it's not therapy where you are— Therapy is where you are often looking at really some trauma. You're really digging into what is causing severe depression. It's dealing with something that would be diagnosed with, and it's a clinical approach. But health coaches can validate, support emotional wellness. And often what happens is people realize, well, they don't need 10 years of psychotherapy, or they don't— they are now feeling ownership of their emotions. They're able to sit with uncomfortable feelings and know that they'll pass. And so, because we have such a behavioral health crisis, there are just not enough psychologists, social workers, counselors to serve so many people during this time who are just just feeling like they're at wit's end and that we've had this just severe rise or serious rise in mental health concerns. And a lot of this can be relationship with a health coach. And then they're also able to triage to say, okay, well, this person is expressing suicidal thoughts, really does need that care of a licensed mental health professional.

Oh my gosh, so many golden nuggets in there. And it really hit home with me when you were talking about how some people aren't truthful with their doctors because, you know, it's been ingrained in us that we have the authority, we know best. Patients under— have come to understand that. They see the white coat and they don't question. And I've heard patients literally say to me, I didn't want to let you down, you know, when I find out the truth about stuff. And it really is common. And I feel like I'm a pretty approachable doctor. So imagine the doctor that actually wears the white coat and has that staunch attitude. You're not going to tell them the truth about the Oreos and everything else. You're going to tell them what they want to hear. And so I love the idea that health coach gives patients a safe space and brings out the truth of the situation because that's the only way we can make change is that we're actually truthful with what we're doing in our behaviors. And, you know, I lie to myself. We all lie to ourselves. I remember when I first started on this journey, I got the Lose It app and I was like, I'm going to track all my food, everything I eat, see. And oh my gosh, I realized, like, I don't want to put that cookie in here. I don't want to put that cake in here because it was all day long.

Totally.

And I had been lying to myself. And so, you know, if I had somebody just to say like, it's okay, like, we're all human, that's what's happening. I feel like you could just make such quicker headway and really, you know, dive in and accept your imperfections and work through them because we're all human.

Yes, absolutely.

Yeah. Oh my goodness. We need to figure out what our core strengths are and focus on them. How can we cultivate them? Like, what are some basic ways? Is it just knowing?

Practice. It's, it's knowing that, uh, when you're not, when you're not thriving, when you're feeling really out of sorts, it's because you've stepped out of your signature strength. So if I'm struggling with something, how am I going to get out of it? Well, maybe I need to turn on some great music because that's what I love. I appreciate the excellence of that, but it also ties into zest, being able to just get up and move, and it is something that I know that can be a spark for creativity. So it's like sometimes I know I have to wait for, like, maybe I'll take a walk and just trust that a creative solution will come about. Because creativity, we tend to think of it as like the big sea of creativity.

Right.

I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna come up with an original song or I'm gonna write a poem or, it's not that, that is creativity, But creativity is not just creativity through the arts. It is creativity or written language. It is creativity that you can come up with a way to solve a problem. So often we were— you may think back, and that's another way to bolster these strengths and to use them. Think about past situations where you Came up with a creative solution, where you were perseverant, you, and you ended up getting through it. For example, one strength that we didn't mention is courage. That is so, so important. We all have courage. It's just like the Cowardly Lion, and we don't realize that we had it all along. And so you have that courage. So can I have 20 seconds of courage to not go into the pantry for another helping of some snack food, can I count for 20 seconds and go into another room and see if that feeling passes, for example? So there's that. Or can I have the courage to sit with an uncomfortable feeling? Can I have the courage to, for example, express something to somebody in my life that's hard for me? But it is practice. And so what we do often at FMCA is people are learning these strengths. We have a strength of the week that we focus on and helping to strength spotting. And so every day you can say, all right, I'm gonna— what strengths can I spot in myself? How many can I remember to acknowledge? And then at the end of the day, what strengths did I use? And then you have those strengths conversation with others as well, particularly kids. It could be great to have those conversations with kids as they identify their strengths.

Yeah, and I heard you talking about this on another podcast a while back, and they— you had mentioned, like, think about when you're a kid and what people used to say you were good at, or, you know, what character strengths you had back then. Maybe some of that got dampened and pushed down and forgotten, but if you think back to where people really praised you and you did well at something. Like, that's a way to realize your strengths as well, right?

Absolutely. Yes.

I personally thought, okay, when have I felt a lot of joy in my life? And I realized it's with moving my body, with dancing, with running, exercise. And you hit home when you said If you're not focused on your strengths, you're out of your element. Like, I go into a major depression if I am not moving my body regularly, and it's just so connected. And the only way to get back to it is to focus on that strength of, I love movement, that, you know, fills me. And so that's just really cool to know about yourself. So if you can tweak that out, I mean, I just feel like you can make so much progress.

Absolutely. And really using these strengths for balance because knowing that you have all of them. So how this got started, researchers in positive psychology went— this took years and they studied literature, they studied philosophy, religions, they looked around the world, different cultures, and found that there might have been different names for these, but it pretty much boiled down to the These 24. And so we all have them. They're like a deck of cards, we're dealt all of them. And so these are our traits, some might just be underused. So for example, and it is often situational. So for example, I may show a lot of prudence, a lot of caution when I'm like, there's— I'm in Arizona, and there's there's lots of hiking trails, and I'm going to be really super, super cautious of walking those trails. But other times, like in my life, for example, and I still do this to some extent because I'm so full of zest and excitement, I'll see something that I love in a store or online now. It's like, oh, I want this, and I'll buy it. And then I'll be like, okay, what did I just do? Like, I don't exercise enough prudence or And in comparison, my husband, and we've been married for 50 years, one of his top strengths is self-regulation, but also judgment. And so, he will deliberate to make a decision, like he's got to go to 3 different stores and compare prices and products, and it takes him forever. And it used to annoy me because I'm lower in that strength. I'm just like, okay, just get it done. Like, let's just do it. Buy it already. And so, often in long-term relationships, if you can understand this about each other, that you're complementing one another, that it's not like, oh, I can't stand what he's doing or she's doing because it doesn't— it's not how I do things. But if you realize that you create a whole, it's that balance. So, that's where the strengths focus can get into interpersonal relationships.

Yeah.

as well as you're understanding another person's strengths.

Oh, I think that's awesome. And it's so helpful because once you acknowledge people for their strengths, I feel like that just makes them the best version of themselves and they wanna step into that role and be better. You know, I see that all the time with husbands. Like they want to please their wives, they want to do what you want, but they don't know and they don't necessarily know What their strengths are. So if you can honor that and really bring that out and balance it, I think that's amazing. So that's a great example. Thank you. So I just feel— yeah, I get a lot of women who are like, I have, you know, revamped my health. You've got me on the right track. Now I want to help other women. And so, you know, that's where you come in with the Functional Coaching Academy. Why don't you just speak to that for a minute? Because there might be somebody on here who is like, I'm ready to change my life and help other people.

Oh, thank you. Yes. Well, that— what you just said is a common story that is told by our students, our graduates, because it is— when you have been on a health journey and you have found that you have healed or you're on that path to healing, you want to serve others. And we are suffering right now like never before. The incidence of chronic illness illness is skyrocketing. The aftereffects of COVID-19, we still don't even know the toll that it's going to take on our physical and our emotional health. And the healthcare system is overwhelmed and struggling. And so we have seen this rapid rise in demand for health coaches. And the idea that— the joy that people get from this kind of work, I can't even begin to tell you. Someone— I was in a room on Clubhouse earlier and one of our students happened to join the room and she said, you know, it's FMCA. It's like, it's the glove that fits me perfectly. It's what I've been looking for. And just to hear our Community express the joy that they found in coaching because it is this really profound relationship that you are establishing with somebody. And we know that the process of coaching is just as transformational for the coach as for the client who is being coached. We have doctors who have decided to become coaches. Often they are either leaving their work or they're wearing 2 hats, or they are blending that coach approach into what they do with their patients. We have career changers, we have stay-at-home moms, moms who have entered into the coaching world. And what we do is teach functional medicine, and that is root cause medicine. And we teach these principles with everything that you've been hearing about in terms of positive psychology and adding in mind-body medicine and psychology of eating, which is a huge topic that blends in with all of these others.

Yeah. Oh my gosh, your program is amazing, and I'm just so impressed with everybody that comes out of it. The change that you're making in the world. My listeners don't realize, but the first time I saw you speak was at a functional medicine conference, and I just thought, that woman is badass. She just created this whole coaching academy and she's training people to help one another. How beautiful and transformative. Bravo.

Thank you. And change is possible. I started out as a schoolteacher. I was a psychologist in this teeny tiny office, had just a tiny little practice in the suburbs of Chicago. And when I was 65, just decided, you know, I have a mission to serve, to give back, to start this program so that we will have functional medicine health coaches. And so developed that concept that that is possible. So change is possible. It can seem really scary. That's where courage comes in and practice and accepting of failure as well, that it just means that it's a lesson in continuing your journey.

Yeah. Oh, that gives me goosebumps because, you know, I shifted my life after 40 and I felt like, how could I do this at this stage of my life? You know, people are like, you're giving up your 401 and your salary and all that. And it really does come down to courage and faith for me. Like, I just knew that there were bigger plans, better, you know, horizons. And I think that you have more courage than you're definitely realizing because that takes a huge leap of faith and courage to do what you did. So that's pretty awesome.

Ah, thank you so much. And another strength we didn't— spirituality, uh, and that has to do with, um, sense of it. There's a higher purpose, the higher— having that connection with that.

Yeah, that's what keeps me going every day for sure. So where can my listeners follow you, Dr. Sandy?

Yeah, well, our website is functionalmedicinecoaching.org. Uh, you can go to FX Med Coach on Instagram. I am Dr. Sandy, as Sandy I, on Instagram and And if you're on Clubhouse, I've been— I love learning new things. Talk about love of learning. So I've been learning Clubhouse, so you can follow me there or join one of our rooms. I'd love to meet you all.

That's awesome. All the links are in the show notes, so definitely check out Dr. Sandy and consider being a health coach. It's pretty amazing. So, oh my goodness, I love that episode. I think it's key to finally Start loving yourself, admitting your strengths and honing in on those, and not being afraid to just say, "You know what? I'm awesome in this way," and just saying it out loud, saying it to yourself, stepping into it, and being more of it. I think as women, we are taught to. Not shine our light, and that's not okay. We need to turn up the brightness on our light so that we can shine it on others and help illuminate them in their brilliant amazingness. And that is really the only way that we are going to get out of this dark hole of a situation that we are in as a society, is to just be the light that Others need us to be, that we want others to be. You know, I had a realization the other day that you have to bloom where you're planted. So I live in a state that's really cold. It's really dark for a lot of months, and it can be really trying on people. It can bring you down. It can really make you focus on negativity because you're cold, there's a lot of snow, you can't go and do stuff. Like, it's all just so negative. And I want positive people in my life, uplifting people. But you know what? I can't just bitch and complain, being a negative person, that I want positive people in my life. Like, that's not how it works. The universe gives you what you put out there. So I started being the person that I wish other people would be for me. If I'm a positive energy and a positive light, that will attract positive people into my life. And lo and behold, it did. And that is just how the universe works.

works.

You can, you know, study Joe Dispenza and quantum physics and everything else. You can read the Bible. It literally lays it out for you. What you give out is what you receive. And so if you give out love and light, if you're working on yourself— My favorite, you know, quote is You're the sum of the five people that you hang out with. So if you want to be in shape and healthy and have a positive attitude and make more money and travel, you need to hang out with people that do that stuff, or you need to become more like the people that you want to attract and bring those people into your life. So let's take some account. Accountability, you guys. That's what 2022 is about for me. It's like holding myself accountable about how I'm showing up in the world, what I'm giving off into the universe, and expecting more. I expect the universe to give me back all the amazing stuff that I'm putting out. And I will tell you, it is, because that's how the law of attraction works in positive psychology. So I hope that you got something out of this episode. Like, I just, I pray that's— this is my mission for you ladies, is that we all band together and we all rise together. You know, a rising tide lifts all boats. So thank you for listening. I'm so honored. Please follow me at drtabatha.com, on Facebook, on— oh, on Instagram and TikTok now. I'm the Gutsy Gynecologist. So if you don't have a TikTok account, you should get one. They're super fun. It's not all about kids dancing. There's adults on there. It might take a minute to find them, but the more that you like the certain videos and you follow certain people, the algorithm will help you see more of them. And there are a lot of positive, lovely people out there trying to be better, trying to be their best selves. And that is what you should be gravitating towards. So come check me out, shoot me your questions. I'm here for you ladies. Now go out and have a kick-ass week.