Real Health, Real Connection: Holistic Hilda on What We’ve Lost and How to Get It Back

We have to do things that lift our hearts, that bring us joy, whether it's music, prayer, connection with others. Every community I've been a part of, and I think particularly of the Ecuadorian community, like they had music, they had connection, they shared meals together. Like, this is a piece that we would do well to revisit because what good is all the right pieces in place of movement and nutrition and, you know, getting the sun if you're downcast and sad and feeling isolated and lonely?

Welcome back to Everyday Ancestral.

I'm your host, James Barry. I am so excited to share our next guest, Hilda Labrada Gore, aka Holistic Hilda. Truly the only person I know who has found the fountain of youth. I've known her now, oh, I want to say 4 years, and no joke, she's actually Reversing in age. She's getting younger. She feels like she's aging backwards as she taps into all these health paradigms and learns and applies these learnings to her life. Let's talk about Hilda. So she's a certified health coach. She's kind of like Dora the Explorer, but 2.0. She's traveled extensively as an experiential anthropologist. She's gone to Mongolia, Peru, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya. Australia, among all the other places she's been, with the objective of exploring traditional practices to improve the energy and vitality of humanity. Hilda is the host and producer of the Wise Traditions podcast on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation. That podcast has had over 14 million downloads to date. Hilda shares the best of experts, experiences and epic adventures on the podcast and on her Holistic Hilda YouTube channel and in person at conferences and retreats. Hilda truly does have energy to spare because she keeps her feet on the ground and her face to the sun. And that's true. She really does walk her talk. She's always out in the sun, always soaking in the good vibes and sharing them with those around her. Welcome to Everyday Ancestral. Please enjoy Holistic Hilda.

The word on the street is that you're changing your name from Holistic Hilda to Ice Plunge Hilda. Is that true?

That is not true. That's just a rumor.

No, I've been loving seeing all your health modalities that you're doing on your Instagram and whatnot. You've been doing fantastic travels. You've been going to Ecuador, Mongolia, Ethiopia. Hosting the Wise Traditions Podcast, you're learning all these things from amazing influencers and practitioners around the world. What is the best of what you're soaking in and taking?

It has been a phenomenal ride. Like, I'm literally just like holding on, being like, whoa, let's do this. And life does that for us, right? Like, I never would have thought 12, 15 years ago what I'm doing today would be my job, asking people questions like you as the host of a podcast, but also getting to be with them in their context. And I've been happy to report, James, that everywhere I go, I see people who are still living according to their traditions. And so I find it so fascinating. And let me just say, it's not just dietary traditions or ancestral traditions related to nature and so forth, though I do see those things, but it's also the importance of connection and community. I'll give you an example. Recently in Mexico, in Oaxaca. And Oaxaca is the cradle of traditional foods in Mexico. So I was so excited to try some of them. I went off the beaten path because I was there for a conference called Ferment Oaxaca, but I was like, okay, let me get with the abuelas that are off the beaten path and see what I can find out and experience. Of course, I had chapulines, which are grasshoppers, which they enjoy as a delicacy, and blood and meat tacos and all the things. But what struck me the most Was actually when I was leaving this abuela's like backyard restaurant kind of thing. It was amazing. And my husband and I were kind of stranded, to be honest with you. We had taken a taxi there and the taxi guy's like, I can't wait around for you. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll call my friend Jesus to come get you. Well, Jesus never showed up. Honestly, we're like, shoot, he didn't show up. What are we gonna do? So we started talking to this man and he's like, yeah, this is my first visit here. I just found out about this place. It's called Maíz Cocina Tradicional that this woman started in her backyard. The next thing we knew, my husband and I were in the car of this random man with his wife and daughter, and they were giving us a ride like back to the main drag so we could catch a taxi. And I was like, I don't even know you. And the lady was giving me her phone number. Like, you've got to visit us next time you're in Oaxaca. And I was like, this kind of connection and hospitality, you just don't find in the US. This is my experience. Most of us are like looking at our devices. We're too connected. virtually to be connected in person. So when I travel, I do have my eyes wide open to see what health traditions are people still keeping. Some of them include like this aspect of connection with each other, which we have to hold onto before we lose it altogether.

Oh yeah. Isn't it fascinating? We have more technology to connect, but that same technology is resulting in disconnection. I just find that fascinating.

It is fascinating. And, you know, you've probably heard tell of communities or tribal peoples who would say, don't take my picture because it steals my soul. And I've come to realize these devices are doing something to us. They're kind of sucking away in dribbles and drabs at our humanity. We become almost robotic as we're entertained. And the word entertain has to do with being held onto. We're being taken captive when the people around us and life around us, nature is so much more fascinating, so much more vibrant and full of life. And I have seen the saddest circumstances in my own neighborhood. This was only about a couple of months ago now, but I was walking past a truck. Parents were in the truck with their little girl. She must've been maybe 3 years old. And she was looking out the window, like almost like someone help me. And I looked more closely and both her parents were on their phone. And I thought, here's this little girl desperate for someone to notice her. Now, maybe they were looking for directions to where they were going, and maybe the wife was texting saying, we'll be late, sorry. But I was just like, oh my gosh, this is so telling. So I wanna invite people back to traditions like connection with one another and yes, food that truly nourishes and all the things. And I've come to realize on my travels that there are basically what I like to call 6 ancestral secrets, cuz I'm big on alliteration. But there are 6 ancestral secrets that we would do well to hearken back to that will help us boost our energy and vitality. And so that's kind of what I'm about right now. I'm definitely hosting the Wise Traditions podcast. I love all the people I get to talk to, so they inform my understanding of the world, but then I see it with my own eyes.

I know you're creating programs around these, but what are the titles of the 6?

Okay. Thank you so much for asking. I can say them pretty succinctly now because I love them so much and they're so basic, but let me just say this. Just because they're simple doesn't mean they should be overlooked. And you understand this as well as I do because of your work with Pluck and so forth, that simple nourishing foods can go far. And sometimes it takes a while for the science to catch up to that traditional wisdom, right? So I think people are like, oh yeah, I've heard that before, but are you applying it to your life? And if so, how is it impacting it? So yeah, I have a little course about these secrets, but I'll just tell you right off the bat. Sun is the first one because I consider it like the great multivitamin in the sky. It energizes all of our body's functions, including the hormones and the cognitive function. I like to say sunrise before screenrise because it's that important.

Mm-hmm.

I get out and get the sun first thing. So sleep is another, and that's related. What if we honored our sleep and understood that it was a detoxing mechanism? You know, when I was in Ethiopia last summer, I got to meet with some tribes along the Omo Valley and they, had no electricity. So they were living according to nature's rhythms. When the sun rises, they got up and they would have like a little tribal ceremony in a lot of the tribes I visited. When the sun goes down, it's either a fire or lights out. And there's nothing artificial that's interfering with the melatonin release and so forth. So their sleep is profound. They're sleeping on goat skins and calf skins. So they're connected to the ground and they sleep in small huts. with their nuclear family. So there's connection with each other. I mean, I could go on and on, but so it's sun, sleep, shivers, as you intimated early on. I think it's important for us to experience the elements, right? We're far too comfortable. And so our mitochondria don't have to work and they kind of get fat and lazy and you want exhilarating and vibrant mitochondria in number and in energy. So they are boosted by experiencing the elements and having your body have to regulate your temperature, for lack of a better way of putting it. Then there's sustenance, which, you know, I'm a big fan of really looking for the most bang for our buck. Sometimes we go the other way around. We're like, oh, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. That's great. Let me just see what I can cram in. But just because you're satisfied with your palate doesn't mean your body has been well nourished. So I'm big on sustenance, nutrient density in particular. And then the 5th and the 6th are strength, because everywhere I go, people are moving. It is true of languages, but also of people, if you don't use it, You will lose it. So you need to move your muscles and be intentional, especially if your work is sedentary. The last secret, which I actually think is the most important, has to do with spirit. We have to do things that lift our hearts, that bring us joy, whether it's music, prayer, connection with others. Every community I've been a part of, and I think particularly of the Ecuadorian community, like they had music, they had connection, they shared meals together. Like this is a piece that we would do well to revisit because what good is all the right pieces in place of movement and nutrition and, you know, getting the sun. If you're downcast and sad and feeling isolated and lonely, I'll tell you, it's no good. So this is why I try to incorporate these into my day every day and then share them with others.

And it shows in your spirit because you, you live in such spiritual abundance and energetic abundance. Now, you just mentioned something that I find really fascinating because I think A lot of what informs us of what's working or not is contrast. Let's bring up EMFs, for example. So EMFs are something that a lot of people don't feel. They don't sense because they don't have the contrast of not living around EMFs, but you do in these tribes where there's no electronics. So what did you notice? What did you feel?

It's the same feeling, James, that people get when they go camping. They're not just happy because they're away from the demands of work. But it's because your body has a time to relax. Your nervous system can kind of reset when you get your feet on the ground at the beach. Again, when people are on vacation, they think, oh, I'm just feeling great because I'm out of the office. That's not the only reason. It's because you're getting the Earth's frequency instead of these non-native electromagnetic frequencies that man makes. The problem is, to be honest with you, is sometimes we only measure things by what's visible to our eyes. And we see a very, very narrow band. of light and things around us when there's a lot more going on than meets the eye. I think I interviewed this guy, George Carlo, who said, if we could see the frequencies that were surrounding us right now, this room would be filled like with smoke as if it were cigarette smoke. Like we would be astounded by how much is bombarding us. So we don't see it. So we think it's not affecting us, but it is. It's like a burden that our bodies are carrying. And it's like a— Scientifically, they call it a positive charge. That sounds like it's good, but it's not. It's a positive charge that kind of is wiring us. If your cortisol feels through the roof, sometimes if you're just like, oh, I just, I've got to get away. I just want to throw this laptop or, you know, get out of this kitchen or whatever. It might not be just that things are on your last nerve. It may be that you're literally being kind of fried. So it's important to pay attention. I would say at the very least where your router is in your home. And turn it off at night. Because yes, when I get to these places, like by the Omo Valley, people are barefoot. There's no frequencies right in their immediate vicinity. And there's a lot more peace and calm and joy. And if you don't believe me, just experience it yourself. Experiment with it. Go camping, go to the beach, see what it's like to have your phone away from you for a couple of hours even. And you'll feel the difference because what we don't realize is when we have our devices also, by the way, Every time we touch it, we're getting just a mini zap. And so it's not just the light that's interfering with our circadian rhythm and so forth, but it's also the energy that's being emitted from that device. So our devices were meant to serve us. They're good. I use mine too, for sure, but we have to make sure that we own them and they don't own us.

Back in the day when I was cooking for a celebrity that I had to have, I had one of those Motorola It wasn't a pager, but it was, there's a whole name for it, but I just, it's so old at this point. I don't even remember the name of it. It was so fascinating because I wore it on my hip because I had to be always in touch and it wasn't as well known then what kind of resulted from that. And I would feel it in my body before it went off. So I would know a text or whatever was coming in and the machine hadn't even gone off yet. I would feel it and then Maybe 30 seconds later it would go off. I mean, that just says so much right there.

It does say so much. And I'm so glad you're bringing this up because I just think we are sacrificing our health sometimes for these modern conveniences. And I've interviewed people on the Wise Traditions Podcast about movement, for example. And I'll never forget, I think it was Rhonda Patrick. She's the Found My Fitness girl. She's like, even how we don't need to turn a key to start a car anymore, you just push a button. Or, you know, we don't have to get up to change the channel on our TV. In the olden days, people, you had to get up and do it. Like those micro movements, the loss of them is affecting us. And so in the same way, we just think, oh, how convenient. I can order DoorDash or how convenient. I can just text my brother-in-law. That's great. But what's missing because of that, you know, and what are the effects? And there's so many. So I do my best to give parameters or boundaries to my tech. So we turn our wifi off at night. I think even on my, Holistic Hilda website, I have a little device you can buy. It's not hard to use, but it's, it just makes it easier. You don't even have to be near the router to click it off at night. That's one thing we do. And then we also charge our phones outside of our bedroom so that we're not getting even that pinging happening back and forth all the time. It's interesting. I have to tell you a story. So I was with this little 7-year-old girl, neighbor girl yesterday. We've become besties. It's so much fun. 'Cause I do have that kidlike spirit, right? But anyway, we're working on a little project together. She saw me put my phone on airplane mode after I recorded something we did. And she's like, why'd you put it on airplane mode? And I thought, to me, it's second nature. This kid has no idea. Her parents probably have their phones on all the time. I said, well, there are waves. And what's happening is the phone is trying to kind of ping and see where it can get information from. And I wanna stop that. She was surprised. And so I think as I'm putting boundaries, that's modeling it for others around me. So even if the people around you are just on their phones all the time, like I just wait till they make eye contact with me to start talking again, because It can be a distraction for that in-person connection too, as I was mentioning.

Yeah. It's a real testimony that we only know what we know, right? If you're not introduced to something, then you really don't necessarily understand or know it. And you don't know to look or feel for it. You might feel something, but you don't know what it is. And until you have a label or some awareness of what it could be, you just don't know. You think it's normal.

Yes. And so that's why I was saying we did experiment with being away from our phones because we're so used to being electrified all the time. We think this level of agitation is normal. And I did read The Invisible Rainbow by Arthur Furstenberg. And in there he said, do you know that the diagnosis of anxiety didn't come about until the electrification of our cities? In other words, when cities in the late 1800s and early 1900s started putting up lampposts, people started getting anxious and they didn't know why. So they put it in their psychology book that this is a diagnosis, anxiety. But he suspects it's linked to this condition of being around and notice that wasn't even electromagnetic frequencies in terms of unwired. It was all wired at the time, but now we've got wireless stuff around us all the time. So yeah, I want people to test on themselves what it feels like to be, like I said, away from the phone or getting your feet on the ground, making these small shifts, because this is also not just kind of woo-woo information that I'm intuiting though. I, I do some of that in my life for sure, but Philip, the head of LeelaQ, I don't know if you've heard of that company, but they've developed these quantum blocks and little quantum capsules that you can wear. I like them a lot because they have been scientifically tested. And so Beverly Rubik, who is someone I've had on the podcast too, who's a scientist who's done some studies on these things, she studied what happens if you've got your cell phone in a backpack or in a purse on your body. And she noticed that the blood had a tendency to clump. And as we all know, we don't want clumpy blood. You know, you want it to kind of flow, right? So she tested these blocks and noticed that they declump the blood basically in layman's terms. And I'm like, okay, that's cool. And that's something I want and need. Why? I personally live in the city, even though I look like a country girl and I do fly a lot and I'm exposed to a lot of radiation. So I'm trying to do what I can to mitigate its effects on my life. I also spend time barefoot outside. I connect with nature a lot and I do travel a lot to get out of the city, to be honest, to be in these rural places where I know there's not a lot bombarding me. So my body. has a chance to rest.

In many ways, you are on a pursuit, very much what this podcast is about, which is why you're such a fantastic guest. But the idea of let's take the best from the past and bring it to the present. We're looking back towards our ancestral roots and we're trying to bring those and reconnect our modern society to those. Yet you are very much here because of modern medical practices. Can you talk about, A, what was discovered when you were young? And then technically you wouldn't be here if that surgery wasn't possible, those modern techniques, right, of the time. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.

I'm so glad you brought it up. To make a long story short, I was born with a birth defect and my childhood was very shaky because of it. I was born with A ventricular septal defect, which is a hole in the heart between the lower 2 ventricles. And so the blood was flowing in a direction it shouldn't flow, wasn't oxygenating properly. The doctors literally called me a blue baby, cuz any baby born with that condition was labeled blue because their blood wasn't oxygenating. Right. And they didn't know how long I would live. So they monitored me for a number of years thinking maybe this will heal on its own. It did not. So when I was 9 years old, they performed open heart surgery and Even as I say that, I'm like, mind blown. I was so little. And this is before the days they could do it in like fancy ways. They literally like sawed me open, cracked open my rib cage, you know, put my body on ice and sewed up the heart, put it back in, and then said, you can do whatever you want. And I was like, well, first, and I think this is where I get some of my spiritual roots. I was like, I want to thank God because I might not have even made it to this planet, you know, and I feel like he used the surgeon's skill to save me. So that was the first thing I wanted to do. But then I started thinking, I wanna make sure that my body stays as healthy and as strong for as long as possible. And then as I got older, I realized I wanna help other people do the same. Now, interestingly, I didn't enter the medical field. You might've thought I did, but there was something, James. And I've never said this on a podcast before, but it's true. There was something about being in the hospital as often as I was as a kid for the monitors, for the catheterization and all the things that I didn't like. I don't know if I was just, you know, seen as, oh, that's the little kid patient, you know, in the room to be, or I don't know what it was about the system, but I rebelled against it inside. So for example, I remember on the 14th floor at the National Institutes of Health where I had my surgery. There was a little play area for young children who were patients. I went up there as often as I possibly could because I had to get away from all the monitors and the beeping. Did allopathic or conventional medicine save my life? I would say yes. I would say those surgeons knew what they were doing. They sewed up the heart. I've been problem-free ever since with that heart situation, but I somehow knew also That the best way to care for my body was to stay away as far as possible from hospitals. And so I'm not saying they don't have their place, but what I'm saying is I wanna do it and live my life in such a way that I'm preventing a hospital visit or stay. So I am getting outside, I'm exercising every day. I'm eating food that nourishes. I'm doing all those secret things. And I am so hale and hearty. I have never felt better in my life, to be honest with you. I'm just so thankful. So this is what I would suggest for most people. If you need an allopathic or a conventional medical solution, don't be afraid of it. You can invite it, but why not do the best you can to stack your hacks, as I like to say, so that you never have to go there in the first place?

That is incredible. I mean, and I have to testify that you are a Benjamin Button. You know, you are, every time I see you, you, you seem younger. And even looking at you now, you're glowing and you're just, you just have this young, vibrant energy. And, you know, of course you could say, well, that's spirit, or that's just my lease on life, but it's gotta be also the health modalities that you're practicing daily. Wouldn't you say?

Yes, I would definitely say that I am more peaceful, more joyful, more present than I have ever been in my life because James, I've always been a go-getter. I did everything all full out. You know, I taught exercise classes. I was the head of the PTA. I was a worship leader for years. Like, I just was unstoppable and that's great. But what I did not realize at the time is even though there weren't even that many devices back in the day, I wasn't always present and peaceful. You know, I was very agenda-driven. It might be a function of my age now, but I think it's also a function of wisdom that does come with that too, that I've learned to like slow down and Really connect with people, with myself, with nature. So I just feel better than ever. And a little insight for your audience too, I am not dyeing my hair anymore. So even though I might look younger, I know some age is showing there, but I'm like, this feels so good to me too. I'm like, why was I dyeing my hair? And was that some kind of social mores that I took on? I don't know, but I'm like so happy to be as natural as possible because I think that is a key to living that joyful, peaceful, present life that I'm enjoying so much today.

Well, you mentioned in other articles and podcasts that, you know, when you were growing up, you felt a bit like an outsider that you weren't accepted for who you are. So what I hear you saying is that you very much accept who you are now. And if anything, you kind of put it front and center of like a badge of honor in a sense, but what do you think was the shift for that? You know, I kind of call it the linchpin or that crossroad. When do you think that was in your life and what do you think caused it?

Wow, this is deep. Well, I'll go back to my childhood. So I was raised by a dad from Cuba and a mom from Mexico. And so I was Latina by birth and by blood, but born and raised in a very kind of white suburban neighborhood, very homogenous. So I think in that sense, I felt different because at home we spoke Spanish, but then with everyone else, I spoke English and I just didn't feel like I fit in. But I've come to now realize that here's a little secret. Nobody really fits in. And what are we trying to fit into?

Who are we modeling after? Right? Like, yes.

So I had a big aha in middle school, I will say, or maybe it was high school. I was trying to fit in with this little pom-pom squad, this like dance team I was on. And I would go at lunchtime to sit with what I considered like the cool table, you know? And these kids were just not nice to me. And after a while I thought, why am I trying to sit with some people who are unkind? And I just made a shift. And I remember a friend of mine saying, I am so proud of you for coming to sit with us. 'Cause I was realizing it's not worth it to try to conform to their standards. And so I would say the reinvention or the, the release or unveiling of Holistic Hilda as she really is, has been a gradual process. There wasn't really one linchpin moment. But I will say that the more I interview people on the Wise Traditions Podcast who think outside the box, the more I realized, hey, I like this way of thinking. I like having curiosity and not accepting everything at face value. I think 2020 was an example of that too. There were a lot of things we were told about the sickness that was around us, or even the solution to the sickness that I was like, hmm, I don't think so. My spirit doesn't feel right with that. So Ironically, as the world became smaller and people were on lockdown and afraid to go anywhere, I feel like I became more of who I was meant to be. So those are some of the things that have shaped me and who I am today.

You're interviewing and you're speaking at events. You're constantly around people that are really looked at, and I know you're looked at this way too, but I'm curious how you see them. These are people that looked at As the top of their fields, as major influencers, major leaders within health, in those environments, do you ever feel imposter syndrome? And if you do, how do you caretake yourself in those moments?

Yes. Oh, thank you so much for asking. You know, it's interesting because I think it's very easy to look at any group and think, why am I not a part of that one? So I'll be honest with you, as a podcaster, There was a time where I was like knocking on other fellow podcasters' doors, people at my same level. I'm not gonna mention any names, but maybe a smidge bigger, but not a lot. And I'd be like, hey, have me on your show. Have me on your show. And after a while I realized, oh my gosh, yes, I am reliving my middle school years. This is ridiculous. Why am I begging to be on their show? If the time is right, they're gonna come find me. And I also realized I don't need to conform. You know, a bunch of these guys are just, you know, let's say 30, 40-something, you know, white guys. And I'm like, I'm an older woman now. I'm Latina. Like, I have my own secret spice and sauce. So why don't I just embrace that? So I think one thing is awareness, awareness of attitudes or thought patterns that we may have put into play because of our past. And then the second thing is gratitude. So if I ever do feel left out and it does happen from time to time, or like a little twinge of why them and not me, you know, I turn it around to the things I can be grateful for. And I've also started doing this practice, which is fun. I think to myself, let's say I see someone that has 100,000 more followers than me on Instagram, which by the way, that numbers game, it's just very easy to get sucked into the comparison. Anyway, when I look at other people and they've got more followers than me, I sometimes think, Do I want their life? And I realized, no, I don't want their life. I don't envy what they have as a whole. And that's when I look at my own life and think, oh my gosh, I'm so happy. You know, I'm happily married. I've got 4 children, young adult children, and we love them. And I get to travel the world. Like you said, I've had so many things. And even if all of it burned up in smoke tomorrow, it doesn't do my heart any favors to be looking out there. with envy. So I try to look at what I have with gratitude. So those are some ways I refocus and reframe what's happening.

Is that where your childhood of faith and religion come in, you think? Or is this something you've just learned over time?

Wow, you're good at asking questions. I think my faith came in early because my life was so shaky. I have to believe in something bigger than me because I can't count on my heart or my body or Even my parents divorced when I was 11, you know, so things felt very unstable. Before I even knew anything of God as I understood Him, I was ready to believe. So my best friend was Catholic, and so I would go to church with her on Sundays, and I just thought, oh, this feels so good and feels so right to me, like thanking God. And they would have all these rituals. This is the mystery of faith. And I told my friend, it's a mystery to me. I don't understand the mystery of faith. I'm just hanging in there, but I liked it. So I was ready to believe. And then— After my heart surgery, 4 or 5 years later, a doctor said to me, you know, the cross might not have been like this. It might have been just like a T-shape, and that's exactly the shape of your scar. And I was like, oh my gosh, I've been marked. And I've been marked with like a sign of, of like my body is not my own. It's a temple of the Holy Spirit. And so I was predisposed to believe in the gospel. When I heard that God loved me and sent his Son to die for me, I was like, okay. I'm in, I'm in, because that's the kind of love I needed, a kind of love that was bigger than my parents' love, a love that was bigger than the fickle love of the middle schoolers that wouldn't let me sit at their table. You know, even in my own love, so many times, James, we judge ourselves and criticize ourselves, and we're so unkind to ourselves. We need to be reminded that we are beautiful and designed to love and to be loved. And I just think we just all need so much more grace. So that was the trajectory of my faith. And then—

Yeah.

I became a worship leader, which is so cool also in God's economy that nothing is wasted because all those years of playing the guitar in front of crowds of people ready to worship the Lord, they weren't worshiping me. But the point I'm making is it taught me how to communicate. And so when I became a podcaster, I felt like I was ready, and then a speaker and so forth. So I just love this about life. Like, it's just such a beautiful journey. And I do want to say, wherever people are on their faith journey or their health journey, I do think this spirit piece really matters, and I think how we see ourselves really matters. When I was in Ecuador, I met a healer woman, partera and curandera. She was a midwife and a healer, Mama Rosita Colta. And she said to me, because she had seen so many births, she said, nuestro cuerpo es sagrado. And if she said it once, she said it a hundred times in our conversation. Our body is holy. Our body is holy. And I thought later. If we could let that sink in somehow, I think it would change how we nourish ourselves, how we spend our time, how we see others. Like if we really realized how miraculously beautiful we are, it would change everything. So I think that does help my spirit and it definitely informs everything I do.

It's a beautiful reminder. I mean, I, I sometimes joke with people. It's like, isn't it miraculous that we can live in such a toxic world for so long? People can actually live with chronic illness for so long is a sign of how amazing the body is. I have to imagine that you didn't grow up eating like this. So, and obviously you went through that miraculous life change of having a defect and then that getting fixed, but when did the diet piece come in and how did it look when you were growing up versus when it changed?

Yeah. So my parents, when they came to this country, got on the treadmill that a lot of immigrants do. You know, they were both working, so it was fast foods and frozen dinners and so forth.

Yeah.

Um, we had a nanny who would cook now and then, but when my parents divorced, that was all over. I wasn't necessarily given the best base of nutrition. And so I didn't understand that. As a matter of fact, I remember thinking that cooking was kind of something that the, the peasants did, if you will. Like my parents kind of looked down their noses at food, like, We don't care about those things, you know? So I was like giving it very little attention. And when I got into the health and wellness space, I became a fitness instructor. So I taught group fitness classes several times a week and I loved it. And I thought, okay, it doesn't matter what you fuel your body with, just move it, move it. And so I was big on that, but it didn't really work completely for me because I would find in the middle of classes I was teaching, like I would start to get really sweaty and shaky. And it wasn't that I had like, Pushed past a certain level, but it was a blood sugar dip because all I had had for breakfast was like cereal with some 2% milk and some berries. It wasn't enough to sustain the level of activity that I was challenging my body with. So I still didn't know where to go. I would just grab a power bar and be like, okay, I'm just one of those people that needs to graze all the time. Until a good friend of mine said, hey, Hilda, you might wanna check out this Weston A. Price Foundation because as I've started to change my diet, my friend told me, to lean more toward wise traditions, I've started to regain my health. And this was a friend who was very chronically ill, actually. And so I was like, huh. And I started thinking about it. And then again, with my faith background, I was like, wait, what God makes is beautiful and good. And what we make often screws stuff up. So of course this makes sense that the local seasonal, organic, traditional foods, the single ingredient foods are the ones that are gonna nourish us best. And the stuff in packages. Is filled with preservatives and additives that are probably not doing our bodies any favors. So I, I started making that shift. And what I did was actually, I just tried to make one change a year. 'Cause I was like, you know what? It's too much to like empty the whole cabinet of seed oils and, you know, start all over and read every single label. So I just literally started with butter. I was like, okay, I'm going to put away the Country Crock, which I now know is a crock. You know, I'm like, none of that stuff. We're going to just do butter. It's the year of butter. I was almost going to do like the— Chinese calendar, the year of the ox, the year of the monkey, the year of butter, you know, the year of no processed foods. And so we just gradually made a change. And some people say to me, well, did your family complain? No, they were ecstatic because until that time I had not paid attention exactly to what we'd eat. Like I would just literally, dinner might be, I'd put bagels in the toaster oven. And actually this isn't a bad idea maybe if you get sourdough ones, but anyway, bagels in the toaster oven slathered with some tomato sauce and some cheese on top. And it was like, Bagel pizzas. I'm like, there you go, kids. You know, but they were often still hungry. They would say, you know, can we have something else? And after a while I'd say the kitchen is closed. 'Cause I still hadn't figured out that I needed to lean more into the proteins and the fats and the organ meats. Right. So it's been a process there too. I would say for the past 15 years. And now I'm happy to say my young adult kids are like, do you have any raw milk, mom? Or they come by and raid our freezer for the quarter cow we got recently. And I'm just like, this is so good because they've also learned that the nourishment piece is really critical. But I do want to say to you and to the listener, like, don't feel like you have to take it on all at once. I see these people on Instagram and I love them. You know, the ones that are making everything from scratch, from the sourdough to the ferments, to, you know, the very fancy meal that their spouse wants. But I'm like, you know what? It doesn't have to be fancy. You can literally just start with getting food from a local farmer. I use FarmMatch and I love it, but food from a local farmer, like the meat.

Max Kane.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, exactly. Just get some good meat, get some raw milk, a little ferments and some sweet potatoes and some butter, and you've got dinner. And it's so satiating. Like if I fed my kids back in the day what I'm feeding my family now, like they wouldn't have been still hungry after dinner, you know, or still hungry after their school. I mean, the lunch I sent with them to school. So I, yeah, I look back now and I'm like, shoot, I could have done some things differently, but all we can do is move forward. Right. So start to make those gradual shifts and then again, see what happens in your family and in your own life.

Now, but you also travel a lot though. So how are you managing? You know, cause as we all know, it's impossible really to be healthy when you're eating out. So you really have to, when you're traveling and you are being mindful of what you're eating, you have to Kind of pre-plan, right? So, and sometimes you can't even pre-plan if you're gone a long time. So, so how are you managing that?

You have to do the best you can wherever you go. I'm careful not to become, as they call it, orthorexic now, where you're so concerned with every bite being organic or fitting a certain paradigm that you are so obsessed you can't really relax. And that's actually anxiety-producing, right? So, What I do is I plan ahead a little bit. I'll take some, you know, Paleo Valley beef sticks with me and, you know, a few little things to have in the suitcase, but mostly I go with the flow. So if I'm out at a restaurant or eating in a different country with some people I don't even know, I just, I receive everything with gratitude and try to focus on the real food that's on the table. So I will generally find broths and meat, not so much raw milk, but cheese, you know, I'll go with the, The big guns and avoid the extra little sweet stuff that inevitably, even in the most remote gers or yurts in Mongolia, they would have like little dishes of candy because they said, well, actually they were trying to make that a special treat for any visitors because they knew how hard it was to get to the city. Like Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet actually. And they do have such hospitality that if I leave my little yurt or ger, Mm-hmm. And I go away for a week or two, like I'll leave food for whoever comes by and just needs a place to stop. Like that's how it works. It's amazing. And these little remote yurts, they would have these dishes full of single wrapped candies, you know, but I wouldn't have that, right? I would just have, oh my gosh, there we just ate so well. It was all animal products, you know, either a yak or calf or horse or goat or whatever. Like we were just eating meat and fat and dairy products, like little. curdled little cakes of whey. And I mean, it was just wild. It was wild stuff, but it was all good. So you'd be surprised. I mean, there's always real food wherever you go. You just have to keep your eyes open for it and just know you're not going to be asking a quiz like, hey, was this regeneratively raised? They're doing the best they can wherever they are. So you have to do the best you can too. And I would say, just to correct something you said earlier, you said it's impossible. It's not impossible to eat healthy when you're on the road. You simply Do the best you can and trust that your body is being nourished as best you can. And then you recalibrate when you get home. The one thing that's hard for me actually, when I'm on the road is movement, because I like to work with free weights a lot. And I just, I get a kick out of it. Like I've always loved it because I taught the classes years ago. Right. I can't get weights when I'm in different places. So I just have to use my body weight and the walking and just again, trust that I can jump back into the system and my little exercise plan when I get home.

Yeah, no, that's great. Yeah. And I think I'm more, I more think of it when you're eating, if you're stuck eating at restaurants all the time, because restaurants, you know, they have bottom lines and they're, they're how they make their money is sometimes choosing cheaper ingredients. And then the ones that don't do that are just so expensive. It's not sustainable for most people.

I know it's true. Eating out at restaurants is tough. It is tough because generally every fried thing on that menu is going to be done in canola oil or Some seed oil. And as you know, those are really damaging. They cause oxidative stress in the body leading to cancer or joint pain, obesity, like a lot, a lot of conditions. So I take what I get with gratitude and try to avoid the fried stuff and just take what I can that I see that is real food as close to it as possible. And sometimes you'd be surprised what you can ask for. Like if I'm stopping at a hotel, for example, when I got to Mongolia, We went to the capital city, Mary Reddick and I, Ulaanbaatar. And so we're in this nice hotel before we go off the beaten path into Western Mongolia and just really, really far away. There we would say if they had butter, hey, can you cook these eggs in butter? Like, because they're probably going to do it in some random oil, but you just ask. And sometimes they say yes, they can accommodate you. So do the best you can under your circumstances and you have to let the rest go.

Now I know you When you've done events, you will lead prayer before eating. Do you do that when you're just alone? Do you, do you kind of say grace or do a prayer before eating? And how much does your space, your energy play into how your body receives any of the food you're eating?

Ah, thank you for asking. You know, it's interesting because sometimes we can get so on the go in the US, present company included. I will be, you know, Scarfing something down in my kitchen standing, and then my body is not at all in the rest and digest mode. So I have to catch myself. I guess I'm still a little bit of that go, go, go girl I mentioned earlier. So I have to pause. And I've come to find out that actually prayer or pausing before any meal, it's good for all of us. You don't have to be a person of faith to do it. I remember being with some friends. Who just believed in energy. And of course, this isn't complicated to think about, but think about the steak that's on your plate. So whatever situation that cow was in was the energy it was receiving and the way it was treated, if it was out in the sunshine and so forth. And that energy is getting communicated to you through this steak. And I interviewed, I think it was Will Winter on this subject at one point. And some people were pushing back like, how do you know? And you shouldn't say that because people who can't afford that grass-fed said, you know, grass-finished steak are going to be sad. Again, remember I said, do the best you can in the circumstance that you're in. If your budget doesn't allow you to get that, get the meat you need to from Safeway. But I, I am convinced just as he is, and he's a veterinarian with a lot of farming experience, that the energy flows through that. So you, when you pause, you may be able to affect the energy of that animal and affect the energy of your own body at the very least. It shifts you from that high cortisol, that stress place, which is the opposite of the rest and digest. It's the sympathetic nervous system instead of the parasympathetic. It gets you to relax, to be grateful. And if it doesn't change the energy on your plate of the food on your plate, at least changes your energy so that you're more able to absorb what nutrients are there. So I think this is important to take into account. So yes, when I'm alone, I'll pray a prayer, or sometimes I even just put my hands like over the food to Almost like Reiki style. Yeah, exactly. Kind of blessing it. I guess it's a mix of prayer and blessing it. I'm asking God to shift things and make it work for my body. And even when I'm drinking water, actually, I sometimes will say thank you, because I know that the energy I'm putting out there is going to affect what I'm taking in. And I think that's really important to keep in mind.

As we've kind of encapsulated, I mean, you, and as anyone listening can tell, you have a lot of energy and beautiful energy, and you're constantly putting energy out. You're either learning or giving. And just for the sake of anyone out there that's listening that, you know, just has those days where they have fallen off the wagon or they aren't feeling positive or the energy isn't there. I have to imagine you have those days, do you not?

Yes. Yes.

Yeah. So can you kind of just share What does a hard day for Hilda look like in a sense where she's not living her purpose, not living her mission? She's not in that kind of curiosity and hungry space, but she's really kind of more in a, I'm spent, or you fill in the gaps. What does that look like? And then on the flip side of that, how do you self-care in those moments?

So I think the days when I'm off-kilter have less to do with my external circumstances than they have to do with what's going inside in my mind. It's all about my perspective. I have read so many books and had so many experiences that helped me understand I'm as free as I choose to be. So I can look at something and grumble, this person, this email they sent me, and start my day like that. And then my tone is set for the whole day. I'm begrudging or annoyed and that will set me off. And then maybe I'm not feeling well nourished. So yes, I have days like that to answer the question. So what I do is I do my best to have these habits, these happy habits that recalibrate me. And I literally, this is a great place for anyone to start, I think. I bookend my days with positivity and Starting and ending the day on my own terms. This is what I mean. I'm not in a reactive mode when I start my day. I'm not like, oh shoot, you know, this email came in or this text, or there's this demand. And keep in mind, I don't have a little baby that's crying to wake me up. I know there are times when you have to be responsive and it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I get outside first thing and I basically go on a 30 to 45-minute Prayer and connection walk. So I'm connecting with nature. I'm not reactive. I'm active physically. I literally put on a little weighted vest too, 'cause I'm into all this stuff. I'm lifting up my day. I'm, you know, lifting up the people I love. I have certain prayers and scriptures that I repeat, even affirmations, because I wanna set the tone. I don't know if you've ever seen certain runners before they have a race, they have a— pregame ritual. This is my pre-day ritual that really sets the tone for my day of gratitude, of movement, of getting the sun. And that's not to say I'm not going to come inside, turn my phone on and find I have, you know, 5 messages that I have to reply to immediately that might not get that cortisol rising, but I still started the day on my terms. Before I put my head on the pillow, I've already been wearing my blue blockers. So I'm not getting a lot of light that's overly stimulating as my body's trying to wind down. And then I wind down my spirit too, by reading. I'm not on my device. I'm not one more email. No, I used to do that. I used to, and it was to my detriment, really. That's the one area as a health coach that I shortchanged was my sleep. I was one of those, oh, I'll sleep when I'm dead. And now I'm like, oh no, if I say that, the truth is I'm going to be dead sooner because you need that time to detox. Your body really needs to rest. So right when I put my head on the pillow or before I do, like I said, I read, I unwind. And then when I put my head on the pillow, I think of what I'm thankful for. Some people talk about like reviewing the day and doing this kind of self-examine practice, but that, that's too much for me. I just think of what I'm thankful for and just kind of review things a little bit and try to end and begin the day with a smile on my face, because no matter what happens in between, like that's kind of taking ownership. And that's what I always try to invite people to do too. Like there may be people listening to this podcast who are like, I'm so sick and I wish I could do a 45-minute walk, but by the way, I've got this demanding job, or I've got, 4 kids under 5. I mean, I was at that place actually. I had my 4 kids in a row. I didn't know anything about spacing. So I—

4 kids in 5 years?

Yes. I was like a little accordion with my womb. It was crazy. In and out and in and out. But, um, it was crazy. But even then, this is what I would invite those young moms or the people struggling to do is you can make choices that are healing for you and helpful for your family. So you can say to them, hey, before breakfast, we always get outside before breakfast. Kids will start any routine and follow your lead. We always put our feet on the ground for 5 minutes. Let's see how long we can last today, 'cause it's really cold out there, you know, and you make it a game. And then at the end of the day, we would read with our kids every night too. And so you're helping them come up with a happy, healthy routine. And so you can actually model it yourself as well. But wherever you are, implementing some of the basics can get you back up to that starting line. And you can always return to those to recalibrate on the hardest days.

These are such great tips and shares. Thank you for those. I find it interesting, and this is not always the case, but so in many ways, you know, Weston A. Price and ancestral very much connect, but then you're also a biohacker. You talk a lot about different biohacking tools and tips. Do you see those as different? I mean, clearly you see them as being able to coexist. But can you share, talk a little bit about that? 'Cause I don't think everyone connects those dots. They don't think of biohacking as also ancestral, but clearly you're connecting the dots.

Well, I guess I straddle both worlds, but I must say I lean more ancestral. So maybe I'm more of an ancestral biohacker. And this is what I mean by that. The biohacker is trying to make his environment, both internal and external, conform with the health that he wants. So he or she, so let's say you want to experience the elements, as I was saying about shivers, an ancestral person would go outside without a jacket, which I totally do all the time, even when it's 35 degrees or whatever, I like to challenge myself. But the biohacker might not want to do that, but they might jump in an ice bath. So it so happens I do have a plunge in my backyard. So I'm willing to take the shortcuts, some of them for that kind of effect that I would get if I were living more ancestrally. But I don't do everything. Like I'm not big on things like methylene blue or, you know, like some of the more unusual things. 'Cause I'm like, why should I do that to detox? For example, when I could have some black walnut tincture or, you know, I lean more ancestral or get my feet on the ground to get rid of the EMFs. Do I have a little quantum block in my bedroom? Yes. But I'm also putting my feet on the ground and I see those as just as valuable. So I, I think those biohacking shortcuts are great, but sometimes they're pricey too. And I'm like, shoot, the sun is free. We don't need a sauna. You know, again, I do have a sauna, but so I have the things, but I know that they're accessible for everyone. Even I'm going to say the sustenance piece, which people can say can be the most expensive. Like, why should I get organic? Or do I need grass-fed, grass-finished? As I was saying earlier, do the best you can to get real food on your table and on your plate. And it is going to do— You good. You don't need to get super fancy. You don't need to get the, the high-end different meats and so forth that are like really pricey. A lot of my meat comes from an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania through FarmMatch. So there are ways to live ancestrally without all the fancy gadgets, because I'm really not big on the gadgets. Are they helpful now and then? Yes. But I think this kind of lifestyle is more ancestral than biohacking, and it's very accessible.

Where do you get your information? Is it mostly from your connections and conversations with people, or are you like specifically like, oh, I go to this resource because this is the tried and true source? You're mentioning FarmMatch, of course, for food resource, but where can people in your judgment go to kind of discern like, what should we be focusing on? Because as you know, there's Constantly noise. There's constantly reference to some new trend or some new modality. And everyone thinks, should I do this? Should I not do this? And then, you know, 10 years later we learn, oh, that's actually misinformation. Coca-Cola actually was holding back the truth because they wanted you to think that you could just walk off their sodas. You know what I mean? Things like that. It's like, so where are you going to kind of discern Truth from fiction?

I love to look at 2 things. One is truth that has stood the test of time. I think there's a verse in Jeremiah that says, stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths and walk in them, and you will find rest for your souls. So I feel like this is one reason I do have faith, because There are people who walk this earth in such wisdom that I can learn from. I read books about saints of old who knew how to levitate. You know, I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm so impressed with their perseverance, with their diligence, with their confidence. I used to end every podcast on the Wise Traditions Podcast till they told me, please stop, with a quote from St. Julian of Norwich, this wonderful saint from like the 15th century who would say, all shall be well and all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well. I'm like, what was this woman thinking? I don't know if that was a prayer or a mantra or a hope, but she clung to it when the people in her town in England were going through the Black Plague. So I look for spiritual and physical things that have stood the test of time. That's one. But the second thing is, James, I don't outsource as much as you think. I have a friend that used to whip herself into a tizzy with, oh my gosh, Children's Health Defense is saying this and Highwire is saying that. And this person's saying that. And she was more anxious than people who were watching the regular news. This is during the pandemic.

Okay.

And I was like, okay, wait, maybe we're not helping ourselves. Maybe there's fear on both sides. And there were some real words of wisdom imparted to me by an Aboriginal woman in Australia. And she said, in our tribe, we have the custom of didgeridoo. Which is deep listening. It means being still. It means not outsourcing my thinking. It means looking within and seeing if there's a deep knowing within me that will help me, whether it's with an immediate decision or with what I need to do for my body. If I'm still enough, I might hear the voice of God or my ancestors. I mean, who knows what's gonna come in, but I need to be willing to learn from the deepest places of me and willing to stop outsourcing my health, whether it's to conventional or natural methods. You know, I just feel like we're too quick to give up our thinking really, and our decision-making and just saying, well, that person's saying this, so I guess I'll try it too. No, like really give yourself a chance to be still and know if this is for you. So I do look for what stood the test of time, but I also look within.

That's beautiful. And, and I think You know, your story and your life is a testimony of that. We are vessels and you're very much living your life like that. You are valuing your uniqueness and letting the world sift through that unique vessel that you are and come out through you and in your unique way. And so I think there's just not only so much beauty, but so much that we can all learn from, you know, of our own unique beauty and that we shouldn't quiet our voices. It's very important for people to know, if you don't know, if you've ever listened to the Wise Traditions podcast, that wasn't a podcast that existed before Hilda suggested it. So she made that happen. And when she did that, she had never podcast ever. I mean, so this was like truly following your instinct and your divine vision. And you co-created that. You created that path. And it's just very inspiring. So thank you for all that you do. I want to just share a quote and then I'm going to ask you something. And of course you can say no, but we'll just see if you say yes. I took this quote from some other source and you said, you know, that you look for potential, you get excited about it, and then you believe that it can become reality. And I just, I really love that. You know, we have to be seekers. And get excited about what we see, but then we have to believe that is possible. So thank you for modeling that. So my ask is that you have sang worship, and I'm just wondering if you might take 2 minutes to share your voice with us on this podcast where you just sing a very— could be 2 sentences, could be some, some piece of worship they used to sing back in the day, but I just was wondering if I could put you on the spot and have you do a little singing.

Oh my gosh, that feels so special to me. Thank you so much. I'm trying to think. Oh gosh, I, it's hard for me to think except I can sing a song that's never been published that I kind of wrote with a kid in mind. So I will share that. So that's great. That feels good to me. Um, and it's actually cute cuz it goes along with our stories. It goes like this, like, Before I was born, God saw me inside my mom. He formed me, he kept me safe and warm before I was born. That's all I remember right now.

Oh, I love it. Thank you so much, Hilda.

Oh, my pleasure.

What a beautiful conversation. We met many years ago, not many, but I guess a few years ago. I've just, Loved our interaction, Cindy. I so appreciate you being on our podcast. Where can people find you? I know your, your website. I don't know, has it been fully transitioned to the new site yet? Because I went on it prior and it looks fantastic. Is that the new website?

I guess, I don't know, but—

It looks great if it is.

Yeah. So yeah, my website is holistichilda.com. I do have my 6 Secrets course, which releases a couple of times a year. And I'm also building a holistic hub, a community where we can connect. And where I'm going to have a private podcast, by the way, where I'm just going to do a solo cast and tell everybody what I'm thinking. 'Cause I don't always have opportunities like this, James. So I'm really, really grateful. And then I've got my Instagram, Holistic Hilda, and of course the Wise Traditions Podcast. And I'm also on YouTube where I try to put longer form content. But I just want to say along the lines of what you're saying about me and fulfilling my purpose, I see this in you. I see this even in the listener I haven't met yet right now, who's like, You know, I've got 3 kids, you know, below my knees, like tugging on me all day. You are fulfilling your purpose and you are here for a reason. And I'm so thankful. And just know that life is a long time. I had that season too, and you never know what's around the corner. So enjoy every moment until it's time for something new that you can dream about and see come about.

Thank you so much, Hilda. And thank you everyone for participating in the Everyday Ancestral Podcast. Please follow us, leave a review. That's how we're going to get the word out there as a team. You know, we rising tides, let's get the word out there that these ancestral ways are important to bring into our modern and present day. So thank you all and just stay curious.

Love it. Thanks, James.

Thank you so much for joining me on Everyday Ancestral.

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