Episode 449: Perseverance Under Pressure

Hello everyone, this is Rebecca Green for the Winey Fluesa Podcast, and I am very excited today because I get to talk to the lovely Gina Casazza. Gina, thank you so much for being here with me today.

Oh my God, thank you so much for having me.

I had to stare at your last name so I said it right, but I think I did it. Yeah.

Oh my goodness.

So Gina is a passionate storyteller, resilience expert, and literacy advocate whose life has been shaped by extraordinary challenges and bold adventures. I mean, she's amazing. Wait till I tell you what she's done. From training with a Navy SEAL to completing a civilian, civilian SERE course, if I can say it. So SERE is Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape. Gina has learned firsthand what it means to persevere under pressure. At 21, she lost hearing in her left ear and was told it would never return. 10 years later, she defied the odds and regained most of her hearing, further fueling her passion for holistic healing and mindset work. I need to do some like tongue twisters before I introduce someone so that I warm up. But I mean, you know, I told you before I pressed record that I think you're just amazing and I'm so excited to talk to you. And I really want to know, you know, I have to start with training with a Navy SEAL and going through a SERE course because I was like, okay, so what motivated you to take on these intense challenges?

It's so weird. I am the type of person that like gets an idea and executes it. Like, that's it. Like, I am executing it. And sometimes that just does not do me well, and sometimes it does me very well. And this one changed the course of my life. And I was living in Los Angeles. My mom was, like, staying with me for the past year, and as it was, like, COVID time and stuff, and she was like, Crime was on the rise. The news, well, you know, was on like everywhere you go. And I looked at her and I'm like, do you think I could survive a kidnapping? And she was like, no. And I was like, you answered that way too quickly, like think about it. And she was like, I don't need to think about it, look at you. And I was like, oh my God, there has to be like a like kidnapping class. But like, I don't like those like self-defense classes, like Women's Weekend Self-Defense, because it's like you feel so empowered when you go, and then you leave and you do this. Like, you know, I have brothers, so I go home to my brothers to like do it, and then I can't do anything. And I'm just like, this is not gonna help me, you know? And so I was like, there has to be a, you know, like a— I was thinking in my mind that like you put in your information and then they like stalk you, and then at some point they like go to like kidnap you and you like have to escape, and then they like debrief you and tell you what you did wrong or what you didn't do wrong, and then they do it again, right? And like, to me, I thought like that was what I was looking for. And I like found this survival school, it was called Thomas Coyne Survival, and I was looking at his programming and there was a SEER program. And now I have no idea what SEER was, like zero clue what SEER was. I will explain it because I'm sure people listening is like, what is that, right?

No clue. No clue.

No clue, right? I had no clue, but all I saw in the survival program was the word kidnapping. And I called and I was like, this is what I'm looking for. Like, is this what you guys do? They're like, almost. You should sign up. It would be really good for you. It's pretty similar to what you want. And I was like, okay. And I sign up right then and there. I don't even think about it. I don't even think twice. And no refunds, you know. And then I Google— I like look into like, what the heck did I just sign up for? And that's when I realized like my mom was right. Like, I am not going to make it. Because when I researched it, they don't just kidnap you, they torture you for a number of hours. You then get an opportunity to escape at some point throughout the night. And then you get hunted all night in the woods with whatever you are wearing. That is it, right? And I am just like, my family's never camped a day in their life. Like, what do you mean? I am a high-maintenance human being. Like, I am not afraid to admit it. And when I say high maintenance, like, it's not like, like, I don't wear makeup or anything like that. It's just I need filtered water and, you know, my meat has to be grass-fed. And I am just like the epitome of like, you know, that form of high maintenance. I'm just like, somebody fasting this whole entire weekend. Like, what am I going to do? And that's when I realized, like, I need help. And I knew that a personal trainer— I, like, fun fact, like, never really stepped foot in a gym, okay, before this moment. Did a lot of sports growing up, but that was the extent of my, like, just sports. That was it. Like, no gym workout. And then You know, no exercise, zero. So I was like, a personal trainer is not going to do it for me. This is too much work. Like, this is a lot of work. Okay? So I was like, the Navy SEAL can do it. If anybody can do it, a Navy SEAL can do it. They get me to zero to 60 like that. So I started Googling a Navy SEAL, and that's when I came across John McLaren's nonprofit called Team Eagle One. So we called him Coach Mac, and he ran a Special Forces podcast. Like, most of his people in the program were going through the BUD/S pipeline. So we're going to go to BUD/S, and a couple of them were going for Special Forces. Very, very few civilians in the group. I messaged him and I said, listen, first of all, I didn't even want to do this. Like, like, first of all, I am 31 years old at the time. I'm 31 years old. Most of the people in the program are like 18 to 25, right? And they're mainly— the whole program was all men except for 3 females. Okay. But the all male. And the thing was, there was only 1 female before me, and then a couple of females came after me. Right. So that was it. And I'm just like, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of these people. Like, and it's on the beach in Santa Monica. So it's not only my teammates, but it's like all of America is looking and being like, this is the future of who's protecting us. Like, I'm like, are you kidding? So I— but like, I couldn't find anybody else and like, time was ticking. So I messaged him and I was like, I just signed up to get kidnapped. Like, can I join your program? And he was like, we would love to have you. And then that is how, like, it just— it just happened.

Oh my gosh. Well, what a crazy, wonderful idea. I mean, I totally understand the motivation and I'm curious Like, tell us what came out of it. Tell us the lessons. Tell us what you learned. I want to, I want to hear.

Oh my God. So it's funny. I'm really grateful I did a vlog. So I started vlogging it because he let me into the program as a civilian. I wanted to do a vlog as like a thank you, tell people about the program, like all this stuff, because he had no marketing, like zero mark— everything was word of mouth. So I was like, let me do this. So I have a vlog on YouTube on my training with a SEAL, which is really great and coming in handy because I am now writing the memoir. So as I— so, and I need that like to go back on, but I was re— like rewatching all my vlogs and I noticed that I have mantras every single, like, and, and every single vlog I talk about like the struggles, I talk about the week before and I talk about the lessons, right? And each week was like a mantra and like the first week before even starting, I remember being like so nervous. And now at this time my dad was visiting, and when my dad was visiting I was like super nervous. And my dad is like not like one of those like, I don't know, like gentle men, you know? He's just very like, you know, direct, right? And I'm like, oh, I'm so nervous for tomorrow. I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep. And he just looked at me and he was like, you're not wrestling a lion, you're doing push-ups. Like, get it together, you know? And so that became my mantra. And that was like, you know what, Gina? Like, every time I'm nervous, it's like, you're not wrestling a lion, you're doing push-ups. And when I got there and I saw them, the female wasn't there, was just all males. And I was like, oh my God, like, I can't do this. And I like go back to my car and I'm like, you're not wrestling a lion, you're doing push-ups. Let's just go. You want to be strong. You want to survive this kidnapping. Like, we got to do it. So I like mustered up the courage and then I like learned, like now I knew about fear. I've been in the uncomfortable and fear my entire life, but you know, I learned that, you know, fear is just, it's just such a, it's, it holds you back and you need to learn how to get past that fear. And it's not like taking away the fear, it's working with that fear, right? And that was the first thing I learned was like working with that fear, right? And then the next thing was, and I have a special forces podcast and this Navy SEAL David Charbonnet was on the show and his dad was an Navy SEAL and then he became an Navy SEAL and he said, I wanted to be like my dad because he just like didn't care. Like he just didn't care about being embarrassed or all this stuff. And David talked about when you're in BUD/S at some point you just stop caring about looking dumb and looking stupid and all this other stuff. And I, experience that. It's like you have to be able to not care that you can't do a pull-up and meet yourself where you are. So if you are surrounded by a bunch of hard chargers, which I was, that could be super intimidating. And you can't do a pull-up when everybody else can do at least 5. I mean, you know, like, that was just— the worst person could do 5 and you can't even do 1. Like, how embarrassing. And yet you have to be able to meet yourself where you are and be like, I'm gonna get there. Like, and I'm gonna stay with it and I'm not gonna leave and quit just because I'm uncomfortable, right? Or just because I'm not at the same skill level. And that was what I learned like the first couple of times. And then I also learned that you have to, and this is like not something I have, um, patience with it because growth doesn't happen overnight. And right. I'm always like, but it needs to, like, like let's get there. Like how do I get, what do I need to do? To get there. And it's just like, you can do everything that you need to do, but it still takes time to grow, right? And you can be as consistent as you want, but you have to let go of that expectation because that is what is going to stop you from continuing. So I had to learn that. And then, you know, I had, uh, the Scream Brain spy David Fielding on the show, and he was like, emotional freedom comes from when you let go of an expectation. And, you know, all these guys, they say stuff and it totally sparks the lessons that I've learned. And I was like, oh my God, 100%. And two other things I learned, and one thing changed the course of my life. One of the lessons that I learned was being a good teammate. Now, I was always an athlete. I always thought I was a good teammate, right? But then Coach Mack lined us up in formation. He said, your teammate next to you is more important than you. and I was like, I'm important too, right? Like, what? And he was like, in battle and everything, you gotta put them first. And I was like, in battle and everything? Like, I need to save myself, you know? And I just had that mindset of like, like, here I am thinking I'm a good teammate cuz I'll help you, but at the same time, I'm also thinking about me and my life, right? And I didn't really understand it. I didn't really understand the teammate thing. And when we were lining up one day, it was a Tuesday, it was around 8 o'clock at night. We were absolutely freezing. It's Los Angeles. There is, when the sun is down, the degrees drops like 20 degrees. It's freezing. We're soaking wet, by the way, the Pacific Ocean, it's unforgiving. It's cold all the time. And I think this was like the end of March, beginning. Yeah, the end of March or beginning April or something like that, or end of April. So it was cold, it was freezing. And I was like, I was freezing. I'm thinking about my warm bed. I'm purple, like goosebumps all over my body. I don't even wanna be there. Everything that he's saying right now, I'm just tuning out. I'm just in pity mode. And all of a sudden I turn next to me and I see the guy, my teammate next to me, and he is freaking purple. Like purple. Okay. Oh, his lips are purple. All the hairs on his body is standing up. He has goosebumps all over himself. And I'm like, oh my God, he's just as cold as me. And so I get next to him and I put my arm next to his arm and I like talk to him through like my gritted teeth cuz we're not supposed to be talking. And I'm like, just breathe, just breathe in, out. And as I'm talking to him, I'm also doing it too. And suddenly I'm not cold. Suddenly I'm not thinking about my warm bed. All these things about me and the time is going quicker because I'm helping my teammate. And that's what it means to being a teammate because the teammate next to you is more important than you. And when you put it all on them, you're actually helping yourself because you are out of your mind. Right. And that was life-changing. But then the biggest life-changing was that the very last 2 weeks of training, and I was getting a lot better. It's getting, I was improving, not, not much, but I was improving. And I was like, I still don't fit in with everybody. Like, I still don't fit in. Like, you could still point me out in a photo. Your eyes are gonna go right to me. Like, right to me because I'm 5 feet tall. I'm female. Like, there's just, I have no muscle on my body. You know, I gained 10 pounds of muscle, but still coming from, you know, 90 pounds of nothing, you know, 100 pounds now is just, yeah. It's just, it still didn't make that much of a difference compared to the 220-pound guy standing next to me. Right. So I was like, I don't fit in and I'm never gonna fit in. And then I was like, oh, belonging and fitting in are two totally different things. And I go, because I still belong. I belong on this team. Like I belong with these guys. And what I learned was that fitting in and belonging are the opposites. In society, we teach that they're exactly the same. So kids think that they need to change themselves in order to belong to a group, right? And what I learned, and which I wish I learned when I was 7, and this is where my, the course of my life changed because from this I became an author and I started a nonprofit and all this other stuff because I said kids need this message because belonging is about showing up as your authentic self, knowing that you're enough, knowing that you're not gonna change you. Like you physically are not gonna be changing yourself to be like everybody else.

Mm-hmm.

Might not dress the same. You might dress the same cuz you might be in the same uniform. But you might not think the same, right? That doesn't mean you don't belong, right? You might— every single one of us, they all might belong. Like, yeah, they might all think the same, but I might not, and that doesn't mean that I don't belong with them, right? Um, we might be on different skill levels. Hello, you know, like, I was like terrible, they were all fantastic, and it didn't mean that I didn't belong with the group. So like, there's so many different things on how we feel like we don't fit in, whether it's looks, whether it's beliefs, whether it's skill level. And yet then we feel like we don't belong, right? But belonging is showing up as your authentic self, knowing that you're enough and you're just going to improve. And as long as you stay with it and be with the group.

And I love that lesson so much. And it's so funny when you're talking and you said, I gained 10 pounds of muscle. Did you see my face?

I was like, wow.

That's amazing. And at the time, you were probably thinking, well, that's nothing compared to this guy next to me. But for you, that was amazing.

It was incredible. It was incredible. I mean, it was the first time in my life. I like— yeah, like, it was like, for the— I was seeing it. Like, I was seeing the definition. It was, you know, I mean, yes, I celebrated like moments, but at the same time, you know, it's kind of like social media. Except real life, because it's like in social media, you're seeing all this, you know, you don't know what's real or what's not real, right? It's all perceived, right? Everything is perceived. And even in reality, it's your perception. In your real life, it's your perception, right? You can have the same— you could go through the same thing as somebody else but have a completely different perspective, right?

Yeah.

And, you know, and my perspective as I'm around these hard chargers was just, you know, I, I had to— the negative thoughts were all over the place, and I was like having to be like Karate Kid, swatting everything, because I had to combat that negativity 24/7, you know. It was— and I also was miserable. Like, none of this was fun for me. Like, people that are listening, they're like, well, you know, you might have had fun. No, it was not fun. It was a struggle every single time I had to go there. I didn't even want to go. I was like praying for anything to happen to get me out of this training. But again, I had a goal, and that goal was to be strong and to get through SERE training. And if I was going to hit that goal, I couldn't quit. And that's the thing. When people are like, I only do things I like, it's like, well, I like to do things that make me uncomfortable that I don't like right away. Because that's where the growth is going to happen. It doesn't happen in the comfortable.

So true. Well, and I want to ask you about your book and your nonprofit and your podcast and everything. But before we go there, did you escape the kidnapping? I did.

Yeah. Couldn't have done it without that program. Couldn't have done it.

Oh my gosh. I had to ask. You know I had to ask. That's amazing. So you probably felt so powerful achieving your goal.

Yeah, I couldn't even, I'm like blown away. Like I'm like, could I do it again? You know, like I was just like, wow, this was like, it was incredible. It felt like you felt like you were like on top of the world.

I was just like, I mean, I'm so blown away by that whole experience, but I have to ask you about so many things. Yeah. So I'm gonna move on. So let's talk about your book. You really truly do belong, which you touched on the message.

Yeah.

So, so tell us about the inspiration. The inspiration and the story and tell us about your book.

So that was the inspiration. Like literally I understood belonging the last 2 weeks of the Navy SEAL program. Sunday, my very last day of training, I looked at my teammates and I said, I am gonna write a children's book. And on Monday I took myself to Joshua Tree. I wrote the book in under 4 hours because it was just like, it flew outta me. I lived it. I've been researching it for 31 years. Like what is belonging? And then when I finally figured it out, it just flew outta me. I wrote it from my perspective as a little girl and everybody, it's, well, oh my gosh. The main character though is Cosmo the Alien. And originally it was just an alien. I wasn't gonna do a second book. Then it kind of took off. Now we got a second book. We named the character. It's now a YouTube channel. You know, it's a big thing now. But at the time it was just, you know, an alien because I wanted every single person to relate because who's the ultimate outsider in the world? An alien, right? So that's why I created Cosmo the Alien. But I wrote it in under 4 hours because again, it was through my perspective and I also knew like exactly what I wanted and what I wanted kids to get from it because I was picturing 7-year-old me who longed to belong.

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I wish I, you know what, my kids would still benefit. It doesn't matter what their age is. I, right? Anyone would benefit.

So many adults contact me and they're like, oh my God, like this was, like, life-changing for me. Like, I had parents— I had, like, men text me and be like, or, like, email me and be like, I was tearing up as I was reading it because I felt that way as a child. I felt like I didn't belong. So it's just— it's an interesting, you know, it's interesting on the way that it went, you know.

I love the message. I think it's, it's so important. And I have to talk about your hearing loss because Holy cow. So tell us the amazing story of regaining your hearing.

So I'll keep this one super brief because this could go on forever. I'm going to talk. We could talk for hours. So lost my hearing when I was 21. It's called sudden hearing loss. They don't know how it happened. It just suddenly happened. One minute I had hearing, next minute gone. And it wasn't like I woke up with no hearing. It was like in the evening I was at Cheesecake Factory. I stood up with some friends to walk to the car, pushed in my chair, and next thing you know, boop, pop, like, uh, not like a pop. I didn't hear a pop. It just like went to a, like a loud ringing. Like think of a concert, loud ringing tinnitus. And I like looked at my friends, I'm like, you guys hear that ringing? And they were like, no. And I was like, okay. Went to sleep, woke up, had extreme vertigo. We were going on a hike that morning and I was like, and that's what happens when you lose your hearing. Your, your equilibrium goes off, right? Oh my God. That's why you experience vertigo. So it took a little bit for my body to like calibrate, you know, what was going on. And then I ended up going to the doctor. I went to the hospital first. They, they misdiagnosed. Then I went to an ENT. They came, they did the hearing test. They came in with a box of tissues and they were like, you 100% lost your hearing. And I'm like, how do I get back? And they're like, steroids. And I go, well, when can we start? And they didn't work. So I then like would do it as much as I could. Like I had steroids injected into my ear. I went to doctor, I did a hearing test like every single week. I was crying every single week after the hearing test. Oh. Because like nothing was working.

So wait, you had hearing in your other ear. You lost hearing in one ear.

Right ear had hearing, left ear gone. Now, during this time, now you're traumatized. You're like, oh my God, am I going to lose hearing in my right ear too? Right. As I'm going through all this, I'm also learning sign language because I'm just like, what if? Right? I'm just like, what if I need to be able to figure this out? Right? So I'm like trying to do like basic, learn like basic sign language. Now, granted, a week after all this happened. Now, I was in Argentina prior, flew to Los Angeles to visit a friend in college. That's where I lost my hearing and found out I was deaf. Went home to New York because that's where I lived, right? And got a job. I just graduated college early. It was in January, just graduated college early, got a job a week later on Dancing with the Stars. And so before I could even adjust my lifestyle, I got this job because I wanted to go into the film business. Working on Dancing with the Stars. So, and it was like pretty much all hearing, like I had to hear what the celebrity and dancer was saying. And one was— they're mic'd up, so one celebrity, like the celebrity is on one ear, the dancer's on the other ear, and I have to be like writing down what is going on for the editors so they can create that package that you guys see before the show. And I'm struggling, like I'm like tearing up because I'm like, I can't hear them, like I can't hear one of them unless The other one is with them because then it, the both mics will transmit to my right ear. Like I was, I'm like, I'm gonna lose my job. I'm gonna be fired. Like I would then rewatch the tapes and transcribe like word for word. I mean like it took me like 24 hours. I didn't sleep this whole entire week because I was trying to do my very best, like figuring out this hearing thing. And also you don't wanna tell people because then they don't wanna hire you. You know? I know they're like, it's illegal. No, like it doesn't matter. Like, you know, like they're, they're not gonna tell you cuz yeah, it's illegal, but. If you walked in and you're like, just so you know, I have a hearing problem, they'd be like, I don't, like, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hire that. And, and I understand, but at the same time, you know, I have to, I have to be able to adjust. Right. So yeah, it was an adjustment period. And then during this whole entire 10-year period, so like for the first 5 years, I was going at all the doctors I possibly can. I even, I wasn't living in Los Angeles at the time. And I flew to Los Angeles to meet with the number one ENT doctor in the whole entire world. And I was like, if anybody could do it, it can be him. And he was like, no, like, it's not gonna happen, like, give it up. And I was like, okay. So then I let that sink in for like the next couple of years. I didn't really do much. And then I started like reading a book from Dr. Wayne Dyer. And, and also during this time, not from my hearing, but just from my living situation and my life. I was in Los Angeles now living. I was like in terrible relationships in terms of friendships and, you know, all this stuff. Like my work relationships, everything was negative. Everything was very, very negative. I was 3,000 miles away from my family who I'm extremely close with. Like, it was just— I then spiraled into a depression and I was just crying all the time and like life was just really hard. But it was like my own doing, right? And I then was like reading Dr. Wayne Dyer because, you know, feel good, and he talked about CST therapy. And then I started researching it, was like, let me, let me look into some holistic healing. And then I found a CST therapist and she got rid of my tinnitus. Like, I had tinnitus for 5 years and it was just so annoying, blaring.

What is CST?

What is, um, cranial sacral therapy?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yes.

Yeah, I've never called it—

I've never heard it called that before. Okay, that's very— it has an acronym.

So she got rid of my tinnitus, and then from there I was taking acting classes at the time because I was working for Penny Marshall, and Penny was like, you should be an actress, go into acting classes. So I was like, okay. So I started taking acting classes, and my acting coach was negative. Like, everything— like I said, everything was just negative. And I was like complaining about him, and then she was like, you should go see Dee Wallace. She's the mom in E.T., and she's done so many different other things, but she was like, she does acting coaching and she does energy work. It would be really good for you and the path that you're now moving on in the energy healing path. Amazing. Yeah. So I reached out to Dee and she goes, I don't do acting classes anymore, but I do energy work. It's pretty much the same thing. Come, come see me. I went to go and see her, like my life changed in that one session and I signed up to be her client for the entire year. I had no money. It's not that she was expensive, okay? She's like $1,200 for the year. It was like therapy for the year and you go to her once a month. It was amazing. But, um, I didn't have any money. I was living paycheck to paycheck and I took out a whole new credit card for her because I was like, this is gonna change my life. Not only did she like absolutely change my life, like it got me out of all negative relationships, all like everything negative in my life. I ended up having money and like, like money flew into my life. Like everything was just like better. And then she introduced me, not only that, but my hearing was was kind of opening up. And then she introduced me to an osteopath in, um, Santa Monica. Now, I have seen osteopaths prior, but this guy was magic. His name was Dr. Stephen Hagopian, and he did a hearing test on me that I swear, like, my good ear couldn't even hear this test. I was like, oh my God, like, what happened, like, to my ear? Like, I was freaking out. And when he finished the test, he was like, 'cause I said to him, I'm like, I have hearing. Like, I have hearing. Things are opening up. Like, I'm telling you, like, I have hearing. And he did this test and I swear he's gonna be like, you're deaf. Like, it's gone. And he was like, I believe you. Like, I believe you on what you, you have hearing. He did this test that seemed impossible. And, and, uh, then he did some work on me and then next thing you know, I went and did another hearing test after working with him for 6 months and they couldn't believe that. I— they didn't believe because it wasn't the same hearing person, because, you know, that was in, in Santa Barbara. I wasn't going back up there. But they couldn't believe that I went from zero of no hearing to then— like, they said they can't really tell you a percentage, like there's no such thing, but in order for you to understand it, they said 85%. And, you know, and they were like, that never happens. Like, what did you do? And that was— yeah, and that was how that kind of happened. And then part of me was like, I need to get to 100. But then the other part of me was like, you know what? Like, meet yourself where you are right now. It's cool. 85 is cool.

I mean, that is an amazing story. So backing way up, they don't know why you lost it.

No, they have theories. You know, I had bronchitis when I was in Argentina and, oh, okay. But like, okay. They, but by the time I like regained my, like, I mean, by the time I came back to the States, like I didn't have any more bronchitis. So they were like, it could have been the linger from the virus. Um, it also could have been the stress that I was under because I was just graduating college at the, like, at that moment, not knowing what I was gonna do with my future, not knowing about a job. Like there was just so much, like, and then they said the stress, the virus, all that could have impacted it, but they can't say for sure.

And then you're talking about this amazing energy work. Does it have a specific title or is it just called energy work?

It was just What she does is just— I can't even, like, it's— she just, like, wow. You tell her what's going on in your life, and then she'll get you to the root cause of it, you know? Because everything stems from a root cause, right? Yeah. For me, she was like, you shut down your hearing because you just didn't want to hear everybody around you telling you what to do in your life.

Okay, so I'm a therapist, so that's exactly where my head went. I'm like, what doesn't she want to hear?

Yeah, that's what it was. And she was like, that's what you did. You're just like, stop. Like, you know, stop. And also, like, the left side, I think, is the feminine, right? On the right side, the masculine. And my mom is a big, like, champion of my life, you know? Like, she's my best friend, she's my everything. And everything that she says, I kind of take to the extreme. And she's always like, stop. Like, she doesn't even want to give me advice anymore because she always— she was the mom that, like, grew— that I grew up with. Who was always like, think for yourself. Like, go think for yourself. Like, even if I say something, or like, if like I have this religion, go experience other religions. Like, don't just take on mine, you know? If I like this sports team, go see other sports teams. Like, pick your own thing.

I love your mom. Oh, she sounds wonderful.

She was great. But every— but like, I admire her so much that like every time she says something, I just want it. Like, I just, you know, so when she was like, sure, you know, talking to me about careers and all this other stuff, it was like, it was too much for me. Like, in terms of You know, I was like, I gotta shut it down. It's like, I can't, you know.

I totally understand. And I'm so happy that you got it back. I mean, that is so inspiring. So, yeah. As somebody who loves holistic stuff, like, how has holistic healing entered your life regularly?

It changed it. I mean, tremendously. I, I mean, now it's That's funny because like I'm very extreme person. I didn't know this about myself. And I— if listeners like take anything from anything that I said today, learn to observe yourself, learn to be self-aware and understand yourself without judgment, without judgment. Because I've learned about myself that I'm very extreme. And when I am like— when Dr. Hagopian said to me, you need to— at the time I was I, I think I was vegan or I was vegetarian. I was something like, I think I was in the vegan, the vegan era of my life. I've entered many eras, okay? And it was all to test out what works for my health and my body. It wasn't like an animal, like, it was just to test out me and my health. So he was like, you need protein, you're protein deficient, you need protein, your body needs protein. Like, do you need animal? You need animal. You're the type of body you need animal products. He goes, you need to get rid of dairy. And at the time I was like dairy fiend. Oh, so I wasn't vegan cuz of dairy fiend. So yes, a vegetarian. So as a dairy fiend, and he goes, you need to get rid of dairy and you need to cut out soy. And at that time that was my protein because you know, when you're vegan, what else? You know, I mean, I was beans and all sorts of stuff. Oh my.

Yeah.

So he was like, cut it out. And I was like, okay. And if you know anything about dairy, it's like crack, right? It's like, it's, it, it has like, um, a chemical in it that makes you, your brain addicted to it, right?

Like sugar.

Yeah. Yeah. And I went cold turkey because he was like, how much do you, how bad do you want your hearing back? And I go, bad. And he was like, then you'll cut the dairy out. And he was right. Like when you want something bad enough, like you will do it cold turkey. Yes. And I did. And I then started eating meat and, and then that was reintroducing meat. I always ate meat growing up. It was just during this phase of my life I was trying out to be healthy again. There's, it's funny, like I was watching a video the other day and it's like, Everybody will tell you what's good or bad for you, but unless you actually put it to the test, you don't know, right? That is— I was just—

such good advice. Yes, right?

Yeah, I was just testing what worked for me, and what worked for me was figuring— was, was like understanding this. And obviously vegan, vegetarian, all that stuff was not working for me. So then I was like, let me do 80/20, you know? Tom Brady talks about that. That's the way I'll go this route. And so I did that and stuff like that. But like holistic healing has really helped me because now I have a, I am, I embarked on a whole new lifestyle these days and now I'm carnivore and I then am now weaning towards animal-based, um, by doing like some berries and stuff. But I'm primarily carnivore and I go to the gym all the time. I do not wear makeup. I do, uh, tallow, organic grass-fed tallow with a bunch of essential oils for my skin and my body. I make my, like, all my products in terms of like toothpaste and deodorant. And for hair, I do baby, like, baby shampoo, like, chem— like, literally it's either someone's making it at home or I'm getting like the cleanest version I possibly can find. So I, you know, and I'm working out and I'm walking and I'm getting that red light therapy in the morning and shutting it down at— I mean, like, shutting down the blue light at night. And it's just like, I'm testing it out. Like, and the thing is, is like, for myself, I needed to be that extreme. Like, I literally— and as a carnivore, you could have dairy, but I learned for myself that there are certain— I can't have dairy. Like, I can have like some raw milk and some raw cheese here and there, but I was going overload and it was wreaking havoc on my body. And everyone talks about, you know, and that's the thing is like, you don't know because there's certain people on carnivore that thrive on dairy. I don't. But you don't know that until you get to know your body and get to know yourself.

Got to get to know your own self. Yes, such good advice. Well, and you have so many fascinating things. I don't— I don't want— I want to be able to tell everyone all your things. So let's move to your nonprofit. I want to hear about Empowered Lit. Tell us about your nonprofit. It sounds amazing.

Thank you. Thank you. Stemmed from my book. So I then wrote my book and became a speaker. Like it was just like instant, like an in— I had no idea this was a career path.

Oh my gosh. What don't you do?

I didn't know this was a career path, you know? And so I wrote this book and then next thing you know, schools wanted me to come to their schools and talk and stuff. And then through my message, teachers were like, do you do this to speak to teachers for, oh yeah, because they have like personal development days and things like that. And I said yes. And then next thing you know, businesses are like, can you come in to speak to our group? You know, and stuff like that. So the next thing you know, like it's becoming like, And this is where I'm at right now. Just this part, like the business part is just starting to happen. But yeah, I've been doing children for two, this is my third year, and then it just moved into adults recently. And I was going to a bunch of schools and I apply and send out to a bunch of schools. And there are certain teachers that love this program that want it right now. Yeah. But their school doesn't have the budget. They don't have the funding. They don't, they don't have the time to fill out a grant. They're understaffed, like all this stuff. And I was like, well, what if I fill out the grant for you guys and like, do it, my, like, do it. And they're like, yeah, but we still have to go through this hoop and this hoop and talk to this person. And it's still a lot of work for us even though you're writing it. Right. And also some of the grants, they still have to put the money up front and then the grant gives it to them after the visit. And they were like, we can't even afford that. So I said, okay, what if I started a nonprofit? And they were like, that works. And I was like, excellent. So now what I do is I started a nonprofit and what the mission is for the nonprofit is to increase literacy in children while also building their self-esteem, self-worth, and a sense of belonging. So I go into schools, I do this program that's specifically designed that I created to do that. And I also do literacy events and also some of my board members and I partner with like local, like one of my board members, he's the president of the— or governor of the Kiwanis Clubs of the Carolinas. And they do a— like, they give a book to every kid in a certain county in preschool. And now what we do with the nonprofit is give You Really Truly Do Belong to some of the kids. And there's another school that they— these kids don't have a book at home. Like, I didn't know that. Like, I grew up like where there was like 20,000 books, you know? Like, I had a library in my room, you know? I can't even imagine. And These kids, they're getting dictionaries and books and, you know, a one book, and it's their only book that they have at home. And so I was like, they need— you really truly do belong. Oh my God. So that's another thing that we do. So you can, um, buy a book for a kid, you can buy a book for yourself, and proceeds do go to the nonprofit. So like, you could buy a book for 10, or you can, you know, buy your own book and then $5 goes to the nonprofit. You could sponsor a school. You know, we fill out grants, we do all this stuff, but the whole message and everything is I don't take a salary. 100% of the proceeds goes into this program. It goes to these kids, and you know, it goes into this organization that is— I'm passionate about helping these kids. Like, get— if, if the thing is, is that kids' self-esteem and self-worth is completely tanking, especially now with social media. It used to be that they tank at the age of 9. Now we're seeing it even earlier, you know, at the age of 7, kids' self-esteem is tanking. And why, you know, and yes, I think the digital age is absolutely amazing, but I also think that there are also a lot of negatives that we have not combated, right? And it starts with teaching kids that they belong, and it starts, it starts with that root of you are enough, right? And that's my next book, You Really Truly Are Enough, which is coming out in September. But. That's the whole message of Empower Lit. And when we can increase your self-worth, your self-esteem, and your sense of belonging, your test scores are automatically gonna go up because you're having kids that are willing to fail. You're having kids that are willing to, you know, try even though they're frustrated and not give up, you know, and all this stuff. You're having kids that want to do good, you know, and want to be readers and writers and, and just learn and have fun. So that's the whole message and point of Empower Lit.

So the little girl who did not feel like she belonged is now teaching kids how to belong.

Belong. Exactly.

I mean, I love so much and, and, you know, you do so much. Before I let you go, tell everyone about your podcast. I don't know what you don't do. That's what I'm trying to say. How do you have time for all this stuff?

Seriously, I, I have no children. Like, I just— that's what it comes down to. I, I don't know why I got you, who's like the love of my life, and I fly to the end like any time. Like, I'm going to spend a whole month with him in May, and then work kind of ceases because I'm 100% 24/7 with him. And I test everything out on him, like Cosmo the Alien stuff. Right now he's struggling with speech, so Cosmo the Alien is— I just like sent it to Spotify, so they're reviewing it, but I just did a a speech album for kids. And, and now we do animations, and each week is going to be a new song for the kids. So last week was the P, learning how to pronounce words with P. This week's going to be W because that's a strong one for— that's a hard one for him. So, you know, everything is around him, and yet it's also benefiting other children. And this podcast is based off of my Navy SEAL program, but, and my speaking career. So like, now that I'm moving into adults Everything I learned from this is what I teach, and all my guests are special forces. Today's episode aired, we had a former KGB on the show, and, uh, he's a spy, you know, and, and infiltrated America.

What is your podcast called?

It's called Mindset Lessons from the Field, and it's all about— my guests are all special forces or, or work with special forces in some capacity, and it's all about teaching our listeners mindset, the grit, the resilience to be able to tackle the challenges that come your way in life.

Amazing. Okay, so I don't know if I— is there anything that I didn't cover that you want everybody to know? Because I want them to know all your stuff. So tell everyone where they can find you and your book and all these good things.

Yeah, so you'll find me on ginacazaza.com. You can check out the podcast Mindset Lessons from the Field. Check out the YouTube channel, um, Cosmo the Alien Official. You can, um, look, you could look at the vlog too, the Training with the SEAL vlog on YouTube. And Empower Lit, definitely check out Empower Lit if you want to help out in any way, shape, or form with the mission of Empower Lit. If it touches you, if you're interested, in anything, reach out to me if you know a school, if you wanna sponsor, whatever you can. Like I said, 100% of the proceeds goes into the programs and the organization. And the organization, so that's called Empower Lit Literacy and Beyond. You can look at the website empowerlitnonprofit.org.

I knew you were gonna be inspiring. This was all, I feel so, I feel it's amazing. I feel so powerful listening to you. So I hope everybody else does too. You're an amazing force, and I am so honored that I got to talk to you today.

Oh, it's been a pleasure. You've been a great host, and I, I appreciate you so much for bringing me on. Thank you.

Thank you so much. This is Rebecca Green, and I want to remind everyone to spend every day laughing, learning, and loving. Thank you for tuning in to the Whiny Palooza podcast. If you like what you heard, please be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. While you are there, leave a review. I love to hear your feedback. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time.

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