Heal Your Gut & Skin Naturally w/ Sisley Killam

What's up, you guys? Welcome back to the podcast. Today's episode is long overdue because I finally have my personal skin coach on the show to talk to us about all things gut health, glowing skin, and living your best wellness girly life. Today we are joined by Sisley Killam, who is North America's leading acne-focused holistic nutritionist. She has helped thousands of women clear their acne naturally via diet and lifestyle. With an online community of over 100,000 readers, Sisley shares holistic lifestyle tips, healthy recipes, and skin education, and she also personally helped me transform my relationship to my skin, my gut health, and so much more in the over a year's time that we were working together. In this episode, we're going to talk about things that you might be doing or eating that could be negatively impacting your gut health and skin, some easy, simple ways to support your gut health so that you can start right away for free, nutrition tips and meal ideas to support balanced blood sugar and healthy digestion, mental health challenges that come along with acne, core pillars for clear radiant skin, supporting your hormones and skin when coming off of the hormonal birth control pill, and some morning and evening routine musts from Sisley for our busy gals that want to support themselves but don't have time for a 3-hour routine. This episode is going to be so helpful for so many of the women in our community, so I cannot wait for you to dive in and listen. Let's get into this episode. Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shit happen. I'm so excited for this conversation because Sisley was my skin coach for over a year and has helped me learn so much about gut health about digestion, about my liver, about literally so many things that I had no idea were impacting my health. So I'm excited for everyone to get to hear this conversation between us, and I feel like it's a long time coming to have you featured on the podcast and just share all of your wisdom with everybody. So okay, welcome to the show, Sisley. We can't wait for all of the skin tips. We want the dewy, the glowy, the clear skin. We want to live the healthy girl lifestyles, and you're gonna help us get there.

Yes, and I'm so happy to be here, Sam. I want to first of all say like thank you so much for creating this community where women can show up authentically to not only support their business and like thrive, but also thrive in their health and wellness. Like it's so unique what you're doing, and I just wanted to say thank you for creating that space for people. You're truly doing amazing things.

Thank you, and same to you. It's so, it's so amazing to get to have you on, especially because you're someone that I've worked with personally. So I know the power and the depth of your work and how much you care about your clients and helping people get to that place where they really do feel like they are healthy and happy from the inside out. And I think something that I really appreciated about our work together was that you understood my challenges and you understood my lifestyle. And I was going through a lot when we were working together, and I was not like the best client in the sense of like being able to follow everything to a T, and you just worked with me with what we could do and where I was at. And I think that's really refreshing for a lot of people because we're used to this like, you know, cut out all dairy, cut out all gluten, no sugar, like these extremes when it comes to trying to get your health back on track, especially when it comes to gut and skin, which of course we'll get into like some tangibles and stuff, but something that I just want people to know about, like, you and your approach is that it is very, like, human-centered and it is holistic, but you also take into account the individual and their lifestyle and their work and the things that they're moving through. Because at the time we started working together when I was living in Spain, and then I moved across the world to the US, and then I was living with my parents, and there were so many things happening in my business, and they were just like— I was trying to buy a house. And I was so stressed and there was, there's a lot of different things and it's really nice when you find a practitioner that can like help take all of those pieces into account and I think that's, you know, what the word holistic really means is like bringing all of that together. But I'd love, you know, for people that aren't familiar with you, I'd love for you to just kind of share a little bit of your own journey of how you got into holistic nutrition and why that was so important to you. Something that became important to you and how you got on that path.

Yeah. And thank you for sharing that. Like, it's so true. So many people think that health is so black and white and they're hearing this from, you know, social media influencers or nutritionists or dietitians or naturopaths where they're saying you can't eat this, you can't, you know, cut all of this out. It's super restrictive. And that really deters a lot of people. And it's scary because it's very overwhelming. There's so much misinformation out there. So I hope I can be a resource for women who are, you know, whether you're struggling with acne or just your health in general. To understand that it doesn't have to be difficult and that, you know, you can take a few simple steps just to kickstart your healing journey, just to feel so much better. So I'm happy that you had that experience with me as well. But I basically started on this journey when I was struggling with my own health issues. This was years ago, about 10 years ago. I really started to struggle with my health and it all started with gut health. As usually most people, that's where it begins as well. And I quickly realized that the food I was eating was actually impacting my digestion, like almost immediately. And that's when I really started to dive deeper. And I spent a year in a gastroenterologist's office doing every single test imaginable, colonoscopies, like acid tests, you name it, I did it. And I started to really understand that there was something deeper going on. And it really frustrated me because we're not given this kind of education growing up, especially in North America, right? We're being fed a standard North American diet. We're being fed, you know, so much misinformation about our health. Health, and it's very, very overwhelming. So a lot of women come to me and they're like, there's like all these light bulb moments that go off, right, to do with, to do with gut health, to do with hormones, etc., etc. So basically what I did is I started to take matters into my own hands and I decided to become a registered holistic nutritionist. And I studied at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. And from there I've been practicing as North America's leading acne-focused registered holistic nutritionist for about 8 years, and it's been the most rewarding thing I could have ever done for myself. And I really truly just wish to share the knowledge that wellness doesn't have to be complicated, and feeling good, even though sometimes it feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel, it just— all it takes is a few of those first simple steps to get there.

I know, and we've all— there's so many of us that have been there in your same shoes of feeling like we have gone to all the doctors, we've tried all the things, we're so confused. And I just— it's incredible to me, like, once I started going through that myself, how much of a widespread experience that really is. And it's such a shame that there's such a lack of holistic information in our health infrastructures as they are, because, you know, there's that like classic joke of like, oh, you went to the doctor and they said your blood work is totally normal. And it's like, yeah, your stool sample is going to come back normal, your blood's going to come back normal. Like, all this stuff's gonna— and they're gonna be like, you're fine. And then you're like, okay, well, I'm either insane or like something's missing here because like clearly not fine, you know. Like, I remember myself, I would have like intense stomach pains every time that I ate a meal, and I would go through these like experiments with myself of like, okay, well, maybe I'm developing like gluten intolerance. And so I'd try to not eat gluten, but then like it wouldn't solve it. And then I'd be like, okay, well, maybe it's dairy. And then I would try to cut out dairy and all these things. And I did a full-on like elimination diet, which It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of hard work to really cut everything out—soy, corn, you know, gluten, dairy, all the potential allergens—and then slowly put them back in week after week. And I still didn't have any answers at the end of it because as I put things back into my diet, I felt fine. And I was like, I don't know what the culprit is, and I don't know what's going on. And of course, all my tests were normal. And since then, I've talked to so many women that this is exactly their experience, and they only really truly find answers when they start to do more of a holistic route. And I was in Spain at the time, which, you know, holistic medicine isn't as popular or as easily accessible there. And I ended up finding this woman, thank goodness, who was like a holistic practitioner of some kind, and she would do a stool test for me because none of the other doctors would do a stool test unless there was like a very specific reason or outside sort of signal to do so. And so I did this stool test where you have to scoop out different little pieces of your poop and put it in a— it's so disgusting. But I remember I was working at a school at the time and the courier had to come to the school and I had to run out of the classroom and grab this box that had my shit in it and put it on the back of this guy's motorbike. Basically he didn't know what was in the box, but I'm like, he's literally driving around Madrid with my shit in a box and then send it off to a lab. But, you know, bless this, this holistic doctor's heart, which of course I had to pay for in cash because, you know, that's not covered and all that sort of thing. There's so many problems in our, in our health systems. But she was the first person that told me like, oh yeah, like you've got major leaky gut, like the your, like, the, you know, the barrier of your intestines, and based on like the levels of your bacteria and whatever else, like, I can really tell that this is what's happening for you. And that was the first time that I had any sort of answer. And then, you know, I tried like Ayurvedic stuff, which, as you know, it really helped me with those stomach pains. But when I came to you, it was really like the skin stuff was the last piece that still just like wasn't it wasn't where I wanted it to be. And I think it's worth mentioning because I know a lot of people also deal with this. When you come off hormonal birth control, a lot of things change, and it can create a lot of challenges with your skin and your gut and hormones and so many other things. So I'd love for you to kind of speak to just that piece there of like the hormones and skin, gut, and how those things are connected.

Yeah. And it's such an important topic because most people, again, think that it's very black and white, especially when it comes to skin, right? We think like, is this skincare product breaking me out? Or maybe it's gluten or maybe it's dairy. A, food intolerances are not normal, right? There's something so much deeper going on, something like leaky gut, just dysbiosis, gut health issues in general causing that inflammation. So it's not necessarily— the answer isn't necessarily like cutting out gluten or stopping that skincare product. It's looking so much deeper. And a A lot of people also don't understand that your hormones are intrinsically linked to your gut and to your skin. Like, there is a nonstop communication going on there. We also have this fascinating connection between our brain, our gut, and our skin. It's called the gut-brain-skin axis, and it's constantly communicating. So think of when you're like nervous, like let's say you're nervous to come on the podcast today, right? And you start to feel flustered and flushed and your cheeks get red. That's your brain and your nervous system telling your skin a certain way to react. So It's just a really good example that we're always communicating all these systems. So if you think you have hormonal acne, for example, you might be surprised to realize that you also most likely have some gut health issues going on. And this is because, as you know, Sam, as we've talked about so many times, pretty much everything starts in the gut and the research is still so new. We're learning new things every single month. There's new studies coming out showing us so much more of what's going on. You know, over 75% of your immune system is created in the gut, managed by out of the gut. Over 85% of your neurotransmitters, so like your dopamine, your serotonin, all created in the gut. Also hormone metabolism. So things like estrogen metabolism, which is really, really important when coming off of the birth control pill or the IUD, uh, that plays a big, big role, uh, when it comes to gut health because your little beneficial bacteria are responsible for metabolizing that estrogen. And I think a lot of us have heard that connection between, you know, your estrogen and your testosterone causing hormonal acne. So we really have to take a deeper look and think like, okay, yes, we want to balance the hormones, but before we even do that, the first step is looking at our gut health.

Okay, so for someone who's like, all right, I think I probably have gut health issues, or maybe they know that they've been, you know, having some gut health things for a while, what are like some basic things that people can like implement right away that are just going be— it's not going to fix all their problems because obviously it's so nuanced and it's going to be really individual what every person needs. But like in general, what are some really great like gut health tips that like everybody could or should be doing regardless?

And I think we really like to overcomplicate health. Like really when it comes to gut health, people are always asking me what supplement should I take and, you know, should I be adding this food specifically in to support my gut? And I'm like, no, no, no, no, let's look back at the foundational habits of what brought you to this place in the place, right? So you're not having gut health issues just because. There's a reason it's happening, and there's a few major things that are really important to look at. Number one, I know you're probably waiting for this one, but is stress. Kind of stress links to everything. And as an entrepreneur, a solopreneur, you know, if you're working full-time and running your own business, it's very likely that you're experiencing copious amounts of stress. And basically what happens here is when we're constantly chronically stressed, as you know with your practice practice your meditations, it's so important to bring us into that parasympathetic nervous system state. And when we're in this state, our digestion is activated, it's turned on, and this allows for nutrient absorption and just basic digestive functions. But what happens is when we're chronically stressed, right? So when we're— when our parasympathetic nervous system is turned off, this is where your body just shuts off digestion. And this creates a really hospital— hospital environment for dysbiosis. So like bacteria to thrive, yeast to thrive, inflammation to occur. And this is happening to, I'd say, 99% of my clients is their stress is directly impacting their digestion. So really simple like tools you can utilize and most of these are free, you know, just really deep breathing. I know that you talk about this all the time, but this is something that no matter how busy you are, you can do this, especially before you sit down to eat a meal. Like, how many times have we been like munching on an apple in the car or like chugging your smoothie on the way to the office, right? These are all things that are really going to shut off your digestion and really impact your overall gut health. So stress is number one. I know that this is something we talked a lot about during our time together, Sam, right? Do you notice this still a lot impacts your digestion?

I think if I were to diagnose for myself, knowing what I know now, the number one thing that to this day impacts if I have breakouts or stomach pain from, you know, digestive issues, like for sure it's stress. And I remember saying that to you. I was like, I think my number one problem, like if I was less stressed, I think everything would go away. And maybe that's like a, maybe that's also like a fantasy thinking, but I'm like, I think if I were a less stressed, like a lot of these problems would naturally resolve. So, and I think a lot of times, especially for our entrepreneurs and solopreneurs— I have clients who are single moms working full-time jobs and building businesses, you know. I think about the women like that, and I'm like— I was just saying to Jaime the other day, because, you know, we have a dog, and my dog feels like my child, but I'm also very well aware that it is not a child. And I was just— because we're both very busy right now in, in this stage of our careers and our lives. And I was feeling guilty yesterday because we had a really busy day. And, you know, Storm is such a good boy. He just kind of like lays around the house all day waiting for us to be done with work. And then in the evening, he comes and he drops a toy at our feet, and he's like, can you play with me now? Essentially. And sometimes it breaks my heart because I'm like, oh, like, I haven't spent time with you today. And I just think about, you know, the women that have families and kids and so many other moving parts in their life, as well as businesses or careers. And it is challenging to create the space for these practices. But as you're saying, something as simple as like deep breathing— like, it's— I don't know about whoever's listening to this, but if you're listening to the podcast right now and we're talking about deep breathing, like, it's a good invitation to just like take a deep breath. Like, even when you said deep breathing, I just automatically like breathed into my belly. And so I think, you know, people can do simple things like set reminders for yourself. You can, you know, you're— if you wear an Apple Watch, it reminds you to breathe. Like, actually do it, you know? Or set alarms on your phone and be reminded at certain points in your day to just like pause and take deep breaths.

For sure. And I know that you're a big fan of habit stacking. I've heard you talk about this many times on the podcast. I love it. I'm also a huge fan. I think It's the best hack for any busy person or any person who just finds it hard to make a wellness habit stick. And especially for busy moms, you know, there's ways to integrate wellness habits into routines with your kids or with yourself. And to be honest, like even coming back to gut health tips, like there's so many other things I want to talk about. But before we get into that, it's the foundational stuff and your body loves routine. Routine. Like any kind of routine, your digestion thrives off of routine. Like, we are at our healthiest selves when we're having a bowel movement at the same time every single day, ideally right when we wake up. First thing in the morning is like the best digestion routine. Your skin loves routines, like skincare, using the same kind of skincare. Your skin loves that. Your nervous system loves routine, right? So your body is actually so much smarter than, than it thinks, than we think. Basically, there are certain organs in the body that are prepared for your body to behave in certain ways at certain times of the day, and they're ready to take that on. So if you have stress at a certain time of day or if you drink alcohol at the same time, like every Friday, your body actually knows what's coming. So it's good to get in those healthy routines because then it's really, really good for your nervous system and therefore as well for your digestion. So I think a lot of people also get really overwhelmed with the word routine or like getting back into routine. But I think a really important thing to remember is that you can stick to a routine that's like super, super simple. Again, like taking 5 deep breaths before you sit down to eat your lunch. And if one day you wake up and that routine just isn't working for you, don't beat yourself up about it because this is so normal. We're constantly evolving beings and your body or your environment will tell you when it's time to shift. Gift. And that's where a lot of people go wrong. They beat themselves up and they think, oh, I fell off the bandwagon, you know, like I need to get back on, I need to get back into my morning routine or whatever. Nope, it's time to switch it up. Something wasn't working for you.

Yeah, I love that. And I find that to be really true even with like exercise and movement styles. Like you might be obsessed with something for a while and then you kind of fall off and you're like, oh, why am I not running anymore? Why am I not doing those HIIT workouts that I used to do all the time? And it's like your body's probably craving something different. I mean, and that's a whole other topic in terms of like cycle syncing and, you know, working out in accordance to your hormones. But like, I think as women especially, we have to understand that we are changing a lot throughout the months as our cycles are shifting. And so, you know, if you do fall off of your routines, like, it's okay, and there's probably a reason why. But like get into something else that's also going to benefit you. I know I need this because I love— my body loves routine, but like my brain also loves variety. I get bored really fast. So I've also heard of people say like having a menu of like healthy habits or like morning things that you could do that would be like beneficial for yourself, and then you like pick off of the menu. Because some people are like, no, I just need to do the same thing every day, and that really works for them. And then other people are like, I get bored way too fast for that. And I am one of those people.

I love that. I call that like your wellness toolkit. So you just kind of pick and choose what, you know, you learn a few different habits, you try them out, you see what sticks, and then you just decide on the day, you know, is today an ice rolling day, or is today a cold plunge day, or is today a sleep-in day, right? You can always pick and choose. And what you said about cycle syncing, this is so important as well, especially for women who are running their own business, because although though, of course, you know, we usually quit our 9 to 5 to go into an entrepreneurial job, but then we end up working more than we did in the 9 to 5. But there often comes a little bit more flexibility with how you structure your day, right, for, for some people. And this is where we can really utilize that Cycle Syncing method. And I think the most impactful thing we can do as women who are on their natural flow or the natural bleed can understand their cycle better, because there are going to be days where you're going to wake up and you're going to have half the amount of energy than you would in a different phase. And then we, again, we beat ourselves up thinking like, why didn't I go for that run today? But when you start to understand where you're at in your cycle, you can give yourself that grace and really know that something is going to serve you better than something else. Again, picking from that wellness menu.

Yeah, exactly. I know the cycle syncing thing like was huge to me when I first learned about like the 4 different phases of the menstrual cycle. I was like, wait, I thought the cycle was just like 7 days of bleeding. Like, it's so funny how our education is just like really not— just not up to par with what's actually happening. And so most women have no idea what's actually happening in their bodies. They just know they get PMS before their period, and then their cycle is their period. It, which is not true. The cycle is 1/4— your period is 1/4 of the full cycle. So it really helps when you actually understand what's going on in your body, which is something that I loved from working with you. Like I said at the beginning, I learned so much even about— like you mentioned estrogen earlier and how like the liver plays a role in that, and really being kind to your liver and helping your liver process those hormones more effectively. There's so many directions that we could go in, but before we— before I like take us on a massive tangent, because I feel like we have so many things we need to talk about, I want to go back and let's like nail down a few of these like good habits for gut health. So we said deep breathing. Yes. And then yes, what else? Okay, so I have something I think you're really gonna love, and your business is gonna love it even more. Do you want to steal the strategy I've been using to seduce premium buyers and sell out my offers on Instagram Stories, chances are you're already posting, you're already making sales. But if your Instagram Stories aren't working as hard as you are, you're leaving money on the table. Sold Out Stories is going to teach you exactly how to change that so that you can sell out any offer at any price point. And even high-caliber coaches miss this because selling on stories isn't about how much you post or how frequently you show up face to camera. It's about psychological sequencing and the way you're posting right now might be giving the premium buyers in your audience the ick. Documenting your day and hoping it builds trust. Posting look-at-me content and calling it authority. Sharing client wins as soon as they drop in instead of strategically weaving them into a story selling sequence designed to drive demand and convert sales. We both know that you're not here to learn how to show up more. You're here because you know your content could be converting faster and more effectively. Sold Out Stories is gonna give you 5 high-converting story selling frameworks built specifically for premium buyer psychology. Inside, you'll get over 6 hours of deep dive video trainings, real IG story breakdowns, and live walkthroughs that show you exactly how to elevate your slides from authority building all the way to offer flow in less than 10 slides. My clients have already been using these frameworks to pull 5-figure sales days while posting less. One client generated 14 premium leads from a single story sequence. Another sold out her event in under 6 hours with just 8 strategic story slides. No sales calls, no paid ads, just the right frameworks. You'll walk away knowing how to sequence for desire, transition into your offer seamlessly, and sell daily without ever feeling salesy. You already know your offer is incredible, so now it's just time for your stories to sell it like it is. Grab Sold Out Stories today and turn 10 slides or less into your highest converting content. Let's make your Text Story, your most profitable one yet. Click the link in the show notes below and I'll see you inside.

Okay, so a few really foundational things that you can do for gut health where if you're not working with a practitioner— and I would definitely not recommend supplementing blindly because everybody's gut health situation is going to be different. So for example, supplementing with like a high-dose probiotic might not be the move for you if you have really bad dysbiosis. Process. So there are a few really simple foundational things that I think everybody needs to be doing more of, the first one being eating more fiber. So I'd say about— yeah, it's like there's— again, it's— yeah, you're like, yeah, it's me, it's all of us, it's all of us. Yeah. And truly, this is where I think people are the most shocked to see results, is when they really start to integrate more of that fiber. And when we think of fiber, we usually think of like bland oat bran cereal, but really what we're talking about here is fruits and vegetables and complex carbohydrates. So my favorite like fiber-rich foods are kiwis. I love sweet potato, carrots. I love berries. You know, any kind of fruit and veggie that's really going to give you that, that movement in your digestive system is really important. But the big misconception here is if you're having like loose bowel movements, you might be thinking, oh, like I don't need more fiber. But what's really happening is these fiber-rich foods are actually fuel for your good gut bacteria. And we oftentimes are lacking a lot of those good gut bacteria when we're having loose bowel movements or constipation, right? Like it just kind of shows up differently for different people. So just slowly starting to integrate more fiber into your diet, I think anyone can benefit from. Do it slowly. This is the key here if you're feeling overwhelmed with your digestion currently. But I'd say like half to three-quarters of your plate should be a mixture of cooked and raw vegetables and then eat more fruit. People aren't eating enough fruit these days. It's like we're scared of the sugar. Like, have some apples for snacks, lots of berries, kiwis, pears. Try and eat seasonally if possible. This will really help just like your nutrient needs. And then of course, the quality of the produce as well. So that's a really important topic, which I see you're resonating with as well.

Yeah, because I know it's true. And I heard a crazy statistic the other day. I wish I could remember. It, but it's like insane the percentage of the population that is not getting enough fiber on a daily basis. It's like nearly everybody. So, and I know for sure that's probably true for me, that I'm, I'm still not having enough fiber. So that's always a tip that I need to remember. Okay, so what about— I know that you're a fan of like the hot girl walks and things like that. Is that another one of these like really easy free things that we could do for our gut health, is like walking?

100%. Again, it's connected to so many things— your digestion, your mental health, your hormones. If you can just get on some kind of movement ritual, it's again those 3 things that are just the most foundational for your gut. So I would say definitely a hot girl walk. I love how you were talking about doing like uninterrupted walks where you're not listening to a podcast.

Yeah, no stimulation walks.

I love that. Again, like activating that parasympathetic nervous nervous system, right? Also, you might find, like, if you start going for walks every day, you'll become a bit more hungrier. Like, your, your hunger hormones come back. So we have two different hunger hormones. We have leptin and ghrelin. One tells us when we're hungry, one tells us when we're full. And when we're chronically stressed, or when we're not moving enough, or when we're skipping meals often, we start to shut off these hormones. So doing really simple things like eating in routine— so like breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not skipping meals going for walks, really listening to your body and like— and I don't want to say forcing yourself to eat, but like making sure you're trying to have something at regular meal times is really going to switch that hunger hormone back on. And again, walking can really help with that as well and really get that ghrelin going. Yeah, I know.

Yeah, that's probably one that's really big for a lot of entrepreneurs. I hear a lot of people be like, sometimes I just forget to eat while I'm working. Because when you work for yourself, you're very invested in the work that you're doing, right? This never used to happen to me when I worked for somebody else. I was like, oh my God, I am starving for lunch. I was like counting down the minutes to the lunch break, you know? But then you work for yourself and you're really engrossed in the tasks, and it's all, it's all really important to you, and it's all really urgent to you. And so you end up like skipping meals, and then you probably stop producing as much of that hormone that tells you that you're hungry, so it's easier for you to skip meals. I know that's definitely been true for me. I feel like lunch is my hardest one. I have to really like pull myself away and remember to give myself a lunch. I think for me, planning is really important because also as an entrepreneur, there's a lot of decision fatigue. You have to make so many important decisions in a day. And so if it's like, all right, lunch, I have 30 minutes, or I have 40 minutes until my next call, or something really important is happening, or a podcast interview, and you go into the kitchen and you're like, shit, what am I gonna make? There's all these raw veggies which are gonna take a long time to cook. There's all of these, you know, I can't— I don't have time to cook a full-on meal right now. And then you end up snacking on something that's probably not really ideal, or just like skipping the meal altogether. And I'm saying this like from experience. I'm calling myself out, like I definitely have done this a lot and sometimes still do. So just speaking to busy entrepreneurs or busy moms or people that are low on time, what are some of your favorite kind of like hacks for eating better and making sure that you get in those 3 meals without doing, you know, the boring chicken and broccoli in 5 Tupperware containers for every day type meal Yes.

And let's dive into this because this is like the biggest issue that my clients have as well, is skipping lunch. And I'm not perfect either. You know, I have days where I'm like really wanting to get something out and I just like keep pushing lunch, right? And then finally what happens is like if you skip a meal, especially lunch, you get to this stage around like 3, 4:00 where all of a sudden you're ravenous and your body is telling you, I need to eat something. And that's where we reach for like the quickest source of fuel, something filling. Filled with carbohydrates, right? So like some kind of simple, quick— like maybe we'll go to Starbucks and get like a matcha and like a muffin, or maybe we'll just like have a piece of toast. And it's like, this is going to keep messing with your blood sugar over and over and over. And that's like a whole other topic. But that is probably one of the worst things you can do is like just skip a meal because it never ends well. So I think the best hack actually for me personally that I've found has worked really, really well, not only for myself but also for my clients is when you have those days where there's nothing in the fridge, you need lunch, you don't have time, is really using that snack plate method. So like, like when we were kids, when they have little snack plates for meals, same thing. Like grabbing those raw veggies, chopping them up, always making sure you have a container of hummus in your fridge because that's a source of protein and more fiber. And then, you know, I don't know, whipping up some scrambled eggs quick or getting some like aged goat cheddar, or I love the Molps pepperoni sticks if you're in the US or Canada. Those are great. Any kind of like good quality pepperoni stick, even like leftover cooked meat, maybe some gluten-free crackers like Mary's Gone Crackers is a good brand that you can find all around the world. Things like this to really build a balanced snack plate. You're going to get that protein, you're going to get that fiber, and you're really just going to stay satiated until your next meal. However, I'm a huge fan of doubling up your dinners. I think people don't do this enough. Literally just double. Like, if you're making a recipe, just double it. It might seem like a lot, but tomorrow you're going to thank yourself for having leftovers in the fridge. And it really is that simple, right? Every day we're making these habits and the same goes with business. It's just like health and wellness where you're choosing every day to look out for your future self. That's all it is, right? You're just past Cicely looking out for future Cicely, and that's where you really can feel so proud. In yourself, right? When you show up and you're like, oh, I made the second meal, I'm so proud of myself, I'm so happy, I'm gonna enjoy it, I'm gonna feel good. That's a really good hack that I love. So it's really tapping into these like foundational things that we often forget, right? It's just going back to these basics of like the snack plate. Like, how basic is that, right? But it's so beneficial.

Yeah, I eat the best meals for lunch when we have leftovers because it's so easy. Yeah, it's just the quickest, and you just heat it up and it's ready to go, and you're like, oh, awesome, like I had protein, carbs, veggies, whatever, you know. It's like more of a balanced meal because you made it intentionally for dinner, but now there's leftovers. So that is a major hack. And also, I love the snack plate idea because I get really stuck— I don't know if people can relate to this, but like I get really stuck in thinking like I need a recipe I need like a full like meal that's like harmonious and like all the flavors go together. Do you know what I mean? Like that's kind of how I think about food. I'm like, okay, well what am I gonna make? Should I make like a soup recipe? Should I make a curry? Should I make— and it's so much easier, especially for lunch, where you just combine a bunch of random shit. Like just find sources of fiber, find sources of protein, like put it all on a plate. Like it doesn't need to make sense sense as like this beautiful, you know, planned out recipe or something. I need to like get better at that and remember that it's okay to like put some slices of avocado on the plate and some apple and some gluten-free crackers and hummus and carrots and, you know, one of those like meat sticks or whatever. Like just combine shit. Hey, don't forget that every month we are picking a listener of the month to win $50 in cash just for showing love to the show. The show. All you have to do is leave an epic review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, screenshot the review before you hit submit, and DM that screenshot to us on Instagram at Makeshift Happen Podcast. And that's it. I want to thank you for being such a loyal listener and show my appreciation by putting a little extra cash in your pocket. I know it's super easy not to do it, but every single rating and review seriously helps the show rank higher and reach new people people, so we appreciate them more than you know. We'll announce the next winner at the end of the month and slide into your DMs if it's you, so keep an eye out and good luck. Love you guys and thanks for supporting Makeshift Happen.

Yeah, and use whole foods. Like, this is what it all comes back to, right? Again, so many people get overwhelmed with recipes. A hack I give my clients if they've had a really busy work day and they're like, I can't even be bothered to cook right now, I just want to order takeout, like, I'm so overwhelmed, I can't make a recipe All you got to do is pick one source of protein. So you always got to have some protein stocked in your fridge or freezer. Really simple, right? One source of protein and then 1 to 3 different vegetables. That's like kind of your non-negotiable basic right there. Your vegetables could be a sweet potato. So that's a source of carbohydrate, or maybe it's some carrots and bell pepper. And all you're going to do is you're going to sauté your vegetables in a pan and cook your protein in there and then season it with some salt and pepper. And then you probably have this delicious meal that you never really would have thought of. And that's where you can add in things like, you know, You know, if you really want to support your gut, you want to add in some arugula or some cilantro for liver support, or maybe a scoop of sauerkraut, or add in some different spices or sauces. That's great. But just start with the basics. Start with your protein and 1 to 3 vegetables, and you're already hitting a ton of fiber. And then you're balancing your blood sugar with that protein. You really can't go wrong. And it takes the same amount of time as if you were to order takeout, to be honest.

Yeah, exactly. And wait for it to be delivered. Totally. You got me onto sauerkraut. Sauerkraut. So I now have a— always, there's always a thing of sauerkraut on my top shelf of my fridge. And I don't do it every day, but I try to remember just like a few forkfuls of sauerkraut. So that's going to be good for the gut because of the fermentation, right? Like fermented foods helps the, like, microbiome or the bacteria in your gut. Is that what we're— why we're doing that?

Yeah, for sure. So again, like everything comes back to your microbiome. So you basically— the goal with our microbiome and our gut health is we always more beneficial bacteria than the bad. And to create those beneficial bacteria or to help them thrive, there's a few different things we want to look at. So number one, eating enough fiber, kind of what we went back, what we were talking about before. So eating all those plants, those prebiotic foods. So, you know, eating the skins on your carrots and your apples and things like that will really help to feel, feel those good gut bugs. And then you can eat fermented foods. And fermented foods aren't food for the good bacteria. They actually have good gut bacteria in them. So they have those probiotics, those beneficial bacteria in the food already. So these are foods like sauerkraut, sourdough, miso. Tempeh is a really good one as well. Girls, if you're on, you know, during your menstrual phase, like the week that you bleed and then the week after, so that's your menstrual phase and your follicular phase. If you can eat tempeh, this is like the best time to eat this to support estrogen metabolism, to support your gut, etc., etc. So all of these foods are really beneficial to add in. I usually recommend having one serving of fermented foods per day. So for you, Sam, that's like a forkful of sauerkraut or like kimchi. Um, and then also coconut yogurt or regular like grass-fed Greek yogurt is great as well. Those are all really good sources of fermented foods, and those all really help our microbiome to thrive. There's of course a lot of things that we want to avoid as well. Um, you know, stress is a big one, and then also eating a lot of conventional like packaged processed foods. There are a really nasty ingredients out there that aren't necessarily just quote unquote bad for you, but also actually inhibit the growth of good gut bacteria. Even like we've seen research around like our drinking water now is really harmful to our gut bacteria. So like anything we can do to really help that thrive and grow is going to be really beneficial for not only our mental health, but also our digestion, our skin, our immune health. Health, like everything. I cannot stress this enough. It's the basis of it all.

I know, I got my water filters. I even got a shower filter. Like, I even filtered the water that comes out of my sink to wash my— wash my face with. You put me on— you put me on the, you know, filter your water, especially once I moved to Florida and I realized that the water here is— yeah, actual trash. Like, it comes out yellow. It's so bad. So, okay, speaking of things that you put me on to and that have really changed my life. I like no longer drink coffee. And I think when we were working together, I was kind of like, I would rotate between— first of all, you introduced me to Dandy Blend, which changed my life. And I talk about it to my audience a lot. Like, we love Dandy Blend. She's amazing. Um, coffee replacement if you are trying to quit coffee. But then I would also do like decaf coffee a lot. But I like, it's been like months and months and months and months, and I have not had any kind of coffee. Like, wow, who is she? So, okay, for who is she? For all the people, because we know so many people, the first thing that they do in the morning is they brew their cup of coffee, and they're like, okay, thank God, I've got this. That kind of like gets them started for the day. It's the first thing that they put into their bodies. What is— explain what the— for all the coffee girlies, I'm so sorry— what is the issue with coffee on an empty stomach?

Yes. And this is like trending right now for a reason. Right. And I think it kind of comes back to that routine thing as well, where we just love that routine of waking up and having a warm drink. And a lot of people don't like the idea of getting rid of that or like swapping to a herbal tea. Like, that sounds so boring. I agree. So that's where something like Dandy Blend or matcha could really be a good alternative. And quickly, just to touch on those, dandy blend is a prebiotic as well. So that one's going to be really good for your gut bacteria. We love that and your liver. And then matcha is a little bit better than traditional coffee because it contains L-theanine. And L-theanine basically helps to regulate that cortisol spike that conventionally comes with coffee, which is why a lot of us don't feel as anxious when we drink matcha, even though it does have caffeine in it. But still, same thing. I would always recommend to have your caffeine after breakfast. And the reason for that is because, I mean, there are a few reasons. Number one, coffee is the highest sprayed crop in the world. So no matter what you're doing, if you're still a coffee girlie and you're like, I can't give it up, please, I'm begging you, try to swap to organic. Because if you're just ingesting that every single day on an empty stomach, no fiber to help slow the release of that into your bloodstream, you're basically ingesting a ton of pesticides. Pesticides first thing in the morning. And pesticides have been really, really linked to depleted gut health. So that's something we want to be really cautious of. Right. So again, eating after you've had some fiber, some protein, really beneficial. And the second thing is just the natural caffeine spike. So when we have caffeine on an empty stomach, this basically shoots up our adrenaline, our cortisol. And this can contribute to a lot of issues like imbalanced blood sugar. It also increases increases sebum production, like oil production in the skin. So if you're struggling with hormonal acne or acne in general, this could be a culprit for making things worse. And then just of course, you know, there's, there's so many other things, but like those are kind of like the big main things you want to look out for is like swapping to organic and eating it with or after breakfast. Once you've kind of like nailed those down, you can really ask yourself, like, do I actually need the coffee or is it just the routine? And I am not exaggerating, 100% of my clients who I take off of caffeine have not looked back or quote unquote needed coffee. Like, sure, you can have one every once in a while and feel fine, but like, you'll probably end up feeling anxious anyways, and they don't want it. But honestly, just like due to the natural way that we live our lives, we're already chronically stressed. Like, we just lived through a pandemic, right? We are putting ourselves through massive amounts of stress already. We don't need to add fuel to the fire. So just experiment with those tips and see how it goes for you. And like, Sam, like you said, who, who is she? Like, you look at you now, I love this for you, and you're feeling great without it. Yeah, yeah, I do.

And I love, I, I love both of those things. I've been on my matcha game lately, like that's my thing right now is matcha. But I'll probably, you know, at some point be back to my like dandy blonde every day. And who knows, I might do like organic decaf off at some point. Again, like, I, I'm a big fan of like not having rules for myself and not really creating any identities around like, I don't drink any alcohol, or I don't drink any caffeine, you know, unless there's obviously addiction or things in place that, you know, that's necessary for. But for someone like myself, I like to choose the healthier route as often as possible, but I try to avoid like putting labels on things for myself, because then I think you get unnecessarily stressed if you do want a coffee one day, if you're, you know, out and you're with a friend and whatever. So yeah, yeah, just like permission for people to create routines that are going to help you feel your best, but to also not be so rigid with yourself of thinking that you can never have it again. Um, what I will say about the caffeine thing is though, I— you're like, you might have it and then maybe you realize that you're anxious. Or you might be like me and you might almost shit your pants in public because you haven't had— yes, because you haven't had caffeine in so long. I messed up my order when I was in New York City. I messed up my order when I was in New York City at Starbucks, and the line was so long, it was like on Fifth Ave. So I was like, I'm not gonna reorder it, it's fine. Like, one, one regular coffee is, is not gonna kill me. And then we were out later that night and I was like in a little dress, and like, I was wearing like a G-string, and I was like, I think that I might shit my pants. Like, I was getting an Uber. I've never gotten an Uber faster. And like, ran to— and I was holding the door of the Uber, like, clenching my butt cheeks, like, oh, I hope we make it back to the hotel. Like, it was, it was intense. Oh my God. So, you know, it's also— I think there's a fear in me now of like going back back to coffee that it's just made me, uh, it's made me not really want to.

Well, it just shows, right? Like, so many people rely on coffee to have their morning bowel movement, where that's not real detoxification. Like, that's not real transit, right? We, we want to get you going without coffee. That's like also a really good goal for a lot of people, is like, most people are chronically constipated. Even if you're having loose bowel movements, like, really check in with yourself. Ask yourself, is it the coffee, or is it you actually having a health healthy bowel movement. Do you think— so that was great insight.

I have a question for you on that. Do you think that, because, you know, you mentioned having a bowel movement every morning signifies, you know, like, that you're in that good kind of digestion process. So for a lot of people, that won't happen until after they've had their coffee or some form of caffeine or their breakfast. Do you feel like that needs to happen before you even eat anything, or do— does breakfast usually, like, get it going, and that's also normal and fine or not ideal? I think it's fine.

I think as long as you're having like 1 to 3 healthy bowel movements per day, you should be okay. But I do find that when I start to work with clients and previously if they were having a bowel movement after breakfast, when we start to work together, they usually end up having one first thing in the morning. So I've just noticed in my practice over the years that it is definitely a sign that someone's digestion is getting better. But there's always kind of been controversy around this. Like what is the right way, what is the answer. Everyone will be different. I just, I'd say like for sure, make sure— I'm so shocked at how many people aren't still having like eliminating every single day. It's, it's probably contributing to a lot of health issues, like not just skin issues, but also mental health issues and nutrient deficiencies and toxin buildup and inflammation, like all the things. So look at digestion first for sure.

When I was in college, I was so constipated. I would take a full scoop, like the full cap of Miralax, and I would put it into a coffee and I would drink the entire thing, and I still would not go to the bathroom. No. Yeah, yeah. And there was like a time in my life where I was extremely, like, severely constipated. So if anyone out there is listening to this and you're like, yeah, sometimes, you know, I go a day or two without pooping, being like, girl, that's not, not okay. But also, I did thread one time. I was like, who in the hell is shedding 3 times a day? I really need to know, because I read something somewhere that was like 3 poops a day is like the norm. And I'm like, I would pay money to be able to shit 3 times a day.

Like, and some people, you know, like, you know, even if we had you on the protocol when we were working one-on-one, like, it— some people Well, it's fine, like everybody's different, right? But, um, I do see it a lot in my practice, and I totally resonate with that. I remember like waking up in college in the morning and having 4 espresso shots at 5 AM, and then I would go straight to class and then have another coffee. And you're like, how was I alive back then? I know, that's what I want.

And then like binge drink alcohol, and, and then, and then go and do like a, a spin class or like a HIIT workout because you're like, yeah, paranoid about gaining weight, like that. I, I feel so sorry to the things that I put my body through.

Yeah, I know. And then we ask ourselves, like, why am I struggling with acne now? Or why is my period irregular, right? And it's, it's not just this, like, black and white thing where we, we're doing something wrong or we're eating a wrong food. It's like, look at the past 10, 15 years of your life. What kind of habits have you been been doing, right? Like, what have we been doing to our bodies? We can't— your body has a limit, and one day it will tell you when that limit is up, and that's when those symptoms start to come up. So just— yeah, yeah, I did.

Like, I feel like my symptoms started when I was 24. So, you know, I graduated college at 22, I moved to Spain, and then it was weird, like, out of nowhere I had all like stomach pains and bloating and digestive issues. And then I started getting acne, and then I came off of the hormonal birth control pill, and then that was a whole other cascade of stuff as my body tried to figure out how to, you know, get back on a normal schedule with my hormones. And I know there's so many women that are experiencing these things and going through them, so hopefully this conversation at least, you know, helps give them some tips and also helps them feel less alone. So we've talked a lot about gut and things like that. Let's, let's maybe dig into like some skin-specific stuff, which obviously it's all connected. So everything that you do to benefit your gut is also going to in turn benefit your skin because of that axis that you talked about. But in terms of, you know, girls, women that are feeling insecure about their skin or they're struggling with some skin issues, choose, what are some of your like core pillars or like top things where it's like, please do this, it's going to help you, and please for the love of God, stop doing this?

Okay, so glad you said the second part because they're— okay, so first of all, you always want to go back to the foundations for your skin. Like, are you getting enough sleep? Most people are chronically underslept. So I would say if you're in bed for 9 hours, you're usually sleeping for about 8, and I'd say 8 to 9 is the healthy amount that we want if we're in our healing era. So try and get into bed for 9 hours and like really making sure you're sleeping for 8. I love like wearable devices like Oura and Whoop and stuff like that. If you have one of those, it's great for sleep tracking. Um, so that's really important. I know this is like on repeat, but drinking enough water. And if you're like, if you're like Sam and you're like not a water girly and you're just like, it's, it's tough, get yourself a fun water bottle with the straw. I'm, I'm right there with you. It's the straw. It's the straw is everything. Um, and then also like if you feel like you just aren't getting enough throughout the day, start adding electrolytes first thing in your morning. I feel like most people can really benefit from this. Uh, caution if you're on any kind of medication like spironolactone, really I wouldn't recommend taking electrolytes. Just check with your doctor. Um, but that could be a really good way to start your morning with hydration if you like feel like you can't get enough throughout the day. So sleeping, drinking enough water, going for that hot girl walk, like really tap into these foundational things that we're probably skipping out on a couple of these. Is if you're struggling with acne, just know that the mental part of struggling with acne, if it's a pimple, if it's 50 cystic pimples, it doesn't matter. The way it impacts our mental health is like no other thing I have ever experienced in my life. And for those of you listening who have acne, you'll know. First thing I want you to know is you're not alone. So like 50 million Americans in the US struggle with acne. Okay. It's just a lot of people are covering it up. They're hiding it. They're scared to go out in public. Just know that you're not alone on this journey. This is like a really important thing to remember. And the second thing is like while you're doing all the nutrition stuff, you're working on your gut health, your sleep, your water, all this stuff. Maybe you're working with a practitioner. One thing you can't forget is the mindset piece. And what's going to happen is you're going to have all this negative self-talk for yourself. And honestly, as women, we get it even if we don't have acne. We get it over our wrinkles, we get it over our glow. Why don't we look like Hailey Bieber? Why don't we have a donut glaze? Like, please, someone please tell me, why am I always bloated? Like, we're always just like really critical with ourselves and we're— that's probably never going to go away. Like, it might get like we might experience it less, but we pretty much will always have something. And the best thing we can do is kind of like fight that back and always come in with some kind of positive affirmation, right? Like reminding yourself I am healing, I am whole, like I will clear my acne, I will, you know, feel better. Like it's going to happen for you if you're putting in the work. You just need to tell your body that you trust it, because when we trust our bodies to heal, so much changes. And Sam, I know you're just like all about the mindset work, so I'm sure you have so many tips for this. But this is something that a lot of people forget when it comes to health and wellness, not just about like manifesting their dream life, but also when they're in their healing era.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, the mental health side of skin challenges is so real. I, I was thinking the other day, because I think, you know, a lot of times we demonize hormonal birth control, those of us who have been on it and now off of it, and we realize how much— how many challenges it created for us in our lives and in our health. And I was I was just thinking the other day, I was like, because I love constantly trying to reframe things in my life. And even now I have— I've been experiencing darker melasma than ever because I live in Florida and there's lots of sun and it's hot. And it's been a whole other thing because I'm like, okay, great, like I cleared my acne and I don't have pimples anymore, but now I have these splotches all over my face. And like you said, there's, there's probably always going to be some sort of thing that we're challenged by in our life or in our journey, especially as women, and because of the standards and all that sort of stuff. And so I was thinking about how actually I'm so grateful for being— having been on hormonal birth control, even though it's probably definitely one of the things that contributed to me having melasma now, because I discovered that in my research. Um, but I was like, you know what, I'm really grateful for all of the years that I I didn't have acne while I was on the pill, and I was way more young and impressionable, and I was living in social constructs, you know, within high school and college and sorority life and all these things that would have made it way more challenging for me to actually have fun and, you know, go to the football games and go to the parties and have the sleepovers and do all the things. And so I was just like, had an epiphany of like, wow, I'm really grateful that even though it, you know, it's causing other challenges with acne and melasma and other things, you know, hormones and more painful periods now than I experienced before, I'm like, I'm so glad that like, you know, it gave me that experience of being able to really live my life in that season. So for anyone that, you know, maybe needs to hear something like that, if you are going through skin challenges now and it's as a result of you, you know, changing your choices as it pertains to hormonal birth control, thinking about the things that you can be grateful for. Even, you know, I'm grateful that I didn't have a teen pregnancy. Like, there's, there's a lot of ways that it did also serve me. And to your point, obviously mindset plays a huge role in our ability to heal. And so being able to find transition, maybe from a place of like anger of doctors who didn't fully explain to you the repercussions of certain choices that you are making and all those things, but finding ways to have gratitude and reframe your mindset around the things that you're experiencing. And what I shared about my melasma on stories the other day was like, I'm calling them my cheetah spots because I've gotta, I've gotta like find a better way to talk about it than like I— the word like melasma or like dark spots or marks. Like, all of those things for me create a feeling in my body of like negativity. And yeah, I know it's something that, you know, could be potentially long-term for me, recurring. If I get pregnant someday, that's another big cause of it. So I'm expecting that it will likely come back. So it's like, yeah, I've got to find a way to put my body in a state where it feels safe to heal. And we can be more positive where possible. And, you know, obviously there's limits with that. It's not about gaslighting yourself or, um, you know, going against how you actually feel, because skin issues create the most amount of insecurity and mental health challenges that I've ever experienced. So of course all that stuff is real. But yeah, finding those ways to reframe things for yourself is an underrated tip because I think we, we think like it's not really going to make that much of a difference. There's a, there's a medical reason for this and I just need to find the, the answer, right? And I totally resonate with anyone who feels that way because I also have felt that.

Yeah, for sure. And, and just remembering that any symptom from the body, whether it's acne or digestive issues or whatever, is your body telling you, you know, something's wrong and I need some help. And then we can look at it as I was like, thank you, body. Like, thank you for telling me that something's wrong before it manifests into something even more serious, and for giving me this opportunity to learn how to love myself even when things aren't perfect, or to, you know, switch up the routine or the habits to make me feel my best self and, you know, live on healthy years for the rest of my life. So we can really reframe that into like, thank you, body. I am grateful for you for showing me that I just need a little bit of extra love.

Yeah, it's the same with mindset. When you, when you realize that you have a block, people are like, oh no, I realized that I, you know, I've had this correlation my whole life. Like, my dad, he's this way with money, and so it's made me think this about— and then you're like, shit, I have this block. But it's like, hey, no, actually there's gratitude in realizing and seeing the block because now you can clear it. Like, that's the best thing that could happen to you is that you realize that there's something fundamentally wrong, because then you can actually have space for there to be a solution. When you're flying blind, whether it's mindset blocks or, you know, health blocks or whatever, when you're flying blind, you're not really on a route to healing any of it. So knowing that something is actually wrong is a huge gift, as you said. So I want to close this conversation with some really just like quick, tangible— like, what are things that you love for like morning and evening routine? Like simple things where you're like, I love doing this, a lot of my clients love doing it. I know you put me on like lemon water in the morning, but like any simple like little things where you're like, that works great for— we'll do AM and PM.

So I love some kind of like tonic in the morning in your water. So like adding in some like electrolytes or like a vitamin C mix, or I know we did something aloe for you.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh my gosh, I haven't done that in a while. Should I do it again?

Oh, I love bringing those things back in when you just need a little reset for your digestion.

Yeah, it was like we did lemon and aloe, the aloe vera gel. So when you— I just want to clarify, when you say electrolytes, is that something like the, the like element, like the salt waters? Like what are some examples of, you know, sources of electrolytes? Exactly.

So you could make your own electrolyte tonic. Uh, you can just like Google homemade electrolyte tonic mix. It's like maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, like really simple. I also love element. My favorite brand by far is called Within Us, and you can get it— I think they ship worldwide, um, but they're based out of North America. I love them. They're like a very, uh, very balanced electrolyte mix with collagen, so that's quite nice. Um, but I also love the brand LMNT. That's a great brand too. Yeah. Okay. Um, so I would, I would just be a little bit cautious of some of the brands like True Liquid IV. I think I think it's called. There's like artificial sweeteners and stuff in there, but just the ones that I named, or like a homemade version. Love that. Again, for hydration. Breakfast first thing in the morning within like 30 to 60 minutes of waking. I'm not, I'm not a fan of fasting, especially if you're not aware of where you're at in your cycle. I'd say the general rule is like, let's kind of stay away from that. I love facial massage. So if you don't have like any facial tools like an ice roller or gua sha, or you're doing any of that, The really like the best and most simple way that's going to make sure you're avoiding any kind of like bacteria on your skin. It's also going to help reduce puffiness and help with that lymphatic drainage. So detoxification is literally just massaging your face. So if you use like a, like an oil cleanser in the morning or if you have kind of like an oilier moisturizer, really giving yourself that nice facial massage and you can go on YouTube, there's like lots of examples of this. It's also called facial yoga. That's great too. That's like one of one of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning.

I've been obsessed with ice rolling lately, so that's new for me. If you guys, if you guys want to get on the ice rolling train, I love that. And then you shared with me the— I used to use like the, and I still do sometimes, the squalene oil from The Ordinary. So yeah, maybe that's like an easy recommendation for people if they want like an oil that they can use with their gua sha or even just with their fingers. To kind of give themselves a facial lymphatic massage.

I think a lot of people are like underhydrating their skin, under-moisturizing. So even add— even adding like a couple drops of that Squalane Oil from The Ordinary at the last step of your routine, again, really gives you that ability to like massage and hydrate your skin at the same time, especially at night. And you wake up just so hydrated. Yes.

Okay, so that's linked in my Amazon storefront for you guys if you're curious about it. There'll be a link in the show notes where you can find the squalene oil from The Ordinary. And I think the, the LMNT, um, the— yeah, the electrolytes are in there too. Anything else we talk about, I'll try and like throw in there too so that people can easily find stuff. Okay, so morning stuff. Is there anything else that you love for mornings?

Oh, I'm like, honestly, I used to have like a 2-hour morning routine and now I just like keep it really simple. I love how you talk about tongue scraping. I think like oral hygiene health is so important. I think like make sure you're like brushing your teeth or tongue scraping or something before you drink water because you don't want to be like ingesting all that bacteria that you accumulate overnight. That's a big one. I also think eating seasonally is really, really good for digestion. So if you're like looking to support gut health and just like overall your hormones and how you feel, try and avoid like cold foods during the winter, opt for like a porridge or scrambled eggs or something like that, where in the summer, go for the smoothies. Like, we love that. Um, that's kind of would be my go-to for that. And try to eat like 30 grams of protein in the morning. I know this sounds crazy for some people who are just used to doing like avocado on toast, but just start with like doing a little like protein smoothie in the morning, or increasing the amount of eggs you're eating, or adding some like free-range chicken sausages to your breakfast. I have a really good turkey hash recipe on my Instagram. That one's great for like breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So really upping your protein first thing in the morning, you're gonna feel like a whole new person, I promise.

I always think of you when it's breakfast time because I'm like, I need protein and fats, protein and fats, protein and fats. And it is— if you're not prepared, it is a challenge because I think our society, it is really set up for you to eat carbs and sugars for breakfast. Like, that's the classic breakfast foods. The easiest things to reach for are carbs and sugars, and it's like the worst thing for your blood sugar first thing in the morning. So I'm always like, all right, proteins and fats, proteins and fats. And sometimes I, I do really well, and other times I'm like, ah, it's not gonna work out for me today. But yeah, just kind of like trying your best with things like that is a game changer for sure.

Doing your best. I also like, you know, the— if you don't want to just have a smoothie for breakfast, like like just have your protein powder mixed with some like almond milk and then have like a warm breakfast on the side. Like that's a really good place to start.

Yep, I've prioritized warm breakfasts a lot more since learning about the implications of blood sugar and, you know, how that all kind of cascades into hormones and gut health and all of that stuff. So that's a really good tip. Okay, so let's talk about like evening routines because I shared this in one of my recent episodes, like the evening routine is is the pinnacle. I think it's the most important because it either sets you up to succeed or fail for the morning routine. So like, no point in having the morning routine if your PM routine sucks, which is the cycle that I find myself in a lot. If I get into like bad habits of not going to bed on time, my morning routines are always screwed up. I don't move as much in the morning because I'm— then I'm short for time, I want to oversleep. So I think the evening routine is so freaking important. And I myself am always like trying to get back into the get in bed early stuff. What are your like top tips or things that you love for evening routines that are going to set you up for a really healthy mind and body and hormones and be able to show up for your routines?

So there are a few things that personally have completely changed my sleep recently that I feel like are so important to share because I'd always be preaching them to clients, but now I'm like, you know, I tried for myself. Okay, so number 1 is having a dark room. So like sleep hygiene is so, so important. If you're like in the city or a few bright lights coming into your room, this is definitely disturbing your REM and your deep sleep. So if you don't have access to like a dark room, try and get like blackout blinds, like curtains, or just wear a sleep mask. Like this is going to help significantly. And I've actually found this out by wearing a wearable device that's tracked my sleep and shown me the drastic difference that a dark room has. Also, sleeping in like a colder room is really beneficial for most people, the research shows us. So those in combination are really, really great. Another thing that's like completely changed my life, and I know we talk about this all the time, but it's like no screens before bed. So I used to watch like an episode of Netflix after dinner just to kind of calm down, wind down for the evening, but I've kind of just naturally hit pause on that. I, I love my Netflix and I love my shows, but it's It has drastically decreased my stress and my cortisol right before I go to bed. Like, if you're watching an intense show before you go to bed, like something that's like, you know, like really stressful and just like high energy, you're going to bring that with you into your sleep. So I would recommend trying to avoid those really high-intense shows right before you go to bed. I used to watch like Homeland and I would have like nightmares all night when I go to sleep.

That's the one. I can't even watch high-stress shows, period. Like, it gives me so much anxiety. I'm like, this is not this is not supporting me right now. I, I feel like I can feel the cortisol like pulsing through my body when we're watching something intense. And why is it always the men? They just— that's all they want to watch is like the war movies and the intense. I'm like, how are you okay watching this? I'm like suffering.

Yeah, yeah. I just say no. I just say no, I'm going to bed. So like reading, like best thing you could do for your nervous system before you go to sleep, reading book. I'm also a big magnesium girly. So like 85% of women in North America are deficient in magnesium. My favorite form of magnesium is magnesium bisglycinate. So not the citrate version, but bisglycinate. That's one you want to look out for. That's going to be the most effective one for your sleep and your hormones and your digestion. So that, like an hour before bed, can be really, really helpful for sleep as well.

I'm still taking that one. You put me on that one. Amazing. Taking it before bed. So yeah, perfect. And then I have like that— I just got, um, this little like magnesium kind of like spray. Have you ever used any of those sprays like before? It's supposed to help you with your sleep, whether you like mist it in your bed or like— I've heard people doing it on their feet.

I recommend putting it on the soles of your feet. That's where it's the best absorbed.

Yeah, I did that. I, I don't— I couldn't remember. I probably learned it from you. I couldn't remember remember where I heard the foot thing from, but last night I was like, I think I'm supposed to put this on my feet, and I just sprayed it. You just knew? Yeah, I just knew. I just knew it was from you, probably.

That's a good alternative. Like, if you can't take a supplement, if you're just like, can't remember it, keep the spray next to your bed to put on your feet. That's a great alternative. Yeah, I love that.

Thank you so much, Sisley, for all of these tips. You— this conversation, I know, is going to be really, really supportive for so many women.. So for anyone who is struggling with gut health, nutrition, skin, and they would like support from you, please let them know where they can find you and your work.

Uh, thanks for having me on, Sam. Um, so I'm on Instagram at The Pure Life_ on TikTok at The Acne Nutritionist, and I've got tons of information on my website thepurelife.ca. So you can find lots of information about skin health there.

If you have any questions, just reach Yeah, and we'll have everything linked in the show notes for you guys so that you can connect with Sizzly. And I'll make sure that a lot of the products that we talked about today will be linked in my Amazon store so that you can find them super easily. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a screenshot, share it to your Instagram stories, tag us, let us know what you loved. And if you know someone in your life who needs this episode or would really resonate, copy the link and send it to your girlfriends Let them know, let's get on this healing train all together. Uh, every single woman that I talk to is like either going through a skin journey, a gut journey, a mental health journey. Like it's all connected and we're all in it together. So you're definitely not alone. I hope you guys really enjoyed this conversation and we will talk to you next week. Bye.