Is A Balanced Life A Myth? Taoist Wisdom for Modern Life | Dr. Jenelle Kim

First came the universe and then came yin and Yang. Everything in life is that dichotomy, which means everything in life is a balance. A lot of the time when people have a lot of anxiety, panic, depression, fatigue, all of these kind of imbalanced mental equals physical states, it's because we're so overwhelmed, we don't know how to balance.

It's a balancing act. I think we get caught up in personal development, or at least I had in the past, where I need to achieve balance, as if balance is some finite thing, but it's not. What is it about the human psyche or just the human being that tends to over complicate, overdue, over stress? Is it pride? Is it fear? Is it shame? What exactly is it?

I think it's all of the above, to be honest. I always go back to that balance, that understanding of yin and Yang that is always going to exist. And so when we feel ourselves in that way, first of all, taking a moment to recognize, it's okay, I'm human. We have masculine and feminine energies. We have loud and soft. We cannot understand happiness unless we know sadness. We do not understand success unless we know failure. Every moment we come across, every single circumstance is a balance and it changes constantly. So we can live by certain principles, certain ways that we go about our daily life, of course, but it actually empowers us a lot to remember that every situation is going to be different.

Hey, it's Josh. Before we get into this episode, I have a small yet powerful favor to ask of you. The community has been growing by thousands lately and the bigger the tribe, the bigger names of world class guest we can have on this podcast that I can bring to you from my heart, from my curiosity so you can have more wellness and wisdom in your life. Would you please be so kind as to hit the subscribe button wherever you're watching or listening to this podcast. It'll allow us to rise naturally in the algorithms based on your 2 second act of generosity by you just tapping that little subscribe button wherever you're viewing or hearing this episode. Thank you so much. It means the world to me and our entire team here at Wellness and Wisdom. And now Enjoy the Podcast. Dr. Janelle, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much for having me, Josh. I'm so happy to be here.

You know, some of the best stuff comes unfortunately or fortunately off the record button and you just said something so cool that I think relates to what I've been really hungry for my whole life and that is how do I live my life? Well, you know, what does it truly mean to embody wellness? And I think it's a term that in our space, it's thrown around a lot.

Ah, there's so many of them.

Oh my gosh, it's. It's literally probably the most overstated colloquial phrase, wellness well being. But there's some depths in there that I'm really excited to unpack with you today, specifically with all the time that you've spent in Asia. But anyways, you said something so cool. You said, I've always wanted to be older. And I thought that'd be an interesting point to start. What do you mean by that? You've always wanted to be older?

You know, it's a funny thing because I don't always get into this, but I suppose today is the day, you know, and. And the thing is, what I teach is I want to start here is the dow and universe. And it's not to preface per se, but I think it's important that, that the principles that I truly embody and practice and preach and teach around the world, all of the things really do come from that. And I think it's important to recognize that because they really are in my life, what I have seen the most inclusive. Right? And so meaning you can be any religion, you can believe whatever you wish, religious beliefs, political beliefs, you know, it doesn't matter. Your ethnicity, your gender, your age, all of it, because we're all human in this universe, in this dao. And I that. Because what I'm about to tell you may not resonate with people, but ultimately it all is connected. And so what I. How I feel like answering you right now, very authentically, is, you know, I do believe that I have come from lifetimes. I think I've been here a long, long, long time. And we don't have to necessarily dive into that. It's not something I talk about very often.

Go there.

But again, to be very authentic, when you say, what do I mean by I've always wanted to get older, I think that, who knows, I joke around that it's because I've been here for so many lifetimes, but also just in this life, I feel that because I connect to such a deep root, I come from a lineage. I'm nine generation doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, philosophy. Right. And also movement, so martial arts. And so that lineage is very ancient. That's another way of understanding it. And so I've always chosen to be. I was never forced to do this like my father who passed it down to me never told me this is what I had to do. But just by nature, I connected to it, and I'm rooted in it, and that's what I teach. And I hope to teach in a way that is all inclusive in the way that I just mentioned, and I believe I'm doing that. But ultimately, I always wanted to be older, to answer your question, just forthright, because I always want to be taken seriously. Like, ever since I was young, I knew I was on a mission whether I knew it or not. And I started even working and my career and as an entrepreneur, very young. And I feel like everywhere I went, people would. Would feel that for me. But I also just, like, looked young, and I actually was young. And so I just wanted to be older for that reason. And now I'm realizing as we entered this conversation together before we hit record, which I'm sure we'll dive into, another part of that is just really as time progresses. And I was saying, it doesn't necessarily have to do with age, but by nature, just being here longer does give a certain kind of wisdom, simply from experience, whether we choose to take that or not, of course. And for me, I take that very, very seriously. And as I get older, I feel like I do want to root myself in becoming wiser and remembering what is the most important in life, because life never stops, and there are ups and downs all of the time. And if we let them get us down, you know, we never know. We could be here right now, we could be gone, you know, in an hour.

And so you had something really pivotal that happened for you. And I've. I've been through loss. I think many of us have been through loss. And I believe that one of the things that gives us unique wisdom is actually growing, growing and maturing through loss. And it really touched my heart when your PR company reached out. I watched a clip of you speaking about your father, and I was like, wow, you know, she's very genuine. And we've had on some grief specialists, and this podcast isn't about grief. It's about wisdom. It's about integrating these lessons from Asia, from these ancient arts, so we can take this incredible wisdom for thousands and thousands of years that's been passed on, like, to yourself, through lineage. But also, how does it freaking apply to modernity? How does it apply to the modern world? And how.

And it does so much.

So much so. So what. So what is the common thread that you've seen and also through your own experience with the loss of your Father, I mean, you never lose him, right? You're always connected to him. But the physical loss, the transmutation of your father from physical form to the etheric, even though you're still connected to him, what did, what did that loss teach you about your wisdom and how you apply it with clients and in your practice and the world?

Yeah, no, I really appreciate the way that you just said all of that. And it. And it beyond resonates. It is exactly correct. And it is because I've made it a choice to constantly remind myself in honor of him for is the way that I can communicate that right now, remembering what it felt like, what it was like when I did physically lose him on this earth, because he was my everything, my closest, my greatest teacher, all of the above. My father and I was, you know, relatively young, my brother, sister and I, and it was very quick, so a very interesting experience.

How old were you?

I was 33. Which numerology. I know you just. We kind of touched on that. That's like my lucky number. So I was like, hey, wait a second. So it's a, it's. And it is a very important age I've come to find. So I was 33 years old, and he was as healthy as ever, you know, healthier than most of my peers. And one day he was here and then he was gone. And I really did have to reach into my.

My faith.

You know, I believe in, as I kind of just mentioned about, you know, God. I believe in Jesus, I believe in Buddha. It's a little different the way I was raised, but I could not be more grateful. And I do, for some reason today really want to say it out loud, because without that faith and that rootedness and that understanding of that connection, how strong it really is, I don't know how you get through times like that, you know, and come out the other side and you know, how long it can take and it certainly takes time. But. But you're correct that losing him. And, you know, as it turns out, I'm not going to say in fortunately, even though I almost did, because that is life. But as it turns out, I have had, you know, several huge losses in, in my life. Him, of course, being something that I never, ever forget. But it has taught me so much. And one of the things it taught me is to be present. One of the things it taught me is that no matter what is happening, what is the most important, because whether it's business stress, whether it's relationship stress, no matter what's happening around us, we are the only ones. And that's literally what I wrote in my book, what I teach and in everything that I do is that we always have a choice. We can't control anything in this life except for ourselves. And what I mean by that is things are going to happen no matter. No matter what. What we. What we think we can do. It's. There is a lot that is not in our hands, but we can control in this life is our response to it. We can either react based on emotion and really let it just take us everywhere, like the winds of life kind of uproot us, or we can and root ourselves and decide how we're going to let things affect us. And that is what I call the training of the mind. Right. We train our bodies, but we really have to train our minds.

It's very, very important, especially now more than ever. We're in a time that is, in my experience. I'm 44 years old, so think it of numerology. And you had a significant event at 33. We just had a podcast studio built here. I'm at this culmination of almost 10 years of podcasting. And I'm so excited because now is the time to speak louder than ever when it comes to the. That's on the mind. I wonder if you could paint a picture of this before we get into the wisdom of ancient Asia. I think that really where we are is we had a guest on the show named Paul Levy, who studied Buddhism for 40 years, and he has this concept called wetiko. And I'm sure you've heard of it. The Native Americans called it the mind virus. And so when I look at your work, and especially what you just said, if we're in a. If we're in a time where it's very important more than ever to strengthen the mind. From your vantage point, what exactly is the war on the mind, especially in modernity?

Oh, there's so much. I think there's a lot of distraction. I think that, you know, it's hard to put it in one. So this is the way I will communicate it today. Right? There's so much distraction. It gets us outside of ourselves if we really just kind of get down to the point of it. And when we bring things outside of ourselves too much and can't. And can't root ourselves and ground ourselves, that is where I would say is one of the keys, the ultimate keys to feeling insecure, to having mental imbalance, mental health issues, is something we all are hearing more than ever, as you just said. And I do believe, and of course this is a lifelong journey for all of us. So I hope it doesn't come off like, oh, it's just so simple. Just know yourself and keep grounding and.

Well, just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy.

This is exactly right. But, but also I take that back because one of the things, you know, I teach around the world and one of the things I actually do love to say is it actually can be that simple. It doesn't mean it's easy. You're corre correct, Trent. Josh, I completely agree, but it can be more simple than we make it. I think that sometimes we make things so complicated, it becomes more overwhelming. And that is what ultimately what I teach are called the three M's. And I won't go into it too much right now, but those are, those are that ways, these medicine, movement and meditation. And when I say meditation, I mean living meditation, which is literally the book that I wrote. And living meditation is the training of the mind. There are eight keys that we can remember and we constantly reflect upon every moment of our day. It never stops. But the thing is, become better, we become better and better at it. And when we're able to keep reflecting and keep grounding ourselves, then in this modern world, going back to your original question, where there are so many distractions, there are so many challenges. I mean, that's been life since the beginning of time, but it's a little bit different right now. More distractions than ever that we're able to calm ourselves.

You know, the first M is the big one and that is medicine. You know, your lens, your lens actually looks at bottom up and many of Western minds look at it as top down. And I think about this term, even integrative medicine. How do you respond to critics? Because your first M is very powerful medicine, right? Primarily by the way, from plants. Because plants serve not just in the rainforest, but also all over the Orient and just all over the world as the beacon of health. If you looked at the old shamans that were in the rainforest and even the medicine practitioners that were in China, they had the skinny on the plants. They knew exactly that these plants and these herbs could be so powerful for us for so long, but it's so challenging for the Western mind to take that in as real knowledge. So how do you respond to speaking about your first M? Critics who claim that integrative and holistic medicine, so called, lacks science.

I knew that what I come from, and you just said it is a thousand upon thousand year Old medicine, Chinese medicine goes back 10,000 years, you guys like. And often when I start any event, I will say that mostly even just to remind myself, 10,000 years. Let's understand that, you know, we have the ancient medicine from India, ancient medicine from China, which went into Korea, which is my lineage. You're speaking of different shamans. Like, this is medicine that has existed for thousands upon thousands of years. And it was a deep understanding of the human body and what we can use in nature, which, by the way, almost all medicine comes from in some way, shape, shape or form, to balance ourselves, mind, body, and spirit. And so ultimately, my favorite thing to say is whether we understand, not believe in it or not, it's not a belief system. We're all human. And they have been doing this for so incredibly long. And this is my favorite thing that, that my greatest teacher taught me is, why do you think something would exist for that long? It's because it works. That's the answer. It's because it works. So clearly there's got to be something there that works. And now fast forward so many years where now I'm making formulations teach for huge brand carried around the world in all your, all your places. You know, like I said, spas, resorts, retailers, you know, big box stores, and we're spreading this word. You have a podcast now, Josh, called Wellness and Wisdom. I'm now, you know, presenting and opening some of the biggest beauty shows, not just about beauty, but also beauty and wellness, on mindfulness, on movement. So I'm kind of fast forwarding here, but clearly everyone is seeing more than ever, especially in the Western world. Why these ancient practices, meaning the medicine, the movement, and the living meditation, are so important and how practical they actually are. Clearly there's a lack of something, you know, happening in our society.

So it's a void that you're filling that is needed so drastically because I've had on both sides of my family tree, people that have been, I guess you could say, captured by Western medicine. And look, I'm not here to 100% demonize Western care like it's necessary. Sometimes if I break my foot or if I break my back, I need Western care.

Absolutely.

But when it comes to treating the body as a whole, it's just absolutely undeniable that Western medicine is broken. And what we see now are people that I believe in my heart of hearts are doing it from their hearts. Like you. Right. You don't get into this kind of a world and go through all the arduous, sometimes painful nights of being an entrepreneur and traveling and doing what you do, unless your heart and your soul are so connected to it, not just through your lineage, but because of this divine spark, this divine curiosity that you have. So there had to have been. If you take us back to. To some point in your journey, maybe it was like you on a hill overlooking the valley in Asia or Korea or something. Was there a moment. Was there a moment that you really felt your lineage? You could feel your grandfathers, your grandmothers, you could feel everyone, and you actually could not go any other way than the way that you went. Was there a moment like that for you or.

Yes, and you're so funny, because actually, the truth of the matter is. And. And of course, I'm always rooted in that and always reminding myself, but I can think of a couple, like three throughout my life. And I'm 42 now, just turned 42, starting at the age of 19, 18, maybe even before that, a few points in my life that I could remember exactly what you're talking about. One was when I was about 19 years old, I went to, you know, I was growing up. I was the first child. And so, you know, being academic was really important. I was on my way to study Western medicine. And, you know, it really was like the flip of a switch, long story short, where I saw a few people around me going through some very challenging health issues, and I saw that the medicine that I have been around my whole life started really helping them where nothing else could. And so that combined with, you know, just life at that time for me was one of those moments where. And it really was, Josh, it was a leap of faith, if you will. It was really a moment where I had to make a decision, and it was not easy. You are correct. And so here I am going to this amazing school, you know, very academic, on this path to Western medicine. And I felt it one day, just like you said, I have to do this. It was a calling. Like, there's no. I even get goosebumps. I've never said it so strong in that manner. I guess your podcast, this is the one to just make these realizations at this moment. But that's when I realized I have to do this. And I remember it was just like that. I remember telling my parents, I'm now going to study Eastern medicine. You know, I know I can go back to this. I went and told all my friends, I'm leaving. Like, it was. It was like that, Josh. Everyone thought I was joking. And I picked up all my things, left that university, that college, and Started studying Eastern medicine. And the second I sat down, I knew that's where I was supposed to be. One more, because you just said that, and I think that's so interesting, is when I was ready to finish schooling, right? And that's where I thought I was getting my masters at that time, finishing that. And I. I did travel with a. A group of really amazing. It was a very special group of practitioners at that time, traveling with a man named Alex Taber, who I'm really happy to acknowledge, one of the best in Eastern medicine in our time. Unfortunately, he's no longer with us either. But he took a group of practitioners of acupuncturist doctors to China, and I was one of them. And There were maybe 10 of us, and we did. We climbed the Mountain of Heaven. Long story short, in China, I mean, you guys, that process, in and of itself is something I cannot explain. The 10,000 steps. And when I reached the top. That's why I think it's so odd you said that. When I reached the top of that mountain was another time, right before I graduated, when I was ready to move on into what I'm doing now, where I made that promise and that commitment, to me, I think it's a commitment to myself more than anyone. And I've heard you say that, and I agree. You know, I'm sure my ancestors are happy and are supporting me and helping me along the way on all the good things, but it's a commitment that I had to make. And I remember being on the top of that mountain, actually, and thinking, all right, I'm going to do this. And I. My wish is to bring this understanding to as many people as possible, to help as much as I possibly can. And I have not. Have not stopped since, and I will not.

What. What exactly is that understanding? If you were to take a breath and float 30,000ft above the 10,000 steps that you crawled, what. What was the. The real meaning and what is the it you said, I want to share this. What was the. The essence or the fabric of that message that you wanted to share?

I love that. I love that question, Josh. At the time, I must say, it was more of a deep, not feeling, but for lack of a better word, I can answer it better now, actually. You know, I trusted myself. That's the truth. And I trusted something deep down inside that I knew. The medicine, the movement and the philosophy, the living meditation was something that needed to be shared with human beings. I knew that at that time. Now, fast forward 25, 30 years. How old Am I. Am I really aging myself now? I don't even know if that's about 25. No, that's accurate. About 25 years later, I realize now I was exactly correct. I'm so happy. I trust in myself. Because what that it is is exactly these practices, they have got to be shared world, because we need it now more than ever. And they are some of the most simple, simple things to do, and it is our responsibility to be able to incorporate them. The medicine, the movement, the meditation. Right? But if. But how can you even do that if you don't even know they exist? I cannot tell you how. Even last week, I did an event, and people had not heard of half of what I was talking about. And the number of people that I come across on a daily basis, this is what drives me so much. Including my own children. Right? I have two young boys who I see in them, or people come to me and. And nothing matters more. Not because, oh, I'm doing this great thing, but how nothing drives me more, no matter how tired, no matter how much is going on in life, than to hear another human being say, you know what? That just makes sense. That makes sense to me. And that already helped me, even that one small thing. And I say, I get it. You know, I'm. I'm just a vessel. I practice these same things. I literally could not live without them. So that's. That's the it. We need this.

You know, it's a. It's a powerful one, because I feel like most creators, especially creators that reach worldwide status, they go through, really time in the chrysalis, right? Where you are the caterpillar and you become the butterfly, and you have to kind of squirm around and be death. You have to be death, and you have to be reborn through that death process. Was there a time for you like that? For me, it was looking at the Omni and a spare bedroom in my friend's house in Carlsbad. I used to live in San Diego, your hometown. And before I started this podcast, I just made a commitment to myself, and I had a reckoning with God where I just refused to ever live my life as someone else's slave or as a cog in someone else's wheel. There is this courage that is required, and this is like the. The bulk of our conversation is around wisdom. Yes, but true wisdom, you have to be able to cultivate courage, and there's no shame to people that don't. By the way, I'm not sitting here saying that I'm better Because I have a platform or you're better because you're a published author and you travel. It's not about that. It's just everyone's on their own unique journey. But specifically, though, there are people that are listening or watching that are feeling this journey come alive inside of them. Right, Right. And they're starting to meet their own resistance, Janelle. They're starting to meet their own fear. And I wonder how. How you've worked through that, because have you always been confident? Have you always been pulled by your purpose? Or had you gone through any steps of learning about who you are and. And being at face with your fear so you could actually move through it? How did you cultivate the courage to be where you are now?

Absolutely. I can't say that I ever had a time where I questioned honestly my purpose or that I was, you know, my faith for so my faith, my purpose, no matter what. I never question. There are times where you get so distracted, as we said before, by whatever fear or worry. You know, am I doing this enough? Am I doing enough? Like, am I moving fast enough? Certainly that's part of my personality that I will be happy to share with everyone. You know, everything should have happened yesterday, and it is that. That feeling that I want to get this out as fast as possible because. Because we all need it, you know, but. But certainly I. I've had times where it feels, you know, that's part of what I. And I've heard you say that word, and I say that often as well. We need that spark. It is so important in life to have that spark. And sometimes it changes, right? It is my faith. It is my gratitude. Another word that we hear so much, right? It's like, okay, gratitude. Gratitude. However, anyone who says it and really authentically means it. Here I am right now saying this. There are times that. There are times that. That helps me more than anything in this life when I have a qu. You're feeling overwhelmed, you know? Yes. Everyone else could be looking in and thinking, like, oh, what is there? Like, you're doing great. Yes, of course, you're so busy. But. But deep down, I know how much more can be given. Right. And shared. So that's. That's where you can get. Where I can get stuck sometimes. Right? Or. Or certain things happening around that just challenge us, but taking that moment with our breath. Movement. Right? So I teach qigong, which is the first breath work. Traditional martial arts, that's a whole other topic. But breath, to me, me is so important. Movement to me is something that I've started sharing more than ever in the last two years and, and seeing it make a difference in everyone's life that literally how I do it because I love to be practical and give a. If this helps anyone to literally take a moment, no matter where you are, you breathe in through your nose into your stomach, right? So not just chest breathing. You exhale and you, you talk to yourself. You know, this is a really. It's like you have to acknowledge sometimes because our minds just keep going, going. You have to ground yourself. Right now, I feel this and it's hard, right? This is really challenging for me. And the beautiful thing is no one ever has to know this. Conversations between you and yourself, this is so difficult. However, in this moment, as much as I know this is difficult, I know that I've also walked through some, some seriously challenging times before and I got through. And right now I know that I have my health, right? So these are the things that I will pull in. I know that I have my family, I know that I have my friends. I know I have these opportunities. And it's a way that you can get yourself. This is something I talk about a lot out of this hole like I see right now. And I'm going to go out on a limb again. But, you know, there's a lot of talk about, you know, really acknowledging our feelings and our traumas. And of course, I'm all about that. You have to acknowledge it and be aware of it, be mindful of it in order to ever move past it. However, let me, let me say very strong that we have to also be careful of that as a human being, if we let ourselves get too far down thinking about all the things that have happened to me, us, and we don't have a spark to start to get ourselves up or certain practices and tools, what I believe has been passed down with the three M's are tools to help us get out of this little hole that we're finding ourselves in. You just keep going deeper and it's something I'm a little bit concerned about, to be honest, in our culture right now.

Let's talk about that because, look, I've had Connor Beaton on the show a few times and he had this phrase that really hit me in the heart. He said, we must stop praying to the God of growth. We must stop bathing in this pain body as Eckhart Tolle talks about. Right. The pain body is there for us to acknowledge, but it's not for us to bathe in on a daily momentary basis. And A question I used to ask myself all the time before I really got to the crux of my work, which was loving Josh and knowing that Josh is so powerful and is this divine creation of God, of our Creator, that it would be a disservice to my ancestors and myself to not strive for the best that I can can. But the fuel source that I pull from now is much different, Janelle, than when I started. I think about what you said, where we're in this time where people are just bathing in problems and going to talk therapy. You know, there's like the better help services and all the apps that Silicon Valley are feeding to us, trying to make money off of people's pain, literally. Compassion is being weaponized by Silicon Valley in many ways to get people to talk about their problems so that they can go consistently to a therapist. But there's got to be a better way. I know there's a better way. And it's actually having practices and habits because, look, our habits become who we are. I mean, if I have a habit, if I have a true habit in my life where I every day I wake up and like I do these three M's you're talking about. I think our habits dictate our happiness. It's not going to a talk therapist and always sharing and bathing in what we're doing. Where's the middle ground in this? Like, how do you hold both worlds between processing trauma, processing emotions, which is what, by the way, I'm sure why acupuncture and acupressure started to relieve the charge of that stuck emotion. How do you hold the world of processing emotion but yet not getting stuck in that emotion?

Yeah. And here's the key to it all, to it all, right? And that's what everything is based on and what I teach the three M's. But this is like a lifetime, lifelong journey of knowledge and wisdom. Is the Dao the universe? That's how I started everything. And. And so let me take this time to very quickly remind us all, or maybe explain to those who've never heard of such a thing, that the Dao is the universe liter. What we live in. It has nothing to do with religion, politics, gender, ethnicity, age, as I said before, at the core of everything. And from the universe. If anyone is familiar with the Dao or the Dao De Ching, which is one of the most ancient books, which you don't have to be, but ultimately, first came the universe and then came Yin and Yang. At this point, almost everyone knows what Yin and Yang is. And if you do not, it's. It's like. Looks like the fish. It's the black and the white. Well, what this principle. That's why I'm saying I'm going to do this very like Eastern medicine and philosophy, all the things in two minutes. If that is this dichotomy, everything in life is that dichotomy, which means everything in life is a balance. And we have to understand that. And it can be scary if you're not used to that, right? Meaning literally, from looking around in nature, yin and yang is day and night, right? Day turns into night, night turns into day. Even places where, you know, it stays light until maybe 24 hours. The nature, the energy of everything is night and day, right? We have masculine and feminine energies. We have loud and soft. We cannot understand happiness unless we know sadness, right? We do not understand success unless we know failure. If you look at everything in life, it is constantly a balance. And when we start to embody that more, that is literally what living meditation in the book I wrote equals. The philosophy that's been passed down is all about. It's constantly, every moment we come across, every single circumstance seriously, is a balance, and it changes constantly. So we can live by certain, certain principles, certain ways that we go about our daily life, of course, but it actually empowers us a lot to REM that every situation is going to be different. And sometimes, in fact, a lot of the time when people have a lot of anxiety, panic, it can even turn into depression, fatigue, all of these kind of imbalanced mental equals physical states. It's because we're so overwhelmed, we don't know how to balance. You can just break it down to that, which is very interesting, right? And so if we look at life that way, whether it comes to the food that we eat, whether it comes to the way that we relate to others, it's always about that. And so if we think of it that way, I mean, that's the key, key to it all. So I know that was a lot, but as. As I heard you saying before, it really is. It really is that balance. Tell me, Josh, what are your thoughts on what I just said?

You're touching the heart of everybody who's watching and listening because it's a balancing act, right? And I think we get caught up in personal development, or at least I had in the past, where I need to achieve balance, as if balance is some finite thing.

Yes, but it's not everyone. Let me be the first to tell.

You, it's absolutely not.

And every Time you do, which could happen thousand, thousands of times, maybe more a day, be very grateful because you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing on that path.

We just spent a month in Maui, so, you know, shout out to 10 years of work that got us there. But it was. I was able to take that time because I've worked so hard. And I, you know, whether it's Native American wisdom, whether it's the ancient Oriental wisdom, our life goes through seasons. And so what I want to share, what I want to get your opinion on, is just living life from a template. We find that people get stuck in the phase of listening to podcasts and gathering information, but there's no real understanding of the seasons of life. So in the Native American wisdom, they have the medicine wheel, right? With the winter and the fall and the summer and the spring, north, north, east, west, and south. How does that relate to the wisdom of Chinese medicine and the Oriental medicine?

I can't wait one day because right now I am not prioritizing my own studies per se, but it is part of my everyday reflect. One of my favorite things is looking at all of the ancient practices, let's call them from all over the world, and my favorite, and religions, for that matter. You know, we're certainly not going to get on that topic, but in anything that is important to our human life that has existed, you see so many similarities. Josh. I see, I look around and one of the things, personally, my entire life that is a little confusing to me is how quickly some. And no judgment. It is the way we all, you know, we each operate differently, but how quickly so many jump to. To the differences between things where naturally, I am always drawn to the similarities of where everything comes from it. And it gives me a huge sense of security in my life, which is incredibly important, you know, mentally, physically, spiritually. And so, you know, what you're describing with the shaman and the, The Native, you know, kind of indigenous, Native American, whatever, the, the ancient people, same thing. In Eastern medicine, we have the seasons as well. Are you kidding? We have. It operates in that manner. And that's literally how we look at the body. The organ systems are connected to the seasons and the time and that five elements. And, you know, that that's how much our ancient healers, practitioners, doctors, whatever you want to call them, because I promise you, thousands upon thousands of years ago, people weren't getting their doctorates and weren't sitting in an office. You know, they all looked at nature to understand the human mind and body, because what Else they had to survive, right? Even my father. My father learned, which now I'm entering this conversation in the mountains of East Asia, which I do tell this, this part of. Of, you know, my story. His story in. In the book is he learned in the mountains of Asia from 7 to 14. 7 years old. Like, my youngest boy is now 7. It even blows my mind that's where he learned. So his. His learning is much different than my learning. And here he came all the way from the mountains of Korea to America, married my mom, who is American, and here I am. And we would discuss that sometimes, you know, his. What his. His challenges were different than ours. But what I wanted to go back to is even our ancient practitioners who first started understanding how to take care of ourselves as human beings, all they had was to look around. All they had was plant medicine. All they had was to understand. Wait a second. Just as the rivers flow, the trees grow, I look around me, is that how my own body works? And that's how Eastern medicine was built. And I know all the ancient forms of medicine which lead to modern medicine, how they have all come about. Right. And so it's like, all about flow and making sure our organ systems work. And that could be a whole other podcast. But. But yes, it's. It's very vital to understand that.

So then specifically, I guess my curiosity is sparked about the. The correlation between the Native American medicine wheel and you mentioned the organs and the seasons. What are some of the seasons that are associated with the organs in Chinese medicine?

Well, you can. We can get into the detail of that. And then I feel like sometimes that can be. Let's put it this way, one of the things that I think is the most helpful for anyone listening right now is, for example, during the spring. And you'll find this even in our modern culture. Like, during the spring is a time of detoxification, right? It's the time of new life. We start to detoxify ourselves. So, like, the liver is involved a lot in Eastern medicine. That's why I don't want to go too far into this, because it can be very interesting but also confusing. The liver and gallbladder are paired. So that's a time when you're detoxing and paying attention. You want to really pay attention to those organ systems. But I love. One of my favorite things to teach, while I can go into the detail of everything, is really the practical application, especially to so many who have never heard of it before or who have. And this is another way, a simplistic but Incredibly effective way of looking at things is that, you know, during the summer months it's, it's more warm and so you eat accordingly. Meaning, for example, drinking cold water. In East Asian culture, you will notice that very few people drink ice cold water because our digestive system in Eastern medicine does not like tons of cold. It harms the digestive system. Right. And so in the winter months when it is cold, naturally your digestive system lets feed it more warm things, things especially as a woman. Right. And so that's like how much you can kind of go down this path because women are more yin, men are more young by nature you can be more masculine, you can be more feminine, but by nature that means that, that women need more warmth and nourishing. Right. And so this is the way you look at all this. So during the summer months, for example, you can balance that a bit because it's hot out, you can eat more cold things during the winter months. And to, and I talk about food because food is the best medicine. Do you like. I just jump immediately into food? Of course. Right. And then during the spring months, paying more attention, detoxifying the body because now's the time to kind of revive and, and rebalance in that way. So that's kind of, we can go into a lot of detail. And I'm certain that if you were to look into the medicine wheel as you're talking about, you know, and we kind of compared principally they would say a lot of the same things, you know, same thing with Ayurvedic medicine from India, also one of the most ancient. You know, we, our words might be different, but all those principles are so similar in the way that we look and understand the human mind and body.

Yeah, I always thought about fruit being nature. Right. So fruit in the summertime is actually like nature beckoning you to eat fructose and to eat that sugar. But in the winter, the reason why fruit doesn't grow so apparently is because nature doesn't want you to eat that much sugar. In the winter, it's more these like satiating foods and warmer soups and you know, especially for pregnant women or women couples that want to conceive, nutrition is so massive. We'll link some, some, we'll link some resources in this show notes today. But I wonder just to shift gears here because we've been talking a lot about your lineage and your past and you at 10,000ft having the it moment. I, I think about culturally the appropriation that happens with the Native American culture and it just breaks my Heart. I've been through multiple vision quests myself, fasting for four days in nature with just water, being connected to the earth in a way that is so incredibly profound, I can't even put it into words. Words. And there's such a reverence and an honoring that must happen when we describe that Native American culture and even the ways that men become men from boys and women become women from girls. Do you find that in Chinese medicine and Eastern medicine that there is some cultural appropriation? And if so, how do you navigate this fine line between the sharing of this Eastern practices and the risk of. Of cultural appropriation?

Yeah, to me, it's. It's not so difficult, you know, and I can say that with confidence at this point because I've been doing it for a very long time, because I don't get stuck there. And you'll just find that naturally, because that is very genuine to me, that when I go and teach, even if people bring that up, I just. I naturally just keep going back to the principle, because whether it is old or new, whether I am Asian and you are not, whether you are man and I am woman, whether we, you know, have to figure that out at the bottom line, we are literally human beings. And that's where I think that although it's very important, of course, in life to acknowledge the details of things, that each one of us is different and each one of us have all these unique aspects about us. And let's. Let's, you know, honor that and celebrate that. However, at the core of everything, we're all human. So it really doesn't matter when you talk to me. It doesn't matter. You know what I mean? And so I don't get help personally. I don't get held up in that. No matter who is in front of me, which means, Josh, that. And believe me, in my life, I've been on unbelievable panels and spoken with unbelievable Western medical doctors or, you know, this kind of philosopher or practitioner, and I have found I have never. I cannot remember a time, Josh. And maybe I just didn't see it because it. It would not. It could not attach to me. Is it maybe a good way of saying it? A time where we. I really had tension with someone because I don't feel that that's necessary. Are you going to argue with me that you're human? Because if you're not, I'd love to know. I'm sure there's a lot you can teach me.

Are you an alien?

You know, there's certain. I hope I'm Answering correctly to you. But that's my, My own humble experience. Doesn't mean I haven't have challenges. Doesn't mean people will probably have walked away from me. Like, I don't know what she's saying, but it doesn't, you know, that's not. Maybe I'm not for everyone. You know, I, I am here. This is what certainly works for me. This is what I've seen work for thousands of people throughout time in my own personal life as I, as I keep moving through life. And if this helps you, wonderful. And if it doesn't move along, I am not here. You can't convince anyone of any. Anything.

I mean, I, I actually bless. I bless the haters and the people that DM me. Really negative stuff. I mean, it doesn't feel good to read it. It doesn't feel nice to receive it. But, man, if I'm standing for everything and if I believe that a boy is a girl and a girl is a boy, and I fall into this trap that the narrative of gender dysphoria wants me to fall into and just the, the sacred disrespect, the disrespect of men for men and women for women, it's just really wetiko energy. It's demonic energy in the world. World, Yes, I can address it. But like we talked about earlier, I used to get caught up in it, especially during the whole pandemic insanity that happened with the lockdowns. All of these things are happening for us to actually get a gift of awareness and consciousness expansion. And it goes back to, I, I wonder how you feel about this. I'm sorry, I'm just on a rant right now, so I wonder. I wonder how you feel about this. In one of the be most beautiful things I've ever heard, and I'm no master of the Dao at all. All right. It's a mastery process. My brother bought me abridged version, a very shortened version of the Dao de Ching. And one of the phrases I've heard Alan Watts say that just touches my heart after a medicine journey once, I actually was listening to this, and it just became this North Star for me in my life. And it was, the Great Dao loves and nourishes all things, but it does not lord it over them. That phrase. If we could just pause on that phrase. The Great Dao loves and nourishes all things. Things, but it does not lord it over them. I can feel that in my blood and my bones.

I get goosebumps when you say that. Because it is so powerful. And even if it. Even if someone's listening, I feel compelled to say this right now. Don't get caught up in those words because it's so easy to. And of course, naturally the human mind will want to, like, figure it out. Like, what does that mean? But if you really just do open your heart and your mind and you hear that, that is very even. Even that alone is good energy, good positive energy, you know, coming in and nourishing ourselves. And that's one of my favorite words, nourishment, you know, and that is the truth. And what that speaks on, in my humble understanding is. Is exactly what we were just talking about, which is why I'm sure that sparked. Sparked that memory and, and that important principle in your life is that, yeah, no one, not even the highest power, not even God, can convince us necessarily to do something. At the end of the day, that is the human test, that is the human condition, whatever, resonates. Maybe this exact way I'm saying this doesn't. But at the end of the day, we all have a choice. It is really scary, but it is the most empowering and beautiful thing. At the end of the day, we all have a choice of what we're going to take in, how we're going to respond to that. Actually, we talked about this not too long ago.

It's profound. And look, we're getting into philosophy. But philosophy is part of spirituality. And on the screen right now, for everyone watching on YouTube and Spotify, there's our model that we teach in liberated life. And it's really just this understanding, Janelle, that we are always in mastery. We never have it all figured out. But as long as we. You have your three M's, your movement, your living meditation, and then the medicine, the three M's. So we have these five sides, and at the bottom is physical, mental, emotional on the sides, and then financial and spiritual on the top. And that is the Pentagon. So the deeper we can know the God in us and actually have reverence and respect for a higher power Power. It leads this question, and that is, have you ever met a happy atheist? Have you ever met somebody who says, well, there's no such thing as God. There's no such thing as a higher power. It doesn't exist. I personally haven't. They seem to be a bit egoic at times and also very negative.

Understood, understood. I can't even recall, to be honest, someone that I have met that I have attached to in such a way that I can recall as I Just said what, how I will respond to that is, you know, and, and you'll see that in living meditation. You'll see that in everything is that connection is the most important thing, right? And so connection first, like the key, one of the eight keys of living meditation is know your true self. And it's basically what we're saying. It's non stop though that will never. And I, I like to always say that in the beginning, this is not mean that one day you're going to come to me. I cannot imagine. And if you do, please let me know, like I've got it. I know my self know it means all of the time you keep checking in to know your true self. I don't want to get too much.

Off on a tangent, but I love tangents. I mean long form podcasts are, they really speak to people's soul because it allows people to maybe think in a way they haven't thought about ever. A lot of podcasts out there are really just edutainment. They're not necessarily sparking people to think and feel and act differently. And so going back to this habit question, if our habits literally clearly equal our happiness, then there is a habit that must be in place. Whether it's Eastern medicine, whether it's Native American wisdom, there has to be a practice of honoring something outside of yourself. I haven't found one successful person in 700 plus episodes that has not had a connection to a higher power in some way. In some way.

And that's exactly how I just responded to you. And knowing your true self and having that connection, what I was, what I did not want to forget to say in that is that first you have to connect within yourself. That's why we have mind, body, spirit, right? So first we have to stay. And that's, that's all these practices because there's nothing we can't convince anyone we can't do things for. We can do things, but deep down we can't change anyone deep down, right? The only thing we can adjust is ourself. And so first we have to connect within ourselves and then the next step is we connect to each other and then ultimately we connect to a higher power. And so that's the way that I, I would kind of summarize what we're saying right now and why that's so important. So at any one of those times, I'll put it this way, if we break that connection, that is where imbalance occurs, right? So within ourselves, mind, body, spirit, it's a constant journey and Process, no matter what, you know, and we constantly have to balance that. But when we really do, if we really do miss that connection and we're really off balance, that's where we have a lot of the mental health and physical, you know, imbalances and conditions that we have. When we start to. To in that connection amongst each other, we start to break that. That is where relationships start to have their downfall. Right? And when we disconnect from a higher being, God, Jesus, nature, whatever that might be for, for, for anyone, you find what you connect to that is bigger than you, that you connect to, and that's part of that, that connectedness of human beings. I would go so far as to say that when human beings, when we just saw it, isn't it like you just said, what an interesting thing to actually in life, life see it happen on some level to be disconnected from each other and what that does to us, you know what I mean? Literally through these last crazy. I don't even like saying the word anymore. But the pandemic when we've all walked through that the whole world was disconnected. And I don't think any of us would. Would argue that that was not so great for us.

You know, I think there was a beautiful gift in it too. I think what it did was it showed us our own sickness and it showed us what is being called forth to heal. You know, my next question before we say goodbye, I'll. I'll ask it with respect because I know it's tender and it's what I went to in the beginning when I asked you about your father. Your father, did he have a condition? And if so, did that condition, what did it teach him? What did it teach you? Why do you think that happened in the way that it happened? What's the wisdom that you pull from the way that he left his physical form?

The truth of the matter is Josh, no, he was basically in, as far as we can possibly see and understand, in perfect health. The authentic answer to you is, and when I had to reach very deep to understand because I was with him when he passed away. And even that whole circumstance would blow people's mind. I mean, I was an adult with my young son. Like, my husband was out of town, my brother and sister were out of town. Like, literally, I was with him when he passed. And, and so even that was part of my understanding of how the, how connected the universe is. And, and answering, you know, why did that happen to him? Maybe that's not exactly what you're saying, but I think I Think, to some extent, why do I think that happened when I read deep into my faith, when I talked to God, because I needed to at that time and really settled in when you're just. Because when you're with someone, when they pass, especially as a doctor, you know, and you do all the things and. And it doesn't, you know, it doesn't revive someone. This is not something I share a lot with people. You know, it makes you pause for a second. I do come from such strong faith that. That no matter what I knew, you know, there's purpose behind all of this. And I actually, he's the one who taught me, you know, Janelle, if you're meant to be here, you're going to be here. You hear the people who literally die and come back. And so that is a deep understanding that I've had my whole life that he taught me. And so I remember one night, you know, it was at a pinnacle of, you know, the pain and the suffering and the grief and all the things. And I remember just talking to God. That's the truth, you know, please help me to move past this, because I'm having a little bit of a hard time. And I knew, like, what I don't. I can't say. I heard. I just knew, and I said it out loud. You know, who am I to even question this? Who am I to even question this? I have. So you are God. And the mountain of. Of connection, the spirituality that my father, who he was, he was the most compassionate. He was incredibly connected. He was enlightened. That's the truth. You know, and something that this culture is understanding more and more. I know, Josh, you have an understanding of that. But. So when I sat down in that moment and heard myself say those words, and then also heard myself, I'll conclude with that, who am I to ever question you, God? Because ultimately, that's what I'm doing. It's a different way of looking at it. I don't expect everyone to do this also. Daddy, who am I to question you? You. You know, I know that this is your time to go. And it still was quite a process, Josh, even to this day, I find myself saying to him, you know, selfishly, I want him here for a million reasons, and there's many, many people on this earth who want him here. But, you know, very unselfishly, it was your time. So my answer to you is, it was his time. And when it is someone's time, it is your time. And that is why, as we began, I say to you, you know, one of the gifts that. That I will never. That will I. I choose to keep receiving is maybe the best way of saying it is never. Time like this literally can be taken away. And I learned that from the passing of my father. So when life gets stressful and I'm with my little boys, you know, my. My two sons, for example, Right. Because those are the lives that look to me now. They're literally part of me, you know, it's not like I stop everything all the time. Absolutely not. When I have to email, I'll tell them, mommy's doing that. I communicate a lot with them. However, you know, when I feel myself really being pulled too much, I remember, you know what? I could be gone literally tomorrow. Tomorrow, you know, and so that's my answer. So why? It was his time, and I'm grateful for it. It sounds crazy, but I'm grateful for it. Because right after that is when pandemic hit and Covid hit and all these things. And as a daughter, I am so happy that he was not around physically for all of that, because that would have just. It would have been. It would have been. No one would have known, but that would have been challenging for him.

You mentioned your boys and. And being a father of two children myself, it's the most transformational thing. We talked about the butterfly and how it comes from the caterpillar and the chrysalis earlier. Oh, my gosh. Like, being a parent is so beautiful and it's so challenging at times, but just like anything, this yin yang that you've described, that's actually. We're going to put it on the screen right now. So it's this balance of opposites, right? And one could even say it's two fish. So it's the black and the white dot, and it's the white with the black dot. That is actually what keeps homeostasis in our body, and it's also what keeps balance in nature. And so I. I wonder for you, as a mother, as a parent with two boys, through that lens of the dao, through that lens of yin yang, what have your boys taught you the most about being a fully embodied mother, woman, and human being?

Oh, goodness. They teach me so incredibly much. They really, really do. A. Because we have to remember, I. I do. I love. I love kids. And one of the things that they are still so innocent and still so connected. Connected, you know, to. To the universe and nature, because they haven't been, you know, distracted by all the things and throughout so many years. And so the way that they look at things. Their innocence.

Yeah.

They're wanting to learn, you know, that. That they remind me of something that I actually just got done talking about. So it's fresh in my mind of how much human beings. And maybe this doesn't resonate the way I'm saying it, but I hope that this resonates with everyone. The principle of it, that human beings crave direct direction. We're all on this path, you know, we all have some kind of purpose where we wish to go, and we crave direction getting there. Right. Whether it is through certain practices, whether it is through religion, whether it's through philosophy, any of the things that we talked about, some kind of direction that we can keep moving, that we, of course, we have to be ready to pivot. That is the dao. That is going with the dao. Right. But we. We want direction. And my boys definitely teach me that it is a constant reminder of basically being human, that as children, they wish for that direction. And I take that so seriously, as I think everyone has for me now, I definitely take life, you know, seriously when it comes to these types of things. And. Right. They teach me to be open. They constantly remind me to move with the down. The eighth key of. Of the eight keys is one of my favorites. So maybe this is a nice way to kind of conclude, if you will, unless you have more. Josh. But the eighth key is called be like bamboo. And what that means is, you know, I used to always hear it, and I liked it. Go with the flow. How many of us hear this? Right. But I thought a little further because I looked around, and I was like, ew. There's something that's not fully balanced about that. When you really look deeply, going with the flow can be really dangerous. Right. Because you're not rooted, and you're just letting the winds of life take you everywhere. Well, that's not exactly what we wish for in life. So the visual based on what's been taught for thousands of years that I saw in my mind is be like bamboo. Bamboo is so rooted. Right. And this is what my kids teach me. So still answering your question here, more than. More than anything. So be like bamboo. Bamboo is so rooted. We know this, right? Like, you actually have to be careful if bamboo is planted around, you have to be careful because the roots are so. So strong and travel, and they mess everything up. But bamboo is so flexible, and that's the most important. And we actually began this conversation by talking about age and wisdom. One of the things that certainly I have learned and is different in my life now in my 40s, than my 20s, right. Is that one of the greatest strengths can ever have in this life. Actually, one of the most powerful things we can do is have that flexibility. So bamboo is rooted. When the winds of a huge storm comes, equals life and knocks that bamboo down, it can go all the way down, down to the ground. But as soon as that storm passes, it bounces right back up. And that's not because it's so strong and stiff, right? In the martial arts world, many of us know you can have that stiff board, right? And we think it's so strong. And if I hit you over the head with it, believe me, it would seriously hurt. But remember, when something is that rigid and that stiff and can't bend, no matter if you can hit it a certain, like a perfect way, or if you hit it too many times, it can break. And that is one of, I think, the most important things that my children teach me. And one of the most important things, whether it's in business, family, taking care of myself, that I live by. Hence why it's the eighth key of the eight keys of living meditation. Be like bamboo. Be rooted, but be flexible. And that kind of flexibility allows you to have a greater perspective of life. And when you have a greater perspective, you expand your mind, which is ultimately one of the goals of meditation, for example, that many of us, you know, are aware of right now. When you expand your mind, when you increase your perspective, that means you can see more clearly. And when you can see more clearly, that means you can balance with situations that come your way in a more effective manner. And it's that simple.

Well, grow the roots. And growing the roots is, I think, where the courage comes from. And by the way, there's also this capacity to choose if I can stack on what you said, where we at all times can exit a storm. And a lot of storms are self imposed. So a lot of times when we hear this analogy that you eloquently stated about be the reed of the bamboo that bends but does not break. And I think about that because we can exit most storms, not all, but we can exit most storms at almost any time. We don't have to snap ourselves, we don't have to bend the reed until it snaps. We can actually know our point of breakage, whether it's a relationship or a job or just stress in general, and just disconnect. That power of choice is there at all times as we say goodbye. This is the loom question, I think the bridge between knowing and Doing the understanding of knowledge versus the real intrication of wisdom. There's this bridge between knowing and doing. What do you think that is? When it comes to awareness of managing one's stress, managing one's mind. What is it about the human psyche or just the human being that tends to over complicate, overdo, overstress? Is it pride? Is it fear? Fear? Is it shame? What exactly is it?

Yeah, I think it's all of the above, to be honest. And, and again, as I said to you, I always go back to that balance, that understanding of Yin and Yang that is always going to exist. And so when we feel ourselves in that way, first of all, taking a moment to recognize, it's okay, I'm human. And right now my, I'm. I'm scared right now. My mind is racing right now. I could feel anxious right now. I could feel panicky. And to literally acknowledge the mind is a frequency. Funny thing. So one of the practices that I think I've actually shared earlier is you have to stop for a minute and acknowledge it, like see it face to face. And that is, that is a powerful thing to do. You know, I see you, I, I know right now that I am very concerned about this. And say it out loud, hear yourself, because what it does is it makes your mind, it's like you see it, you know, and, and you can't release something unless you see it first, right? And so once you see it and you acknowledge that it's there, number one, doesn't mean you have to have a solution right away, right? And actually I, at one point I was calling this the three A's, but I have the three M, so I don't usually like to confuse, but this is putting it into action. Number one is you have to acknowledge, right? So you acknowledge that something's there. Number two is assess it. And that's what that is. Living meditation. That is that perspective. Stand back for a second, take a breath. No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on, for the most part you can take a pause. And that pause is incredibly important, which is why you hear so many people talking about it. Take a pause and see some of your options. Options and train your mind. This is a very martial arts, that's a very warrior way of living through life, which is what I teach. That's living meditation. In that moment, walk down the path, a little bit of your choices. If I do this, what's going to happen? If I do this, what's going to happen? It's a way to Exercise our mind, that is wisdom. And we'd be surprised how much we do. We might not have the exact answer, but we know if I'm going to yell at this person right now, there's a very good chance that they're going to get really mad at me. Because back and in that moment you have to make a choice. Is that sometimes you do. That's the difference. I'm not going to say oh, every time, just surrender. No, there's when to do, when not to do. If I. But think for a second before you do it, don't just react. You have to respond and balance with. So for example, given that situation, if I yell at this person right now, they're going to yell back at me. Me yelling at them, is that going to get me somewhere? If it does, go for it. But if this is just going to turn into a back and forth and get us further away from our goal, let me be the one in this moment to back off for a second, be more flexible. And how many times in life that's going to bring us so much further than that. One moment of reaction equals assess. So acknowledge first, there's a situation at hand. Number two, assess your options. Take a pause. Number three is kind of what we were talking about before. Don't just sit there assessing for your whole life. You got to act, you have to to move. Even if you have to pivot after. That's where I do see, as we before, there's a lot of assessment happening right now or analyzing or whatever that word. And the thing is you, you stay in your mind then. And if you let the mind just keep going. That is what we were talking about before. It's very dangerous. It's very hard for us as human beings when we get too caught in our mind. And the ways we get out of that very, very powerful, more powerful than people can even imagine is breath and movement. Of course it's medicine. It's the food that we eat. It's how we take care of ourselves. It's the philosophy, the way of life, the living meditation, meditation. But sometimes what I'm teaching more than ever right now is that that actual movement is a way to calm our nervous system, rebalance our body. So even just literally breathing in, exhaling and then moving forward. And so that is a good strategy.

It's a strategy from the mind or the heart, depending on which one fuels you. I think that really the best part about movement, I was a trainer in La Jolla, California for 10, 10 years. And. And so what I What I noticed is that people weren't really coming to me because they wanted to get a bigger butt or bigger biceps. They were coming to me because they were in search of this connection to themselves that actually is the very thing that's connected to God, that moves them in movement, that breathes them when they breathe. And that isn't so much of the top down. So it's been really fascinating to explore these concepts with, with you. I think that so many people are going to benefit from the book. We'll have it on the screen right now. What is the name of the book? What's the URL where they go to get it?

So it's Myungsung, the Korean Art of Living Meditation. That's a huge mouthful. So just remember Living Meditation. It's through Penguin Random House in Watkins. So you can basically buy it anywhere. You can certainly buy on Amazon, which is a very easy way to get it. And then you can always find me on social media. I'm the most, most engaged, if you will, on Instagram. I haven't. I have a series out on YouTube that's more focused on the beauty and wellness and for entrepreneurs. So, yeah, that's kind of in a nutshell. I think I went a little further than what you asked, but I knew the next questions.

Well, with everything that you're balancing, you know, motherhood, entrepreneurship, doing interviews, traveling and fill in the blank, eating healthy, moving, breathing, meditating, there's a lot there. We're all, we're all hands handling a lot at times. But there is this elegance and simplicity. Simplistically. How do you define wellness? How do you live your life well?

To live your life well is probably not surprising to anyone. That I'm going to answer this way is to constantly keep finding that balance. You know, of course, eating correctly, of course, putting on the skin, skin care and the body care and the hair care, it really does matter. That is good for us, that is natural, that we're not filling ourselves with chemicals, goals, internally or externally. Very important. Because all of these things prep ourselves for life, right? As you said before, it's not even preventative. It's just living, right? But if we want to, if preventative resonates and reminds us, so, so be it. You know, we have to do things to no matter what, we're all going to age. That's why I'm literally in the business of anti aging. And the number of times I say there's no such thing and everyone's like, but it's the truth. It's longevity. No matter what, we're all going to age. No matter what, life is going to keep going. And so. So to eat properly is wellness. To think properly is wellness. To act properly is wellness. You know, to be present. And all those things truly do take the balance that I'm speaking of. And the mindfulness, once again, there's another word that we say all the time, but what does that mean? It means you put your mind into what you're doing. It's that simple. Like, are you present? What are you actually doing? You know, sometimes I find humor in it, but it's the truth. We say these things, we do these things, but sometimes pause and just think to yourself, yourself, what am I actually doing? Why am I actually here? What do I actually want? You know, people would be surprised how much they don't have those answers. And. And if you don't have that answer and you just keep moving, you're just not literally not going anywhere.

I've always been fascinated by the term mindfulness. And I remember Dr. Judd Brewer had this great explanation. It was being fully present to the task at hand, but not being a slave to your mind, actually having the mind be with you. You as a really great helper, but not as a slave master. So I almost get this. Visualization of mindfulness doesn't mean that your mind is full. It means that your mind has capacity for the fullness in which you're experiencing. I really love that.

Could not agree more.

Well, this has been great. So give people the URL of your website and give them your Instagram handle before we say goodbye.

Okay? You got it. So my website is janellekim.com j-e n e l l e kim.com and you can find me on all the social, social sites under Dr. Janelle Kim. So YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram. As I said, I engage probably the most in Instagram, so because that is, that's what I choose. I can't. I always do it all.

Share this podcast. If you feel this podcast is worthy of sharing, which I believe it is, we explored some really fundamental topics of what it means to be a human and what it means to be well. Please share this with a friend or somebody that you think would resonate with this. So until Dr. Janelle and I see you on another podcast, we're both wishing you love and wellness. We'll talk to you soon.