Matt Travis helps driven, high performing, mothers and women professionals release any of their mental, emotional or physical weight that is stopping them from living their best life so they can have more energy and confidence with sustainable lifestyle transformations.

Matt is Rapid Transformation Therapist Practitioner, a Mental Fitness coach, a Certified Functional Strength Coach, Precision Nutrition Pro Coach, Certified Wildfit Coach, and a Functional Movement Specialist with a Masters in Health. With his love of movement and his own healing journey he has integrated his training to address the mental and emotional aspects of wellbeing in addition to matters of physical health.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why it’s hard for parents (especially moms) to make their health & wellbeing a priority
• The real benefits of self care, and how even busy people can find time for it
• How we can support the wellbeing of future generations when we start with our own
• Shifting from “All or nothing” change management to “Always something”
• The top 3 saboteurs of gut health, and the emotional impact of dysbiosis.
• The ongoing struggle of weight “loss”
• How stress impacts our health

Connect with Matt online @thepotentialu and through his website: https://www.thepotential-u.com/

Susi Vine: Welcome back. I am so happy to have you with us this week on Happified for my conversation with Matt Travis. Matt is a rapid transformation therapist practitioner with a master’s in health. He is a mental fitness coach, a certified functional. Coach precision precision nutrition, easy for me to say ProCoach certified wild fit coach and functional movement specialist.

So if you’ve got questions about how we move through this world, this guy is the place to start the conversation. He helps driven high performing mothers and women professionals release any of their mental, emotional, or physical weight that is stopping them from leave. Living their best life so they can have more energy, confidence and consistency in creating sustainable health, body, and lifestyle transformations, because we don’t have time for the stuff that doesn’t work.

And I know we’re gonna get into why a lot of that stuff doesn’t work. So, Matt, thank you for joining me on the show. We’re gonna critique today. 

Matt Travis: It is my total pleasure Susi. It is, it is so exciting. I love being here. I love hanging out with you and yeah, we’re gonna get real today. Folks. And 

Susi Vine: clearly you are like myself.

I, I would be a career student. If I let myself, once I went back and studied holistic health, I was like, I’d love to get a master’s in public health. Like we need to bring this conversation forward because people think it’s kind of inaccesible. So I love that you have this breadth of training, certifications and masters in health.

Yeah. What kind of led you on this whole path of exploration? 

Matt Travis: Yeah, I it’s just, like you said, we love learning we and honestly it, it sometimes to a detriment it’s like you, you can, so I had to tell myself, stop being a professional student, stop being like, you need to go and. Fly all of this stuff. And I love getting into trenches and playing with it and, you know, using all these different tools in, in the sandbox and just trying different things, but really, it just started with a love of physical movement and teaching others how to move well.

And that was an undergrad in and physical education and health, and then moving into coaching youth athletes. And I found a lot of them just. Didn’t move well, and there was, that’s a lot of why injuries occur. So I, I was like, I need to go into the strength and conditioning world and I need to learn all about that and functional movement.

And then I fell in love with that. So I just was like, let’s open a gym and I knew nothing about business. So that was an interesting endeavor just at the beginning. I was like, when I, it, I was like, oh, I need to learn how to bring people in, but. You know, going through that, I started to have more you know, adults and, and moms coming into my fitness facility.

And I just fell in love with working them because like working with them because when they get healthy and happy, it like creates a ripple fact throughout the entire rest of the family. Like, it’s just, it’s a super unique thing. And I just was like, I love this. This is what I want to do. And what I found was that.

I could help them move well, but I couldn’t always get them to come to the fitness facility. I couldn’t get them to get on board with eating a, you know, specific way. And it started to raise that question of how do you have a transformation that sticks how, you know, where does this really all start?

And it starts in the mind with behavior change and that’s when, oh my goodness. Like. The, the wheels fell off the bus. And I really just, I, I went into a complete cycle of just digging so deep into the mind and emotion and feeling and all of that stuff over the past 10 years and really understanding what it takes to get actual results.

And like you said, keep them, which is the number one key. Yes. 

Susi Vine: And I love that you brought that up the power of the ripple effect, because I’m really passionate about that. There are so many ways in which we see, you know, we don’t just take care of ourselves when we feel better and do better, but it’s the people that we relate with.

And then the second, and then the third degrees, it’s three degrees of impact. Totally. So I mean easily within a family, you can see that, but just moving throughout the world. So let’s start with. Why, why is it so hard for moms to show up for themselves when they know everything that they’re gonna have to show up for?

Like, doesn’t it. Okay. So, and some of these are sort of like, I kind, I know the answer, but I’d love to hear your take on it. Yeah. Why do we feel like we can keep giving to other people without putting ourselves first? 

Matt Travis: I think there’s so many levels to this. We probably could do a whole podcast. Just on this one question you asked the question you asked that question.

So. I’ve worked with hundreds of thousands of people, and I’ve had conversa, like I’ve had thousands of conversations. And the beauty in that is I’ve been able to listen and really, really pay attention and really dig into what, what it is right. To, to really answer your question on a very level. So I think the first piece to the puzzle is thinking about what it’s like to have a child’s.

like when you, you know, for any of you listeners that have had a child, like you, you give birth to this child. And from the moment you look at them in your mind, you’re like, you don’t say this out loud usually, but you’re like, I will do whatever it takes to ensure that you have a great life like that.

Everything is, is good for you. And then you just go. And you are especially for like the first year you’re just holding on for dear life. Right? The not sleeping. You’re feeding them. But usually you’re like, oh, if I can just, you know, eat really fast. So then I can feed them, you know, you’re on like this time regimen where you are, you’re really focusing on a whole nother human and their needs.

And a lot of times, because it’s, it seems so intense in the moment you, you, your natural reaction is, oh, I need to do this first. And then, right. And you’re always the, and then. Yep. I’ll get back to me’s. Yeah. That’s kind of where I think it starts. Mm-hmm and unless you shift back to that balancing piece, I don’t like to think of balance cuz it is a balancing act.

It’s a, you know, it’s emotion. Yeah. It’s integration. 

Susi Vine: I think it’s a destination. It’s a downfall, but if we think it’s a process of discovery. Okay. So, so understanding the balance is not a destination. 

Matt Travis: For sure. Ex exactly so it’s but I think a lot of times when, you know, the kids start getting older and they don’t need you to be on top of it at all the time, a lot of times we don’t go back.

Right. We have that. We’ve, we’ve now hardwired those you know, neuro pathways in our brain that are like, I, this is my role. This is what I do. These are what my habits are and it’s. Showing up and taking care of my kids and doing all this thing and that thing and making sure this is good and that is good.

And drive them here and drive them there. And if you think about what happens though, within that process, it’s, you know, it’s a slow, downward spiral for, for that individual and I’m, and it’s usually not until, or they hit that. Extreme pain or the health issue or the weight has come on massively or whatever it is.

Right. Any chronic health issues, stuff like that, that they’re like, wow. Things have been outta balance for a long time. Right. They’ve been outta balance for a long time. And what do I do now? I don’t even know where to start. So and when you’re trying to change that behavior, it’s. It’s understanding how to change behavior, right?

because a lot of us will just like, you know, new year’s new year’s hits and they’re like, I’m gonna start a D you know, I’m gonna do three diets. I’m gonna join two gyms. right. 

Susi Vine: I’m gonna make a list. And as soon as they get to there, then I’m gonna do it all. 

Matt Travis: Exactly. So it’s helping break it down piece by piece mini habits, not overwhelming, not trying to throw it all.

I’d say one of the biggest mental constructs I, I, I help people break through is the all or nothing. Habit. Yes. Rather. And so what we shifted to is always something versus all or nothing. We can totally can. Totally, totally. That’s my bumper sticker. Yeah. 

Susi Vine: takes the all or nothing and move to always 

Matt Travis: something.

Yeah. It’s powerful. It’s so powerful. And, and that’s really where like, Helping get into the, you know, the mental saboteurs and the judge in our head and all those things. Cause I think a lot of times, and this leads into one of the bigger pieces that it’s like, if I, if I focus on myself, then I’m taking away time that I could be focusing on all the other people in my life.

And. So at the most granular level, what I’ve realized is that it’s, it’s a, it’s an enoughness piece and enoughness comes two forms. It comes in the self love self-worth form right on the, on this side. And then it’s also the confidence and capability on this side. And it’s, it’s really, really powerful when you start or to realize, wow, like, I put everybody before myself.

Why do I do that? And when I started doing rapid transformation therapy with people, it opened up a whole new can of worms, where I started to really understand where this enoughness and this food piece and the exercise piece and self-care, and like all it just, it like, it’s like one of those can of worm.

You literally open it up. It’s like, boom . And it just, you know, it’s just like really then you gotta pull it all apart. Yeah, you, you have, it’s really opening up and pulling back those layers of the artichoke to get to the heart of the issue. 

Susi Vine: Ooh. I like the artichoke analogy. We all get stuck on the onion.

Artichoke is better 

Matt Travis: little pointy, but I started using it. Yeah. I started using it just recently. I’m glad you noticed I started using cuz I was like, when you get to pat the layers of the onion, you get more onion and I don’t know if anyone’s ever just tried to bite an onion. It’s pretty, it’s pretty gross.

But. The middle of the artichoke is actually really delicious. , it’s worth the effort, right? It’s worth the effort, 

Susi Vine: especially that really thorny stuff. Just when you’re almost there, it gets intense, new level, new devil kind of thing. 

Matt Travis: Exactly. And it’s, and it’s a heart like the middle of it’s called the heart.

So I just thought that was a better way of saying it. You can take that oh my 

Susi Vine: gosh. We’re gonna get a lot of keepers out of this. We just got started. but I love that you’re recognizing the difference because I definitely see, and this is something that I really try to shine a light on and what I’m creating and sharing is that worthiness piece that so many of us, we look outside for that to be reflective back.

And until we of it recognize that we are already there. , we’re not gonna see that reflection totally. But that confidence and capability is not so confidence. Isn’t part of worthiness, but it’s a balance. It’s another aspect of that part that then we get the foundation. And recognize the world’s gonna keep on turning, but we get to bring a lot more to the table when we come from that, wherever we are on that balance process.

Matt Travis: totally, and I think a lot of us try to willpower and grit it too. And like, we haven’t actually done the inner work that we need to do to really get into that space. Where are, where, where we’re actually aligned with what we choose. I find a lot of people like pick a diet or pick an exercise program or pick something.

But it’s not actually in, in alignment with their beliefs, their identity, their values, their standards, their habits, all of these things. So it really doesn’t line up. And of course that’s a, just a recipe for not continuing to, to keep going with it. Right. And, and. So when you decide to step into something, it’s important to make sure that this thing is an alignment with who you are at a core level.

Cause if we’re not gonna do it right, if you’re not gonna show up and take action and do it and get the results, then it’s, it’s never gonna, it’s never gonna stick a lot of people. I think one of my biggest challenges with when I’m working with people is helping them understand that. A diet is not a quick fix thing.

Like if you’re trying to do a quick fix diet, Don’t just don’t folks.

just don’t do that. Cause it’s not, it’s not helpful. It’s it’s thinking, okay, what are the little lifestyle shifts that I can make? What is going to align like cuz when you look at your hierarchy of values, right? A lot of times the value of taking care of others comes before yourself and that’s kind of what puts you into that place.

And I learned that the hard way when I was running my fitness facility and. Being a full-time teacher. And and I just had my first child and it was just so much, and I realized that I was putting myself at the bottom and it UN it ultimately led to chronic sinus infections. And then. Ultimately destroying my entire gut health.

And I realized that I, I didn’t have a choice at that point because I was so sick and I was so out of whack that I had no choice, but to make my highest value, self care, like I had to be, it was a non-negotiable or I wasn’t gonna be around for my kids and I wasn’t gonna be around for people. So making yourself a self-care is not self you probably, you know, that could be another bumper sticker, but.

It’s true and it’s, and it’s getting, and it’s knowing that you’re enough to take care of yourself, put your oxygen mask on first so that you can help others it’s imperative, and they’re gonna love you more for it. And you’re actually demonstrating to them as well. You’re, you’re becoming the role model, right?

Making 

Susi Vine: change. We are healing some generational. Stuff here. Absolutely people. We are demonstrating to our younger generation that they are worth enough to put themselves first, because how do they learn that if they, all they see is this complete, you know, selfless giving and overwhelm. And thank you for sharing a bit about your own experience too.

And, and these recognitions that you had to grapple with because. I’ve had other guests on my show who were like, I was in the health industry. I was doing everything right. And I still got sick. I still had a heart attack. You had chronic health issues that a lot of people might have said, oh, gut issues, sinus, you know, it’s life.

I can’t fix it. Right. And a lot of people get to this. It isn’t broken enough yet I’m gonna power through. I’m not gonna get to the root of this. I’ll take some decongestants and some, an acids and keep showing up for work on Monday at. How did you, or do you, when you see this coming up for your clients, help them recognize, like, it feels like too much to start making changes right now, but.

This is exactly when like, this is the easier 

Matt Travis: way. Yeah. I love, I love that point too. And I say the best time to change is when things are going crazy around you. Like most people don’t want to jump into a program or don’t wanna make the changes when, when things are crazy. But if you think about it and this is, this is really, really important.

You, you are what your lowest standards are. You will get what your lowest standards are and whatever they are. Right. And this is, this is so big. It’s like when I started to realize like whatever I do, when things hit the fan, when things get really hard, whatever I do in those moments are really, that’s the level of the results that I’m gonna get.

A lot of people have these huge goals, these Grandi things, but they’re gonna get whatever their lowest standards are. So. I don’t like rules. I don’t know if any of you are like me. I don’t like rules. I throw Ru like, and especially like when I was getting certified to work with women, it’s like, there’s tons of rules for women, right?

Why would we be adding more? That’s a horrible idea rather than, and powering them to set quality boundaries and standards for themselves. Quality boundaries and standards for yourself that are going to align with the life that you want to have. And it’s not selfish. It’s something where you have lowest standards in every area of your life.

You have lowest standards for the food you put in your body, how you move, what kind of sleep quality you get your bank, count your relationships, your. Parenting, every everything, like every area of your life, you have a lowest standard. And when you really look at it and you’re like, wow, what’s my lowest standard in this thing.

You know, what’s my lowest standard in that thing. Like if we’re just talking about, I work with a lot of people around food, you know, when, you know, is it usually you’re just stopping off at dunking donuts and is that your lowest, you know, or, you know, is it. Fast food every night or whate you know, whatever that lowest standard is, is where you will get.

But I will say where it gets tricky folks is when you’ve gotten sick enough. So in my particular position, and a lot of the clients I work with when you get so sick and you’re trying to recover your standards have to become a lot higher. From then on out. Right? Like, so I found that my lowest standard, because I destroyed my gut health so badly, like just with so much antibiotics and, and just, it was complete dysbiosis.

I mean, I went from 200 pounds. I’m a 63, 200 pound guy and I dropped to one 60 in three months and I couldn’t digest food. Well, I, I, I was, I was not okay. But it put me on a path to actually learn. An insane amount about the microbiome and gut health. But when you’re thinking about your standards, it’s much easier to, to raise your lowest standards in a place of joy and empowerment and excitement, rather than a place of fear and sickness and, and.

You know, frustration and all that. And a lot of people have to, unfortunately, a lot of people have to get to that place of rock bottom or pain in order to make a change. 

Susi Vine: We do. We do. And I think and you touched on it too. You know, we come from this mentality, I’m a good Midwestern girl where you gotta make it on your, your own.

You gotta pull yourself up and power through. Right. You know, and, and asking for help is not encouraged. Yeah, right. And, and like you said too a lot of times we say, okay, when I get to new year’s day, when I get done with this project, that’s totally kicking my butt right now. Then I’m going to make all the changes that I need to, and that list is enormous.

And then you’re overwhelmed by the time you get there, you’re like, totally, really. I was gonna do all of that. yeah. I wanna go to bed. 

Matt Travis: Exactly. But 

Susi Vine: I do want to I’ve got so many ideas, so I don’t wanna lose track of these and then we’ll come back. We’ll make sure we come back to all these other popcorns that you’re getting to.

You mentioned taking that deep dive into gut dysbiosis and health and being that I love to geek out on stress. I’d love your take on what are people missing about connection? How is stress part of the problem? It’s not just antibiotics, which are a big part of the problem. Yeah. 

Matt Travis: Yeah. It’s it’s antibiotics there.

There’s a couple things that can really mess with the, the lining of your gut. So what I’ve learned in, I I’ve spent 40,000 plus hours folks, like when I got sick, I, I felt like I was on a mission to. Learn everything I could learn, not just for me, but for all the future clients I ever had. And what I learned is that there’s the main things that are causing issues with our, with our gut lining, which is causing things like leaky gut and immune system issues and auto immunity and all this stuff.

But, so, so if, if we were you kind of lower certain things or remove certain things, I found that, of course antibiotics I’ve learned, we take those only in emergency situations. Like I don’t actually need ’em for sinus infections, sinus infections suck. And most of the time you can do things to work your way through it.

But things like NSAIDs, like Advil and things like that can also cause problems. But. I found when, when we were thinking about the top three, these tended to be the top three in all the auto immunity books I was reading was stress. Absolutely is causing a big issue and I’ll get into my stress story in a second.

But and then it’s gluten is causing a lot of issues. It UN it’s unbuttoning these tight junctions in, in our gastrointestinal lining. And then it’s also Refined sugar and, and just sugar in general is feeding the bad bacteria in our gut. It’s its number one food source. So when we are trying to improve our health and our wellbeing, and we have all of these receptors, like a lot of people don’t really get the connection between our, our, our mind and our feelings and our emotions and our good that is the stuff that we don’t talk about.

And it’s, and it’s, it’s probably. It’s the stuff that is, was the darkest point for me, right? The bloating sucks. The acid reflux sucks. All that stuff is, is really crappy. And I’d say the depression, the anxiety I’d never experienced panic, panic attacks before. And I started getting some of those. It’s, there’s such a huge connection between your gut and your, your, your mental wellbeing.

And 

Susi Vine: this is so overlooked, so I’m so glad, glad, glad you’re drawing this connection because yeah, it’s huge. Bring in the woo. It’s all connected and science is finally catching up with it, but our gut health has so much to do with the neurotransmitters of feeling good and being happy. But I mean, everything, you were, you were in the space of taking care of your health and still stress is enough to tip the scales and suddenly you’re feeling like you haven’t ever before.

Matt Travis: So, absolutely. Wow. Absolutely. And, you know, I feel like I was also, I, this happens to a lot of people. I thought I was eating healthy. You know, you, you have this idea. I think we all have this idea based on what the world is telling us is healthy. And it wasn’t until I, you know, got certified and I just started really understanding nutrition and what I’m putting in my body and all of those things that.

Changed the game for me and really understood, like I was skyrocketing my, you know, so something that I was eating that I I’ll give you an example, something I was eating that I thought was healthy, right. I was, I was eating a Ezekiel bread, which is a really good, you know, S sprouted bread. And I was making peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but.

That was something that was like a staple in my Dialo as a coach. Like, you know, when I was coaching, this was before this is circa 2010 folks. But I. I mean, that was massively skyrocketing my blood sugar, like, and my insulin release and like all that stuff. And I just didn’t, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

And I’ve gotten so deep down this rabbit hole that I’m way more understanding and knowledgeable and, you know, I feel like back then I was. I knew a ton about functional movement and all that stuff. But until I got the understanding of the nutrition and the mindset, and even the subconscious mind, that was when things actually shifted and I’m actually able to deliver true transformation for people.

And I want to speak to the stress piece of this because. The thing that went for me first, right? Like in all the books of, on auto immunity that I’ve read, they, they talk about the idea of like a chain, like the thing that goes first. Like if, if, if you were to pull your weakest link, like what would that be?

So for me personally, working full time as it’s teacher running a gym brand new child, all these things, my adrenals went like down, down, down, like. Past fatigue. Like it was it was just a, it was something I couldn’t even, I can’t put to words because unless you’ve ever felt like true, like adrenal fatigue, like, you know, people are like, oh, I’m tired.

You know, but what I was doing is I was and I hadn’t done this before, but I started drinking. And that’s a bad idea. is what I learned. Like that was something where I was not paying attention to my body getting tired. And I was like, I can go, I can go, I can do this. My, you know, my mental hyper achiever was like, go, go, go.

And I was like, I can do coffee. I can drink and I can teach. And then I can go and run him in a blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And my adrenals, by the time my gut health was destroyed. Like my adrenals were shot and my, when you have. When your adrenals are shot, you tend to crave sugar more as well, which is something else I’ve learned on top of the dysbiosis that I had with the gut bacteria.

And I found that the first thing I needed to let go of, and just for those of you that are listening, you don’t have to let go of coffee. If that’s something that’s freaking you out right now, listening to this episode, like, oh,

So don’t worry folks. But bottom line is I had to, I had to massively reduce and, and specifically for me, I decided to remove coffee for, for a year and just really let my Bo let my body and my adrenals recover. And, and give, give myself a chance to, to really give that full shake of recovery. I did other things, but I think for me personally, being the adrenals were my weakest link.

And, and redo. It was really learning how to control my stress and improve and, and removing the coffee and, and some other things which were huge. I fell in love with yoga at that point in time, I was not a yoga guy. And then I got into that as well, which really helped me to energize in a slow flow way.

So, 

Susi Vine: mm, and I think too, I don’t wanna go too far down this rabbit hole, cuz I still wanna come back to the conversation and, and you know, as I was introducing you, we were talking about how you help people work through their weight issues, internal mm-hmm and external. Yep. The, yeah. When people, again, I could never give up coffee.

I can’t meditate. All of these things. I can’t, I don’t, that’s not me. Yoga’s powerful way to promote mindfulness. If you can’t sit still and let your mind like, just release attachment to those thoughts. Yoga’s a, I mean, that’s really the beauty of the practice is that it’s all a practice every day. You show up and you see where you are and how you are.

Right. We’ve gotta 

Matt Travis: in. Yeah. As a strength and conditioning coach, I. I was not thinking like that. Like I was like, oh, I have a, I own a gym. I have all this equipment, but I was so messed up. I was so fatigued and this, I think the ironic and probably saddest part of it is I had every piece of equipment I could ever imagine.

Growing up. And, and and it was all right there in my fitness facility and I couldn’t, I couldn’t strengthen hard. I couldn’t do any of that stuff. I, I turned to yoga in desperation and I found a place where I could learn how to functionally move my body, but also create St and mobility and create learn how to use my breath better.

Like there was a lot of beauty in it. But yeah, a lot. I, I, of course probably would’ve never found it if I hadn’t had that all happen. Unfortunately, , 

Susi Vine: necessity’s the mother of invention, right. In a lot of ways, like when you’re willing to, to. It’s hard to push pause, especially if you’re the moms in the audience, right.

Like, huh. Yeah. Lot of luck there. Yeah. But again, you know, when it’s all falling apart around you, something’s got a shift. So it’s a great time to start finding out what’s gonna work for you because even if it works for you, then it’s gonna work for you. Yeah. Moving forward, you can carry it with you. It’s gonna part, you have to start finding ways to put yourself first.

But I do want us to explore a little bit. Again, like within the parameters of the time we have available, you might just have to come back or y’all will be excited to know Matt is going to be launching a show soon. So you’ll be able to tune in for as much as, you know, you want to stream and we’ll have that information in the show notes.

So you can check that out as that evolves and develops. What is this connection? Because I am so furious when we see the conversation of weight. Boiled down to this debunked. I don’t even know how many, which ways that it’s tied to calories that such BS and people again are losing their feeling of worth and their faith in themselves.

They’re losing that confidence and capability piece because they’ve tried so many different ways to address this issue of weight and they feel now up frustrated and stuck. So I’d love to yeah. 

Matt Travis: Find a little light. Yeah. I, the common, the common. Piece of advice, folks. So let’s get real. The common piece of advice is move more and eat less.

And. Calories or calories. And it’s just please, if you take nothing else away from us today, it’s just not that this is not the case. Right. There’s so much more. And if we think of, if we go to the most granular cellular level of just food, right. And, and us as, as human beings, I’ve been studying the human body.

For over 20 years and just understanding the complexity of what a human being is and what we were meant to eat and what we were, you know, how we were meant to move and all of those things. And when we really think about how, you know, our thousand year old million year ancestors were, were being right, they were moving, they were hunting, gathering, forging, all these things and.

There wasn’t calories counting going on, right? it’s, that’s not the thing. Calories is a it’s it’s the energy that the food is giving me right now. Some people have have developed over a period of time or maybe have, you know, came on the planet with this specific issue because of you know, things your parents have had, but.

It’s when your, your body becomes resistant to insulin, right? So basically you’re eating food, it’s creating a blood sugar spike, right. And a lot of times food that are higher in you know process carbohydrates and, and refined sugars and things like that. They’re going to spike your blood sugar more and therefore the insulin buses come on in, let’s take the blood sugar to the cells.

Here we go. And. It gets the cells and the cells are like, no, man, we’ve done this a million times. Like you we’re burnt out. There’s no more, there’s no more allowed in the cell. It’s like the bouncer at the bar, right? There’s no, can’t come in. No. So they kick it back out and then of course blood sugar remains high and then you, you have to create more insulin and you’re just slowly.

Beating away at that over and over again. And it’s creating this blood sugar roller coaster, and that’s why you’re probably hungry a lot of the time. That’s probably why you’re craving more things. And once we can get off that blood sugar roller coaster and stop, you know, getting kicked out of the cells and stop storing all of that as fat then.

Then we can actually have some true physical change and really just more importantly a health transformation and weight release. And I choose my words wisely folks. And we’ll talk about it in a second. But weight release is a side effect of optimal health. That’s what it is. So you will feel my mentally, physically and emotionally better.

When you F when you look at it from, I want to be healthier. Weight release will happen. It absolutely will. And the reason I don’t say weight loss, a lot of the time when I’m talking, sometimes I have to use it in my marketing because people really like key into that word, but I’d like to think of it this way.

When you lose anything else in your life, it’s actually usually a negative thing. If you think about it, loss in any other platform is not. Great. So weight loss is the only thing that people want to lose. Right. And then secondly, if we lose something we don’t want, we can find it. So I would much rather release it.

So it goes away forever. So that is the reason I. And actually what I’ve, what we’re calling our podcast is release the weight and rise. So it’s all about the releasing, the mental, emotional, and physical pieces of this and the mental and emotional pieces I would say is just as important as the science, the very short synopsis of the science that broke down for you.

But, yeah, it’s just paying attention, eating real foods, looking at food sensitivities, all of these things are gonna be key and it’s way past the realm of calories it’s way past it. 

Susi Vine: Yes. And as you’re explaining that process of the way that our blood sugar spikes cortisol does the same thing. So again, the way that stress can affect our gut health stress also impacts and can lead to insulin resistance because cortisol totally.

Makes our body think we need that fast energy to get away from the tiger in the Bush that isn’t there anymore. And then where does it have to go? Right? Absolutely. We’re sitting in a desk. We’re not metabolizing those hormones. Yep. And the sugar’s up. So, so that adds to it. And. Yeah, it is also connected.

And also I love to geek out on environmental health too, because chemicals have affected my health in the past and we don’t recognize or give credence to the fact that the products we bring into our homes that we’re cleaning our homes with are using the shower. Also, you know, there are classes of chemicals that some people call obese gens, cuz it changes the way our cells hold in store fat.

Yeah. Exactly toxins are held. Many kinds of toxins are stored in fat. And our body’s like, Nope, we don’t want it. We’re gonna lock it away over here. 

Matt Travis: Yeah. It’s a protective mechanism. It’s amazing how the human body does that. Right. 

Susi Vine: And then people start to release weight or they go on a detox. They start to open up those stores.

They feel like crap, crap. Yep. And then they’re like, oh, this isn’t for me. I’m off. I’m going back. Yeah. yeah. This golf trip. I don’t wanna 

Matt Travis: go before this. There’s like, something’s wrong. It’s cuz it is cuz you did it too fast. Right. And the body can’t handle that. Like it’s just too, too fast, too soon, too quick.

It’s just it’s too much. And we gotta think of our body as like we’re here to protect it. We’re here to, and it’s trying to protect you. That’s why it stores all the toxins and everything’s in your, in your fat cells so that you don’t get hurt. So you can live longer. 

Susi Vine: The liver can only do so much, especially if we’re having the wine after work and the coffee to get us into the two, three o’clock slump.

Right? Exactly. Yeah. There’s like, whoa, 

Matt Travis: we’re good. Hold up, hold up. 

Susi Vine: Awesome. I really love that. And I like exploring the connection too, as within, so without I’ve had a guest on my show and part of my summit, Mel talks about clutter, internal, mental clutter, and physical clutter, the way it shows up in our world and weight, emotional baggage.

Yeah. And that’s stuff that rides our hips. Right. There’s so many fascinating connections when we. Recognize that, that holistic approach that not just zeroing in on the one thing we think we need to change, because it’s the physical yeah. Recognition. Totally. When we take that all around approach and say, what makes me feel better short Diri here.

Tell me what you think about this whole self-care again, I mean, you said earlier self-care ISN, but it’s been so appropriated in marketing. Yes pitches lately, right? Absolutely. People are like, Ugh, bubble bats and scented candles. Like that’s not my jam. I don’t have time for self-care or I’ve talked with some busy moms and they say, I’m finally sitting down for five minutes at the end of the day.

I don’t wanna think about something that’s good for me. Yeah. 

Matt Travis: Yeah. yeah, exactly. Right. Help warm 

Susi Vine: people up to this self care actually has its its benefits. 

Matt Travis: It’s it’s it’s stopping thinking that self care is something that you have to do. Like you have to like go and do this thing. Like sit no more rules on self care.

Huh? Back to the rules. Exactly. Get rid of the rules. It’s what’s your lowest standards throughout the day. Like here’s a, here’s a extremely relevant very functional tip. So if you think about your whole day, and I’m just breathing is one of my favorite self-care like conscious breathing is one of my favorite self-care things.

And it’s very simple, I would say simple. Not easy. Yeah. Because like, like you said, like I just sat down, right. So when you sit and I’m saying no more than two minutes folks, one minute, if you need to make it even that short, and it’s just sitting, closing your eyes for a minute. And just taking some deep belly breaths, right.

Breathing in and breathing out and just feeling the body in that moment. And just doing that, you know, let’s say you just took one minute. Five times a day, right? Just to step back for a second, you’re gonna recharge your battery throughout the day so that the battery isn’t like, boo, and then you’re at the end of the day and you have nothing left and you’re like, what’s for dinner.

You’re like, I don’t know, that’s order out. Right. So it’s about recharging that battery throughout the day. That’s what I would think. That’s what think self care is it’s it’s focusing on the, the little simple. Not easy, simple things that you can do to sh just care for yourself. Right? Take a second. Like here’s another random example is like, before I go and pick my kids up at the end of the day, when I stop in the driveway and I literally will I’ll turn the cough and I’ll take one minute and out, literally I go

and then I breathe out. And then I say the word release, and then I ask myself, how do these kids need me to show up? When I walk in there? Like what, what, what do they need? Like, how do I need to show up? How do I need to be coming in there? And I don’t need to be the guy that’s trying to come in and fix everything right away.

It’s I just calm my body and social and nervous system so that I can show up better for these kids. So self care. Like breathing before you go in and, and the, the storm, the tornado starts with cuz I have littles. I know. And it’s like, it’s just taking that second to breathe, getting some water in your body.

Right. It’s keeping it simple and, and, and making those, your lowest standard, we’re pulling it, we’re pulling it all back. Right. So making those, your lowest standard and, and living that way. And if your mind tries to sell you on, you don’t have time. You don’t, you can’t do this, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

That’s just your, your old habit of not doing it. That’s your old habit trying to sell you that you’re not good enough. You don’t deserve it. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it’s a bunch of BS and you do, and you deserve you take a second to breathe and you could tell your children I’m breathing now. please.

Go play with your brother 

Susi Vine: and then out of the mouths of babes, when they need a minute, they’re gonna turn around and say, I’m breathing now. Yes. Like, all right, you got your minute. Yep. Right? Like the tools that, again, with these kinds of examples, by putting our. Wellbeing choosing my words carefully, cuz sometimes I just talk fast and I right.

Not balance, not putting our balance first, but putting our wellbeing first and recognizing I need to fill my cup with a minute to breathe. Yes. I talked to my brother when, when he is driving home from work and he’s like, oh, there’s Andy in the window. I gotta go SIS. Like right it. Yeah, one minute. One minute.

And, and what does it do for them too, because then you’re actually present. You’re not just coming off of whatever. You’re not still on that mental trip that you’ve been chewing on, on your drive home right 

Matt Travis: now. You it’s getting back into the body. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it’s the first time they probably have made a conscious breath the whole day.

Right. So it’s like, that’s why I say, if you could split it up one minute throughout the whole day, you know? Yes. 

Susi Vine: Yeah, it doesn’t have to be a sacrifice to work some self-care in. Yeah. It is one of those habits that we need. So set a reminders, set some reminders on your phone, put a PostIt note. Absolutely.

You know, on the computer screen, if you don’t look right past it. That’s my trick. I have someone many post-it notes. I don’t see them anymore. It’s just the color frame. 

Matt Travis: Yep. Yep. 

Susi Vine: Exactly. So the systems that work for you. Yeah. This is amazing. Tell folks, and we’ll have a link in the show notes, but just in case they’re on the move, tell folks how they can find and connect with you and stay plugged in.

Matt Travis: Absolutely. So the podcast should be launching soon. It’s called release the wait and rise with me and Andrea Wickens. And then we, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, all LinkedIn, all those places. Matt, Travis, and the potential. You, you got your branding dash. Oh, I do have my brand, the potential issue.

Right? So it’s It’s cuz it’s deeper than just weight release folks. It’s it’s more than all this, right? So it’s the mental, emotional, and physical pieces of this puzzle, cuz that’s what this takes, this, this whole transformation takes. Right. So I so appreciate what you do, Susie and, and, and how you show up.

And I it’s just been such a pleasure. We will be definitely this again. Yes. 

Susi Vine: Oh my gosh, we just scratched the surface. We could have like a whole show on every single topic exactly that we like looked into. So I’m so grateful for what you’re doing all the ways in which you show up and serve. And Ooh, maybe on the next conversation, we’ll dig into the benefits of Channeling your California raisin

maybe I’ll include a picture on the, on the blog. We’ll see. if I get permission. All right. It’s thank you so much for making this doable. We can start, especially in the moments when we’re like, something’s gotta give this time. It’s not, it’s not you. It’s this rat race that we keep keeping on. Exactly.

Thank you so much, Matt. Exactly. It’s been a pleasure. Take good care of yourself. Thank 

Matt Travis: you.