711: The Mental AND Physical Workouts Every CEO Should Be Doing

24:45Yeah. When we're widening that view of health and wellness, sleep is just as important as exercise and food. And sometimes we forget that, right? So it might be that. And then there are times I encourage our community all the time because I get this question. We do have to think about, okay, when is it like, yeah, I'm just unmotivated and I just don't feel like it versus no, I actually need rest. And that can be a tricky one to find sometimes, but I have found that if you journal about it, you ask yourself those questions, you can usually get to the root of, no, this is the time when I really don't feel like it, but I need to get up and go and I'll feel better when I get there and when I get started versus I need to actually honor my body, skip my workout today and rest.

25:32Do you like fast paced and packed with value stories of successful entrepreneurs from failures to aha moments to what's working for them today? If so, you will love Entrepreneurs on Fire hosted by my friend, John Lee Dumas. Entrepreneurs on Fire stokes inspiration and share strategies to fire up your entrepreneurial journey and create the life you've always dreamed of. Their recent episodes about starting an RV rental business, the future of real estate, and how to cultivate a mindset of resilience have all got my wheels turning on how to generate more revenue and fulfillment. Listen to Entrepreneurs on Fire wherever you get your podcasts.

26:11One of the toughest parts about starting and growing your own business is figuring out how much you should charge. Like what is your product actually worth? And what do you need to charge in order to make a profit. There's a recent episode of this great podcast called This Is Small Business that talks all about this. You'll learn how to figure out what customers are willing to pay and when you should start thinking about raising your prices. It's called How to Find Your Ideal Price Point and you can go listen to it right now. This Is Small Business answers so many of these kinds of questions, questions that all entrepreneurs have.

26:43Whether you're dreaming of starting your business, looking to take a part-time side hustle full-time, or maybe you're a few years in and you are ready to grow. This show covers it all, like how to find your ideal customer, how to know when you're ready to launch your product, how to hire your first employee, why you should protect your intellectual property, and tons more. Learn more about how to start and grow your small business. Check out This is Small Business, an original podcast from Amazon on your favorite podcast app. Yes, I love that. I always tell myself, I'm like, if you do just 10 minutes, you can stop if it's not feeling good or if you're not enjoying it or it's not working.

27:21And it's funny because I feel like once you get moving, then you're like, I got this. This is great. I need to do more. And so I'm like, anyone can commit to 10 minutes and just checking in whatever that looks like. And a lot of times too, it's like, how can you have it stack or make it enjoyable in a way? I feel like that has been something I've been focused on this year is like strength and enjoyment. And I feel like, especially after being postpartum, things just didn't feel great anymore. Like running, heck no, that didn't feel good on my body. And so it was like, what are things that I can test out and try to bring more joy into it?

27:58Or how can I do it in a way where I'm just not even paying attention to it? Like walking on the treadmill and doing emails or voice memoing a friend while I'm walking or things like that. So that it's not necessarily taking up all of my energy or making me think about how much I don't want to do it. So good. And I think that's one of the reasons I talk about movement more than even a particular exercise. And I'm a Pilates instructor and I have a Pilates app and I'm like, I love Pilates, but it's just one option of movement. Right. And so like you said, you can have a wide variety of options. So you might be like one day strength training is what I'm feeling.

28:35The next day I might be like, you know what, I'm going to go for something a little more gentle, but to your point, movement is the goal. And so even on those days when you're feeling like really unmotivated or lethargic or whatever it might be, like some of the things you've shared there is actually just more movement. Like how can you just move? You know, it doesn't have to be an hour in the gym. You don't have to always gear up for that long sweat, you know, and drive 20 minutes to the gym, that whole thing. Sometimes it's just get outside, call a friend, like you said, box a friend, listen to a podcast and you're doing something really good for your body and you'll feel so much better as a result.

29:13Yeah. What would you say are some tools or keys to finding consistency? Cause I think that as you've mentioned, like a lot of people get excited, they start something, they fall off the bandwagon, then they start to doubt themselves. Then they start to berate themselves, then it just becomes this like vicious cesspool of all these thoughts of why we can't do it. And I do feel like consistency and confidence are directly linked, but unlocking your ability to be consistent, especially if you failed in the past can be a really tricky thing. It's like, why even bother? Why even try? Do you have any tips or tools to help bring in more consistency see in our lives?

29:54Absolutely. And it's the, I think it's the biggest struggle. Yeah. And it's the thing I probably hear the most that they're either struggling with, but it's also the thing I hear the most from our community that I've never been this consistent in my life. Yeah. And I love that because that really is the goal, right? It's much more effective for long-term health and wellbeing to be consistent over time than to go intense for a short amount of time. Right. So I'll often say like consistency is greater than intensity because think long-term here, right? We have our entire lives to care for our body.

30:28And I think that's even the first shift to make, like it's not a six week plan. It's not a four week fat loss blast. You know, it is literally our entire life and you're never done. So when we make that shift, that can feel like, Oh, come on. I wanted to be done in two months. I wanted to do that eight week program and then be done. Well, those sell a lot of programs and they're great, but we have to have a long-term plan because as long as we have our bodies, we've got to care for it and we get to care for it. Right. So that's also a shift. So even just making that initial shift in the beginning that, you know what, I'm going to do this differently this time.

31:07And I'm going to do it in a way that I feel like I could realistically sustain this for a long period of time. And you have to be honest with yourself. People will come to me all the time with a question. And I just kind of put that question back to them and say, could you see yourself doing this forever? You know, well, no. Okay. Well, then let's at least have a plan. Even if you want to do that, then let's make sure we have a plan on the end, you know, for like, okay, after you do that initial program, but bringing it back to the basics, building that confidence muscle is the first and most important step.

31:40So finding something you enjoy, right? Because again, you said you've been rediscovering enjoyment again. I used to dread working out. I dreaded the gym. I hated it because I was going and doing the elliptical. I hate the elliptical. To this day, you will not see me on an elliptical because of my years of just like checking the box, right? I was like, I spent 45 minutes on the elliptical today. No, now I'm like doing anything other than that. So first finding something you can enjoy. and then starting with that 10 minute mentality. Literally don't do it even any more than that until you can build that confidence muscle and say, okay, I'm doing a 10 minute walk every day.

32:24I'm doing 10 minutes of Pilates every day because that is gonna also help rewire your brain in the sense that no matter how busy you are, right? You have so much on your to-do list. You've got kids, you've got to run around. You've got, you can always do 10 minutes, right? Even if you're in your PJs right before you go to bed, and you're like, I didn't do it today. I can do 10 minutes. You can get down on your floor and you do 10 minutes of pull-ups. So I talk about that all the time. So start with that, find something you enjoy, recognize that that old narrative you've been believing of whatever it might be for you.

32:55I have to do an hour, has to be hard and sweaty. Yeah. It has to be at the gym. That may not be true for long-term health. So you kind of have to shift that narrative and then you have to release the all or nothing mentality. Right? So that's that, again, I have a plan. and if I don't stick to it perfectly, then I fell off the wagon and I'm done. And then we go a few weeks, a few months before we kind of pick back up, right? Everyone's been there, right? We've all had that pattern. So when you can release that all enough mentality and one of the ways I teach this is the phrase grace over guilt.

33:30So guilt is the trap that so many of us get stuck in. Guilt and shame. When we try to start a new routine and we can't follow through with it, life happens and we skip workouts. I skip workouts all the time, right? We all do. The most important thing is how we respond when that happens. And so if you catch yourself in that moment and you can say, you know what, I'm going to choose grace, give myself grace. I'm a human. And instead of getting stuck in the guilt and shame cycle, it shifts everything because then you can say, okay, I'm going to just start again tomorrow and I'm just going to keep going.

34:04But so many, we have to catch ourselves in that moment before we get stuck in that identity of I'm here again. I can never stick to anything. Nothing's ever going to work for me. And then you could even go even further there, right? And say like, what is that conversation you're having with yourself about who you think you are in the moment? It's like, actually, you're just a human who had a day and you're still someone who cares for your health and you can start again tomorrow. And so even that phrase right there can help you to shift and rewire what's happening in your brain. Yeah, I often think about like what you just said is like, that's something we would tell our children, right?

34:40If they were like berating themselves or beating themselves up about like not doing something like, hey, you're just a human, like give yourself a break. Speaking of children, I feel like our generation, I was just having this conversation with two of my best friends, is like our generation is so much more aware around certain narratives that we adopted at early ages around things like diet culture and exercise and things that we maybe witnessed other generations doing before us. And they were doing the best they could with the information they had. But I do feel like there is this level of awareness in our generation of parenting of like, what do I want my children to believe about their bodies?

35:21How do I want them to feel about their bodies? How do I want them to approach food? What does this look like? And I know even with my girlfriends, we were having tons of conversations around this and like just the narratives that we are giving our children. And it was so interesting because we were talking about this and talking about this and what we wanted for our daughters. And then all of a sudden I was like, but are we claiming that for ourselves? Right? Like we want you to have food freedom and we want you to, you know, understand how food impacts your body. And I'm like, but are we doing that?

35:49Talk to me a little bit about that. Cause I know that's something really important to you. You have some daughters as well. It's like thinking through like, how are we mothering ourselves while we're also mothering this next generation? Because I think a lot of body image things and health things have been passed down to us from well-meaning people. But those are the reasons why we have some of the narratives that we do. Yeah, so true. And yeah, you can trace back, you know, what the women around us were doing as we were growing up and the diet culture boom was happening at that time and how that naturally, you know, fed into us from a young age of what we saw and what we believed.

36:30And now we're trying to redo that, which I love. I love how that shift has happened. And yeah, as a mom of kids, I mean, particularly daughters, but I have two boys also, and they're watching as well. And I think you called out the most important thing is that we can say all we want for them, but they are watching us first and foremost. And my oldest just turned 10 and it is like, I'm entering a whole new world. She's a tween and she loves to get dressed and she loves to do her hair. And she, but she is mimicking me in so many ways. And this is, she's a very independent girl who usually is like, she doesn't really want to be like me.

37:13She's like, uh, you know, she's got her own plan for her. She's never been that type. That's like, uh, I want to be like mommy and that's fine. Lately, I'm just noticing the little things that she's adopting that is coming from me. Right. So I think what you nailed is the most important thing is it's first and foremost, how we're treating ourselves. Yeah. How we talk about ourselves. Right. So that's an obvious one that, you know, how you look at yourself in the mirror. I'm watching her look at herself in the mirror, you know, and then I'm watching myself look at myself in the mirror. It's like basically a reflection all around.

37:51And we know, I feel like it's becoming more common to say, you know, like, don't berate yourself in front of your kids, right? Don't say, Oh, I feel so fat today. Oh, I hate my legs, whatever it might be. Definitely don't do that. So if you're hearing that, like in grace for yourself, if you have, right, we're humans, but start to be aware because they're listening, but also even just noticing our body language. When we look at ourselves, sometimes it's the subtleties of how we are, you know, expressing how we feel about ourselves that they're also picking up on. So we have to do the work in ourselves first.

38:28And then when it comes to even food, there's, you can make comments, right? There could be comments around that, that you're making that you might not think too much about, but then they're taking it in. It could also be other actions, you know, that it's like skipping different things and not actually showing food freedom, right? Not showing like, Like I make sure I can't have dairy products. So I can just get a really bad stomach ache, but I make sure to try to express when we got to ice cream with my kids that like, this is just because mommy's going to get a tummy ache. So I'll try to find my treat that is dairy free, but it's not mommy's just not having ice cream because she's watching her calories, you know?

39:05So modeling that is the most important thing. And also knowing that they're watching no matter what. So I've actually did a podcast that was really good with a pediatric nutritionist. Yeah. She talked a lot about neutrality around food. Yes. And just even kind of serving up balanced meals. And there's so much we could go into there, but not calling foods good and bad and just being really mindful of how we present that to our kids. And I also want to talk about there's that there's modeling movement. There's also mental health of our kids. And that's another thing, right? Like that, even when we are showing up, yes, we know we want to show how to eat well.

39:46We want to show how to move well and be strong and take care of ourselves. Even I'm sure you talk about this, but working out to get strong, right? Showing our kids that I want to be able to run and jump and I want to be able to hike with you and bike with you. And that's why I'm working out today. But look, I've become kind of a systems nerd and anything that gives me more space in my day, I'm all in. And a reliable connection is a huge part of that because when the internet lags or cuts out, everything pauses and suddenly the simplest tasks take forever. I learned really early on that dependable internet, it's not a luxury, it is a must.

40:24Whether you're a content creator like me, a restaurant owner, or running a busy dry cleaning business, you need that steady connection to support your team and your clients. That's why I'm excited to share a solution for my fellow business owners. Spectrum Business keeps businesses of all types connected with internet, advanced Wi-Fi, phone, TV, and mobile services, all with connectivity solutions built for your budget. And they have a truly incredible offer. Business owners can get free business internet advantage forever when you add four or more mobile lines. It's simple with no contracts and no added fees.

40:59Visit spectrum.com forward slash free for life to learn how you can get business internet free forever. Restrictions apply. Services not available in all areas. Can you believe that we're already wrapping up 2025? This year was packed with travel and so many new memories. One of my favorite moments was our team retreat in Arizona with the incredible women who helped me keep this business running. I also recently took the kids to Nashville during fall break and somewhere in between I squeezed in a trip to Puerto Rico with friends. We booked some of our most memorable stays this year on Airbnb. There's something special about finding a place that doesn't just look great in the photos but actually feels welcoming the moment you walk in.

41:41that this feels right kind of feeling. If you've got trips coming up, whether it's a family vacation, a retreat or a work trip, your house will probably be sitting empty while you're gone. Have you considered hosting your home on Airbnb and letting it work for you? It's a simple way to earn some extra income that can be put towards a future trip or home improvement projects. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com forward slash host. So even in helping kids regulate their nervous system and consider their breath, my daughter has had some significant anxiety in the last year.

42:21So recognizing that how I am learning in my life to regulate my nervous system, to care for my mental health, to use my breathing exercises, the tools that I'm showing there. She's also learning and picking up from a much younger age, which is beautiful, right? So there's again, just widening that view of health, even for our kids, movement, food, body image, but also breathing and sleeping and just kind of helping our kids get out of what we were raised in, which is count your calories and work out longer and harder. Right. Yeah. I know. It's so crazy. There was a meme going around. That was just something about like, your daughter is going to be told that she looks just like you.

43:06So what you say about yourself is going to become her narrative. And I remember getting my haircut and I was talking to the hairdresser and the hairdresser next to me. And she had said, she's like, my entire life, I just heard my mom pick apart everything about herself. And then everyone would always say to me, you look just like your mother. And she's like, I have so much like hurt around that because my mom didn't like how she looked. So how could I like how I looked? And I was like, oh my gosh. Like, I mean, it's just, it's so crazy. And it's like, I think that if anything, like what I've learned on my own health journey is like the only reason why I've been consistent this time is that I like anchored it to a Y so much deeper than the scale, so much deeper than the size on my clothes.

43:58Like I wanted to just have energy to do the things I want to do in my life, whether it's chasing my kids or last night, Coco, who's four and a half asked to go in the ergo. And I had to climb a hill with her in this ergo. And I was like, I couldn't have done this. Like I couldn't have a strong core to do that. And so it was just, it's just fascinating. Cause I think so many of us would say like, I would die for my kids, but I think it's like, well, you live for your kids. Like, well, you show them what being alive looks like. And there's so many studies coming out too, about like a child's fitness level is directly linked to a mother's fitness level and what they see you doing.

44:34And one thing Drew and I have been talking about is a lot of times when we exercise, it's like our alone time, you know, but I was like, we also need to do it like in front of the kids and like, let them see and be a part of it and join in so that it's not just like this private thing that happens, which is great, right? Because a kid free workout sounds amazing, but it's also fun when they're climbing on your back and doing other things as well. So I just, I think that what I love what you teach in terms of like, Like this is like a full scope life thing. It's not just one aspect of your life.

45:05It impacts every aspect of your life from your business to your family, to your energy. But it also is like encapsulating, like if you wanna live like a vibrant, healthy life, there are so many ways that you can do that. And maybe focusing just on sleep first is a way that you start moving towards health. You know, pick something that is approachable and exciting to you that you can commit to and then expand. Because again, as your confidence grows, your consistency will come from that. And I just, I love that. Absolutely. There's a ripple effect like that happens. Absolutely. When you take one area, and I think that's the biggest mistake I see people make is trying to overhaul everything all at once, you know, because we're like, oh, everything's a mess.

45:50I'm not sleeping good. I'm not eating well. I'm not. And we just want to fix everything that feels insurmountable. And there's, you know, if you've done any, read any other research on habits or how to build habits that stick, it's breaking it down into the smallest thing that you can then build upon. And so I think that you just called it a really important aspect of just what is your one area? Like what is one thing you can do and start with that? And don't forget to shift the mindset as well. So don't forget to start calling out some of those old narratives because they will come up. over and over, whether it's a belief about yourself, like I can never stick to anything, or I don't have time for this because I'm running a successful business, or there's so many things that could come up, but bring those along with you and consider that a part of the approach.

46:41Because if we try to operate with the same beliefs that we've been living in for so long, we'll continue to get stuck. So I think that's an important thing to consider is how you think about yourself, how you talk to yourself really matters. Yeah. There was this research that I was doing, cause I was really digging into mindset around just health because it's something I've struggled with for so long. And there's this research around your identity and what you believe to be true about yourself. So they were saying participants that believed like, I am a, and I hate this word, but I'm just going to say it.

47:15I am a fat person who was once skinny versus being, I was a skinny person who is now fat. Even just those labels that you put on yourself change the way that you follow through. So you could say, I am a healthy person who has slipped into unhealthy ways instead of believing at my core, I am an unhealthy person who desires to become healthy. And so it's so interesting in terms of like the labels and the identity pieces that we give ourselves, it deeply impacts how we follow through and what we believe to be true about ourselves. And I know for me, I have often now shifted and just ask myself, what would the healthiest version of me choose?

47:55And I remember the first time I did it, it was on an airplane because for some reason I never drink soda. And I think the first time I ever flew on an airplane, I got soda. And so now my body like links that. And I remember sitting on the plane and I was like thinking about a diet Coke. And And then I was like, what would the healthiest version of me choose water? And it's like interesting how even just that identity piece of what you believe about yourself and where you've been and where you want to go totally transforms how you show up for yourself and what you do with it. Yes, that is so real.

48:28Like it is so real. And I think even asking yourself, you know, how do I want to feel like that's an extension even of that? What would the healthiest version of myself do? That's something I come back to time and time again, when I don't feel like working out, when I'm, you know, not sure about what food choice I feel like making, if I want to go to sleep or not, you know, all of these different things, like, how do I want to feel? I want to feel rested. I want to feel energetic. I want to feel focused, especially again, bringing it back to entrepreneurs and business owners, like focusing on these things that can help you then make that choice.

49:03That may not be the most natural habitual choice, but it can help you to make that different new choice, like choosing the water or going to battle it earlier. And I think as business owners, we are our number one asset. Like I remember someone said to me one time, someone said, protect the asset, right? That just, for whatever reason, at that point in my life, that just hit me really hard was like, if we can really actually understand that if we aren't well. And I had a health kind of scare a couple of years ago where I was basically burnout, which could be a whole nother podcast episode that I should have brought up when we talked about female entrepreneurs, but essentially my hormones are shot.

49:47I'm in, you know, what they, what's not the technical term, but adrenal fatigue, as people call it, I was having, cortisol was high. Yeah. My cortisol actually was gone. Right. And because it had been so high that it was like undetectable, just burnout. And that's a result of not listening to your body, right? That's a result of also just stress that I couldn't avoid that just happened in life. But again, for me during that time, the healthiest thing wasn't to push myself really hard in my workouts, actually. The healthiest thing for me was to slow down, protect the asset, right? Like actually recognize if I can't function well, my family can't function well, my business can't function well.

50:27so when you get hit with that it becomes pretty like oh that gets you in the heart of for you you're sharing your why right like I want to be the mom I want to be if I want to be the business owner I want to be if I want to be able to reach these goals that I want to reach I have to be functioning at the most optimal level that I can and freeing up that headspace from stress that comes when you're not thriving in those areas yeah so I'm just I'm inspired by what you've done and how you've shared your journey as well, because it's also can be hard to share your health journey publicly because again, as we're talking about how we all have our own internal narratives, we do.

51:07And so when we see someone else changing things in their life or, you know, it can trigger things in our own mind of related to our body image and our beliefs, and it can be hard to change. So I just applaud you for the shifts you've made in your life. Thank you so much. Where can everybody find out more about you? Get their hands on your brand new book. Tell us about the book. Give us all the places. Yeah, the book is called Well to the Core. And so my goal with that title was to just hone in on that. Like, what is true wellness? Just like we've talked about here today. Not superficial wellness, not a quick fix, not a short-term solution, but truly how to focus on wellness to your core and in ways that are really practical.

51:52goal. Like anyone can do it, no matter what your budget is, no matter how busy your schedule is. And so that book is again, called well to the core. You can find it anywhere books are sold, or you can go to lindywell.com and you can find it there. And we also have a Pilates and wellness app where we focus on Pilates and breath work and nourishing recipes, but all from this approach of short, consistent workouts, focusing on not just what we want to fix, but how we want to feel and also being very aware of our language. So when you're talking about little kids in the room, my filter is always, I see pictures of our members all the time doing workouts, climbing all over them.

52:35Nothing makes me happier. Kids even saying, mommy, can we do our Pilates together? But knowing too that the language that's used in the workouts is what we talked about in today's episode, right? Because that's another thing. Like we talk about getting strong. We talk about caring for our body, not burning off last night's dinner or getting ready for bikini season. And those are little things that little ears will pick up. So that's a little side note, but that's, I spend my time doing that, helping people do that from home. And then I'm excited to share this new book as well. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today.

53:10This was such a treat. Thank you, Jenna. So fun to talk to you. I absolutely love today's conversation. I thought it was so powerful and I love this more holistic approach to health and wellness that we are now seeing. I think it gives us this way to look at our bodies and our lives and our businesses and our families through a whole different lens. And I absolutely love it. I know on my own personal journey, I've had to shift the narratives and the self-beliefs in order to find things that bring me joy, that make me feel good. I hope today's episode inspired you. Thank you so much for tuning into the Gold Digger Podcast.

53:50If you haven't yet, please subscribe. And if you're willing to, take a minute to leave a review. It means the absolute world to me and it helps me get incredible guests just like Robin on the show. Have an incredible day and thanks for tuning in. Until next time, Gold Diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. I'm over here giving you a virtual high five because you just finished another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. Did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, head over to golddiggerpodcast.com for show notes and all the discount codes from today's sponsors. And if you're looking for a new crew of movers and shakers like you to bounce ideas and ask questions, be sure to join my exclusive community for Gold Diggers on Facebook.

54:31The link's waiting for you at golddiggerpodcast.com. Thank you.