Modeling Well-Being: Gisele Bündchen On Nourishing The Self, The Soul & The Planet

24:36But I think that sense came from my mother because we grew up, you know, my mother was a cashier in the bank. My father had, like, lots of different jobs. Like he had a real estate job, but he was, you know, my mom, literally we were like really simple people and grew up in two bedrooms with six girls and money was always tight. So I learned how to, it's the same thing in the book is like, how do you prepare? How do you not waste food? I mean, everything is like, I think in my life I was kind of like raised that way. You know what I mean? Kind of plan ahead, like for tomorrow. So you make sure that you have like food for everyone.

25:09Like we're going to reuse the meat we cook on the barbecue and we're going to put it in the rice. We're going to have carotereo. So you're going to have an abundant meal because we have the rest of the food. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's kind of like that. It's like you put money in the bank. So when you retire, you have something to live off when you can no longer work. The same thing I feel about food. Like you eat the right food. So when you're older, you're able to have the energy and your body is functioning because you made the right choices. So for me, it's the same thing. You know, it's kind of making like just being kind of what is necessary here.

25:39Like, do I really need this? What do I need more? Do I need a roof over my head or do I need these bags and this stuff? Do I need to take a taxi when I arrive to the model's apartment when I'm 14, even though I've never been to the city? Or can I take the subway and save the money so I can get the clothes for the casting and maybe I can get a job? It's like, it's kind of thinking like with the resources that I have right now, what is the smartest, how is the smartest way to use them, I guess.

26:09Thank you.

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29:41there feels like a distinction a difference between giselle bunchen and the things that you care about being this sort of homebody family person holistic lifestyle like all of this stuff and then you know giselle the the runway you know on the runway like it's almost an alter ego It might be an alter ego, but you know what it is? It's a character. I always call it her. Because I think being a model, what I understood as being a model, is to play a character in a silent movie. You know, you get to experience all these different aspects of being a woman, let's say. Because one designer wants you to be more androgynous, you know.

30:22One designer wants, you know, I remember doing a Balenciaga campaign. I was like, they made me a boy. I was like literally like a week. I was like a man, a boy. And in one, I was like the sexy Versace campaign, like, you know, like with big hair and like, you know, push up bra, you know? So it was kind of like, I got to play from the, the androgynous girl to this very sexy, to the tomboy. Like I got to, you know, I mean, you should see, I don't know if you ever saw my book, the other one that was like the 20 years, I did a 20 year anniversary book. Well, I watched the video that you did where you kind of went through it and you were talking about what was going on with you with each of those photographs.

30:58Yeah, so it's really about kind of playing these different roles, but it's just instead of you talking like you would be in a movie, you're just, you gotta make the image, that picture, that one capture image to - It's a performance art. It's a performance art. Yeah, but it's such a weird world though. I know that like Alexander McQueen, he was like, he was really the catalyst, right? He was the guy who kind of made it happen for you. He gave me the chance. But when you watch his shows or some of these other shows, like the designs are stunning and gorgeous, but they're also totally inaccessible.

31:33It's like, who wears this? Does anybody, is there anybody in the world that even wears? I mean, if you're Lady Gaga, I guess, or somebody like that, but like, yeah, it's a fantasy. And so it's curious, like how does that translate into, I guess it's just how you feel and how you think about a particular designer or a brand and not so much about directly selling those designs to the person who's going to the department store or the boutique, right? Yeah, they're not thinking that. I don't even understand the business model of the whole thing. Yeah, I mean, neither to be honest with you, but I think it's a really, I mean, I think it has changed a lot since I started.

32:11Like I see a big shift because I think before there was a lot more creativity. There was allowed a lot more creativity. I think, you know, McQueen or John Galliano, you know, the shows and stuff like you were like in a fantasy world. Sure, and the photographers being rock stars themselves. Oh yeah, and it was a, I think it was a moment in time where there was so much less about selling, but it was much more about the inspiration and the aspiration of creating like a fantasy and like, and it was a lot of fun then, I have to say at that time, because I mean, it was a lot. I would have been dead.

32:43I wouldn't have survived it. I would have gone all in. I would have been at every after hours party. It would have been a disaster. You see, I was in bed, like studying my astrology books at like by 10, you know? That was me. I was like, by 10, I was like, oh no, I have to go. I was like, I have to start early so I can go to bed early. So for me, it was a different thing. But, you know, but I guess for me, I also felt very responsible because I didn't wanna, one of the guiding lights for me, I really believe was my parents because I saw how hard they work and I didn't want to disappoint them. So I think part of like me being so stay on the line was like, I'm not disappointing my parents.

33:24I don't care if they're not here. They are going to know what I'm doing. Like I remember part of the reason why I got so freaked out about the McQueen show when they sent me out like without a top because I couldn't speak English and they didn't even do a feeding anyway. So then I was like, oh my God, if my parents see this, they're going to make me go back home. And then I, you know. What is it like when you go back home? But it wasn't an internet, but there was no internet in 1997. It wasn't, so thank God, because they didn't even saw that. Otherwise, they would be like, what are you doing? I'd be like, I don't know.

33:53And you have five siblings, right? I have five sisters. I'm a middle child. I have two older sisters and two younger sisters. And I'm a twin in the middle. So we are like the sandwich, like the cheese in the sandwich. Being Brazilian, you're connected to the Amazon and to climate change issues. And you've done a lot in terms of your environmental advocacy and clean water initiatives. Talk a little bit about how that began and what that looks like now. You know, I've always been a big, basically, like a child of nature. I always tell my children when they ask, you know, what's your religion? They say, Mom, we don't go to church.

34:32I say, you know what? You're in church every day. I say, what do I say when people ask what my religion is? I say, love is your religion and nature is your church. That's your cathedral. That's the big church. That's our temple. You know, so you honor your temple. You love your temple. Because that's the only reason why we are all alive, because this whole ecosystem is making it possible, you know, to grow our food, to provide us with all the things we need to survive. And that's how I grew up. I felt that way. And especially having a grandmother that everything was from the earth. You know, she grew everything she ate and, you know, the earth was giving us the herbs that we needed to like when we fell ill.

35:08And I grew up in that way. So when you grew up in that way and you grew up running around bare feet, you know, I come from a small village. And anytime you want to eat something, you grab, there is like a tangerine tree or like an orange tree or is a plum tree. And you just go and pick up the fruit from the tree. We never bought fruits from the supermarket. You know, you go, either you had it in your backyard or your neighbor had it or the other neighbor. you know somebody had the fruit you wanted to eat you just go grab it so i think when you leave with that connection to nature you have a different appreciation it's like so i feel like nature is just like it's it's it's me like i think we are you know we are that and i think this connection for nature for me is just something i've always known you know it's how i grew up and And so for me, taking care of which I love, which is nature, is natural.

35:58So, but the first time I realized there was really problems happening is when I went to actually spend some time with the indigenous people in the Xingu area of the Amazon in the 2004. And that's when the first time I realized, you know, pesticides, what pesticides were doing, what mining was doing, how they were contaminating the rivers. and basically all the indigenous tribes, they were living and depending on that water, they were getting sick. And even though they were living very wholesomely with nature and by the impact that the big farms and different mining and all that stuff was having, was really having a really terrible impact in their livelihoods.

36:37And that's when the first time I was like, I need to do something about it. And that's when I started, like I had a flip-flop line at the time in Brazil and we gave a percentage, you know, to, that's actually a funny story, the indigenous people. And I was like, I wonder what they would do with this funds. But it was like a group that helped indigenous in Brazil. And the funny enough, when I did, when I turned 40, this was in 2004. So I was like 24. Cut to when I'm 40, 2020, I was 40. I wanted to do something for my 40th birthday. And I was like, oh, I want to plant some trees in the Amazon. And how are we going to do it?

37:12So we looked around for who can help us do that. And we contacted the people that are working with the indigenous people that we knew in Brazil. And they're like, we have the largest seed bank in the Amazon. And we started with the money, with the whole program that you gave in 2004, that money that was for the sale of the flip-flops. Now, years later, they had the largest seed bank of, you know, the indigenous, they collected the largest seed bank. And this is how with that whole group of people, we basically planted over 300 ,000 trees in that area of the Amazon. So that was like years later.

37:45So that's just how funny how life goes. But for me, because I was so connected to nature and I always wanted to help. And my dad always said, you know, water is the most important thing. And of course, I saw that with the indigenous people because that's how they were all getting sick. Because all the residue of mining and pesticides were going into their water. in my little village, we were having a lot of problems with agriculture as well, where there was a lot of runoffs from Roundup and all this stuff that they use in agriculture, all the pesticides and stuff. And it was getting a lot of people sick.

38:15So we actually did the Agua Limpa program in 2000. And I think it was 2009 or so. I don't remember when we started, but it was like a long time ago. And I funded it. And my dad, who's also a sociologist, worked with the university and we basically regenerated the whole area of the river that was kind of, you know, getting the water to the city and we were able to clean it. It took us like a few years to do it, you know. It was pretty simple because all we had to do, I mean, it was not simple. My dad is the one who did the work. It was simpler for me. I just kind of funded it. But he was there every day.

38:47He had to work with, I don't know how many farmers. You had to take their piece of land and kind of grow the native species forest, you know, the native forest back. So then there was a buffer. There was a buffer and then the root systems could filtrate it before all that stuff would go into the river. And then that was the Agua Limpa project. And that was one of the projects we did to clean the water. And anyway, so there's lots of different things. But in the overall thing, my thing is, you know, we got to take care of Mother Earth. She takes care of us. You know, when people say to me, oh, we're going to save the planet.

39:19I say, that's such an ego thing. You know, as humans, we think we're going to save anything. The planet is in her own process of evolution. This is a, you know, it's, I mean, the dinosaurs were here before us and, you know, Lemuria, I mean, so many different civilizations. The planet will be fine. That's what I always say. I say, please don't fool yourself. I think we are really saving ourselves. We need to, yeah. I say there's no saving the planet. We need to reel ourselves back. Yeah, this is really about us protecting the resources and taking care of what we really need for our survival because once we are gone, the planet is going to regenerate.

39:52I mean, I've seen this over and over again. and the planet regenerates itself so quickly, because it's just a very intelligent, we need to learn from nature, instead of like trying to control nature, we need to just like take a humble pill and learn from the big mama. We've moved so far away from that. And we do live in this dualistic mindset where we think there's our environments and then there's nature or there's us and that's outside. but really understanding that you're never out of nature, as you said, I think is the first point of trying to really deepen your relationship with the world in which you live.

40:34We all live and share. And I think when it comes to the Amazon, like we all hear about deforestation and all the clearing that's going on for cattle grazing and the strip mining and all the stuff that you mentioned, but it's an abstraction, especially for, you know, people in North America. Like we know what's going on, we know it's bad, but I've never visited there. Like I've never seen it myself. And you being Brazilian gives you kind of a deeper appreciation and understanding of the extent of it. You know, I think it's how people tell the story because I think it's a lot deeper than, you know, I think people like depending on the industry that wants to benefit from something, they tell the story and they say, okay, this is what we're gonna do is about the cattle.

41:17The greenwashing aspect of it. Oh, yeah. It's so crazy. A lot of NGOs go in there and they say, we're going to have an NGO because we're going to like protect Amazon. But they're meantime, they're the owners of the bigger paper company that comes from the Amazon. They are just not, you know what I mean? It's not all as it seems. You know, it's a very, it's a wild, wild west there. And one of the biggest, you know, I've been there a few times and also done a lot of just kind of like talking to people and understanding what happens there. And a lot of the, you know, there's ancient woods there and a lot of that goes to Europe.

41:48So like what a lot of the cattle, for example, is what they use to kind of occupy the land, but what they're really after, which is really valuable there is like gold and mine, you know, the - The rare metals. The rare metals, yeah. The rare metals and the gold and all that stuff that's in there, that's what interest this, like, you know, the different countries, let's say they're not Brazil and they, and because it's so corrupt, unfortunately, you know, Brazil is very corrupt. The politicians are very corrupt. What happens is they sell those rights to those countries and then we have what we have.

42:24And then the cattle, like in the end, they just kind of put them there because they have to occupy the land after they, because they have to enter. If you go there - Oh, after they've removed everything. Because they have to remove - Of value. The value. Then they put all the cows there. That's what they do. So they remove the ancient wood. They remove the precious metals. And, but they have to get there because if you fly over it, I mean, you're flying for hours over just a green carpet. So for you to have access to that, you can't just like clear cut because it grows. So what they do to keep the forest from growing, they just throw, because it's very fertile, the soil, as soon as you cut, because imagine, that soil has been there, like receiving all those healthy bacteria from the leaves falling super fertile.

43:07So within like three days, you can, grass grows. And then in order for the trees not to keep growing, because if you just leave abandoned, that's what's gonna happen. and the birds are gonna carry the seeds. They're gonna drop the seeds. Things are gonna start growing again. And then they won't have access, you know? So they kind of, it's just like a cycle. But what is really after, what they're really after it is the big stuff. And it's not, unfortunately, you know, it's so sad, you know, it's greed. In the end of the day, it's greed. And it's greed by people that, you know, they don't have those natural resources where they are.

43:44and they understand the situation in Brazil and how corrupt the system is, you know, with the politicians. And they come and they just buy those rights. They exploit it. They exploit it in every way. And in the end of the day, I think greed is the biggest disease of our time. You're not going to get an argument from me on that.

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45:52Back to the wellness stuff. You're so intentional with food and lifestyle practices, breath work, like all of these kind of protocols and the ways in which you live that you express and explain in this book, it's a lot. And you have two kids there. How old are they now? Like 15, 14, 14, 11, 11. And I have a bonus child that is like gonna be 17. So, okay. How do you instill these choices in your parenting? How do you get your kids excited about the things that are in their best interest from a wellness perspective? I think the number one thing I feel is like monkey see, monkey does, right? I think you have to be the example.

46:43You have to leave it because I think whatever you say is one thing and whatever you do, they need to, whatever you say, whatever you do, they have to be the same thing, right? Sympatico. Yeah, they have to be simpatico and that's what it is. And I think for the kids, for my kids were a lot easier because I was home a lot with them. So I was, you know, taking them to school every day, making their breakfast, you know, just having my gardens at home, growing the food. So when the kids would come for play dates at the house, you know, my kids were grabbing like everything raw, cucumbers, carrots, like green beans.

47:17They were just grabbing it from the garden and like collecting things and putting it in the basket. It was like a game for them. And it was like, oh, friends are coming over. Why are we going to grab for us to do a picnic outside? And then, so they grew up in that way, you know, they, so it was easier for me to feed them healthier food and explain to them, you know, we always composted, we had bees at our house. So, you know, they were learning about, you know, when the beekeeper will come and they explain, you know, how much honey can you take and how much money, how much honey do you leave for the bees and how does a queen bee work and all that.

47:52So they were - They're emotionally connected. They were emotionally connected. They were part of that, like I was as a kid. So for them, it's really natural. And they were also homeschooled for the last three years during the whole pandemic thing. And we moved from Boston to Tampa. So it was a whole new world for them. So I homeschooled them. And now they just went back to school. But I have to tell you, I see a huge difference, especially because my son is 14 now. So he wants to kind of push back. This is what I'm getting at. Well, how old are your kids? Well, they range from 28 to 16 and each one of, there's four and each of them is different, but it's a delicate dance because, you know, we raised our kids similarly, but they reach a certain age and part of individuation and maturing is taking ownership for your own choices and understanding what you stand for and what you don't.

48:50And in order to really define that and hone that, you have to go out and kind of push the envelope and try new things. Otherwise, it's just something you're doing because that's the way you were raised and that's what your parents told you as opposed to really owning it for yourself. And so we have learned that you have to have the reins very loose and let them go out and do what they wanna do and control the environment at home, but be very kind of nonplussed if they go and make a choice that you wouldn't make or whatever and just be curious about it and allow them the space to do that. And you hope they come back and do it the way you taught them to.

49:32And sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. And again, every one of them is different in our case, but as they get to a certain point, and especially when they're with peers and friends and they're in social situations, those things they have to learn for themselves and you have to allow them to, I think. It's so interesting to say that. So you have to let go a little bit. Oh, let go and let God. Yeah. I tell myself that is like a mantra. You know, and I remind myself of like, my mom let me leave home. She emancipated me and I was living in Japan at 14 and there was no cell phones. Like I call, you know.

50:05Can you imagine doing that for one of your children right now? No, and actually, you know what is so funny? Because I was having a conversation with my son about that. He was complaining, you know, I have chores in my house. You know, kids have to do their chores. So set the table, wash the dishes. You know, now I make a point, you know, I cook it. You know, they come from school, I'm cooking. You know, so one has to set the table. Whoever sets the table, the other has to wash the dishes. And there is like, you have to clean your room. You have to do the basic stuff, you know. My daughter is doing amazingly.

50:35She loves it. And she's like really good and very proud of herself. Mom, look how good I clean the dishes. Like she's really good. And she's washing herself. She's not putting it in the machine. She wants to learn how to really wash it and do it right. And she's very focused on it. my son is like always like why do I have to do this you know so actually we had like a breakthrough this Christmas this this whole holiday season because I said he says to me I'm gonna leave home when I'm 18 mom and I don't know if I'm gonna go to college you didn't go to college you didn't go to school I'm gonna just leave home when I'm 18 and I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that I'm like okay that's great so you're gonna live in your own apartment and who's gonna cook for you and who's gonna wash your dishes and who's gonna clean your clothes who's gonna do that and he's like for a second he's like because you're not gonna have a chef and like a you know like and he was thinking for a second and i say well this is why when mommy tells you to do those things at home you know it's because i want to give you more tools for your toolbox because when you learn how to do those things and they become second nature to you then you don't even have to think about it you become empowered to do it for yourself you don't depend on anybody and that's nothing.

51:40It's amazing to be able to do that. I said, you know what made me feel so like strong and capable. And I left my home because my mom taught me how to do those things. So when I left home and I was living by myself at 14 years old, I was at first at 13, at 14, I moved to Japan, but because I was living in a model's apartment, I was the only person there who knew how to clean, cook, iron, do absolutely everything in the house because my mom taught me and it was easy for me. I didn't think it was a struggle. I was happy to do it. And I was happy to do it for the other girls that didn't know how to do it.

52:14But if you're going to be planning on living on your own at 18, who do you think is going to do all those things for you? So all I'm telling you is like, take advantage that mommy's here for you right now. And I'm able to teach you all those things. And you can do it at your time. I'm not telling you like, at this time, you have to wash the dishes. So let me just help you. I'm going to create a list for you. And you just have to do them. And you can decide if you want to wash clothes once or twice a week. You can decide if you want to wash the dishes right after dinner or before you go to bed, whatever you want.

52:44But if you learn how to do those things, you're going to see how empowered you're going to feel. And the more tools we can put, like the more things, like the simple things like that that you can learn and that you can equip your toolbox to do, you're just going to be just that much like capable. And there's nothing more fulfilling than feeling like you're able to do stuff that you're capable. And then he looked at me and he's like, okay, mom. So when we get back home, you give me that list and I'm gonna do it. I'm like, I'm like. I was gonna say like, he actually received that. I think I'm a victory.

53:16I think I got a victory. The hormones are raging, like whatever mom, you know, storming off. Like you can get that reaction too. That was good, good job. Don't you think that was a good thing? But I used, but you see, it was a moment that I used what he said because when he thought to himself, that's true. How am I gonna do all that stuff? I say, you don't want to live in like a, you know, a messy, stinky place that is not clean. Like, you know, you want to like have, you know, so you need to know how to do this stuff. And I think all, I see like all the things that happen in life like that, like different tools we acquire, you know, even the job that I, you know, my job, like all the tools that I've acquired in this job, all the things that I've learned to do that I don't know when I'm going to use.

53:58I use them for my job, but maybe I'm going to, they're going to be useful like in 20 years from my life. Sure, but you came from very different circumstances. It's the peril of success, right? Like you and the kid's dad like worked very hard to achieve all of these things in life. And now they're reared in, you know, like an insane degree of privilege. And it becomes more difficult to instill that kind of work ethic into somebody who, you know, grows up that way. I think you're correct. I think it becomes a lot more difficult, but I think it goes back to the discipline. and it goes back to priorities.

54:34And I think for me, it becomes about what kind of, you know, I feel like I'm their guardian because we don't possess our children, right? I mean, we just come here, they come through us, but they're as much as our teachers as we are their teachers and we're constantly learning and teaching, you know, in every relationship in our life. And I feel that we get this moment in time, which is very short in a way, that we get to influence our children because then they go, I mean, look at my parents. They had 14 years to influence me. Then I was out into the world and I never went back. And I keep remembering like, what are all the things that if they wouldn't have taught me those things, where would I be today?

55:13And I'm so grateful for them, for those lessons. And I feel like, yes, I grew up in very different circumstances than my kids. And it is a bit more challenging to have them, you know, make their bed and wash the dishes and clean their, you know, when I have a person that can do it too. but I make a point of me doing it. So then they learn that, oh, mommy's doing the dinner. Mommy is making the breakfast. Mommy is, so they're like, we can do it. You have to model. You have to model. And I feel like - It's a different kind of modeling. It's the type of modeling that I prefer. It's the type of modeling that I find to be the important type of modeling because that's the, you know, I mean, what's the most important thing you're gonna do in your life?

55:53I feel like raising children is by far the most challenging thing I've ever done. and the most fulfilling at the same time. And, you know, but I feel that if I don't do that, if I don't equip my children to be good, capable assets, you know, for themselves in their lives, if they're not gonna be, then I fail. I feel. Yeah, you haven't done your job. Then I haven't done my job. I mean, I feel that that's my job. I mean, that's a job I do to kind of make a living so I can like, you know, put foot on the table and have, but my real job as as i think as a as a mom and i chose to be a mom so i have to show up for my kids and i feel like these things that my you know i think is really what shaped me and what made me who i am today was definitely the upbringing that i had and and what my parents how they guided me and i feel like that's really important so i make that a priority in my life to make sure that my kids are going to have even though they don't have those same needs you know to do those things because my mom didn't have a person she could pay to come clean the house we had to you clean the bathroom you clean the you know it was like a list all of us have to share between us who's gonna do what and we grew up that way and it was kind of fun because you know I was always I always loved the cleaning part you know I love organizing and cleaning I feel like a clean house is a clean mind is like a what's out is in you know if like if everything is organized outside, I can think.

57:22And I tell my kids that, and I feel that if I can really get them to do those simple things in life, you know, and learn those things and teach them how to be self-sufficient and capable human beings, I feel like I've done my job and then I can rest. And then whatever else they do, the choices they make, if they choose to eat the food that I fed them when they were little, if now they want to go eat, you know, whatever, or I mean, it's going to be what they're going to do. You know, they're going to choose their friends. Hopefully they choose wisely because in the end of the day, they are going to be the one dealing with the consequences of their actions.

57:57And I always tell them like, listen, you know, you're going to go out there and you're going to make the choice, whatever choice you make, there are going to be consequences. You're dealing with those consequences, not me. This is your life. And sometimes they need to make those mistakes and face those consequences. Like we had. I mean, how many mistakes you've done? I mean, I have on this. I don't even remember. And those experiences are formative. Like I'm sure if you look in the rear view mirror and think about the panic attacks that you were having on airplanes and your inability to get into an elevator and, you know, this desire to jump off your balcony on some level, you wouldn't wish that experience on anybody.

58:32but you probably wouldn't wanna change your experience either because it's set in motion, this whole sensibility and way of being that you now have. And I think with kids, they, regardless of whether they hear you in the moment or whether they go out into the world and make a bunch of mistakes, like they come back. And whatever you taught them, it's in there. And at some point when they're ready or whatever, like they return to it. And, you know, and I think to trust that, it's very important. And I also feel like... Because if you try to overly control it, you're going to drive them away. Absolutely.

59:12And, you know, I think for me, I keep going back to me as a kid and the trust my parents had in me to let me go. And I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for them trusting in me and for all the mistakes that I've made and then had to come the other side and figure out for myself. So I think it's important to give our children the dignity of their own process, you know, because we had a dignity, you know, we have to go through our own process to become who we are. And I think as long as they know that we are there and what what is our values, you know, is like those things that are important.

59:49What is what is that we stand for? What's important for us? You know, as as as a as a value, as a core value, as as being a good human being and a good person. And if you thought that your children and they got it, in the end of the day, they're gonna go out there in the world and they're gonna have to make their mistakes. And I think the best thing you can do for them is just be there for them whenever they come back and if they want your help. And I think it's hard because you want to protect them. You can put bubble wrap on them so nothing will touch them and they will be safe. But in the end of the day, that's unrealistic.

1:00:23And it's like - It doesn't work anyway. You know what? I like this idea. you know, there's a metaphor of the butterfly. Imagine the caterpillar as she is transforming into becoming the butterfly. She's, you know, eating, eating all the, you know, until she finally starts spinning into a cocoon. And then she has to like go through that whole strenuous process. If you've ever seen like, you know. They turn into glop. Yeah, but they're like, but it's exactly. It's just, and it's really kind of like hard to, like when they're coming out, it's like really awkward. and it looks like there's very strenuous and very difficult.

1:00:57So if you go in there and you try to help them come out, you're gonna cripple them. You're gonna cripple the butterfly and she won't be able to have the strength she needs to. The struggle is crucial to the growth. And have to give them the dignity of their own process. You have to be, and I keep reminding myself, I cannot take away that opportunity for them because my parents gave me the opportunity for me to go through my own challenges and I grew and I want my kids to have that same opportunity because whoever they're gonna become is going to be based on what their choice is. And hopefully I gave them enough good example and good values where they will make the choices that is right for them, you know?

1:01:42What is it that you want people to understand or take away from the new book and how you are modeling this lifestyle, whether it's dietary changes, lifestyle changes, movement practices, how can somebody who is interested in kind of leveling up across the board begin the process of making those changes in their life? You know, it's funny, you know, because when I decided to do a cookbook, I'm the farthest thing there is from a chef. Let me tell you something. I'm not a chef. Let's be honest. You've got a private chef at home. That person is taking care of everything for you. Not anymore. I used to.

1:02:20You don't anymore? No, I don't. I don't. Come on. No, the last two years, I don't. You're cooking your own meals? Yes, I'm cooking my own meals, yeah. I grew up that way, and I want, like I told you, my priority is showing my kids what I believe is important for them. And I can't say, oh, this is important, and I'm not doing it. You know what I mean? So it has to be cohesive, right? and I think that for me really being like living what I believe is very important and I was showing my kids that this is important to me like the only way I'm going to show them that is by doing that so yes I had chefs and this is how I learned how to cook a lot of the things a lot of the recipes in the book are like inspired by the things that I created with the chefs that I had throughout the years I had the opportunity to you know to really work with incredible people incredible chefs people that love food as much as I do because I love food but was really an idea for me to look I can say go and meditate go and exercise you know I believe meditation I believe rest I believe exercise I believe nutrition all of those things are extremely important for you to be able to take kind of ownership of your health and really take care of yourself and have and work on just having a more clear mind and just feeling more connected it yourself.

1:03:41I think all of those things are different aspects of it. But the reason about the cookbook is quite frankly, I was seeing kids were coming to our house and in play dates and, and moms will come and be like, how did you get my kids to eat broccoli or roasted vegetables? Or, and it was like so simple. And I was like, oh, maybe we can share how to make some simple recipes that are super easy. You can make it like in 10 minutes. And, you know, moms, some, you know, you just sometimes feel overwhelmed. And I know because life is busy. There's so many, so much going on. So I was like, how can I help in this way?

1:04:13And also I feel like food is a perfect time for you to practice being present and mindful because you can eat like on a rush and not being present and the food have a one effect in your body. Or you can do something, which is what I talk about in the book. It's like every time I look at my food, not only the act of preparing your food, there's so much love and you're touching the food and you're connecting with your food. That's one thing. But even if you're not the one cooking your food, just to take a moment to bless your food, to acknowledge that that is something that is alive, that you're taking it and that's also your source of life, you know?

1:04:49So it's kind of like connecting to the food in that way. I think it does something because everything is energy. So you're having a transfer of energy with something and with the intention that you're eating, it has a different, I feel huge, you know, when I started doing that. It does make a difference. How he has a different, just being present and being connected to what you're doing, having gratitude for that moment. And you get to do that three times a day, you know? I mean, now I have a juice once a day, but I still bless my juice. But it's just kind of like, it's just this book, what I would like for people to take is like, it can be really simple.

1:05:27It doesn't have to be complicated to eat healthy. and really like if you have plans, you know, my mom taught me, you know, since I was a kid, like no food waste. So how can we organize our meals so you can - There's a big thing about like reducing waste. Yeah, that's for me, that's huge. And also like meal planning. Like if you're gonna buy because, or, you know, food sourcing, that's huge. It's not about having something with a lot of condiments and a lot of stuff. It's just like, keep it simple, but buying really great quality products. Like if you can do that and then instead of like, because a lot of people are like, oh, and then you buy organic and then you throw it out because it's like, you know, it spoils much faster.

1:06:05And I'm like, yeah, but if you have a meal planning and I teach that, I kind of give some suggestions in the book. Like my mom did that. I grew up like that because she didn't have time. You know, she was working all the time. So she had like in the fridge, like what are we going to have for the whole week? So she will go to the groceries and she'll buy and then the things were allowed to the next day. So you will always know what we were eating and things that wouldn't be eaten could be easily transferred for the next day and be made into the next. Organized so that nothing spoils and you're getting to the things.

1:06:31So nothing spoils and you never had food waste because you're always taking it from one day to the next. So it's never wasted. You always have great quality food. You get organized. You have like your brats and all those things that you cook like on the weekend and you put it in the freezer. So you always, broth makes everything taste better. So if you make a rice, if you make a soup, anything, you just put broth in it is amazing. You're making, even if you're making a grilled chicken, you just put broth in it, makes it amazing. So it was just like introducing an idea of how can we eat healthier and how can we also practice, in a way, a meditation because maybe people are not going to sit for 30 minutes or 15 minutes, however long in meditation.

1:07:13But if they can just take that moment and then it just becomes the practice of observing and of having these moments of gratitude in a day, it just changes your life because it's kind of like you practice, you start little by little And when you realize you're having moments of gratitude a hundred times a day about everything, because that kind of seed was planted. And then you're like, wow, like I get to experience this. And then life suddenly changes because the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Like the ordinary, you know, for us is ordinary, maybe to have a plate of food, but for so many people it's not, you know?

1:07:47Well, the more kind of mindfulness and presence that you can bring to a mundane experience, the more extraordinary it becomes. And then life becomes amazing, you know? Because it's great. There's lots of easy stuff to cook in. It's a beautiful book and it's very accessible. And like you said, like it's simple. It's like simple stuff, easy to prepare, super healthy. Let me ask you this, what is the thing, what is the challenge or the obstacle that you're facing right now that you're trying to work through this year? Like what is coming up for you in the spirit of bringing intentionality into kind of the new year?

1:08:25and what you want to manifest and express? You know, I think I'm always working constantly in patience and in being patient and just accepting the timing of things, you know, from the simple things like I have a project or something I'm working on and I'm like, and people are not moving at the speed that I want or I'm doing a construction and like, you know, it's supposed to be finished and it's like still not like, you know, in whatever area it is, I think one of the things that I really am working on is to not allow the outside, you know, the intensity of whatever is happening in the outside.

1:09:08There's a lot of noise around you. There's a lot of noise. That has to be hard. If we had more time, I'd love to hear more about that. Yeah. That has to be challenging. Yeah, there's a lot of noise. So I think the thing is, how do I look at everything and have the patience and the compassion also for myself and for others and just kind of be in that space of, you know, allowing things to be what they are and not try to change them and just accept them for what they are and release that and just be and just kind of go back to putting the focus on the things that I can control. and just keep working at that.

1:09:51That's like an everyday. Ongoing. Yeah, it's an everyday. I can't imagine. Exercise. And I guess, you know, I get to do those things. I feel like, you know, this is happening for me. I'm not the type of person who's like, why is this happening to me? I'm like, why is this happening for me? There's always an opportunity for me to grow and there's always so many. but I think this of just kind of accepting what is, is a kind of something that's on my consciousness and is constantly coming to me every day for me to exercise patience, compassion for myself, for others, and just kind of stay on that.

1:10:34Things are exactly as they are and it's perfect. Everything is perfect as is. Well, I need a little bit more of that in my life too. Yeah, it's a practice. You know, it's like I haven't achieved that yet, but that's what I'm working on. I'll let you know if I get to the other side. I gotta let you go. So thank you so much. That was absolutely delightful. Thank you. So fun meeting you and talking to you. Everybody pick up the new book, Nourish, your favorite bookseller. We'll link all that stuff up in the show notes and come back and talk to me again sometime. It's just super fun. I'm gonna go straight to Erewhon and get your new smoothie.

1:11:10Yes. That's why you came to LA. to get that up on its feet. I had like four yesterday. I was like, oh my God, I ate so much. I couldn't even eat at dinner barely last night. But it's the immune booster smoothie because Gaia Herbs, I don't know if you know Gaia Herbs. They're amazing. I've been using them for 20 years. Actually, when I was having my panic attacks, my doctor at the time suggested I would take adrenal supplements. And that's how I learned about them 20 years ago. Funny now, 20 years later, here I am working with them because I think they're amazing. and so I wanted to do an immune boost smoothie and really a great after-workout smoothie.

1:11:48So like something that I could just like a meal that I could have after workout. So in this one, there was like coconut meat, coconut milk, acai. You know, I grew up in acai. I love that. So superfood. There is Lukuma. There is, of course, edo berry syrup from Gaia Herbs and I have bananas, frozen bananas. So it kind of gives like a little thickness and oh yeah I have almond butter almond butter and I also put some collagen in there some vanilla collagen so it's that yummy stuff it's really filling you're gonna like it you have to tell me what you think about it after but it's really yummy it feels like a dessert but it's so good it's full of good stuff nutrient dense awesome do I have to take out a second mortgage on my house to buy this smoothie maybe right but it's a meal like I promise you once you eat once you drink this it's literally like Camille.

1:12:40So once you're done with it, you're not going to be hungry for the last like four or five hours. You'll be like all good to go. Cool. Awesome. Thanks. Thank you so much.

1:12:55That's it for today. Thank you for listening. I truly hope you enjoyed the conversation. To learn more about today's guest, including links and resources related to everything discussed today, visit the episode page at richroll.com where you can find the entire podcast archive, as well as podcast merch, my books, Finding Ultra, Voicing Change, and the Plant Power Way, as well as the Plant Power Meal Planner at meals.richroll.com. If you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do is to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, and on YouTube, and leave a review and or comment.

1:13:40Supporting the sponsors who support the show is also important and appreciated. And sharing the show or your favorite episode with friends or on social media is, of course, awesome and very helpful. And finally, for podcast updates, special offers on books, the meal planner, and other subjects, please subscribe to our newsletter, which you can find on the footer of any page at richroll.com. Today's show was produced and engineered by Jason Camiolo, with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis. The video edition of the podcast was created by Blake Curtis, with assistance by our creative director, Dan Drake.

1:14:18Portraits by Davey Greenberg, graphic and social media assets, courtesy of Daniel Solis. Thank you, Georgia Whaley, for copywriting and website management. And of course, our theme music was created by Tyler Pyatt, Trapper Pyatt, and Harry Mathis. Appreciate the love. Love the support. See you back here soon. Peace. Plants. Namaste.

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