IAM2186 – Holistic Psychologist Helps Clients with Holistic Mental Wellness at Different Levels

Title: Transcript - Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:33:18 GMT

Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:33:18 GMT, Duration: [00:16:05.30]

[00:00:00.00] - Dr. Nicole LePera

I say holistic, I mean the mind, the body. So, obviously, I do a lot of the mind piece of things. And, you know, what that looks like is I'm of the believer that we have this subconscious part of our mind that is formed usually when we're very young. I might call it our subconscious programming. It's kind of what happens, what kind of you know, are the things that we do very consistently on a daily basis.

[00:00:21.69] - Gresham Harkless

Do you

[00:00:21.89] - Intro

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[00:00:47.79] - Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have doctor Nicole Perra of your holistic psychologist. Doctor Nicole, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:57.60] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Awesome to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

[00:00:59.60] - Gresham Harkless

No problem. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about doctor Nicole so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And doctor Nicole La Pera trained in psychology at Cornell University and the new school for Social Research in New York City. She practices as a holistic psychologist, is a founder of the Mindful Healing Center in Philadelphia. Recently, she brought her work online to spread the message of holistic mental wellness. Doctor Nicole, are you ready to speak to the IMCEL community?

[00:01:26.79] - Dr. Nicole LePera

I am. Thank you.

[00:01:28.00] - Gresham Harkless

No problem. Let's do it. So the first question I had was to hear, I guess, a little bit more about your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

[00:01:33.59] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Absolutely. So I'm one of those people who was always gonna be a psychologist. So as you heard, I went to a lot of school to do so. Did my training in New York, moved to Philly to start my practice, had kind of two pivotal points along the way, which kind of directed me into the holistic work that I'm doing now. One of which was around my own battle with anxiety and discovering mindfulness. So hence, when I opened up my private practice, I really focused a lot on using mindfulness based techniques and the Mindful Healing Center, you know, started working privately with people. As I evolved and started working with people, started, you know, connecting with colleagues in in the same field, at the same time, went through a health crisis of sorts of my own and really started to realize at that point, look at my own nutrition, look at my own lifestyle, and really started to realize that the major piece that was missing in my own healing journey, as well as a lot of the of the clients that I was working with was the holistic piece. So I kind of pivoted again and then started to really implement a lot of lifestyle, a lot of nutritional based practices into the work that I was doing with my private clients, but also saw this big world that is the online sphere and really was wanting to, you know, kinda get the message out there that I think is is missing in a lot of conventional mental wellness.

[00:02:47.80] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That makes perfect sense. And, obviously, it's it's, sorry to hear about, you know, having to go through those, you know, different experiences, but it sounds like, you know, you've been able to go through them, but, you know, you've been able to cure yourself, but also help out so many other people as a result of it. If you may not be able to do that, if that didn't happen, I guess.

[00:03:03.19] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Right. I think all the time, you know, I I'm always the biggest, I guess, cliche statement of, you know, we learn we pick what we do with our past experiences. And I think, you know, like you're saying, there is a part of me now that can truly relate. And a lot of the people, the clients that I see in my practice online, you know, anxiety is just so prevalent. So having had my own experience as difficult and terrible as it was, I think allows me a lot to speak from a point of lived experience, which I think is really helpful.

[00:03:28.00] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah, definitely agree. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper in here exactly how you're helping to serve these clients, how you're helping them with their holistic wellness. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?

[00:03:36.59] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Absolutely. So, you know, when I think of when I say holistic, I mean the mind, the body. So, obviously, mind piece of things, and, you know, what that looks like is I'm of the believer that we have this subconscious part of our mind that is formed usually when we're very young. I call it our subconscious programming. It's kind of what happens, what kind of you know, are the things that we do very consistently on a daily basis. So for the mind piece, I do a lot of workarounds, kind of understanding what our narratives are, our stories, our programs, and obviously trying to work to shift them because a lot of times they're not so helpful. The biggest piece is, I think, the body piece. So I do a lot of nutritional work. There is a ton of research out there that is really starting to find the pivotal role that our gut health actually plays in everything from anxiety to depression. There's, like, autism, schizophrenia, things like that. So a lot of mental illnesses, we think are you know, the way I would define them is a a symptom of a, actually, a gut related issue. So I do a lot of nutritional focus, and I I bring this up too because I think that there's a lot of contradictory and confusing, overwhelming information out there in terms of all things nutrition. There's so many different camps of people. So I really try to drill down and, you know, give the people that I work with, my clients, at least what my opinion is in terms of the optimal mental wellness diet for humans. So a lot of nutritional work as well as lifestyle. I do a lot of work around breath work, meditation, mindfulness is still a huge part in in my practice. So I kind of from working on all of those levels, you know, like I said, I do this still working individually with clients. I bring this message online. I'm expanding. I'm doing Skype sessions, all of that. So it's been a really cool evolution. I'm hoping in the next couple months to get a a program that I will be able to release to have people kind of self direct themselves through some through the healing process.

[00:05:20.30] - Gresham Harkless

That's exciting. And, you know, and I've I've always heard that, you know, about kind of like the holistic wellness that you sometimes just try to take one piece of it is like, oh, that I ate that today, but it could be so many different other factors that you need to kind of have that holistic perspective to understand exactly, like, what might be the underlying cause as you mentioned. Mhmm.

[00:05:36.50] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Absolutely. And I think and I have you know, this is probably a longer conversation for a different time, but I have my theories. I think as as a as a society, we do like to have this kind of, I call it the reductionistic. Right? One problem, one solution approach. Right? Like, I hurt my arm, so I just fixed my arm. But I think to speak to when I I wholeheartedly agree, I don't think it's ever as simple as one thing. We're very complicated. More often than not, we because all of our systems are so interconnected, our mind and our body being one of those or those two major systems, you know, we can't just pick apart one thing and say, this is how you feel. Right. Right. Exactly. That makes sense. So

[00:06:10.50] - Gresham Harkless

now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be what you feel kinda distinguishes you or sets you apart. But do you have an example of a secret sauce, Dettje?

[00:06:20.00] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yes. So absolutely. So, I think my secret sauce, and I think it actually really helps me in terms of, you know, being the clinical psychologist part of the work that I do is I like to call it I am a a master of objectivity. You know, I think a lot of it comes from my own childhood experiences, but I have an an almost uncanny ability to distance myself. Not all the time, it's my own personal feeling sometimes, but to distance myself, especially in the room with people. And I think that really helps me because a lot of times, you know, we hear someone say something or we don't agree and we become triggered. I think I can sit in a lot of hear a lot of things and sit in the feelings that all of those things bring up and not allow my own, you know, feelings to kind of get in the the room. And when you're doing work with people on an individual basis, I think that can be a really good secret sauce to have as a psychologist because it's really about them and not what I think of what they're saying or feel, I should say, about what they're saying, but kind of showing up for them, meeting them where they're at. So I think that's really benefited me in my personal life and in my practice.

[00:07:17.00] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That makes perfect sense. And so objectivity you're saying is kind of like, you're not, I guess, all the way into, like, what it is that somebody's saying you're able to kind of look in partially and make what is the quote unquote right decision based off of not not based off any bias. Is that correct?

[00:07:31.89] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So it's, you know, I think to a large extent, we all see the world through our lens and often that lens is our narratives, our meanings that we're assigning and therefore the feelings we have. So part of the mindfulness based approach that I practice outside of my practice as well is standing in that objectivity, like you're saying, being able to hear something. Not to say I don't have a thought about it or a feeling about it, I'm human, but not being able to step far enough back, I think you put it a really good way, from that to then just kind of meet the person where they're at and not then speak through my lens and what my opinion or my feeling might be if I might not agree or what have you.

[00:08:05.30] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That's that was definitely a great example of a secret sauce, and definitely a lot of people can, you know, use a benefit from that as well too. So now I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

[00:08:20.50] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Absolutely. So interestingly, the my first answer was kind of the objectivity, the mindfulness piece. My second answer is gonna be the body piece. I think nutrition. Like I said, what propelled me into my own holistic wellness personal journey was a a health crisis. And, you know, with that comes and I think a lot of the symptoms that I was having are a lot of the symptoms that a lot of us have. My brain felt foggy. I had no energy, motivation. While I could kinda summon it, I really had to work hard to do it. So really changing my lifestyle, my nutrition, you know, as the major factor of it, I think is really giving me a balance that allows me to, you know, be more successful, to have more energy, to think clearer, to have those hours where I feel like I'm very much alive in my body in a way that I think if I hadn't made the lifestyle or nutritional changes that I had and a lot of us, you know, aren't making, you know, are struggling. And I think that we are being limited in our in our productivity because of

[00:09:13.20] - Gresham Harkless

it. Yeah. Absolutely. I've always heard that you kinda like I guess you are what you eat to some degree. So sometimes when you're putting things that might not be great for you into your system and not taking care of your nutrition as best as you can, that can manifest itself in stress or depression or frustration. So you kinda have to look at that and figure out what you're putting into your body.

[00:09:30.10] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. That's so the the research, one of the major things that's coming, you know, bringing up to light is there's a very much a connection between our guts and our brains to the extent that if our guts are damaged, before long, the blood brain barrier, so the kind of protection that keeps our brain safe, gets penetrated. So to speak to point me, there's a very real physiological effects then. If if toxins are going into our brain, not only are our mental processes going to be slowed down, but areas such as memory and executive functioning kind of where we do our creative thinking are actually legitimately going to be affected. So I think that really does speak for, we have to follow that train down, right, and then really make sure our guts are healthy so that upstream, our brains are physiologically as healthy as possible.

[00:10:13.50] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That definitely makes perfect sense. And I think that's a phenomenal example of a CEO hack. And now I wanted to ask you for a CEO nugget, and this might be a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

[00:10:25.70] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. So I would tell my younger business self this. I would tell my younger self this. I would tell everyone this, not to believe your thoughts. And like I said earlier, I think a lot of times our thoughts are one of our major disservices, whether we're an entrepreneur in business, whether we're just someone trying to make it through our day. We have a lot of negative critical voices. And like I said earlier, know, I think a lot of it comes from this programming, and it becomes so subconscious that we're saying these negative things to ourself on repeat, not even realizing any of the time. So I think a really huge hack and something that I'm still working on, because it's it's much easier said than done, is is not to believe, you know, my thoughts. You know, everything from the morning routine that I now, you know, hold myself accountable for to even my food choices. There's a part of my mind that tantrums still. I don't wanna wake up early. I don't wanna not have ice cream. I don't wanna do this thing. So I think from anything of I don't want to do or not to do to I can, I can't succeed, you're a failure? All of these thoughts, you know, I think the biggest kind of tip is to just ignore them or at least just develop a distance. Right? Not to say that they go away. I hear them, but I can choose to listen to them and throw my hands up and say, okay, I suck. Or I can choose to say, alright, thoughts, you know, not today. You're inaccurate. You know, I'm not listening to you. So I think that's a a huge, you know, kind of a huge important piece for us all to keep in mind. It's a practice. It's much more difficult than, you know, I think been said, but it's something that I think could benefit a lot of us, definitely entrepreneurs who have that critical voice.

[00:11:55.39] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I think that's absolutely true. And, and, you know, especially in this day and age, sometimes there's so much kind of negativity pulling at you. And a lot of times, like you said, it's been kind of in doctrine, I guess, into us as we've grown up. So sometimes you have to be able to fight that. But I think that, you know, I guess you kind of touched on one aspect where you kind of rewire. Not that I don't think that I could do that, but I actually can do that as a way to kind of, you know, take control and kind of empower yourself to some degree so that you can reach whatever goal you want to.

[00:12:20.39] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Absolutely. I love that you said empower. I probably say empower a million times a day because I think that there are so many little micro moments in a day where we can whether or not it's a victory over a thought or making the way I kind of put out, we make a small promise to ourself and we keep it even if it's so little and so small. You know, I think that's hugely empowering. I think even just stepping back and acknowledging that we have a choice with what we do with our thoughts, whether we listen to it or not, that's empowerment. And a lot of us are disempowered for a lot of different reasons. So I think really cultivating, I love that you brought that word up, that empowerment, I think, is is is hugely beneficial Again, whether or not we're just someone trying to heal from our past or we're someone trying to be an entrepreneur and be really productive and succeed, I think empowerment plays a major role.

[00:13:01.00] - Gresham Harkless

Definitely. Definitely. I would definitely agree with that. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition for what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote, unquote CEOs on this show. So I wanted to ask you, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:13:12.39] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Yeah. Absolutely. So I think the first word that came to mind as soon as, like, I've, you know, I think about this definition is freedom. You know, everything from freedom to come up with the ideas that I wanna present to the world, to freedom to pick the population that I wanna present it to or work with, to freedom to pick the hours that I wanna work. You know, I think a lot of us, you know, are pushed into this, you know, nine to five kind of be be productive in these hours time frame, and I don't think it necessarily works. So, you know, freedom to wake up and decide these morning hours are my most productive or these afternoon hours and work on that schedule, obviously, to financial freedom. Right? And, you know, the the harder the amount of effort I put in, you know, translates and has nothing to do with anyone else to freedom in terms of being able to move and, you know, kind of do my work wherever I want. So I think, you know, the number one thing that comes to mind when I think of my version of a CEO, what is so appealing, and what I kind of, you know, has inspired me to pursue my own path is freedom.

[00:14:07.00] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I love that. And and even kinda like what you said before about being able to kinda make a choice, and it kinda sounds you have the freedom to be able to make your own choice, and we all kinda have the choice to do that. But, you know, as a CEO, you're kind of marking on that that path and making that decision that I'm gonna do that. So I think that's a phenomenal definition. Mhmm. Mhmm. Doctor Nicole, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I want to do is pass you to the mic just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and how best they can get ahold of you.

[00:14:32.29] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Of course. So I have two major platforms. The one that I'm on most consistently on a daily basis is Instagram at the dot holistic dot psychologist. I'm on there pretty much every day. I post new kind of daily tips, whether it's nutrition, lifestyle, all things kind of mental in the mind, mental wellness. So come check me out on there. And I also have a blog at your holistic psychologist dot com. I write blogs weekly. There is an email list if you if anyone who is interested. The link for my website is also in my bio on Instagram, so you can get through it that way. But if you sign up to my email list, there's actually a free gut health PDF I put together a couple weeks ago, and you will be on an email list and get my blog. So Instagram and or your holistic psychologist dot com.

[00:15:16.39] - Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And we'll have those links in the show notes just so that anybody can also click through here and follow-up with you. But doctor Nicole, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule and all the awesome work that you're doing, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:15:27.39] - Dr. Nicole LePera

Thanks. I appreciate being on. Thank you so much, and have a good day yourself.

[00:15:30.70] - Intro

Thank you for listening to the I am CEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue sixteen Media. Tune in next time and visit us at I am CEO dot c o. I am CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at CEO Hacks dot c o. This has been the I am CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Junior. Thank you for listening.