Wellness in Our Communities: Breaking Barriers and Building Access with Health Coach Kristal Holmes (noseyAF Classic)

Hey, everyone.

What's going on?

My name is Stephanie Graham.

I'm an artist and filmmaker, and I'm also an extremely curious person.

Some will go as far as to say that I am nosy as the nerve.

I started this podcast because I wanted to interview people.

I'm not just talking to anyone either.

I'm talking to people who are in the thick of what they do.

I want to know how they live their life and how they get things done so that I could place some of their savvy to my own life.

I'm sharing this with you so that you, too can do the same.

We could do it together.

We all got to start somewhere.

And if you're not looking for practical info, stick around anyway, because my guests are fascinating, and it's my goal to get to the bottom of their sh.

I mean, aren't we all just a little bit curious of what it's like to live someone else's life?

And if we do it the same, there are also times when I will feel called to catch up with you one on one and let you know about what's going on with me, either in life or with my art practice.

You didn't think I'd get the dirt on all these cool people and not let you know what's going on with me, did you?

I mean, I'm a Libra.

We believe in balance.

Listen, I am a big believer that even though we are all different, we can still find ways to relate to each other.

It's time to get down to business.

So welcome to the Nosy AF podcast.

Welcome, dear listeners, back to Nosy af.

I am so excited that these Hollywood strikes are finally over.

This has been such an incredible emotional and financial roller coaster, all while being inspired and empowered at the same time.

I really just cannot believe that it is all over.

I'm telling y' all.

These strikes have made me question everything about my life, my money, my dreams.

And what's crazy is now that the strikes over, it's just been linked back to business as shows are opening back up and people are going back to work and.

Wow.

I think with these strikes ending, it's so on point for my conversation today with Crystal Holmes.

So Crystal Holmes is here at the virtual Nosy AF studio.

She is an inspiring mother, a health coach, an attorney, and the force behind the Go Hard chick movement.

In a world that often pits fitness against body positivity, Crystal brings a refreshing perspective, showcasing how one can be fit and still embrace a body positive mindset.

Today, we delve into the Origins of Go Hard Chick.

Uncovering the powerful pillars of wellness that underpin Crystal's approach to health.

Crystal is a warrior who emerged triumphant after facing the challenges of an autoimmune disease.

She is passionate about guiding women through their own journeys, reclaiming healthier and fuller lives.

Crystal has been through this herself, so her personal transformation serves as a testament to the transformative power of getting consistent movement and full nourishment to your body.

Crystal and I talk about the practical aspects of wellness as we explored strategies for stress management.

What do you do when you're overwhelmed by tasks?

And the very concept of stress feels elusive?

Crystal shares her wisdom on identifying and tackling stress in our busy lives.

But our conversation doesn't stop there.

Crystal's dedication extends beyond the individual, prompting us to ponder the state of wellness advertising, especially in underserved communities.

So we challenge the status quo and engage in some radical dreaming, envisioning a future where essential health services are common knowledge, accessible to everyone, where anybody on the block, they are equipped with tools they need to thrive.

So let's get ready to navigate through Crystal's remarkable journey.

She is so inspiring, so motivated and empowering, and I'm really happy to have her on this episode of Nosy af.

So let's get into that.

All right, cool.

So thank you, Crystal, for being here.

You ready to do it?

I'm ready.

Okay, cool.

So Crystal of Go hard chick.

Crystal, can you.

Okay, let me just say this first.

What I love about Crystal and what I really love about you is that you are a like wellness, fitness, health.

I feel like those sometimes could be interchangeable.

Maybe they're not, but I feel like you are like really into this and then you have like, you know, this like great physique, but you're not, you know, like, you'll like, you could do like competitions and all that stuff, but you're not like, it's not intimidating to talk to you as like a plus size person.

Like, I don't feel you're thinking like she needs to look like me or something.

You know, I don't, I don't get that at all.

Which actually maybe a lot of people are like that, but it just like we've been conditioned that it's like either or.

But I never get that from you.

I feel like if I came to you about like a situation where like a doctor would probably tell me to lose weight, you would not say that you'd be like, well, how's your sleeping?

Or what, what do, what did you have for dinner?

You know, Those types of things.

And I just really appreciate, like, you, like, so welcoming like that.

Like, you, like, are into, like, the fitness piece of it, like, the hardness of it, and that's your thing.

But you're not trying to, like, push that on nobody if somebody's interested.

Sure.

Because I remember even your episode, you're like, all right, listen, you guys keep asking me about something, like, about someone, their body, like how to get abs or something.

And you're like, I'm gonna say this, but, like, you don't have to do this, but this is something.

These are, like, thoughts I have if you want to get, like, rock hard abs or, you know, quote unquote kind of thing.

And so I just love that because it's like, look, I'm not telling you this, but since so many of you guys are asking me about it, I'm gonna address it.

And I think that that's, like, really nice.

Instead of saying all of you should have my abs or something.

Oh, God, no.

That was like a really long intro of, like, why?

Just love and admire your work.

But yeah, I so appreciate you, Stephanie.

First of all, thank you for inviting me on.

This is a true honor.

And no, like, my platform is really just about overall health and wellness.

And it.

I think I feel like in this society especially, so many coaches, so many businesses, so many corporations, everybody's obsessed with weight loss and they're missing a big picture.

Like, we're.

We're doing this stuff and we're trying to lose weight at all cost, even if it's not healthy.

And my platform and what I try to try to promote is we gotta be healthy, whatever that looks like for you, you know, Are you getting enough sleep?

You know, let's start there, you know?

Yes.

I think exercise is important, but you don't have to lift weights like me.

You could take a walk, you know, so it's really just about overall health and well being, you know, are you.

Is your stress being managed?

So that's.

That's what I like to talk about, and that's what I like to promote, you know, and if you lose weight, great.

If that's one of your goals, fine.

But let's do it in a healthy way.

Yeah.

Yeah.

One of the things I'm here at the.

At my artist residency in Pooch Cove, and when we all first got here, because half of the women are professionals, everybody was just sleeping.

Like, you would think everybody would get up and, like, start painting or going out and making images or any of that, and everybody was sleep and Trying to adjust and because it's just so quiet up here and, you know, it was easy, like, to start beating ourselves up, like, oh, my gosh, you know, I'm up here, like, I'm supposed to be up here to, like, make art and blah, blah, blah.

But it's like, no.

Like, you also are away from your husband and children and from work, so everybody's like, you're right.

I'm just gonna go back to bed.

Everybody's, like, painting in pajamas and stuff.

It's just been really, like, refreshing.

Cause it's like, that's also a part of, you know, your job, you know, as an artist or just as any professional, just to sleep.

Yeah, we're exhausted.

We're exhausted.

And probably, I would guess as an artist, if you are exhausted, are you as creative as you would like to be?

Probably not.

Probably not, yeah.

Or not as productive as, like, you know, getting up here thinking, oh, yeah, I'm gonna, like, be so inspired and do all this stuff.

But I mean, you need to be rested to be able to do that, to have the energy to do it, so.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

So how did Go Hardship get started?

Oh, my gosh.

I'll take you back to the original origin.

Okay.

Okay.

So I was a stressed out attorney.

I had extreme anxiety.

The anxiety.

And just now that I've done the work, I realize it wasn't just my legal work.

It was just some trauma that I hadn't addressed, led me to eat.

So I was eating to soothe.

But the stress from my work was.

Was tremendous.

And I.

I finally got a hold of, of myself and I addressed the stress.

And the gym is what really helped me make, you know, fitness is what helped me with my stress and helped me find a better way of life and living and just, you know, I was happier and healthier.

And I became a gym rat.

And some guy in the gym approached me and he said, I've seen you on Instagram.

I see you.

And I say, gosh, that chick goes hard.

And like a light bulb went off.

No way.

That's a true story.

And so I wrote it down.

I said, I'm going to call myself the Go Hard Chicken.

I don't know what I'm using this for.

So, like, this was back in probably 2010.

Oh, no, no.

2012, maybe 2013.

And I just kind of held onto it.

Now, back then, I was writing blogs.

That's when, you know, blogging was super popular.

So I would write things mainly for myself, but some people would read what I'm writing.

You Know, just sharing about health and wellness and stuff.

That's where it really started.

And as life would happen, I kind of fell off my health wagon, if you will.

I had accepted a new position with another firm, and it was even more stressful, and I fell off, and I found myself not feeling well, stressed out again.

I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and after that diagnosis and realizing I needed to get back to wellness, I.

The universe was like, you need to do a podcast, and you need to call it Go Hard Chick.

So that's what I did.

I love it.

Did that man ever know?

I wonder, does he know?

I don't.

I don't know.

I never told him.

Yeah, but who knows?

You know what's interesting?

So it sounds like, you know, as you started this health journey, that you started to document yourself.

So, like, were you documenting yourself in the gym, like, exercising and stuff?

Yes, yes.

And it was really just for myself.

But then people started to.

To take notice.

But, yeah, I did.

I did.

Would you notice if other people were documenting themselves?

Because it's so funny.

Like, I just think about that now, like, at the gym or.

Or even I had just went to the Brooklyn Museum, and I was, like, filming myself looking at the art or, you know, messing around and stuff.

And there I do have a picture of a man that's, like, just watching me.

Like, what is she doing?

Like, can she just look at the artwork?

And so, yeah.

Do you see other people doing that in the gym, filming themselves?

Oh.

Oh, yeah.

Especially a lot now, because everybody wants to post it on Instagram, you know, but back then, I mean, we had Instagram, but I felt like it was more organic.

Like, we were just like, Instagram was like my own personal diary.

I didn't think anybody was looking at me.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

That's so funny that that man saw you and like, even, like, came up to you.

I just.

I love it.

And gave you the foundation of your business, the name of your business.

Yes, yes, yes.

Oh, my gosh.

You know, wait, just really quick.

This is really quick, But I don't want to forget it.

Do you have any tips?

So there is, like, this.

I want to go to a gym, but I like the smaller gyms because I feel like I won't see anybody there that I know.

And there's a local Y YMCA by me, but there's some, like, guy who I went out with, and he goes there, and I'm like, I don't want to go there and possibly see this person.

So it makes Me not want to go to the gym?

Yeah.

Do you have any advice around stuff like that?

Well, you're.

Well, first of all, your feelings are valid.

I mean, when I.

When I first joined a gym, well, I don't think it was my first.

I remember when LA Fitness first got popular here.

This was years ago, and everybody was running in there and signing up, and so I did, like, everybody.

And I remember going in there and feeling extremely intimidated.

Like, I did not want to be on the main floor.

So in.

In this particular LA Fitness, there was upstairs and the downstairs, and the upstairs had the cardio.

Okay.

So I was like, I don't want anybody looking at me.

I'm just going to stay up here in the cardio section and hide out.

So that's.

That's a typical feeling.

And I think people should find a space where they feel comfortable.

So if it's not that Y, maybe some other smaller gym and as you get.

And it's funny because now I walk in that same LA Fitness like, I own it, because I realize now nobody's really looking at you.

Think about it.

I'm concerned because I'm like, who's looking at me?

You're concerned because you're thinking somebody's looking at you.

We're all concerned because we're thinking somebody's looking at you.

We're.

We're not looking at each other because we're all consumed with thinking somebody's looking at us.

Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah, that's good.

And you know what?

Actually, you gave me an idea, like, because it's funny because all the little small gyms are, of course, like, these, like, bougie prices and stuff, and I'm like, you know what?

That don't make no sense.

The y is like $8 a month.

Like, but here I am, like, at, like, 75 bucks a month.

But I like the idea of maybe, like, graduating, like, so maybe that's where I need to be for now.

But then sooner or later, then maybe I'll be down to going to the Y, because.

Yeah, you will.

Won't even bother me anymore.

Right.

So.

Yeah.

So nothing's forever.

I have to, like, I always think, like, this is, like, a permanent decision, but that's not true.

No.

Yeah, that's good.

That's good.

So go hard.

Chick I know has these pillars of wellness.

Can you share the pillars?

So, yeah, when I started this journey way back when, for me, it was just health.

I mean, we weren't really even health.

It was working out.

That's what it's about we're going to work out and we're going to exercise and we're going to lose that weight.

But then once I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, I realized that wasn't.

That's not enough.

We have to look at the whole picture.

We have to look at your emotional wellness.

We have to look at the wellness of your environment.

We got to look at your financial wellness.

Because if your finances are a mess, guess what?

You're going to be stressed out.

We got to look at your job wellness, your occupational wellness, I should say your physical wellness, your social, spiritual.

So I came up with the idea, let's talk about all of this.

Because all of this plays in to how to our wellness, how well we feel on a daily basis.

Like, I can have fabulous abs, but if my stress level from work is off the chain, does it really matter?

Right.

No.

Right.

Because you're going to be out at the party with your great abs being mean to everybody.

Exactly.

So that's why I like to talk about all of it.

All of it.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's true.

Because, like, maybe because I'm stressed out about not being able to go to the $8 gym and paying $75 so that I can feel comfortable, but then I'm upset about that and it's just like a whole spiral of foolishness.

Yes, yes, yes.

Yeah.

So it's like, really about encopul.

It's like all the.

Well, it's like all the wellness.

Yeah.

It's every aspect.

It's every aspect.

And here's the thing.

I don't have all eight of these together.

You will rarely have all eight of these together at one time.

Like, I might have two or three together and I'm still working on, you know, and it's funny because different seasons, like, be like, the economy is not that great right now.

So I feel like my financial wellness is not that great.

Yeah.

Three years ago, I felt like I had it under control, but now that's the area I need to work on, you know?

Yeah.

And it's like sometimes, like just with the economy, it's like identifying when it's not even your fault.

Right.

Like, so your financial wellness right now, it's not your fault.

No.

Like, groceries are mad expensive.

But so now.

But now I have to.

I need to focus on that because I'm like, all right, how do I make this work?

What can I do in my budget, for example, to make sure I can still put food on the table, you know?

Sure.

Yeah.

And like figuring out.

Yeah.

How to budget all.

Do you all in Georgia, you're in.

Where in Georgia are you?

Atlanta.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do they have community fridges there?

They do.

I wouldn't say that.

There's a ton.

Okay.

There are some.

Okay.

Yeah.

No, Chicago has like quite a few and I feel like those have been so helpful for, you know, just like finding groceries.

You know, like somebody had put like fresh herbs in one.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

Like people are like really put stuff from their own garden or there was a place, it was sort of like a place that does like meal prep.

They were giving their meals that like might not have sold that they had left over.

And they were putting them in there and they would like let you know so you can get those.

Like they weren't, you know, and you can just cook em.

They're not like old or anything.

They just.

There's like just stuff left over.

But when you were talking about like figuring out food on the table, I'm like, those types of resources are so important because it's just like, here's, here's some food for free.

Right.

And that's the thing, like you mentioned the, the food prep service.

There's.

There's plenty food at least in the United States to go around.

But you got grocery stores throwing away good food restaurants, and a lot of it, it's stems behind fear of being sued.

So we're just wasting resources that people could be using.

Yeah.

I'll never forget when it was a seafood company commercial I worked on and they were like photographing lobsters and stuff and they were gonna throw it away and it's just like, you've got to be kidding me.

Like, no.

So like all of us PAs are trying to take.

We're taking lobsters, we're trying to pack a lobster.

Like, oh, don't do that.

I'll take this to my family's house this weekend.

Yeah.

But you know, I was curious, like with stress.

This is one thing I wanted to ask you about.

So stress.

Can we talk about stress?

Like, I personally, you know, I'll hear people all the time like, oh, I'm so stressed.

Or there's that, that stock image of like that man that's like, you know, he has his like, hand over and like eyebrows all froiled up.

But I never like identify as feeling stressed, but I always think I have to have some because I'm always doing something.

Yeah.

I mean, I think about something.

Yeah.

If you live in this modern society, you're experiencing stress now.

I mean, many of us experience it at different levels.

And when you start to feel like.

When I start to feel like I'm stressed out, I know I'm at level 100, you know, but we're constantly under stress.

And that's the thing.

I think we need to be aware of it as much as possible, because stress leads to inflammation not only of our bodies, but our brains and our bodies start to feel like it's constantly under attack.

You know, our bodies.

I mean, healthy stress is okay.

You know, I once heard somebody describe it like this back in, I don't know, ancient times.

You know, if you saw a tiger or a lion or I could say, nowadays, pit bull, you see it.

It starts to chase after you.

Our body's natural stress response kicks in so we can get the heck out of there, right?

But we are experiencing that level of stress every single day, some of us.

And not because the pit bull is chasing after us.

It's because our responsibilities at work, job, we're stuck in traffic when we're mad, you know, kids, something going on with the kids.

Our relationship isn't going well.

There's so much.

So much going on that keeps us under stress.

How do we cope with that?

I think the first thing is awareness.

First thing is be aware.

Second, you gotta set boundaries.

You know, for me, personally, I know when I'm stressed out that, you know, I'm gonna.

I get triggered.

So I'll eat food.

So I know when I'm eating a bunch of stuff that I probably shouldn't be eating, I probably had a bad day, so I pay attention to that.

Or I'm craving certain things, I pay attention to that.

I know I need my physical fitness that helps me personally deal with the stress.

Other ways to cope, I would say whatever your thing is, develop a routine.

Maybe you take a bath in the evenings.

You know, maybe you take walks.

But you got to find a way to unwind and deal with that so it doesn't continuously build up.

And like, when I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, I really and truly believe that a big reason that I got it was because of the stress I was under.

So I.

I just decided.

I said I got to make some changes.

I'm.

I switched jobs because I felt like if I continued on in that position, the way things were going, it was just going to get worse.

So, you know, awareness and set.

You got to set boundaries.

You have to.

Are you an enamel pin collector?

Well, I don't know if you knew this, but I have my own pin company Called Graham Cracker Pins.

It's a tiny shop and we make limited edition pins.

And I got quite a few styles.

I have one around the theme of Carrie James Marshall called King Cary.

Another fun one I have is I need a Baker, which is Anita Baker with a baker's hat.

I have a pin dedicated to the Lord our savior, Jesus Christ.

There's a couple different styles and I also work with a lot of independent companies and artists, help them create their own pins for whatever they want.

I started Graham Cracker Pins because I was inspired by this one artist making them.

And I'm like, you know what?

This is a pretty cool way to make my art available at a very low price and still make fun art at a limited edition.

Because you know, the limited edition is where it's at anyway.

I would love for you to check them out.

You can go to grahamcrackerpin Co and check them out.

And then if you are in Chicago and you check out the Museum of Contemporary Art, I have some pins in there as well.

Just want to, you know, plug my stuff.

Thanks for listening.

What do you think about folks that smoke weed as a way for stress?

Is that okay?

Oh my.

Stephanie.

I mean, yeah, like I, I'm not a weed smoker, but I know like people really do use drugs, I guess as a stress.

You don't have to go there if you don't.

If you don't want to wheelhouse.

Well, that's the thing.

I'm glad you brought that up because there are so.

We are all coping with stress in many different ways.

Healthy ways or not so many healthy ways.

Think about it.

Some of us cope with stress.

We self soothe by eating sugar.

I was talking to somebody the other day.

She, she, she had a sugar addiction.

That's what she used to cope.

You know, some of us smoke weed, some of us shop, you know, or excessive shoppers.

Some of us use other drugs.

We're all.

Every day, we are our whole lives.

If you look at it this way, we are design.

I don't know if we're designed, but we are seeking comfort.

So we seek out things that provide us that comfort, whether it's real or perceived.

So we don't want the stress.

So if you're stressed out, you may be doing something, like I said, to relieve that stress.

That may not be the healthiest.

I know some people swear by marijuana and they think it's from the earth and it's fine.

But there are other people that think that can lead to some other things, you know, but we're all just here.

We're all just coping, you know.

Yeah.

I wonder that came to mind as you were talking because I see a lot of people use drugs as a way to.

As a part of their lifestyle.

And it's, it's, it's a lot more than what I had thought.

I'm just like any.

It seems like everybody is on drugs or uses them and it's just like, dang.

Really, really.

Right.

We're all, we're all just trying to cope.

We don't.

And I.

One other thing I realized when you mentioned drugs.

I don't use drugs, but I realized finally I had to be after doing some work, that exercise became my drug.

And I remember some years ago when some, someone mentioned that, not necessarily to me that that's what I was doing, but just, I just heard a conversation and I remember getting very triggered by the idea that exercise.

I'm like, this is healthy.

It's not a drug.

I'm not over exercising.

But if I'm looking back, that has been my drug and I was using it as a way.

Yes, it helped me with stress and it's wonderful and don't get me wrong, but I was using it a way as a way to cope and not, and not do the work in some areas of my life that I needed to do the work in.

You know, I was, I was saying, you know, I don't know if I mentioned, but I, when I took the job in 2016, I took this job and I knew when, if I accepted this job, it was going to affect my gym time.

And I know that might sound crazy to some, but I almost didn't take this position because I was like, I'm not going to be able to get to the gym like I want to.

I mentioned it to a colleague of mine and he was like, are you, are you crazy?

You gonna turn down this job, this opportunity because you're afraid you're not going to be able to go to the gym?

But that's how much I needed that gym time.

And looking back now, I realize that that was my drug.

Like I was dealing with some stuff that I didn't want to deal with.

And sometimes we, we got to look at it.

We can smoke the marijuana, we could drink the alcohol, we could over shop, we could eat the ice cream.

Sometimes you got to go deeper and figure out and do the work and go to those dark places and heal.

Yeah.

My next question was going to be for you.

When you were at, when you.

I first started to say that you became Like a gym Red.

I'm like, I've hear that before.

Like, other people are just like, you know, they really started to just enjoy the gym.

And I'm like, I wonder, is that possible?

For me.

Yes, it's possible.

You know, I love.

It's like a family.

Like, my gym, like, you get to know the folks, and they're like, family, and we laugh and we have a good time, and, you know, we keep each other in check.

If we miss too many days, they're like, where are you?

You know, so.

Yeah.

That's really sweet.

That's really sweet.

Y' all have that dynamic.

I.

I feel like one time I was going to a gym where with a girlfriend of mine, and we didn't come a few days, and, like, the guy was like, oh, were you guys on vacation or what?

Like, you know, like.

And you just.

It was super early in the morning, like 6 in the morning.

So nobody really talked.

We just gave waves.

But you're right, you did start to check who was there and who wasn't.

And especially because it was, like, in a.

Like a gym in a apartment building, you know, so it was like.

It was like half apartment, half hotel.

And so, yeah, like, people that live there, you know, we started to, like, know each other.

So.

That is nice.

That is nice.

You can make.

And even a friend of mine, he was upset because he's like, you know, a lot of my friends, they don't really want to go to the gym.

And I remember saying, like, you'll probably make friends as you keep going to the gym.

And it was true.

And it became like, after a month, he, like, ended up seeing a guy there, and they got each other's numbers and they started to meet each other there.

And it was really cute because he didn't really have that many, like, friends that would go to the gym, you know, and he, like, then one time he was excited.

Cause then he decided to go get dinner after.

And, you know, they were, like, becoming buddies.

So that was really sweet.

Yes.

You have a whole other group of friends that you'll meet in the gym.

It's very cool.

So you.

So, like, with your podcast, you discuss these pillars, right?

And you discuss these topics around these different thoughts around different areas of wellness.

Where do you get your ideas from or where does your content come from?

A lot of it is stuff I'm dealing with.

Yeah.

Like, last year, I had.

I did quite a few episodes where we talked about trauma, and that was just something I was super interested in and something I realized I was dealing with.

But I try to, I try to keep a pulse on, you know, what's going on in the health and wellness world.

I listen to a lot of podcasts myself and I, I get a lot of listeners will say, hey, can you, can you do an episode about X, Y and Z?

So I try to, I try to listen to what people want to hear about as well.

That's really nice that you, that you do that in your approach, but I know, I enjoy your Instagram too, because I feel like even like in the comments, it's like a little community of people sharing.

Yeah.

What they do as well.

But so do you, do you work with people like people like work with you as well or.

Or is it just the podcast?

Well, yeah, I am a health coach and now I have taken a little bit of a break from my one on one clients because I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

And that goes against my whole personal wellness.

Right.

I.

But I'm going to start doing some group things.

Okay.

Very soon.

So.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I think, you know, one of the things I think about, I feel there was a point when I like learned that I was anemic.

I learned I was anemic.

And I found it through a boss telling me like, I was telling like I was fatigued and stuff.

And she's like, oh, you should probably go see a chiropractor.

And then I went to the chiropractor.

The chiropractors, like, which I just thought they were going to like, you know, I think of like chiropractors just like, you know, like cracking my neck or whatever.

But then they were like, well, let's.

Okay.

They asked me a bunch of questions like, about me feeling fatigued and stuff.

They're like, oh, maybe you're like our like iron deficient vitamin D deficiency.

They did like a whole blood panel on me and I realized like, okay, yes, I'm anemic.

And they helped me get on supplements and I started to feel better.

And then through the same woman who helped me get a chiropractor, anytime I would tell her, like, oh, like a knee problem, then she would send me to like some random yoga doctor who could, like, who works with massaging knees.

And it just became like through this woman, like all these different resources available.

And then, you know, I'm pretty resourceful myself.

And then I would find, you know, it made me look up other types of doctors and other type of wellness practitioners and I'm just like, how come nobody knows about this stuff?

And it was, I just I'm just curious.

Like, one of the things I want to do with you is just, like, daydream, because this is a white woman who told me this.

Right?

Like, and, you know, I got all these supplements.

I look like a freaking vitamin store in my house.

And I just feel like people should know about, like, you know, your wellness programs, you know, group coaching, and, like, it's just not talked about enough.

And, you know, sometimes the only people who seem to talk about it are, like, the brothers with the locks that are, like, stand on the corner, you know, talking.

That are, like, talking about, like, wholeness as, you know, like, ob, whole sister and all this stuff.

And you're just like, sir, I just trying to get to the grocery store, like, and so I dismiss them, you know, because it sounds like whatever they're talking about is probably not going to be legit.

I know that's wrong to say, but it's how I think.

And I don't know, I just feel like this type of stuff needs to be more available to black people.

Yeah.

And that.

That is exactly why I started this podcast.

Because I knew, like, when I found out I had Hashimoto's.

I'm gonna be honest with you, I didn't even know what the hell that was.

I had never heard of it.

Like, what is that?

And so here I am.

I considered myself an educated black woman, and I realized I didn't know much about health.

And I was in.

I mean, I was in fitness and all of that.

And so I got to thinking, and I was like, if I don't know, then I can imagine the rest of us surely don't know.

Our doctors aren't really telling us.

Well, first of all, are we going to the doctor?

But that's a whole nother story.

Yeah, but then, like, our doctors aren't telling us, you know, so I have to get the word out.

We got to figure out a way to get the word out.

And you're right.

There are a lot of platforms that white women or white men have, and they're huge platforms, and they're getting the word out.

And so I thought there's got to be space there for us in this.

In this health and wellness thing.

How can I tap into that space and reach as many black women as I can?

You know, and you mentioned chiropractor.

I had a guest on a couple of weeks ago, a chiropractor.

You know, there's so much.

There's so much they can do.

But like you said, like, my initial thought was they just Crack your neck.

But they are.

I mean, I was shocked after speaking to her.

Just, you know, but we don't know.

We don't know because we're not sharing the information.

And we got to do better.

We got to do better.

I even think about it as just like, job opportunities as well.

Like, hey, did you know you could be a chiropractor?

Right?

But I even will think of stuff, you know, with like, my own family or friends, like, if they have a certain situation, like, the doctor is not going to mention it because they weren't trained in this, in that type of medicine.

You know, it's like, no, you should probably go see an acupuncturist or go.

There was this guy.

I can't think of his name.

His name is Roger.

He does some.

Some like, method called Traeger.

It's some type of, like, massage method.

And I tore my mcl and so I would go to him.

Like, he was helping me with the inflammation, and it was like a weird, like, pressure touching and all this stuff.

But a lady when I was living downtown in my building told me about him.

And I'm just like, what?

Because she saw me limping and she's like, oh, you should need to go see Roger.

He, like, does this, like, weird massage thing.

And it, like, helped me.

It was expensive, and so I was thankful that I had a job.

And he.

And he does.

I talked to him like, we'll work sliding scale and stuff, but I'm just like, you need to have, like, a booth at, like, the jewel on 79th Street.

And, like, I need you to help everybody there.

And like, you know, you need to rub everybody out with their, like, knees and stuff, because it's just.

Yeah, it's just so many things that are just so important.

Instead of like, making people pill poppers and stuff, it's just like, there's so many things, but then the things will be so expensive.

And so, I don't know.

I'm saying all this as a roundabout to be like, in your perfect world.

Like, what kind of, you know, creative or what type of wellness facilities would you have available for.

For us, for our communities?

Yeah, I would.

Man, I would love to have a wellness facility that would be focus on the eight pillars.

Like, it's everything and education.

And I think the education, even down to the schools, like, if you.

If you made kids take a course where they learned how to read nutrition labels, can you imagine the effect that would have?

Because most kids, I mean, my kids, My daughter's with me most of the time when I'm at the grocery store.

Yeah.

And she's that type of kid that would be like, mommy, did you read this label?

It's got red die 40, you know, but if we, if we empower everybody, starting with the children and we give people the resources and resources, I mean include, I mean the food has got to be affordable, it's got to be accessible.

It's got to be.

Because what's happening is we're all on this treadmill every day and we're going 100 miles an hour and you know, we're trying to get to work, we're trying to get to school, we're trying to do all these things and we don't have time.

A lot of us simply don't have time.

You know, I hear it all the time, like I'm rushing.

I don't have time to cook dinner, I'm going to pick up Zaxby's or McDonald's or whatever.

So I would love it to be where healthy food advice information was just easily available.

And I don't know how to get that to our community, you know.

Now, you know, some would argue, well, the information's there.

Yeah, but I think so many of us are busy with our day to day lives that we don't, we don't take the time to, to look into it.

Unless of course like in my case, something happened, you know, but even then things happen and we, we don't look into it.

We just take what our traditional doctors say as face value, you know.

Yeah, I know.

And it really, it really hurts me, you know, cause I'm like, there has to be a better way.

As you're talking, I'm like, man, maybe there could be some sort of like billboard program or what, I don't know, like, like at the register, like putting signs, like taping it up to the register, like hey, did you know, like if you're gonna take this Hershey bar, maybe get like, get that.

But then also think about this or you know, like, hey, this is a number for these clinics that's happening this weekend or whatever.

Because that's another thing that there'll always be like free stuff that people don't know about.

Like you, you have to be like a researchers person to like find this stuff.

Like I love researching and knowing things so I will find stuff out.

Especially if somebody puts me onto something, then I'm like a total spiral.

But I know the common man isn't like that maybe so it's just like, yeah, I'm like, how can people have access to this?

And even, like, that same person, Roger, who had.

Did the misogyny, he was saying that he was doing, like, a clinic at an art institution.

Right.

So he was going to be there doing something.

I'm like, okay, that's still.

To me, I think of, like, all right, my neighbors who are just, like, regular folks who.

They're not interested in art or, like, anything like that.

So I feel like that's still, like, reaching, like, the quote unquote, like, intellectual, like, community.

That's, like visiting art.

So it's like, where.

What about, like, Pookie and Main man, you know?

Right.

Like, they always say that, like, how am I going to get them to come to this yoga thing?

Because it's always usually, like, the intellectuals and, like, art folks that, like, come to these types of things.

And so I'm like, how to reach outside of that, you know, is always the.

You know how.

Right.

I mean, the old model would be go through the church, but I don't think that would work anymore.

Yeah, I think.

I don't know.

You might have to reach.

You might have to reach them through the children.

Their children.

Yeah, Maybe like, through the schools.

Oh, you know what?

Maybe, like barbershops and.

Yeah.

Salon.

Maybe they can, like, host workshops or something.

Yeah, that's a great idea.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Like the place where you're getting your hair braided.

If we wait on the.

I mean, the food industry, they ain't gonna do it.

They're not gonna.

If Hershey found out somebody had a sign up at a register that said, you know, eat the broccoli instead of the Hershey, they would go berserk.

Yeah.

You know, so, yeah, I think we would have to do it, like you said, through the barbershop, the beauty salons.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It makes me, like.

I wanted to ask, you know, with food, you know, if we don't have, like, money for food or if we're on, like, government assistance, you know, people, they always criticize, like, oh, their food.

You know, like, I love.

Like.

Like, say.

I don't know.

I'm not saying that this brand is bad, but say, like, Sargento cheese.

But they're like, oh, because I didn't go to, like, the cheese person and, like, get mozzarella.

Like, is it okay to eat that stuff, like, packaged stuff, like, if that's what's available, or is it because I don't know, like, what else to do, you know?

Or like, yeah, if I'm, like, on EBT or food, you know, Food stamps.

Because I'm sure, like, different folks listening.

It's called whatever, you know, I don't want to be criticized for the food that's accessible to me.

Well, that's the thing.

The people criticizing the folks that may get assistance, they're.

You know, you're criticizing them because you're like, oh, they.

They shouldn't be able to buy soda with their food stamp.

Well, you drink soda.

Yeah.

You drink soda.

Like you're trying to force health on them.

Y' all ain't healthy either, you know, So I.

I don't know that I like that idea.

I mean, from a health standpoint, I would love it, but I don't want to.

I don't.

I don't want to try to.

I look at it like they're trying to punish them for needing help, and I.

I don't like that.

Yeah, but even, like, when.

When you can only, like, if.

In my neighborhood, if they don't have, like, fresh cheese but we have the packaged cheese, is that.

That's better than nothing, right?

Right.

That's better than nothing.

Yeah.

I mean, and, like, cheese.

I'd rather you get the packaged cheese rather than fresh cheese than a bag full of Oreos, you know?

Yeah, yeah.

You know, or both, right?

I love both.

And that' we have to.

And even folks that aren't on food assistants, I mean, groceries are expensive.

So, you know, you hear a lot of folks pushing, oh, you need to get organic.

And, I mean, in a perfect world, but that can be significantly more expensive.

So I just tell people, try to buy and eat as many whole foods as possible.

If you can afford organic, fine.

If not, that's fine, too.

The Environmental Working Group puts out a great list every year called the Dirty Dozen.

So basically, it's 12.

It's a group of 12 vegetables and fruits that they recommend that you don't buy unless it's organic because of the amount of pesticides used.

But then there's another list of the clean 15 that they're like, hey, you don't have to buy these organic.

So there are resources out there that can help you.

But even if, like, the Dirty Dozen, strawberries are always on that list.

Oh, really?

Oh, my God.

I love strawberries.

Oh, my God.

I'm not gonna tell you to stop eating strawberries unless you can get organic.

I would rather you eat the strawberries, organic or not, rather than a bag full of Oreos.

So.

Yeah, you know.

Yeah.

That's interesting.

I've never heard of those groups before.

The Environmental Working Group is It's pretty fabulous because they have a.

I forgot the name of it.

Now I'm drawing a blank.

But on their website, you can find out, like, lists of, you know, is your deodorant safe or not?

You know, this, the face cream you use, the shampoo.

I mean, they got all kinds of stuff where you can learn about the health and safety of the products we use every day.

Yeah, that's true.

You know, I.

Here I am.

Keep talking about, like, food.

But you're right.

Like, it's.

You're right.

It's all the things.

It's like, what are we washing our bodies with?

What are you using as your face wash?

Like, I go to the dermatologist.

I don't even.

I'm scared to even look up the topicals.

I.

I don't even want to see.

I don't even want to see if it's good or not.

But you're right.

You're just like, you.

It.

It's like all of those things, you know, it makes me want to, like, go to Environmental Working Group, print up their paper, their information, and, like, make it really big and then just leave it in the store and, like, run out.

Like, I don't even need to.

I don't need to talk to a manager or nothing.

I'm just going to walk in there myself and put it up or just, like, pass it out.

Like, hey, guys, you know, you're looking and I see you're shopping with your kid.

You know, I just found out about Environmental Working Group.

This is, you know, the list.

Just take it and read it.

You know, I think stuff like that would be great.

That's a great idea.

And the thing is, you can't avoid.

There's so many toxins.

There's so many things.

I don't care what you do, you can't avoid them all.

So do your best.

If you can't afford organic strawberries, okay.

But maybe you can clean up, you know, your environment, your household and the toxins in a different way.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's like another thing.

Yeah.

What you clean your house with, it's always something.

It's really not right, you know, because it's like the people that make this stuff, like, what do you guys clean your house with?

Like, all of this, like, leading to capitalism and stuff, it's just not kind.

I don't like it.

Yeah, but what do we do?

I mean, I guess we just still stay on our.

Our.

Our elected officials, but a lot of them are controlled by the big farmers and the big Food.

Yeah, it's weird.

Yeah, it's really weird.

So what do you have coming up?

So after much deliberation.

Yeah, well, of course, I always have.

I always try to have the podcast going, but in.

I think in August, Late August.

Either late August or early September.

So pay attention to the website, folks.

I'm going to do a group session for women.

It's probably going to be 30 days, and we're.

The focus is going to be about detoxifying your mind, your body, your spirit.

We're going to talk about, like, anything from, you know, the toxins and the.

The food we eat to the deodorant we put on to also, you know, just detoxifying your mind.

I'm going to bring in a therapist that's going to do that piece, the mental piece.

So I'm excited about that.

That is exciting.

Are there toxins and condoms?

I'm sure there are.

That's fine.

Yeah.

Just made me think of that with, like, when you said, like, toxins toxify your mind, I thought, like, in the way you're speaking that you're gonna, like, go there.

For some reason, it just made me think that, like, well, it might be.

Toxins in the person you listen.

Aging with.

Yeah, we could talk about that.

Oh, my God.

That's hilarious.

Yes.

Oh, my gosh.

That is so funny.

Like, you have to worry about all of it.

It's all the spiritual.

That's a spiritual toxin, honey.

Yeah.

Oh, my gosh.

This has been great.

Crystal, I'm so thankful that you have your podcast and that you are willing to share your experience with.

With us and bring in, you know, experts that pique your curiosity and have them share their wisdom with us.

You know, so much of when I'm doing this podcast, I'm like, realizing, like, how much of, like, the stuff that we find personal is, like, so political.

Like, I mean, you just trying to figure out, like, okay, how can I have, like, a healthy lifestyle, how that translates to the everyday black woman who's just trying to do their thing, you know, it's just so important.

Like, the work you're doing is so important.

Well, I want you to know that I.

Thank you.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I'm like, nobody's listening.

They're not listening.

But I realized, you know, in this world, if we can just.

If I can just help one person, you know, that's so true.

Like, you.

I know we hear that kind of stuff all the time, and you're just like, you know what?

Whatever.

Yeah, because it's because it's always like, you know, something to pay for, something to research, something to just.

It's always something.

But that is so true, like helping one person.

Because, you know, when after I go to this environmental group and I start handing out these pamphlets in my local store, these self.

In these self finance pamphlets, it's like, yeah, maybe somebody will, you know, like, this is me dreaming about it.

But like, what if somebody does take that and they realize their kid has been like sneezing or something and they're like, oh, let me see this.

Blueberries, anything, you know, and it can, like, help.

It's just like, it can really go any direction or.

Yeah.

So it's just.

I feel like everything we do is just so political.

It is.

Because it.

It's not always just about you.

You know, I remember had a mentor who would always say, like, it's not about you.

She would tell me that all the time.

Like, oh, yeah, you know, if you're doing this, doing that, like, in my, like, creative journey, she's like, it's not about you because you'll end up sharing, you know, your story, your testimony to somebody else.

So, yeah, it's so important.

That is.

Yeah.

So thank you for hanging out with me and letting me ask all these questions and get to know more about your business and learning about the pillars.

I mean, we talk anyway, but yeah, yeah, it's so important.

Yeah, yeah.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

I really, I really enjoyed this, Stephanie.

I am very, very grateful for the opportunity.

Yeah.

And I'm going to put all of, like, your links and everything so folks can listen to you and all of that.

And yeah, we will talk soon.

Okay.

Thank you so much for tuning into the Nosy AF podcast with me, your host, your friend, Stephanie Graham.

I'm so glad that you made it to the end of this conversation.

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oh, and also, if there is someone that you're nosy about and you want me to have them on the show, please send suggestions via the same hello button and I will check them out.

Until next time.

Thank you so much for being you and see you soon.

Peace.