Tech Exec Wellness Podcast: Conversations to Reignite Your Soul
In the fast-paced world of technology, where innovation and disruption are the norm, tech executives often find themselves caught in a whirlwind of high-pressure decision-making, long working hours, and constant connectivity. The relentless pursuit of success and the demands of their roles can take a toll on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. However, a new narrative that emphasizes the importance of tech executive wellness as a crucial component of sustainable success is emerging. This is the story of the tech executive's journey to rediscover balance, prioritize well-being, and ultimately thrive in their personal and professional lives.
If you're ready to embark on a wellness journey that will empower you to live your best life, I invite you to subscribe to Tech Exec Wellness, Navigating the Digital Balance, wherever you listen to podcasts. Together, let's cultivate harmony within ourselves and radiate positive energy to the world. Each week, we'll explore a wide range of topics related to wellness, inviting experts, thought leaders, and everyday individuals who have transformed their lives through mindful living, self-care, practices, and holistic approaches. We'll dive deep into areas such as nutrition, fitness, mental health, spirituality, mindfulness, personal growth, and more.
Tech Exec Wellness Podcast: Conversations to Reignite Your Soul
Wellness, Family and Culinary conversations with Deb Feder
Have you ever wondered what happens when a corporate lawyer trades legal briefs for entrepreneurship, Deb Feder made that exact leap, and now she's here to share her story and strategies for nurturing a career that's both successful and fulfilling. In a candid conversation, Deb takes us through her principles of productivity and work-life balance, emphasizing the art of conversation and relationship-building. Her eclectic taste in music paints a vibrant picture of her life's soundtrack, complete with concert tales and the nostalgic power of a good tune.
As we explore the culinary world through her eyes, you're invited to experience the camaraderie of shared meals and the therapy found in a simmering pot of stew. Plus, Deb's outdoor encounters remind us that nature's majesty can be just around the corner, or perched in a nearby tree.
Rounding off our time together, Deb imparts the importance of self-care, especially in the throes of caregiving and life's relentless pace. She offers a glimpse into managing family tech use with mindfulness, finding humor in life's little quirks, and the joys of scouting out the next great local eatery. And as our chat winds down, Deb hints at a return to simplicity, questioning if the classic tick of a traditional watch might just be the grounding force we need in a digitally dominated world. Join us as we unwrap these insights, and find a little inspiration for your own life's journey.
Please visit our website https://www.techexecwellness.com to stay up to date and subscribe to our newsletter!
Welcome back to another episode of Tech Exec Wellness. I'm Alyssa and today we are thrilled to have Deb Fetter on the show. Deb Fetter is a business development coach, strategist, owner and CEO of Fetter Development LLC, a consulting firm focused on helping lawyers and professionals bring in consistent clients through curious, confident conversations and change in the way we view productivity for professionals. Deb believes in dropping excuses and adopting simple productivity solutions, using LinkedIn as a platform to validate and share ideas. Deb helps professionals engage in meaningful content and connections, and I met Deb on LinkedIn and we'll talk a little bit about that. But, going on, for the last decade, deb has committed herself to changing the way we think about work-life balance and tackle high-stakes work, allowing for big careers and enjoying our free time. Deb is all about managing your work days, owning your career path and bringing in business. Through her membership Focus, 30 sessions and retreats.
Speaker 1:Prior to founding Better Development, deb practiced corporate law for 15 years and holds a history degree from the University of Michigan go blue and her JD MBA from the University of Iowa go Iowa. Deb completed her coach training and certification through New Ventures West and completed the training in the Deering Way, which is based on the research of Dr Brene Brown, one of my favorites. As a contributing author to the best-selling anthology Hashtag Network, deb shares her common sense approach to building business relationships. Deb's latest book, after Hello how to Build a Book of Business, one Conversation at a Time is a guide to building a thriving law practice based on a blend of mindset, strategy and straightforward solutions. Deb is a frequent speaker at conferences, podcasts and corporate retreats on business development, productivity, networking, authenticity and communication. So, deb, welcome to the show. Before we go on to the questions, what is your favorite music genre before we start, and can you share a memorable concert with our listeners?
Speaker 2:Okay, melissa, we've talked about this. This one question has stressed me out more than any question anybody has asked me, probably at least in the last year. So I like all music and it depends on the day. But what I will tell you is I have playlists that I curate for wherever I'm at and focus at on the time. So they range from show tunes to country to possibly a little yacht rock. But I will tell you, my concerts of choice are two things. One I grew up going to music camp long story and there used to be concerts there in the amphitheater every summer and I saw John Denver there and I had seen him when I was a child. It was my very first concert with my parents in Cedar Rapids. I was young I can't remember how old so I think getting a chance to see him live outdoors was pretty darn amazing.
Speaker 1:I love outdoor concerts. I don't know if you've been to the Chicago area, but there is Ravinia and I've seen Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls and I think maybe Pat Benatar. But I'm like you my musical taste is eclectic. I mean, you were talking about the play'm like you, my musical taste is eclectic. You were talking about the playlists that you have. What are those genres and do you mix it up in those playlists?
Speaker 2:I do mix it up in the playlist. You could be listening to a rising country singer and then the next song might be something from a musical that I just saw that kind of just struck me as poignant or meaningful for whatever I'm working on at the moment. So for each of my books I've had different playlists. Right now I've got a playlist that's all about really focusing on the horizon and on those next big goals. So the music changes, you know, and then I'll go to like old playlists and pull out songs I've kind of forgotten about.
Speaker 1:And could you give us an example of like one of those songs? Cause I will tell you, I just downloaded Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown and I remember my mom playing that when I was a little kid. Like what song kind of comes up in your memory for an old song?
Speaker 2:Oh, an old song. So I mean, I was raised on Peter Paul and Mary and I got it and and and I actually saw them live as well and it was amazing. So I will tell you. So I lost my mom 12 years ago and anytime I listened to kind of those folk meaningful message songs, right, they stick out at me. So my kids I found even my daughter will listen to. I heard her listening to like If I had a Hammer I don't even know if that's the name of the song, oh, my goodness, I think, but you know what I'm talking about. Oh, yeah, I do. Yeah, I'm like that's the name, right. So the other night and I was like, oh, it was a song of your childhood.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, that's interesting. I lost my mother too, and for a while there I had Queen and the Eagles on repeat because she loved those two groups. She had the LPs back in the day, the Wax.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really got through that grieving process listening to those two bands, so I'm sorry about your loss as well.
Speaker 2:Same, same. And it's interesting how music takes us back and can kind of center us and ground us and then be used as inspiration too.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well I as I was reading your bio. There's so many interesting things that I want to talk about, but can you walk us through your career journey, why you chose law? What do you love about it? What did you want to be when you were younger? Like did it turn out the way you wanted it? To Tell us about that.
Speaker 2:So I've shared this before. But there was my family. You know, I was raised in the you know 80s and everybody back then got like one magazine to the house, right. There was obviously no internet, and so we were a Time Magazine family and there was a Time Magazine article that somehow talked about successful women of the future and I remember it was talking about women in careers and it mentioned probably one line tucked in there about women getting JD MBAs and I thought, oh, that sounds interesting. I kind of like the idea of that, never thought about it again until years later.
Speaker 2:I went to Michigan. I was a history major. I loved stories, I loved learning about other people's stories and how it kind of pieced together and influenced policy and had really no clue what I was doing with this degree. So I ended up some friends of mine were taking the LSAT and I thought, oh, I've thought about law school before, I should do that, and so I did. And it really turned out that at that point I did go get my business degree with my law degree and again just stayed open to the opportunities. I didn't have a master plan.
Speaker 2:I did think that I wanted to be a litigator and it turns out, I did that for about 30 days and it was just a wrong fit. So I walked into the head of the corporate department who had tried to get me to do some work with them, and I'd been so set in my ways that I hadn't. And I said you know what? I've got this idea. I think I'm meant to work with you. And he said that's actually not how this works. And I said well, that's a bummer, because I really don't like this other stuff and it's not a great fit for me. And he said you know what you lucked out, I've got a project to put you on. And so I started practicing corporate law about 30 days into my practice and I happened to be at a really great firm and practiced both in law firms and in in-house departments for 15 years and it was great. I loved it. I loved being able to be involved in the strategy, but really it was the conversations, the clients, helping people get to where they wanted to go, that really just energized me.
Speaker 2:And towards the end of those 15 years I started recognizing some opportunities that we could just be easier together right, both with bringing in clients, nurturing our relationships, nurturing our relationships with our colleagues, my mom was sick at the time and so the whole work-life thing took on a new meaning. So I had two young kids and a sick mom and you had to kind of figure stuff out and I really at that point decided we shouldn't have to give up one thing for the other. We should be able to really have it all and life is going to happen no matter what. So how do we do that for each other? And then fast forward my grandmother.
Speaker 2:So my mom passed away and my grandmother was still living in her late nineties and she ended up coming to Kansas City with and I'm the only family member here. So I really became her point person and at that point, like life happening even took like a just a much bigger you know just part of my story and I was like now we really got to figure this out, because now at this point I have a business of my own and I've got to figure out how to keep it going and be everything for my clients at the same time of answering, you know the middle of the night, phone calls of like you like can you meet us at the emergency room, kind of thing. So over time I have really focused on how do we build great conversations, how do we use them to create opportunity and solve problems, and how do we manage everything in our day so we can really have really big careers and really big lives coexist, rather than doing one to be able to have the other or vice versa.
Speaker 1:That makes a lot of sense, and you said a couple of things here. So, law firms I have worked with a number of them on the cybersecurity side and you know, the one thing that I love seeing is a lot of women coming through the privacy practice, cyber incident response, and it's remarkable to see so many women in the field. And you also said something that I'm going to have to tag you in this on LinkedIn if you don't mind, but there was a basketball player and she was at the Met Gala. She ended up going to a game and her team won WNBA that is. And she says we don't have to be one dimensional people. As women, we can be multi-dimensional.
Speaker 1:And I love, deb, that you always put content out on LinkedIn. You know you're talking about your business, you're talking about that, but you're also talking about some of the things that you're doing in that work-life balance. So, yeah, I think that's awesome, and I didn't. I didn't give you any insight to what I had read today, so you just brought that out. Let me ask you this what hobbies and activities you know when you're decompressing? What do you find enjoyable?
Speaker 2:So, okay, I'm going to answer that two ways. One, I love to cook and I even like in when the moments have been the toughest. You know, like if I go back to my grandmother, you know my husband would find me at like 5am chopping fresh vegetables to like make a homemade stew in the morning and he's like what are you doing? I know, but you know what it's really meditative to try to like sit there and chop vegetables, like really well, right, like you can kind of zone out, throw on some music and the world kind of has just like a piece to it. So I love to cook. I do love to read. That being said, I also have used a lot of things. I love my work so much it doesn't always feel like work, but I also know that like building other muscles outside of work help it.
Speaker 2:So when I was writing like my first book after Hello, I started like taking trying to learn how to run, I was always that person who was jealous of people who could go run. I couldn't do it. So like I mean, and I'd have neighbors from time to time try to get me to join their running groups. Funny, I was always like kind of like nicely kicked out, like I mean, and I'd have neighbors from time to time try to get me to join their running groups. Funny, I was always like kind of like nicely kicked out, like oh, we're not going to go today, which I think became like Deb doesn't jog, so but I really wanted to and I learned, I really like started training and getting involved in a community. That was really supportive. And I'm not an outdoor runner, I'm a treadmill runner, but I really started enjoying that and other things, yoga and other stuff. That just allows me a break, but it's also building a different muscle, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:It makes a lot of sense. And the running I started running outside and I think you saw my story about having COVID and whatnot and I think you saw my story about having you know COVID and whatnot and you're talking about cooking. I find that meditating as well. I, or you, know just a lot of peace in doing that. The running for me I like to run outside and I don't like to wear headphones because I want to be aware of what's going on, and we have coyotes and bobcats, so I think I need to run for practice in case I ever get chased by it. But I love that you're so multidimensional, deb.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we've got some wildlife in our backyard from time to time too, and I actually I have to say this. So we just one of my mom's we had a water pump made of hers, like an old antique one she'd found. We made it into like a little fountain and the water keeps drying up. And my husband finally said I wonder if, like, animals at night are drinking this water, and so now I kind of want to put like a ring or something out there so I can watch to see, like, who's drinking the water.
Speaker 1:So what type of wild animals are around your neighborhood? I'm I'm definitely intrigued.
Speaker 2:So I mean, we live in a suburban neighborhood but you know there are coyote sightings, fox, um, they're just enough wildlife that like you don't really know. You know what I mean. Like we live in an older neighborhood, so the trees are, you know, the hundred year old trees, and last night actually I called my whole family outside. There was an owl. I'm telling you it could like see into my soul. I was this huge, beautiful owl just sitting in a tree right in our backyard just watching us.
Speaker 1:That is so cool, cause I'm into that whole spirit animal thing and now I'm going to have to look up what the owl means, because that is really significant. That is amazing.
Speaker 2:I know, wow, that's a really good point. I hadn't even thought of looking it up, but, yes, I need to.
Speaker 1:I can't wait to look that up after we talk. Um, okay, you mentioned food. I I'll be honest with you. I have not eaten out of my house for the last two years. I'm not kidding you because I just find kind of like you. For me it's a therapy. What's your favorite cuisine? What do you like to cook?
Speaker 2:So I like to cook soups. I like soups, I like stews, because there's so much you can do with the same basic. You know starter, um, my kids would say pasta, cause they asked me to make it for dinner tonight and I just don't know if it's possible. Um, I just don't know if I'm in the mood to be honest, but I really do. I love the comfort of soup and fresh bread. Yes, like I'm not a good salad maker, I'll tell you that I would like to be, but it's not something I've conquered yet.
Speaker 1:What about you? I've got a recipe that I'm going to send you. It's for the Portillo salad and I would say what I like to make is I really have taken a favor to Indian cuisine and it's a lot of work, but at the same time, when you talk about soups, you have a lot of the foundational type spices right for that I like it. I like trying different things, but I also got into baking. Do you do any baking?
Speaker 2:So I used to bake a lot, but my daughter kind of took over the baking so I sort of moved out of the way to let her bake and be the baker in the house. But I do, I used to enjoy it a lot more. I also, like I'm also known for, like my briskets, like the bigger, big meals that serve a ton of people, um, in our neighborhood. Like you know, when my kids were little they'd often be just like the doors open and whoever was cooking, all of a sudden everybody was kind of gathered around for it. So that's the kind of stuff that I like to do that is very nice.
Speaker 1:So is there a point in your life where you started prioritizing your wellness? I mean, was there, was there? Was there a point in your life where you started prioritizing your wellness? I mean, was there a defining moment where you're like I got to get out and start running or, in your case, the treadmill, but anything led to that, any inspiration?
Speaker 2:So I will tell you I didn't do a great job of self-care when my mom was sick. If I'm being really honest, and it's something that I look back at now and think ugh, if you only there was no reason I didn't right, I just didn't, and I think that I went into that just go mode. And the impact of caregiving on a body when you're not taking care of yourself, I think is pretty. It can be pretty harsh. So I think when I came out of that I was like you got to go find you again. But I will tell you that I started working with my own coach about two and a half years ago and one of the very first things that I was assigned to do and while I knew it was really the right coach for me was to start shutting down my computer at night and to see how it felt to just shut down, and from there it became a prioritizing of sleep and that, to me, was the biggest game changer you mentioned, you have kids.
Speaker 1:Um, what's your thought on social media? Because you know, I'm a cybersecurity I would never say expert, because I am always learning, but that's something that I'm very passionate about. How do you feel about social media with your kids?
Speaker 2:So, okay, I think that everybody has to make their own decisions. This is what worked best for me and my family is that we went with the. They had phones in middle school and they did have a phone contract. And it wasn't just a here, sign this to get a phone. It was like let's sit down and have a conversation and I I mean this is probably the lawyer in me I made my children sit and listen with excruciating detail to every paragraph and then I'd ask questions to make sure they understood what I was talking about and what my husband and I, you know, cared about. And with that they got a phone and there were certain rules that like, and we explained why, right, Like not sharing your password and why that's important.
Speaker 2:And we did it at an age that was young enough that we had a fair amount of influence and, if need be, control, but we did it with extreme amounts of trust. By the time they asked for it, we just said yes and I did say listen, there's a lot that can happen out there, right? One, we're here. This is like a partnership, so you're not when something goes awry, come talk to us. But two, this is also kind of a no crying zone and about it. If there's going to be things that are upsetting to you, then our suggestion is going to be to shut it off, and that worked, so we've been okay with it. Neither of them are heavy users of social media they're too busy for it but we've done it in a way that it's been a dialogue.
Speaker 1:That is very impressive and unheard of, and I know that if my mother were alive today and I was a kid today, she would probably say, no, you're not getting a phone, go outside and play soccer. And that's the thing that I find really interesting. So I'm a Gen Xer. No internet At my house we had the Time Magazine and Inquirer.
Speaker 2:Oh, you had two. That's so amazing. We did not have two.
Speaker 1:But my mom was like get outside. And I played soccer from the time I was eight years old until in the military, blah, blah, blah. But I just can't imagine sitting at home and scrolling on a device all day. I just don't think that's good for your mental health.
Speaker 2:So it's really interesting. So, first of all, my mom would have been the mom who would have had the video on social media mental health and made us sit around the VHS tape and make all my friends watch the video about it. Well, they all looked at me like, are you serious? And I'd be like, well, yes, we are here. We are Before we're sent out to play. She's going to show us a documentary on this. So I think that it's hard. It's hard to connect and you know like we just try to have as many conversations as possible and you know I'll show, like we will sit there from time to time and I'll laugh at us because we're all like sending each other videos online but we're sitting in the same room, but then we'll like like laugh about how funny it is that that's what we're doing for a minute, right, but we're not doing that for hours. But if it's a way for us to connect you know whether we're near or far, I'm okay with that, because it just we're continuing to have conversations.
Speaker 1:I love that and my partner and I we will send TikToks to each other and I'm on the dog and baby algorithm these days. And I'm on the dog and baby algorithm these days and there's this one Rottweiler and it's laughing like, oh, austin Powers, the guy, the bald guy in Austin Powers. But there's a Rottweiler and there's designer shoes, the furniture he chewed up, but he's just laughing. But those are the kind of things that I like to look at when I'm on social media.
Speaker 2:So I do look at a fair amount of recipes. That being said, my family has pointed out that, you know, just because something looks amazing on social media, then I've like bought all the spices and I've tried it and it's a total fail. So, um, they've asked me to kind of, you know, put a pause on that. I find a great deal of inspiration for vacations online. Like you can take those like mini holidays and like 30 seconds of like watching somebody else's you know vacation, but I do, I do enjoy. There's one guy out there who posts like texts from teens that are really hilarious and I can watch that and I mean they are the funniest things you've ever. You've ever read, because it's so true.
Speaker 1:Okay, deb, you have me a little nervous about tonight, so I I downloaded, I I downloaded. Okay, yeah, so I. Well, we got this tornado that's coming or whatever, but I downloaded some recipes from Delish and I bought all the ingredients for a few nights and I kind of have a feeling that I might be bombing some recipes here. But I agree with you, it's like I probably need to chill out because some of my dishes have not turned out the way the picture looks or the way it you know. People are saying it's tasted.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, we'll find out soon enough. Okay, Now I'm going to need to know how it turns out. But okay, do you ever? So we, you know my we've kind of gone with the like we test the spices before you put it all over the food, right? Or the spice combination, and I think that, like, here's the thing, there's nothing wrong with the recipes. But knowing it's just like a conversation, or like finding your wellness routine for you, it's not meant to be for everybody. So knowing, like, what your palate is right and what your family likes and enjoys, and then modifying it, makes a little bit more sense than just strictly following a recipe.
Speaker 1:That's right. No, I agree with that. But yeah, I will definitely take a picture and send it to you and say this is what I made, and I'll say it was either thumbs up or thumbs down.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you most viral recipes. I think I just screw up Like I don't understand it. They've gone viral. Everybody loves them. I cannot recreate. Tell me about one or a few.
Speaker 2:So I really tried the whole like feta pasta one. I can't get it to work for me. I don't understand, like, what I'm doing wrong. I know it's me right, but I'm clearly missing a step in it and I tried it a couple of times and on site I recognize it's not right. I just haven't been able to correct it. I was able to correct whatever I did completely wrong in the lasagna soup viral recipe. However, it turns out it's not my family's favorite pasta because whatever I corrected it to which I literally had to stop and be like write this down right now because you're going to forget everything it's now everybody's favorite meal. It's what they want me to make tonight.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to check that out online.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to tell you, mine doesn't come out as a soup. There's no soup in it, it's a pasta dish and it's like a thick sauce. But I took it straight from the viral lasagna soup.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to check that out. Well, let me ask you this you travel because I know that we were going to rerecord, so for our listeners, we had to cancel and Deb was traveling. What do you eat when you're traveling?
Speaker 2:Oh, it depends where I'm going. I love everything from the fancy to the local joint to just wherever there's great local cuisine. So I actually got to spend some time in Madrid by myself last year for a few days, and I remember just going into restaurants and just saying I'll eat anything, I just want a great meal, and letting those that know better than me pick and choose, and it was amazing.
Speaker 1:I like that. I'll have to. I'll have to try that. And it was amazing. I like that. I'll have to try that. I don't know if you heard the podcast I had with my former colleague at Apple, but we used to use the Diners Drive-In and Dives app and we were doing the same thing. We'd check out the local eateries and these are the same places that were highlighted on the Food Network. So we were doing that for a while. Okay, and what was your favorite? Triple X Burger by Purdue University.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's amazing. My husband and son just went to visit Purdue and I said, where did you eat? And I didn't get a great answer. I was like there's got to be some really great local spots there. Okay, now I know where to go.
Speaker 1:It was good, it was off the beaten path and they I don't know I'm giving them a plug here, right, but I don't know if they take credit cards but back then it was cash. We were starving. We just left Indianapolis. I'm like I'm hungry as hell. I'm not going to eat a protein bar Every day is like. I got money in my pocket, so we were good to go and it was cheap and the root beer was amazing.
Speaker 2:Okay, so finding homemade root beer is kind of a thing, right, is it? My kids love it. We used to go to a place up north in Minnesota that had their own root beer, and there's a couple of great places here in Kansas City that have their own local root beers and they're really kind of fun.
Speaker 1:Do they ship? Because I love root beer. That was my favorite. So if I were in the hospital, my favorite drink, or the drink I'd want, would either be 7-Up or root beer.
Speaker 2:Wait, hold on. Can we just go back? You just said if I was in the hospital, where did that come from? I?
Speaker 1:don't know. I didn't want to say jail because I don't do anything to be in jail, but yeah, if I was in the hospital and I had to have a drink of something, I'd want a 7-Up or a root beer. I love that buttery taste. It is.
Speaker 2:There is that buttery taste.
Speaker 1:taste you like a cream soda yes okay, I do too yeah, I uh, I don't know, I mean living in the midwest. I I'm from chicago. When you mentioned minnesota, I used to love to what was that restaurant that's in, uh, the minneapolis airport? Was it ike's or something like that? But it they had, like the Minnesota wild rice soup, pot roast, and we used to eat there before we went home. So we'd be going on the I don't know seven o'clock flight home after traveling that week. We always ate there and it was so good.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I know what you're talking about. I don't know the name, but I do love making a Minnesota wild rice soup. I love that. I do love it and I make that probably once a week.
Speaker 1:Once a week. How lucky is your family for that.
Speaker 2:Wow, Until they say to me really Something else.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness. So do you have a lot of travel scheduled soon, and how are you going to take care of your wellness, ms Dub?
Speaker 2:I will tell you. So I actually started working out with a new personal trainer and we started a new plan where I have travel days and home days, and the workout plan is very significant. It's just tailored to what I'm doing while I'm traveling. So if I'm presenting or if I'm facilitating a day-long workshop, it's a totally different workout plan than if I'm home, on just an average workday from home, and that has helped immensely because the level of energy needed for, let's say, a 12-hour facilitation is just different, right? Oh my goodness, that sounds exhausting. They're awesome, they're not exhausting, they're like some of the best days ever, but you do two or three of them and what you don't want to do is crash.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So there's actually a fair amount of physical component to the work. I remember when we were first talking he said like how many steps on a day like that? And I was like about 20,000, but I'm probably in a 15 by 15 space for the majority of that Right, so you're not moving very far, you're just not. You're not stopping moving.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that, uh, wow, 12 hours. I think the most I've ever done is four hours. When we were uh launching the iPhone, we were out there talking to C-suite and the IT people, but I don't know that. That is 20,000 steps. I don't think I've ever. Well, if I've ran I've done that, but I don't think I've done that in one space, that's.
Speaker 2:I'll bet. Yeah, it's funny, like you don't think to look sometimes in those spaces, right? You think that you haven't moved a lot, when in actuality you just you're just not sitting, yeah Right, and so I don't do a whole lot of standing at a podium. I'm not good at that, so Right, I'm not good at that, so right, I'm just not good Like you don't really want me to try to stand still like that?
Speaker 1:Don't box me in. Well, let me ask you this Okay, so you've got the personal trainer. Are you using any technology or digital tools? Uh, with your wellness practice, what are you using?
Speaker 2:So I get my daily workouts from them every morning. It's funny. I'm going to look to see. I always look in the afternoon to see if they've uploaded tomorrow's, but they don't. I only get it the night. I get it the morning of. So that is online and I track that. I do use an Apple Watch, although I am really contemplating actually going back to my regular watch, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 1:Huh, I've been thinking about that too, because I have this nice tag that's literally just collecting dust and you got to keep this thing charged all the time, and if you don't charge it, then it's useless, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, and it's funny, I have a very similar watch and I miss the old watch. I do, I miss, I miss being a little disconnected, um. So that's really a contemplation of mine right now, and other than I'm fairly low tech, I do use another app to communicate with my coach, um, but other than that I really I keep a lot of notes in my journal, I'm kind of old school.
Speaker 2:So I use a remarkable, so I guess that's kind of a combo tech and handwritten, right I think. So yeah, are you familiar with the remarkable?
Speaker 1:I, I think it's like a it do you just write in it and it goes to paper. How does that work?
Speaker 2:So it doesn't go to paper. It's to paper but it looks almost like a flat iPad with. But all you can do is write on it. There's nothing else. There's no other option. So you're disconnected from flipping around apps and things. You can download PDFs and mark them up, which is actually how I first started using them, when I was marking up things for clients them up, which is actually how I first started using them, when I was marking up things for clients. But then you can you know you could send it over by email to like your files or whatnot. I tend not to. I tend to just use it as a journal and like it's got my. You know, each, each notebook has kind of a purpose within it, but I enjoy the pen to paper kind of feel kind of a purpose within it, but I enjoy the pen to paper kind of feel.
Speaker 1:I want to ask you a question, and it might be personal, but did what led you to journaling? Or I cause I keep hearing that a lot from people I'm journaling now what? What led you to that and what do you journal about? Do you journal about like goals you're going to make? What does that look like?
Speaker 2:That was a really good question. When did I start journaling? Probably at like the age of nine when I started making lists, but in reality like real journaling, I think. When I was doing my coach training I was assigned to start journaling each day, with very little guidance on what to do with that. So I just started trying different ways of using it as like a brain dump, and I use it with my clients a lot as a brain dump right Like we can be in the busy, and if you just take five minutes and just you know, let yourself write down everything that's in your brain, you can clear it out pretty quick and not even that you need to read it. It's not going to be anything necessarily important or meaningful, but it does get it down on paper. I find that to be a lot more useful as a mental clearing space than typing.
Speaker 1:That's interesting.
Speaker 2:I use it from time. I mean, I used to do it very routinely in the morning, now I sprinkle it about when I need it and, yeah, there's some daydreams and there's some goals and I do a lot of like not mind mapping. It's not that formal, but I do a lot of like web thinking. That's just how I think and how I like sketch stuff out. So over time some pretty significant ones of those, will you know, come out of it that I save.
Speaker 1:I love that. So, finally, what message or advice would you like to leave our listeners with to inspire them on their wellness journey? I mean, somebody like yourself that's out there, that's busy. What would you? What word of advice would you like to give them?
Speaker 2:You know, I kind of go back to that question you asked me earlier about like what was that pivotal moment? Right, I would say, just start. Literally. If it's taking two deep breaths when you're walking around, that's great, that's a start. It's a great start. Giving up from your desk and letting yourself get a glass of water on a regular basis is a great start. There is no perfect journey. I don't think it needs. You don't need to wait to be able to have the retreat that's four days away and getting the perfect Zen experience, although that sounds lovely and amazing. But it's the everyday moments, it's the everyday um choice to take care of you and to put you into the equation and um that will make the biggest difference.
Speaker 1:That is very inspirational. Um sounds like you know. We just got to be present and take care of what we can today.
Speaker 2:Right, I mean I'm. I by no means have a perfect um, or even a great, you know self-care plan each and every day, but I wake up every day and try again. I love that Right.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:I'm kind of in awe of the fact that you don't eat out, but like. So we got to talk about that some more too, because that right there is like an incredible mindful decision.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it was. It goes back to what you were saying earlier. You know you were up at 5 am chopping vegetables and for me it's become a therapy for me because I think, with you know, being locked down as long as we were and not being social, it really changed a lot of things and you know it. I'll be honest with you and I and I hope I'm not cursing myself, but I've not had food poisoning in two years and I know I'm going to probably get it now.
Speaker 2:Okay, you need to like, you need to pull that out of the universe. Um, yeah, sometime I'll have to tell you about my Nokia experiment during COVID.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes, please. Yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to retract that that didn't happen. We're not saying that.
Speaker 2:We're not saying it. There is no. We were not discussing food poisoning at all.
Speaker 1:No, ma'am, no, no, absolutely not we're, we're healthy and we're wealthy. I'm going to just keep saying that today. So I, I love it, and I healthy and we're wealthy.
Speaker 2:I'm going to just keep saying that today. I love it and I think it's incredibly impressive.
Speaker 1:No, thank you so much, deb. We're so glad that I had you on the show today. I'd love to have you come back before the end of the year, because I think you have a lot of great things that you can tell us, because I think you have a lot of great things that you can tell us, and I know that we only scheduled for 40, 45 minutes here, but I'm just so inspired by your post and I'm like I got to connect with this woman. She's really cool, so I'm hoping that I can show you my dish later and that we can stay in contact with each other and we can have you back on the podcast. I really like that.
Speaker 2:I would absolutely love it and I love our conversations on LinkedIn, so thank you for sparking them and just continuing to engage, because your content is great and all of the work that you're doing these conversations about you know mindfulness and wellness and taking care of ourselves. It's just critical. It's incredibly important. Thank you incredibly important.
Speaker 1:So thank you, yeah, no, thank you. Listeners, you're going to really enjoy this podcast episode. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on a variety of platforms and check out our website at wwwtechexecwellnesscom. Take care and thanks for tuning in.
