Life is Delicious- Midlife, Menopause, Mindset, Miracles, Gen X Women, Empty Nest, Retirement, Self Improvement
Hi! I'm Marnie Martin and I'm a multi-passionate entrepreneur, best selling author and "hot" Midlife Mama ( literally) and I created the "Life Is Delicious" podcast to help strong, beautiful women just like you to reclaim your power and turn up the volume on your inner voice so you can write your own recipe for a next chapter life that feeds your soul!
Midlife can be a huge challenge. Whether you are struggling with a career change, an empty nest, a divorce, or taking care of aging parents, it can be hard to navigate all of the things you need to do, while trying to find time for your own self care. Add to that all the challenges that menopause surprises us with, and it can be a recipe for disaster, exhaustion and overwhelm.
I'm here to take you on a journey back to self love, passion and purpose because it's NEVER too late to begin again and create an intentional life filled with the vitality and happiness you've been dreaming of. Each week, I'll be chatting with health and wellness specialists, spiritual growth experts, coaches and inspiring guests who have stories to share and you'll come away with actionable strategies, tips and guidance on how to navigate this this next chapter of life with grace, gumption and a little dash of humour. After all...Life is SUPPOSED to be delicious. And if you are going to truly care well, for all of the people you love, you'd better make sure YOU are one of them. Come along for the ride...it's going to be juicy! I can't wait to be part of your DELICIOUS LIFE!
Life is Delicious- Midlife, Menopause, Mindset, Miracles, Gen X Women, Empty Nest, Retirement, Self Improvement
Unlocking Personalized Wellness Using YOUR Genetics With Chanci Dawn
Unlock the secrets of personalized wellness with our insightful guest, Chanci Dawn, a certified life wellness and female embodiment coach. Chanci shares her transformative journey from being bewildered by the nutrition world to harnessing the power of genetics to provide individualized health solutions. This episode is a must-listen for those seeking to understand the importance of bio-individuality and genetic mapping in crafting a health plan that is as unique as you are. We take a deep dive into Chanci's personal experiences with PCOS and challenge the one-size-fits-all approach that is so prevalent in today's health and wellness culture.
We explore the cutting-edge concept of genetic health and how it can be pivotal in tailoring wellness strategies that respect your unique genetic makeup. Chanci helps us unravel the complex layers of stress, inflammation, and sleep as foundational pillars of well-being. By likening genes to light switches that can influence health, we emphasize how DNA testing offers a clearer path to personalized health plans, removing the guesswork and empowering you with actionable insights. This holistic approach is particularly significant for women over 50, acknowledging the bodily changes they experience and advocating for a personal weight set point where health and happiness go hand in hand.
As we move through the episode, we demystify the topic of food sensitivities and discuss how genetic understanding can provide lifelong insights beyond regular food sensitivity tests. Chanci shares her expertise on managing stress, sleep, and inflammation, offering a compassionate approach to self-care. We also extend an invitation for a free 30-minute consultation to better align your health goals with personalized strategies. Please share this enlightening conversation with loved ones, and subscribe for more insights on living a life that truly celebrates your unique value and positive impact on the world.
Find Chanci @ https://www.chancidawn.com
Hey, beautiful friends, it's Marni Martin and welcome to this episode of Life is Delicious. I'm a multi-passionate entrepreneur, best-selling author, foodie and voiceover artist, and I created the Life is Delicious podcast with one simple mission in mind to help you add more flavor to your life and to help you write your own recipe for a life that feeds your soul. I'm so glad you're here. Firstly, I just want to acknowledge you for being here, because there is so many places that your brain can go and there's so much information out there that I really appreciate you spending a few minutes with me here. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the Life is Delicious family.
Speaker 1:So today we have a special guest. We have certified life wellness and female embodiment coach, chansey Dawn. She has an advanced certification in somatic trauma therapy and she is also a holistic practitioner specializing in helping women find their optimal health and well-being through genetic DNA mapping and her integrative genetic health report. Welcome to the show, chansey, thank you. So as we get started, let's just paint a picture for our listeners as to what was going on in your world prior to this work and what led you to this really important work and I was just really attracted to it because I always really felt like there was just.
Speaker 2:It was so important to approach health with the whole body approach right. We didn't want to just look at what to eat, what not to eat. You need to look at stress, you need to look at sleep, you need to look at the whole person in front of you. So that's why I was really attracted to the holistic aspect. But what happened is that I did all my studies and I was working with clients and I became so confused.
Speaker 2:I was confused about my own health and nutrition and everyone else's, because what was working for one person was not working for the other, and I was diagnosed with PCOS at a very young age. So especially weight was always something that I was struggling with. Fertility, mood, stuff, like it was a lifelong struggle and I'd be helping other women and the same things I was teaching them to do. I was getting really jealous because I'm like none of this is working for me and I felt like a little bit of a fraud. So I stepped back and I took a break from the nutrition space for a long while and worked at a work self employed, as a somatic life coach and then worked at a wellness retreat for a while, and I just started to really fall in love with the idea of the bio individuality and how one thing does not fit everyone.
Speaker 2:Health cannot be a blanket approach and it was through these years of falling deeper in love with this and really doing my own research and learning more about my own body and what she needs that I actually discovered genetics. And when I was going through school this was way back epigenetics just started to be a thing, but there wasn't enough science behind it to really be able to implement it in my practice, and about a year ago it was reintroduced to me. I was like shining light. This is it, this is all I want to do. Quit everything else and for about a year now this is all I'm doing, because you can't get more personalized and individual than this approach. And now there's no confusion Like that's all wiped away and it's just so clear.
Speaker 1:Okay, can we just step back a little bit for the listeners, and can you tell us what PCOS is?
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course, pcos just stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. It's a very common thing that a lot of women struggle with and deal with, and there's a lot of different symptoms that can go along with it. For me, it was mainly weight, you know struggles and fertility, and then hair a lot of hair on my face and everywhere Got it.
Speaker 1:That must have been really frustrating. Yeah, wow. So when we spoke earlier, I asked you what one of the most common concerns that people come to you with, and I think you said weight loss, and of course, at this time of year, it's on everybody's minds. But you also said that weight loss often isn't just about diet, that stress and inflammation and sleep also play a huge role. Let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yes. So I have like a love-hate relationship with weight loss. I don't like the diet industry. I created a whole program around breaking free from diet culture and learning how to love your body and really come home to her. So I want to make that super clear that I think the messaging that's given to women is really sad and it's really damaging. And I love it because when we learn how to really nourish our body properly, when we learn how to take care of our bodies, our bodies settle into what's called the weight set point. And this is where you're healthy, right, this is where you're not obsessed with everything you're putting in your mouth, you have a great relationship with food, you feel confident, you have energy, you're sleeping well and, again, it's that holistic approach.
Speaker 1:So I just really want to mention that, okay, because I'm very passionate about breaking free from diet culture, okay, and yeah, I think it's so important Of course, and the reason I thought this conversation was such an important one to have is that I am a woman over 50, as are most of my friends and it seems now that all of us are feeling like our bodies are just doing some weird things and that it seems that there's just no one size fits all. We're all going through something different and yet similar. It's just really odd. So there's so much misinformation out there, so let's talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And the approach is the only approach that works, I believe is knowing you and knowing what you need at that deep genetic level. Some people stumble upon this right Like this is why there's some things that work for someone, they swear by it and then the other person it's like that's actually doing the opposite. Sometimes, you know, we stumble upon what works for our genetics. But when we can actually understand and get the test done and then understand and have that wisdom behind it, then we can approach it again for the whole body approach, the whole woman approach. So again, it's not just let's cut some carbs and eat more protein. It just is not. It doesn't work that way.
Speaker 2:We need to first look at stress, okay, and inflammation and sleep, these three things. If we don't actually support ourselves at the genetic level with this, then these three things, if we don't actually support ourselves at the genetic level with this, then these three things will actually undo any work you're trying to do. So stress obviously creates cortisol in our body and cortisol turns on 90% of our genes into their adverse position. Okay. So the way, very, very simply, genetics work, epigenetics work, sorry is, think of our genes like a light switch. Okay, the light switch doesn't change. It's always there, it always looks the same, but we can turn it on or off. So this is the expression and this is how we can regulate our genes by looking oh wow, I have this variant meaning. Perhaps this happens to me when I'm not getting the sleep I need, right, for example, more inflammation, which will then create issues with dopamine, our neurotransmitters all of these different things come into play. So we really want to know exactly what these variants are so that we can then switch them all into the proper position, so that our body is being being taken care of and functioning as it's designed to optimally.
Speaker 2:So, with this, when we look at cortisol and, like I said, it turns 90% of our genes into their adverse position, this is where you know you could be eating the perfect diet, even the perfect genetic diet, but if your stress is not being supported, then you're not actually going to be thriving, because that is that critical, as is sleep and, like I said, inflammation that critical as is sleep and, like I said, inflammation. So, when someone comes to work with me, yes, we look at their macros. Right, your genetics show you what is ideal for you. We look at some food sensitivity, stuff like dairy, perhaps gluten but it's really those three areas that we need to tackle first, as we learn how to eat according to the genetics, as well as exercise according to your genetics. That's why I love this approach because it does. It just takes all of the guesswork out of it.
Speaker 1:Could you explain to us also a little bit about the DNA testing that you do and how it can help us to decode some of our issues with respect to our health?
Speaker 2:Yes. So there's a lot of different tests you can get, and there's a lot of different tests you can get and there's a lot of different reports that you can run. So the first thing you need to do is get your DNA sample. I like to use a company called DNA Alert. It's a Canadian company that will ship anywhere in the world, so that's super handy, and it's a cheek swab, so it's super simple something. Some different testing labs you need to do, like a saliva sample, which sometimes can be challenging for people to get the as much as they need right. So I like the cheek swab aspect. And then you ship these swabs back and within a couple of weeks you have your raw data. So the raw data is then what I need to be able to run your report.
Speaker 2:So, like I said, there's lots of different reports out there, but most of them will report what's called single SNP analysis. So you're looking at individual genes, and this can actually really leave people panicked and alarmed because they don't really know what to do about it. Say, you have, you know, one type of gene that will, if you eat a certain amount of saturated fat, that all of a sudden, your body will make you hungry for the rest of the day and then store everything you eat as fat, okay, this gene is called the FTO gene, and if there's a variant with this, then yeah, okay, eat under 22 grams of fat. But what we need to do again is look at the whole picture, right, because someone might be doing that and thinking they're set, but then they're not looking at how that actually interacts with their other genes. So the report that I run, it's an integrative report, just like.
Speaker 2:I believe, as we know, we need to focus on the whole woman holistically. We need to look at the whole woman's genetics holistically, how they interact with each other, how they influence with each other, and it's only with this type of reporting that you'll get a personalized plan that will actually work, because you might be chasing one gene down, thinking that this is what you need to focus on, when it's actually stress, that's turning this gene on in the first place. Does that make sense? I try to simplify it, but sometimes it's difficult.
Speaker 1:Yes, it does. It's super interesting that it's so nuanced and when we don't know what's triggering the reactions we have, it can be very confusing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, and that's where that integrative aspect comes in. And so the report I run will look at different sections, but then it takes all of the genetics that really like affect that one area, and then I'll give the report that says, hey, this is how all of these are impacting you and this is what we can do about it. So it's really fun. It's really fun because a lot of women will come in like I'm nervous to learn about this. Or can you only tell me the good stuff? Like Women will come in like I'm nervous to learn about this.
Speaker 2:Or can you only tell me the good stuff, like leave out the bad stuff, right? I'm like absolutely not, because this is so empowering. When you see that you're prone genetically for something, but then this I tell you exactly how to support yourself in it, then it is absolutely empowering and it's complete freedom making and I love it for that. So, yeah, any fear is wiped away. As soon as we do the, the consult, after we get the report back and I edit it and make it, you know this program for them according to it, and they're like oh my gosh, now I feel confident about you know how to take care of me, which is so important, especially in middle age, like come on, it's time for us to seriously have you know what we need, to equip ourselves to actually take care of ourselves the way we deserve to be.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I mean, this is a sandwich generation of having older children, sometimes younger children at home as well, and possibly even aging parents. And while we're trying to focus on our own bodies, changing this added stress can make it even aging parents, and while we're trying to focus on our own bodies, changing this added stress can make it even more difficult. Yeah, and there's just so many fun little discoveries like more gray hair and hormone shifting and extra weight around our midsection. Yeah, aging it's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Well, we can't escape it right. This is, this will happen. I'm not 50 yet. I'm like deep in the thrones of perimenopause and it's interesting, actually I left this part out, but PCOS is what really helped me dive into health investigation. But it was actually perimenopause, because what I was doing definitely wasn't working anymore. That made me go a wait, a second, I need to investigate this more and that led me down the road to really discover genetics. So, yes, I always.
Speaker 2:You know there's so many different, really wonderful advice out there that's very supportive to women during this time in our lives. But again, because we're all so unique, it's not a blanket approach and sometimes what will happen is again, what will happen for one woman. Say, she goes on some HRT and all of a sudden her symptoms are getting worse. Right, that's actually what happened to me. I was so excited to go on estrogen and I think it's a wonderful support for so many women, but for me, when I actually started taking estrogen estrogel I like boobs grew, I was having crazy hot flashes, my mood was insanely, you know, unstable, and I talked to my wonderful gynecologist I love her so much and she was like Okay, that's not for you. I don't know why, but put it on the shelf and keep investigating. And she didn't have the answers for me, but she was just wonderful in saying continue to search for yourself, like I believe your body knows. You're smart girl, you know, keep the investigation.
Speaker 2:And when I discovered genetics, I was like, oh my goodness, my body is a super producer of estrogen and it also converts most of my estrogen into the unhealthy form. Okay, so this is, this is what was happening. I was giving myself more and it was actually causing more issues. Now, thankfully, this isn't with everyone, right. Like again, I really want to say talk to your doctor. Your gynecologist is your number one person for this.
Speaker 2:But when you have your genetics and when you can actually see this is what's going on with my body, estrogenically wise, right, then you're able to take it to your doctor and be more informed, to be able to partner with them to go what's right for me here. And then again, often what we think is estrogen is it's actually cortisol, right, it's actually the stress going on. So giving yourself estrogen is wonderful. I take progesterone and it's amazing. I love it Again, not right for everyone, but being informed and be able to go okay, even though I'm supporting myself this way. There's so many other areas we need to look at and again I'm going to say it the holistic approach, the whole woman approach. So equipping yourself to be able to partner with your physician, I think, is the most empowering thing you can do.
Speaker 1:I think that's so important. I think we often feel like our doctors should have all the answers, but, like you say, being informed about your own body allows you to be in the driver's seat, and then we can listen to our bodies and see how new approaches feel and get a little more acquainted with what our own body needs and how things are working for us.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, equip yourself with. It all right, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:What's your opinion on gut health? How important is having a healthy gut in regards to all of these other symptoms that we're having.
Speaker 2:It is where we create so much of our serotonin. Even so, when we look at inflammation, when we look at neurotransmitter health as well as stress, right. So when we look at the whole picture of it, all of this impacts our gut health and the genetic report also will show like microbiome, like, are you prone to produce less or normal, or, you know, is that actually stable for you? And it gives a really good idea of how to support your gut health. One of the things that a lot of people will do is instantly they're like okay, probiotics, probiotics and I love pro and prebiotics, obviously but the issue is, if your body is super inflamed, what might happen is that it will actually see these beautiful probiotics that you're supporting yourself with as foreign and it will create more inflammation.
Speaker 2:Okay, so this is where just looking, okay, this is working for that person, I'm going to buy this off the shelf, take it. That doesn't necessarily, it's not necessarily the best approach, right? So looking again at those four areas the stress, the inflammation, as well as sleep and then looking at there's definite genetic markers we can look at. I know I've seen women who have come where they're like I can't have gluten. It absolutely is so inflammatory for me. But then when we take care of the other areas, then suddenly their body calms down and they don't have the same negative results from eating gluten. So it's really, it's a beautiful approach to be able to look at that and approach gut health with that level of wisdom, instead of the guessing game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember years ago I started to have some reactions to red wine and my face would get a bit warm and my eyelids would get a little bit swollen and so I went to an allergy specialist and it was super interesting. She said that I had a sensitivity to sulfites. Yeah, and at that time I was in real estate and I was probably eating out way more often than I do now, and she kind of explained that my body was like a cup and that when I was eating a lot of sulfites or preservatives in food that my body would just kind of get to the top and then possibly having that glass of red wine just would tip it over the edge. So it wasn't so much about the wine, but it was really watching the preservatives and all of the sulfites that were in my food. So I found that really fascinating.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly, yeah, and I see a lot of people like I have to cut out dairy? Well, perhaps, but when we can look at this like maybe you just have to partially cut it out, you can still have it three times a week, right? So it's not a definite like all or none, but that's where, when we look at inflammation in particular and how it affects the gut health, it's just so impactful to be able to have the resources and the knowledge. Oh, this is actually what's going on on a deeper level, and just cutting out dairy is actually not going to cut it.
Speaker 1:And it changes throughout our life too. Right Like I think it's fascinating that friends I used to know could drink three to four large lattes every day and then one day they just can't do caffeine at all. It's crazy. So we do have to realize that it's a journey for sure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yes. And then when we look at the different inflammation genes and really support those, then often the things that we think, like you said, allergies, those are anaphylactic, like that's a big time response, but the sensitivities that we think we have all of a sudden we don't. And the thing I love about the genetic aspect is when you do like a food sensitivity test or a blood test. Right, it's a snippet in time, it's only that one moment and it's so impacted by what you're eating, what you're drinking, all of this stuff, whereas your genetics don't change. So it's a one time test that you will have for the rest of your life. So if all of a sudden you're getting, you know, some hives, for example, like something's happening, you can actually look back and go oh okay, this most likely is being turned on right now. And now what is it that's actually turning on this gene? And then how do I support myself with that?
Speaker 1:So, as we wrap up and this has been fascinating, by the way can you give our listeners a few tips for managing stress, sleep and inflammation on their own, if they're not in a position to do the DNA test?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Number one. What's coming to me is compassion. Okay, like you are a woman in a and maybe there's some men listening, but I mostly speak to women right? So you're a woman in a very fast paced, very stressed out world right now. So compassion is everything.
Speaker 2:When we can actually drop into compassion, I call it honey-coated compassion, where we just, oh, feel that warmth coating us in. Hey, sweetheart, of course you're struggling right now, right, Of course this is hard for you right now. Of course you're frustrated, of course you're fill in the blank, like whatever it's, whatever's coming up that automatically will start to calm the nervous system. Okay, so the nervous system is really what we want to work with, obviously, when it comes to stress, and when you understand your genetics, you can really pinpoint what's going on. But without it, nervous system regulation is. It's still available to you, maybe not as deep as if I got my hands on your genetics right, but before I knew this and working at the retreat center, this honey-coated compassion aspect changed women's lives. Calm your nervous system and then from there you can get curious. What do I really need here? If I love myself through this and I have total compassion, what is it that I truly need and then, how do I support myself in this? I think those three main questions are golden when it comes to self-care. The other one I love is what feels most like love for me right now, and this might be a supplement, right, this might be a break. The other day I was. I have five children in my home. We're a blended family from ages seven to 19. It's very busy, and the other day I was like, okay, sweetheart, what do you need? My nervous system was so unregulated and the answer was you need to eat alone. So I'm like, guys, I love you, but I took my food up to my room and I I ate by myself and I gave myself permission, right? So, what feels most like love and what you need to give yourself permission for? And if you're not finding the answers, if the things you're doing aren't working for your health, keep investigating and that compassion part and that curiosity part, believe me, it'll lead you to where you need to go in your investigations. I truly believe that, because our bodies know, our souls know what we need and we again just get to partner with it. So calm down, right, take a moment and ask yeah. So that's number one. And take a moment and ask yeah, so that's number one.
Speaker 2:A couple of things supplement wise that I would recommend for people to do is if you're finding that stress is ruling the show, look into a supplement. I know you have different listeners from different countries so I'm not quite sure to speak to that, but, like in the States, in Canada, here there's certain supplements that can really support it. It's what we're looking for is lactium, but it's a certain type of lactium, so Pure Encapsulations. They have a beautiful product called Serenitin Plus, as well as Douglas Laboratories. Okay, so I don't work for these companies. I don't get paid by them, like. These are just products that I think are beautiful. When people do work with me.
Speaker 2:I actually source this from a different company, but only practitioners can. But it's the same stuff and it is amazing. So it actually supports your nervous system at that really deep level, helps to lower the cortisol, helps to regulate it. And then, if there's certain people, I have this gene where your nervous system never feels safe. So it never gets to that like, oh okay, that stressor is over and I'm okay now. So people with this type of genetic variation always feel heightened. There's always a scary thing around the corner. So this product, lactium actually will help to bring you into parasympathetic the rest and digest, and it has changed my life. I love it, love it, love it. So you don't need to know your genetics to start taking that. Absolutely recommend it. It love it. So you don't need to know your genetics to start taking that. Absolutely recommend it. So those are my two things that I would really recommend.
Speaker 2:And then, of course, sleep. Sleep is so important. I believe that we need to approach it for two things. One is that serenitin plus. Get your hands on that, because that's going to lower the cortisol while you're sleeping. No brain, no nervous system is going to allow you to sleep through the night if it thinks that there's an enemy just outside the door, right, so we need to deal with that. And then I love melatonin. The research around melatonin lately is unbelievable. It's blowing my mind. So absolutely take melatonin along with that, but take it at 830. You want to start to regulate those clock genes and your circadian rhythm, and most people take it too late. So that's just a little tip. Okay, if you are taking it, 830 is a great time and that'll be supportive of you.
Speaker 1:Do you think there are certain things that affect the quality of our sleep, like turning off screens and limiting access to brain stimuli, possibly limiting alcohol, having a cooler room, Like? What is your opinion on that?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, sleep hygiene absolutely is so critical, and so the things that you mentioned, you know, having a cooler room, shutting off the screens like an hour before, all of those things, all of the above, yes, but I do have to say that if cortisol is running the show, okay, and as we get older, as estrogen goes down, our stress hormones go up. That's a natural thing. That happens to everyone. So most of the time, when we're, you know, perimenopausal, menopausal, all of those sleep hygiene things will be supportive, but they're not actually going to fix the problem. So that's where I do believe the supplements come in as well, as progesterone can be really supportive. But again, chat with your doctor. My expertise is supplements and lifestyle and food.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Thank you so much, chancey. It is obvious that you are extremely passionate about this work that you do, and I'm going to put all of the information in the show notes so that, if any of our listeners are interested in working with you, they can access your 30-minute discovery call and possibly get some DNA testing if that's something they're interested in. And one thing to note is that Chansey can deliver these tests all over the world, so no matter where you live, you can have access to this information for yourself.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. Chanseydawncom that's my website, and then on Instagram I'm at genetic health coach, but genetichealthcoach I wanted to separate the words and yeah, so genetic health coach on Instagram. Chancydawncom. And you just anyone who's interested in chatting more, book, just book a consult. You can go onto my website and do that. Half an hour free consult and we'll just get to know each other and I love that. It just gives me time to really learn about what's going on for the individual woman and if this is the best next step for her. Yeah, so that's available to anyone.
Speaker 1:I hope you enjoyed this episode and if you did, please share this with someone you love. And if you're not subscribed, make sure you hit that little bell icon to make sure that you are notified when the next episode comes out. In case no one has told you today. There's not one person on this planet that is exactly like you, and the world is a better place because you're here. So thank you for being here. Go make it the best year yet, and I'll see you next time on. Life is Delicious.