Under Heaven Podcast: Alexi Bracey - Joy Becomes a Superpower

Under Heaven Podcast host, Trish, dives deep into the extraordinary life of Alexi Bracey, a holistic practitioner whose cancer victory, resilience habits, and joy‑centered lifestyle have transformed countless lives. Alexi recounts her diagnosis, the mindset shift that changed everything, and the lifestyle and spiritual practices that supported her healing.

Alexi reveals how a simple self‑hug, daily affirmations, and gratitude rituals can raise your frequency and rebuild your sense of worthiness. She also shares touching stories from her time of homelessness, where jokes, smiles, and small acts of kindness became lifelines for both her and the people she encountered.

This is a conversation about choosing joy, even when life breaks down and discovering that joy is a ministry all its own.

Alexi: alexibracey@gmail.com

Trish: patricia@lookingup24.org

Choose Joy, Healing Journey, Resilient Faith, Holistic Living, Joy Tools, Mind Body Spirit, Women Who Rise, Hope In Hard Times, Spiritual Resilience. #Kindness Matters 

Under Heaven Podcast, Faith, Trish Hodges, Testimony, Christian Women, Encouragement, Testimony

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to Underheaven, the podcast where we glorify God and celebrate the beautiful stories of women whose life and green women's goodness and great. I'm your host, Chris, and each week we share real conversations. This is a place for encouragement and truth. Where every story matters and every lift minute, welcome to matter where you're in your lips grow together underheaven. Welcome to under heaven. And today's woman takes a pocket. Overcoming with medical intervention. Through a fierce mistake, animal intelligence and a deep holistic healing. For more than 30 years, T health third and a holistic practitioner. Today Alexey joins us to talk about her signature, meditation. The new superpower with a daily dose of joy. We're going to have an exciting time with a light to just welcome her today. Alexi Brady. Welcome, girl.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Thank you. Delighted to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Well, you know what got my attention was where you are a cancer victor, and you did this without medication. Can you tell us just tell us that story? How did that happen? And how did you get to that point?

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Yeah, you know, any disease, so to speak, is caused by lifestyle habits. That's the bottom line. It's what you eat, what you wear, toxins in your home, the water that you drink, electromagnetic frequencies. Now to add to the equation, we've got microplastics. And so, you know, we change our lifestyle habits and um, you know, to get rid of all the toxins. And so um, but for me, uh initially it was my mindset. And you know, I knew I was gonna beat it. Um, and um I was enlightened by a few friends uh about diet and toxins and all that, because I didn't know about those kinds of things either. So with that, but it was, you know, my resilience that that wherewithal knowing I was gonna beat it. I didn't know how initially when I got the phone call, but I knew I was gonna do it. And um, like in a year's time, I was cancer free. So, you know, changed a few lifestyle habits, my diet, um, and then just really focus on positivity and the mindset. Like it was never wavering, it was just it's gonna happen, period.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

And what type of cancer were you diagnosed with?

SPEAKER_01 3:20

My uterine cancer.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Okay, okay. And yes, that is that can be very destructive to a body. So you um are a practitioner, holistic practitioner. So do you start with diet when you talk with someone, or where would someone start if they got such a diagnosis? Their mindset, what where would they start?

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Um well, first of all, I have to talk to them where where their mindset is at. Like I do are they confident that you know they're going to beat this, or are they wavering, or they they need direction? You know, it's that determination initially. I'm gonna do it. Pardon my French come hell or high water, you know, or I'll maybe try a different approach, or you know, so um it's definitely your mindset, um, you know, and just, you know, what are your resilience habits? You know, have you been successful in other things in your life? Whether it's um overcoming um, you know, an unexpected loss, or you know, your parents divorce when you're a child, or um you have to move, or you lost your job, or you know, so other lifestyle challenges that you have experienced come into play um in any challenge that you have, because you know, you'll revert to the old habits. Um, you know, like for example, if you came from a family that uh you were traumatized, well, maybe you have issues about self-worth. And so when you're diagnosed with cancer, am I worthy to be a victor? You know, it a lot of it is mental. It's not, you know, mental and emotional, I'd say supersedes the physical, uh, the the diet part of it or the you know uh lifestyle changes. It's you know, that determination, that focus that I'm going to do it, and um I just need some direction.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Now, is that what you consider to be resilience? What what do you the mindset knowing that you are worth being healthy and that you can do it? Yeah, and and you do put you work mostly with women over 50. And are you seeing a pattern in the women, maybe in their mindset, which is allowing some of the sickness and disease?

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Um yeah, I'd say probably a big issue, I think, would be worthiness and lifestyle habits from the way you were raised.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Yes, yeah, yeah, I see that as well. What would you suggest be a daily practice for a woman to help get that mindset that she is worthy and that she can make it?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Great question. A self-hug. Look in the mirror first thing in the morning in the bathroom, give yourself a self-hug and repeat your favorite affirmations, whatever they may be. I'm healthy, whole, and complete. I'm a magnet for abundance blessings and miracles, you know, whatever it is, and really look in your eyes and really mean it. You know, don't rush through it, just like really mean it. And you know, do it several times a day. You don't have to be in front of a mirror, but just you know, or think it in your if if you're in a work situation where you don't want to be hugging yourself, just you know, think that thought in your mind, you know, and have a daily routine to decide that you're going to do it at specific times every day, and it becomes a habit. So absolutely everybody, whether you're a parent, whether you live by yourself, whether you're a senior, whether you're uh uh a child, whether you're an adolescent, everybody should be doing this self-hug every day because it also raises your body's frequency and you're leaving the house on a positive note, not not in a rush to catch the bus, not um, you know, not looking forward to the meeting you have to do, not the argument you just had when you're going out the door. Just you know, focus on you. Don't focus on external circumstances, but on you.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Yes. And now is there something else you mentioned happy for no reason? Is that a part also of this mindset in healing?

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Absolutely, because we are um habitually complaining and blaming. You know, when you get on a Zoom call, what's the first thing people are talking about? They're not talking about their victories, they're talking about, oh, we had a power outage or there's a storm, or um, you know, I've got some challenges with you. Like we're always talking about something negative. People are complaining about the price of gas, the price of food. Be grateful you've got the money to pay for it. You know, it's just habitual. You know, when you say the worst thing you can say to somebody when you're talking on the phone, when they call you or you call them, is how are you? That is the worst thing you can say because automatically people will go into all the negative. Instead, hello. You know, it's sort of, you know, I challenge anybody going on a Zoom meeting. Um, before you start, maybe ask the hostess or host, uh, can we just start this meeting with sharing our wins, uh, what to put a smile on our face, our successes instead of the negativity. Because you can't change those negative. If you if you can't change those negative things, why are you focusing on them? You're giving it in negative energy.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

You are, absolutely. And that is one thing that I like to teach when I do body, soul, and spirit is the connection between the mind and the body. And then of course, I connect it with God as well. And you know that that there are those pathways in our brain that we've got to learn to replace that old, and I say that old rut, replace it with a new, fresh path.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

Yeah, because everybody today is going through some kind of challenge, loss, grief. Everybody, everybody, you know, it's it's like it's never been like this ever. And I think COVID started it since then. Everything has just sort of catapulted and turned around and and whatever. So, you know, be kind to everyone you meet because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. You know, I'm I'm a member of uh Living in Mastery, and the mandate is to let the Holy Spirit guide you and let and let um love be your knee-jerk reaction. So even though somebody may be rude to you at the store or cut you off or whatever, just give them the benefit of the doubt and just you know, say in your mind, ask for the Holy Spirit for guidance. Um just send love and peace. Just send love and peace.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Absolutely. And God is love, and when we walk in that manner, we are showing the love of God to others, and I have found that to be a key as well. To and like you said, given the benefit of the doubt, they may have just had a horrible news, you know, come to them or something. You you don't know what's going through the lives of other people. That's that's something.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, you know. Go ahead. Okay, well, no, I was just gonna share an example of forgiving and showing love. When Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, initially he slept on a concrete floor. They wouldn't, the the guards would even provide him with a pillow or or blanket or anything. And then over time, because he was kind to everybody, they provide, you know, he got his pillow and his and his blanket, and the guards noticed that he was too he was different than the other inmates, and he treated everybody with love and kindness and respect. And when he was discharged on the day of his inauguration, um, the person who was his bodyguard was one of the guards from the prison.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Oh, how nice. Yes. I've heard miraculous stories concerning Nelson Vandella. Yes. Now, what do you do have a ministry? Do you speak? How do you help women or how to help, how do women reach you for help?

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Well, um, I do speak on stages, but also women's groups, um, health groups, even business groups, you know, like um, you know, there's women in corporations and men can use these tactics as well. And then I mentor, you know, one-on-one, not coaching, mentoring one-on-one. It's a little different. And, you know, with a personalized program based on your challenges, and then I have structure to it, and we sort of fine-tune it. And a lot of it is your connection with your heart, you know, because your heart is what is the ruler, not your brain. So your heart will tell you the messages, what to do, what not to do. And it's all about listening to your intuition, and it's your higher power that's guiding you on what to do. That's the bottom line.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

It is. And you also um you're not only speaking to women who have health concerns, but you have also been through homelessness. How did how did that happen? And what did you do for resilience in that?

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Um, um, I um lost my train of thought here. Um, I had an accident, an un unexpected no-fall car accident, which impacted my balance, and as a result, I fell and broke my femur, which resulted in me not being able to work as a private chef anymore. So that impacted my income. And so I ended up moving six times in one year. Basically, I was homeless. Um, and I didn't know what where I was gonna hit, where my head was gonna hit the pillow that night, you know, it's gonna be here or there, whatever. And joy came into play because you know, joy is a higher frequency again, and because everybody's going through their own challenges, myself at that's it. Well, even today, we all still have challenges. So, you know, I realized that I had the gift to bring joy to people's lives. So I approached strangers at the dog park, at the grocery store, at the ATM machine, and I share a joke for the very reason like I just shared that because everybody's got challenges. Laughter's been shown to promote longevity, lowers cortisol, raises serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good hormones. And there's all sorts of things you can do besides a joke. You know, um, when you meet somebody, smile and make eye contact. Eye contact is so important, you know, that you're really connected one-on-one with the person. You know, you don't say thanks, you say thank you. And if possible, find out the person's name. Like, for example, the when you're going through the uh grocery line with the cashier, ask her what her name is, how her day is. It really impacts you. Any any random act of kindness or bringing happiness to a person affects that person three three um three generations down in a sense, not really generations, I can't think of the word. So if I say something nice to you, it'll impact your son's teacher. Just that okay, yes, that energy. And so going back, um, so then I started a resilient boost short video every morning that I used to post on LinkedIn, just daily things on how to add more joy, not to your life, but to other people's lives. Like, for example, have three positive compliment, three positive comments to one negative. Um, the smile, the thank you. Um, when somebody holds the door open for me, I always ask if their mother is still alive, and most times they'll say yes, and I'll say, Well, tell her she's done a good job. They smile, and their mother's gonna smile, and who knows what kind of day she is having. So that may have really changed her her energy level as well, you know, the frequency. You know, um, one thing, you know, sometimes you I do things, bring joy to people, um, or a kind act or a compliment because it feeds my soul and I know they really like it. I don't do it um to get uh accolades or thank yous or anything like that, but sometimes your kind act, just like Nelson Mandela, sh reaps benefits in another way down the road. So, like for example, some years ago I was living in a high rise, and um I would take my dogs across the street to the park, and I befriended a young man standing on the corner having a cigarette. He he had come from the Philippines to look after his brother who had cancer, taking him to appointments and that. And so we would chat for a few minutes and uh I would leave, and then you know, I'd see him every two or three weeks and we'd chat some more. I was I was sort of his can I'm I'm in Canada, so I was his Canadian aunt, so to speak. And so then one day he said to me that his brother had passed away, and would I come to the prayer circle at the funeral home? And I said, Oh yes, of course. So when I arrived at the funeral home a few weeks later, there were about 30 Filipino women uh sitting in the in the chapel. I made my way up to my friend. He took me up to the casket. I had never met his brother, and he explained that they're waiting to make arrangements to ship the body in the casket back to the Philippines for burial so their mother could be there. We exchanged a few words and left. Then several weeks later, I'm walking down the street, and a young Filipino woman approaches me and she says, Were you in so-and-so's funeral reception prayer circle a few weeks ago? I said, Yes, I was. She says, You have no idea how your presence impacted our community. I tell you, it's something I will take with me to my dying house. Yes. So, you know, I did it out of kindness and respect to my friend, but I impacted so many more people.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

Yeah, that's what I call the ripple effect. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

You said that energy just yeah. So I, you know, I so I would do little little gestures and little things in my year of homelessness, and I I still continue doing that because it really feeds my soul, and and people really enjoy it. Like, for example, um, I'll go in a coffee shop and there's an older couple sitting having coffee, and I'll say, How about a joke? And the guy will say, Well, as long as it's clean. And so I'll share the joke, I'll show the joke, and then um they laugh and they go, It was worth it. Thank you. You know, I'm not doing it for the thank you. I'm just doing it because I know they'll they'll smile, they'll laugh in the midst of maybe a heavy discussion. Like, you know, you just don't know.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yes. Can you share a joke with us today? One of your favorites, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

One of my favorites. Okay, so Billy Graham just gets off the plane after a speaking tour, and his chauffeur is waiting to take him home. And so he says to a chauffeur driver, I've never driven a limo before. Do you think I could drive it for a while? The chauffeur says, Yeah, no problem. So the two of them get in the limo, they're bombing down the highway, and Billy's doing 50 and 60 and 70. Well, lo and behold, a state trooper spots him, stops the car. When he approaches the car and Billy rolls down the window, he does a double take and he says, Excuse me for a minute. He goes back to his cruiser, he calls his supervisor, and he says, You know, there's different circumstances, and when we give tickets, and this is one of them, and I don't know how to handle it. I've got this really important person. And the supervisor says, Is it a dignitary? He says, No, more important. Is it the president? No, more important. Then who is it? He says, I think it's Jesus because Billy Graham is a chauffeur.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

Absolutely. Oh, that is hilarious. That's hilarious. And you know, speaking of important people, I think there's something in your life that you did that our audience probably doesn't know about someone who you were a chef for.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

Will Smith. Wow. Um I didn't know who Will Smith was. This is this is going back um, oh, more than 20 years. I don't know, a long time ago. And um he was filming the sequel to um Men in Black or something like that. I can't remember what the movie was. And uh so I would prepare meals for him, um, breakfast and dinner, uh, and then they'd be off, you know, in the daytime shooting their their movie and whatever. He was very careful about his diet. I remember um he he would have his smoothie for breakfast every morning with his own formula, and um, I didn't know what was in it, but because I was already, you know, very health conscious, I left him some information on ingredients and smoothies and stuff like that. He took it away. He never thanked me or anything, but he did take it away. So I don't know. He was a very quiet, very respectful man. His um his two kids came to visit one day, and they were absolutely delightful, just absolutely idolized their father. It was really delightful to watch.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

How did you happen to get that job? What opportunity opened?

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Yeah, a friend of mine called me, and somehow she got wind of it that they were looking for a private chef for it for somebody. And so, like when I went, I didn't know who I was, I didn't know who. Will Smith was. But uh yeah, so that's where I landed it.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

Wow. I think that was probably a little God ordained uh direction there. That is awesome. Did you ever tell him any of your jokes?

SPEAKER_01 22:15

I wasn't into jokes then.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Oh, you weren't into that yet. Okay. Yeah. Because I can't I can't imagine. That would be so wonderful to be able to tell Will Smith a joke because I can just see him laughing about it.

unknown 22:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Well, I started with my jokes because I used to work as a private chef for several months in the summer at various remote fishing lodges in northern Canada. And at one lodge, I was there for four months, or I was there for four years, three months for four years. And so the returning guests, 90% of them were former fish, former former guests. So they're now bringing their grandsons. I mean, how they could even hold a fishing rod, I don't know, because some of them are quite fairly. And um, so during dinner time, I go up and I chat with them. Well, I'm certainly not going to talk about fishing. So I started telling jokes. And so um the next year when they saw me, they say, Oh, Alexei, do you have jokes? And so that's how I started accumulating them. And so then uh um I took a quiz and I learned that one of my gifts was to bring joy, and so jokes was a natural hobby. And so uh I certainly would have never dreamed in 50 years ago that I was gonna be telling jokes, I tell you, because I was very quiet, I was very shy. Um, whereas now it's uh it's an involvement, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

Yeah, well, it's a gift, and you know, the Lord has a a sense of humor as well, and I think that that is just another facet of seeing what God is like. And that's right. He's been quite humorous in some of the things he's done in our lives and said, Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

You know, Carolyn Mist says, if you want to make God, tell me your plans.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

Yes, absolutely. Yeah, life is what happens while you're making other plans. This is for sure. If you could, I thank you so much for being with me today, and I'm I would like you to just leave a thought for um for the women out there. Perhaps a woman who is uh says, I don't have joy, I can't think of jokes. What do you say to her first?

SPEAKER_01 24:40

You can always when you're happy, you will make other people happy. And when they see that they're happy, it sort of goes back and forth. So you don't have to tell jokes, you can offer a compliment, you can offer a smile, like you can, you know, I'll be walking down the street and I'll I'll this woman's got a really nice dress on, I'll say, I like your dress, it looks really good on me too. You know, like hint hint, you know, too. And like I said, you know, even holding the door open, you know, the compliment that you say, tell your mother, you know, smiling when you say thank you, um you know, the cashier at the grocery store, just the fact that somebody took the time to you know, maybe share a 30-second conversation because otherwise it's just like you're like a robot next, next, next. You know, everybody can learn, everybody can learn a one-liner. Absolutely. For example, really easy. Okay, a guy is talking, a woman is talking to her cat, like the cat really understands, and so he goes home and he tells his dog, and they both have a good laugh.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Okay. Two sentences, yep. Yes, yes, absolutely, and I am just so thankful for you. I'm thankful for you sharing with us how how joy is a key to resilience and helping others to feel better, to help others laugh helps us to feel better as well. So I thank you for pouring your heart out to us today. Anything else before we wrap it up?

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Well, actually, if anybody's interested, I've got um this poster that I've made on different uh steps to do to build your resilience. We call it resilience with heart. So I don't we can't really, I don't think you can really see it.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

No, is there can they email you and get a copy, perhaps?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah. I'd be more than delighted to share. You know, you'll begin with alignment, which is the the breasts, um, you know, the self-hug, pause before reacting, offer an act of love, invite small joys, and um you know, all sorts of little things you can do. It's it's all habit. So start with every six days and then build on it, and then people will notice that you know it's you're different. What's going on, you know, and just spread happiness because everybody's going through something. A smile works wonders, absolutely wonders. Instead of saying have a great day, say have a grateful day.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

Oh, okay, have a grateful day. Yes, okay, I like that. Excellent. I'm writing that down because I I'm one that always says, have a great day. So it will turn into something different, and that will help them to see something different in life as well. I don't think they go.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

I never thought of that. And yeah, okay, so maybe little nuggets throughout the day. We'll think of that. Yes, you can be grateful.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Yes. And Alexi, your email, please.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

It's just my name, Alexi Bracy at Gmail.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Okay. Alexi Bracie, that's B-R-A-C-E-Y at gmail.com. And ask her for that for that uh little sheet and put it up. I've got sheets up in my office everywhere to help remind me. Yeah, yeah. We need to sometimes have that little reminder. And if we if one of those thoughts comes in our head that is a negative thought that's gonna put us back years, we say, No, no, I've got two's life and love. God is life and love. So when we have those little notes and things up around, that reminds us to get our mind where it needs to be. And that's in the joy of life. And and your joy is contagious, Alexi. I thank you so much for bringing your word to us today. And I know that your message is exactly what someone needed to hear. Uh, to our listeners out there, I thank you. If something stirred inside of you, whether it's, you know, I like to, what my granddaughter and I like to do, Alexi, when we are in the car, we we push the little Google thing or Alexa thing or whatever it is and say, give us a joke today, and and we'll listen to the jokes. And um, you know, they're usually we ask about animal jokes. We like jokes about elephants and dogs and and that. And it just lightens the day and it does put joy in your heart. So connect with Alexi if you would like her to mentor you. She does do one-on-one, and you are deserving of more joy, and Alexi will help you with that. So until next time, speak life, choose hope, and remember you're always loved. Thank you, Alexi, and thank you, everyone. Bye-bye.

unknown 30:04

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Thank you for being with us today on Under Heaven. I trust this conversation encouraged your heart and reminded you of God's faithfulness. If today's episode blessed you, please click like, subscribe, and share the hope with others. Until next time, blessings.