#14 - Living with Intent Featuring Author and Vegan Hot for Food Host Lauren Toyota

#14 - Living with Intent Featuring Author and Vegan Hot for Food Host Lauren Toyota

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior.

So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that have steered writers, filmmakers, psychologists, and industry icons down their paths in life. Each episode is also a glimpse into the trends and patterns of human behavior and the underlying influences that navigate us into different directions. Whether we primarily focus on nutrition or the unconscious, guests share insights, thought-provoking lessons, the nuances of creativity, and the elements of being….us.

I’m excited to share today’s episode with you. From YouTube to Twitter to Instagram, Lauren Toyota has hundreds of thousands of combined followers, fans, and subscribers. She seamlessly transitioned from close to 10 years as a television host and producer to an independent, self-made content producer.

Every Wednesday, you can find Lauren sharing gourmet vegan comfort food recipes on the “hot for food” YouTube channel that now boasts nearly 473,000 subscribers and over 36 million channel views since launching in February of 2015. Her debut cookbook, Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes To Feed Your Face (Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House) became a best seller and is available now wherever books are sold. Her second cookbook is set for release in February 2021.

Among other accolades, Lauren Toyota was also named Canada's Most Influential Vegan by IMPACT magazine in 2017 and one of the Powerhouse Canadian Women Killing it in 2018 by Refinery29.

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Hot for Food Host Lauren Toyota

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In our interview, we covered everything from the mindset of a host to living with intent. Here’s what we specifically discussed:

-The evolution of Lauren’s vegan philosophy, her cookbook, and “Hot for Food” YouTube channel
-Managing personal and professional criticisms
-How Lauren maintains her genuine connection with the art and science of cooking while serving the professional need to produce weekly
-The challenges of managing the line between being genuine and sharing too much of your personal self
-Being mindful of a growing audience without succumbing to the pressures of "It's never big enough”
-Rising above failure
-Checking in with your intuition and living with intent

To learn more about Lauren Toyota, visit https://www.hotforfoodblog.com. You may also subscribe to her “Lauren in Real Life” and “Hot for Food” YouTube channels as well as Instagram (@hotforfood), Facebook (hot for food), and Twitter (@hotforfood). You can find her cookbook, Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes To Feed Your Face wherever fine books are sold!

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The Element of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Hot for Food Host Lauren Toyota

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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#13 - Simply Mindful with Author and Psychotherapist Donald Altman

#13 - Simply Mindful with Author and Psychotherapist Donald Altman

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior.

I'd like to introduce today's guest, Donald Altman. He is a psychotherapist, international mindfulness expert, and award-winning author of over 15 books translated worldwide. In addition to being a featured expert in The Mindfulness Movie, Donald is profiled in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project and writes the Practical Mindfulness blog on the Psychology Today website.

Donald's best-selling book The Mindfulness Toolbox was the winner of two national publishing IPBA Ben Franklin awards as best book in both the Psychology and Body-Mind-Spirit categories. Two other books, Clearing Emotional Clutter and The Mindfulness Code, were both chosen as “One of the Best Spiritual Books of the Year” by Spirituality & Practice. Another of Donald’s books, Living Kindness, has been used as a meditation guide for staff and delegates at the United Nations.

For several years, Donald served on the faculty of both Portland State University and Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. He is also Past Vice-President for The Center for Mindful Eating--an international non-profit organization dedicated to sharing concepts about mindful eating.

With a passion for bringing ancient, timeless values and practices into modern life, Donald has taught thousands of health care and business professionals how to apply mindfulness for self-growth in relationships and in the workplace.

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring psychotherapist Donald Altman

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He worked for several years as a senior mental health therapist at an eating disorder and general psychiatric clinic before founding his own clinic.

Specifically, we discuss:

-The key practices of basic mindfulness and how to practice it under the constant pressure and force of negative energy
-How to become more compassionate with yourself and lessen self-judgment  
-The beauty of impermanence
-The most common obstacles when opening the mind to a new awareness of the self and the world around us
-The role of conscious intention in our day-to-day lives
-The value of gravity-free awareness and how it differs from the chaotic floating of random thoughts
-The “Power of Pause” and how to integrate it into a sacred space in your home

To learn more about Donald Altman or to subscribe to the Mindful Living Newsletter, visit www.mindfulpractices.com. You may also visit Donald's facebook page, facebook.com/MndfulPractices (no "i" in Mndfulpractices).

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"Constant dwelling on negative clutter, or Velcro thinking, creates a well-worn groove in the brain that plays over and over just like a favorite song — one that we now know affects the body's health. Affirmations provide us with a means of blocking old negative songs while giving us a new and more positive tune to align with. A new mental soundtrack, created through a conscious affirmation, holds the potential to transform both our emotional and immune response. At the same time, we need to catch those mind whispers — the very subtle and almost unconscious commands — that can sway us and cause us to act robotically."

— Donald Altman, author of Clearing Emotional Clutter

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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Your Plant-Based Business Plan to Lose Weight

Why do we develop business plans in the corporate and entrepreneur worlds but never for our personal health? If you're looking for a strategic change, consider this simple plant-based plan.  

SECTION 1: YOUR MISSION

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: If you want to end the cycle of guessing and lack of control, you need to move and choose with intent. Be specific. What is your true, realistic weight loss goal and what is the objective based on?  For example:  To maintain a weight of ____ and a body fat of ____ while living a life with intent. Can your mission be summed up in one sentence? Do you have a bigger transformation goal in mind? This is the time to state it clearly. It will steer your approach (and the rest of your plan).

SECTION 2: SUMMARY OF YOU

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: How can you build a solid foundation if you don’t know the material you’re working with? A contractor wouldn’t move forward without this awareness and you shouldn’t either. Now is the time to become a human scientist and study you! Who are you? What are the trends and patterns of you? How would you describe your emotional, mental, and physical selves? What is your approach to fitness? Do you like fitness? Why or why not? What do you prefer to eat? Why? When do you eat? How do you choose your meals? How do you handle stress? What is the relationship between this stress and other areas of your life? Be honest and list all of your attributes, strengths, and weaknesses here.

SECTION 3: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS SUMMARY

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: While your plan should be tailored to your wants and needs, you will need to analyze other weight loss and health plans to fully understand the full scope of practice. What are the most effective and efficient health models that you’ve researched? Should you reinvent the wheel or adapt a popular, successful plan? How have different body types responded to these theories? This section will not only shape the process you choose but also justify it.

SECTION 4: STRATEGY AND OBSTACLES SUMMARY

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: Once you have observed yourself and considered the research, it’s time to develop your strategy. You will generally describe the implementation of your plan here. Include the answers to the following questions: How will this strategy reflect your strengths and weaknesses? What boundaries will you develop? How will you implement this plan? Will someone help you? What do you think will be the biggest obstacles to your goal? How will you overcome these obstacles?

SECTION 5: SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: Considering that losing weight or achieving optimal health requires a multifaceted approach, break down your strategy into several categories and specifically list what you need to incorporate into your lifestyle. Use this structure as an example:

Weight/Body Fat Accountability
-Check weight and body fat when you workout and record it on your phone (app Monitor Your Weight???? or Notes).
-Record what you're eating every day (no calorie count needed).

Nutrition
-Limit drinking alcohol to only 2 days per week.
-Print and stick the "Eating Pie Chart" (from this diet article) on your fridge as a reminder of healthy eating habits. Please note that this chart still offers quite a bit of flexibility with your dietary choices. Whole food plants are still the number one and most effective choices.
-If you're eating overnight....Eat a small meal before bed and when you first wake up. Post a note on your fridge that says "You will eat again when you wake up in the morning."
-Eat no more than 1 meal per day containing meat, dairy, grains, and/or refined sugar.
-Aim for a daily caloric range of 1200-1500 calories.
-Follow the recommendations for this month in the following article: Weight Loss: The Diet Questions You MUST Ask Yourself.
-Minimize caffeine to 2 cups (equals 1 small mug) of coffee per day.
-Print 1 restaurant menu: Choose a restaurant you love or want to visit and ask someone to help you figure out the best menu items.

Exercise
-5-day workout: 3 days strength/2 days cardio

Mindset
-Minimize any news content to 5 minutes per day. It will eliminate quite a bit of negativity in your life.
-Embrace new challenges as opportunities to refine your problem-solving ability.

Habits/Goals
-Write down 10 personal/professional goals on individual post-it notes and place them on your closet wall or another private place that you'll see at least once per day.
-Setup up alerts with positive messages on your phone using the app Simple Routine as reminders of goals and what you're trying to achieve.

Social Life
-Choose 1 new activity or interaction per week to satisfy your curiosity.
-Surround yourself with positive-spirited people daily.
-Seek out at least 1 person when you're in need of help.

What's missing from your business plan? What categories would you add? Tailor this section to support your mission.

SECTION 6: TIMELINE AND MILESTONES

Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: Once you have decided on your steps of action, you need to develop a timeline. This section is not only important for accountability but also reflecting on your goals, what is a realistic timeframe to achieve them? What points of this process should serve as milestones? What are your realistic expectations for each of those milestones? How will you adapt this process if you don’t reach your mark?

SECTION 7: FINANCIAL PLAN

    Plant-Based Personal Trainer Wisdom: A financial plan can be interpreted a number of ways. In terms of monetary obligation, the range of money you spend really depends on your interests and the type of help you desire. What will you budget for a new gym, clothes, food, or personal trainer/fitness class? What areas are you willing to splurge on?

In terms of time, how many minutes will you dedicate to research, diet, meditation, and/or exercise? Within a strict schedule, what are you willing to sacrifice to make room for these endeavors? No matter what you prioritize during this section, you’ll definitely need to determine the true cost of your mission.

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#12 - "Should We Ever Return to a State of Normalcy?" with Author Michael Moody

#12 - “Should We Ever Return to a State of Normalcy?” with Author Michael Moody

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior.

In this episode, I dissect the idea of a "return to normalcy" as we develop our next social and economic strategies during this crisis as well as the impact of returning to pre-COVID conditions. Specifically, I discuss:

-The benefits of the old routine and the stimulation of the new
-The separation of routine from normalcy
-The comfort of habit and the discomfort of the physical, social, and global normalcy we experienced before the pandemic
-The return to patterns of debilitating and inflammatory physical health

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody

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-The ways we can leave a sustainable impact on our healthcare system, frontline health workers, and personal health
-The needed change in approach with social and environmental policies as well as leadership from both parties
-The possible long term effects of merely returning to a prior state without adaptation
-The opportunity of a "new normal"

To learn more about Michael, check out his book "Redefine Yourself” or say hello on Instagram!

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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#11 - Looking Behind-the-Scenes with Hollywood Location Manager Stuart Berberich

#11 - Looking Behind-the-Scenes with Hollywood Location Manager Stuart Berberich

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior.

Today is meant for my fellow film geeks. If you have ever watched an incredible scene during your favorite movie and TV show and wondered, "how do they pull that off or how do they get access to a place like that?”, we shed a little light on the process during my interview with Stuart Berberich, a Hollywood Location Manager and Scout. We typically see the movie creation experience from the perspective of actors, actresses, and directors….my interview with Stuart brought a unique behind-the-scenes look and a different perspective into the on-screen entertainment that I admire and enjoy so much.

Most likely, you’ve seen Stuart’s professional contributions if you’ve seen the blockbuster movies Transformers 3 and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, as well as the shows, Sense 8 and the Patriot…especially the Patriot on Amazon…season one is brilliantly written and filmed. What we discussed:

The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Hollywood Film Manager Stuart Berberich

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-how COVID-19 affects the present and future of Hollywood
-the true impact of Hollywood on the economy -the path and day-to-day of a location scout and manager for film and television-the process of aligning locations with the vision of the writers and director
-the challenges of finding and securing the locations you see on screen
-the evolution of Hollywood films from permanent sets to unique locations
-the current trends in Hollywood

To learn more about Hollywood location manager Stuart Berberich, check out his website or say hello on Instagram!

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Listen to all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, Castbox, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast platform!

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The Elements of Being Podcast with Michael Moody featuring Hollywood Film Manager Stuart Berberich

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