Len Arcuri; Dr. Robert Melillo; Lana Kerr; Kiersten Brooke De Cook; Natalie Lefevre

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following is opaid podcast. iHeartRadio's hosting of this podcast
constitutes neither an endorsement of the products offered or the
ideas expressed.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to a moment of Zen. Time to sit back
and relax. As model, actress, mentor and super mom, Zen
SAMs takes you on a sexy and wild ride covering
the latest in film, fashion, pop culture, cryptocurrency, fintech, cannabis,
and entertainment from the millennial mom's perspective. Here's your host,

(00:29):
Zen SAMs.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Welcome back in New York Tri State area and beyond.
You're listening to a moment of Zen right here on
seven ten. Woar the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm
your host, Zen SAMs. Here's the celebrating over six and
a half years on air. In this Mark's episode two
hundred and fifty one, Welcome to twenty twenty six. Tonight,
we're bringing you a feature of the Month spotlighting a

(00:52):
woman who has quietly helped architect an entirely new conversation
at the intersection of science, women's health, and longevity. Our
guest is Laniker, founder, entrepreneur, and category creator behind the
Lumisque skincare line, home of Co two Lift, the globally
recognized platform. This conversation lives under the headliner The long

(01:16):
game lan occur on intelligence, intention, and the architecture of legacy,
and the topic is not products, its evolution. How a
founder moves from building momentum to building meaning, from execution
to authorship, and from business success to long term legacy
through books, film, podcast and storytelling that reshapes women's health

(01:39):
in the Elevated Experiences series brought to you by MTK Group,
New York. Joining me is Kirsten de Cook, a family
travel creator and entrepreneur behind Kirsten brook Travels on social media.
She traveled to more than nineteen countries with her two children,
both under five, and has built a platform rooted in
real travel, family service, not highlight reels, not fantasy itineraries,

(02:03):
but lived, practical, modern experience and the Queen Collective segment
brought to you by Society Brands and Crunchy. Joining me
today is Natalie Lefev, founder of Legacy Life That's Life
with a Y. Natalie is on a mission to heal, educate,
and empower through preventative and regenitive medicine while shining a
necessary light on where toxins quietly hide in everyday life

(02:27):
and how informed choices are radically changing long term health outcomes.
We're chatting the toxins we ignore and the ones hurting
us most right beneath our nose in today's Brain Blueprint
series brought to you by the Malilo Centers. The conversation
speaks directly to parents navigating autism, but not from a
place of fear or overwhelm, instead from strategy, structure, and science.

(02:53):
We're going to be joined by Len R.

Speaker 4 (02:54):
Corey.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
He's a strategic parenting advisor, founder of All In Parent Coaching,
and host of the top ranked Autism Parenting Secrets podcast
with nearly one million downloads. We're also going to be
joined by our co contributor, doctor Robert Milillo, clinician, number
one brain researcher and author of Disconnected Kids. Stay tuned

(03:15):
for doctor Robert Milillo and Len Arkori coming up next
right here on seven to ten wor the voice of
New York iHeartRadio. We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
A moment of Zen is brought to you by Skin
by Sarah nationally recognized injectors. Sari katz is redefining cosmetic
treatments with an approach that subtle, precise, and confidence driven.
Whether you're new to injectables or looking for an expert touch,
sarih creates results that enhance your natural features, never mask them.

(03:45):
Discover what personalized esthetics should feel like. To learn more,
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by Sarri on Instagram.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Welcome back, New York, Try, State, Area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of zen right here wr the
voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zenzam's Welcome
back to today's Brain Blueprint segment, brought to you by
the Malillo Centers. Today's conversation speaks directly to parents navigating autism,

(04:15):
not from a place of fear or overwhelm, but from strategy, structure,
and science. We're going to go from chaos to clarity.
We're going to give you a brain based, systems driven
blueprint for navigating autism in a world of noise. Because
parents today aren't short on information, they're drowning in it,
Conflicting advice, social media trends, well meaning opinions, and the

(04:39):
pressure to act fast without a clear plan today is
about replacing noise with clarity and panic with precision. Joining
me is Len R. Curry, strategic parenting advisor, founder of
All In Parent Coaching, and host of the top ranked
Autism Parenting Secrets podcast with nearly one million downloads. Is
a former CPACFO and six Sigma Master black belt. Len

(05:02):
brings systems thinking into parenting, shaped by raising his son RAI,
diagnosed with autism at eighteen months and now thriving. And
as always, I'm joined by my co contributor, doctor Robert Milillo, clinician, neuroscientist,
bestselling author and founder of the Mililo Method. Now, before
we begin, here's why this matters. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, one in thirty six children

(05:25):
in the US is now diagnosed with autism, yet many
families are left navigating fragmented advice without a clear neurological framework.
Research shows outcomes improve most when intervention is early targeted
and properly sequenced, not when parents attempt everything all at once.
That's the brain blueprint we're going to be unpacking today.

(05:47):
Welcome to the show, Superstars. Thank you, Zeen, thank you
very much, Lenn, thank you so much for joining us,
Doctor Ert Mililo, thank you so much for contributing to
our expert on the microphone series. So excited to have
you on. Always great to be here, right, Len, I'm
going to start with you. So, parents, Len are often
told to trust their instincts, but instinct without structure can

(06:08):
lead to panic. And your shift came when you stopped
reacting and started strategizing, if you will. So, what changed
for you when you approached autism through systems instead of emotion?

Speaker 5 (06:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (06:21):
Well what Thanks for that question, And what really changed
for me was just how I was even looking at
my role in this, because you know, initially I was
reacting very emotionally. An autism diagnosis is extremely hard to
receive for a parent, and initially I was kind of
pretending there really wasn't a problem. I was hoping it
would just go away, and that you know, basically, you know,

(06:45):
if it didn't go away, that there would be a
quick fix, and kind of looking for someone to tell
me what to do. But there was a lot of
anxiety underneath it all. And what really shifted was the
moment that I looked at what was happening and kind
of replaced the fear and the overwhelm with a sincere

(07:06):
confidence and optimism. And that only happened after claiming the
role as the CEO of my child, my son RAI
his journey and the idea of kind of claiming that
ownership and stepping into that role was something I know
I didn't want to do initially, but it's the absolute
key first move in order to actually develop an approach

(07:28):
that actually can be effective to support your child.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
Wow. And what stands out is how you moved from
emotional triage to intentional leadership and behavioral neuroscience shows parental
regulation directly impacts a child's nervous system, So clarity in
the parent isn't optional. It's neurological, right, no doubt.

Speaker 6 (07:51):
And you touched on a key point and this came
up in your show a couple of weeks ago about
parent regulation and how important that is because it's impossible
for a parent to ultimately do what we really want
to do, which is to make great decisions.

Speaker 5 (08:05):
You can't do that if you're disregulated.

Speaker 7 (08:08):
And so len from your perspective, you know, you know.
The first question I often ask parents is has anybody
tried to explain to what's actually happening in your child's brain,
Like what is autism? And you know, what are the
realities around that? And for me, you know, almost one
hundred percent of the time, the answer is no. And
we've discussed this, So what is your perspective on that?

(08:30):
How important do you think that is for parents to
understand that? And you know what are parents typically told
around these issues?

Speaker 4 (08:38):
Right?

Speaker 6 (08:38):
Yeah, No, it's incredibly important. And that goes to what
I was saying before about this heightened awareness what's really
happening and you talk about it all the time, doctor Malolo, like,
people don't really look at it in terms of what's
the current state of what's happening with your child? And
so that heightened awareness is key. And then the big

(08:59):
mistake or trap that I think parents fall into is
just falling into where they're just addressing the symptoms and
never getting at the root cause of what's going on
with their child. And every child's unique and there's definite
root causes that are relevant for a particular child that
may not be relevant for others. So a lot of
this comes down to a true root cause approach, not

(09:22):
just addressing symptoms. Because the autism a landscape is basically
one big hamster wheel where you get a diagnosis based
on symptoms to get this label, this diagnosis, and you
use that for purposes of getting coverage to then do
therapies and interventions that address those symptoms. There's nothing about

(09:43):
the root cause. And what you've done so powerfully is
to help identify for parents. Wait a second, there's a
huge root cause that everyone's missing. Which one of those
root causes that you talk about is the imbalance, the
brain embalance, the hemispheric imbalance, and that that needs to
be addressed before a lot of the other things that
people might be recommending to you, those are likely not

(10:06):
going to stick unless you address that key root cause.
And so that's I think the art of this is
for parents to have really good educated guesses on which
card is to focus on and not to throw the
kitchen sink at their child.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
Yeah, it's overwhelming, you know as a parent. And I
love that doctor Millell asked you that question because this
opens up Pandora's box really in terms of what we
can cover here. But parents today are really faced with
cognitive overload, like you said, and research shows overwhelmed directly
impairs decision making. I mean, you're torn right, You're being
pulled left and right. So how do you help parents

(10:43):
filter advice without shutting down and decide what truly belongs
in their child's plan?

Speaker 6 (10:49):
Yeah, well, well, parents definitely aren't set up for success,
and it's not their fault. That's one thing I want
to say at the outset, And honestly, there's a lot
of people out there who want to advise and recommend
to parents what to do for their child, what to
do for themselves. So the way I've discerned it's the
most powerful way of helping parents is not pretending to

(11:09):
be the guru that's going to tell them what to do.
So really it comes down to parents. What they really
need is somebody walking alongside them to again see things
more clearly and to ultimately discern because they know their
child best, what root causes make the most sense to
focus on and yes, with consultation with medical practitioners and

(11:31):
the team of advisors. So setting up that org chart
with the parent as the CEO at the top, that's
really important. You need good advisors. But ultimately parents do
have untapped capacity to make these decisions. They may not
feel like they're qualified, but they absolutely are. And the
key thing I help parents really tap into is what

(11:53):
I would call informed intuition, because yes, parents have an intuition,
but sometimes your intuition can be of misguided in terms
of your habits and your experience. So for parents to
get more informed and then to truly tap into what's
right for their child, their guidance system is likely to
be much more accurate than any other advisor, including myself

(12:15):
as an advisor for them.

Speaker 5 (12:16):
So for me, it's about them truly owning and leading
and making these decisions and if they're doing anything that's
getting in the way of that, where sometimes as parents
were well intentioned, but we get in our own way,
and if we're in our.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Own way, we're in our child's way.

Speaker 6 (12:34):
I help them kick to the curb what's holding them back,
And again it differs from parent to parent.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Wow, well, this gives parents permission to stop chasing everything right,
and performance science is very clear overwhelmed leaders make poor
decision makers. Strategy really does restore agency. So I love
that you give them a nice blueprint. Now, doctor Mililo,
one of the biggest misconceptions in autism is confusing behavior
with brain function. So how does understand brain imbalance, change

(13:01):
the way parents are now going to interpret behavior.

Speaker 7 (13:04):
Well, as we talked about, you know, like Lemon just saying,
the people are not told and that's because most practitioners
honestly don't know. They don't understand the brain, and the
brain is incredibly dynamic and complex. But when you look
at the symptoms, and even though there's a wide variety,
and one of the things I've been working on, we
published a paper on this in two thousand and nine,

(13:25):
and we're going to publish a really big paper on
this is really coming up with a universal model that
explains everything, every different version of autism and understanding it
from all the symptoms, what's happening in the body and
the brain, and all of that from a root cause perspective.
But when you look at the symptoms, you know you

(13:45):
have to be able to you can only explain them
by understanding this imbalance between different networks in the brain.
Like when you look at stemming or ticks, which is
a very very common symptom that you see in almost
everybody with autism or repetitive behaviors. Wait, does that come from.
There's an area in the left side of the brain
called the premotor area Broadman area six, and when it's overactive,

(14:07):
that area becomes creates a repetitive physical movement or unlaunted
unnecessary stemming or ticks or the rocking or the running
back and forth or jumping up and down, and the
right side on that exact same side inhibits it. So
normally we start it and then the right brain stops it.
And that balance isn't there. If we look at OCD behaviors,

(14:30):
same thing. In the frontal area of the brain on
the left side, there's an area that causes obsessive thoughts,
there's another area that causes compulsive behavior on the right side.
You would balance that. When we look at emotional regulation,
they're you know, different emotions. Anger is a left brain emotion.
You know, being able to stop anger and have you know,

(14:51):
the ability not to go through a tantrum and get
violent or angry or aggressive is the right brain. So
I remember I went to a conference once and and
I went to all different lectures, and every lecture was
about a different problem in autism B twelve folic acid,
you know, digestive enzymes, motor problems, centry problem. And if

(15:13):
I was a parent, I was like, oh my god,
my child has you know, one hundred different problems and
they all you know, overwhelming as opposed to stepping back
and saying no, it's actually one problem that has multiple
features to it. Through stimulation activation and our program, we
can actually create balance in those networks. And there's nothing

(15:37):
preventing that because in most cases with autism, there's no
damage in the brain or injury in it. In fact,
as we've talked, many of them are geniuses with that
left brain. And the fact that you know there is
actually no root genetic mutation that is the cause of it,
that's another misconception. There's nothing really preventing us from changing

(15:57):
it other than knowing how to do it.

Speaker 3 (15:59):
This is such proprietary information now, Len, many parents feel
sidelined once professionals enter the picture. Okay, so why do
you believe the parent, not the protocol, is the most
powerful intervention.

Speaker 6 (16:14):
Yeah, well, there's no question that the only constant in
this whole thing is the parent. Protocols will change, but
the parent again is the absolute key. And I know
I didn't feel qualified to step into that role, but
again that goes into there can only be a true
decision maker in chief and it has to be the

(16:34):
parent and doesn't mean that you have to learn as
much as practitioners that you have on your team. Just
like a CEO and a company isn't an expert on
every facet. They hire the right people to advise them
and to execute perhaps, but the.

Speaker 5 (16:47):
Parent definitely.

Speaker 6 (16:50):
Don't make the mistake I made right like hoping you
guess that right protocol and that solves anything, or you
find that one provider's got all the answers. You know,
I realized early on nobody was coming to save my
son and to tell me what to do, and it
had to be me and my wife Cass aligning and
stepping into that role fully, which I know parents may hesitate,

(17:14):
but it's true to.

Speaker 5 (17:17):
Your child better than you, and.

Speaker 6 (17:21):
The person who will most likely make the right call
is you as opposed to some other expert. But that
doesn't mean that it's not your responsibility to assemble the
right team and choosing what.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Providers to work with.

Speaker 6 (17:33):
That's a huge part of this, Yeah, because having a
good medical provider, having other practitioners. But I find many
many times parents hire the wrong people because they don't
take the time at the outset to think about who
would be a fit for me and my child, and
that's where those those are the key decisions that were
made early on.

Speaker 3 (17:54):
Well, we are at the end of our date, my
dear friends, Thank you both so much for joining us.
Len what a pleasure you're chatting with you today. I mean,
you gave me some insight and I know our listeners
and viewers feel the same way. That were practical, that
were simple and really easy to implement. So thank you
so much for your knowledge.

Speaker 5 (18:13):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
To learn more, you could go directly to lend Arcurry's website.
It's Autismparentingsecrets dot com, All in parent dot com and
of course you can check them out on the Gram
at Autism Parenting Secrets. And if today's Brain Blueprint segment
resonated with you, share it with a parent who needs
clarity more than comfort. Was the Brain Blueprint segment brought

(18:36):
to you by the Mililo Centers. You can check out
doctor Robertmlilo dot com and check them out on the
Gram at doctor Robert Mililo. We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 2 (18:43):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by the
Malillo Method Centers, where hope Truly Lives specializing in ADHD, dyslexia, autism,
and other neurological challenges. Doctor Robert Malilo and his team
create personalized treatment plans that go beyond symptom management. Using
advanta neuroscience, they help children and adults reach their fullest potential.

(19:04):
Families worldwide choose the Malilo Method for answers and results.
Begin your journey to better brain health at Dr Robertmolillo
dot com.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
Welcome back, beautiful Tri State area. You're listening to a
moment of Zen right here on seven to ten. Woar
the voice of New york iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen
Sam's welcome to the feature of the month right here
on WR where we feature exceptional women trailblazers in their field. Now.
According to Harvard Business Review, the most profound leadership shifts

(19:34):
don't happen at the beginning of success. They actually happen
after momentum is achieved, when leaders stop optimizing for growth
and start optimizing for actual meaning. That's the reason my
guest is in right now. Landiker, whose work lives at
the intersection of science, women's health, and longevity. The founder

(19:54):
of Lumisk Skincare, home of co two Lift now, it's
not about business, it's not about books. It's about more
than that. It's about documentaries, it's about podcasts, and it's
about legacy and what it actually means when a woman
stops building for momentum and starts building for the long game.
Lana walking for the show Superstar.

Speaker 8 (20:14):
Oh Zen, it's so good to be here again now.

Speaker 3 (20:16):
According to the Kaufman Foundation, nearly ninety percent of startups fail,
and one of the most cited reasons is lack of
early perspective, not lack of intelligence or effort, and most
founders simply don't yet know what questions to ask. So
when you look back at building Lumisk and creating CO
two Lift, what do you see now that simply wasn't

(20:39):
visible to you at the beginning.

Speaker 8 (20:42):
Yeah, you know, at first, you know, I thought we're
selling a product, we're building a product story. But then
very soon I recognize that we're actually changing the way
people think. We're changing the way people think about healing,
about regeneration, about longevity, as well as the to you know,
when we look when I look back, I was surprised

(21:04):
at the resistance that we had to For instance, the
CO two Lift V I didn't realize that we'd have
so much so much pushback from women because it wasn't
the science. We had the science, but we were as
women used to having the conversations about sexual wellness, and
so there was definitely some resistance there, but that only

(21:24):
helped fuel my desire to continue pushing forward and really
made me see how important it is to change that story.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
And when when you look at the research Mackenzie research,
category creators capture up to seventy six percent of a
market's profit pool, while followers compete for what remains. But
category creation requires conviction long before validation. And you know
this best. So you didn't follow the skincare market. You
created something that didn't exist yet. What anchored you to

(21:56):
that vision when others just couldn't see it yet?

Speaker 9 (22:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (22:00):
Well, a new category comes about when you can solve
a problem that people didn't recognize could be solved. And
that's what really CO two lift does because it blood flow.
When you think about it, it really is the way
that health is transported throughout the body and COEO two
lift does that very effectively. So while it is recognized

(22:22):
as they understand the science, the delivery system is what
is new there was no way to really put CO
two into the body in a topical form, and so
that's what we did when with COEO two lifts. So
it because circulation and blood flow is what keeps us youthful,
and when that starts to slow down, really, how can

(22:44):
you accelerate that? Well, the COEO two lift does that
very nicely. And what kept me anchored to that was
really the science. We kept on validating what we have
with science, and that really kept me focused and kept
me passionate about really bringing this information to the general public.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Which leads me into your next chapter, the documentaries and
film and when you talk about medical research and biomedical
research and funding and anything focused specifically on women's health outcomes,
which is the category that you're in. When it comes
to entertainment storytelling, storytelling really often becomes the bridge before
policy and science catch up. So your storytelling efforts are

(23:24):
based in truth, they're based in science, and they're based
from personal perspective. Why does documentary and film feel like
the right medium right now? And what can visual storytelling
really accomplish that from your perspective, current business platforms cannot.

Speaker 8 (23:41):
Well, certainly, the emotional component, the emotional truth. You know,
I think that we women, I mean, and there's very
different types of stories, but I'll start with the fact
that I love acting. In fact, I'll tell you the
story when I was in university and I was doing
you know, counting was my major, and I did an
acting class and I remember calling my mother in Jamaica

(24:02):
and telling I think I'm going to switch my major
to acting, and she was like, are you crazy. So
it's funny how things come full circle because now where
at the point that we need to tell stories because
women need to see themselves and it's it's almost like
a safe way to for them to understand what the
problems that they're facing that they didn't even realize that

(24:24):
we're fixable, right, And so we're you know, documentaries were
coming out with one Private Parts that's coming out this year,
which I'm really excited about, which follows the journey of
of women, five women with intimate issues, and that's going
to be an incredible story. And of course, you know
our podcast that we just launched, the Going Deep where
which we'll talk more about that I know later on.

(24:45):
But it allows us to tell the stories so that
there's an emotional connection so people will it will it
will change the psychology of women, I feel when you
make it relatable to them, when they can see themselves,
see their daughters, and see their sisters in their their friends,
their children in that story, and that will definitely change

(25:06):
the way we speak to each other in terms of
this area of longevity or I like to call Herjevity.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Going forward, we're going to coin that hergevity. Yes, and Lana,
that's exactly precisely the point. That's when storytelling stops being
marketing and becomes advocacy, right, whether it's emotional advocacy, destifying
sexual stigmas, you know, women's health, and that distinction really matters.

Speaker 8 (25:30):
Yeah, and you know something then Herjevity. I'm coming up
with a book which I didn't say we're coming out
with and we're looking to about June to have that published,
and the title of it is Herjevity, The Female Longevity Code,
And it's really approaching longevity from a different lens. You know,
we're comparing an age if you think about it, comparing

(25:51):
age management to maybe financial management. You know, we start
planning financially early, you want to do that, and we
change directions, we change our investment instruments depending on where
we are in our lives. It's the same for women.
I mean, unfortunately today many people start thinking about that
in their forties and fifties.

Speaker 3 (26:11):
We need to.

Speaker 8 (26:12):
Change the narrative and women need to see their age
through different cycles and start even talking addressing aging at
the time in our lives and when our bodies circulation
starts to slow down, which is around twenty five, let's
have a roadmap for how that continues. And so now
when we change that narrative, we approach getting into our
forties and fifties with a different energy. We approach it

(26:35):
with positivity, with excitement because we've been prepared for that.
So that's kind of a little snippet about what the
book is about.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
So let's talk about your media architecture where you're headed
with your podcast. So why was it essential for you
to create space for both lived experience and your scientific
rigor through your podcasts? And I know that you have
a lot, you have a lot to unpack on the
two podcasts that you have right now, So talk to me,

(27:05):
talk to me about that balance.

Speaker 8 (27:06):
Well, first of all, then congratulations on your success. It's
clear from just listening to how you host that you
would be successful in this and congratulations and I'm just
glad to be one of your segments. For particularly, I mean,
we have the Lifted by Science, which you know is
where we bring on experts to share how they feel

(27:29):
about the technology. And I think that's important because it
brings credibility. It really makes the consumer and the audience
feel comfortable that you have these key opinion leaders or
these leaders in the field using the brand and loving
the brand and showing all the use cases of it.
So I am totally loving that we have that segment.

(27:51):
The Passion Project is really going deep because it's not
so much on the Seal to Live brand, it's more
using it from the same philosophy as her Devity, which means,
you know, it's real, honest conversation with people of different backgrounds.
I mean you talking about different You have people in
actors or directors, or business people or just thinkers, just

(28:16):
various different types of audience that are on the show
having real conversations sharing with us. They're timing the pressures
that they've had and how they've overcome these challenges, and
really it's more than just we're hoping to inspire. I mean,
I think that we can get the inspiration from so
many things. For me, my objective is to see yourself

(28:40):
in any of these different individuals and see how you
can have a better quality of life by listening to
their real stories and the real truths that they've gotten
from their lives. So that's objective right now. And we'll
see how, you know, like everything then it kind of
changes and we'll see how that turns out. Well, we're
just getting started and we're launching in February.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
Well, congratulations on all your success. I mean, You're Lifted.
Sounds like an incredible level up to really separate those
pro voices. And I love, absolutely love the title, and
I love that the ed at the end is really
kind of science geared because you can also I mean,
obviously that's for education. Lifted by science and education as

(29:23):
well was the first thing that obviously sticks out to
the trained eye. But it's the going Deep podcast that
I'm so proud of you because now stepping into these
shoes is takes a balance and I know that you're ready,
and I'm so excited to not only feature you but
continue to see this growth because the world is your

(29:43):
oyster with everything going on, and that balance is rare.

Speaker 8 (29:46):
Thank you, Thank you Zen.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
You're welcome. All right, we are at the end of
our date, my dear friends. That was the incredible Landaker,
founder and CEO of Lumisk Skincare, home of Co two Lift.
That was our feature of the month right here on iHeartRadio.
We'll be right back after this. A Moment of Zen
is brought to you by Co two Lift.

Speaker 10 (30:04):
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Welcome back, New York Tri State area and beyond. You're
listening to a Moment of Zen right here on seven
to ten WR the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm
your host, Zenzams. Welcome back to the Elevating Experiences series,

(30:49):
brought to you by MTK Group, New York. Today's conversation
sits at the intersection of lifestyle technology and how modern
families actually live. Because here's the problem, and let's call
it out. Family travel as an industry hasn't evolved fast
enough for millennial parents. It's fragmented, it's overwhelming. It's built

(31:10):
for either luxury couples or chaos with very little in between.
The problem while family travel is in fact broken, and
the solution is immersive, tech driven experiences that are rewriting
the rules for modern parents like us. Joining me is
Kirsten de Cook. She's a family travel creator and entrepreneur
behind kirston Brook Travels. She has traveled to more than

(31:33):
nineteen countries with her two children, both under five, and
has built a platform grounded in real family travel, not
highlighting reels, not fantasy itineraries. She's also preparing to launch
Rome Together, an AI powered family travel platform designed to
solve what the industry has ignored for years, how families
actually plan, move, and experience the world. Kirsten, Welcome to

(31:57):
the show, Superstar.

Speaker 4 (31:58):
Thank you so much excited to be here.

Speaker 3 (32:01):
I'm excited to have you back. Welcome back to the show.
I remember we had you on almost three years ago
when you were just starting off and so movie at
that point. But it's so so nice to have you
back and see all your success and progress.

Speaker 9 (32:14):
Yes, same to you, guys, it's been amazing. And yeah,
last time we talked, I think I had a one
year old and now I have a four and a
two year.

Speaker 4 (32:21):
Old, so it's correct.

Speaker 9 (32:23):
And you're still traveling, still traveling, yes, no plans of
slowing down.

Speaker 3 (32:28):
Oh, that's what I love about you, and that's why
you are my expert on the microphone. So let's get started. So,
from a millennial mom's perspective, Kirsten and someone who covers
emerging lifestyle industries, I see a clear disconnect between how
families live today and how travel is still designed. So
from your vantage point, what is fundamentally broken about family

(32:49):
travel right now? And why are parents feeling more overwhelmed
than ever?

Speaker 11 (32:53):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (32:53):
I think that most travel just still isn't designed for families,
especially families with young kids, and parents leave their routines
at home and enter unfamiliar environments and they're not just
planning a trip. They're having to manage sleep, schedules, emotions, logistics,
all the gear and expectations of having a good time

(33:14):
all at once. And we also worry about bothering others
or things going wrong, And with all of that combined,
travel just becomes more mentally exhausting instead of exciting like
it should be.

Speaker 3 (33:27):
It's exactly, it's such a hard topic because you're spending
so much money, so much effort, so much time to
go away to ultimately relax, and it's just not the
case most often. And it's not that parents don't want experiences.
The system just hasn't caught up right totally. So let's

(33:47):
talk about disruption because artificial intelligence isn't just changing tech companies,
it's changing actual experiences. So how can AI and smarter
technology actually reduce stress, prove the planning process, and elevate
the family travel experience instead of overcomplicating it. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (34:06):
I don't know about you, but I like to use
AI as kind of my personal assistant to help me
make decisions. And parents don't need more information, what they
need is clarity. And I think AI can remove the
guesswork around, you know, timing, pacing, and logistics for family travel,
and it helps families plan trips that will fit into

(34:27):
their real life and their family's life and needs. And
I think that confidence that AI can give us can
help reduce stress before the trip even starts. And I
think that it could be a game changer for sure.

Speaker 3 (34:41):
Well that's the shift, right. Technology should serve families, not
overwhelm them. Yeah. And so when you talk about elevated experiences,
they're not about doing more, they're about feeling more connected,
about more present and more confidence. So how does immersive travel,
exposure to culture and rhythm and adaptability shape children differently

(35:04):
than traditional vacations.

Speaker 9 (35:06):
Yeah, I think traditional vacations are about, you know, an
escape and relaxing versus immersive travel is about living somewhere,
even briefly, and really experiencing the culture.

Speaker 4 (35:18):
Families get to experience daily life the way locals do.

Speaker 9 (35:22):
And I feel like families are able to you know,
get out of their routine and connects more deeply that way,
and kids are able to learn so much about being adaptable,
curious and empathetic and learning about a whole new culture.

Speaker 3 (35:38):
Yeah, That's that's a powerful distinction, Kirsten, Because travel as
lived education is a very different perspective. Not just time away, right,
it's it's it really immerses you. And the reality is
that as a mom, I'm not going away with my
daughter to relax and tune out. I'm gonna go somewhere

(35:59):
to to create memories and to your point, feel immersed
in that culture. So we can take something away from it,
not just we laid on the beach and had no
idea where we went. That's a different kind of that's
a different type of mentality, and I don't think parents
are on board with that. You know, in the eighties
and nineties, parents would book a club med trip. They

(36:21):
would go relax on the beach, we would stay at
the kids club, we would all, you know, reconnect for dinner.
But it was very disconnected. I think parents are looking
for something entirely different. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (36:32):
I think parents are traveling to get out of that
routine and really truly connect with their kids personally. I
think many of my favorite memories with my kids has
been traveling with them and getting to experience something new together.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
Yeah. Well this brings us to Rome together, yes, which
feels less like a product and more like a long
overdue solution. So how does Rome Together use artificial intelligence
and lived experience to fit what's broken in family travel
and what makes it different from traditional planning platforms.

Speaker 9 (37:06):
Yes, so we have been working on Room Together, which
is an AI travel planning app for families.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
We're really excited about it. Traveling with kids just has
so many moving parts to it.

Speaker 9 (37:17):
We're juggling naps, schedules, stroller accessibility, preferences, dietary restrictions, and
the planning can feel really overwhelming and Room Together brings
everything into one organized place, so you can create your
own custom family profile that will take into account your naps, schedules,
time changes, your family's preferences, stroller accessibility, family friendly accommodations,

(37:43):
and more. And our hope for this app is that
families will be able to travel confidently instead of feeling stress,
and have trips that they actually enjoy, not just survive.

Speaker 3 (37:55):
Wow, you really put it all together, girl.

Speaker 4 (37:58):
We're trying. Yes, we're super excited about it.

Speaker 3 (38:01):
So if we zoom out, the problem is the problem
is in fact outdated systems. The opportunity is emerging technology
and the goal is elevated immersive family experiences. Right totally,
So for the parent listening right now. Who wants to
travel but feel stuck. What's the mindset shift and the
first actionable step that changes everything.

Speaker 9 (38:25):
Yeah, that's a great question. I think the frasp. Yeah,
download the app, but.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
It's not ready yet. In like two months it will
be out.

Speaker 9 (38:34):
The first trip with kids is always the scariest for sure,
and I think once you do it, your confidence changes.
But also like just knowing that there's never going to
be a perfect time but the memories are worth it
is really what has changed things for me and my
thought process behind everything, because so many people say, oh,

(38:56):
you know, I'll just wait until my kids are older
to travel, but then things get complicated.

Speaker 4 (39:01):
You have school schedules to work around.

Speaker 9 (39:05):
Before you know it, your kids are going to want
to be traveling with their friends more than you, And
so I think if you're just waiting for the perfect time,
that's never going to come. But some of our very
best family memories I don't know about you come from
our trips traveling together. And also the crazy thing is

(39:25):
people will act like family travel is so hard, and
I do agree that there are hard parts.

Speaker 4 (39:29):
To it, but I also think taking my kids to
the grocery store is.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
Hard, so well that's definitely hard.

Speaker 9 (39:36):
Yeah, So I'm like, if you can take your kids
to the grocery store, you can travel with them.

Speaker 3 (39:41):
Well that's the takeaway, right, Yeah. And the takeaway is
if you will stay empowered, if you stay informed and supported,
and you have the proper app helping you, like Room Together,
and we follow your page, we will have all the
latest and coolest hacks and travel tips to make sure
that this is a seamless experience.

Speaker 4 (40:02):
Yes, totally.

Speaker 9 (40:03):
I'm all about making it as least complicated and stressful
as possible because your time is limited and you want
to focus on making those memories, not just trying to
survive out there.

Speaker 3 (40:13):
That was the elevating experience, a segment brought to you
by MTK Group, New York. And that's what it's about,
identifying what's broken, spotlighting what's emerging, and showing families what's
possible when industries finally start to evolve. You can follow
kirston at Kirsten brook Travels and you can check out
rometogether dot com for the latest information on the app,

(40:35):
and you can check them out on Instagram at Rome
Together Family. You're listening to a moment of zen right here,
on seven to ten WR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by MTK
Group New York Experience Travel without Limits. MTK Travel Club,
part of MTK Group New York, offers exclusive access to
private jet travel, five star resorts, and unforgi getible luxury
experience designed around you. From seamless departures to personalized itineraries,
we elevate every moment of your journey. MTK Travel Club

(41:09):
makes extraordinary travel effortless. Visit mtkgroupny dot com today to
discover a new level of luxury.

Speaker 3 (41:18):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri State area. You're listening
to a Moment of Zen right here on seven ten WR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen SAMs.
Welcome back to the Clean Collective segment where clean living
meets consumer education, transparency and legacy building. Brought to you
by Society Brands and Crunchy, a clean beauty brand setting

(41:41):
a higher standard for ingredient integrity, ethical sourcing, and family
safe formulations. Because here's the truth, the toxins we ignore
are often the ones hurting us most. Right under our nose.
Clean living isn't just a trend. It's preventative medicine. From
the products we put on our skin to what we breathe, absorb,
and unknowingly accumulate. Exposure adds up, and while most people

(42:06):
are focused on symptoms, very few are taught how to
identify root causes, toxic load, and the long term impact
of everyday choices on longevity and overall health. That's why
today's conversation matters. Today's clean collective conversation is centered on
this idea. The toxins that we are ignoring are the
ones hurting us the most, and they're hiding in plain sight.

(42:28):
I'm joined by Natalie Lefevre, the founder of Legacy Life,
who's on a mission to heal, educate, and empower people
through preventative and regenitive medicine while shining a light on
where toxins quietly hide in everyday life in plain sight. Natalie,
Welcome to the show, Superstar, Oh High. Thank you for
having me.

Speaker 11 (42:46):
I'm so excited to be here, and I thought your
intro was perfect right on, and I'm so glad to
see that you really understand the depths of where these
toxins are hiding, and how we need to be mindful
of what to do to really live a great life
and have less suffering.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
Yes, and I've been following your page for quite some
time now, and I love the narrative. I love what
you're promoting. And most people don't wake up thinking about
toxic load, right. They wake up thinking about fatigue, brain fog, inflammation,
hormone imbalance. And these symptoms are really something that is
a universal complaint amongst most adults over forty. But research

(43:28):
continues to show that chronic, low level exposure to environmental
toxins can disrupt response right immune response, can disrupt endocrine
function and even mitochondrial health over time. So I want
to start here, Natalie. When you talk about the toxins,
we ignore what are the most common exposures people don't
realize are quietly impacting their health every single day. Well,

(43:51):
and I want to add, you hit it right on
the nail.

Speaker 11 (43:54):
It's about root cause, what is causing all these things
to be dysregulated. So in the air, in our water,
blue light, we first start with the iPhone in the morning,
there is so much free medicine, which is sunlight, great sleep,
our brain detoxes in the evening, so we can't have
that RESTful sleep to naturally detox, which our body can

(44:17):
naturally heal naturally detox. But our nervous system sometimes is
also so dysregulated because we're constantly on and in the switch.
So if your body doesn't feel safe, and I call
the the nervous system the mother, then we can't naturally detox.
We have hormone dysregulation. And it's in our foods. It's

(44:38):
in the planes when we're flying, it's in emf you know,
electromagnetic energy, it's from the charging of our phones that
is usually right next to our head. So toxins are
truly everywhere. And then it's about how full is your
bucket and how much are you ingesting that you're not
aware of? For example, arsenic it's in rice and in chicken.

(45:01):
Cadmium is in chocolate. If you're having a beautiful tea
or coffee in the morning, what are they heating that
water in? What type of water is in there? You
know a lot of people drink tap water and ice
cubes like I just don't touch that anymore. Parasites are
in sushi, raw fish, also.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
Oh boy, as the list goes on, I'm getting emotional overload. Okay,
I want to streamline this. Okay. So what you're saying
is such an important distinction because people assume if something
is legal or over the counter, popular or sold everywhere,
it must be safe. And what you're describing is cumulative exposure,
not one dramatic event, but years of silent build up. Right.

(45:48):
So traditional healthcare often steps in after something goes wrong,
but preventative and regentitive medicine ask a different question. How
do we protect health before or it's compromised. So how
does toxin awareness fit into preventative and regenitive medicine and
why is this approach so critical, Natalie, for long term

(46:11):
vitality and longevity.

Speaker 11 (46:13):
Toxin awareness is the baseline of our life because we
have so many different groups we're exposed. If you've got
a dog, you probably have giardia. You have a cat,
you have a cat scratch disease, which is Bartanella barbiesia.
I had it. I love my cat. We passed away
five years ago. And so when we realized that everything

(46:33):
we put into our mouth or that comes through the skin,
chlorine in the pole water skin creeps, you know, which
is why, for example, I love Crunchy like it's a clean,
clean makeup brand, you know, I looked into my makeup brand.
I set off the alarm system at the airport in Nice, France,

(46:54):
and they thought I had, you know, bomb alarm, and
I'm like, this is crazy. So I went through it
three times and the lady at the line said, did
you put lotion on after before getting on the plane.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
I'm like, yes, I did.

Speaker 11 (47:09):
And that's when I first became aware, like all these
moments in my life, about where these toxins can actually
come in from. It's makeup nail polish I don't wear.
I mean there is clean nail polish too.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
Wait, you set off the metal detector from the amount
of metals in your lotion the bam Alan. Yes, I
set it off.

Speaker 4 (47:27):
I was about to miss the flight.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
I'm like, is this a joke and they're like, that
is scary.

Speaker 6 (47:32):
Yes.

Speaker 12 (47:33):
And that's when I became aware that skin creams have
these metals and toxins in it. That I could set
off the bomb alarm in the Nice airport and had
to go through an.

Speaker 11 (47:44):
Interview and be checked and like they had to look
at my passport.

Speaker 3 (47:48):
Yeah. Now The Clean Collective segment is brought to you
by Crunchy. We mentioned this earlier, which you alluded to,
is one of your favorite brands. It's a brand that
emphasizes ingredient transparency, ethical sourcing, and more importantly, family safe standards.
And that's intentional because what we put on our skin
matters just as much as what we put in our bodies. Right,

(48:09):
So why is skincare and personal care such a critical
part of toxin reduction and what should consumers actually be
paying attention to when when evaluating clean products.

Speaker 11 (48:22):
Quote unquote, So I think the number is there's two
hundred and forty thousand products of potential chemicals that can
enter into our skin as women, and we need to
be really cautious because their indisruptors. They can affect your
your neurons, the brain, and so we should be very
mindful of the makeup, the lip gloss, the creams, the

(48:45):
suntan lotion that we use. And it's really important to
understand that that increases our toxic load. And it's that
daily add on that we do or the slow poison
over time and filling that bucket that is what's going
to you know, maybe bring us to suffering in our

(49:08):
health with the mitochondria and the cells not being able
to fight, because it's that over inflammation, that chronic inflammation
over time that builds up.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
Marketing terms can be misleading, but ingredients don't lie, and
the skin being our largest organ is something people forget
far too often. Right now, legacy life isn't just about
individual health. I want to talk about your creation. It's
about generational wellness and I think that's a powerful reframe,

(49:38):
especially for parents and caregivers and women who often carry
the responsibility of household decisions. So when you say health
is a legacy, what does that mean in practice? And
how do daily choices today shape long term outcomes for families?

Speaker 11 (49:54):
Health is wealth, and you know, I really think that
the biggest currency is energy. So for me, my morning,
for example, starts with a mindful time alone away from
the phone to really connect with our heart, which is
the biggest energy center. And when you can be in
that right energy and your nervous system is calm everything

(50:16):
that comes at you. Of course, caring for your quality water.
I love aqua true that there. You know, there's a
lot of ways that you can really implement certain devices,
But yeah, it's your legacy is giving that on to
the next generation as mothers. I pass on the toxins
to my baby. I pass on the toxes in the

(50:39):
surrounding around me, in the environment. So our legacy is
we are all walking each other home and to give
that energy to others. We are one right, there's oneness,
there's no separation, And for me, that's my biggest goal
is to really create more awareness of God and consciousness

(51:01):
and understanding that if you can.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
If you can be able to see those things in.

Speaker 11 (51:07):
The field and protect from it, you can be in
your good energy and we can detox naturally and making
sure that we all just like help each other like
you are beautiful.

Speaker 3 (51:20):
If you want to learn more about Natalie Lefevre and
her work with Legacy Life, that's Legacy Life with a Y,
you could visit Natalie Lefevre dot com. You can follow
her directly on the gram at Island Underscore Natalie and
at Legacy Life Underscore. You're listening to a moment of
Zen right here on seven ten wo R, the voice
of New york iHeartRadio. We'll be right back after this.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
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(52:03):
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Speaker 3 (52:10):
Well that's a wrap my beautiful Dry State area and beyond.
You're listening to a Moment of Zen right here on
seven to ten. Woar the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
I'm your host, Zen SAMs. Do remember to join me
right here on a Moment of Zen. Every Saturday. You
could head directly to our website a moment of Zen
dot com that's Zen with an X not a Z

(52:31):
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(52:52):
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Thank you for listening to us. It's been an absolute
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(53:12):
share it. We'll be back next week.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
The proceeding was a paid podcast. iHeartRadio's hosting of this
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