December 1, 2024 • 18 mins
In the inaugural episode of 'The 80/20 Holistic Home Podcast,' Felicia introduces the show's mission to help listeners live a balanced, low-tox life. She shares her personal journey from a career in engineering to being a stay-at-home mom, and her experiences with holistic wellness practices. Felicia discusses overcoming the pressure of perfection, the importance of balance, and her three significant life events that led her to adopt and promote a more natural lifestyle.
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(00:03):
Welcome to the 80, 20 holistic home, the podcast that empowers you to live a healthier low tox life while embracing the beauty of balance here.
.999We dive into practical ways to reduce toxins in your home, nurture your body and your mind with holistic wellness practices and create a life that feels good without the pressure to be perfect. 3 00:00:21,869.999 --> 00:00:22,370 Join us.
As we create homes that nurture our wellbeing, support our families and leave room for the joy of living with ease, because when you focus on the 80 percent that truly matters, the rest falls into place.
(00:36):
Welcome to the 80, 20 holistic home podcast.
I'm so excited to be publishing this episode after doing a lot of learning about the tech and the grunt work and all that to get the show up and running.
.999Fun fact, this is the second podcast I've ever done, which I thought the tech on ramp would be a little bit less, but turns out things have changed. 8 00:00:53,309.999 --> 00:00:58,010 Um, and apps have changed quite a bit since my last podcast during the pandemic.
(00:58):
My sister in law and I actually did a really fun parenting podcast that I loved being a part of.
.999And now I'm so looking forward to sharing here in this show about my family's holistic lifestyle.
A little bit about me.
I'm Felicia.
I am a wife and a mom of three.
.999I have two girls and a baby boy.
.999Their ages are seven, four and 11 months.
.999I am not ready to call them an almost one year old. 17 00:01:17,874.999 --> 00:01:20,045 I'm going to keep right in 11 months, as long as I can.
(01:20):
His birthday's in January.
So I've got time.
I live in South Carolina in the United States, and I'm a former engineer torn stay at home mom.
As of this year, I spent 15 years, having a career in the engineering world and the it world where I worked at all kinds of various manufacturing plants.
Plants and corporate positions.
But after I had my third baby, I just realized I don't want to do the daycare thing anymore.
(01:43):
.999I was so burnt out already and I didn't want to have to do pumping and bottles and all that.
So I was also feeling very burnt out in the role that I was in.
.0005I became a manager rather than an individual contributor and then set it a lot of mental load. 27 00:01:56,230.0005 --> 00:02:00,60.0005 So decided to take a break from my own wellness and mental health. 28 00:02:00,100.0005 --> 00:02:02,390.0005 And I am transitioning into being a stay at home mom. 29 00:02:02,830.0005 --> 00:02:20,20.0005 I started my Instagram page, just a little scrunchie about a Go where I was really feeling the need for an outlet to talk about and connect with other moms on crunchy topics, you know, talking about low tox product swaps, your favorite low tox products, holistic wellness habits, alternative health, you know, alternative health providers and all that stuff. 30 00:02:20,290.0005 --> 00:02:29,620.0005 If you're crunchy or scrunchy in any way, you know, that this can be so hard to find in real life and living this lifestyle where you want a more natural approach to your health can feel very isolating. 31 00:02:29,620.0005 --> 00:02:32,410.0005 So I was reaching out for that kind of connection. 32 00:02:32,420.0005 --> 00:02:34,770.0005 And I've had so much fun with that on my Instagram page. 33 00:02:35,940.0005 --> 00:02:40,580.0005 I have been working on cleaning up my toxic load in various ways for like 15 years now. 34 00:02:41,90.0005 --> 00:02:48,859.9995 I have swung all the way from a very standard American diet, plastic, everything, just striving for perfection and being 100 percent clean. 35 00:02:49,220.0005 --> 00:02:52,30.0005 Now I'm settling into what feels like a really, really good balance. 36 00:02:52,330.0015 --> 00:02:53,730.0015 And that's part of what I want to share. 37 00:02:54,220.0015 --> 00:02:55,70.0015 I'm a data junkie. 38 00:02:55,120.0015 --> 00:02:56,180.0015 My background is in STEM. 39 00:02:56,180.0015 --> 00:02:58,440.0015 So I love science and data and details. 40 00:02:58,440.0015 --> 00:03:04,510.0005 And I have done a lot of reading and research on all kinds of crunchy topics I've realized that that's really what my passion is. 41 00:03:04,510.0015 --> 00:03:21,790.0015 And what really lights me up is boiling down that data and that, you know, information into making it simple, helping other women make small changes in their homes and in their health, boiling down that overwhelm, making things simple, getting rid of judgment and being honest about living an 80, 20 life versus perfection. 42 00:03:21,940.0015 --> 00:03:24,900.0015 Has brought me so much joy and it's really what inspired me to start this podcast. 43 00:03:26,70.0015 --> 00:03:31,370.0015 So my goals for this show, I want to keep it somewhere in the 20 to 30 minute mark. 44 00:03:31,380.0015 --> 00:03:37,430.0005 I know that there are big meaty, like researchy podcasts out there that are an hour or somewhere up to three hours. 45 00:03:37,430.0005 --> 00:03:38,250.0005 And I love those. 46 00:03:38,930.0015 --> 00:03:52,430.0015 Love to dig into those, but honestly, with the way that my life is right now and how busy we are and the ages of my kids, like I'm lucky if I get 20 to 30 minutes to sit down and listen to a podcast or get a quick walk or pop in an ear pod while I'm cleaning up at night. 47 00:03:52,430.0015 --> 00:03:55,500.0015 So while I love kind of like. 48 00:03:56,180.0015 --> 00:03:58,600.0015 You know, digesting those big podcasts and little chunks. 49 00:03:58,600.0015 --> 00:04:08,120.001 Sometimes I kind of miss feeling like I can, you know, participate in a whole thought, get somebody's thoughts, start to beginning on something on a topic, without sacrificing anything. 50 00:04:08,120.001 --> 00:04:09,400.0015 So that's what I want this to be about. 51 00:04:09,400.0015 --> 00:04:14,620.002 I want it to be bite sized chunks, 20 to 30 minutes on certain topics and give us really actionable, simple steps. 52 00:04:15,330.002 --> 00:04:19,360.002 I wanted to start the show because I wanted to share a little bit longer content than what Instagram allows. 53 00:04:19,390.002 --> 00:04:20,0.002 I wanted to be. 54 00:04:20,205.002 --> 00:04:27,475.002 Especially able to add more context around mindset when you're limited to those 10 to 20 photos, or 90 second reel or 60 seconds. 55 00:04:27,525.002 --> 00:04:31,25.002 You lose so much nuance, especially when it comes to giving advice or recommendations. 56 00:04:31,535.002 --> 00:04:36,265.002 Something that I feel so strongly about is that living this little tux lifestyle is so personal. 57 00:04:36,425.002 --> 00:04:40,415.002 There are so many factors by a certain food or supplement or wellness habit. 58 00:04:40,715.002 --> 00:04:42,715.002 This doesn't work for someone or for their family. 59 00:04:43,110.002 --> 00:04:47,720.002 And it can be so easy to look at some of the content that's out there, some of the short form content. 60 00:04:48,150.002 --> 00:04:53,560.002 And you see a post about snack recommendations or you see, you know, self care products or whatever it is. 61 00:04:53,560.002 --> 00:04:56,850.002 And then you see a product that you love and it's got that big X next to it. 62 00:04:56,850.002 --> 00:04:58,570.001 And you're like, ah, it feels really defeating. 63 00:04:58,570.001 --> 00:04:58,830.001 Right. 64 00:04:59,260.002 --> 00:05:04,40.002 And I think that you miss out on a lot when you're just looking at a photo and there's an X or a check next to it. 65 00:05:04,50.002 --> 00:05:08,540.002 So here, you know, in reality, everyone and every home is so unique. 66 00:05:08,560.002 --> 00:05:13,480.001 And I think that's where the 80 20 lifestyle that I've really, started aligning with comes into play. 67 00:05:13,930.001 --> 00:05:15,554.902 The concept behind 80 20. 68 00:05:15,725.002 --> 00:05:19,675.002 is that you strive to choose clean or natural options 80 percent of the time. 69 00:05:19,985.002 --> 00:05:22,555.002 And then you're choosing your less ideal choice is 20 percent of the time. 70 00:05:23,185.002 --> 00:05:26,315.001 There's a lot that falls in that 20 for me, that's your Chick fil A runs. 71 00:05:26,315.001 --> 00:05:27,725.0015 When you're throwing chicken nuggets on the table. 72 00:05:27,725.0015 --> 00:05:32,345.001 You're like, maybe your favorite laundry detergent that has your favorite scent that you don't want to swap out. 73 00:05:32,355.002 --> 00:05:33,755.003 There's a lot that can go into that 20. 74 00:05:33,775.003 --> 00:05:37,435.003 And one of the things that I'm really big on is that you get to decide what that is. 75 00:05:38,625.003 --> 00:05:43,725.003 This level of flexibility is just so necessary, especially for busy families, because we're going to drive ourselves crazy. 76 00:05:43,735.003 --> 00:05:45,915.003 If we try to hit a hundred percent, I know I've done it. 77 00:05:46,485.003 --> 00:05:49,675.003 The added stress and that militant adherence is going to stress you out enough. 78 00:05:50,45.003 --> 00:05:54,305.003 And at the end of the day, it's going to completely undo all of that wellness work that you're doing. 79 00:05:54,355.002 --> 00:06:06,395.002 I know this from experience, when you strive for perfection and you start to overthink every little decision, it's draining your mental and your emotional health in ways that just aren't healthy and no amount of like red light therapy is going to overcome that. 80 00:06:06,395.003 --> 00:06:16,60.003 You know, it's just so I have had three major events or three kind of like big step changes in my life that led me to kind of where we are now in our low tox lifestyle. 81 00:06:17,40.003 --> 00:06:20,750.003 The first of those being when I graduated college around my senior year of college. 82 00:06:20,750.003 --> 00:06:25,630.002 I kind of realized that I had put on that senior 15 or 20, you know, some people do the freshman 15. 83 00:06:25,630.002 --> 00:06:29,150.003 I waited until senior year, cause I guess I'm just an overachiever, I guess. 84 00:06:29,520.003 --> 00:06:31,390.003 But after I graduated, I wanted to lose weight. 85 00:06:31,460.003 --> 00:06:34,750.003 And for the first time in my life, I started to really pay attention to what I ate. 86 00:06:35,280.003 --> 00:06:37,780.003 This was completely coming from a superficial place. 87 00:06:37,820.003 --> 00:06:40,250.003 This was not actually focused on real true health. 88 00:06:40,280.003 --> 00:06:41,530.003 I didn't actually care if I got healthier. 89 00:06:41,530.003 --> 00:06:42,530.003 I just wanted to be skinnier. 90 00:06:42,530.003 --> 00:06:43,710.003 I wanted to wear a smaller size. 91 00:06:44,140.003 --> 00:06:45,40.003 And I wanted to be thinner. 92 00:06:45,440.003 --> 00:06:50,250.002 I grew up with a lot of ultra ultra processed foods in the home and not a lot of. 93 00:06:50,710.003 --> 00:06:56,120.003 Whole food cooking, right? So cooking with real whole ingredients for the first time was such a learning experience for me. 94 00:06:56,120.003 --> 00:07:01,540.003 I got so into clean eating and working out in addition to, you know, not cooking a lot growing up. 95 00:07:01,830.003 --> 00:07:03,920.003 I also was not athletic in the least. 96 00:07:04,640.003 --> 00:07:06,980.002 I did not, I did not play team sports. 97 00:07:07,280.003 --> 00:07:08,320.003 I had my nose in a book. 98 00:07:08,330.003 --> 00:07:09,130.0025 I love to read. 99 00:07:09,130.0025 --> 00:07:10,860.003 I love to do those kinds of indoor activities. 100 00:07:10,890.003 --> 00:07:14,630.003 I didn't even, you know, it was kind of a push sometimes to get me to go play outside. 101 00:07:15,40.003 --> 00:07:20,10.002 So I wasn't used to getting Confidence from participating in physical activities. 102 00:07:20,500.002 --> 00:07:31,840.0025 Whenever I started, working out and doing things like running and achieving new things like, running further distances or running a better pace than I did the day before I realized how confidence giving that was. 103 00:07:31,840.0025 --> 00:07:36,940.0035 I got really into that feeling of working out, being active, those endorphins and that sense of accomplishment. 104 00:07:37,210.0035 --> 00:07:39,280.0035 And that's something that stuck with me even through today. 105 00:07:40,515.0035 --> 00:07:42,945.0035 I also got really into reading healthy living blogs. 106 00:07:43,345.0035 --> 00:07:50,315.0035 If anybody was following any of those in the early, like 2010s, you know, there were, there were just so much good content being put out there. 107 00:07:50,315.0035 --> 00:07:59,385.0045 And I loved following along on other people's lifestyles and seeing how they managed recipes and what they did when they were eating out and they wanted to eat healthy or maybe when they didn't. 108 00:07:59,715.0045 --> 00:08:01,585.0045 So I was just like eating up that content. 109 00:08:01,615.0045 --> 00:08:02,175.0045 I loved it. 110 00:08:02,225.0045 --> 00:08:03,935.0045 I was totally into the healthy living blogs. 111 00:08:03,975.0035 --> 00:08:10,535.0045 I was totally into running I just remember feeling so good in that phase of life for the first time, you know, maybe ever. 112 00:08:10,785.0045 --> 00:08:17,55.0035 So that was just like such a huge change when I really started focusing on my physical health, specifically like eating and working out. 113 00:08:17,955.0045 --> 00:08:19,525.004 I maintained that for a long time. 114 00:08:19,525.004 --> 00:08:26,495.0045 Working out just became part of my daily rhythm and, you know, it just changed the way that I ate and the way I cooked food. 115 00:08:26,805.0045 --> 00:08:31,695.0045 And I kind of stayed at that state really until 2016 when I got pregnant with our first daughter. 116 00:08:32,640.0045 --> 00:08:44,710.0035 I distinctly remember starting to put together my registry and I was reading all kinds of lists and recommendations, you know, there were so many blog posts out there like what to put on your registry what not to put what brands to use what's baby safe, what's not. 117 00:08:46,175.0045 --> 00:08:50,35.0045 I remember distinctly coming across the concept of baby laundry detergent. 118 00:08:50,125.0045 --> 00:08:54,795.0045 I mean, this was about the draft brand, but I think there's several out there now, but this was specifically the draft brand. 119 00:08:55,365.0045 --> 00:08:56,955.0045 And it totally made my brain pause. 120 00:08:56,965.0045 --> 00:09:14,900.0045 I was like, what in the world is special about a baby laundry detergent? What is different between a baby laundry detergent and regular detergent? What is in regular detergent that I don't want to put on my baby? And what am I putting on my body that I don't want to put on my baby? And there I like completely jumped headfirst on the rabbit hole of clean home products. 121 00:09:15,390.0045 --> 00:09:20,980.0035 So now instead of thinking about what I'm how I'm moving my body and what I'm eating and consuming into my body. 122 00:09:21,660.0035 --> 00:09:24,45.0045 I started thinking about what is around my body. 123 00:09:24,915.0045 --> 00:09:28,475.0045 I started swapping out cleaning products like a laundry detergent and dish soap. 124 00:09:28,865.0045 --> 00:09:32,705.0045 I focused on body care products like body wash, body lotions. 125 00:09:33,105.0045 --> 00:09:37,25.0035 I started looking at skincare and makeup and became really into clean beauty. 126 00:09:37,435.0045 --> 00:09:39,645.0035 Prior to this, I was a huge Sephora junkie. 127 00:09:39,645.0035 --> 00:09:43,675.0035 I don't know if you guys remember, but there was like, gosh, they may even still have it today. 128 00:09:43,795.0045 --> 00:09:44,35.0045 I don't know. 129 00:09:44,45.0045 --> 00:09:59,935.0045 I haven't shopped at Sephora in a long time, but they have like three levels of like rewards members and I don't remember exactly what the levels are, but I know that I was at the top one and it's based on how much you spent at Sephora in a given calendar year. 130 00:10:00,495.0045 --> 00:10:06,495.0045 And I, you know, achieved that highest, that top level, they want to say it was like VIB Rouge or something was the name of it. 131 00:10:07,235.0045 --> 00:10:12,485.0035 And then I spent so much there on skincare and makeup that I had the highest level of rewards. 132 00:10:12,815.0035 --> 00:10:15,575.0045 So swiping out to clean beauty was actually tough for me. 133 00:10:15,625.0045 --> 00:10:18,55.0045 You can sometimes feel like you're missing out on mainstream stuff. 134 00:10:18,75.0045 --> 00:10:25,55.0055 And I can honestly say that this was the first time where I thought, Oh, am I going to be missing out here? Is it, do I really want to do this? This was a tough one for me. 135 00:10:25,55.0055 --> 00:10:32,845.0045 And I remember being just so bummed to give up some of my favorite brands, but I eventually found some clean beauty brands that felt really luxurious and scratched that self care itch. 136 00:10:32,865.0045 --> 00:10:35,25.0045 And I didn't feel like I was trading the performance of the products. 137 00:10:35,835.0045 --> 00:10:50,235.0055 You know, Moving to something everyone's different, but moving to something like, you know, oil cleansing with jojoba oil and then moisturizing with that same jojoba oil, which is sometimes what you see recommended some of the more extreme ends of the spectrum just wasn't going to do it for me. 138 00:10:50,275.0045 --> 00:10:53,355.005 That's just, it wasn't scratching that itch and made me feel like I was sacrificing. 139 00:10:53,355.005 --> 00:11:01,135.0055 So, but anyway, this was kind of, you know, this big step change when I had my first baby was pregnant and then had my first baby, I started to think about. 140 00:11:01,810.0055 --> 00:11:08,90.0055 What am I using in my home? What's on my dishes? What's on my skin? And, just really fully went down that rabbit hole. 141 00:11:09,660.0055 --> 00:11:13,60.0055 The third step change I talked about a little bit about on Instagram recently. 142 00:11:13,60.0055 --> 00:11:14,600.0055 So if you follow me, you've seen it there. 143 00:11:14,970.0055 --> 00:11:20,960.0055 My middle daughter, she, when she was around 15 months old, we actually experienced, some febrile seizures. 144 00:11:21,450.0055 --> 00:11:23,0.0055 She had three seizures total. 145 00:11:23,0.0055 --> 00:11:26,880.0055 The first one was shocking and traumatic for me. 146 00:11:27,170.0045 --> 00:11:32,180.0055 And it happened on the tail end of one of her, wellness checks when she was 15 months old. 147 00:11:32,810.0055 --> 00:11:40,120.0055 So that coincided with really the same time that the COVID and the COVID vaccine were all coming out. 148 00:11:40,540.0055 --> 00:11:49,130.0055 Watching COVID unfold and then dealing with the medical system with something other than just like a very cookie cutter, typical healthy child was so eyeopening to me. 149 00:11:49,470.0045 --> 00:11:58,730.0055 I talked about it on Instagram, but we had an awful and a totally judgmental pediatrician appointment when we were following up on my daughter's first febrile seizure that just set off so many alarm bells in my head. 150 00:11:59,110.0045 --> 00:12:01,130.0055 It raised more questions for me than I got answers. 151 00:12:01,160.0055 --> 00:12:04,880.0055 And I realized how much I wasn't being served by this medical system. 152 00:12:05,670.0055 --> 00:12:08,670.0055 I started rethinking basically the entire way that we handled our health. 153 00:12:09,30.0055 --> 00:12:14,530.0055 I started following accounts that made really counterculture decisions with their providers, and how they handle well visits. 154 00:12:15,300.0055 --> 00:12:16,810.0055 And it just really opened my eyes. 155 00:12:16,840.0055 --> 00:12:24,20.0055 I didn't, you know, with my first daughter and, and up until that 15 month mark with my second, I didn't even consider that there might be another way. 156 00:12:24,20.0055 --> 00:12:33,390.0055 And I never questioned or looked at anything related to, you know, vaccines that, That gave me any information about this decision that I was making. 157 00:12:33,390.0055 --> 00:12:45,240.0055 I just never questioned it, right? So my viewpoint and my priority since then, and throughout that process really became more about building a strong base in your body and preventing disease versus treating diseases. 158 00:12:45,620.0045 --> 00:12:50,15.0055 We ended up finding a holistic practitioner that Treats our whole family that we absolutely love. 159 00:12:51,105.0055 --> 00:12:55,405.0055 Honestly, I can truly say this is like the first time in my life where I've actually enjoyed medical appointments. 160 00:12:55,735.0055 --> 00:12:57,525.0055 We have such an open discourse and discussion. 161 00:12:57,535.0055 --> 00:13:00,255.0045 Like I can ask her anything and she will tell me anything. 162 00:13:00,975.0045 --> 00:13:09,705.0065 It's amazing based, especially considering where we came from with that febrile seizure follow up she recommends natural methods all the way up to traditional pharmaceuticals. 163 00:13:09,925.0065 --> 00:13:11,605.0065 We have the spectrum available to us. 164 00:13:11,905.0065 --> 00:13:17,695.0065 I think sometimes the view can be that you're really shunning conventional options and treatments when you wanna go in more natural route. 165 00:13:18,365.0065 --> 00:13:22,235.0065 But really what we've done is just open up the spectrum of tools that we have at our disposal. 166 00:13:22,685.0065 --> 00:13:27,215.0065 We're not saying, you know, we're not completely eliminated pharmaceuticals and, and maybe some people want to, and that's fine. 167 00:13:27,215.0065 --> 00:13:28,835.0065 It's, it's all, you know, a personal decision. 168 00:13:28,835.0065 --> 00:13:30,695.0065 But for us, we wanted to just. 169 00:13:31,75.0065 --> 00:13:36,925.0065 Be able to question things and have discussions and get information about the decisions that we're making. 170 00:13:36,925.0065 --> 00:13:38,475.0065 And that's, it's totally done that. 171 00:13:38,765.0065 --> 00:13:40,295.0055 And we've been, we've been so happy there. 172 00:13:40,865.0065 --> 00:13:43,585.0065 Our practice even does things like, home visits for newborns. 173 00:13:43,595.0065 --> 00:13:49,25.0065 So when we had my son, you know, she came, our pediatrician came to our house and like wait him and checked him out. 174 00:13:49,35.0065 --> 00:13:54,275.0065 And it's timey thing, but I can tell you as a postpartum mom, it was amazing. 175 00:13:54,665.0065 --> 00:13:58,945.0065 Not having to bundle us both up and leave our house in January Was fantastic. 176 00:13:59,5.0065 --> 00:14:02,35.0065 And you know, a practice like this and seeing a provider like this. 177 00:14:02,65.0065 --> 00:14:13,95.0065 It's not for everyone and you have to consider things like price, but it's just been a great fit for us and ultimately just made me realize that there are options out there outside of the insurance supported hospital systems that we were utilizing prior. 178 00:14:13,535.0065 --> 00:14:21,510.0065 So, Those are kind of the three big steps for me, right? Like first I was thinking about health and what I was eating and how I was moving my body. 179 00:14:21,510.0065 --> 00:14:24,530.0065 And then I started to think about products in my home and what I put on my body. 180 00:14:24,560.0065 --> 00:14:30,150.0065 And then I started thinking about the entire way that I think about our bodies, and how they function and how we handle. 181 00:14:30,740.0065 --> 00:14:32,50.0065 Medical issues, I suppose. 182 00:14:32,810.0065 --> 00:14:36,680.0065 I will say that during this time, I was so headfirst down this rabbit hole. 183 00:14:36,870.0065 --> 00:14:39,810.0065 Um, and on this path, I got really in my own head. 184 00:14:39,810.0065 --> 00:14:46,210.0055 I was consuming a lot of information and seeing a lot of examples about people living this holistic wellness lifestyle. 185 00:14:46,500.0055 --> 00:14:49,580.0065 And it seemed like every day I was exposed to something new that I was doing wrong. 186 00:14:50,5.0065 --> 00:14:51,45.0065 It felt very defeating. 187 00:14:51,85.0065 --> 00:14:52,835.0065 This is no fault of the accounts that I was following. 188 00:14:52,855.0065 --> 00:14:58,975.0065 I very much believe that as a content consumer, it's my responsibility to filter what I'm seeing and what I'm watching. 189 00:14:59,245.0065 --> 00:15:01,425.0065 The whole internet is not out there to cater to me. 190 00:15:01,485.0055 --> 00:15:07,695.0055 So I fully and respect and admire factual information, even opinions that people are posting on their own pages. 191 00:15:08,445.0065 --> 00:15:10,435.0065 I just wasn't receiving it in a healthy way. 192 00:15:10,885.0065 --> 00:15:12,405.0065 I was also working full time at this point. 193 00:15:12,405.0065 --> 00:15:15,705.0065 We were trying to get pregnant with our third and it took me a long time to get pregnant. 194 00:15:15,725.0065 --> 00:15:16,815.0065 It took me almost a year. 195 00:15:16,925.0065 --> 00:15:23,245.0065 When we were trying and I just like coming back to this feeling, like it had to be because of something that I was doing or something that I wasn't doing. 196 00:15:23,465.0065 --> 00:15:26,975.0065 There's some toxic products still lurking in my home that I just haven't swapped out yet. 197 00:15:27,235.0065 --> 00:15:28,485.0065 There's something that I haven't switched. 198 00:15:28,705.0065 --> 00:15:30,365.0065 There's some supplement that I'm not taking. 199 00:15:30,605.0065 --> 00:15:34,179.9065 I was just eating up all of these fertility and infertility posts and, and. 200 00:15:34,420.0065 --> 00:15:38,310.0065 just blindly doing everything that all of them recommended rather than treating my own body. 201 00:15:38,830.0065 --> 00:15:44,480.0065 But I eventually got pregnant and just that coupled with some added stress at work made me realize I was just doing way too much. 202 00:15:45,110.0065 --> 00:15:47,170.0065 It tipped the balances where I was feeling bad. 203 00:15:47,490.0065 --> 00:16:00,615.0065 If I missed like a single supplement, if I was traveling, if I left it at home, I would stress me out to be like, Oh, I'm not taking my You know, vitamin K today, I was getting really fraught when we relied on one meal of convenience food or a serving of chicken nuggets. 204 00:16:00,625.0065 --> 00:16:07,865.0065 So once I kind of had this realization, I started slowly pulling back and evaluating what is giving us the most value. 205 00:16:07,955.0065 --> 00:16:12,525.0065 What is having the most impact on our health and what isn't what's taking up a lot of time. 206 00:16:12,755.0065 --> 00:16:13,485.0065 What's easy. 207 00:16:13,735.0065 --> 00:16:15,965.0065 I started to slowly pull back to that 80, 20 mix. 208 00:16:16,265.0065 --> 00:16:21,625.0065 Instead of striving and falling short of 100 percent perfection, which is obviously just not achievable. 209 00:16:22,105.0065 --> 00:16:23,265.0065 That's been about a two year journey. 210 00:16:23,265.0065 --> 00:16:27,905.0065 So I came to this realization pretty much right before and around the time I got pregnant with my son. 211 00:16:28,255.0055 --> 00:16:32,315.0055 And he is, like I said, 11 months old and not a, not a day more than that, I'm willing to admit. 212 00:16:32,655.0055 --> 00:16:35,325.0055 So, you know, between the pregnancy and that, it's been almost two years. 213 00:16:35,325.1055 --> 00:16:35,699.9055 So. 214 00:16:36,280.0055 --> 00:16:42,820.0055 I spent two years just making sure, you know, coming back to that middle right or that 80 20 point. 215 00:16:43,250.0055 --> 00:16:49,160.0045 I just feel so good about where we're at right now and the choices that we're making, and that's the feeling that I want to help other families achieve. 216 00:16:49,460.0055 --> 00:16:55,100.0045 I want to share all this knowledge that I've gained in the last 15 years of being all over the map and all over the spectrum right. 217 00:16:55,500.0055 --> 00:17:09,420.0055 I want to use my analytical brain to help with decision analysis and data and help you come up with the best mix of low tech practices in your home and help you figure out what is that 20 percent what's your 20 percent or maybe it's not even 20 percent maybe it's 30 maybe 40 is your balance. 218 00:17:09,980.0055 --> 00:17:11,520.0065 It's going to be, different for everyone. 219 00:17:11,560.0055 --> 00:17:16,990.0065 And what is that going to be for you and what is going to help bring you the most joy, that's what I want to help families do. 220 00:17:18,565.0065 --> 00:17:19,825.0065 So that's my mission here. 221 00:17:19,825.0065 --> 00:17:21,685.0065 That's what I wanna achieve with this podcast. 222 00:17:21,690.0065 --> 00:17:29,420.0065 And that's kind of my journey and what's got me here to where we are today in my house, where we're honing in on that, 80 20 balance that I've just been enjoying so much. 223 00:17:30,160.0065 --> 00:17:31,570.0065 Thank you so much for tuning in. 224 00:17:31,570.0065 --> 00:17:32,740.0065 I appreciate your time. 225 00:17:32,950.0065 --> 00:17:38,470.0065 I know how busy life can be and I'm so honored that you spent some of your valuable time and your brain space listening to me chat today. 226 00:17:38,930.0065 --> 00:17:45,470.0065 If you liked the show, I would be so grateful if you subscribed wherever you're listening, and if you left a reading and review, that would absolutely make my day. 227 00:17:45,980.0065 --> 00:17:47,300.0065 If you wanna continue to connect. 228 00:17:47,360.0065 --> 00:17:49,700.0065 You can find me on Instagram at just a little scrunchie. 229 00:17:49,740.0065 --> 00:17:50,860.0065 I'm always a DM away. 230 00:17:50,880.0065 --> 00:17:52,290.0065 I keep up really good on my DMS. 231 00:17:52,290.0065 --> 00:17:59,630.0065 It's important to me because you know, my whole goal with all of this was to connect and find other families and, and other low toxin crunchy people. 232 00:17:59,950.0055 --> 00:18:01,610.0065 So I'm pretty active on there. 233 00:18:01,930.0065 --> 00:18:04,980.0055 You can also email me Felicia at just a little scrunchie. 234 00:18:05,30.0055 --> 00:18:05,400.0055 com. 235 00:18:05,720.0065 --> 00:18:07,370.0065 My website is just a little scrunchie. 236 00:18:07,400.0065 --> 00:18:10,90.0065 com where you can sign up for my newsletter and my email list. 237 00:18:10,90.0065 --> 00:18:12,590.0065 If you are so inclined, thank you so much for listening.
Welcome to the 80, 20 holistic home, the podcast that empowers you to live a healthier low tox life while embracing the beauty of balance here.
.999We dive into practical ways to reduce toxins in your home, nurture your body and your mind with holistic wellness practices and create a life that feels good without the pressure to be perfect. 3 00:00:21,869.999 --> 00:00:22,370 Join us.
As we create homes that nurture our wellbeing, support our families and leave room for the joy of living with ease, because when you focus on the 80 percent that truly matters, the rest falls into place.
(00:36):
Welcome to the 80, 20 holistic home podcast.
I'm so excited to be publishing this episode after doing a lot of learning about the tech and the grunt work and all that to get the show up and running.
.999Fun fact, this is the second podcast I've ever done, which I thought the tech on ramp would be a little bit less, but turns out things have changed. 8 00:00:53,309.999 --> 00:00:58,010 Um, and apps have changed quite a bit since my last podcast during the pandemic.
(00:58):
My sister in law and I actually did a really fun parenting podcast that I loved being a part of.
.999And now I'm so looking forward to sharing here in this show about my family's holistic lifestyle.
A little bit about me.
I'm Felicia.
I am a wife and a mom of three.
.999I have two girls and a baby boy.
.999Their ages are seven, four and 11 months.
.999I am not ready to call them an almost one year old. 17 00:01:17,874.999 --> 00:01:20,045 I'm going to keep right in 11 months, as long as I can.
(01:20):
His birthday's in January.
So I've got time.
I live in South Carolina in the United States, and I'm a former engineer torn stay at home mom.
As of this year, I spent 15 years, having a career in the engineering world and the it world where I worked at all kinds of various manufacturing plants.
Plants and corporate positions.
But after I had my third baby, I just realized I don't want to do the daycare thing anymore.
(01:43):
.999I was so burnt out already and I didn't want to have to do pumping and bottles and all that.
So I was also feeling very burnt out in the role that I was in.
.0005I became a manager rather than an individual contributor and then set it a lot of mental load. 27 00:01:56,230.0005 --> 00:02:00,60.0005 So decided to take a break from my own wellness and mental health. 28 00:02:00,100.0005 --> 00:02:02,390.0005 And I am transitioning into being a stay at home mom. 29 00:02:02,830.0005 --> 00:02:20,20.0005 I started my Instagram page, just a little scrunchie about a Go where I was really feeling the need for an outlet to talk about and connect with other moms on crunchy topics, you know, talking about low tox product swaps, your favorite low tox products, holistic wellness habits, alternative health, you know, alternative health providers and all that stuff. 30 00:02:20,290.0005 --> 00:02:29,620.0005 If you're crunchy or scrunchy in any way, you know, that this can be so hard to find in real life and living this lifestyle where you want a more natural approach to your health can feel very isolating. 31 00:02:29,620.0005 --> 00:02:32,410.0005 So I was reaching out for that kind of connection. 32 00:02:32,420.0005 --> 00:02:34,770.0005 And I've had so much fun with that on my Instagram page. 33 00:02:35,940.0005 --> 00:02:40,580.0005 I have been working on cleaning up my toxic load in various ways for like 15 years now. 34 00:02:41,90.0005 --> 00:02:48,859.9995 I have swung all the way from a very standard American diet, plastic, everything, just striving for perfection and being 100 percent clean. 35 00:02:49,220.0005 --> 00:02:52,30.0005 Now I'm settling into what feels like a really, really good balance. 36 00:02:52,330.0015 --> 00:02:53,730.0015 And that's part of what I want to share. 37 00:02:54,220.0015 --> 00:02:55,70.0015 I'm a data junkie. 38 00:02:55,120.0015 --> 00:02:56,180.0015 My background is in STEM. 39 00:02:56,180.0015 --> 00:02:58,440.0015 So I love science and data and details. 40 00:02:58,440.0015 --> 00:03:04,510.0005 And I have done a lot of reading and research on all kinds of crunchy topics I've realized that that's really what my passion is. 41 00:03:04,510.0015 --> 00:03:21,790.0015 And what really lights me up is boiling down that data and that, you know, information into making it simple, helping other women make small changes in their homes and in their health, boiling down that overwhelm, making things simple, getting rid of judgment and being honest about living an 80, 20 life versus perfection. 42 00:03:21,940.0015 --> 00:03:24,900.0015 Has brought me so much joy and it's really what inspired me to start this podcast. 43 00:03:26,70.0015 --> 00:03:31,370.0015 So my goals for this show, I want to keep it somewhere in the 20 to 30 minute mark. 44 00:03:31,380.0015 --> 00:03:37,430.0005 I know that there are big meaty, like researchy podcasts out there that are an hour or somewhere up to three hours. 45 00:03:37,430.0005 --> 00:03:38,250.0005 And I love those. 46 00:03:38,930.0015 --> 00:03:52,430.0015 Love to dig into those, but honestly, with the way that my life is right now and how busy we are and the ages of my kids, like I'm lucky if I get 20 to 30 minutes to sit down and listen to a podcast or get a quick walk or pop in an ear pod while I'm cleaning up at night. 47 00:03:52,430.0015 --> 00:03:55,500.0015 So while I love kind of like. 48 00:03:56,180.0015 --> 00:03:58,600.0015 You know, digesting those big podcasts and little chunks. 49 00:03:58,600.0015 --> 00:04:08,120.001 Sometimes I kind of miss feeling like I can, you know, participate in a whole thought, get somebody's thoughts, start to beginning on something on a topic, without sacrificing anything. 50 00:04:08,120.001 --> 00:04:09,400.0015 So that's what I want this to be about. 51 00:04:09,400.0015 --> 00:04:14,620.002 I want it to be bite sized chunks, 20 to 30 minutes on certain topics and give us really actionable, simple steps. 52 00:04:15,330.002 --> 00:04:19,360.002 I wanted to start the show because I wanted to share a little bit longer content than what Instagram allows. 53 00:04:19,390.002 --> 00:04:20,0.002 I wanted to be. 54 00:04:20,205.002 --> 00:04:27,475.002 Especially able to add more context around mindset when you're limited to those 10 to 20 photos, or 90 second reel or 60 seconds. 55 00:04:27,525.002 --> 00:04:31,25.002 You lose so much nuance, especially when it comes to giving advice or recommendations. 56 00:04:31,535.002 --> 00:04:36,265.002 Something that I feel so strongly about is that living this little tux lifestyle is so personal. 57 00:04:36,425.002 --> 00:04:40,415.002 There are so many factors by a certain food or supplement or wellness habit. 58 00:04:40,715.002 --> 00:04:42,715.002 This doesn't work for someone or for their family. 59 00:04:43,110.002 --> 00:04:47,720.002 And it can be so easy to look at some of the content that's out there, some of the short form content. 60 00:04:48,150.002 --> 00:04:53,560.002 And you see a post about snack recommendations or you see, you know, self care products or whatever it is. 61 00:04:53,560.002 --> 00:04:56,850.002 And then you see a product that you love and it's got that big X next to it. 62 00:04:56,850.002 --> 00:04:58,570.001 And you're like, ah, it feels really defeating. 63 00:04:58,570.001 --> 00:04:58,830.001 Right. 64 00:04:59,260.002 --> 00:05:04,40.002 And I think that you miss out on a lot when you're just looking at a photo and there's an X or a check next to it. 65 00:05:04,50.002 --> 00:05:08,540.002 So here, you know, in reality, everyone and every home is so unique. 66 00:05:08,560.002 --> 00:05:13,480.001 And I think that's where the 80 20 lifestyle that I've really, started aligning with comes into play. 67 00:05:13,930.001 --> 00:05:15,554.902 The concept behind 80 20. 68 00:05:15,725.002 --> 00:05:19,675.002 is that you strive to choose clean or natural options 80 percent of the time. 69 00:05:19,985.002 --> 00:05:22,555.002 And then you're choosing your less ideal choice is 20 percent of the time. 70 00:05:23,185.002 --> 00:05:26,315.001 There's a lot that falls in that 20 for me, that's your Chick fil A runs. 71 00:05:26,315.001 --> 00:05:27,725.0015 When you're throwing chicken nuggets on the table. 72 00:05:27,725.0015 --> 00:05:32,345.001 You're like, maybe your favorite laundry detergent that has your favorite scent that you don't want to swap out. 73 00:05:32,355.002 --> 00:05:33,755.003 There's a lot that can go into that 20. 74 00:05:33,775.003 --> 00:05:37,435.003 And one of the things that I'm really big on is that you get to decide what that is. 75 00:05:38,625.003 --> 00:05:43,725.003 This level of flexibility is just so necessary, especially for busy families, because we're going to drive ourselves crazy. 76 00:05:43,735.003 --> 00:05:45,915.003 If we try to hit a hundred percent, I know I've done it. 77 00:05:46,485.003 --> 00:05:49,675.003 The added stress and that militant adherence is going to stress you out enough. 78 00:05:50,45.003 --> 00:05:54,305.003 And at the end of the day, it's going to completely undo all of that wellness work that you're doing. 79 00:05:54,355.002 --> 00:06:06,395.002 I know this from experience, when you strive for perfection and you start to overthink every little decision, it's draining your mental and your emotional health in ways that just aren't healthy and no amount of like red light therapy is going to overcome that. 80 00:06:06,395.003 --> 00:06:16,60.003 You know, it's just so I have had three major events or three kind of like big step changes in my life that led me to kind of where we are now in our low tox lifestyle. 81 00:06:17,40.003 --> 00:06:20,750.003 The first of those being when I graduated college around my senior year of college. 82 00:06:20,750.003 --> 00:06:25,630.002 I kind of realized that I had put on that senior 15 or 20, you know, some people do the freshman 15. 83 00:06:25,630.002 --> 00:06:29,150.003 I waited until senior year, cause I guess I'm just an overachiever, I guess. 84 00:06:29,520.003 --> 00:06:31,390.003 But after I graduated, I wanted to lose weight. 85 00:06:31,460.003 --> 00:06:34,750.003 And for the first time in my life, I started to really pay attention to what I ate. 86 00:06:35,280.003 --> 00:06:37,780.003 This was completely coming from a superficial place. 87 00:06:37,820.003 --> 00:06:40,250.003 This was not actually focused on real true health. 88 00:06:40,280.003 --> 00:06:41,530.003 I didn't actually care if I got healthier. 89 00:06:41,530.003 --> 00:06:42,530.003 I just wanted to be skinnier. 90 00:06:42,530.003 --> 00:06:43,710.003 I wanted to wear a smaller size. 91 00:06:44,140.003 --> 00:06:45,40.003 And I wanted to be thinner. 92 00:06:45,440.003 --> 00:06:50,250.002 I grew up with a lot of ultra ultra processed foods in the home and not a lot of. 93 00:06:50,710.003 --> 00:06:56,120.003 Whole food cooking, right? So cooking with real whole ingredients for the first time was such a learning experience for me. 94 00:06:56,120.003 --> 00:07:01,540.003 I got so into clean eating and working out in addition to, you know, not cooking a lot growing up. 95 00:07:01,830.003 --> 00:07:03,920.003 I also was not athletic in the least. 96 00:07:04,640.003 --> 00:07:06,980.002 I did not, I did not play team sports. 97 00:07:07,280.003 --> 00:07:08,320.003 I had my nose in a book. 98 00:07:08,330.003 --> 00:07:09,130.0025 I love to read. 99 00:07:09,130.0025 --> 00:07:10,860.003 I love to do those kinds of indoor activities. 100 00:07:10,890.003 --> 00:07:14,630.003 I didn't even, you know, it was kind of a push sometimes to get me to go play outside. 101 00:07:15,40.003 --> 00:07:20,10.002 So I wasn't used to getting Confidence from participating in physical activities. 102 00:07:20,500.002 --> 00:07:31,840.0025 Whenever I started, working out and doing things like running and achieving new things like, running further distances or running a better pace than I did the day before I realized how confidence giving that was. 103 00:07:31,840.0025 --> 00:07:36,940.0035 I got really into that feeling of working out, being active, those endorphins and that sense of accomplishment. 104 00:07:37,210.0035 --> 00:07:39,280.0035 And that's something that stuck with me even through today. 105 00:07:40,515.0035 --> 00:07:42,945.0035 I also got really into reading healthy living blogs. 106 00:07:43,345.0035 --> 00:07:50,315.0035 If anybody was following any of those in the early, like 2010s, you know, there were, there were just so much good content being put out there. 107 00:07:50,315.0035 --> 00:07:59,385.0045 And I loved following along on other people's lifestyles and seeing how they managed recipes and what they did when they were eating out and they wanted to eat healthy or maybe when they didn't. 108 00:07:59,715.0045 --> 00:08:01,585.0045 So I was just like eating up that content. 109 00:08:01,615.0045 --> 00:08:02,175.0045 I loved it. 110 00:08:02,225.0045 --> 00:08:03,935.0045 I was totally into the healthy living blogs. 111 00:08:03,975.0035 --> 00:08:10,535.0045 I was totally into running I just remember feeling so good in that phase of life for the first time, you know, maybe ever. 112 00:08:10,785.0045 --> 00:08:17,55.0035 So that was just like such a huge change when I really started focusing on my physical health, specifically like eating and working out. 113 00:08:17,955.0045 --> 00:08:19,525.004 I maintained that for a long time. 114 00:08:19,525.004 --> 00:08:26,495.0045 Working out just became part of my daily rhythm and, you know, it just changed the way that I ate and the way I cooked food. 115 00:08:26,805.0045 --> 00:08:31,695.0045 And I kind of stayed at that state really until 2016 when I got pregnant with our first daughter. 116 00:08:32,640.0045 --> 00:08:44,710.0035 I distinctly remember starting to put together my registry and I was reading all kinds of lists and recommendations, you know, there were so many blog posts out there like what to put on your registry what not to put what brands to use what's baby safe, what's not. 117 00:08:46,175.0045 --> 00:08:50,35.0045 I remember distinctly coming across the concept of baby laundry detergent. 118 00:08:50,125.0045 --> 00:08:54,795.0045 I mean, this was about the draft brand, but I think there's several out there now, but this was specifically the draft brand. 119 00:08:55,365.0045 --> 00:08:56,955.0045 And it totally made my brain pause. 120 00:08:56,965.0045 --> 00:09:14,900.0045 I was like, what in the world is special about a baby laundry detergent? What is different between a baby laundry detergent and regular detergent? What is in regular detergent that I don't want to put on my baby? And what am I putting on my body that I don't want to put on my baby? And there I like completely jumped headfirst on the rabbit hole of clean home products. 121 00:09:15,390.0045 --> 00:09:20,980.0035 So now instead of thinking about what I'm how I'm moving my body and what I'm eating and consuming into my body. 122 00:09:21,660.0035 --> 00:09:24,45.0045 I started thinking about what is around my body. 123 00:09:24,915.0045 --> 00:09:28,475.0045 I started swapping out cleaning products like a laundry detergent and dish soap. 124 00:09:28,865.0045 --> 00:09:32,705.0045 I focused on body care products like body wash, body lotions. 125 00:09:33,105.0045 --> 00:09:37,25.0035 I started looking at skincare and makeup and became really into clean beauty. 126 00:09:37,435.0045 --> 00:09:39,645.0035 Prior to this, I was a huge Sephora junkie. 127 00:09:39,645.0035 --> 00:09:43,675.0035 I don't know if you guys remember, but there was like, gosh, they may even still have it today. 128 00:09:43,795.0045 --> 00:09:44,35.0045 I don't know. 129 00:09:44,45.0045 --> 00:09:59,935.0045 I haven't shopped at Sephora in a long time, but they have like three levels of like rewards members and I don't remember exactly what the levels are, but I know that I was at the top one and it's based on how much you spent at Sephora in a given calendar year. 130 00:10:00,495.0045 --> 00:10:06,495.0045 And I, you know, achieved that highest, that top level, they want to say it was like VIB Rouge or something was the name of it. 131 00:10:07,235.0045 --> 00:10:12,485.0035 And then I spent so much there on skincare and makeup that I had the highest level of rewards. 132 00:10:12,815.0035 --> 00:10:15,575.0045 So swiping out to clean beauty was actually tough for me. 133 00:10:15,625.0045 --> 00:10:18,55.0045 You can sometimes feel like you're missing out on mainstream stuff. 134 00:10:18,75.0045 --> 00:10:25,55.0055 And I can honestly say that this was the first time where I thought, Oh, am I going to be missing out here? Is it, do I really want to do this? This was a tough one for me. 135 00:10:25,55.0055 --> 00:10:32,845.0045 And I remember being just so bummed to give up some of my favorite brands, but I eventually found some clean beauty brands that felt really luxurious and scratched that self care itch. 136 00:10:32,865.0045 --> 00:10:35,25.0045 And I didn't feel like I was trading the performance of the products. 137 00:10:35,835.0045 --> 00:10:50,235.0055 You know, Moving to something everyone's different, but moving to something like, you know, oil cleansing with jojoba oil and then moisturizing with that same jojoba oil, which is sometimes what you see recommended some of the more extreme ends of the spectrum just wasn't going to do it for me. 138 00:10:50,275.0045 --> 00:10:53,355.005 That's just, it wasn't scratching that itch and made me feel like I was sacrificing. 139 00:10:53,355.005 --> 00:11:01,135.0055 So, but anyway, this was kind of, you know, this big step change when I had my first baby was pregnant and then had my first baby, I started to think about. 140 00:11:01,810.0055 --> 00:11:08,90.0055 What am I using in my home? What's on my dishes? What's on my skin? And, just really fully went down that rabbit hole. 141 00:11:09,660.0055 --> 00:11:13,60.0055 The third step change I talked about a little bit about on Instagram recently. 142 00:11:13,60.0055 --> 00:11:14,600.0055 So if you follow me, you've seen it there. 143 00:11:14,970.0055 --> 00:11:20,960.0055 My middle daughter, she, when she was around 15 months old, we actually experienced, some febrile seizures. 144 00:11:21,450.0055 --> 00:11:23,0.0055 She had three seizures total. 145 00:11:23,0.0055 --> 00:11:26,880.0055 The first one was shocking and traumatic for me. 146 00:11:27,170.0045 --> 00:11:32,180.0055 And it happened on the tail end of one of her, wellness checks when she was 15 months old. 147 00:11:32,810.0055 --> 00:11:40,120.0055 So that coincided with really the same time that the COVID and the COVID vaccine were all coming out. 148 00:11:40,540.0055 --> 00:11:49,130.0055 Watching COVID unfold and then dealing with the medical system with something other than just like a very cookie cutter, typical healthy child was so eyeopening to me. 149 00:11:49,470.0045 --> 00:11:58,730.0055 I talked about it on Instagram, but we had an awful and a totally judgmental pediatrician appointment when we were following up on my daughter's first febrile seizure that just set off so many alarm bells in my head. 150 00:11:59,110.0045 --> 00:12:01,130.0055 It raised more questions for me than I got answers. 151 00:12:01,160.0055 --> 00:12:04,880.0055 And I realized how much I wasn't being served by this medical system. 152 00:12:05,670.0055 --> 00:12:08,670.0055 I started rethinking basically the entire way that we handled our health. 153 00:12:09,30.0055 --> 00:12:14,530.0055 I started following accounts that made really counterculture decisions with their providers, and how they handle well visits. 154 00:12:15,300.0055 --> 00:12:16,810.0055 And it just really opened my eyes. 155 00:12:16,840.0055 --> 00:12:24,20.0055 I didn't, you know, with my first daughter and, and up until that 15 month mark with my second, I didn't even consider that there might be another way. 156 00:12:24,20.0055 --> 00:12:33,390.0055 And I never questioned or looked at anything related to, you know, vaccines that, That gave me any information about this decision that I was making. 157 00:12:33,390.0055 --> 00:12:45,240.0055 I just never questioned it, right? So my viewpoint and my priority since then, and throughout that process really became more about building a strong base in your body and preventing disease versus treating diseases. 158 00:12:45,620.0045 --> 00:12:50,15.0055 We ended up finding a holistic practitioner that Treats our whole family that we absolutely love. 159 00:12:51,105.0055 --> 00:12:55,405.0055 Honestly, I can truly say this is like the first time in my life where I've actually enjoyed medical appointments. 160 00:12:55,735.0055 --> 00:12:57,525.0055 We have such an open discourse and discussion. 161 00:12:57,535.0055 --> 00:13:00,255.0045 Like I can ask her anything and she will tell me anything. 162 00:13:00,975.0045 --> 00:13:09,705.0065 It's amazing based, especially considering where we came from with that febrile seizure follow up she recommends natural methods all the way up to traditional pharmaceuticals. 163 00:13:09,925.0065 --> 00:13:11,605.0065 We have the spectrum available to us. 164 00:13:11,905.0065 --> 00:13:17,695.0065 I think sometimes the view can be that you're really shunning conventional options and treatments when you wanna go in more natural route. 165 00:13:18,365.0065 --> 00:13:22,235.0065 But really what we've done is just open up the spectrum of tools that we have at our disposal. 166 00:13:22,685.0065 --> 00:13:27,215.0065 We're not saying, you know, we're not completely eliminated pharmaceuticals and, and maybe some people want to, and that's fine. 167 00:13:27,215.0065 --> 00:13:28,835.0065 It's, it's all, you know, a personal decision. 168 00:13:28,835.0065 --> 00:13:30,695.0065 But for us, we wanted to just. 169 00:13:31,75.0065 --> 00:13:36,925.0065 Be able to question things and have discussions and get information about the decisions that we're making. 170 00:13:36,925.0065 --> 00:13:38,475.0065 And that's, it's totally done that. 171 00:13:38,765.0065 --> 00:13:40,295.0055 And we've been, we've been so happy there. 172 00:13:40,865.0065 --> 00:13:43,585.0065 Our practice even does things like, home visits for newborns. 173 00:13:43,595.0065 --> 00:13:49,25.0065 So when we had my son, you know, she came, our pediatrician came to our house and like wait him and checked him out. 174 00:13:49,35.0065 --> 00:13:54,275.0065 And it's timey thing, but I can tell you as a postpartum mom, it was amazing. 175 00:13:54,665.0065 --> 00:13:58,945.0065 Not having to bundle us both up and leave our house in January Was fantastic. 176 00:13:59,5.0065 --> 00:14:02,35.0065 And you know, a practice like this and seeing a provider like this. 177 00:14:02,65.0065 --> 00:14:13,95.0065 It's not for everyone and you have to consider things like price, but it's just been a great fit for us and ultimately just made me realize that there are options out there outside of the insurance supported hospital systems that we were utilizing prior. 178 00:14:13,535.0065 --> 00:14:21,510.0065 So, Those are kind of the three big steps for me, right? Like first I was thinking about health and what I was eating and how I was moving my body. 179 00:14:21,510.0065 --> 00:14:24,530.0065 And then I started to think about products in my home and what I put on my body. 180 00:14:24,560.0065 --> 00:14:30,150.0065 And then I started thinking about the entire way that I think about our bodies, and how they function and how we handle. 181 00:14:30,740.0065 --> 00:14:32,50.0065 Medical issues, I suppose. 182 00:14:32,810.0065 --> 00:14:36,680.0065 I will say that during this time, I was so headfirst down this rabbit hole. 183 00:14:36,870.0065 --> 00:14:39,810.0065 Um, and on this path, I got really in my own head. 184 00:14:39,810.0065 --> 00:14:46,210.0055 I was consuming a lot of information and seeing a lot of examples about people living this holistic wellness lifestyle. 185 00:14:46,500.0055 --> 00:14:49,580.0065 And it seemed like every day I was exposed to something new that I was doing wrong. 186 00:14:50,5.0065 --> 00:14:51,45.0065 It felt very defeating. 187 00:14:51,85.0065 --> 00:14:52,835.0065 This is no fault of the accounts that I was following. 188 00:14:52,855.0065 --> 00:14:58,975.0065 I very much believe that as a content consumer, it's my responsibility to filter what I'm seeing and what I'm watching. 189 00:14:59,245.0065 --> 00:15:01,425.0065 The whole internet is not out there to cater to me. 190 00:15:01,485.0055 --> 00:15:07,695.0055 So I fully and respect and admire factual information, even opinions that people are posting on their own pages. 191 00:15:08,445.0065 --> 00:15:10,435.0065 I just wasn't receiving it in a healthy way. 192 00:15:10,885.0065 --> 00:15:12,405.0065 I was also working full time at this point. 193 00:15:12,405.0065 --> 00:15:15,705.0065 We were trying to get pregnant with our third and it took me a long time to get pregnant. 194 00:15:15,725.0065 --> 00:15:16,815.0065 It took me almost a year. 195 00:15:16,925.0065 --> 00:15:23,245.0065 When we were trying and I just like coming back to this feeling, like it had to be because of something that I was doing or something that I wasn't doing. 196 00:15:23,465.0065 --> 00:15:26,975.0065 There's some toxic products still lurking in my home that I just haven't swapped out yet. 197 00:15:27,235.0065 --> 00:15:28,485.0065 There's something that I haven't switched. 198 00:15:28,705.0065 --> 00:15:30,365.0065 There's some supplement that I'm not taking. 199 00:15:30,605.0065 --> 00:15:34,179.9065 I was just eating up all of these fertility and infertility posts and, and. 200 00:15:34,420.0065 --> 00:15:38,310.0065 just blindly doing everything that all of them recommended rather than treating my own body. 201 00:15:38,830.0065 --> 00:15:44,480.0065 But I eventually got pregnant and just that coupled with some added stress at work made me realize I was just doing way too much. 202 00:15:45,110.0065 --> 00:15:47,170.0065 It tipped the balances where I was feeling bad. 203 00:15:47,490.0065 --> 00:16:00,615.0065 If I missed like a single supplement, if I was traveling, if I left it at home, I would stress me out to be like, Oh, I'm not taking my You know, vitamin K today, I was getting really fraught when we relied on one meal of convenience food or a serving of chicken nuggets. 204 00:16:00,625.0065 --> 00:16:07,865.0065 So once I kind of had this realization, I started slowly pulling back and evaluating what is giving us the most value. 205 00:16:07,955.0065 --> 00:16:12,525.0065 What is having the most impact on our health and what isn't what's taking up a lot of time. 206 00:16:12,755.0065 --> 00:16:13,485.0065 What's easy. 207 00:16:13,735.0065 --> 00:16:15,965.0065 I started to slowly pull back to that 80, 20 mix. 208 00:16:16,265.0065 --> 00:16:21,625.0065 Instead of striving and falling short of 100 percent perfection, which is obviously just not achievable. 209 00:16:22,105.0065 --> 00:16:23,265.0065 That's been about a two year journey. 210 00:16:23,265.0065 --> 00:16:27,905.0065 So I came to this realization pretty much right before and around the time I got pregnant with my son. 211 00:16:28,255.0055 --> 00:16:32,315.0055 And he is, like I said, 11 months old and not a, not a day more than that, I'm willing to admit. 212 00:16:32,655.0055 --> 00:16:35,325.0055 So, you know, between the pregnancy and that, it's been almost two years. 213 00:16:35,325.1055 --> 00:16:35,699.9055 So. 214 00:16:36,280.0055 --> 00:16:42,820.0055 I spent two years just making sure, you know, coming back to that middle right or that 80 20 point. 215 00:16:43,250.0055 --> 00:16:49,160.0045 I just feel so good about where we're at right now and the choices that we're making, and that's the feeling that I want to help other families achieve. 216 00:16:49,460.0055 --> 00:16:55,100.0045 I want to share all this knowledge that I've gained in the last 15 years of being all over the map and all over the spectrum right. 217 00:16:55,500.0055 --> 00:17:09,420.0055 I want to use my analytical brain to help with decision analysis and data and help you come up with the best mix of low tech practices in your home and help you figure out what is that 20 percent what's your 20 percent or maybe it's not even 20 percent maybe it's 30 maybe 40 is your balance. 218 00:17:09,980.0055 --> 00:17:11,520.0065 It's going to be, different for everyone. 219 00:17:11,560.0055 --> 00:17:16,990.0065 And what is that going to be for you and what is going to help bring you the most joy, that's what I want to help families do. 220 00:17:18,565.0065 --> 00:17:19,825.0065 So that's my mission here. 221 00:17:19,825.0065 --> 00:17:21,685.0065 That's what I wanna achieve with this podcast. 222 00:17:21,690.0065 --> 00:17:29,420.0065 And that's kind of my journey and what's got me here to where we are today in my house, where we're honing in on that, 80 20 balance that I've just been enjoying so much. 223 00:17:30,160.0065 --> 00:17:31,570.0065 Thank you so much for tuning in. 224 00:17:31,570.0065 --> 00:17:32,740.0065 I appreciate your time. 225 00:17:32,950.0065 --> 00:17:38,470.0065 I know how busy life can be and I'm so honored that you spent some of your valuable time and your brain space listening to me chat today. 226 00:17:38,930.0065 --> 00:17:45,470.0065 If you liked the show, I would be so grateful if you subscribed wherever you're listening, and if you left a reading and review, that would absolutely make my day. 227 00:17:45,980.0065 --> 00:17:47,300.0065 If you wanna continue to connect. 228 00:17:47,360.0065 --> 00:17:49,700.0065 You can find me on Instagram at just a little scrunchie. 229 00:17:49,740.0065 --> 00:17:50,860.0065 I'm always a DM away. 230 00:17:50,880.0065 --> 00:17:52,290.0065 I keep up really good on my DMS. 231 00:17:52,290.0065 --> 00:17:59,630.0065 It's important to me because you know, my whole goal with all of this was to connect and find other families and, and other low toxin crunchy people. 232 00:17:59,950.0055 --> 00:18:01,610.0065 So I'm pretty active on there. 233 00:18:01,930.0065 --> 00:18:04,980.0055 You can also email me Felicia at just a little scrunchie. 234 00:18:05,30.0055 --> 00:18:05,400.0055 com. 235 00:18:05,720.0065 --> 00:18:07,370.0065 My website is just a little scrunchie. 236 00:18:07,400.0065 --> 00:18:10,90.0065 com where you can sign up for my newsletter and my email list. 237 00:18:10,90.0065 --> 00:18:12,590.0065 If you are so inclined, thank you so much for listening.
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