July 21, 2025 • 38 mins
Dilan Gomih is a celebrated speaker, fitness specialist and Founder of Dilagence. Dilan helps organizations and individuals achieve high-performance by showing busy professionals how to take control of their time and prioritize their well-being. She looks at all of the complex aspects in life, helps simplify them and find ways to integrate wellness. She brings energy and a contagious vitality to our conversation that will motivate us to find the proper work/life balance and bring about joy and happiness.
(1:37) Dilan shares her story and journey in life.
(3:40) How does she define wellness, what does that mean to Dilan?
(5:47) Dilan shares with our community what her philosophy and approach are to wellness.
(9:58) What does she see that concerns her about trends and changes in our society?
(10:53) Her philosophy is that you can make change incrementally, she shares some of these hacks that we can use ourselves.
(20:11) What is Dilan seeing in the wellness arena, what is she excited and/or concerned about?
(24:41)) Who is Dilan following, finds inspiration in and why?
(26:23) We take a peek into Dilan’s life, her daily rituals and practices.
(35:26) What is Dilan doing and how is she impacting others, as she looks a year into the future?
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Website: https://jeaniecoomber.com
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(1:37) Dilan shares her story and journey in life.
(3:40) How does she define wellness, what does that mean to Dilan?
(5:47) Dilan shares with our community what her philosophy and approach are to wellness.
(9:58) What does she see that concerns her about trends and changes in our society?
(10:53) Her philosophy is that you can make change incrementally, she shares some of these hacks that we can use ourselves.
(20:11) What is Dilan seeing in the wellness arena, what is she excited and/or concerned about?
(24:41)) Who is Dilan following, finds inspiration in and why?
(26:23) We take a peek into Dilan’s life, her daily rituals and practices.
(35:26) What is Dilan doing and how is she impacting others, as she looks a year into the future?
Subscribe: Warriors At Work Podcasts
Website: https://jeaniecoomber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/986666321719033/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanie_coomber/
X: https://twitter.com/jeanie_coomber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanie-coomber-90973b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbMZ2HyNNyPoeCSqKClBC_w
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Koomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shawmans,
sports marketing executives, and therapists.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
All of us are.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Like minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom,
and challenge each other to have the best life possible
inside and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey everybody, it's Gennie.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Thanks so much for joining me here at Warriors at
Work and Happy July. As we reach the halfway point
of the year, it's a natural time to pause, reflect
and realign with ourselves. So over the coming weeks, I
will be resharing podcast episodes from Warriors at Work, and
the intention here is to help you to reconnect with
your yourself, refuel.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Your energy, and move forward with clarity.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Let's make the rest of the year really count enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Here we are. Dylan go Me is here with me
Words at Work.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Thank you so much for sharing your energy and your story.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I cannot wait to talk to you Thank.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
You, Jeanie for having me. I've been looking forward to
this conversation all day.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
All right, here's where we're gonna start.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
You have such a cool journey, it's Yale, Harvard, Wall Street,
and then you decided, okay, wellness is for me.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Tell us the story.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
M So I found my passion for well being and
what most considered to be an unexpected place, which was
a Wall Street trading floor. But when I think about
my life and what I do now, it actually makes
so much sense because I first and foremost discovered that
when I prioritize my well being, everything that I had
to do on the trading floor went better. So I
(02:01):
had this really, really lucky experience of being able to
understand the power of the outcome. Here's what happens when
I move, not only first thing in the morning, but
during the day. I feel better. The way I approach
my work is better, the way I approach working with
other people is better. So of course it goes first.
Of course, it's my strategy for success. And understanding that
(02:23):
movement made my mind better was what made me realize
I didn't want to keep that to myself, and more importantly,
I wanted other people to be able to move through
the world the way that I did so fast forward.
Like post business school, I took this kind of dual
pronged approach where I learned everything that I could from
the corporate space round health and well being that I
continue to work with people that were just like me,
the people that knew the what they knew their health
(02:45):
and well being was important, but they're trying to figure
out how to fit it into their day. And this
well being discovery of the work that I'm doing now
is born out of I want other people to have
the energy that I have and one size of this
it all, and I got really good at helping people
to understand their own toolkit for building it into their lives.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The snippet of movement makes the mind better is so true,
and even just something so simple like that is so
a part of your brand and what you put out
into the world. You have this amazing ability to simplify
a lot of noise because there's a lot of people
(03:28):
with a lot of opinions. And I love that you
call yourself a chief Energy officer.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It's like one of my favorite titles.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So I'd love for you to first tell us how
do you define wellness? Like what does it really mean
to you? And when you're talking to somebody for the
very first time, and we're going to talk about the
types of people and the companies that you're working with,
but you're in front of the person for the first time,
I define it for me.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, I define it as well being. And it's the
process of your human being well from the emotional, physical, mental,
and mindful standpoint. All of these things in concert fuel
each other. And nobody is meant to go through life
just surviving like we exist in this world to thrive,
and that's what well being is meant to accomplish. Everyone
(04:17):
has the right fundamental right to be well in all
of these arenas.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
And when you're first talking to somebody, are you evaluating
their relationship to those pieces and then making a determination
around what you're going to do next.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I am listening to what they're saying. I'm understand why
are you asking in the first place, versus me being
able to say, this is what you're looking for. The
beautiful thing about humans is if you let people share
and share like really really really layers deep into what
they're looking for, then I actually, more importantly than evaluating
(04:56):
it and able to be helpful because they themselves are
doing the work. You know, we hear all about the
five whys, but it's like there's always like three or
four reasons why somebody really really cares about making a
change in their life. And I'm really good at the how.
But if you let people share, they will tell you
the what. So I'm that about how can I be true?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
That is so true?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
But I think about what I do for a living,
the more I can get someone to share and go
beyond the surface, like that's I mean, I'm in the
wellness business too. I guess I never really thought about it,
but it's it's the wellness in the workplace through the
lens of the career. And you know, I know you're
doing a lot of work inside of organizations, you're nationally recognized.
(05:42):
You worked with companies like Google, JP, Morgan, Pinterest. Like
so you started to talk a little bit about your philosophy,
but let's let's take a deeper dive on that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Your girl for a second? Pardon did I fan girl
for a second? Though? Yes? Yeah, and great at what
you do. And you're like saying, naturally recognize work with
all these major corporations like I think we're talking about you, well,
you're what I had to I had to kind of
well in there for the.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
People you're in my community, You're you're, you are.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So special doing a lot of the same work, and
I want to like go scream from the rooftops about
how incredibly special you are and the impact that you're
having in major organizations because of your philosophy and your approach. So, Dylan,
tell this community right now that's watching and listening about
(06:40):
your philosophy and your approach. So you get a call
from X whatever you know fill in the blank, chief,
so and so from Google or Pinterest, what's what's your
next move?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, So, whether it's workshops, are actually partnering with the
organization to design effective programming for their leaders. The work
that I do is really connect the dots between physical
well being and mental wellbeing. One very clear example I
give to folks is everyone can always think about their
favorite athletes, and it's we're getting ready for the Olympics,
so we're thinking about athletes like Simone Biles who are
(07:16):
doing incredible physical feats. We're also talking about their mind.
We're talking about their mental game and how powerful their
mental game is when we translated to the workforce, people
at the top of their mental game, we leave the
physical piece off the table. And it's very much so
the case that these two things are inextricably linked. The
reason why I say movement makes your mind better is
(07:37):
because it's evidence based. When you stand up, you are
increasing blood circulation, You're getting oxygen to your brain. You
need oxygen for cognitive performance. If you're a leader in
the workplace, it's fundamental that your prefrontal cortex, as part
of your brain that's responsible for decision making, for problem solving,
for impulse control, is functioning well. So I applaud every
(08:00):
organization that has corporate wellness, But my question for you
is are your employees actually using it? And if not,
are you willing to consider the simple things that will
actually make them work better for you? If so, that
is where I can plug in.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And so when you plug in, what happens.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Let's say they're like, yeah, you know, I've got these
great corporate wellness programs, but I'm still having retention problems.
Lots of people are still calling out sick or people
are taking you know, there's quite a few people that
are on medical leave or mental health leave.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So then what part.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
One is we do have the opportunity for me to
work with a team and actually do workshops for this
team that actually help them find tactical strategic approaches that
fit into their lives. The first part is people don't
do things even though they know what to do because
they can't understand where it fits into the day. Sure
I can go see the doctor when, Sure I want
to go take a walk when. And I'm really good
(08:56):
at helping people to think about what is the best
strategy for you? What's the business justification? For example, getting
it to get a walk, Well, you know what, You're
already going to get lunch at some point, why not
just do an extra lap around the office? Little things
like that, or zooming out with the organization. Where it
looks like you've identified a problem, let's actually think about
what people aren't using, what the real problem is, and
(09:17):
dive in and create better solutions. The great thing is
you've already identified there's an issue. Let me help you
dig in and think about what people actually value and
will use. Because of course all of this is about
well being, that's also about efficiency, and it's about revenue.
So if you have an existing offering that isn't working,
why would you continue to spend money on it? And
(09:37):
why wouldn't you reinvest in something that people will one
use too? When it comes to retention, the cost of
getting a butt in a seat again as opposed to
keeping the seat the butt in the seat that you've
already got way higher. And that also institutional knowledge is
too big. Let's actually think about what works and start
to tweak that number little by little. So those are
(09:57):
the two main things.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
And what's the typical narrative that you're seeing right now
in terms of like whether it's trends or consistent behavior.
So you're inside of organizations, you're having these conversations.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
What are you hearing?
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, I think the biggest one that I continue to
hear is definitely this element of I have corporate wellness
available like from the employees, I have corporate wellness available
to me. I don't want to use it. Part one too,
I'm afraid to use it even even when it comes
to vacation time. Well, yeah, I want to, but I'm
(10:31):
nervous about how it's going to blow back on me.
Like there's almost like this psychological safety element relative to it,
and I actually rarely find that. It's if we think
about a spectrum where there's like burnout over here and
people that are like high thriving over here. It's not
that people are at either end. There's a lot of
(10:52):
people in the middle, which is why I generally focus
on incrementality, which is like, what's the incremental thing for
your organization of high your value that will change people
closer to higher productivity because if people are already burnt out,
that's actually not where true. You need to focus on
saving like they're probably already like beyond that. But if
you can make a difference in like this middle zone,
(11:14):
this is where you focus your efforts. This is where
you focus the dollars, and it's actually worth it to
pull back a little bit to understand what's important so
that way you can move them towards higher performing because
you've already made this investment to get them there.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
It's I'd love the expression incremental value.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I always think of its small subtle shifts.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
M hm.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
So give us some examples of incremental value, and even
if it's hacks, Like what are.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
The most common things that Dylan's talking about?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Yeah, one of my favorite hacks. And this is definitely
one from like the mental side, but I use it
all the time because it is so true how many
people have a tendency to pick up their phone first
in the morning. But it makes sense, right, like first
in the morning, what are you thinking about getting up,
getting ready to go to work. But here's what also happens.
(12:07):
The second you pick up your phone, Your attention, your
first thoughts of the day are diverted to whatever somebody
else is thinking, whether it's the news, whether it's an
email from a boss, whatever it may be. Anytime you
think about these awesome athletes that are getting ready to
go out onto the court or play their sport, they're
not hyper dialed up or thinking or talking to anybody else.
(12:30):
The first moments of the day are their own. And
what a beautiful thing it is to take one minute
to get inside your own locker room, think about what
outcomes you want for your day, and then when you
pick up your phone, and we're talking about sixty seconds,
then when you pick up your phone, the things you
read have to fit into that framework. It's a really
(12:52):
subtle but powerful shift where you are still in control,
but now like you're not getting emotionally hijacked. And these
are real little rip full effects that transfer into everything else.
You have to do. The mindset that you have to
take to work or to greet your kids or to
greet your spouse in the morning, and your efficiency during
the day so when you go back home, the energy
that you can give to your loved ones. That's just
(13:14):
like a simple example, and I cannot help but point
out it's free. I'm so, I'm so like, maybe it's
not the most capitalistic thing to do, but a lot
of the hacks that I talk about are free and
things that are readily available to people because I don't
want there to be a reason to wait or you
(13:35):
have to get the perfect equipment or get the perfect
app to take an action. Absolutely nuts.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, I'll start that when or I hear that a lot. Well,
let's talk about people that it's really highly functioning, intellectual,
big job, big responsibility. And they're like, yeah, I haven't
gotten to the gym.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
That's okay, what would you what would you say?
Speaker 3 (14:00):
That's entirely okay. The reason why is any time you
make an opportunity for movement, I don't care about time,
I don't care how long it is I don't care
where it is. You are doing the best possible thing
for your brain to be effective. And particularly when I
put on my fitness cap, you don't have to be
in the gym to create an effective exercise or effective routine. Literally,
(14:26):
if I told you to stand up and sit down
ten times, congratulations, you just did ten squats. We're laughing,
but it's entirely true. And for like, I always like
to use Dolly Parton as an example because I love
that she's her part one. I love that she's seventy
eight and has released another album. But I also love
that she is somebody that has no problem saying that
(14:47):
she hates exercise like that is not her thing. Her
thing is dancing. She likes dancing, And we like dissociate
the concept of something being joyful and fun from it
being effective and powerful and more importantly physical activity. So
for that person that says I don't have time to
get to the gym, I just asked them to tell
me what are the things that you are doing a
(15:09):
lot of the times that something they'll come up is
like that they have a pet. I'm like, great, take
an extra walk with your pet. Take ahead in five
minutes on to the walk with your dog. Great, you
were already going to do a ketchup with one of
your junior colleagues. Can you walk and do a ketchup instead? Right? Fine? Like,
I am so not discriminatory around how the movement takes
(15:34):
place or where it takes place, because the literal definition
of physical activity is any voluntary bodily movement that engages
your muscles and expends energy. So the place doesn't matter
in that definition. The actual activity doesn't matter in that definition.
You just have to do something.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
When you think back on your work and all the
people that you've worked with, all the teams that you've
worked with, all the executives that you've worked with, with,
what do you have a moment where you're like, that
was what I thought was going to be one of
my most difficult challenges, and it turned out to be
one of my most rewarding moments.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Or I had such an impact.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You're smiling, so obviously there's somebody or a group that's
coming to mind.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Yeah, there is a group that it's coming to mind.
Just because it was not my typical audience, it was
definitely a high performing, like legal audience, and more often
than not. Most of my up until this point that
I'm particularly thinking of a lot of my work had
been in tech or finance or professional services. So it
was definitely like a different take on audiences that I
worked with and I very much so I've tried to
(16:44):
lead my life in a way where I don't really
care about just being seen. I don't really care about
just speaking. I actually care that it resonates, and I
really care that it's impactful. And from this I can
still visualize the session from the commitments that people made
within the session. So by commitments, I mean them saying
I'm actually going to start doing this now, like I'm
(17:06):
going to do this. This is something tangible that I'm
going to build into my day. So from the engagement
in the room to the fact that I was getting
ready to leave this conference and somebody said before I
went to my next breakout session, I literally went outside
and just did a whole walk around this building. Those
are times where I'm like, Okay, it hit, it really,
really really hit. We're like, it's not just about somebody
(17:27):
like saying I will, but it's like I'm doing this.
So yeah, that was the first thing that came to
my like, b literally, this guy kind of almost like
chasing me down before I left. He's like I just.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Literally and just like this satisfaction and the joy. And
again that's why I love about this. It doesn't have
to be this big, complicated workout routine in the gym
before seven am or after six pm. It doesn't have
to be so complicated, and I think that's where a
(18:01):
lot of people get stuck. And so I love this
notion of like movement makes the mind better. And you
take this simple philosophy and you meet the people where
they are in their life and just get movement as
a part of their way of being.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
And you're saying the key word for me, which is
just about everyone I work with. They have incredibly complex
lives and schedules and demanding responsibilities. The last thing I
will do is add additional complexity. I want it to
be so simple that you can figure out where it
(18:37):
should slot in anywhere, not simply just to check the box,
but because if you do it, it becomes the gateway
for you being able to take additional steps later. We
see this all the time. You take one step and
it becomes all these little steps that actually translate to
the big leaves by this. I mean, Okay, you know what,
maybe you only do the one lap around the office,
(18:58):
but then one day it becomes too and then one
day it becomes you know what, maybe I'll just try
to take a walk on the treadmill, or maybe I'll
do a little jog outside. Maybe I'll go a little
faster right, or you know what, the person that just
did the lapse is somebody that does the jog or
dress the one if it brings the joy, Yeah, this
is something, but it's always just the gateway. And that's
(19:20):
why that first little step and acceptance of this matters
actually totally makes the biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Yeah, and anybody that wants like a real life example
of Dylan's genius here is you did a spot on
to BPIX where it could be.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
If you're working from home or you're in the office, as.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
How to use office chairs to do squats or even
the push ups off the back of a chair. I
was like, this is so so simple, anybody could do it,
and it was just a brilliant example of how you
can just integrate into wherever some one is and just
(20:01):
get this movement as something that they just think of
and do more often, and then the benefits on the
other end, which list is my next question, because I
would love for you to share what you're seeing as
you zoom out and you think about the wellness industry
or the future of well being.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
What are you seeing? What are you noticing? Is there
something you're really excited and or concerned about?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, I if I zoom out and think about humanity,
I get really excited about the fact that we are
living longer, which means that we're also working longer. My
concern comes from are we actually investing in the things
over time that will allow us to enjoy the length
(20:48):
of our life over time. So there's a lot of
discussion about longevity, longevity type people that are like investing
in it. But when I think about the fundamental things
that we've done for years, years, like thousands and thousands
of years that allowed people to survive, it was move,
(21:09):
eat well, sleep well. So I worry about sometimes like
over complexity or people thinking, oh, I can't afford this,
I can't afford these types of resources. I can't afford
the personal trainer, so well, then I can't do it.
I worry about that that type of messaging versus the
(21:29):
elevation of the really important simple things that everyone can
and should have the access to, including education about it.
So the second concern is health equity. And when I
think about how some populations don't have access to the
same type of information about you know what, taking a
ten minute walk a day can lower your relative risk
(21:51):
of mortality. Just the awareness of that isn't something that's
available to every single population. And when I say that
everyone has the fundamental right to be well well, I
view this the same way as the pursuit of life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Everybody should have the
ability to live well. And I'd say that third piece
is when I think about cardiovascar disease, which continues to
(22:12):
be the leading cause of death globally. Yes, there's an
aspect of genetics, which by the way, I know in
my own family. But then part two is prevention, and
the biggest aspect of cardiovascular disease can be prevention. It
can be these things around. Are you moving they say,
(22:32):
sitting as the new smoking because of all of the
risks to your blood pressure and like slowing down your metabolism,
things like that, Are you eating well? Are you sleeping?
Because sleeping is not a passive process. It is something
that is an active process. Your body's healing yourself overnight.
So the idea that people have little simple things within
(22:56):
their own wheelhouse to prevent the number one cause of
it's something I think about quite a bit. And I
know right now in the culture there's a lot of
discussion about kind of complex things, and I really really
care about diffusing that. And the reason why I start
with the workplace is because well, by the time you
get to the healthcare system, it's really really complicated, and
(23:17):
now we're treating the symptoms of disease. But if we
can meet people quite literally where they are, and most
of them are in the workforce, maybe we can't do
something about it.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
M you know, you're remind me when I think about
what I see on my Instagram reels. There's a lot
of voices around wellness, whether they're functional doctors or they're
just self proclaimed experts. Eat this, don't eat that. Yeah,
put mushroom stuff in your coffee, you know. Put eat meat.
(23:50):
Don't eat meat.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Kaleless so bad? Yeah, eat kale.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Don't eat vegetables, only eat meat. Then wait a second,
you have to have hydroen water. It's like, wait, what, Yeah, no,
it's it's And what it happens is it brings up
tons of anxiety. This is maybe I'm speaking for myself,
but I was just speaking with a group of.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Friends last night and we were all talking about this.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
It gives you anxiety, and then it also makes you
think I'm not doing it right, I'm not doing enough.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I need to do more. But I don't know which
one to follow.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I don't know which one's right, and we lose our
sense of self in this process. And so when I
think of everything that you're saying and all the experiences
that have led to your level of expertise, who are
you following and why are you following them?
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Yeah? I care about people who truly understand that one
size doesn't fit all. There's a reason why you can't
be overly prescriptive about certain things because it truly can
never apply to every single person. So I like people
that provide frameworks and lengths of evaluation. You'll notice that
(25:07):
the phrase joy comes up a lot in my discussions,
and a lot of this health and wellbeing conversation is
meant to be so people can actually truly enjoy their
lives and find meaning their lives. So to that end,
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I'm a
huge man of Arthur Brooks and his work around happiness
and when it comes to oh and James Clear, I
(25:33):
do like this concept of atopic habits because a big
thing that I speak about is habit stacking and this
element of a lot of people are trying to look
for like kind of like a trans transformational system right
where it's like, I want to overhaul my life, and
I'm like when when we are established the fact that
you don't have time to do that, and it's not
about breaking the system. It actually is about finding the
(25:55):
little things that will slot into your existing life because
that's easier. Why don't you want ease? So, like James
Clear is one of these folks that is one of
the first people to establish the importance of just find
the little tweaks. These translate to the big unlocks and
obviously I'll follow you to the end of the earth.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
So all right, let's talk about Dylan's life.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
So now, if we've talked about how you work with companies,
how you work with individuals, I want to peek inside
of your life, like what are your daily rituals, practices,
things that you're working on.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, so what I will I think I've done a
pretty good job of holding myself to the standard. Is
I won't recommend something that I myself am not doing
or consciously practicing. So it's not the first two minutes
of the day. My first ten minutes of the day.
I do start with getting in my own life room,
(27:00):
so I have a devotional valery. But I'll also take
five minutes to meditate, like before I pick up my phone,
before I check anything else. That is how I start
my day. And to the point of like it being
a ritual for me is I know the days that
I skip it, it's just not as powerful, it's not
as impactful. I I don't feel like I've actually done
(27:22):
everything I've done to set myself up for success. To
the point of, again what I tell people about like
how do you fit it in? I do remember the
stage of my life where I could be way more
judicious about like I'm hitting two days, I'm gonna work
out at four am, then I'm gonna work out at
nine pm. But the rhythms of life aren't that. So
it's either the movement practice right at the beginning of
(27:44):
the day, or I will figure out how to work
it into the day. One of the things that I'll
say that I'll make people giggle is like I'll ask
a room full of people like, hey, did you brush
your teeth? And people are like what an crazy question.
I'll say like, did you put on your calendar to
brush your teeth? And we were like absolutely not. But
then if you didn't find a way to brush your
teeth first thing in the morning, would you find a
way to fit into your day. For almost everyone, the
(28:05):
answer is yes. Movement is the same thing, which is
like I will usually have my game plan to do
it sometime in the morning, but if for some reason
that doesn't happen, I will find the way to build
it into my day, and I'll feel pretty good about
making it happen. I find cooking to be therapeutic, so
not simply just because it allows me to think about
(28:26):
what's going into my body, but there is such a
beauty and an art about cooking in that if you
understand the processes, you also can play a little bit,
so you can like you'll arrive at a wonderful destination
and it is mathematic in a way, but if you
understand like the science and the art together, you can
(28:48):
play and still arrive at like a really cool and
sometimes like outcome. And I'm never staring at a screen
like that is very much still a time away from
a screen. I'm doing things with my hands and I'm
like totally in a flow state when I do it.
And this is gonna sound so weird. I don't know
if my mother will listen to this because I'm trying
(29:09):
to forget if this will be retributive in some way,
and she'd be like you do what and where is
this when you're growing up? I like cleaning. I find
cleaning to be such a therapeutic process, Like I love
cleaning my home, like when I became that person that
started going on like good health keeping and really but
(29:29):
like this new product came out, like oh no, don't
tell me that I just have to spray up on
like you gotta scrub, Like I am so that person
and now this is going to turn into an ad
for like Dylan goes to clean your home, like, but
I look and there's also this element of like I'm
not somebody that holds onto a lot of stuff like
(29:49):
I am, Like I if I I spring clean, I
summer clean, I fall clean, I do like shedding all
of the time of like just this element of do
I actually need this in my home? Like do I
actually need like these papers? Did I actually need like
these clothes? Like I love that ritual cleaning of things
(30:11):
that it's gonna sound heavy, but like no longer serve me.
So I do that a pretty frequent amount and releasing
don't need that, don't need that, don't love it, don't
need it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
What about your vices? Like do you like secretly eat
ice cream at night? You got a bourbon collection?
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Like what what is it?
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Well? The ice cream one makes it gives because I'm
lactose intolerant. But if I ate ice cream, I also
wouldn't hide it because I also just very much so
view and everybody has different lenses through the nutrition that's
necessary for them, So I'll start there. But I also
think that you can kind of treat your life as
like a pie and like budget for what you want,
(30:55):
so you know, like I certainly don't feel bad about
like the chalk clit that I have after dessert or
when I want it, because I'll be conscious of how
I'm going to account for that over life and throughout
my day the other.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
One, but the budgeting is a key word.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I think that's where people get tripped up as they
may not budget for it.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Yeah you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
They're like, ew, yeah, let's get it all in there.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
And I really don't like the guilt. And I understand
that it's easier said than done. But sometimes you're like, oh,
like I ate this thing yesterday and I feel so bad.
And it's just like you actually have to kind of
trust your body is there for you more than you
realize in terms of then maybe you'll notice maybe you're
not as hungry first thing in the morning. Like it.
We can have a really beautiful relationship with our bodies
(31:46):
if we're willing to kind of like check in with it.
But I I will hear somebody say like, oh, I
messed up. I had this donut first thing in the morning,
and I'm like, Okay, you still got the rest.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Of the night.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Cool, Like, eat your donut and enjoy the donut. Think
of the memories you had with the donut. Now what
will you do because you still have plenty of time
to account for it in some other way. I just
I I am really like when it comes to like everything,
really try to help people like recount the joy and
(32:19):
like reclaim energy for themselves versus spending time thinking about
something that's already done. Oh otherwise, because there's like I
think we go back and forth so often about the
things that are like, oh, this is good for us.
Like there's a sixty minutes thing that was like, oh,
red wine and dark talk, that's good for us, and
(32:40):
then some other thing comes out and it's like, actually,
it's all going to kill you. So that's the stuff
where I'm like, we actually have no gauge on how
long life is. So artificial sweetness I love.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Say that again.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Say that again, and please let that resonate for anybody
that's listening or watching.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
We have no gauge on how long our short life is.
Speak please, so we might as well enjoy it. I
enjoy Stevia. I have no problems adding it when I
want to. Yes, I'm sure there's the things that say
(33:19):
the things about artificial sweetener blah blah blah, but it's
not that it's something else. And there's kind of only
so much that you can manage or micromanage right, like,
at some point you do have to live, and I
very much so sit in that and encourage other people
to sit in that, like make your own decisions and
(33:40):
spend a lot more time and the joy in the happiness,
because there is literally research that says that people that
are more optimistic or are able to shift from a
negative to a more positive state, live longer. So, if anything,
just counterbalance those things that you might worry a little
too much about with a little positive thought.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I heard something on the radio the other day. I
think it might have been I can't remember which channel.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I'm serious, and he said, I hope you have fun
doing unfun things today.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And sometimes we make the fun work.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Or we we just get too focused, we take it
too seriously. And I was smiling when you were talking
about being lactose in tolerance. So I have this amazing
ice cream shop up the street from me, and I
don't really go very much.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
My kids go all the time. But I went in
today and I was like, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Get myself Softenell ice cream and I'm waiting online and
the owner knows me. Really He goes, finally, you're giving
yourself some ice cream, And I look at him. I
go medium, not a small. I want a medium cup
of And I was walking back and my neighbors were like, hey,
because it's kind of unusual to see me the day,
(35:00):
you know, dressed up with the thing of ice cream.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
They're like ice cream.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
I'm like, yep, and it's a medium, not a small,
not a kiddy cup.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That's right, medium medium. Why I went to the gym
this morning. Yes, I get really healthy all day long.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Yes you do.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
And I might even have a glass of wine tonight.
I might get crazy. I help you do, and I'm
going to be loving every second of.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
It as you should. Yeah, yeah, that's right. All right.
So Dylan, here's my last question.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I want you to look out into the world the
next twelve to eighteen months, and I want you to
tell us what is Dylan doing and how does Dylan
have an impact?
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Do I have to speak about myself as the third person?
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You could do whatever you are called to do in
this moment.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
I hope I continue to be of service and then
able to amplify this messaging, particularly the more people that
need it. I view my work through education like broadening
the platform through which I can provide education. I know
it's very near and dear in my heart. So I'm
very excited to think about how I can do that
wor can continue to make it so, whether it's my
(36:10):
voice or through other types of content, other people are
able to hear really important messaging about how they too
can access the really easy, free and quick ways to
live longer and happier and thrive. That's all I want
to do, Like, that's all I want to do.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Perfect way to end this conversation. And I hope everybody
that was listening you were walking or running or walking
the dog, just moving listening. Maybe maybe that's going to
be the goal here is this is, this is the conversation.
We want you moving while you're listening. We want you
to be thinking about movement makes the mind better, and
(36:52):
then tell us how this has helped the mind.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Love it, love it.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Thank you so much for sharing your heart and your
energy is vitality. It's so contagious, and I can't wait
to see what is next for you, what that twelve
to eighteen months looks like for you. And I'm so
grateful to be in your circle, Jennie.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I'm so grateful for you and thank you for having me.
Thank you everyon and for listening.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
Show and platform, be sure to go over to my website,
Genie Koomber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter.
I share everything that I'm up to month by month,
(37:44):
as well as some lessons and insights that I've learned.
I'm also interested in hearing any feedback you have about
this conversation or future topics, so reach out to me
directly on JC at Geniecomber dot com or on LinkedIn.
Be sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about
this Warriors at Work conversation, Subscribe, review and rate us.
(38:07):
It's the best way to get this message out into
the world.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Be well,
Welcome to the Warriors at Work Show. This is Genie Koomber,
your guide and host. This is a show for men
and women in the workplace who want to move from
the predictable to the potent. This is your weekly dose
of inspiration with an edge. I talk with CEOs and shawmans,
sports marketing executives, and therapists.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
All of us are.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Like minded thinkers and doers who tell stories, share wisdom,
and challenge each other to have the best life possible
inside and outside the office. Welcome to your Warrior conversation.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey everybody, it's Gennie.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Thanks so much for joining me here at Warriors at
Work and Happy July. As we reach the halfway point
of the year, it's a natural time to pause, reflect
and realign with ourselves. So over the coming weeks, I
will be resharing podcast episodes from Warriors at Work, and
the intention here is to help you to reconnect with
your yourself, refuel.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Your energy, and move forward with clarity.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Let's make the rest of the year really count enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Here we are. Dylan go Me is here with me
Words at Work.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Thank you so much for sharing your energy and your story.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I cannot wait to talk to you Thank.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
You, Jeanie for having me. I've been looking forward to
this conversation all day.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
All right, here's where we're gonna start.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
You have such a cool journey, it's Yale, Harvard, Wall Street,
and then you decided, okay, wellness is for me.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Tell us the story.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
M So I found my passion for well being and
what most considered to be an unexpected place, which was
a Wall Street trading floor. But when I think about
my life and what I do now, it actually makes
so much sense because I first and foremost discovered that
when I prioritize my well being, everything that I had
to do on the trading floor went better. So I
(02:01):
had this really, really lucky experience of being able to
understand the power of the outcome. Here's what happens when
I move, not only first thing in the morning, but
during the day. I feel better. The way I approach
my work is better, the way I approach working with
other people is better. So of course it goes first.
Of course, it's my strategy for success. And understanding that
(02:23):
movement made my mind better was what made me realize
I didn't want to keep that to myself, and more importantly,
I wanted other people to be able to move through
the world the way that I did so fast forward.
Like post business school, I took this kind of dual
pronged approach where I learned everything that I could from
the corporate space round health and well being that I
continue to work with people that were just like me,
the people that knew the what they knew their health
(02:45):
and well being was important, but they're trying to figure
out how to fit it into their day. And this
well being discovery of the work that I'm doing now
is born out of I want other people to have
the energy that I have and one size of this
it all, and I got really good at helping people
to understand their own toolkit for building it into their lives.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The snippet of movement makes the mind better is so true,
and even just something so simple like that is so
a part of your brand and what you put out
into the world. You have this amazing ability to simplify
a lot of noise because there's a lot of people
(03:28):
with a lot of opinions. And I love that you
call yourself a chief Energy officer.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It's like one of my favorite titles.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So I'd love for you to first tell us how
do you define wellness? Like what does it really mean
to you? And when you're talking to somebody for the
very first time, and we're going to talk about the
types of people and the companies that you're working with,
but you're in front of the person for the first time,
I define it for me.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, I define it as well being. And it's the
process of your human being well from the emotional, physical, mental,
and mindful standpoint. All of these things in concert fuel
each other. And nobody is meant to go through life
just surviving like we exist in this world to thrive,
and that's what well being is meant to accomplish. Everyone
(04:17):
has the right fundamental right to be well in all
of these arenas.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
And when you're first talking to somebody, are you evaluating
their relationship to those pieces and then making a determination
around what you're going to do next.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I am listening to what they're saying. I'm understand why
are you asking in the first place, versus me being
able to say, this is what you're looking for. The
beautiful thing about humans is if you let people share
and share like really really really layers deep into what
they're looking for, then I actually, more importantly than evaluating
(04:56):
it and able to be helpful because they themselves are
doing the work. You know, we hear all about the
five whys, but it's like there's always like three or
four reasons why somebody really really cares about making a
change in their life. And I'm really good at the how.
But if you let people share, they will tell you
the what. So I'm that about how can I be true?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
That is so true?
Speaker 1 (05:20):
But I think about what I do for a living,
the more I can get someone to share and go
beyond the surface, like that's I mean, I'm in the
wellness business too. I guess I never really thought about it,
but it's it's the wellness in the workplace through the
lens of the career. And you know, I know you're
doing a lot of work inside of organizations, you're nationally recognized.
(05:42):
You worked with companies like Google, JP, Morgan, Pinterest. Like
so you started to talk a little bit about your philosophy,
but let's let's take a deeper dive on that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Your girl for a second? Pardon did I fan girl
for a second? Though? Yes? Yeah, and great at what
you do. And you're like saying, naturally recognize work with
all these major corporations like I think we're talking about you, well,
you're what I had to I had to kind of
well in there for the.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
People you're in my community, You're you're, you are.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
So special doing a lot of the same work, and
I want to like go scream from the rooftops about
how incredibly special you are and the impact that you're
having in major organizations because of your philosophy and your approach. So, Dylan,
tell this community right now that's watching and listening about
(06:40):
your philosophy and your approach. So you get a call
from X whatever you know fill in the blank, chief,
so and so from Google or Pinterest, what's what's your
next move?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Yeah, So, whether it's workshops, are actually partnering with the
organization to design effective programming for their leaders. The work
that I do is really connect the dots between physical
well being and mental wellbeing. One very clear example I
give to folks is everyone can always think about their
favorite athletes, and it's we're getting ready for the Olympics,
so we're thinking about athletes like Simone Biles who are
(07:16):
doing incredible physical feats. We're also talking about their mind.
We're talking about their mental game and how powerful their
mental game is when we translated to the workforce, people
at the top of their mental game, we leave the
physical piece off the table. And it's very much so
the case that these two things are inextricably linked. The
reason why I say movement makes your mind better is
(07:37):
because it's evidence based. When you stand up, you are
increasing blood circulation, You're getting oxygen to your brain. You
need oxygen for cognitive performance. If you're a leader in
the workplace, it's fundamental that your prefrontal cortex, as part
of your brain that's responsible for decision making, for problem solving,
for impulse control, is functioning well. So I applaud every
(08:00):
organization that has corporate wellness, But my question for you
is are your employees actually using it? And if not,
are you willing to consider the simple things that will
actually make them work better for you? If so, that
is where I can plug in.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And so when you plug in, what happens.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Let's say they're like, yeah, you know, I've got these
great corporate wellness programs, but I'm still having retention problems.
Lots of people are still calling out sick or people
are taking you know, there's quite a few people that
are on medical leave or mental health leave.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
So then what part.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
One is we do have the opportunity for me to
work with a team and actually do workshops for this
team that actually help them find tactical strategic approaches that
fit into their lives. The first part is people don't
do things even though they know what to do because
they can't understand where it fits into the day. Sure
I can go see the doctor when, Sure I want
to go take a walk when. And I'm really good
(08:56):
at helping people to think about what is the best
strategy for you? What's the business justification? For example, getting
it to get a walk, Well, you know what, You're
already going to get lunch at some point, why not
just do an extra lap around the office? Little things
like that, or zooming out with the organization. Where it
looks like you've identified a problem, let's actually think about
what people aren't using, what the real problem is, and
(09:17):
dive in and create better solutions. The great thing is
you've already identified there's an issue. Let me help you
dig in and think about what people actually value and
will use. Because of course all of this is about
well being, that's also about efficiency, and it's about revenue.
So if you have an existing offering that isn't working,
why would you continue to spend money on it? And
(09:37):
why wouldn't you reinvest in something that people will one
use too? When it comes to retention, the cost of
getting a butt in a seat again as opposed to
keeping the seat the butt in the seat that you've
already got way higher. And that also institutional knowledge is
too big. Let's actually think about what works and start
to tweak that number little by little. So those are
(09:57):
the two main things.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
And what's the typical narrative that you're seeing right now
in terms of like whether it's trends or consistent behavior.
So you're inside of organizations, you're having these conversations.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
What are you hearing?
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, I think the biggest one that I continue to
hear is definitely this element of I have corporate wellness
available like from the employees, I have corporate wellness available
to me. I don't want to use it. Part one too,
I'm afraid to use it even even when it comes
to vacation time. Well, yeah, I want to, but I'm
(10:31):
nervous about how it's going to blow back on me.
Like there's almost like this psychological safety element relative to it,
and I actually rarely find that. It's if we think
about a spectrum where there's like burnout over here and
people that are like high thriving over here. It's not
that people are at either end. There's a lot of
(10:52):
people in the middle, which is why I generally focus
on incrementality, which is like, what's the incremental thing for
your organization of high your value that will change people
closer to higher productivity because if people are already burnt out,
that's actually not where true. You need to focus on
saving like they're probably already like beyond that. But if
you can make a difference in like this middle zone,
(11:14):
this is where you focus your efforts. This is where
you focus the dollars, and it's actually worth it to
pull back a little bit to understand what's important so
that way you can move them towards higher performing because
you've already made this investment to get them there.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
It's I'd love the expression incremental value.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I always think of its small subtle shifts.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
M hm.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
So give us some examples of incremental value, and even
if it's hacks, Like what are.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
The most common things that Dylan's talking about?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Yeah, one of my favorite hacks. And this is definitely
one from like the mental side, but I use it
all the time because it is so true how many
people have a tendency to pick up their phone first
in the morning. But it makes sense, right, like first
in the morning, what are you thinking about getting up,
getting ready to go to work. But here's what also happens.
(12:07):
The second you pick up your phone, Your attention, your
first thoughts of the day are diverted to whatever somebody
else is thinking, whether it's the news, whether it's an
email from a boss, whatever it may be. Anytime you
think about these awesome athletes that are getting ready to
go out onto the court or play their sport, they're
not hyper dialed up or thinking or talking to anybody else.
(12:30):
The first moments of the day are their own. And
what a beautiful thing it is to take one minute
to get inside your own locker room, think about what
outcomes you want for your day, and then when you
pick up your phone, and we're talking about sixty seconds,
then when you pick up your phone, the things you
read have to fit into that framework. It's a really
(12:52):
subtle but powerful shift where you are still in control,
but now like you're not getting emotionally hijacked. And these
are real little rip full effects that transfer into everything else.
You have to do. The mindset that you have to
take to work or to greet your kids or to
greet your spouse in the morning, and your efficiency during
the day so when you go back home, the energy
that you can give to your loved ones. That's just
(13:14):
like a simple example, and I cannot help but point
out it's free. I'm so, I'm so like, maybe it's
not the most capitalistic thing to do, but a lot
of the hacks that I talk about are free and
things that are readily available to people because I don't
want there to be a reason to wait or you
(13:35):
have to get the perfect equipment or get the perfect
app to take an action. Absolutely nuts.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, I'll start that when or I hear that a lot. Well,
let's talk about people that it's really highly functioning, intellectual,
big job, big responsibility. And they're like, yeah, I haven't
gotten to the gym.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
That's okay, what would you what would you say?
Speaker 3 (14:00):
That's entirely okay. The reason why is any time you
make an opportunity for movement, I don't care about time,
I don't care how long it is I don't care
where it is. You are doing the best possible thing
for your brain to be effective. And particularly when I
put on my fitness cap, you don't have to be
in the gym to create an effective exercise or effective routine. Literally,
(14:26):
if I told you to stand up and sit down
ten times, congratulations, you just did ten squats. We're laughing,
but it's entirely true. And for like, I always like
to use Dolly Parton as an example because I love
that she's her part one. I love that she's seventy
eight and has released another album. But I also love
that she is somebody that has no problem saying that
(14:47):
she hates exercise like that is not her thing. Her
thing is dancing. She likes dancing, And we like dissociate
the concept of something being joyful and fun from it
being effective and powerful and more importantly physical activity. So
for that person that says I don't have time to
get to the gym, I just asked them to tell
me what are the things that you are doing a
(15:09):
lot of the times that something they'll come up is
like that they have a pet. I'm like, great, take
an extra walk with your pet. Take ahead in five
minutes on to the walk with your dog. Great, you
were already going to do a ketchup with one of
your junior colleagues. Can you walk and do a ketchup instead? Right? Fine? Like,
I am so not discriminatory around how the movement takes
(15:34):
place or where it takes place, because the literal definition
of physical activity is any voluntary bodily movement that engages
your muscles and expends energy. So the place doesn't matter
in that definition. The actual activity doesn't matter in that definition.
You just have to do something.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
When you think back on your work and all the
people that you've worked with, all the teams that you've
worked with, all the executives that you've worked with, with,
what do you have a moment where you're like, that
was what I thought was going to be one of
my most difficult challenges, and it turned out to be
one of my most rewarding moments.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Or I had such an impact.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You're smiling, so obviously there's somebody or a group that's
coming to mind.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Yeah, there is a group that it's coming to mind.
Just because it was not my typical audience, it was
definitely a high performing, like legal audience, and more often
than not. Most of my up until this point that
I'm particularly thinking of a lot of my work had
been in tech or finance or professional services. So it
was definitely like a different take on audiences that I
worked with and I very much so I've tried to
(16:44):
lead my life in a way where I don't really
care about just being seen. I don't really care about
just speaking. I actually care that it resonates, and I
really care that it's impactful. And from this I can
still visualize the session from the commitments that people made
within the session. So by commitments, I mean them saying
I'm actually going to start doing this now, like I'm
(17:06):
going to do this. This is something tangible that I'm
going to build into my day. So from the engagement
in the room to the fact that I was getting
ready to leave this conference and somebody said before I
went to my next breakout session, I literally went outside
and just did a whole walk around this building. Those
are times where I'm like, Okay, it hit, it really,
really really hit. We're like, it's not just about somebody
(17:27):
like saying I will, but it's like I'm doing this.
So yeah, that was the first thing that came to
my like, b literally, this guy kind of almost like
chasing me down before I left. He's like I just.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Literally and just like this satisfaction and the joy. And
again that's why I love about this. It doesn't have
to be this big, complicated workout routine in the gym
before seven am or after six pm. It doesn't have
to be so complicated, and I think that's where a
(18:01):
lot of people get stuck. And so I love this
notion of like movement makes the mind better. And you
take this simple philosophy and you meet the people where
they are in their life and just get movement as
a part of their way of being.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
And you're saying the key word for me, which is
just about everyone I work with. They have incredibly complex
lives and schedules and demanding responsibilities. The last thing I
will do is add additional complexity. I want it to
be so simple that you can figure out where it
(18:37):
should slot in anywhere, not simply just to check the box,
but because if you do it, it becomes the gateway
for you being able to take additional steps later. We
see this all the time. You take one step and
it becomes all these little steps that actually translate to
the big leaves by this. I mean, Okay, you know what,
maybe you only do the one lap around the office,
(18:58):
but then one day it becomes too and then one
day it becomes you know what, maybe I'll just try
to take a walk on the treadmill, or maybe I'll
do a little jog outside. Maybe I'll go a little
faster right, or you know what, the person that just
did the lapse is somebody that does the jog or
dress the one if it brings the joy, Yeah, this
is something, but it's always just the gateway. And that's
(19:20):
why that first little step and acceptance of this matters
actually totally makes the biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Yeah, and anybody that wants like a real life example
of Dylan's genius here is you did a spot on
to BPIX where it could be.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
If you're working from home or you're in the office, as.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
How to use office chairs to do squats or even
the push ups off the back of a chair. I
was like, this is so so simple, anybody could do it,
and it was just a brilliant example of how you
can just integrate into wherever some one is and just
(20:01):
get this movement as something that they just think of
and do more often, and then the benefits on the
other end, which list is my next question, because I
would love for you to share what you're seeing as
you zoom out and you think about the wellness industry
or the future of well being.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
What are you seeing? What are you noticing? Is there
something you're really excited and or concerned about?
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, I if I zoom out and think about humanity,
I get really excited about the fact that we are
living longer, which means that we're also working longer. My
concern comes from are we actually investing in the things
over time that will allow us to enjoy the length
(20:48):
of our life over time. So there's a lot of
discussion about longevity, longevity type people that are like investing
in it. But when I think about the fundamental things
that we've done for years, years, like thousands and thousands
of years that allowed people to survive, it was move,
(21:09):
eat well, sleep well. So I worry about sometimes like
over complexity or people thinking, oh, I can't afford this,
I can't afford these types of resources. I can't afford
the personal trainer, so well, then I can't do it.
I worry about that that type of messaging versus the
(21:29):
elevation of the really important simple things that everyone can
and should have the access to, including education about it.
So the second concern is health equity. And when I
think about how some populations don't have access to the
same type of information about you know what, taking a
ten minute walk a day can lower your relative risk
(21:51):
of mortality. Just the awareness of that isn't something that's
available to every single population. And when I say that
everyone has the fundamental right to be well well, I
view this the same way as the pursuit of life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Everybody should have the
ability to live well. And I'd say that third piece
is when I think about cardiovascar disease, which continues to
(22:12):
be the leading cause of death globally. Yes, there's an
aspect of genetics, which by the way, I know in
my own family. But then part two is prevention, and
the biggest aspect of cardiovascular disease can be prevention. It
can be these things around. Are you moving they say,
(22:32):
sitting as the new smoking because of all of the
risks to your blood pressure and like slowing down your metabolism,
things like that, Are you eating well? Are you sleeping?
Because sleeping is not a passive process. It is something
that is an active process. Your body's healing yourself overnight.
So the idea that people have little simple things within
(22:56):
their own wheelhouse to prevent the number one cause of
it's something I think about quite a bit. And I
know right now in the culture there's a lot of
discussion about kind of complex things, and I really really
care about diffusing that. And the reason why I start
with the workplace is because well, by the time you
get to the healthcare system, it's really really complicated, and
(23:17):
now we're treating the symptoms of disease. But if we
can meet people quite literally where they are, and most
of them are in the workforce, maybe we can't do
something about it.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
M you know, you're remind me when I think about
what I see on my Instagram reels. There's a lot
of voices around wellness, whether they're functional doctors or they're
just self proclaimed experts. Eat this, don't eat that. Yeah,
put mushroom stuff in your coffee, you know. Put eat meat.
(23:50):
Don't eat meat.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Kaleless so bad? Yeah, eat kale.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Don't eat vegetables, only eat meat. Then wait a second,
you have to have hydroen water. It's like, wait, what, Yeah, no,
it's it's And what it happens is it brings up
tons of anxiety. This is maybe I'm speaking for myself,
but I was just speaking with a group of.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Friends last night and we were all talking about this.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
It gives you anxiety, and then it also makes you
think I'm not doing it right, I'm not doing enough.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
I need to do more. But I don't know which
one to follow.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
I don't know which one's right, and we lose our
sense of self in this process. And so when I
think of everything that you're saying and all the experiences
that have led to your level of expertise, who are
you following and why are you following them?
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Yeah? I care about people who truly understand that one
size doesn't fit all. There's a reason why you can't
be overly prescriptive about certain things because it truly can
never apply to every single person. So I like people
that provide frameworks and lengths of evaluation. You'll notice that
(25:07):
the phrase joy comes up a lot in my discussions,
and a lot of this health and wellbeing conversation is
meant to be so people can actually truly enjoy their
lives and find meaning their lives. So to that end,
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I'm a
huge man of Arthur Brooks and his work around happiness
and when it comes to oh and James Clear, I
(25:33):
do like this concept of atopic habits because a big
thing that I speak about is habit stacking and this
element of a lot of people are trying to look
for like kind of like a trans transformational system right
where it's like, I want to overhaul my life, and
I'm like when when we are established the fact that
you don't have time to do that, and it's not
about breaking the system. It actually is about finding the
(25:55):
little things that will slot into your existing life because
that's easier. Why don't you want ease? So, like James
Clear is one of these folks that is one of
the first people to establish the importance of just find
the little tweaks. These translate to the big unlocks and
obviously I'll follow you to the end of the earth.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
So all right, let's talk about Dylan's life.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
So now, if we've talked about how you work with companies,
how you work with individuals, I want to peek inside
of your life, like what are your daily rituals, practices,
things that you're working on.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, so what I will I think I've done a
pretty good job of holding myself to the standard. Is
I won't recommend something that I myself am not doing
or consciously practicing. So it's not the first two minutes
of the day. My first ten minutes of the day.
I do start with getting in my own life room,
(27:00):
so I have a devotional valery. But I'll also take
five minutes to meditate, like before I pick up my phone,
before I check anything else. That is how I start
my day. And to the point of like it being
a ritual for me is I know the days that
I skip it, it's just not as powerful, it's not
as impactful. I I don't feel like I've actually done
(27:22):
everything I've done to set myself up for success. To
the point of, again what I tell people about like
how do you fit it in? I do remember the
stage of my life where I could be way more
judicious about like I'm hitting two days, I'm gonna work
out at four am, then I'm gonna work out at
nine pm. But the rhythms of life aren't that. So
it's either the movement practice right at the beginning of
(27:44):
the day, or I will figure out how to work
it into the day. One of the things that I'll
say that I'll make people giggle is like I'll ask
a room full of people like, hey, did you brush
your teeth? And people are like what an crazy question.
I'll say like, did you put on your calendar to
brush your teeth? And we were like absolutely not. But
then if you didn't find a way to brush your
teeth first thing in the morning, would you find a
way to fit into your day. For almost everyone, the
(28:05):
answer is yes. Movement is the same thing, which is
like I will usually have my game plan to do
it sometime in the morning, but if for some reason
that doesn't happen, I will find the way to build
it into my day, and I'll feel pretty good about
making it happen. I find cooking to be therapeutic, so
not simply just because it allows me to think about
(28:26):
what's going into my body, but there is such a
beauty and an art about cooking in that if you
understand the processes, you also can play a little bit,
so you can like you'll arrive at a wonderful destination
and it is mathematic in a way, but if you
understand like the science and the art together, you can
(28:48):
play and still arrive at like a really cool and
sometimes like outcome. And I'm never staring at a screen
like that is very much still a time away from
a screen. I'm doing things with my hands and I'm
like totally in a flow state when I do it.
And this is gonna sound so weird. I don't know
if my mother will listen to this because I'm trying
(29:09):
to forget if this will be retributive in some way,
and she'd be like you do what and where is
this when you're growing up? I like cleaning. I find
cleaning to be such a therapeutic process, Like I love
cleaning my home, like when I became that person that
started going on like good health keeping and really but
(29:29):
like this new product came out, like oh no, don't
tell me that I just have to spray up on
like you gotta scrub, Like I am so that person
and now this is going to turn into an ad
for like Dylan goes to clean your home, like, but
I look and there's also this element of like I'm
not somebody that holds onto a lot of stuff like
(29:49):
I am, Like I if I I spring clean, I
summer clean, I fall clean, I do like shedding all
of the time of like just this element of do
I actually need this in my home? Like do I
actually need like these papers? Did I actually need like
these clothes? Like I love that ritual cleaning of things
(30:11):
that it's gonna sound heavy, but like no longer serve me.
So I do that a pretty frequent amount and releasing
don't need that, don't need that, don't love it, don't
need it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
What about your vices? Like do you like secretly eat
ice cream at night? You got a bourbon collection?
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Like what what is it?
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Well? The ice cream one makes it gives because I'm
lactose intolerant. But if I ate ice cream, I also
wouldn't hide it because I also just very much so
view and everybody has different lenses through the nutrition that's
necessary for them, So I'll start there. But I also
think that you can kind of treat your life as
like a pie and like budget for what you want,
(30:55):
so you know, like I certainly don't feel bad about
like the chalk clit that I have after dessert or
when I want it, because I'll be conscious of how
I'm going to account for that over life and throughout
my day the other.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
One, but the budgeting is a key word.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
I think that's where people get tripped up as they
may not budget for it.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Yeah you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
They're like, ew, yeah, let's get it all in there.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
And I really don't like the guilt. And I understand
that it's easier said than done. But sometimes you're like, oh,
like I ate this thing yesterday and I feel so bad.
And it's just like you actually have to kind of
trust your body is there for you more than you
realize in terms of then maybe you'll notice maybe you're
not as hungry first thing in the morning. Like it.
We can have a really beautiful relationship with our bodies
(31:46):
if we're willing to kind of like check in with it.
But I I will hear somebody say like, oh, I
messed up. I had this donut first thing in the morning,
and I'm like, Okay, you still got the rest.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Of the night.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
Cool, Like, eat your donut and enjoy the donut. Think
of the memories you had with the donut. Now what
will you do because you still have plenty of time
to account for it in some other way. I just
I I am really like when it comes to like everything,
really try to help people like recount the joy and
(32:19):
like reclaim energy for themselves versus spending time thinking about
something that's already done. Oh otherwise, because there's like I
think we go back and forth so often about the
things that are like, oh, this is good for us.
Like there's a sixty minutes thing that was like, oh,
red wine and dark talk, that's good for us, and
(32:40):
then some other thing comes out and it's like, actually,
it's all going to kill you. So that's the stuff
where I'm like, we actually have no gauge on how
long life is. So artificial sweetness I love.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Say that again.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Say that again, and please let that resonate for anybody
that's listening or watching.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
We have no gauge on how long our short life is.
Speak please, so we might as well enjoy it. I
enjoy Stevia. I have no problems adding it when I
want to. Yes, I'm sure there's the things that say
(33:19):
the things about artificial sweetener blah blah blah, but it's
not that it's something else. And there's kind of only
so much that you can manage or micromanage right, like,
at some point you do have to live, and I
very much so sit in that and encourage other people
to sit in that, like make your own decisions and
(33:40):
spend a lot more time and the joy in the happiness,
because there is literally research that says that people that
are more optimistic or are able to shift from a
negative to a more positive state, live longer. So, if anything,
just counterbalance those things that you might worry a little
too much about with a little positive thought.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I heard something on the radio the other day. I
think it might have been I can't remember which channel.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I'm serious, and he said, I hope you have fun
doing unfun things today.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
And sometimes we make the fun work.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Or we we just get too focused, we take it
too seriously. And I was smiling when you were talking
about being lactose in tolerance. So I have this amazing
ice cream shop up the street from me, and I
don't really go very much.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
My kids go all the time. But I went in
today and I was like, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Get myself Softenell ice cream and I'm waiting online and
the owner knows me. Really He goes, finally, you're giving
yourself some ice cream, And I look at him. I
go medium, not a small. I want a medium cup
of And I was walking back and my neighbors were like, hey,
because it's kind of unusual to see me the day,
(35:00):
you know, dressed up with the thing of ice cream.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
They're like ice cream.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
I'm like, yep, and it's a medium, not a small,
not a kiddy cup.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That's right, medium medium. Why I went to the gym
this morning. Yes, I get really healthy all day long.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Yes you do.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
And I might even have a glass of wine tonight.
I might get crazy. I help you do, and I'm
going to be loving every second of.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
It as you should. Yeah, yeah, that's right. All right.
So Dylan, here's my last question.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
I want you to look out into the world the
next twelve to eighteen months, and I want you to
tell us what is Dylan doing and how does Dylan
have an impact?
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Do I have to speak about myself as the third person?
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You could do whatever you are called to do in
this moment.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
I hope I continue to be of service and then
able to amplify this messaging, particularly the more people that
need it. I view my work through education like broadening
the platform through which I can provide education. I know
it's very near and dear in my heart. So I'm
very excited to think about how I can do that
wor can continue to make it so, whether it's my
(36:10):
voice or through other types of content, other people are
able to hear really important messaging about how they too
can access the really easy, free and quick ways to
live longer and happier and thrive. That's all I want
to do, Like, that's all I want to do.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Perfect way to end this conversation. And I hope everybody
that was listening you were walking or running or walking
the dog, just moving listening. Maybe maybe that's going to
be the goal here is this is, this is the conversation.
We want you moving while you're listening. We want you
to be thinking about movement makes the mind better, and
(36:52):
then tell us how this has helped the mind.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Love it, love it.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Thank you so much for sharing your heart and your
energy is vitality. It's so contagious, and I can't wait
to see what is next for you, what that twelve
to eighteen months looks like for you. And I'm so
grateful to be in your circle, Jennie.
Speaker 3 (37:17):
I'm so grateful for you and thank you for having me.
Thank you everyon and for listening.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Thank you for joining me for another episode of the
Warriors at Work Show. If you are interested in learning
more about what we do at the Warriors at Work
Show and platform, be sure to go over to my website,
Genie Koomber and subscribe to my monthly Warrior Playbook newsletter.
I share everything that I'm up to month by month,
(37:44):
as well as some lessons and insights that I've learned.
I'm also interested in hearing any feedback you have about
this conversation or future topics, so reach out to me
directly on JC at Geniecomber dot com or on LinkedIn.
Be sure to tell your friends and your colleagues about
this Warriors at Work conversation, Subscribe, review and rate us.
(38:07):
It's the best way to get this message out into
the world.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Be well,
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