Wellness in Our Communities: Breaking Barriers and Building Access with Health Coach Kristal Holmes (noseyAF Classic)

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Hey, everyone.
What's going on?
My name is Stephanie Graham.
I'm an artist and filmmaker,and I'm also an extremely curious
person.
Some will go as far as to saythat I am nosy as the nerve.
I started this podcast becauseI wanted to interview people.
I'm not just talking to anyone either.
I'm talking to people who arein the thick of what they do.

(00:28):
I want to know how they livetheir life and how they get things
done so that I could placesome of their savvy to my own life.
I'm sharing this with you sothat you, too can do the same.
We could do it together.
We all got to start somewhere.
And if you're not looking forpractical info, stick around anyway,
because my guests arefascinating, and it's my goal to

(00:48):
get to the bottom of their sh.
I mean, aren't we all just alittle bit curious of what it's like
to live someone else's life?
And if we do it the same,there are also times when I will
feel called to catch up withyou one on one and let you know about
what's going on with me,either in life or with my art practice.
You didn't think I'd get thedirt on all these cool people and

(01:09):
not let you know what's goingon with me, did you?
I mean, I'm a Libra.
We believe in balance.
Listen, I am a big believerthat even though we are all different,
we can still find ways torelate to each other.
It's time to get down to business.
So welcome to the Nosy AF podcast.

(01:31):
Welcome, dear listeners, backto Nosy af.
I am so excited that theseHollywood strikes are finally over.
This has been such anincredible emotional and financial
roller coaster, all whilebeing inspired and empowered at the
same time.
I really just cannot believethat it is all over.

(01:53):
I'm telling y' all.
These strikes have made mequestion everything about my life,
my money, my dreams.
And what's crazy is now thatthe strikes over, it's just been
linked back to business asshows are opening back up and people
are going back to work and.
Wow.
I think with these strikesending, it's so on point for my conversation
today with Crystal Holmes.

(02:14):
So Crystal Holmes is here atthe virtual Nosy AF studio.
She is an inspiring mother, ahealth coach, an attorney, and the
force behind the Go Hard chick movement.
In a world that often pitsfitness against body positivity,
Crystal brings a refreshingperspective, showcasing how one can
be fit and still embrace abody positive mindset.

(02:36):
Today, we delve into theOrigins of Go Hard Chick.
Uncovering the powerfulpillars of wellness that underpin
Crystal's approach to health.
Crystal is a warrior whoemerged triumphant after facing the
challenges of an autoimmune disease.
She is passionate aboutguiding women through their own journeys,
reclaiming healthier andfuller lives.

(02:58):
Crystal has been through thisherself, so her personal transformation
serves as a testament to thetransformative power of getting consistent
movement and full nourishmentto your body.
Crystal and I talk about thepractical aspects of wellness as
we explored strategies forstress management.
What do you do when you'reoverwhelmed by tasks?

(03:18):
And the very concept of stressfeels elusive?
Crystal shares her wisdom onidentifying and tackling stress in
our busy lives.
But our conversation doesn'tstop there.
Crystal's dedication extendsbeyond the individual, prompting
us to ponder the state ofwellness advertising, especially
in underserved communities.

(03:39):
So we challenge the status quoand engage in some radical dreaming,
envisioning a future whereessential health services are common
knowledge, accessible toeveryone, where anybody on the block,
they are equipped with toolsthey need to thrive.
So let's get ready to navigatethrough Crystal's remarkable journey.

(04:00):
She is so inspiring, somotivated and empowering, and I'm
really happy to have her onthis episode of Nosy af.
So let's get into that.
All right, cool.
So thank you, Crystal, forbeing here.
You ready to do it?
I'm ready.
Okay, cool.
So Crystal of Go hard chick.

(04:21):
Crystal, can you.
Okay, let me just say this first.
What I love about Crystal andwhat I really love about you is that
you are a like wellness,fitness, health.
I feel like those sometimescould be interchangeable.
Maybe they're not, but I feellike you are like really into this

(04:42):
and then you have like, youknow, this like great physique, but
you're not, you know, like,you'll like, you could do like competitions
and all that stuff, but you'renot like, it's not intimidating to
talk to you as like a plussize person.
Like, I don't feel you'rethinking like she needs to look like
me or something.
You know, I don't, I don't getthat at all.

(05:03):
Which actually maybe a lot ofpeople are like that, but it just
like we've been conditionedthat it's like either or.
But I never get that from you.
I feel like if I came to youabout like a situation where like
a doctor would probably tellme to lose weight, you would not
say that you'd be like, well,how's your sleeping?
Or what, what do, what did youhave for dinner?

(05:24):
You know, Those types of things.
And I just really appreciate,like, you, like, so welcoming like
that.
Like, you, like, are into,like, the fitness piece of it, like,
the hardness of it, and that'syour thing.
But you're not trying to,like, push that on nobody if somebody's
interested.
Sure.
Because I remember even yourepisode, you're like, all right,

(05:46):
listen, you guys keep askingme about something, like, about someone,
their body, like how to getabs or something.
And you're like, I'm gonna saythis, but, like, you don't have to
do this, but this is something.
These are, like, thoughts Ihave if you want to get, like, rock
hard abs or, you know, quoteunquote kind of thing.
And so I just love thatbecause it's like, look, I'm not

(06:07):
telling you this, but since somany of you guys are asking me about
it, I'm gonna address it.
And I think that that's, like,really nice.
Instead of saying all of youshould have my abs or something.
Oh, God, no.
That was like a really longintro of, like, why?
Just love and admire your work.

(06:28):
But yeah, I so appreciate you, Stephanie.
First of all, thank you forinviting me on.
This is a true honor.
And no, like, my platform isreally just about overall health
and wellness.
And it.
I think I feel like in thissociety especially, so many coaches,

(06:51):
so many businesses, so manycorporations, everybody's obsessed
with weight loss and they'remissing a big picture.
Like, we're.
We're doing this stuff andwe're trying to lose weight at all
cost, even if it's not healthy.
And my platform and what I tryto try to promote is we gotta be

(07:16):
healthy, whatever that lookslike for you, you know, Are you getting
enough sleep?
You know, let's start there,you know?
Yes.
I think exercise is important,but you don't have to lift weights
like me.
You could take a walk, youknow, so it's really just about overall
health and well being, youknow, are you.
Is your stress being managed?

(07:37):
So that's.
That's what I like to talkabout, and that's what I like to
promote, you know, and if youlose weight, great.
If that's one of your goals, fine.
But let's do it in a healthy way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
One of the things I'm here at the.
At my artist residency inPooch Cove, and when we all first
got here, because half of thewomen are professionals, everybody

(08:01):
was just sleeping.
Like, you would thinkeverybody would get up and, like,
start painting or going outand making images or any of that,
and everybody was sleep andTrying to adjust and because it's
just so quiet up here and, youknow, it was easy, like, to start
beating ourselves up, like,oh, my gosh, you know, I'm up here,

(08:22):
like, I'm supposed to be uphere to, like, make art and blah,
blah, blah.
But it's like, no.
Like, you also are away fromyour husband and children and from
work, so everybody's like,you're right.
I'm just gonna go back to bed.
Everybody's, like, painting inpajamas and stuff.
It's just been really, like, refreshing.
Cause it's like, that's also apart of, you know, your job, you

(08:45):
know, as an artist or just asany professional, just to sleep.
Yeah, we're exhausted.
We're exhausted.
And probably, I would guess asan artist, if you are exhausted,
are you as creative as youwould like to be?
Probably not.
Probably not, yeah.
Or not as productive as, like,you know, getting up here thinking,

(09:07):
oh, yeah, I'm gonna, like, beso inspired and do all this stuff.
But I mean, you need to berested to be able to do that, to
have the energy to do it, so.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So how did Go Hardship get started?
Oh, my gosh.
I'll take you back to theoriginal origin.

(09:27):
Okay.
Okay.
So I was a stressed out attorney.
I had extreme anxiety.
The anxiety.
And just now that I've donethe work, I realize it wasn't just
my legal work.
It was just some trauma that Ihadn't addressed, led me to eat.

(09:48):
So I was eating to soothe.
But the stress from my work was.
Was tremendous.
And I.
I finally got a hold of, ofmyself and I addressed the stress.
And the gym is what reallyhelped me make, you know, fitness
is what helped me with mystress and helped me find a better

(10:11):
way of life and living andjust, you know, I was happier and
healthier.
And I became a gym rat.
And some guy in the gymapproached me and he said, I've seen
you on Instagram.
I see you.
And I say, gosh, that chickgoes hard.

(10:32):
And like a light bulb went off.
No way.
That's a true story.
And so I wrote it down.
I said, I'm going to callmyself the Go Hard Chicken.
I don't know what I'm usingthis for.
So, like, this was back inprobably 2010.
Oh, no, no.
2012, maybe 2013.

(10:53):
And I just kind of held onto it.
Now, back then, I was writing blogs.
That's when, you know,blogging was super popular.
So I would write things mainlyfor myself, but some people would
read what I'm writing.
You Know, just sharing abouthealth and wellness and stuff.
That's where it really started.
And as life would happen, Ikind of fell off my health wagon,

(11:15):
if you will.
I had accepted a new positionwith another firm, and it was even
more stressful, and I felloff, and I found myself not feeling
well, stressed out again.
I was diagnosed with anautoimmune disease, and after that

(11:36):
diagnosis and realizing Ineeded to get back to wellness, I.
The universe was like, youneed to do a podcast, and you need
to call it Go Hard Chick.
So that's what I did.
I love it.
Did that man ever know?
I wonder, does he know?
I don't.

(11:56):
I don't know.
I never told him.
Yeah, but who knows?
You know what's interesting?
So it sounds like, you know,as you started this health journey,
that you started to document yourself.
So, like, were you documentingyourself in the gym, like, exercising
and stuff?
Yes, yes.
And it was really just for myself.

(12:17):
But then people started to.
To take notice.
But, yeah, I did.
I did.
Would you notice if otherpeople were documenting themselves?
Because it's so funny.
Like, I just think about thatnow, like, at the gym or.
Or even I had just went to theBrooklyn Museum, and I was, like,
filming myself looking at theart or, you know, messing around

(12:38):
and stuff.
And there I do have a pictureof a man that's, like, just watching
me.
Like, what is she doing?
Like, can she just look at the artwork?
And so, yeah.
Do you see other people doingthat in the gym, filming themselves?
Oh.
Oh, yeah.
Especially a lot now, becauseeverybody wants to post it on Instagram,
you know, but back then, Imean, we had Instagram, but I felt

(12:59):
like it was more organic.
Like, we were just like,Instagram was like my own personal
diary.
I didn't think anybody waslooking at me.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
That's so funny that that mansaw you and like, even, like, came
up to you.
I just.
I love it.
And gave you the foundation ofyour business, the name of your business.

(13:20):
Yes, yes, yes.
Oh, my gosh.
You know, wait, just really quick.
This is really quick, But Idon't want to forget it.
Do you have any tips?
So there is, like, this.
I want to go to a gym, but Ilike the smaller gyms because I feel
like I won't see anybody therethat I know.
And there's a local Y YMCA byme, but there's some, like, guy who

(13:45):
I went out with, and he goesthere, and I'm like, I don't want
to go there and possibly seethis person.
So it makes Me not want to goto the gym?
Yeah.
Do you have any advice aroundstuff like that?
Well, you're.
Well, first of all, yourfeelings are valid.
I mean, when I.
When I first joined a gym,well, I don't think it was my first.

(14:07):
I remember when LA Fitnessfirst got popular here.
This was years ago, andeverybody was running in there and
signing up, and so I did,like, everybody.
And I remember going in thereand feeling extremely intimidated.
Like, I did not want to be onthe main floor.
So in.
In this particular LA Fitness,there was upstairs and the downstairs,

(14:29):
and the upstairs had the cardio.
Okay.
So I was like, I don't wantanybody looking at me.
I'm just going to stay up herein the cardio section and hide out.
So that's.
That's a typical feeling.
And I think people should finda space where they feel comfortable.
So if it's not that Y, maybesome other smaller gym and as you

(14:52):
get.
And it's funny because now Iwalk in that same LA Fitness like,
I own it, because I realizenow nobody's really looking at you.
Think about it.
I'm concerned because I'mlike, who's looking at me?
You're concerned becauseyou're thinking somebody's looking

(15:12):
at you.
We're all concerned becausewe're thinking somebody's looking
at you.
We're.
We're not looking at eachother because we're all consumed
with thinking somebody'slooking at us.
Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah,that's good.
And you know what?
Actually, you gave me an idea,like, because it's funny because
all the little small gyms are,of course, like, these, like, bougie
prices and stuff, and I'mlike, you know what?

(15:34):
That don't make no sense.
The y is like $8 a month.
Like, but here I am, like, at,like, 75 bucks a month.
But I like the idea of maybe,like, graduating, like, so maybe
that's where I need to be for now.
But then sooner or later, thenmaybe I'll be down to going to the
Y, because.
Yeah, you will.
Won't even bother me anymore.
Right.
So.

(15:54):
Yeah.
So nothing's forever.
I have to, like, I alwaysthink, like, this is, like, a permanent
decision, but that's not true.
No.
Yeah, that's good.
That's good.
So go hard.
Chick I know has these pillarsof wellness.
Can you share the pillars?
So, yeah, when I started thisjourney way back when, for me, it

(16:14):
was just health.
I mean, we weren't really even health.
It was working out.
That's what it's about we'regoing to work out and we're going
to exercise and we're going tolose that weight.
But then once I was diagnosedwith the autoimmune disease, I realized
that wasn't.
That's not enough.
We have to look at the whole picture.
We have to look at youremotional wellness.

(16:36):
We have to look at thewellness of your environment.
We got to look at yourfinancial wellness.
Because if your finances are amess, guess what?
You're going to be stressed out.
We got to look at your jobwellness, your occupational wellness,
I should say your physicalwellness, your social, spiritual.
So I came up with the idea,let's talk about all of this.

(16:58):
Because all of this plays into how to our wellness, how well
we feel on a daily basis.
Like, I can have fabulous abs,but if my stress level from work
is off the chain, does itreally matter?
Right.
No.
Right.

(17:18):
Because you're going to be outat the party with your great abs
being mean to everybody.
Exactly.
So that's why I like to talkabout all of it.
All of it.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's true.
Because, like, maybe becauseI'm stressed out about not being
able to go to the $8 gym andpaying $75 so that I can feel comfortable,

(17:41):
but then I'm upset about thatand it's just like a whole spiral
of foolishness.
Yes, yes, yes.
Yeah.
So it's like, really about encopul.
It's like all the.
Well, it's like all the wellness.
Yeah.
It's every aspect.
It's every aspect.
And here's the thing.
I don't have all eight ofthese together.

(18:03):
You will rarely have all eightof these together at one time.
Like, I might have two orthree together and I'm still working
on, you know, and it's funnybecause different seasons, like,
be like, the economy is notthat great right now.
So I feel like my financialwellness is not that great.
Yeah.
Three years ago, I felt like Ihad it under control, but now that's

(18:27):
the area I need to work on,you know?
Yeah.
And it's like sometimes, likejust with the economy, it's like
identifying when it's not evenyour fault.
Right.
Like, so your financialwellness right now, it's not your
fault.
No.
Like, groceries are mad expensive.

(18:47):
But so now.
But now I have to.
I need to focus on thatbecause I'm like, all right, how
do I make this work?
What can I do in my budget,for example, to make sure I can still
put food on the table, you know?
Sure.
Yeah.
And like figuring out.
Yeah.
How to budget all.
Do you all in Georgia, you're in.

(19:11):
Where in Georgia are you?
Atlanta.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Do they have community fridges there?
They do.
I wouldn't say that.
There's a ton.
Okay.
There are some.
Okay.
Yeah.
No, Chicago has like quite afew and I feel like those have been
so helpful for, you know, justlike finding groceries.

(19:32):
You know, like somebody hadput like fresh herbs in one.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
Like people are like reallyput stuff from their own garden or
there was a place, it was sortof like a place that does like meal
prep.
They were giving their mealsthat like might not have sold that
they had left over.
And they were putting them inthere and they would like let you
know so you can get those.
Like they weren't, you know,and you can just cook em.

(19:54):
They're not like old or anything.
They just.
There's like just stuff left over.
But when you were talkingabout like figuring out food on the
table, I'm like, those typesof resources are so important because
it's just like, here's, here'ssome food for free.
Right.
And that's the thing, like youmentioned the, the food prep service.

(20:15):
There's.
There's plenty food at leastin the United States to go around.
But you got grocery storesthrowing away good food restaurants,
and a lot of it, it's stemsbehind fear of being sued.
So we're just wastingresources that people could be using.

(20:40):
Yeah.
I'll never forget when it wasa seafood company commercial I worked
on and they were likephotographing lobsters and stuff
and they were gonna throw itaway and it's just like, you've got
to be kidding me.
Like, no.
So like all of us PAs aretrying to take.
We're taking lobsters, we'retrying to pack a lobster.

(21:01):
Like, oh, don't do that.
I'll take this to my family'shouse this weekend.
Yeah.
But you know, I was curious,like with stress.
This is one thing I wanted toask you about.
So stress.
Can we talk about stress?
Like, I personally, you know,I'll hear people all the time like,
oh, I'm so stressed.
Or there's that, that stockimage of like that man that's like,

(21:23):
you know, he has his like,hand over and like eyebrows all froiled
up.
But I never like identify asfeeling stressed, but I always think
I have to have some becauseI'm always doing something.
Yeah.
I mean, I think about something.
Yeah.
If you live in this modernsociety, you're experiencing stress

(21:45):
now.
I mean, many of us experienceit at different levels.
And when you start to feel like.
When I start to feel like I'mstressed out, I know I'm at level
100, you know, but we'reconstantly under stress.
And that's the thing.
I think we need to be aware ofit as much as possible, because stress

(22:09):
leads to inflammation not onlyof our bodies, but our brains and
our bodies start to feel likeit's constantly under attack.
You know, our bodies.
I mean, healthy stress is okay.
You know, I once heardsomebody describe it like this back
in, I don't know, ancient times.

(22:34):
You know, if you saw a tigeror a lion or I could say, nowadays,
pit bull, you see it.
It starts to chase after you.
Our body's natural stressresponse kicks in so we can get the
heck out of there, right?
But we are experiencing thatlevel of stress every single day,

(22:57):
some of us.
And not because the pit bullis chasing after us.
It's because ourresponsibilities at work, job, we're
stuck in traffic when we'remad, you know, kids, something going
on with the kids.
Our relationship isn't going well.
There's so much.
So much going on that keeps usunder stress.
How do we cope with that?
I think the first thing is awareness.

(23:20):
First thing is be aware.
Second, you gotta set boundaries.
You know, for me, personally,I know when I'm stressed out that,
you know, I'm gonna.
I get triggered.
So I'll eat food.
So I know when I'm eating abunch of stuff that I probably shouldn't
be eating, I probably had abad day, so I pay attention to that.

(23:42):
Or I'm craving certain things,I pay attention to that.
I know I need my physicalfitness that helps me personally
deal with the stress.
Other ways to cope, I wouldsay whatever your thing is, develop
a routine.
Maybe you take a bath in the evenings.
You know, maybe you take walks.

(24:04):
But you got to find a way tounwind and deal with that so it doesn't
continuously build up.
And like, when I was diagnosedwith the autoimmune disease, I really
and truly believe that a bigreason that I got it was because
of the stress I was under.
So I.
I just decided.

(24:25):
I said I got to make some changes.
I'm.
I switched jobs because I feltlike if I continued on in that position,
the way things were going, itwas just going to get worse.
So, you know, awareness and set.
You got to set boundaries.
You have to.

(24:46):
Are you an enamel pin collector?
Well, I don't know if you knewthis, but I have my own pin company
Called Graham Cracker Pins.
It's a tiny shop and we makelimited edition pins.
And I got quite a few styles.
I have one around the theme ofCarrie James Marshall called King
Cary.
Another fun one I have is Ineed a Baker, which is Anita Baker

(25:09):
with a baker's hat.
I have a pin dedicated to theLord our savior, Jesus Christ.
There's a couple differentstyles and I also work with a lot
of independent companies andartists, help them create their own
pins for whatever they want.
I started Graham Cracker Pinsbecause I was inspired by this one
artist making them.
And I'm like, you know what?

(25:30):
This is a pretty cool way tomake my art available at a very low
price and still make fun artat a limited edition.
Because you know, the limitededition is where it's at anyway.
I would love for you to checkthem out.
You can go to grahamcrackerpinCo and check them out.
And then if you are in Chicagoand you check out the Museum of Contemporary
Art, I have some pins in thereas well.

(25:52):
Just want to, you know, plugmy stuff.
Thanks for listening.
What do you think about folksthat smoke weed as a way for stress?
Is that okay?
Oh my.
Stephanie.
I mean, yeah, like I, I'm nota weed smoker, but I know like people

(26:14):
really do use drugs, I guessas a stress.
You don't have to go there ifyou don't.
If you don't want to wheelhouse.
Well, that's the thing.
I'm glad you brought that upbecause there are so.
We are all coping with stressin many different ways.
Healthy ways or not so manyhealthy ways.

(26:37):
Think about it.
Some of us cope with stress.
We self soothe by eating sugar.
I was talking to somebody theother day.
She, she, she had a sugar addiction.
That's what she used to cope.
You know, some of us smokeweed, some of us shop, you know,
or excessive shoppers.
Some of us use other drugs.
We're all.

(26:58):
Every day, we are our whole lives.
If you look at it this way, weare design.
I don't know if we'redesigned, but we are seeking comfort.
So we seek out things thatprovide us that comfort, whether

(27:19):
it's real or perceived.
So we don't want the stress.
So if you're stressed out, youmay be doing something, like I said,
to relieve that stress.
That may not be the healthiest.
I know some people swear bymarijuana and they think it's from
the earth and it's fine.
But there are other peoplethat think that can lead to some

(27:44):
other things, you know, butwe're all just here.
We're all just coping, you know.
Yeah.
I wonder that came to mind asyou were talking because I see a
lot of people use drugs as away to.
As a part of their lifestyle.
And it's, it's, it's a lotmore than what I had thought.

(28:07):
I'm just like any.
It seems like everybody is ondrugs or uses them and it's just
like, dang.
Really, really.
Right.
We're all, we're all justtrying to cope.
We don't.
And I.
One other thing I realizedwhen you mentioned drugs.
I don't use drugs, but Irealized finally I had to be after

(28:29):
doing some work, that exercisebecame my drug.
And I remember some years agowhen some, someone mentioned that,
not necessarily to me thatthat's what I was doing, but just,
I just heard a conversationand I remember getting very triggered
by the idea that exercise.

(28:51):
I'm like, this is healthy.
It's not a drug.
I'm not over exercising.
But if I'm looking back, thathas been my drug and I was using
it as a way.
Yes, it helped me with stressand it's wonderful and don't get
me wrong, but I was using it away as a way to cope and not, and

(29:13):
not do the work in some areasof my life that I needed to do the
work in.
You know, I was, I was saying,you know, I don't know if I mentioned,
but I, when I took the job in2016, I took this job and I knew
when, if I accepted this job,it was going to affect my gym time.

(29:36):
And I know that might soundcrazy to some, but I almost didn't
take this position because Iwas like, I'm not going to be able
to get to the gym like I want to.
I mentioned it to a colleagueof mine and he was like, are you,
are you crazy?
You gonna turn down this job,this opportunity because you're afraid
you're not going to be able togo to the gym?

(29:59):
But that's how much I neededthat gym time.
And looking back now, Irealize that that was my drug.
Like I was dealing with somestuff that I didn't want to deal
with.
And sometimes we, we got tolook at it.
We can smoke the marijuana, wecould drink the alcohol, we could

(30:19):
over shop, we could eat theice cream.
Sometimes you got to go deeperand figure out and do the work and
go to those dark places and heal.
Yeah.
My next question was going tobe for you.
When you were at, when you.
I first started to say thatyou became Like a gym Red.

(30:40):
I'm like, I've hear that before.
Like, other people are justlike, you know, they really started
to just enjoy the gym.
And I'm like, I wonder, isthat possible?
For me.
Yes, it's possible.
You know, I love.
It's like a family.
Like, my gym, like, you get toknow the folks, and they're like,
family, and we laugh and wehave a good time, and, you know,

(31:02):
we keep each other in check.
If we miss too many days,they're like, where are you?
You know, so.
Yeah.
That's really sweet.
That's really sweet.
Y' all have that dynamic.
I.
I feel like one time I wasgoing to a gym where with a girlfriend
of mine, and we didn't come afew days, and, like, the guy was
like, oh, were you guys onvacation or what?

(31:23):
Like, you know, like.
And you just.
It was super early in themorning, like 6 in the morning.
So nobody really talked.
We just gave waves.
But you're right, you didstart to check who was there and
who wasn't.
And especially because it was,like, in a.
Like a gym in a apartmentbuilding, you know, so it was like.
It was like half apartment,half hotel.
And so, yeah, like, peoplethat live there, you know, we started

(31:43):
to, like, know each other.
So.
That is nice.
That is nice.
You can make.
And even a friend of mine, hewas upset because he's like, you
know, a lot of my friends,they don't really want to go to the
gym.
And I remember saying, like,you'll probably make friends as you
keep going to the gym.
And it was true.
And it became like, after amonth, he, like, ended up seeing
a guy there, and they got eachother's numbers and they started

(32:05):
to meet each other there.
And it was really cute becausehe didn't really have that many,
like, friends that would go tothe gym, you know, and he, like,
then one time he was excited.
Cause then he decided to goget dinner after.
And, you know, they were,like, becoming buddies.
So that was really sweet.
Yes.
You have a whole other groupof friends that you'll meet in the
gym.
It's very cool.

(32:27):
So you.
So, like, with your podcast,you discuss these pillars, right?
And you discuss these topicsaround these different thoughts around
different areas of wellness.
Where do you get your ideasfrom or where does your content come
from?
A lot of it is stuff I'mdealing with.

(32:47):
Yeah.
Like, last year, I had.
I did quite a few episodeswhere we talked about trauma, and
that was just something I wassuper interested in and something
I realized I was dealing with.
But I try to, I try to keep apulse on, you know, what's going
on in the health and wellness world.

(33:07):
I listen to a lot of podcastsmyself and I, I get a lot of listeners
will say, hey, can you, canyou do an episode about X, Y and
Z?
So I try to, I try to listento what people want to hear about
as well.
That's really nice that you,that you do that in your approach,
but I know, I enjoy yourInstagram too, because I feel like

(33:28):
even like in the comments,it's like a little community of people
sharing.
Yeah.
What they do as well.
But so do you, do you workwith people like people like work
with you as well or.
Or is it just the podcast?
Well, yeah, I am a healthcoach and now I have taken a little

(33:51):
bit of a break from my one onone clients because I was starting
to feel overwhelmed.
And that goes against my wholepersonal wellness.
Right.
I.
But I'm going to start doingsome group things.
Okay.
Very soon.
So.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I think, you know, one ofthe things I think about, I feel

(34:15):
there was a point when I likelearned that I was anemic.
I learned I was anemic.
And I found it through a bosstelling me like, I was telling like
I was fatigued and stuff.
And she's like, oh, you shouldprobably go see a chiropractor.
And then I went to the chiropractor.
The chiropractors, like, whichI just thought they were going to

(34:37):
like, you know, I think oflike chiropractors just like, you
know, like cracking my neck or whatever.
But then they were like, well, let's.
Okay.
They asked me a bunch ofquestions like, about me feeling
fatigued and stuff.
They're like, oh, maybe you'relike our like iron deficient vitamin
D deficiency.
They did like a whole bloodpanel on me and I realized like,
okay, yes, I'm anemic.
And they helped me get onsupplements and I started to feel

(34:58):
better.
And then through the samewoman who helped me get a chiropractor,
anytime I would tell her,like, oh, like a knee problem, then
she would send me to like somerandom yoga doctor who could, like,
who works with massaging knees.
And it just became likethrough this woman, like all these
different resources available.
And then, you know, I'm prettyresourceful myself.

(35:20):
And then I would find, youknow, it made me look up other types
of doctors and other type ofwellness practitioners and I'm just
like, how come nobody knowsabout this stuff?
And it was, I just I'm just curious.
Like, one of the things I wantto do with you is just, like, daydream,
because this is a white womanwho told me this.

(35:42):
Right?
Like, and, you know, I got allthese supplements.
I look like a freaking vitaminstore in my house.
And I just feel like peopleshould know about, like, you know,
your wellness programs, youknow, group coaching, and, like,
it's just not talked about enough.
And, you know, sometimes theonly people who seem to talk about
it are, like, the brotherswith the locks that are, like, stand

(36:06):
on the corner, you know, talking.
That are, like, talking about,like, wholeness as, you know, like,
ob, whole sister and all this stuff.
And you're just like, sir, Ijust trying to get to the grocery
store, like, and so I dismissthem, you know, because it sounds
like whatever they're talkingabout is probably not going to be
legit.
I know that's wrong to say,but it's how I think.

(36:26):
And I don't know, I just feellike this type of stuff needs to
be more available to black people.
Yeah.
And that.
That is exactly why I startedthis podcast.
Because I knew, like, when Ifound out I had Hashimoto's.
I'm gonna be honest with you,I didn't even know what the hell
that was.

(36:47):
I had never heard of it.
Like, what is that?
And so here I am.
I considered myself aneducated black woman, and I realized
I didn't know much about health.
And I was in.
I mean, I was in fitness andall of that.
And so I got to thinking, andI was like, if I don't know, then

(37:10):
I can imagine the rest of ussurely don't know.
Our doctors aren't reallytelling us.
Well, first of all, are wegoing to the doctor?
But that's a whole nother story.
Yeah, but then, like, ourdoctors aren't telling us, you know,
so I have to get the word out.
We got to figure out a way toget the word out.
And you're right.

(37:30):
There are a lot of platformsthat white women or white men have,
and they're huge platforms,and they're getting the word out.
And so I thought there's gotto be space there for us in this.
In this health and wellness thing.
How can I tap into that spaceand reach as many black women as

(37:54):
I can?
You know, and you mentioned chiropractor.
I had a guest on a couple ofweeks ago, a chiropractor.
You know, there's so much.
There's so much they can do.
But like you said, like, myinitial thought was they just Crack
your neck.
But they are.
I mean, I was shocked afterspeaking to her.

(38:16):
Just, you know, but we don't know.
We don't know because we'renot sharing the information.
And we got to do better.
We got to do better.
I even think about it as justlike, job opportunities as well.
Like, hey, did you know youcould be a chiropractor?
Right?
But I even will think ofstuff, you know, with like, my own

(38:37):
family or friends, like, ifthey have a certain situation, like,
the doctor is not going tomention it because they weren't trained
in this, in that type of medicine.
You know, it's like, no, youshould probably go see an acupuncturist
or go.
There was this guy.
I can't think of his name.
His name is Roger.
He does some.
Some like, method called Traeger.

(38:58):
It's some type of, like,massage method.
And I tore my mcl and so Iwould go to him.
Like, he was helping me withthe inflammation, and it was like
a weird, like, pressuretouching and all this stuff.
But a lady when I was livingdowntown in my building told me about
him.
And I'm just like, what?
Because she saw me limping andshe's like, oh, you should need to
go see Roger.

(39:19):
He, like, does this, like,weird massage thing.
And it, like, helped me.
It was expensive, and so I wasthankful that I had a job.
And he.
And he does.
I talked to him like, we'llwork sliding scale and stuff, but
I'm just like, you need tohave, like, a booth at, like, the
jewel on 79th Street.
And, like, I need you to helpeverybody there.

(39:42):
And like, you know, you needto rub everybody out with their,
like, knees and stuff, becauseit's just.
Yeah, it's just so many thingsthat are just so important.
Instead of like, making peoplepill poppers and stuff, it's just
like, there's so many things,but then the things will be so expensive.
And so, I don't know.
I'm saying all this as aroundabout to be like, in your perfect

(40:03):
world.
Like, what kind of, you know,creative or what type of wellness
facilities would you haveavailable for.
For us, for our communities?
Yeah, I would.
Man, I would love to have awellness facility that would be focus

(40:25):
on the eight pillars.
Like, it's everything and education.
And I think the education,even down to the schools, like, if
you.
If you made kids take a coursewhere they learned how to read nutrition
labels, can you imagine theeffect that would have?

(40:46):
Because most kids, I mean, mykids, My daughter's with me most
of the time when I'm at thegrocery store.
Yeah.
And she's that type of kidthat would be like, mommy, did you
read this label?
It's got red die 40, you know,but if we, if we empower everybody,
starting with the children andwe give people the resources and

(41:09):
resources, I mean include, Imean the food has got to be affordable,
it's got to be accessible.
It's got to be.
Because what's happening iswe're all on this treadmill every
day and we're going 100 milesan hour and you know, we're trying
to get to work, we're tryingto get to school, we're trying to
do all these things and wedon't have time.

(41:29):
A lot of us simply don't have time.
You know, I hear it all thetime, like I'm rushing.
I don't have time to cookdinner, I'm going to pick up Zaxby's
or McDonald's or whatever.
So I would love it to be wherehealthy food advice information was

(41:50):
just easily available.
And I don't know how to getthat to our community, you know.
Now, you know, some wouldargue, well, the information's there.
Yeah, but I think so many ofus are busy with our day to day lives

(42:10):
that we don't, we don't takethe time to, to look into it.
Unless of course like in mycase, something happened, you know,
but even then things happenand we, we don't look into it.
We just take what ourtraditional doctors say as face value,

(42:34):
you know.
Yeah, I know.
And it really, it really hurtsme, you know, cause I'm like, there
has to be a better way.
As you're talking, I'm like,man, maybe there could be some sort
of like billboard program orwhat, I don't know, like, like at
the register, like puttingsigns, like taping it up to the register,

(42:57):
like hey, did you know, likeif you're gonna take this Hershey
bar, maybe get like, get that.
But then also think about thisor you know, like, hey, this is a
number for these clinicsthat's happening this weekend or
whatever.
Because that's another thingthat there'll always be like free
stuff that people don't know about.
Like you, you have to be likea researchers person to like find
this stuff.
Like I love researching andknowing things so I will find stuff

(43:19):
out.
Especially if somebody puts meonto something, then I'm like a total
spiral.
But I know the common manisn't like that maybe so it's just
like, yeah, I'm like, how canpeople have access to this?
And even, like, that sameperson, Roger, who had.
Did the misogyny, he wassaying that he was doing, like, a

(43:41):
clinic at an art institution.
Right.
So he was going to be theredoing something.
I'm like, okay, that's still.
To me, I think of, like, allright, my neighbors who are just,
like, regular folks who.
They're not interested in artor, like, anything like that.
So I feel like that's still,like, reaching, like, the quote unquote,
like, intellectual, like, community.
That's, like visiting art.

(44:02):
So it's like, where.
What about, like, Pookie andMain man, you know?
Right.
Like, they always say that,like, how am I going to get them
to come to this yoga thing?
Because it's always usually,like, the intellectuals and, like,
art folks that, like, come tothese types of things.
And so I'm like, how to reachoutside of that, you know, is always

(44:23):
the.
You know how.
Right.
I mean, the old model would bego through the church, but I don't
think that would work anymore.
Yeah, I think.
I don't know.
You might have to reach.
You might have to reach themthrough the children.
Their children.
Yeah, Maybe like, through the schools.
Oh, you know what?
Maybe, like barbershops and.

(44:43):
Yeah.
Salon.
Maybe they can, like, hostworkshops or something.
Yeah, that's a great idea.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like the place where you'regetting your hair braided.
If we wait on the.
I mean, the food industry,they ain't gonna do it.
They're not gonna.
If Hershey found out somebodyhad a sign up at a register that

(45:05):
said, you know, eat thebroccoli instead of the Hershey,
they would go berserk.
Yeah.
You know, so, yeah, I think wewould have to do it, like you said,
through the barbershop, thebeauty salons.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It makes me, like.
I wanted to ask, you know,with food, you know, if we don't

(45:29):
have, like, money for food orif we're on, like, government assistance,
you know, people, they alwayscriticize, like, oh, their food.
You know, like, I love.
Like.
Like, say.
I don't know.
I'm not saying that this brandis bad, but say, like, Sargento cheese.
But they're like, oh, becauseI didn't go to, like, the cheese
person and, like, get mozzarella.

(45:51):
Like, is it okay to eat thatstuff, like, packaged stuff, like,
if that's what's available, oris it because I don't know, like,
what else to do, you know?
Or like, yeah, if I'm, like,on EBT or food, you know, Food stamps.
Because I'm sure, like,different folks listening.
It's called whatever, youknow, I don't want to be criticized
for the food that's accessibleto me.

(46:12):
Well, that's the thing.
The people criticizing thefolks that may get assistance, they're.
You know, you're criticizingthem because you're like, oh, they.
They shouldn't be able to buysoda with their food stamp.
Well, you drink soda.
Yeah.
You drink soda.
Like you're trying to forcehealth on them.

(46:33):
Y' all ain't healthy either,you know, So I.
I don't know that I like that idea.
I mean, from a healthstandpoint, I would love it, but
I don't want to.
I don't.
I don't want to try to.
I look at it like they'retrying to punish them for needing
help, and I.
I don't like that.

(46:54):
Yeah, but even, like, when.
When you can only, like, if.
In my neighborhood, if theydon't have, like, fresh cheese but
we have the packaged cheese,is that.
That's better than nothing, right?
Right.
That's better than nothing.
Yeah.
I mean, and, like, cheese.
I'd rather you get thepackaged cheese rather than fresh
cheese than a bag full ofOreos, you know?

(47:15):
Yeah, yeah.
You know, or both, right?
I love both.
And that' we have to.
And even folks that aren't onfood assistants, I mean, groceries
are expensive.
So, you know, you hear a lotof folks pushing, oh, you need to
get organic.
And, I mean, in a perfectworld, but that can be significantly

(47:37):
more expensive.
So I just tell people, try tobuy and eat as many whole foods as
possible.
If you can afford organic, fine.
If not, that's fine, too.
The Environmental WorkingGroup puts out a great list every
year called the Dirty Dozen.

(47:59):
So basically, it's 12.
It's a group of 12 vegetablesand fruits that they recommend that
you don't buy unless it'sorganic because of the amount of
pesticides used.
But then there's another listof the clean 15 that they're like,
hey, you don't have to buythese organic.
So there are resources outthere that can help you.

(48:19):
But even if, like, the DirtyDozen, strawberries are always on
that list.
Oh, really?
Oh, my God.
I love strawberries.
Oh, my God.
I'm not gonna tell you to stopeating strawberries unless you can
get organic.
I would rather you eat thestrawberries, organic or not, rather
than a bag full of Oreos.

(48:40):
So.
Yeah, you know.
Yeah.
That's interesting.
I've never heard of thosegroups before.
The Environmental WorkingGroup is It's pretty fabulous because
they have a.
I forgot the name of it.
Now I'm drawing a blank.
But on their website, you canfind out, like, lists of, you know,

(49:01):
is your deodorant safe or not?
You know, this, the face creamyou use, the shampoo.
I mean, they got all kinds ofstuff where you can learn about the
health and safety of theproducts we use every day.
Yeah, that's true.
You know, I.
Here I am.
Keep talking about, like, food.
But you're right.
Like, it's.
You're right.
It's all the things.

(49:21):
It's like, what are we washingour bodies with?
What are you using as yourface wash?
Like, I go to the dermatologist.
I don't even.
I'm scared to even look up the topicals.
I.
I don't even want to see.
I don't even want to see ifit's good or not.
But you're right.
You're just like, you.
It.
It's like all of those things,you know, it makes me want to, like,

(49:44):
go to Environmental WorkingGroup, print up their paper, their
information, and, like, makeit really big and then just leave
it in the store and, like, run out.
Like, I don't even need to.
I don't need to talk to amanager or nothing.
I'm just going to walk inthere myself and put it up or just,
like, pass it out.
Like, hey, guys, you know,you're looking and I see you're shopping
with your kid.

(50:05):
You know, I just found outabout Environmental Working Group.
This is, you know, the list.
Just take it and read it.
You know, I think stuff likethat would be great.
That's a great idea.
And the thing is, you can't avoid.
There's so many toxins.
There's so many things.
I don't care what you do, youcan't avoid them all.

(50:25):
So do your best.
If you can't afford organicstrawberries, okay.
But maybe you can clean up,you know, your environment, your
household and the toxins in adifferent way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's like another thing.
Yeah.
What you clean your housewith, it's always something.
It's really not right, youknow, because it's like the people

(50:46):
that make this stuff, like,what do you guys clean your house
with?
Like, all of this, like,leading to capitalism and stuff,
it's just not kind.
I don't like it.
Yeah, but what do we do?
I mean, I guess we just stillstay on our.
Our.
Our elected officials, but alot of them are controlled by the

(51:07):
big farmers and the big Food.
Yeah, it's weird.
Yeah, it's really weird.
So what do you have coming up?
So after much deliberation.
Yeah, well, of course, Ialways have.
I always try to have thepodcast going, but in.

(51:29):
I think in August, Late August.
Either late August or early September.
So pay attention to thewebsite, folks.
I'm going to do a groupsession for women.
It's probably going to be 30days, and we're.
The focus is going to be aboutdetoxifying your mind, your body,
your spirit.

(51:50):
We're going to talk about,like, anything from, you know, the
toxins and the.
The food we eat to thedeodorant we put on to also, you
know, just detoxifying your mind.
I'm going to bring in atherapist that's going to do that
piece, the mental piece.
So I'm excited about that.
That is exciting.
Are there toxins and condoms?

(52:13):
I'm sure there are.
That's fine.
Yeah.
Just made me think of thatwith, like, when you said, like,
toxins toxify your mind, Ithought, like, in the way you're
speaking that you're gonna,like, go there.
For some reason, it just mademe think that, like, well, it might
be.
Toxins in the person you listen.
Aging with.
Yeah, we could talk about that.

(52:35):
Oh, my God.
That's hilarious.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh.
That is so funny.
Like, you have to worry aboutall of it.
It's all the spiritual.
That's a spiritual toxin, honey.
Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.
This has been great.
Crystal, I'm so thankful thatyou have your podcast and that you

(52:57):
are willing to share yourexperience with.
With us and bring in, youknow, experts that pique your curiosity
and have them share theirwisdom with us.
You know, so much of when I'mdoing this podcast, I'm like, realizing,
like, how much of, like, thestuff that we find personal is, like,
so political.

(53:17):
Like, I mean, you just tryingto figure out, like, okay, how can
I have, like, a healthylifestyle, how that translates to
the everyday black woman who'sjust trying to do their thing, you
know, it's just so important.
Like, the work you're doing isso important.
Well, I want you to know that I.
Thank you.
Sometimes I get frustratedbecause I'm like, nobody's listening.

(53:41):
They're not listening.
But I realized, you know, inthis world, if we can just.
If I can just help one person,you know, that's so true.
Like, you.
I know we hear that kind ofstuff all the time, and you're just
like, you know what?
Whatever.
Yeah, because it's becauseit's always like, you know, something

(54:01):
to pay for, something toresearch, something to just.
It's always something.
But that is so true, likehelping one person.
Because, you know, when afterI go to this environmental group
and I start handing out thesepamphlets in my local store, these
self.
In these self financepamphlets, it's like, yeah, maybe

(54:23):
somebody will, you know, like,this is me dreaming about it.
But like, what if somebodydoes take that and they realize their
kid has been like sneezing orsomething and they're like, oh, let
me see this.
Blueberries, anything, youknow, and it can, like, help.
It's just like, it can reallygo any direction or.
Yeah.
So it's just.
I feel like everything we dois just so political.

(54:45):
It is.
Because it.
It's not always just about you.
You know, I remember had amentor who would always say, like,
it's not about you.
She would tell me that all the time.
Like, oh, yeah, you know, ifyou're doing this, doing that, like,
in my, like, creative journey,she's like, it's not about you because
you'll end up sharing, youknow, your story, your testimony
to somebody else.
So, yeah, it's so important.

(55:09):
That is.
Yeah.
So thank you for hanging outwith me and letting me ask all these
questions and get to know moreabout your business and learning
about the pillars.
I mean, we talk anyway, butyeah, yeah, it's so important.
Yeah, yeah.
So thank you so much.

(55:29):
Thank you.
I really, I really enjoyedthis, Stephanie.
I am very, very grateful forthe opportunity.
Yeah.
And I'm going to put all of,like, your links and everything so
folks can listen to you andall of that.
And yeah, we will talk soon.
Okay.

(55:50):
Thank you so much for tuninginto the Nosy AF podcast with me,
your host, your friend,Stephanie Graham.
I'm so glad that you made itto the end of this conversation.
Please come kindly let me knowwhat you thought by leaving a rating
and review on Apple Podcasts,on Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you're
listening right now.
You can also connect withme@nosyaf.com via the say hello button.

(56:13):
And if you're curious aboutwhat's going on in my art and film
life, please visit my website@missgraham.com.
oh, and also, if there issomeone that you're nosy about and
you want me to have them onthe show, please send suggestions
via the same hello button andI will check them out.
Until next time.
Thank you so much for beingyou and see you soon.
Peace.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Wellness in Our Communities: Breaking Barriers and Building Access with Health Coach Kristal Holmes (noseyAF Classic)