June 5, 2025 • 53 mins
What happens when Olympic-level athleticism meets theatrical creativity? Kerstin Schulze embodies this fascinating intersection, sharing her remarkable journey from winning a Junior Olympics silver medal in heptathlon at age 12 to her current role as a kung fu nanny on HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones."
The conversation reveals Kerstin's refreshing philosophy on balance—something she discovered after years of competitive bodybuilding taught her that stage-ready physiques often represent the "most unhealthy" version of ourselves. "Finding balance takes time," she explains, offering practical wisdom for anyone struggling with fitness goals or life direction. Her approach is disarmingly simple yet profound: five days of discipline allows for two days of enjoyment without sabotaging progress.
Particularly illuminating is Kerstin's method for creating lasting change. Rather than overwhelming yourself with ambitious goals, she recommends starting with just five minutes of daily movement. "Set your timer for five minutes in the morning and do something that helps your body get stronger," she advises. "When the five minutes are over, you have to stop." This counterintuitive approach—forcing yourself to stop rather than push through—helps reprogram your system to crave healthy habits.
The conversation delves into deeper territory as Kerstin reflects on how theater training develops empathy by requiring actors to understand perspectives vastly different from their own—a skill increasingly rare in our polarized world. She shares behind-the-scenes insights from working with Hollywood's elite while maintaining that success isn't about fame but about creating art that makes people feel something.
Whether you're struggling with fitness goals, creative pursuits, or simply seeking more balance in life, Kerstin's journey offers both inspiration and practical guidance. Her parting wisdom? "Listen to your intuition"—something she wishes her younger self had done more consistently. Discover more of Kerstin's approach to fitness and life at partyanddiet.com, where her book "The Balance" is available for free.
Thanks for listening. Please check out our website at www.forsauk.com to hear great conversations on topics that need to be talked about. In these times of intense polarization we all need to find time to expand our Frame of Reference.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's really easy to edit.
I did sound checks on thatbefore, so that should be in
good shape, and I'm also goingto do the video through Teams
here and we'll get that going aswell, and that way we've got
two things to work with.
So, all right, languageseveryone is speaking is English,
although you might break intoGerman.
I don't know, I'm going to sayEnglish.
I'm from Lehm.
(00:22):
My sister-in-law is fromHamburg, so she's always been
trying to teach me a little bitof German every time we get
together.
But just, we have wonderfulconversations together too.
So Hamburg is doing somethingright?
I don't know, but OK, I thinkthat seems like it's going.
(00:42):
Yeah, we're OK, we're good.
I'll lead you in and here we go, all right.
Well, welcome everyone.
Welcome to another excitingadventurous.
I hope.
I hope not boring.
I hope I don't bore.
I know my guests won't bore youtoday.
So that's a good thing.
We're starting at least 50%guaranteed.
But I'm going to work hard tokeep up All right, because today
is going to be a fun discussionwith somebody that has a
(01:04):
totally different perspectivethan maybe you or I, in the
Midwest in particular, may havein our frame of reference.
But I'm very excited because Iwas telling Kirsten before we
started this that when I wasapproached by our agent to have
her come on the show, kirstenSchultz would love to come and
talk with you on your podcast.
And I thought, oh, that's nice,I think kind of familiar name.
(01:26):
I don't know why I know that,but okay, great.
So then I started looking up onthe internet to see you know
Kirsten Schultz.
No, no, no, that can't be theKirsten Schultz.
No way, why would she becalling me Right?
And sure enough, and Iresearched more and, like you
know, there really aren't manyKirsten Schultz's out there that
spell their name like KirstenSchultz does.
And I thought, oh, my God, I'mgoing to be interviewing someone
(01:49):
that's right in my lane oftraffic Actress, that cares very
much about fitness, person,that cares very deeply about
people and having balance intheir lives.
And I just thought, thank you,god, because this is a godsend
and I am so excited to greet youand welcome you to the show,
kirsten Schultz thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
How are you?
Thank you for having me, raoul,right?
I'm saying your name correctly,raoul, like Raoul.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah, it's kind of.
French.
My dad was bastardizing things,so I constantly have to say
Raoul like Raoul, raoul likeRaul.
But go for it, you're KirstenSchultz.
You can say it any way you wantto, I really don't care.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Thanks for having me.
Am I saying yours?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
right it is Kirsten.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Oh, you're saying it perfectly right.
Yeah, you know, I get that toowith my name a lot of times.
How do you say it?
So people started calling me Kor KS.
There was a time they called meSpecial K and I was like, ah,
that's not so healthy.
Well they have some that arehealthier, don't they?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
They've been trying, at least.
And it's Kirsten, so that'spretty much a German spelling,
isn't it?
Of the name?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Very.
Yeah, it's actually Swedish,even though I'm not Swedish at
all, but the way we spell itit's K-E-R-S-T-I-N, so it's very
.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
German.
Okay, so I could go on and onintroducing you, but what's your
elevator speech?
If people say I've never heardof her who is Kirsten Schultz?
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I'm a fit creative and I believe it's never too
late.
So that means that wherever youare, whatever your passion,
whatever your dream is, followit, because it's not about the
money, it's about your happinessand the money will follow,
always happiness.
I always been in the fitnessworld and I've always been in
(03:37):
the creative world, and I justcombined the both and found my
happiness in it.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I mean, it's interesting because I think of
like Arnold Schwarzenegger too,and I think of that kind of
melding of realities.
You know, mr Universe becomesthe Terminator, right?
It's just one of those thingswhere you go how does this
happen?
Right, and you have similaraccents.
I don't want to insult you.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We are friends, it's okay.
I know him well.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Arnold, yes, you know , and he has that same.
In French, we'd call it thejoie de vivre, right, the sense
of just really grabbing life bythe throat and shaking as much
out of it as you can.
So I really appreciate that youstarted out in this what was
(04:22):
kind of the journey into whereyou are now.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I started in fitness.
First I was at the JuniorOlympics in Berlin, won a silver
medal in heptathlon which isseven different disciplines.
I was 12.
And Junior Olympics it's a bigdeal in Europe, and especially
30 years ago.
And then I did theater.
I was 15, and I did theater forimprov, stand up, travel a
(04:48):
little bit.
I have an identical twin, so wedid a lot of writing our own
stuff and then I went to andwell then I got a business
degree, because my mother didn'tthink that I should be an actor
, that it's not a realprofession.
And I got a business degreevery old school German, not a
real profession.
And I got a business degreevery old school German.
And I worked in the corporateworld for 10 years before I
(05:09):
finally decided to take the leapinto fitness and into acting
full throttle and competed inthe United States, was once the
tallest figure competitor in thenation and made a business out
of it.
I was in all the magazines and Ijust had a niche to understand
(05:29):
people and I listen.
You know, I think that's ourbiggest, biggest tool in life is
to be able to listen to aperson and really hear them and
what they need.
And then you know, continuedstudying.
My acting craft went to gotprofessionally trained.
Act Berkeley different coaches,billy Baby and I'm not Baby
(05:52):
Billy, he's from the show, we'lltalk about that later and
Anthony Andy Matheny yes, I mean, I studied with so many people.
I, hugh Gorman, who was aprofessor.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
I've studied with so many people, hugh Gorman who is
a professor and I studied, tothe cost of it.
Uh-oh, signal just dropped.
Signal just dropped on my side,hmm, you are back, there we go.
(06:28):
All right, I don't know, all ofa sudden you just froze.
You were in the midst oftalking about some of the
teachers you had worked with.
We can splice that together, ifyou want to.
Just.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, let's do it.
So I had some really goodmentors.
I had some good teachers and agood friend of mine.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Just did it again and I think we need to leave.
Both of us leave and come backand re-sync.
I'm going to go out and comeback in.
(07:05):
Isn't technology grand?
I love it.
Isn't technology grand, I loveit.
(07:27):
You know, the only thing I knowto do in IT is if you're having
those kinds of issues, you justre-sync and that hopefully gets
everybody talking, like we sawbeforehand.
Wonderful teachers you had.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's where we were.
I had some wonderful teachersand they taught me a lot and I
just continued.
I just stayed in it and here weare.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Well, you know you have a pedigree that most people
would crave, including myself,but it is wonderful to see that
you are very much my MFA.
When I got my thesis,production was on Winnie the
Pooh.
I produced a full production ofWinnie the Pooh and kind of
melded together severaldifferent sources from AA
Milne's original work all theway down, and Pooh is just one
(08:11):
of my mentors throughout lifereally.
Benjamin Hoff has a wonderfulbook called the Tao of Pooh and
you have that Pooh-ness which isjust kind of floating down the
river and something may happenand it's just oh, bother, but
you just keep on going, you know, and the next thing that comes
down it's just like oh, I hadn'tseen those bees before.
There's probably honey, whichis what more people need to be
(08:37):
poo-like these days.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I love that.
I've never heard that I'm a poo.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, you are a poo bear, definitely a poo.
That I'm a poo, I like that.
Yeah, you are a poo bear,definitely a poo bear.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I do I actually do maneuver in life like that.
I love seeing new things.
I always say, if I learnsomething new today, it's a good
day.
Yeah, and I just love learningfrom other people and their
views.
And I don't know everything,and I think that's important in
life, that we always grow andevolve and learn, indeed, and if
(09:07):
we're not, you know you have towonder.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Those are the days when I wonder what the heck was
I doing today, that I didn'tlearn anything.
That's just not a good day.
I have to.
I'm starting on and stoppingour recording here too, because
I'm not getting the feedbackhere that it's working and I
want to make sure that thevisual stuff is going too.
All right.
Stop recording, show, let's dothat.
(09:30):
Stop, okay, and then we'll getinto the favorite things,
aspects of stuff.
Okay, recording, confirm, Allright.
Now it says it's doing it again.
So let's go on.
As you know, kirsten, one of thethings I think was sent to you
in the pre-work for this wasthat I love to start with a
(09:52):
thing called favorite things.
One of these days I'll figureout how I can pay royalties to
Julie Andrews, so we can sort ofthat, that, that, that, that,
that that and go right into it.
But you know, we'll have tohave a sound engineer to place
that on cue.
God, you were three secondslate.
What are you doing?
Um, so I'll start out easy andthen it's going to go wherever
(10:13):
it goes.
So all right, um, first onefavorite color black, black,
really black.
Now I?
I heard I read this somewherethat black is actually a very
difficult color because itabsorbs so much um that you know
people think of it as being theopposite of light, but it's
actually the absorption of alllight.
That's why it comes back asblack right.
(10:34):
Do you feel like you're anabsorber of life, or do you?
What is it about black that isso intriguing?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I just find it classy .
You always look good in it.
I'm talking about clothing now,more so um and um, I don't know
.
Just it always is a good accent.
It gives you depth when there'sa color, you know, and I think
that's what I like about blackthe mysteriousness of it, the
classiness, the lines.
(11:01):
Yeah, interesting, you everhave a picture and you have some
black in the background and youcan just make it more
mysterious, more it draws youinto the eyes of the person when
you have black on.
That's why I'm wearing black.
Well, yeah, there you are right.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So I have close to have a gray on, at least.
So I wanted to look like I wasactually working out with a
sweats on and whatnot, but Ithought that would be impressive
.
No, well, and it's.
It's interesting too becauseblack um I I, early on in my
life I was a photographer anddid quite a bit.
My dad was really interested inphotography and, um, did my own
black and work, white work.
(11:38):
So it was, you know, learnedhow to develop and and print and
all that jazz, and there issomething he was such a big fan
of people like Kirsch and youknow, the great folks that just
had that understanding of lightand dark and how you make
shadows work.
Oh yeah, how there's so muchmore feeling.
You know, here people were allconcerned when color came out,
that black and white was goingto go away and in some ways I
(12:01):
think it know, made it reallyspur the development of black
and white, what you could dowith it that you couldn't do
with color.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So and I I love the portrait, black and white
portraits or black and whitepictures.
There's just something I shotwith Ben Stanley.
He's an amazing filmmaker andcinematographer and he shot with
me and he just it's very raw.
You know, nowadays everybodyhas filters and everything, but
(12:29):
I just love the rawness of ablack and white.
You can see the story in theface.
Um, yeah, those are my favoriteportraits.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
It's black and white yeah, well, and you think of it
too.
Iphone has a black and whitefilter, right?
You take your pictures with aniPhone.
You can turn them into blackand white.
So they wouldn't have done thatif there wasn't a reason that
you know people want to comeback to that, right?
Do you have a favorite book ormovie, any sort of something
that you go back to or thinkabout regularly, or that you've
(12:58):
just read, that you're reallyexcited about, or that you just
wrote Because I know you?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
write as well.
I am always reading, I'm alwaysreferring.
One of my favorite ones is theFour Agreements.
It's all about being impeccablewith your words, not taking
things personal.
It's a good.
It's a short read, it's notlong.
My favorite movie Train, planesand Automobiles Really, oh,
(13:23):
love it, love it, love it.
Planes and Automobiles Really,oh, love it, love it, love it,
love it, love it.
I love Steve Martin in it.
I can watch that movie everyday and it's funny.
My boyfriend and I we just wentto.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Europe and we did the whole planes, trains and
automobiles and everything thatcould happen happened.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Living the dream, yep , living the dream, yep, living
the dream.
And.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
I was like this is life, yep.
Well, that's the thing aboutMartin too, is he really does
kind of capture that essence ofwhat's the funniest way someone
could respond to this and stillbe life accurate, and that's
what makes it so beautiful.
Right, it appeals to a broadspectrum of people and even
those that wouldn't necessarilyhave seen that or go like, yeah,
I can buy that People would dothat.
(14:09):
So how about?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
do you have a favorite historic personality or
a favorite person that you lookto in history.
You know that is a motivationalforce or inspiration for you.
I remember when you sent methis question and I was like,
who do I have that I reallythink is somebody that I look up
to, and to me it has to be, Imean, short term right now.
(14:42):
For me was Obama.
I really liked him because Ilove the whole helping each
other and I know that somepeople don't agree with me on
this one, but I have mixedchildren as well.
Well, and for me that wasreally, really important the
(15:03):
unity, because my children havebeen called the N-word and my
children have been, you know,mistreated just for their skin
tone, and I think that that is,for me, one of the bigger ones.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Well, certainly an admirable one.
Whether people like hispolitics or not, it's hard to
argue.
The decency of the man Well,certainly an admirable one.
Whether people like hispolitics or not, it's hard to
argue.
The decency of the man, that'swhat I love, the decency of the
man.
And that is the interestingthing.
I've been reading a lot aboutthe whole polarization of our
nation right now and peopletrying to explain away the other
(15:43):
side of the equation and thatthese are just people that are
not well-informed, these arepeople that just have had
abusive backgrounds, these arepeople that just are not
educated whatever.
And the person made the commentthat you know what?
I think we have to get to thepoint where we stop arguing and
just recognizing that if you'regoing to be okay with all the
things that are happening rightnow, you're just evil.
(16:05):
You know you're just evilbecause their only way to
continue to align yourself withthe stuff that's going on and to
like just refuse to see thedecency in some of the people
that are, you know, contrary toit all.
I don't know what could blackthat out for someone except just
pure evil, and I don't know howto quantify that any better.
(16:28):
But at least I think it lets usknow what we're on, what
playing field we're really on,and can focus on the things that
really matter.
I mean, I find myself watchingmore and more dog videos lately.
You know Me too, oh.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
God, I love it.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You just want to be happy no-transcript, because all
(17:08):
of the baloney that's beingchucked out of the baloney farm,
it's just a distraction of whatreally matters.
And at some point it was aBuckminster Fuller that said you
know, you don't fight that kindof thing by fighting it.
You fight it by creatingsomething that's so wonderful
and so different and soaspirational that that thing
(17:28):
becomes obsolete.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And I thought you know, that's what he did
architecturally.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
And when you adopt that mindset that says I'm just
going to get into things thatare really going to be
constructive nurturing, theycan't win against that.
There's no way for that to beovercome.
Kirsten, I'd like to wrap thisup because it sort of fits into
the rest of the discussion.
But that question that's at thebottom of those is do you have
(17:56):
a favorite memory from childhoodor something that, a smell,
even, that I've had people talkabout how, when they they smell
the you know, the smell of freshcut grass, because they're just
they love baseball so much andthey remember being at baseball
diamonds with their dad orwhatnot.
Is there something like that inyour life that you just, when
it happens, you're like oh yeah,and you let yourself sort of
(18:18):
float back into that and itwashes over you?
You know, with that sense of….
Speaker 2 (18:24):
A.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
German bakery.
A German bakery, of course.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
A German bakery.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Oh my God, there's nothing like it Of course Are
there good… I would think by you.
There must be good ones, butprobably not like Germany, right
?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I mean we have good bakeries here, nothing like
german bakeries.
I mean I just get and I went toparis too german bakeries just
have that smell.
And I don't know, becauseobviously I'm biased, because I
grew up in germany, born andraised there, so it always
smells like home.
I feel like the first thing Ido is I get a buttered pretzel
(19:00):
when I get home and I just feelwhole.
You know, it's just that thatreally does it for me.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Isn't that interesting?
Because German bakeries.
I have two references to thatin my life.
One is my mother, who hergrandmother was German, actually
German and Irish.
What a combination, right, halfof each.
(19:30):
So very close, very strongwoman.
So her parents were, you know,one was full German, one was
full Irish, you know.
So you can imagine what thosediscussions were like around the
dinner table.
But she could bake likenobody's business.
My mom, I just.
There are still people in theworld that I think I'm going to
have to go to a German bakery ifI want to get anything close to
this, right, um.
And the other one was myfather-in-law, of all people,
who also had a full Germanmother, um, who had, he had
(19:53):
learned, you know, in Milwaukeegrowing up.
Uh, saw all the tricks of thetrade that his mom did and he
then, when we got married, I oneof my favorite stories of him
is we were sitting and he alwaysdid all the cooking when we
would come to visit and I got upfairly early in the morning he
had already been up baking andbaked some pies, and so of
course the kitchen smelledamazing and then he was thinking
(20:16):
about supper and he said youknow, what are we going to have
for supper?
I said what goes good withcherry pie?
And I thought to myself heplans his meals around his
dessert.
Now there's a guy I can getbehind, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
My brother was a baker for 20 years, really, and
yeah, he would bring all thesegoodies home and I think that's
how I learned party and diet.
You know, I know how to dial itin when you want to have fun on
the weekend, and it started fromwhen he would bring the baked
goods home, because I love bakedgoods and my daughter is one of
the best bakers ever and shealways makes me my banana bread
(20:56):
that I love if my wife hearsthis now, she's going to need to
have some of that banana bread,because she's a banana bread
addict, and especially a bananabread addict, and especially a
good one.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
She'll be sending and saying anything you want,
please send me some banana bread.
You know it'll be one of thosesituations.
So you know, we've kind ofalluded to it a couple of
different ways here, but youknow, I keep coming back to this
idea of theater and thetraining that one gets in
theater.
I mean, I, you know MFA instage direction, you know,
(21:26):
trained with multiple people asan actor as well.
But I, one of the things thatstuck with me as an actor was
you learn how to play peoplethat are very different from
yourself, and sometimes they'renot so nice people, you know.
Sometimes they're, you know,quite evil themselves, right,
but you have to learn that noone sees themselves as an
antagonist.
(21:46):
If you're going to play itrealistically, if you're going
to play it with soul andcharacter, you have to figure
that out.
And that to me seems to be aquality that is sorely lacking
is that we have so many peoplethat have lost the ability, or
don't even want to develop theability, to say, yeah, I don't
see it that way.
I don't agree with things thatway, but I want to try to figure
(22:08):
out how they got to feeling andthinking that way.
I want to try to understandthat somehow, Would you agree?
I mean, it strikes me thattheater is one of the great
nourishers of building bridgesbetween people, Because you have
to do literally, as the proverbsays you have to walk a mile in
that person's shoes in order tounderstand how they're seeing,
(22:32):
what their frame of reference is, and find a way to play that in
a meaningful way without losingyourself, which some actors do
right.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Absolutely.
I agree with you.
I think theater training ortaking classes is good for
anybody, no matter if you wantto be an actor or not.
I think you can learn how toput yourself in somebody's shoe,
how to take on a different view, even though you know I'm not
going to agree with every viewof the person that I play.
I mean I'm not going to agreewith every view of the person
that I play.
(23:03):
I mean I play to kill a clown.
I'm not going, I don't believein killing people but I try to
understand is why what makessomebody want to do that?
And in the end it always comesback to wanting to feel loved,
wanting to feel respected andaccepted, right, and when people
don't get enough hugs or theyhad an abusive childhood.
All of these play intosomebody's opinion and how they
(23:27):
maneuver through life, and Idefinitely think that theater
will definitely theater trainingwill definitely help you to
open your, your opinions andyour your world travel and how
you see the world.
You know travel, see the world,get outside where you are.
I mean, I've met people thathave never, ever traveled the
(23:49):
world or any places and I'm like, why not?
You have to go see othercultures to understand that
there's different views and notjudge them for it, and
definitely theater gives you theopportunity, without a passport
, to do that.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Right, yeah, I think of my experiences of China.
You know, and seeing the peopleup close in, you know not the
presentation that China wouldlike to make to people that come
to visit, but seeing you knowsmall towns behind the curtain
if you will visit, but seeingyou know small towns behind the
(24:25):
curtain if you will.
And you know you've learnedjust the commonality and the
universality of the humanexperience you also.
But you also do see that thereare plights of people that if
you don't develop somecompassion for that boy, your
wood is wet, because I don'tknow how you can look at things
like Boy, your wood is wet.
Because I don't know how youcan look at things like USAID
being dismantled and not think,oh my God, what has happened?
(24:49):
What kind of cancer is in ournation that people aren't
unilaterally rising up andsaying no, no, no, we want
things cut, but not that, notthat, my goodness, we're not
that kind of inhumane beasts.
And, yeah, you know.
So I wonder, I wonder.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Well, yeah, it's an interesting time right now to
see what will develop, and youknow, I think there's some good
that's happening and there'ssome really bad that's happening
, and where is the balance inall of that is what the unknown
is, what makes us want to watchdark movies.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Just tune out, yeah, and that you know that's the
thing, right, we're, we'reconstantly caught in that
balance between keeping yourselfhealthy enough to fight the
battles that you feel called andled to do.
So that and that is a real andthat's a real challenge right
now.
You've found some methods Imean your entire party, but
(25:52):
healthy kind of back and forth.
It's like a yin and yang and itseems like you really have done
an excellent job of finding themiddle line so that you're able
to kind of healthily see andparticipate in those things that
keep that balance going.
Is there a secret to that?
Or how did you?
How is that reinforced in whatyou're seeing?
(26:13):
Or I mean, there's a lot ofquestions I guess I have about
that, but it just strikes me asa really, really well-tuned
philosophy.
Did it just come upon you, oris this something that has been
developing over the years as youembarked on your career?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Oh, it definitely developed over the years.
Finding balance takes time,right, you have to get to know
who you are and what works foryou.
But I've basically figured outif I do five days a week, I'm
good, I can have two days ofgreat fun without having to
worry about because you cannever destroy in two days what
(26:51):
you did in five days right, forthe most part.
And I just have learned overthe time what does it mean to
have balance mentally,physically, nutritionally, for
me, you know, and in general, weall want to be in a social, we
still want to have socialsettings, like.
We want to have friends, wewant to have go out, we want to
(27:13):
do all these things and not beparanoid.
When I competed, there was nogoing out, there was just one
way and it was just strict dietand exercise and there was not a
social life really.
And finding balance and Ialways thought that for me and
I'm speaking just for me is thatbeing on stage was very
(27:33):
unhealthy and the reason why isbecause you get your body fat to
a certain percentage.
It's not natural, it's just forthe stage, it's just for the
light, it looks great onpictures but it's not how we
walk around every day, butfinding the balance in how can I
walk around in it with 90% ofthat and not 100%?
(27:55):
That's what I wanted and that'swhat I think is healthy, and a
lot of times people are all ornothing, and finding balance in
general in anything, be it yourwork, be it with your family, is
everything.
And so, for me, life has taughtme how to find balance by trial
(28:16):
and error, you know.
You know, and going on stage,being in magazines, all these
other things have taught me.
Ok, that is the one extreme.
And then also the other onewhere you can work out or don't
want to work out, or, you know,I always found that fitness gave
(28:37):
me a sense of balance, of whenI I have anxiety, I go work out.
When I, um, don't feel good orwhatever, I feel great, I work
out.
Or if I need to learn my lines,I work.
So for me, working out wasalways that for some people it's
not working out, for somepeople it's going hiking, it's
(28:57):
still working out.
You know, find what works foryou.
And then, um, nutrition, samething.
You know I nobody can stick onto a low carb diet 24, 7, right,
and it's actually not healthy.
So finding the balance in thatand how to rotate your there's
(29:17):
the oldest diet in the worldthat I know of is the rotation
diet.
All bodybuilders that camebefore me and that I trained
with they're all legends andthey have used the same thing
the rotation diet, which is nowcalled the metabolic confusion
diet or the keto diet it's allthe same thing.
It just means that you'rerotating your carbs, you're
dialing in, you get yourselfinto an insulin-sensitive state
(29:40):
and then your body becomes thisburning machine.
And that's what that is, andit's all about balance.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
What keeps people from that, do you think?
Is there a fundamental?
I sometimes wonder, is there afundamental desire or are we
conditioned somehow to live inunhealthy ways?
Is there some sort of thanatosgoing on?
Like you know, freud called itthat death force, that, uh,
(30:08):
cause it strikes me.
You see so many people that try, they try there.
They try something, it doesn'twork.
When they try something else,it doesn't work and then
ultimately either get to a pointwhere they just self-defeat
everything that they did, justself-defeat everything that they
did.
And I sometimes wonder if itisn't something just in the
human psyche that drives us tojust give up and say, yeah, you
(30:29):
know what, that bag of chipsthere looks really great, and
after that I'm going to havethat, you know, sunday that I've
wanted to have all week long.
And yeah, forget about the diet, I can't do it, I just can't do
it.
What is that?
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I think it's two things.
I think is we have learned tobe.
We have not, or we haveunlearned to be patient and
stick with something longerbecause everything is so easy
and accessible Social mediagratifications to food being
delivered to us we don't have togo and fetch for it anymore, so
everything should become soeasy.
(31:05):
I mean, if you go into agrocery store, you can have
anything you want, you know, anda lot of it is very bad food
for us.
So I think that um plays into.
Because we are a nation of uh,we are addicted to sugar.
It is the the biggest drugthere is and I think once you
start with the sugar to thencause it's such a dopamine for
(31:28):
the body to then go against.
It's like an heron addict issaying, oh, I'm just going to
quit doing heron, oh, I'm justgoing to quit doing sugar.
And I think it's a hugeaddiction and the only way you
can finish or fix it is you haveto withdraw from it.
You have to do a prolongedfasting and a lot of people
don't want to.
There's too much fun with aglass of wine and a piece of
(31:52):
cheesecake.
You know why would you want tonot indulge in that Right.
So we have all these memoriesconnected to food because we're
an emotional society, we eat andcreate emotional connection
with our food, and I think thatis why it is so hard for people.
And then we have people thatare insulin sensitive and they,
(32:15):
thank God we have peptides now,where people can actually have
results from it and they arehealthy for us.
But in general, I think it'sjust easier and it's hard to get
rid of sugar cravings.
It really is, even for me.
I mean, I have to be reallycareful that, like when we were
traveling Europe, you have aglass of wine here, you have a
(32:37):
beer here, you have a croissanthere you have.
You know, yes, we were walkinga lot, but the sugar cravings
didn't go away.
So now the next day you want itagain, then you want it again,
and then five o'clock hits.
Oh, five o'clock, I have tohave this drink.
So we have created a program inour system that we have to
reprogram, and the easiest wayand that's why I wrote a book
(32:59):
called the Balance and it's freeon my website it's to how to
change the program.
That is the number one thing.
And the way you change aprogram is you give yourself.
Let's say you want to changeyour program of exercising and
nutrition.
You start with five minutes aday.
Don't look at the big picture.
You're going to set your timerfor five minutes in the morning
(33:22):
and you do something that is foryour body, that helps your body
get stronger, because the onlything we have for sure is our
body, and muscle gives uslongevity.
So five minutes in the morning,set your timer and when the five
minutes are over, you stop.
You have to stop.
You can't continue and you'regoing to do that every single
day for two weeks.
You now have created a newprogram in your body that craves
(33:45):
it and that's all it is.
It's just you have to reprogram.
You have to reprogram when youread.
You have to like.
We have a routine.
When we get up in the morning,we have a cup of coffee, it's
all the same thing.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Yeah, it strikes me too.
You have to have somethingagain, unfortunately, I think is
sorely lacking in a lot ofpeople's lives.
You have to have discipline.
You have to be willing to putoff that immediate gratification
and replace it with no, I'mfocused.
I'm committed to this.
I'm going to do this thing.
No, I'm focused, I'm committedto this.
I'm going to do this thing.
(34:18):
Because what they say it takessomething like 22 days to
actually form a habit, you know,to have it become habitualized,
and it's encouraging to hearthat the body does in fact want
that.
It starts to crave that timeand I'm terrible the one thing
you said that really speaks tome.
I'm terrible.
I'll do five minutes.
I'm like this feels good andI'll just go and do 10 or 15 or
(34:39):
20 right away, and then you getburned out really quickly, which
is just that's me realizing.
Hey, dummy, just stay to five.
Be disciplined about that too,right?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
That's it.
And then five to come 10minutes.
You know, and I always say, ifyou have to do more than an hour
you have to take a look at yournutrition, right, because you
can't chase a bad diet period.
And if you start with fiveminutes, I think it's not such a
big hurdle, it's not such aoverwhelming feeling.
You know, it's like I.
For me, I don't like paperwork.
(35:12):
It is my absolute I.
We don't see eye to eyepaperwork.
I wish somebody could do all mypaperwork.
So I have this pile and I say,okay, you're just going to do
five minutes today to do thatpile.
And that is discipline.
You have to be disciplined.
Motivation doesn't really exist.
Motivation is saying I want todo this big movie with Will
(35:34):
Ferrell and I'm going to playhis sister in the movie and then
just that's it.
But discipline means that I'mstudying the craft, I'm working
with people that are surroundedwith it, that are close to Will
Ferrell, or that, you know,maybe I'll write my own movie
and then present it to him.
You know that's what disciplinedoes.
You can't just say it.
You have to take action forwhat you want to do and you have
(35:58):
to show up for it every singleday.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Haven't we become a society?
Really?
We all want to be influencers,right, so that there's, you know
, we think that influencing isjust you know.
Well, yeah, I'm going to get mypodcast right and I'm going to
be an influencer, and thereality is that all takes in
order to have it be meaningfuland lasting and significant.
It does take discipline, right.
You have to develop the craftover time.
You have to learn to listen.
(36:22):
I'm so encouraged to hear yousay that, because that is one of
the things I don't like in alot of podcasts is that the
people that are running thepodcast are not listening.
And how do you?
I don't get that.
It just doesn't compute.
So if people were going tolisten and develop that
listening skill because I thinkwe're talking about listening to
your body too, right, listeningto the things that distract us,
(36:45):
right, how do you develop thatdiscipline?
The five minutes makes great.
That's very concrete.
You can do just five minutes,but is there another?
(37:07):
Are there?
Speaker 2 (37:07):
any techniques or leadership styles that you've
learned to do that thing, todevelop that discipline, to
continue to get theconcentration that's necessary
to do that.
Schedule yourself.
You have to schedule yourself.
That's the first thing, likethe scheduling going to work,
and then I think we get sooverwhelmed with and thinking
that we haven't done anything.
I think sorting your thoughtsand what I've learned from a
life coach is at night.
I write down everything I didfor the day, like literally
everything, really as small andminute, as as big as it is, and
(37:30):
it just gives me a perspectiveof what I've done.
And then I write three thingsdown that I want to accomplish
the next day.
Only three things cannot bemore.
And through the night mysubconscious actually prepares
for those three things the nextday.
And it's been a very powerfultool for me to stay focused on
what I want to do, because wehave to wear so many hats
(37:50):
nowadays Most people can'tsurvive on one income anymore in
this world and we have toconstantly figure out how do we
make more money and it can bevery overwhelming and writing
things down has definitelyhelped me just sort my mind and
stay focused.
And then you got to scheduleyourself.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Boy, there's so good lessons right there.
Yeah, are you One second, raul,I have to go get something.
Okay, lessons right there?
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, are you One second, raul?
I have to go get something.
Okay, one second, okay, okay.
(38:50):
My computer was about to dieand I was like no, not right now
well, I'm glad you werelistening to your computer,
that's all I can say.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
So I'm hoping this is going to be a trajectory
upwards.
Now I want to ask a questionabout your efforts and the
things that you've been doing.
I want to assume, because ofthe nature of your spirit, your
personality, that that hasevolved over time, your spirit,
your personality, that that hasevolved over time.
You know that you have, you'vehad some changes, not only in
(39:28):
physics.
You know the physical fitnessareas, but how do you think that
your trajectory or yourexpertise is different today
than it was, say, 20 years ago,like when you were working as a
bodybuilder in the Olympics?
Have you evolved, you think, asa bodybuilder in the Olympics,
have you evolved, you think, interms of how you would approach
even those workouts now than youdid then, because you didn't
have the knowledge andinformation and experience that
you have now?
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Absolutely.
You know, we're only as good aswhat we know and what our
knowledge is right and ourawareness.
So back then when I competed,that's all I knew is how to do
that, or with being an athlete,running and track, um, so I had
all that knowledge and then howto get on stage.
But what happened later on forme now is the maturity of my
(40:11):
body, the menopausal stuff, theaging part.
The things are not working.
Injuries are are happening.
You know that I need to fix andso that gave me another tools
and avenues of knowledge becauseI lived it.
When you live something you cantalk about it, because I fixed
(40:34):
my second degree tear, mcl andpatellar, and I never had to
have surgery.
I don't get injured when I workout.
I actually help my joints to bebetter, like rotator.
I also surf and my shoulder gotdislocated, went out surfing,
and so I popped it back in.
I had to rehab it because thebands were now partially little
(40:55):
tears in it and you can do allthat with exercise and I learned
that while I, you know, wentthrough it by myself and studied
it and can help others, and Ihave a lot of people now in the
age 42.
My oldest gentleman is 95.
And I help them to maneuverinto how to start working out
(41:32):
how to do it for their body in away that it helps them to heal,
to get stronger and have muchmore mobility and longevity,
because it's not just about thevein part.
When I used to go on stage, itwas for the look and, like I
said, it was actually the mostunhealthiest that I've ever been
was being on stage, where nowthe age that I'm now, I feel so
much healthier, I feel so muchstronger, and it's because I
found the balance in how to helpmy body heal but also how to
(41:56):
stay in a certain level offitness that looks good.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
So if you could go back 20 years and talk to your
20-year-old self, is there onething you would try to change or
one thing you would try toemphasize for that person that
you think would have beenhelpful?
Not that we can relive, but youknow what I mean.
Is there a lesson there.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I wish I would have started my business sooner.
I wish I would have studiedcertain things sooner.
I definitely was of how shouldI put that?
I didn't stick with one thingalone.
I didn't stick with one thingalone.
(42:39):
Where?
Now I have a better vision ofwhat I want to do and where I
want to go.
Where when I was in my twentiesI didn't know I had no mentor.
Finding a good mentor is reallyimportant to in your twenties,
to to fine tune where you wantto go, and if you have somebody
(43:02):
like that or you're seeking outsomebody like that, I think it
could be a win-win situation foryou, because my parents weren't
good mentors in that sense forme.
They didn't know the thingsthat I wanted to do and where I
wanted to go and, having that, Iwould definitely seek out a
mentor sooner.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Boy.
It almost seems like we need torealize that life is an
apprenticeship, and then ajourneymanship, and then an
expert.
You know the person, thecraftsperson that can actually
do life, because it is.
You know, when you're right,you know, when we're young, we
don't think.
You know, I'm learning thisthing that I like doing.
I mean, I remember studying,acting, being like oh yeah, okay
(43:43):
, I'm gonna put that to work,kind of thing.
But you know, I thought of itbefore.
You know we want to beinfluencers when we're 13.
What are you talking about?
You know you need to beinfluenced and you need to very
be selective about who youchoose to be influenced by when
you're 13.
You're right, and that's whatparents, you know, do somewhat.
But you know there are somekids that just you know,
(44:03):
goodness gracious, just stop,get out of your bubble, stop
listening to that and startlistening to something different
.
You know, listen to some jazzmusic or something.
For god's sakes, just uh getoutside.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
Yeah, and honestly, for me it was too.
I didn't listen to my intuitionwhen I was in my 20s.
I definitely listen to myintuition now, and I made a lot
of mistakes in my 20s because Iwent against my intuition.
Yeah, yeah, that's still smallvoice Right that says oh man,
it's so powerful and we're like,oh yeah, now what do you know?
(44:34):
It's the danger and theexcitement of what could happen.
And you know, because I'vealways been such a positive
person about and wanting toexperience the life, that
sometimes my intuition said,carson, I don't think you should
be doing that.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Yeah, yeah, and I did it anyway.
I worked a show with NikkiGlaser a few weeks back and she
was so funny because she saidshe's at the point now where her
knees are starting to look likeold ladies' knees.
So, and you know, she made surethat we knew on the camera crew
that we would get a close-up onher knees for the eye mag.
And it was so funny because shesaid now I'm thinking I see
(45:10):
these teenage girls and I feellike they're all looking at me,
going like, well, that's what Igot to look forward to, huh.
So and she's like, oh man,that's probably very true.
That's why I'm laughing.
So okay, so I'm going to wrapup with some fun stuff, because
we've got about I don't know,five minutes left here or
something.
(45:38):
Tell me about things.
Like I was looking at yourFacebook page.
It was so fun to see some ofthe pictures of you.
You did some stuff with.
Um.
I've not watched the show, soexcuse me, but um, the the
righteous gemstones I thought Isaw something which I just saw
him on letterman.
I thought, oh, that just looks,I have to watch it now.
I mean, I knew it was fun, butit's like in its series finale
now or whatnot, and you playedsome sort of german um like
karate or fighting expert, itlooks like.
(45:59):
Am I reading that right?
Speaker 2 (46:01):
So the Righteous Gemstones is an evangelistic
family and it's a comedy writtenby Danny McBride, and it is
hilarious.
It's his fourth season on HBOMax and I'm playing a Sola, the
kung fu nanny of Baby Billy,who's played by Walton Goggins
(46:23):
and Tiffany's wife, valen Hall.
And Baby Billy is what God justkills the role.
He's hilarious, he's money,greedy, he's everything that the
world is right now.
He's everything that the worldis right now.
(46:53):
And here comes in Ballen Hall.
Tiffany is this Midwest kindwoman who is basically always
thinking positive and she hasand always kind, almost thinking
about like she needs to be more, she needs to read more books,
kind of deal.
And then there's this nanny whothey hired for their children,
who is this calm German womanwho's badass.
There's a huge fight scene inepisode four, which, if you
(47:15):
haven't watched Rites ofGemstone, do yourself a favor.
It's hilarious and anybody thatwas watching it gets hooked on
it.
But what I love about the show,too, is because it's so funny
and so relevant.
I mean, I talked to an NBC newsanchor and she said it's
actually very spot on.
(47:36):
But what he always does is hebrings it back to what's
important, which is family andunity and how people stick
together and it just has greatnuances.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
I remember a theater professor of mine years ago.
She used to say regularly inclass she would say you know,
comedy is not funny.
And I'd be like what are yousmoking?
What do you mean?
Comedy isn't funny.
Why do we laugh if it's notfunny?
And her concept, which is verytrue, is that the reason comedy
is comedy is because it's not us, it's a situation that we
recognize and there is somefundamental truth there that
(48:09):
makes us relax, becomevulnerable and consider the
truth.
So that show strikes me as oneof those that is just as the
news anchor said.
And that show strikes me as oneof those that is just as the
news anchor said spot on withhitting the problems, but
hitting them in a Brechtian way.
Right, you come at it from anoblique angle and it's, you
can't quite.
Ah, that's not true, that's nothow evangelists are.
(48:30):
It's like, yeah, no, they reallyare, you know, and if you can't
see that, then you need to openup your eyes and not take
yourself so seriously.
So what's it like?
I mean, to me that's a rarefiedatmosphere.
You know, when you're workingwith people like Grogan and you
know that company, Billy McBride, I mean, for goodness sakes,
these are people that are at thetop of their craft, right, and
(48:53):
that's got to be justmarvelously liberating.
Looking for like kind of abehind-the-scenes take as
someone that lives that.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
What's your perspective on it?
It is amazing, to say it in themost powerful word, that I can
feel right now.
Anytime we level up or we getto a set where there's this kind
of cast I mean we had MeganMulligan and John Goodman and
(49:26):
Danny McGrath and Edie Paz and Ijust the caliber of the cast
was just phenomenal.
There's a moment where you havean imposter syndrome and it's
then you say, okay, I'm, I'm, Ibelong here, and anytime the
past syndrome means that we'restepping into something new,
(49:47):
we're stepping into an elevation, you know, and I think it is.
It is a high, it is amazing, itis thrilling and you get to
watch people learn from them.
I always like to get on set,even when it's not my turn to
watch other people and theircraft, and it's just amazing,
(50:10):
especially when you work with acast that has been filming for
six years.
This is the fourth season and Icome in as the character and
everybody just made me feel verywelcome and this really can be
very scary to go in and meet newpeople, and especially A-list
people like that who have such ahuge track record of amazing
(50:35):
artistry and projects that theyhave done.
It feels very good and it feelshumbling.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Is there a perspective you think on what I
think of as sort of a dark cliff?
You know the people that goover and become so enraptured
with themselves and their placein.
You know the spectrum of talentthat they forget that and I
suspect that it is about egoversus humility.
(51:08):
You know of ceasing to be in aplace where I need to learn and,
more importantly, I need toteach and pass on what I've
learned.
Importantly, I need to teachand pass on what I've learned.
Have you observed, or does yourfitness training give you some
insight into, what happens in aperson to make them go over that
cliff?
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Because that's a that's a dark place.
I think, definitely you have tobe in a place of balance
already.
I definitely think that,because I don't rely on acting
to pay my bills and I have agreat balance with my craft, I
just see it's an art, right, andit's all about the art.
It's not about the fame.
(51:49):
It's not about if anybody tellsme oh, I just want to be an
actor so I can be famous.
I think you're doing the wrongthing.
It's about, you know, creatingsomething that makes people feel
something.
And it can happen to peoplebecause I think when they're
very young and they get the keyto the city too soon, meaning
(52:13):
they get, you know, huge fametheir brain has not developed
humbleness, they have maybe nothad trauma, they had not had
experiences where they had towork harder for it.
If it comes too easy, sometimesI think people can go and lose
themselves in the uh, in thefame of it.
(52:35):
And staying humble comes withexperiences that are not always
been that great, you know.
And staying humble means, youknow, not take yourself too
serious as in the success, butmore in the privilege of the art
(52:57):
, you know, to have thatopportunity, opportunity for me
to have this opportunity to actwith all these people and that
danny mcbride thought that Iwill have an amazing, impeccable
improv to do it.
It says something about mycraft and, yeah, my physicality
helped because they wanted atall german.
But I trained to be and beprepared for this role many,
(53:21):
many years.
When people are not watching,you know it's not for me.
Oh, now I'm famous and peopletalk about me.
That goes away like that.
You know, when the show is done, nobody's going to talk about
what are you going to do next?
You know, and I think that'swhere we have to and that's with
everything, you everything, noteven in front of the camera.
People can be very successfuland make a lot of money and
(53:43):
treat other people like jerksjust because they think they
have more money, but in the endof the day, we all sleep in one
bed.
We all have one roof over ourhead.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
We all catch a dream.
Speaker 2 (53:55):
Put our pants on one leg at a time, whatever it is
yeah, we all put our pants onone line at a time, whatever it
is yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
So, Kirsten, thank you so much for being so
generous with your time.
I'm sorry I asked a reallyunfair, complicated question
right at the end there.
When I'm looking at the clockgoing, we have four minutes left
, oh my goodness.
So thank you for going with theflow.
So, folks, if you haven'tfigured it out by yet, we've
been talking with KirstenSchultz, who is a renowned
(54:20):
author, I'm going to say aphysical fitness expert, a
nutritionist I guess I'm goingto put that on you as well I'm
not reading this from yourFacebook page either but an
actress.
She has been an Olympian, Imean.
I think you've kind of you'vegot the full spectrum of life
going on there, Kirsten.
So I don't know quite how tointroduce you any better than
(54:41):
that, but it's been a pure joytalking with you, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
Oh, thank you.
Great questions, loved it, andyou can find me on
partyanddietcom if you have anyquestions and need any help.
I'm always available.
Speaker 1 (54:56):
Well, maybe at some point you'll see fit to give me
another hour of time orthereabouts so we can talk some
more.
That would be great so,especially as we all develop a
better attitude and a betterphysique in the next few years.
So yeah, all right, take care.
Thank you, bye-bye.
It's really easy to edit.
I did sound checks on thatbefore, so that should be in
good shape, and I'm also goingto do the video through Teams
here and we'll get that going aswell, and that way we've got
two things to work with.
So, all right, languageseveryone is speaking is English,
although you might break intoGerman.
I don't know, I'm going to sayEnglish.
I'm from Lehm.
(00:22):
My sister-in-law is fromHamburg, so she's always been
trying to teach me a little bitof German every time we get
together.
But just, we have wonderfulconversations together too.
So Hamburg is doing somethingright?
I don't know, but OK, I thinkthat seems like it's going.
(00:42):
Yeah, we're OK, we're good.
I'll lead you in and here we go, all right.
Well, welcome everyone.
Welcome to another excitingadventurous.
I hope.
I hope not boring.
I hope I don't bore.
I know my guests won't bore youtoday.
So that's a good thing.
We're starting at least 50%guaranteed.
But I'm going to work hard tokeep up All right, because today
is going to be a fun discussionwith somebody that has a
(01:04):
totally different perspectivethan maybe you or I, in the
Midwest in particular, may havein our frame of reference.
But I'm very excited because Iwas telling Kirsten before we
started this that when I wasapproached by our agent to have
her come on the show, kirstenSchultz would love to come and
talk with you on your podcast.
And I thought, oh, that's nice,I think kind of familiar name.
(01:26):
I don't know why I know that,but okay, great.
So then I started looking up onthe internet to see you know
Kirsten Schultz.
No, no, no, that can't be theKirsten Schultz.
No way, why would she becalling me Right?
And sure enough, and Iresearched more and, like you
know, there really aren't manyKirsten Schultz's out there that
spell their name like KirstenSchultz does.
And I thought, oh, my God, I'mgoing to be interviewing someone
(01:49):
that's right in my lane oftraffic Actress, that cares very
much about fitness, person,that cares very deeply about
people and having balance intheir lives.
And I just thought, thank you,god, because this is a godsend
and I am so excited to greet youand welcome you to the show,
kirsten Schultz thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
How are you?
Thank you for having me, raoul,right?
I'm saying your name correctly,raoul, like Raoul.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah, it's kind of.
French.
My dad was bastardizing things,so I constantly have to say
Raoul like Raoul, raoul likeRaul.
But go for it, you're KirstenSchultz.
You can say it any way you wantto, I really don't care.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Thanks for having me.
Am I saying yours?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
right it is Kirsten.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Oh, you're saying it perfectly right.
Yeah, you know, I get that toowith my name a lot of times.
How do you say it?
So people started calling me Kor KS.
There was a time they called meSpecial K and I was like, ah,
that's not so healthy.
Well they have some that arehealthier, don't they?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
They've been trying, at least.
And it's Kirsten, so that'spretty much a German spelling,
isn't it?
Of the name?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Very.
Yeah, it's actually Swedish,even though I'm not Swedish at
all, but the way we spell itit's K-E-R-S-T-I-N, so it's very
.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
German.
Okay, so I could go on and onintroducing you, but what's your
elevator speech?
If people say I've never heardof her who is Kirsten Schultz?
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I'm a fit creative and I believe it's never too
late.
So that means that wherever youare, whatever your passion,
whatever your dream is, followit, because it's not about the
money, it's about your happinessand the money will follow,
always happiness.
I always been in the fitnessworld and I've always been in
(03:37):
the creative world, and I justcombined the both and found my
happiness in it.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I mean, it's interesting because I think of
like Arnold Schwarzenegger too,and I think of that kind of
melding of realities.
You know, mr Universe becomesthe Terminator, right?
It's just one of those thingswhere you go how does this
happen?
Right, and you have similaraccents.
I don't want to insult you.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We are friends, it's okay.
I know him well.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Arnold, yes, you know , and he has that same.
In French, we'd call it thejoie de vivre, right, the sense
of just really grabbing life bythe throat and shaking as much
out of it as you can.
So I really appreciate that youstarted out in this what was
(04:22):
kind of the journey into whereyou are now.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I started in fitness.
First I was at the JuniorOlympics in Berlin, won a silver
medal in heptathlon which isseven different disciplines.
I was 12.
And Junior Olympics it's a bigdeal in Europe, and especially
30 years ago.
And then I did theater.
I was 15, and I did theater forimprov, stand up, travel a
(04:48):
little bit.
I have an identical twin, so wedid a lot of writing our own
stuff and then I went to andwell then I got a business
degree, because my mother didn'tthink that I should be an actor
, that it's not a realprofession.
And I got a business degreevery old school German, not a
real profession.
And I got a business degreevery old school German.
And I worked in the corporateworld for 10 years before I
(05:09):
finally decided to take the leapinto fitness and into acting
full throttle and competed inthe United States, was once the
tallest figure competitor in thenation and made a business out
of it.
I was in all the magazines and Ijust had a niche to understand
(05:29):
people and I listen.
You know, I think that's ourbiggest, biggest tool in life is
to be able to listen to aperson and really hear them and
what they need.
And then you know, continuedstudying.
My acting craft went to gotprofessionally trained.
Act Berkeley different coaches,billy Baby and I'm not Baby
(05:52):
Billy, he's from the show, we'lltalk about that later and
Anthony Andy Matheny yes, I mean, I studied with so many people.
I, hugh Gorman, who was aprofessor.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
I've studied with so many people, hugh Gorman who is
a professor and I studied, tothe cost of it.
Uh-oh, signal just dropped.
Signal just dropped on my side,hmm, you are back, there we go.
(06:28):
All right, I don't know, all ofa sudden you just froze.
You were in the midst oftalking about some of the
teachers you had worked with.
We can splice that together, ifyou want to.
Just.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, let's do it.
So I had some really goodmentors.
I had some good teachers and agood friend of mine.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Just did it again and I think we need to leave.
Both of us leave and come backand re-sync.
I'm going to go out and comeback in.
(07:05):
Isn't technology grand?
I love it.
Isn't technology grand, I loveit.
(07:27):
You know, the only thing I knowto do in IT is if you're having
those kinds of issues, you justre-sync and that hopefully gets
everybody talking, like we sawbeforehand.
Wonderful teachers you had.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
That's where we were.
I had some wonderful teachersand they taught me a lot and I
just continued.
I just stayed in it and here weare.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Well, you know you have a pedigree that most people
would crave, including myself,but it is wonderful to see that
you are very much my MFA.
When I got my thesis,production was on Winnie the
Pooh.
I produced a full production ofWinnie the Pooh and kind of
melded together severaldifferent sources from AA
Milne's original work all theway down, and Pooh is just one
(08:11):
of my mentors throughout lifereally.
Benjamin Hoff has a wonderfulbook called the Tao of Pooh and
you have that Pooh-ness which isjust kind of floating down the
river and something may happenand it's just oh, bother, but
you just keep on going, you know, and the next thing that comes
down it's just like oh, I hadn'tseen those bees before.
There's probably honey, whichis what more people need to be
(08:37):
poo-like these days.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I love that.
I've never heard that I'm a poo.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Yeah, you are a poo bear, definitely a poo.
That I'm a poo, I like that.
Yeah, you are a poo bear,definitely a poo bear.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I do I actually do maneuver in life like that.
I love seeing new things.
I always say, if I learnsomething new today, it's a good
day.
Yeah, and I just love learningfrom other people and their
views.
And I don't know everything,and I think that's important in
life, that we always grow andevolve and learn, indeed, and if
(09:07):
we're not, you know you have towonder.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Those are the days when I wonder what the heck was
I doing today, that I didn'tlearn anything.
That's just not a good day.
I have to.
I'm starting on and stoppingour recording here too, because
I'm not getting the feedbackhere that it's working and I
want to make sure that thevisual stuff is going too.
All right.
Stop recording, show, let's dothat.
(09:30):
Stop, okay, and then we'll getinto the favorite things,
aspects of stuff.
Okay, recording, confirm, Allright.
Now it says it's doing it again.
So let's go on.
As you know, kirsten, one of thethings I think was sent to you
in the pre-work for this wasthat I love to start with a
(09:52):
thing called favorite things.
One of these days I'll figureout how I can pay royalties to
Julie Andrews, so we can sort ofthat, that, that, that, that,
that that and go right into it.
But you know, we'll have tohave a sound engineer to place
that on cue.
God, you were three secondslate.
What are you doing?
Um, so I'll start out easy andthen it's going to go wherever
(10:13):
it goes.
So all right, um, first onefavorite color black, black,
really black.
Now I?
I heard I read this somewherethat black is actually a very
difficult color because itabsorbs so much um that you know
people think of it as being theopposite of light, but it's
actually the absorption of alllight.
That's why it comes back asblack right.
(10:34):
Do you feel like you're anabsorber of life, or do you?
What is it about black that isso intriguing?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I just find it classy .
You always look good in it.
I'm talking about clothing now,more so um and um, I don't know
.
Just it always is a good accent.
It gives you depth when there'sa color, you know, and I think
that's what I like about blackthe mysteriousness of it, the
classiness, the lines.
(11:01):
Yeah, interesting, you everhave a picture and you have some
black in the background and youcan just make it more
mysterious, more it draws youinto the eyes of the person when
you have black on.
That's why I'm wearing black.
Well, yeah, there you are right.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So I have close to have a gray on, at least.
So I wanted to look like I wasactually working out with a
sweats on and whatnot, but Ithought that would be impressive
.
No, well, and it's.
It's interesting too becauseblack um I I, early on in my
life I was a photographer anddid quite a bit.
My dad was really interested inphotography and, um, did my own
black and work, white work.
(11:38):
So it was, you know, learnedhow to develop and and print and
all that jazz, and there issomething he was such a big fan
of people like Kirsch and youknow, the great folks that just
had that understanding of lightand dark and how you make
shadows work.
Oh yeah, how there's so muchmore feeling.
You know, here people were allconcerned when color came out,
that black and white was goingto go away and in some ways I
(12:01):
think it know, made it reallyspur the development of black
and white, what you could dowith it that you couldn't do
with color.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So and I I love the portrait, black and white
portraits or black and whitepictures.
There's just something I shotwith Ben Stanley.
He's an amazing filmmaker andcinematographer and he shot with
me and he just it's very raw.
You know, nowadays everybodyhas filters and everything, but
(12:29):
I just love the rawness of ablack and white.
You can see the story in theface.
Um, yeah, those are my favoriteportraits.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
It's black and white yeah, well, and you think of it
too.
Iphone has a black and whitefilter, right?
You take your pictures with aniPhone.
You can turn them into blackand white.
So they wouldn't have done thatif there wasn't a reason that
you know people want to comeback to that, right?
Do you have a favorite book ormovie, any sort of something
that you go back to or thinkabout regularly, or that you've
(12:58):
just read, that you're reallyexcited about, or that you just
wrote Because I know you?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
write as well.
I am always reading, I'm alwaysreferring.
One of my favorite ones is theFour Agreements.
It's all about being impeccablewith your words, not taking
things personal.
It's a good.
It's a short read, it's notlong.
My favorite movie Train, planesand Automobiles Really, oh,
(13:23):
love it, love it, love it.
Planes and Automobiles Really,oh, love it, love it, love it,
love it, love it.
I love Steve Martin in it.
I can watch that movie everyday and it's funny.
My boyfriend and I we just wentto.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Europe and we did the whole planes, trains and
automobiles and everything thatcould happen happened.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Living the dream, yep , living the dream, yep, living
the dream.
And.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
I was like this is life, yep.
Well, that's the thing aboutMartin too, is he really does
kind of capture that essence ofwhat's the funniest way someone
could respond to this and stillbe life accurate, and that's
what makes it so beautiful.
Right, it appeals to a broadspectrum of people and even
those that wouldn't necessarilyhave seen that or go like, yeah,
I can buy that People would dothat.
(14:09):
So how about?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
do you have a favorite historic personality or
a favorite person that you lookto in history.
You know that is a motivationalforce or inspiration for you.
I remember when you sent methis question and I was like,
who do I have that I reallythink is somebody that I look up
to, and to me it has to be, Imean, short term right now.
(14:42):
For me was Obama.
I really liked him because Ilove the whole helping each
other and I know that somepeople don't agree with me on
this one, but I have mixedchildren as well.
Well, and for me that wasreally, really important the
(15:03):
unity, because my children havebeen called the N-word and my
children have been, you know,mistreated just for their skin
tone, and I think that that is,for me, one of the bigger ones.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Well, certainly an admirable one.
Whether people like hispolitics or not, it's hard to
argue.
The decency of the man Well,certainly an admirable one.
Whether people like hispolitics or not, it's hard to
argue.
The decency of the man, that'swhat I love, the decency of the
man.
And that is the interestingthing.
I've been reading a lot aboutthe whole polarization of our
nation right now and peopletrying to explain away the other
(15:43):
side of the equation and thatthese are just people that are
not well-informed, these arepeople that just have had
abusive backgrounds, these arepeople that just are not
educated whatever.
And the person made the commentthat you know what?
I think we have to get to thepoint where we stop arguing and
just recognizing that if you'regoing to be okay with all the
things that are happening rightnow, you're just evil.
(16:05):
You know you're just evilbecause their only way to
continue to align yourself withthe stuff that's going on and to
like just refuse to see thedecency in some of the people
that are, you know, contrary toit all.
I don't know what could blackthat out for someone except just
pure evil, and I don't know howto quantify that any better.
(16:28):
But at least I think it lets usknow what we're on, what
playing field we're really on,and can focus on the things that
really matter.
I mean, I find myself watchingmore and more dog videos lately.
You know Me too, oh.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
God, I love it.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You just want to be happy no-transcript, because all
(17:08):
of the baloney that's beingchucked out of the baloney farm,
it's just a distraction of whatreally matters.
And at some point it was aBuckminster Fuller that said you
know, you don't fight that kindof thing by fighting it.
You fight it by creatingsomething that's so wonderful
and so different and soaspirational that that thing
(17:28):
becomes obsolete.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And I thought you know, that's what he did
architecturally.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
And when you adopt that mindset that says I'm just
going to get into things thatare really going to be
constructive nurturing, theycan't win against that.
There's no way for that to beovercome.
Kirsten, I'd like to wrap thisup because it sort of fits into
the rest of the discussion.
But that question that's at thebottom of those is do you have
(17:56):
a favorite memory from childhoodor something that, a smell,
even, that I've had people talkabout how, when they they smell
the you know, the smell of freshcut grass, because they're just
they love baseball so much andthey remember being at baseball
diamonds with their dad orwhatnot.
Is there something like that inyour life that you just, when
it happens, you're like oh yeah,and you let yourself sort of
(18:18):
float back into that and itwashes over you?
You know, with that sense of….
Speaker 2 (18:24):
A.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
German bakery.
A German bakery, of course.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
A German bakery.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Oh my God, there's nothing like it Of course Are
there good… I would think by you.
There must be good ones, butprobably not like Germany, right
?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
I mean we have good bakeries here, nothing like
german bakeries.
I mean I just get and I went toparis too german bakeries just
have that smell.
And I don't know, becauseobviously I'm biased, because I
grew up in germany, born andraised there, so it always
smells like home.
I feel like the first thing Ido is I get a buttered pretzel
(19:00):
when I get home and I just feelwhole.
You know, it's just that thatreally does it for me.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Isn't that interesting?
Because German bakeries.
I have two references to thatin my life.
One is my mother, who hergrandmother was German, actually
German and Irish.
What a combination, right, halfof each.
(19:30):
So very close, very strongwoman.
So her parents were, you know,one was full German, one was
full Irish, you know.
So you can imagine what thosediscussions were like around the
dinner table.
But she could bake likenobody's business.
My mom, I just.
There are still people in theworld that I think I'm going to
have to go to a German bakery ifI want to get anything close to
this, right, um.
And the other one was myfather-in-law, of all people,
who also had a full Germanmother, um, who had, he had
(19:53):
learned, you know, in Milwaukeegrowing up.
Uh, saw all the tricks of thetrade that his mom did and he
then, when we got married, I oneof my favorite stories of him
is we were sitting and he alwaysdid all the cooking when we
would come to visit and I got upfairly early in the morning he
had already been up baking andbaked some pies, and so of
course the kitchen smelledamazing and then he was thinking
(20:16):
about supper and he said youknow, what are we going to have
for supper?
I said what goes good withcherry pie?
And I thought to myself heplans his meals around his
dessert.
Now there's a guy I can getbehind, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
My brother was a baker for 20 years, really, and
yeah, he would bring all thesegoodies home and I think that's
how I learned party and diet.
You know, I know how to dial itin when you want to have fun on
the weekend, and it started fromwhen he would bring the baked
goods home, because I love bakedgoods and my daughter is one of
the best bakers ever and shealways makes me my banana bread
(20:56):
that I love if my wife hearsthis now, she's going to need to
have some of that banana bread,because she's a banana bread
addict, and especially a bananabread addict, and especially a
good one.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
She'll be sending and saying anything you want,
please send me some banana bread.
You know it'll be one of thosesituations.
So you know, we've kind ofalluded to it a couple of
different ways here, but youknow, I keep coming back to this
idea of theater and thetraining that one gets in
theater.
I mean, I, you know MFA instage direction, you know,
(21:26):
trained with multiple people asan actor as well.
But I, one of the things thatstuck with me as an actor was
you learn how to play peoplethat are very different from
yourself, and sometimes they'renot so nice people, you know.
Sometimes they're, you know,quite evil themselves, right,
but you have to learn that noone sees themselves as an
antagonist.
(21:46):
If you're going to play itrealistically, if you're going
to play it with soul andcharacter, you have to figure
that out.
And that to me seems to be aquality that is sorely lacking
is that we have so many peoplethat have lost the ability, or
don't even want to develop theability, to say, yeah, I don't
see it that way.
I don't agree with things thatway, but I want to try to figure
(22:08):
out how they got to feeling andthinking that way.
I want to try to understandthat somehow, Would you agree?
I mean, it strikes me thattheater is one of the great
nourishers of building bridgesbetween people, Because you have
to do literally, as the proverbsays you have to walk a mile in
that person's shoes in order tounderstand how they're seeing,
(22:32):
what their frame of reference is, and find a way to play that in
a meaningful way without losingyourself, which some actors do
right.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Absolutely.
I agree with you.
I think theater training ortaking classes is good for
anybody, no matter if you wantto be an actor or not.
I think you can learn how toput yourself in somebody's shoe,
how to take on a different view, even though you know I'm not
going to agree with every viewof the person that I play.
I mean I'm not going to agreewith every view of the person
that I play.
(23:03):
I mean I play to kill a clown.
I'm not going, I don't believein killing people but I try to
understand is why what makessomebody want to do that?
And in the end it always comesback to wanting to feel loved,
wanting to feel respected andaccepted, right, and when people
don't get enough hugs or theyhad an abusive childhood.
All of these play intosomebody's opinion and how they
(23:27):
maneuver through life, and Idefinitely think that theater
will definitely theater trainingwill definitely help you to
open your, your opinions andyour your world travel and how
you see the world.
You know travel, see the world,get outside where you are.
I mean, I've met people thathave never, ever traveled the
(23:49):
world or any places and I'm like, why not?
You have to go see othercultures to understand that
there's different views and notjudge them for it, and
definitely theater gives you theopportunity, without a passport
, to do that.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Right, yeah, I think of my experiences of China.
You know, and seeing the peopleup close in, you know not the
presentation that China wouldlike to make to people that come
to visit, but seeing you knowsmall towns behind the curtain
if you will visit, but seeingyou know small towns behind the
(24:25):
curtain if you will.
And you know you've learnedjust the commonality and the
universality of the humanexperience you also.
But you also do see that thereare plights of people that if
you don't develop somecompassion for that boy, your
wood is wet, because I don'tknow how you can look at things
like Boy, your wood is wet.
Because I don't know how youcan look at things like USAID
being dismantled and not think,oh my God, what has happened?
(24:49):
What kind of cancer is in ournation that people aren't
unilaterally rising up andsaying no, no, no, we want
things cut, but not that, notthat, my goodness, we're not
that kind of inhumane beasts.
And, yeah, you know.
So I wonder, I wonder.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Well, yeah, it's an interesting time right now to
see what will develop, and youknow, I think there's some good
that's happening and there'ssome really bad that's happening
, and where is the balance inall of that is what the unknown
is, what makes us want to watchdark movies.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Just tune out, yeah, and that you know that's the
thing, right, we're, we'reconstantly caught in that
balance between keeping yourselfhealthy enough to fight the
battles that you feel called andled to do.
So that and that is a real andthat's a real challenge right
now.
You've found some methods Imean your entire party, but
(25:52):
healthy kind of back and forth.
It's like a yin and yang and itseems like you really have done
an excellent job of finding themiddle line so that you're able
to kind of healthily see andparticipate in those things that
keep that balance going.
Is there a secret to that?
Or how did you?
How is that reinforced in whatyou're seeing?
(26:13):
Or I mean, there's a lot ofquestions I guess I have about
that, but it just strikes me asa really, really well-tuned
philosophy.
Did it just come upon you, oris this something that has been
developing over the years as youembarked on your career?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Oh, it definitely developed over the years.
Finding balance takes time,right, you have to get to know
who you are and what works foryou.
But I've basically figured outif I do five days a week, I'm
good, I can have two days ofgreat fun without having to
worry about because you cannever destroy in two days what
(26:51):
you did in five days right, forthe most part.
And I just have learned overthe time what does it mean to
have balance mentally,physically, nutritionally, for
me, you know, and in general, weall want to be in a social, we
still want to have socialsettings, like.
We want to have friends, wewant to have go out, we want to
(27:13):
do all these things and not beparanoid.
When I competed, there was nogoing out, there was just one
way and it was just strict dietand exercise and there was not a
social life really.
And finding balance and Ialways thought that for me and
I'm speaking just for me is thatbeing on stage was very
(27:33):
unhealthy and the reason why isbecause you get your body fat to
a certain percentage.
It's not natural, it's just forthe stage, it's just for the
light, it looks great onpictures but it's not how we
walk around every day, butfinding the balance in how can I
walk around in it with 90% ofthat and not 100%?
(27:55):
That's what I wanted and that'swhat I think is healthy, and a
lot of times people are all ornothing, and finding balance in
general in anything, be it yourwork, be it with your family, is
everything.
And so, for me, life has taughtme how to find balance by trial
(28:16):
and error, you know.
You know, and going on stage,being in magazines, all these
other things have taught me.
Ok, that is the one extreme.
And then also the other onewhere you can work out or don't
want to work out, or, you know,I always found that fitness gave
(28:37):
me a sense of balance, of whenI I have anxiety, I go work out.
When I, um, don't feel good orwhatever, I feel great, I work
out.
Or if I need to learn my lines,I work.
So for me, working out wasalways that for some people it's
not working out, for somepeople it's going hiking, it's
(28:57):
still working out.
You know, find what works foryou.
And then, um, nutrition, samething.
You know I nobody can stick onto a low carb diet 24, 7, right,
and it's actually not healthy.
So finding the balance in thatand how to rotate your there's
(29:17):
the oldest diet in the worldthat I know of is the rotation
diet.
All bodybuilders that camebefore me and that I trained
with they're all legends andthey have used the same thing
the rotation diet, which is nowcalled the metabolic confusion
diet or the keto diet it's allthe same thing.
It just means that you'rerotating your carbs, you're
dialing in, you get yourselfinto an insulin-sensitive state
(29:40):
and then your body becomes thisburning machine.
And that's what that is, andit's all about balance.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
What keeps people from that, do you think?
Is there a fundamental?
I sometimes wonder, is there afundamental desire or are we
conditioned somehow to live inunhealthy ways?
Is there some sort of thanatosgoing on?
Like you know, freud called itthat death force, that, uh,
(30:08):
cause it strikes me.
You see so many people that try, they try there.
They try something, it doesn'twork.
When they try something else,it doesn't work and then
ultimately either get to a pointwhere they just self-defeat
everything that they did, justself-defeat everything that they
did.
And I sometimes wonder if itisn't something just in the
human psyche that drives us tojust give up and say, yeah, you
(30:29):
know what, that bag of chipsthere looks really great, and
after that I'm going to havethat, you know, sunday that I've
wanted to have all week long.
And yeah, forget about the diet, I can't do it, I just can't do
it.
What is that?
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I think it's two things.
I think is we have learned tobe.
We have not, or we haveunlearned to be patient and
stick with something longerbecause everything is so easy
and accessible Social mediagratifications to food being
delivered to us we don't have togo and fetch for it anymore, so
everything should become soeasy.
(31:05):
I mean, if you go into agrocery store, you can have
anything you want, you know, anda lot of it is very bad food
for us.
So I think that um plays into.
Because we are a nation of uh,we are addicted to sugar.
It is the the biggest drugthere is and I think once you
start with the sugar to thencause it's such a dopamine for
(31:28):
the body to then go against.
It's like an heron addict issaying, oh, I'm just going to
quit doing heron, oh, I'm justgoing to quit doing sugar.
And I think it's a hugeaddiction and the only way you
can finish or fix it is you haveto withdraw from it.
You have to do a prolongedfasting and a lot of people
don't want to.
There's too much fun with aglass of wine and a piece of
(31:52):
cheesecake.
You know why would you want tonot indulge in that Right.
So we have all these memoriesconnected to food because we're
an emotional society, we eat andcreate emotional connection
with our food, and I think thatis why it is so hard for people.
And then we have people thatare insulin sensitive and they,
(32:15):
thank God we have peptides now,where people can actually have
results from it and they arehealthy for us.
But in general, I think it'sjust easier and it's hard to get
rid of sugar cravings.
It really is, even for me.
I mean, I have to be reallycareful that, like when we were
traveling Europe, you have aglass of wine here, you have a
(32:37):
beer here, you have a croissanthere you have.
You know, yes, we were walkinga lot, but the sugar cravings
didn't go away.
So now the next day you want itagain, then you want it again,
and then five o'clock hits.
Oh, five o'clock, I have tohave this drink.
So we have created a program inour system that we have to
reprogram, and the easiest wayand that's why I wrote a book
(32:59):
called the Balance and it's freeon my website it's to how to
change the program.
That is the number one thing.
And the way you change aprogram is you give yourself.
Let's say you want to changeyour program of exercising and
nutrition.
You start with five minutes aday.
Don't look at the big picture.
You're going to set your timerfor five minutes in the morning
(33:22):
and you do something that is foryour body, that helps your body
get stronger, because the onlything we have for sure is our
body, and muscle gives uslongevity.
So five minutes in the morning,set your timer and when the five
minutes are over, you stop.
You have to stop.
You can't continue and you'regoing to do that every single
day for two weeks.
You now have created a newprogram in your body that craves
(33:45):
it and that's all it is.
It's just you have to reprogram.
You have to reprogram when youread.
You have to like.
We have a routine.
When we get up in the morning,we have a cup of coffee, it's
all the same thing.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Yeah, it strikes me too.
You have to have somethingagain, unfortunately, I think is
sorely lacking in a lot ofpeople's lives.
You have to have discipline.
You have to be willing to putoff that immediate gratification
and replace it with no, I'mfocused.
I'm committed to this.
I'm going to do this thing.
No, I'm focused, I'm committedto this.
I'm going to do this thing.
(34:18):
Because what they say it takessomething like 22 days to
actually form a habit, you know,to have it become habitualized,
and it's encouraging to hearthat the body does in fact want
that.
It starts to crave that timeand I'm terrible the one thing
you said that really speaks tome.
I'm terrible.
I'll do five minutes.
I'm like this feels good andI'll just go and do 10 or 15 or
(34:39):
20 right away, and then you getburned out really quickly, which
is just that's me realizing.
Hey, dummy, just stay to five.
Be disciplined about that too,right?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
That's it.
And then five to come 10minutes.
You know, and I always say, ifyou have to do more than an hour
you have to take a look at yournutrition, right, because you
can't chase a bad diet period.
And if you start with fiveminutes, I think it's not such a
big hurdle, it's not such aoverwhelming feeling.
You know, it's like I.
For me, I don't like paperwork.
(35:12):
It is my absolute I.
We don't see eye to eyepaperwork.
I wish somebody could do all mypaperwork.
So I have this pile and I say,okay, you're just going to do
five minutes today to do thatpile.
And that is discipline.
You have to be disciplined.
Motivation doesn't really exist.
Motivation is saying I want todo this big movie with Will
(35:34):
Ferrell and I'm going to playhis sister in the movie and then
just that's it.
But discipline means that I'mstudying the craft, I'm working
with people that are surroundedwith it, that are close to Will
Ferrell, or that, you know,maybe I'll write my own movie
and then present it to him.
You know that's what disciplinedoes.
You can't just say it.
You have to take action forwhat you want to do and you have
(35:58):
to show up for it every singleday.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Haven't we become a society?
Really?
We all want to be influencers,right, so that there's, you know
, we think that influencing isjust you know.
Well, yeah, I'm going to get mypodcast right and I'm going to
be an influencer, and thereality is that all takes in
order to have it be meaningfuland lasting and significant.
It does take discipline, right.
You have to develop the craftover time.
You have to learn to listen.
(36:22):
I'm so encouraged to hear yousay that, because that is one of
the things I don't like in alot of podcasts is that the
people that are running thepodcast are not listening.
And how do you?
I don't get that.
It just doesn't compute.
So if people were going tolisten and develop that
listening skill because I thinkwe're talking about listening to
your body too, right, listeningto the things that distract us,
(36:45):
right, how do you develop thatdiscipline?
The five minutes makes great.
That's very concrete.
You can do just five minutes,but is there another?
(37:07):
Are there?
Speaker 2 (37:07):
any techniques or leadership styles that you've
learned to do that thing, todevelop that discipline, to
continue to get theconcentration that's necessary
to do that.
Schedule yourself.
You have to schedule yourself.
That's the first thing, likethe scheduling going to work,
and then I think we get sooverwhelmed with and thinking
that we haven't done anything.
I think sorting your thoughtsand what I've learned from a
life coach is at night.
I write down everything I didfor the day, like literally
everything, really as small andminute, as as big as it is, and
(37:30):
it just gives me a perspectiveof what I've done.
And then I write three thingsdown that I want to accomplish
the next day.
Only three things cannot bemore.
And through the night mysubconscious actually prepares
for those three things the nextday.
And it's been a very powerfultool for me to stay focused on
what I want to do, because wehave to wear so many hats
(37:50):
nowadays Most people can'tsurvive on one income anymore in
this world and we have toconstantly figure out how do we
make more money and it can bevery overwhelming and writing
things down has definitelyhelped me just sort my mind and
stay focused.
And then you got to scheduleyourself.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Boy, there's so good lessons right there.
Yeah, are you One second, raul,I have to go get something.
Okay, lessons right there?
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, are you One second, raul?
I have to go get something.
Okay, one second, okay, okay.
(38:50):
My computer was about to dieand I was like no, not right now
well, I'm glad you werelistening to your computer,
that's all I can say.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
So I'm hoping this is going to be a trajectory
upwards.
Now I want to ask a questionabout your efforts and the
things that you've been doing.
I want to assume, because ofthe nature of your spirit, your
personality, that that hasevolved over time, your spirit,
your personality, that that hasevolved over time.
You know that you have, you'vehad some changes, not only in
(39:28):
physics.
You know the physical fitnessareas, but how do you think that
your trajectory or yourexpertise is different today
than it was, say, 20 years ago,like when you were working as a
bodybuilder in the Olympics?
Have you evolved, you think, asa bodybuilder in the Olympics,
have you evolved, you think, interms of how you would approach
even those workouts now than youdid then, because you didn't
have the knowledge andinformation and experience that
you have now?
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Absolutely.
You know, we're only as good aswhat we know and what our
knowledge is right and ourawareness.
So back then when I competed,that's all I knew is how to do
that, or with being an athlete,running and track, um, so I had
all that knowledge and then howto get on stage.
But what happened later on forme now is the maturity of my
(40:11):
body, the menopausal stuff, theaging part.
The things are not working.
Injuries are are happening.
You know that I need to fix andso that gave me another tools
and avenues of knowledge becauseI lived it.
When you live something you cantalk about it, because I fixed
(40:34):
my second degree tear, mcl andpatellar, and I never had to
have surgery.
I don't get injured when I workout.
I actually help my joints to bebetter, like rotator.
I also surf and my shoulder gotdislocated, went out surfing,
and so I popped it back in.
I had to rehab it because thebands were now partially little
(40:55):
tears in it and you can do allthat with exercise and I learned
that while I, you know, wentthrough it by myself and studied
it and can help others, and Ihave a lot of people now in the
age 42.
My oldest gentleman is 95.
And I help them to maneuverinto how to start working out
(41:32):
how to do it for their body in away that it helps them to heal,
to get stronger and have muchmore mobility and longevity,
because it's not just about thevein part.
When I used to go on stage, itwas for the look and, like I
said, it was actually the mostunhealthiest that I've ever been
was being on stage, where nowthe age that I'm now, I feel so
much healthier, I feel so muchstronger, and it's because I
found the balance in how to helpmy body heal but also how to
(41:56):
stay in a certain level offitness that looks good.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
So if you could go back 20 years and talk to your
20-year-old self, is there onething you would try to change or
one thing you would try toemphasize for that person that
you think would have beenhelpful?
Not that we can relive, but youknow what I mean.
Is there a lesson there.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I wish I would have started my business sooner.
I wish I would have studiedcertain things sooner.
I definitely was of how shouldI put that?
I didn't stick with one thingalone.
I didn't stick with one thingalone.
(42:39):
Where?
Now I have a better vision ofwhat I want to do and where I
want to go.
Where when I was in my twentiesI didn't know I had no mentor.
Finding a good mentor is reallyimportant to in your twenties,
to to fine tune where you wantto go, and if you have somebody
(43:02):
like that or you're seeking outsomebody like that, I think it
could be a win-win situation foryou, because my parents weren't
good mentors in that sense forme.
They didn't know the thingsthat I wanted to do and where I
wanted to go and, having that, Iwould definitely seek out a
mentor sooner.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Boy.
It almost seems like we need torealize that life is an
apprenticeship, and then ajourneymanship, and then an
expert.
You know the person, thecraftsperson that can actually
do life, because it is.
You know, when you're right,you know, when we're young, we
don't think.
You know, I'm learning thisthing that I like doing.
I mean, I remember studying,acting, being like oh yeah, okay
(43:43):
, I'm gonna put that to work,kind of thing.
But you know, I thought of itbefore.
You know we want to beinfluencers when we're 13.
What are you talking about?
You know you need to beinfluenced and you need to very
be selective about who youchoose to be influenced by when
you're 13.
You're right, and that's whatparents, you know, do somewhat.
But you know there are somekids that just you know,
(44:03):
goodness gracious, just stop,get out of your bubble, stop
listening to that and startlistening to something different
.
You know, listen to some jazzmusic or something.
For god's sakes, just uh getoutside.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
Yeah, and honestly, for me it was too.
I didn't listen to my intuitionwhen I was in my 20s.
I definitely listen to myintuition now, and I made a lot
of mistakes in my 20s because Iwent against my intuition.
Yeah, yeah, that's still smallvoice Right that says oh man,
it's so powerful and we're like,oh yeah, now what do you know?
(44:34):
It's the danger and theexcitement of what could happen.
And you know, because I'vealways been such a positive
person about and wanting toexperience the life, that
sometimes my intuition said,carson, I don't think you should
be doing that.
Speaker 1 (44:48):
Yeah, yeah, and I did it anyway.
I worked a show with NikkiGlaser a few weeks back and she
was so funny because she saidshe's at the point now where her
knees are starting to look likeold ladies' knees.
So, and you know, she made surethat we knew on the camera crew
that we would get a close-up onher knees for the eye mag.
And it was so funny because shesaid now I'm thinking I see
(45:10):
these teenage girls and I feellike they're all looking at me,
going like, well, that's what Igot to look forward to, huh.
So and she's like, oh man,that's probably very true.
That's why I'm laughing.
So okay, so I'm going to wrapup with some fun stuff, because
we've got about I don't know,five minutes left here or
something.
(45:38):
Tell me about things.
Like I was looking at yourFacebook page.
It was so fun to see some ofthe pictures of you.
You did some stuff with.
Um.
I've not watched the show, soexcuse me, but um, the the
righteous gemstones I thought Isaw something which I just saw
him on letterman.
I thought, oh, that just looks,I have to watch it now.
I mean, I knew it was fun, butit's like in its series finale
now or whatnot, and you playedsome sort of german um like
karate or fighting expert, itlooks like.
(45:59):
Am I reading that right?
Speaker 2 (46:01):
So the Righteous Gemstones is an evangelistic
family and it's a comedy writtenby Danny McBride, and it is
hilarious.
It's his fourth season on HBOMax and I'm playing a Sola, the
kung fu nanny of Baby Billy,who's played by Walton Goggins
(46:23):
and Tiffany's wife, valen Hall.
And Baby Billy is what God justkills the role.
He's hilarious, he's money,greedy, he's everything that the
world is right now.
He's everything that the worldis right now.
(46:53):
And here comes in Ballen Hall.
Tiffany is this Midwest kindwoman who is basically always
thinking positive and she hasand always kind, almost thinking
about like she needs to be more, she needs to read more books,
kind of deal.
And then there's this nanny whothey hired for their children,
who is this calm German womanwho's badass.
There's a huge fight scene inepisode four, which, if you
(47:15):
haven't watched Rites ofGemstone, do yourself a favor.
It's hilarious and anybody thatwas watching it gets hooked on
it.
But what I love about the show,too, is because it's so funny
and so relevant.
I mean, I talked to an NBC newsanchor and she said it's
actually very spot on.
(47:36):
But what he always does is hebrings it back to what's
important, which is family andunity and how people stick
together and it just has greatnuances.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
I remember a theater professor of mine years ago.
She used to say regularly inclass she would say you know,
comedy is not funny.
And I'd be like what are yousmoking?
What do you mean?
Comedy isn't funny.
Why do we laugh if it's notfunny?
And her concept, which is verytrue, is that the reason comedy
is comedy is because it's not us, it's a situation that we
recognize and there is somefundamental truth there that
(48:09):
makes us relax, becomevulnerable and consider the
truth.
So that show strikes me as oneof those that is just as the
news anchor said.
And that show strikes me as oneof those that is just as the
news anchor said spot on withhitting the problems, but
hitting them in a Brechtian way.
Right, you come at it from anoblique angle and it's, you
can't quite.
Ah, that's not true, that's nothow evangelists are.
(48:30):
It's like, yeah, no, they reallyare, you know, and if you can't
see that, then you need to openup your eyes and not take
yourself so seriously.
So what's it like?
I mean, to me that's a rarefiedatmosphere.
You know, when you're workingwith people like Grogan and you
know that company, Billy McBride, I mean, for goodness sakes,
these are people that are at thetop of their craft, right, and
(48:53):
that's got to be justmarvelously liberating.
Looking for like kind of abehind-the-scenes take as
someone that lives that.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
What's your perspective on it?
It is amazing, to say it in themost powerful word, that I can
feel right now.
Anytime we level up or we getto a set where there's this kind
of cast I mean we had MeganMulligan and John Goodman and
(49:26):
Danny McGrath and Edie Paz and Ijust the caliber of the cast
was just phenomenal.
There's a moment where you havean imposter syndrome and it's
then you say, okay, I'm, I'm, Ibelong here, and anytime the
past syndrome means that we'restepping into something new,
(49:47):
we're stepping into an elevation, you know, and I think it is.
It is a high, it is amazing, itis thrilling and you get to
watch people learn from them.
I always like to get on set,even when it's not my turn to
watch other people and theircraft, and it's just amazing,
(50:10):
especially when you work with acast that has been filming for
six years.
This is the fourth season and Icome in as the character and
everybody just made me feel verywelcome and this really can be
very scary to go in and meet newpeople, and especially A-list
people like that who have such ahuge track record of amazing
(50:35):
artistry and projects that theyhave done.
It feels very good and it feelshumbling.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Is there a perspective you think on what I
think of as sort of a dark cliff?
You know the people that goover and become so enraptured
with themselves and their placein.
You know the spectrum of talentthat they forget that and I
suspect that it is about egoversus humility.
(51:08):
You know of ceasing to be in aplace where I need to learn and,
more importantly, I need toteach and pass on what I've
learned.
Importantly, I need to teachand pass on what I've learned.
Have you observed, or does yourfitness training give you some
insight into, what happens in aperson to make them go over that
cliff?
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Because that's a that's a dark place.
I think, definitely you have tobe in a place of balance
already.
I definitely think that,because I don't rely on acting
to pay my bills and I have agreat balance with my craft, I
just see it's an art, right, andit's all about the art.
It's not about the fame.
(51:49):
It's not about if anybody tellsme oh, I just want to be an
actor so I can be famous.
I think you're doing the wrongthing.
It's about, you know, creatingsomething that makes people feel
something.
And it can happen to peoplebecause I think when they're
very young and they get the keyto the city too soon, meaning
(52:13):
they get, you know, huge fametheir brain has not developed
humbleness, they have maybe nothad trauma, they had not had
experiences where they had towork harder for it.
If it comes too easy, sometimesI think people can go and lose
themselves in the uh, in thefame of it.
(52:35):
And staying humble comes withexperiences that are not always
been that great, you know.
And staying humble means, youknow, not take yourself too
serious as in the success, butmore in the privilege of the art
(52:57):
, you know, to have thatopportunity, opportunity for me
to have this opportunity to actwith all these people and that
danny mcbride thought that Iwill have an amazing, impeccable
improv to do it.
It says something about mycraft and, yeah, my physicality
helped because they wanted atall german.
But I trained to be and beprepared for this role many,
(53:21):
many years.
When people are not watching,you know it's not for me.
Oh, now I'm famous and peopletalk about me.
That goes away like that.
You know, when the show is done, nobody's going to talk about
what are you going to do next?
You know, and I think that'swhere we have to and that's with
everything, you everything, noteven in front of the camera.
People can be very successfuland make a lot of money and
(53:43):
treat other people like jerksjust because they think they
have more money, but in the endof the day, we all sleep in one
bed.
We all have one roof over ourhead.
Speaker 1 (53:54):
We all catch a dream.
Speaker 2 (53:55):
Put our pants on one leg at a time, whatever it is
yeah, we all put our pants onone line at a time, whatever it
is yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:00):
So, Kirsten, thank you so much for being so
generous with your time.
I'm sorry I asked a reallyunfair, complicated question
right at the end there.
When I'm looking at the clockgoing, we have four minutes left
, oh my goodness.
So thank you for going with theflow.
So, folks, if you haven'tfigured it out by yet, we've
been talking with KirstenSchultz, who is a renowned
(54:20):
author, I'm going to say aphysical fitness expert, a
nutritionist I guess I'm goingto put that on you as well I'm
not reading this from yourFacebook page either but an
actress.
She has been an Olympian, Imean.
I think you've kind of you'vegot the full spectrum of life
going on there, Kirsten.
So I don't know quite how tointroduce you any better than
(54:41):
that, but it's been a pure joytalking with you, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (54:46):
Oh, thank you.
Great questions, loved it, andyou can find me on
partyanddietcom if you have anyquestions and need any help.
I'm always available.
Speaker 1 (54:56):
Well, maybe at some point you'll see fit to give me
another hour of time orthereabouts so we can talk some
more.
That would be great so,especially as we all develop a
better attitude and a betterphysique in the next few years.
So yeah, all right, take care.
Thank you, bye-bye.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.