April 17, 2025 • 35 mins
Discover the extraordinary power of your smile as we explore how this simple facial expression works as free medicine for your mind, body, and spirit. The science behind smiling reveals a fascinating connection between your facial muscles and brain chemistry - when you smile, your brain releases dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, creating an instant mood boost and stress reduction. A 2010 study even found that people who smiled during stressful tasks had lower heart rates and quicker recovery times.
Beyond the biochemical response, your smile activates the vagus nerve, which serves as the superhighway between your brain and relaxation response. This shifts you out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest mode, creating a profound sense of safety in your nervous system. As we discuss the emotional and energetic effects, you'll understand why smiling is literally contagious - mirror neurons in the brain cause others to automatically mimic your smile, making it a powerful co-regulation tool that helps others feel safe and joyful just by being in your presence.
We share practical ways to incorporate smile medicine into your daily life, from smiling when you first wake up to using your smile before difficult conversations or performances. Mike shares a powerful story about how smiling during a police stop completely changed the interaction's outcome, while I reveal how I coach clients to use smiling to overcome performance anxiety and stage fright. Whether you're looking to enhance your professional presence, improve your relationships, or simply boost your own wellbeing, this episode offers a simple yet profound practice that costs nothing but changes everything.
Try our weekly challenge: smile intentionally five times each day and notice what shifts. Share your smile selfies with us on Instagram @theempowermentcouple - let's start a smile revolution together!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The mic just made us stop so he could grab something
off the ledge of my officewindow and I was fully like, oh
no, like I've seen way too manyromantic comedies.
Because I was like what's hedoing?
Is he giving me a big gift?
Am I getting a big gift rightnow?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
But you know what, though it?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
was tape from when we painted.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
But you know why?
You thought that Because youwere smiling, your expectations
were so high.
You were like oh my God, I'mopen, this could happen.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Or less than an hour ago, I gave you a present
unexpected.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
That is correct.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
So maybe I was just like, oh, it's going to come
back to me.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Oh, we're having a gift war, so that's what it is
that was pretty smooth if you'reever gonna give me a gift.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Do it like that, that was so smooth.
I was like oh, I got likebutterflies, yeah, okay.
Well, I'll take some tape.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
It was blue tape, you know this is blue.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Welcome to the Empowerment Couple podcast,
where your path to self-masteryexpands.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
My co-host is empowerment coach Zuri Starr.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And he's expansion coach Mikey Starr.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Together we are the Empowerment Couple Our mission
is simple to serve you, love soyou can make informed decisions
to regain and maintain yourpersonal power.
We'll take you on a journey toa life filled with purpose,
passion and limitlesspossibilities, while sharing
stories of transformation,wellness hacks and healthy
habits backed by science andancient wisdom.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Plus, we'll keep you entertained with engaging games,
banter and funny innuendosalong the way.
Each episode is an excitingblend of education,
entertainment and empowermentdesigned to help you create a
mindset to be a magnet for morelove, happiness and abundance.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Together with our special guests.
We are dedicated to sharinginformation that empowers you to
create your most beautiful life.
A one Z in the Tuesday yourmost beautiful life.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I got nothing.
I got nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Okay, so tell me about.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
so tell me about this Tell me about this what do I
get Wait, wait.
Tell me something about myself.
You made an observation aboutmyself.
What was that?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Mike and I always dance, as you know before, like
real dance, not just like standup and like, hey yo, we're
dancing on Zoom.
Not that kind of dancing Likereal dance, like we get out of
breath dance.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes, that is one of our rituals before we hop on the
microphone.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yes, and Mike just told me that I have a dance
dimple.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
A dancing dimple.
Basically, it comes out whenyou are dancing.
It only comes out when youdance.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
I have a dimple period.
One, only one.
I'm lopsided.
I have a dimple period.
One, only one.
I'm lopsided, I have one dimpleand it comes out.
Other times, but you're sayingit comes out probably more often
.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
A lot when you are dancing it's like a third eye,
but on your cheek.
You know what I'm saying.
It's just like, hey, what's up?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It's trying to sweet talk you and spitting me around
a little bit more.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I was trying to sweet talk, you, and you were
spitting me around a little bitmore.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
There you go, there you go.
It's probably when I'm tryingto be cute.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Comes out when you are truly smiling.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yes, really happy.
Not a fake smile, not a eek.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Speaking of smiles.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Speaking of smiles, what did we just dance to?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
We actually just danced to.
Actually no one here has heardthis yet it is yet to be
released.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
We are dancing to one of my unreleased songs.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And it was the first time that we've danced to one of
my unreleased songs and it'ssuper exciting, super fun.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
In a number of years.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's been a long time since I've had
an unreleased song, yes, so-.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
But we used to dance to them all the time.
Yes this is true, yeah, but andyour dimple was present during
each of those.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I had to work on my dimple game here.
So that brings us to what weare talking about today.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Which is the power of your smile.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Smiling.
The whole world is better whenyou smile.
Obviously, if you've tuned intoour show before, you know we
smile a lot, you can probablyhear it in our voice.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And we are also very much into free medicine.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
We are, and so today's episode is Smiling
Medicine how your smile rewiresyour nervous system System and
Boosts your Mood Instantly.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Instantly.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
This episode explores the science and energetics
behind smiling, how it activatesyour parasympathetic nervous
system, boosts feel-goodneurotransmitters and rewires
your body towards peace,presence and possibility.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Smiling is free.
The Holy Trinity.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Smiling is free medicine.
Yo, sorry, I had to hit you,that's okay.
And yet so many of us forget touse smile medicine, and it's
literally everyone can do it.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Exactly.
You have a juggernaut of powersat your disposal.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
All you got to do is you know smile.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Smile medicine.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
All you got to do is you know, Smile, smile, smile,
smile, smile Smile Smile SmileSmile, smile, smile, smile,
smile, smile, smile, smile SmileSmile Smile Smile Smile, smile,
smile, smile Smile.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I would do it on a regular basis.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Right.
And so we're just really hereto remind you to smile, because
smiling is medicine, it's anervous system hack, a
confidence booster, a spiritualalignment tool, and today we are
diving deep, deep, deep deep inthat water, so you want to
share a little moment aboutsmiling.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Well, here's the deal .
I've always been told thatsmiling can get you out of the
worst predicaments.
Right, and I'm going to rewindthe tape.
About a year ago, we weredriving in a bus and I got
pulled over for no apparentreason.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Oh, we know why you got pulled over.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
For no apparent reason, I wasn't speeding.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
No, apparent, I wasn't tailgating.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know there was no apparent reason, and yet I get
pulled over.
He wasn't tailgating.
There was no apparent reason,and yet I get pulled over.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
He wasn't doing anything illegal other than just
being.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Happy and.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, black Black.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Okay, let's just put that out there Exactly.
Anyways, I got pulled over andI'm like I was instantly in a
bad mood because I knew what washappening, right, but I knew
exactly what to do, right.
Smiling will get you out of theworst scenarios right.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Anyways, sure enough, I smiled the whole way and the
guy you know basically couldhave given me a ticket for
something that didn't happen.
And yet the interaction betweenme and the cop ended with him
smiling and shaking my hand.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
And then asking about your POS?
No MOS.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
MOS.
I always call it POS POS.
That's a different thingaltogether, I know and I'm like
it's.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
POS and they're like no, it's not, it's MOS, because
I like sounded it out in my head.
I'm like oh, no's not, it's MOS, because I like sounded it out
in my head, oh, no, Iimmediately switched to.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
you know Marine Corps jargon and all that stuff.
Yes, yes, and I also was, butthe smile was there the whole
time and at the end.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
I was smiling too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
He was smiling.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
With my phone out.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Exactly, but there was no ticket given.
Hey, all I can say is the smileset the stage for the event
that I really wanted, which wasme driving off with no ticket.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Okay, no ticket, no ticket you know what I'm saying.
Okay, sassy fan.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
In the wrong state.
Yes, in the wrong place to getpulled over yeah exactly
Harassment could have come myway had I operated with a frown.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Well, yeah, you know what?
I'm saying you don't want to bea mean mugging mofo when you're
getting pulled over.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I could have gotten a new pair of handcuffs for no
reason.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Yes, you know, what I'm saying.
For just having that bad vibes.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
For being amazing.
You know what I mean, simplyfor being amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Well, let's dive into the science.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
But what was your story?
The shotgun Are you just saying?
You were smiling the whole time.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Well, I didn't expect you to monologue for so long,
so Okay.
I was going to carry on.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Got it, let's cut to the chase.
Yeah, ditto.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
So let's dig into the chase.
Yeah, Ditto.
So let's dig into the science.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
How about that?
The science of a smile?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
What happens in the brain when you smile.
Smiling triggers the release ofdopamine, serotonin and
endorphins, your brain's naturalhappy chemicals.
I'm finding it hard to not likegiggle and laugh because I am
smiling so much, because it'stelling me to.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
It's those neurotransmitters you just spoke
of.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yes, they reduce stress, they lower blood
pressure and they improve yourmood.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
And what you're dealing with right now is the
improved mood part of it,because before this your mood
was not as good.
It was all right.
It was all right, but now it'seven better.
I was in a good mood.
I know, I'm just kidding, I'mjust kidding.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
There's a 2010 study published in Psychological
science.
It found that people who smiledDuring stress inducing tasks
had lower heart rates andquicker stress recovery.
So like Basically Anytimeyou're driving in Boston.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, put a smile on your face, smile.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Anytime you are, I don't know, doing your taxes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I was going to say taxes.
You know what?
The one time where that doesn'twork is when you're cleaning
the cat boxes.
You don't want to smile.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
You might need like a mask.
Then smile under the mask.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Maybe take the turban on your head and wrap it around
your mouth.
You'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So there's a facial feedback hypothesis that
suggests that the physical actof smiling sends feedback to the
brain to reinforce positiveemotions.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And what happens when we reinforce positive emotions?
They rewire.
So you start to create more ofthose Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And then there's this quote I love Sometimes your joy
is a source of your smile, butsometimes your smile can be the
source of your joy.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I love that.
Yes, it has the yin yang effectto it.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Exactly Because smiling isn't just a response to
feeling good.
It's a signal that creates thegood feeling.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
The good feeling.
So we're talking about feelingsand, of course, when we talk
about feelings, we talk aboutthe nervous system.
So when we talk about howsmiling activates the
parasympathetic nervous system.
So a genuine Duchenne smileactivates the vagus nerve, which
is the key communicationchannel between your brain and
your body's relaxation response.
(11:26):
Now this shifts you out offlight or flight, which is your
sympathetic nervous system andinto your rest and digest and
connect, which is of course theparasympathetic.
So there's even a theory calledthe polyvagal theory, which
explains how facial expressions,especially smiling, signals
(11:46):
safety to the nervous system.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yes, yes, yes, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
So basically, smiling tells your body you're safe,
which means you can heal, youcan connect and you can create.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Ooh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
So I like the word create because, of course, as we
sit down and we want to createsomething, be it-.
A podcast A podcast, a recipe,a business plan, a date night.
A date night.
Do it with a smile.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
That's right.
You like that, I do like that.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
So your smile is a signal to your nervous system
that the world is safe again,you like that it's like a bird
song.
Oh, a bird song.
Are we ready for a game?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Huh, is it game time?
It's like when you tuck the dogin and ask if they want to go
for a walk.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
My ears are huh.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Huh.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Game time.
Is it game?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
time.
Yeah, let's play a game.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Okay, so I have a game yes, from the depths of my
game drawer which is calledSmile or Frown, and the gist of
this game really is I'm going tosay three phrases and you have
to guess which of those threephrases were said with a smile
(13:07):
or a frown.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh okay, you like that yes.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
All right, and then I'll give you a chance to say
some phrases, if you have somehandy.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Okay, probably not, but go ahead.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Okay, so I want you to close your eyes.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Close my eyes.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
And I want you to hear my words without looking at
my face and I want you to seeif you can tell whether or not
I'm smiling.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Okay, that's the game .
Speaker 2 (13:30):
That's the game.
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Here's the first.
You need to relax, babe.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Definitely not smiling.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's a frown, eyes closed.
Okay, we need to talk.
Say it again Smile or frown.
Say it again we need to talk.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I heard your smile, so I'm going to say smile.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Nah, you cheated.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
You listened for the smiles exactly this little smile
sounds like.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Here's the difference over here.
Here's the frown.
We need to talk, sinister,isn't it Nasty?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Uh-oh Fish face.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Uh-oh, something's about to shift the talk.
The talk.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Great, alright.
What's your number?
Shift the talk, the talk.
Great, all right.
What's your number three?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Number three I'm going to say this with either a
smile or a frown.
Which one are you going toguess?
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Which one are you going to give me?
Do you want me to help?
Do you want me to help?
Do it again.
Do you want me to help?
I think you're like cheatingthe system.
My eyes are closed, but I'mguessing you have neither frown
(14:47):
or smile.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Oh, come now.
It's a total frown.
Do you want me to help?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Okay, first of all, if we play that back, roll the
tape.
That was different Nonsense.
You're trying to cheat thesystem.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
It was the same.
Actually, I frowned even moreMore profound frowning in the
last one, so that's whatprobably would have said it.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Oh yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But the opposite of that is do you want me to help?
He's like, oh yeah, sure.
The other way around is like,oh yeah, chastisement, got it.
What are yours?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
What's hilarious is when you act.
When you do the happy one, itlooks like you're being really
fake.
You want me to help.
It's like you never talk likethis.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I know, but Never that's said with a frown, but an
evil frown which is like anevil laugh.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Okay, so I don't have three, but I do have a reaction
.
I want to play with you.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
And I'm going to say it in two different tones and I
want to see what your reactionis to each tone.
Okay, okay.
So if I was like Mikey, takeout the trash.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
If I was like hey, mike, can you take out the trash
?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Oh, I like the last one better.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yeah, you like that one better.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it means like you have a treat for me at the
end.
Oh, I'll take out the trash.
The first one is like oh, I'mthe trick.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
You're the trash man.
Take out the trash.
Next we're going to talk aboutmy favorite part of the show,
which is emotional and energeticeffects of a smile.
So the energy of a smile isreally fascinating, because
smiling is contagious.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Sure is.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Mirror neurons in the brain cause others to mimic
smiles automatically, smilesautomatically.
So what's crazy is this makessmiling a co-regulation tool, a
way to help others shift intosafety and joy just by being in
your presence.
Crazy, just from smiling.
So a study in the Journal ofNonverbal Behavior found that
(17:12):
smiling individuals areconsistently rated as more
trustworthy, confident andapproachable.
Smiling also improves yourenergetic frequency.
So if you follow Abraham Hicks,abraham Hicks teaches that joy
is one of the highestvibrational states and if you
look at like the emotionalguidance scale, it's right up
(17:35):
there, honey, it's at the verytippy, tippy top.
So a smile is frequencymedicine.
It shifts your vibe faster thanany to-do list ever will.
And, as Mother Teresa says,peace begins with a smile.
Inner peace, baby.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I like how you talk about energetic frequency and
how you have the ability toraise and lower that frequency
just by manipulating parts ofyour body.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Also means your mouth , yeah, so like we talked about
movement medicine last month andwe're talking about smile
medicine.
Little tiny shifts are going tochange your entire nervous
system, which in turn changesyour frequency your vibrational
energy that other people feelfrom you.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, and that is alsocontagious.
People want to feel better.
So when they get that good,safety-loving feeling from you,
they are going to reproduce itto be a part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yes, indeed, indeed Indeed.
And you know we we did a show acouple couple of weeks back
about embodiment right and andactually taking information and
putting it into play.
So what I want to talk about alittle bit is how we can
actually practice smile medicinein our real life situation,
right, one of my favorites is tosmile when you wake up.
(18:58):
Before you even check yourphone.
Head on pillow, you wake up andyou smile.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, or if you're like turning off your alarm, you
just like you know, turn offthe alarm and ah yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
One of my favorites is smiling at strangers.
I'm talking about baristas,co-workers.
You're sitting in line, youknow, waiting for the red light
to change.
You know green.
I look over to the left andright and I smile.
It's nice, it's nice.
I like to smile beforeresponding to difficult
(19:35):
conversations, which to includeif I have to write an email that
I'm not really excited aboutwriting, I will smile first,
doing so because the languagethat I will use tends to be more
warm and welcoming and lessemotional and harsh or things
like that.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Do you like to smile before responding in difficult
conversations?
That's amazing.
I cannot wait to see that inpractice.
This is something you'recommitting to.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yes, I'm going to put a smile on my face before I
answer that, yes, yes, I lovethat for you.
Smile while you were respondingto difficult situations too,
not before.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Yes, you can smile before, you can smile while, you
can smile after, whilecrocodile.
So tell me some ways thatsmiling has helped you
professionally.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Oh, wow, well, one of the many jobs that I did.
I was a recruiter for a while,crocodile, so tell me some ways
that smiling has helped youprofessionally.
Oh, wow, well, one of the manyjobs that I did.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I was a recruiter for a while.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Corporate recruiter.
Corporate recruiter yeah, itwas a very cutthroat business,
literally calling people at work, telling them to quit their
jobs or sending me a resume.
Right, it's cutthroat, right,but what they said when I went
through the training is you gotto do two things.
When you are on the phone withsomeone a potential client the
first thing you do is you standup because it gives you a sense
(20:56):
of authority.
The second thing you do is yousmile.
If you smile during the wholeconversation, you are more than
likely to get that person to sayyes, I trust in you, I will
send you my resume, I'll put mybutt on the line and see what
happens.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
So one of the ways that I've used smiling quite a
bit with coaching is that, likeif I'm coaching a client that is
about to do the smallest thinglike a reel on Instagram to
recording their course or goingon the nightly news I always
tell them, as soon as you areready, put a smile on your face,
(21:36):
because it tells your nervoussystem you're safe.
And the second, that yournervous system feels that you're
safe, especially if you'regoing to go on stage in front of
a bunch of people or it'ssomething that you haven't done
before smile, Put a smile onyour face the entire time before
you are going to hit, start, golights, camera action,
whatever's happening.
If you have a smile on yourface for a good amount of time
(21:59):
before you're fine.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I would go so far as to say that your smile is your
superpower mask.
The moment you need to tap intoyour superpowers, put on your
smile and then you get thebreath of all of your agencies
and it helps.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The whole standing thing is also something that I
coach.
It's like get in thatsuperwoman stance and instantly
you'll connect to your powersource.
So you and I, even when we werenot coaching together, we're
coaching very similarly.
Yeah, well, I taught youeverything I.
Even when we were not coachingtogether, we're coaching very
similarly, yeah yeah, well, Itaught you everything I know oh,
(22:36):
wise one.
Yes, how lucky I am you'rewelcome how fortunate.
So, uh, I think that's it.
Any other smile stories youwant to share?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Oh my God, the smile stories are abound.
I mean I could actually.
No, I can look at my life and Ican say, and I can see all the
places where I went wrong.
And most of those placesstarted with a frown.
You know, saying yes to a badsituation, right?
Usually they started off with afrown because I was-.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Emitting that frequency.
I Emitting that frequency.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I was emitting that frequency.
No, I was engaging in somethingin the future while holding on
to fear, while holding on toanger or bitterness, right?
So when you put on thatsuperhero mask, right, and
that's that smile, it changesyour trajectory right away.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Yeah, because then you're no longer a magnet to
bullshit, because you're smiling, so you have the energy of you
know, pure, positive, cleanenergy.
That is correct, your nervoussystem is like oh, we're safe,
we're good, oh, I can just be myhappy, vibrant self.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yes, I mean honestly.
Going back to the gettingpulled over, the best possible
scenario that I was presentedwith was the one that I got,
which is driving away with noissues.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah, no ticket.
No ticket, no warning, nothing.
No, let's see you in court.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Had he walked up and I was all frown mean mugging.
There would have been somethingthat he could have charged me
with, because I would havecreated my own issues.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yes, you know what I mean.
So a client of mine, for example, has a lot of fear about being
on stage, on stage, and so muchso that when she's about to go
on stage, um, and when I've seenvideo of her on stage and we
both have laughed about it isthat she literally has the face
(24:35):
of like fear, like the fear isall over her face, and it's, I
mean to the point where her faceis like stuck in a downward
position and she was never awareof it until like they filmed
her going onto stage and she'slike, oh my gosh, I didn't
realize, like I knew I wasscared, like my knees were
(24:55):
shaking and I remember like mymouth getting dry and all the
things, and and I was like, well, what was your face doing?
And so then we like rolled tapeand she's like there's that
frown and she had this.
It was more like um, like itlooked like she had just saw a
ghost, kind of like she wasterrified and it was on her face
.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It was like there was no hiding it was it one of
those those frowns that wastrying to be a smile, but it
looked like a grimace.
No, it's like.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I'll show you a picture of her uh of of this,
because we actually have usedthis, because it's it's
basically, when you areterrified, your body knows and
and if your body knows, then you, it's really hard to get your
brain back on track and it'sreally hard to, you know, follow
through with what you want totalk about and it just takes
(25:44):
over you.
The fear just completely takesover you and some people will
take like beta blockers, andit's definitely not necessary if
you know how to control yournervous system, and smiling is
one of those things.
And so we, we cultivated like apractice of, like the mantra
she's going to say with thesmile on her face, so that she's
instantly put into a positionof power, and also just like
(26:08):
peace, you know, like, oh, I'mhere, this is what I, this is
what I want to do, this is whatI want to do with my life.
I came here to serve and thenthen she has a good outcome.
The other thing that was funnyabout it is that she had spent
all of this money paying for,you know, a photographer and a
videographer and like gettingall of this money paying for,
you know, a photographer and avideographer, and like getting
(26:30):
all of this content, she thought.
And she hated all of thecontent because she didn't
prepare herself, she didn't havea coach, so she didn't prepare
herself to like, go on stagewith some type of ritual,
something that she could, youknow, attract the outcome that
she wanted.
It was like, okay, this iseverything I want to happen, but
the entire time leading up toit she was just visualizing
(26:53):
herself on stage being terrified.
So that's exactly what she got.
She got exactly what she wasthinking about.
She called her shot.
Yeah, she called her shot.
So then, when they were takingall these photos and videos,
she's like I can't use any ofthem.
I didn't smile once.
My mouth was tight.
I had no saliva.
You know, if you smile likeeveryone listening right now,
(27:18):
just smile for a second.
It creates like spit, itcreates moisture, it lubes you
up.
So if you're not smiling, thisis why you get a tight mouth,
this is why you get no salivaproduction and you also get like
sometimes you get a littledizzy because you start locking
(27:39):
your knees and you're lockingyour shoulders?
Yeah, and you're just likefreaking out.
And the second that you smile,your body's like oh, we're okay,
she's smiling.
So sometimes you do have tofake it a little bit and then
add some mantra so they can kindof get into it and then start
feeling, into the feeling of,like you know, safety and joy
(28:00):
and purpose and alignment.
It's beautiful, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Yeah, well, you did mention photography and as a a
photographer, really, in orderfor me to get the best shot, I
have to smile, right?
I have to put up that warm,creative, loving energy in order
to get that out of whoever I'mshooting.
So it is contagious, it is atool.
Yeah, for sure that you can usein every aspect of your life
(28:29):
I've been taking.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
I've taken photos with photographers and when they
are uptight it's really hard toget into a flow state.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Correct, here's the deal.
Here's the little key right, alittle manifestation key.
When you are visualizingyourself in the future, always
visualize yourself smiling.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
And smile when you visualize yourself.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
That too.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Double smile.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
A double smile, because you're encoding
happiness in the practice andalso in the point of destination
.
It's nice, huh.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Yes, I love that.
How about a quote battle?
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Oh, I'd definitely challenge you to a quote battle.
What do you got?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I got a smile is the curve that sets everything
straight.
Phyllis Diller.
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I like that one.
Here's this one.
I have many problems in life,but my lips don't know that they
always smile.
That's from Charlie Chapman.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
I like that one you like that.
Your smile is your logo, yourpersonality is your business
card, and how you leave othersfeeling after having an
experience with you becomes yourtrademark.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Ooh, mm-hmm, I got one for you specifically Zuri
trademark.
Ooh, mm-hmm, I got one for you,specifically Zuri.
Okay, smile, it is the secondbest thing you can do with your
lips.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
All right, I'm going to take it home.
Here you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Do it With those cute lips of yours.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
A smile is happiness you'll find right under your
nose.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Oh, that's right.
Who's that?
Speaker 1 (30:13):
It's Tom Wilson.
Oh yeah, or we know him.
You don't like that one, I'llgive you an unknown Smile.
It confuses people.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
That sounds like George Carlin.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Totally.
But it says unknown.
Okay, okay, how about a Chineseproverb?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I love proverbs.
Proverbs are good too, butproverbs are the best.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Every smile makes you a day younger.
You like that.
Every smile makes you a dayyounger.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I love that.
Oh, okay, you're smiling, honey.
You're getting younger andyounger.
Watch this one.
There is fear when frowning.
There is love when smiling.
Spread the love.
I put the spread the love atthe last.
That's mine.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
That's yours.
So here's our challenge for theweek.
Week we are calling on theEmpowered Posse to try smiling
intentionally five times per dayand notice what shifts.
Just you know, like if you aredriving to work or you're
(31:25):
sipping on your coffee orwhatever you're doing, just try
to insert a smile into it andand pick five times throughout
the day that you're going to dothis.
So that's our call to actionfor this week is to get active
by just adding a simple smile.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
In the elevator in traffic.
You know what I'm talking aboutyour pickup line to pick up
your kids.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Basically everywhere, everywhere.
Whatever you got going on inyour life and whatever you're
doing, even if you stay at home,like you know you have a baby.
Just smile at your baby extra.
Like, just figure out a way toadd five more smiles to your day
.
That's your challenge.
And the second thing we want toinvite you to do is to come
(32:13):
visit us on social.
I want to see like a smileselfie or tag me in something
that made you smile.
Just let's start sharing thesmile more with one another.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Let's see how contagious it could be.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
It's so contagious and we have a bunch of smile
content for you this week.
So visit us on the EmpowermentCouple on Instagram and we are
going to be giving you a toolfor emotional regulation, brain
chemistry, healing andconnection on our Instagram.
So come visit us.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
We are there for you.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Yes, and we definitely want those smile
selfies.
You are always welcome.
We want to invite you to tellus what you would like to hear
on the show.
Tell us who you want on theshow.
We are always available in DMs.
If you want to privately sharesomething.
You want to reach out to us.
We also have links in our shownotes that you can apply to be
(33:08):
on the show.
We just have a simple form justto make sure we're in alignment
.
And, yeah, just tell us who youwant to see and what you want
to hear and we're here to serveyou.
Love.
And I want to end on a littleclosing affirmation.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Make sure, when you give the affirmation, that
you're smiling.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Okay, ready, freddie.
Yeah, can you hear my smile?
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah, I see the smile , here we go.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I carry medicine in my body.
My smile is how I share it withthe world.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
I love that first one , that I carry medicine in my
body.
We all carry medicine in ourbody.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Yes, that's what's so beautiful about free medicine
it's accessible to everyone.
So make it smiley.
Yeah, make it smiley.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I'm smiling at you now.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
When you smile, the whole world smiles with you.
Oh, we all know that one, thatone's solid.
Okay, sending you the highestvibrations.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
You are health.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You are love.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yeah, this shifts you , shifts you out of.
Stop smiling like that.
It's so cute, but it's, it's so.
It's distracting that littledouchane little.
Look, you got in there, okay.
So I'm talking about the, theshift you know, going in and out
no no you're not.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I washed my hair and then I was like I'm just going
to put my hair in a littleturban.
Mike said I look like a whitegenie.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yeah you kind of do.
But you didn't come out of alamp, you came out of like a.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Gucci handbag or something.
It's the gold rims.
Do I look wise?
Speaker 2 (34:56):
You look like you're.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
You want to rub on my lamp to make some wishes?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
I can and I will.
This is the sound of me rubbingon it.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Alright, so if we haven't made you smile or laugh
with our silliness, you know,check your pulse.
The mic just made us stop so he could grab something
off the ledge of my officewindow and I was fully like, oh
no, like I've seen way too manyromantic comedies.
Because I was like what's hedoing?
Is he giving me a big gift?
Am I getting a big gift rightnow?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
But you know what, though it?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
was tape from when we painted.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
But you know why?
You thought that Because youwere smiling, your expectations
were so high.
You were like oh my God, I'mopen, this could happen.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Or less than an hour ago, I gave you a present
unexpected.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
That is correct.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
So maybe I was just like, oh, it's going to come
back to me.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Oh, we're having a gift war, so that's what it is
that was pretty smooth if you'reever gonna give me a gift.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Do it like that, that was so smooth.
I was like oh, I got likebutterflies, yeah, okay.
Well, I'll take some tape.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
It was blue tape, you know this is blue.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Welcome to the Empowerment Couple podcast,
where your path to self-masteryexpands.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
My co-host is empowerment coach Zuri Starr.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And he's expansion coach Mikey Starr.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Together we are the Empowerment Couple Our mission
is simple to serve you, love soyou can make informed decisions
to regain and maintain yourpersonal power.
We'll take you on a journey toa life filled with purpose,
passion and limitlesspossibilities, while sharing
stories of transformation,wellness hacks and healthy
habits backed by science andancient wisdom.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Plus, we'll keep you entertained with engaging games,
banter and funny innuendosalong the way.
Each episode is an excitingblend of education,
entertainment and empowermentdesigned to help you create a
mindset to be a magnet for morelove, happiness and abundance.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Together with our special guests.
We are dedicated to sharinginformation that empowers you to
create your most beautiful life.
A one Z in the Tuesday yourmost beautiful life.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I got nothing.
I got nothing.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I forgot.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Okay, so tell me about.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
so tell me about this Tell me about this what do I
get Wait, wait.
Tell me something about myself.
You made an observation aboutmyself.
What was that?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Mike and I always dance, as you know before, like
real dance, not just like standup and like, hey yo, we're
dancing on Zoom.
Not that kind of dancing Likereal dance, like we get out of
breath dance.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes, that is one of our rituals before we hop on the
microphone.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yes, and Mike just told me that I have a dance
dimple.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
A dancing dimple.
Basically, it comes out whenyou are dancing.
It only comes out when youdance.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
I have a dimple period.
One, only one.
I'm lopsided.
I have a dimple period.
One, only one.
I'm lopsided, I have one dimpleand it comes out.
Other times, but you're sayingit comes out probably more often
.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
A lot when you are dancing it's like a third eye,
but on your cheek.
You know what I'm saying.
It's just like, hey, what's up?
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It's trying to sweet talk you and spitting me around
a little bit more.
There you go.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
I was trying to sweet talk, you, and you were
spitting me around a little bitmore.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
There you go, there you go.
It's probably when I'm tryingto be cute.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Comes out when you are truly smiling.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yes, really happy.
Not a fake smile, not a eek.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Speaking of smiles.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Speaking of smiles, what did we just dance to?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
We actually just danced to.
Actually no one here has heardthis yet it is yet to be
released.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
We are dancing to one of my unreleased songs.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And it was the first time that we've danced to one of
my unreleased songs and it'ssuper exciting, super fun.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
In a number of years.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's been a long time since I've had
an unreleased song, yes, so-.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
But we used to dance to them all the time.
Yes this is true, yeah, but andyour dimple was present during
each of those.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I had to work on my dimple game here.
So that brings us to what weare talking about today.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Which is the power of your smile.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Smiling.
The whole world is better whenyou smile.
Obviously, if you've tuned intoour show before, you know we
smile a lot, you can probablyhear it in our voice.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And we are also very much into free medicine.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
We are, and so today's episode is Smiling
Medicine how your smile rewiresyour nervous system System and
Boosts your Mood Instantly.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Instantly.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
This episode explores the science and energetics
behind smiling, how it activatesyour parasympathetic nervous
system, boosts feel-goodneurotransmitters and rewires
your body towards peace,presence and possibility.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Smiling is free.
The Holy Trinity.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Smiling is free medicine.
Yo, sorry, I had to hit you,that's okay.
And yet so many of us forget touse smile medicine, and it's
literally everyone can do it.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Exactly.
You have a juggernaut of powersat your disposal.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
All you got to do is you know smile.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Smile medicine.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
All you got to do is you know, Smile, smile, smile,
smile, smile Smile Smile SmileSmile, smile, smile, smile,
smile, smile, smile, smile SmileSmile Smile Smile Smile, smile,
smile, smile Smile.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I would do it on a regular basis.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Right.
And so we're just really hereto remind you to smile, because
smiling is medicine, it's anervous system hack, a
confidence booster, a spiritualalignment tool, and today we are
diving deep, deep, deep deep inthat water, so you want to
share a little moment aboutsmiling.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Well, here's the deal .
I've always been told thatsmiling can get you out of the
worst predicaments.
Right, and I'm going to rewindthe tape.
About a year ago, we weredriving in a bus and I got
pulled over for no apparentreason.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Oh, we know why you got pulled over.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
For no apparent reason, I wasn't speeding.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
No, apparent, I wasn't tailgating.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know there was no apparent reason, and yet I get
pulled over.
He wasn't tailgating.
There was no apparent reason,and yet I get pulled over.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
He wasn't doing anything illegal other than just
being.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Happy and.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, black Black.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Okay, let's just put that out there Exactly.
Anyways, I got pulled over andI'm like I was instantly in a
bad mood because I knew what washappening, right, but I knew
exactly what to do, right.
Smiling will get you out of theworst scenarios right.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Anyways, sure enough, I smiled the whole way and the
guy you know basically couldhave given me a ticket for
something that didn't happen.
And yet the interaction betweenme and the cop ended with him
smiling and shaking my hand.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
And then asking about your POS?
No MOS.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
MOS.
I always call it POS POS.
That's a different thingaltogether, I know and I'm like
it's.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
POS and they're like no, it's not, it's MOS, because
I like sounded it out in my head.
I'm like oh, no's not, it's MOS, because I like sounded it out
in my head, oh, no, Iimmediately switched to.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
you know Marine Corps jargon and all that stuff.
Yes, yes, and I also was, butthe smile was there the whole
time and at the end.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
I was smiling too.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
He was smiling.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
With my phone out.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Exactly, but there was no ticket given.
Hey, all I can say is the smileset the stage for the event
that I really wanted, which wasme driving off with no ticket.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Okay, no ticket, no ticket you know what I'm saying.
Okay, sassy fan.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
In the wrong state.
Yes, in the wrong place to getpulled over yeah exactly
Harassment could have come myway had I operated with a frown.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Well, yeah, you know what?
I'm saying you don't want to bea mean mugging mofo when you're
getting pulled over.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I could have gotten a new pair of handcuffs for no
reason.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Yes, you know, what I'm saying.
For just having that bad vibes.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
For being amazing.
You know what I mean, simplyfor being amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Well, let's dive into the science.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
But what was your story?
The shotgun Are you just saying?
You were smiling the whole time.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Well, I didn't expect you to monologue for so long,
so Okay.
I was going to carry on.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Got it, let's cut to the chase.
Yeah, ditto.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
So let's dig into the chase.
Yeah, Ditto.
So let's dig into the science.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
How about that?
The science of a smile?
Speaker 1 (08:52):
What happens in the brain when you smile.
Smiling triggers the release ofdopamine, serotonin and
endorphins, your brain's naturalhappy chemicals.
I'm finding it hard to not likegiggle and laugh because I am
smiling so much, because it'stelling me to.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
It's those neurotransmitters you just spoke
of.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yes, they reduce stress, they lower blood
pressure and they improve yourmood.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
And what you're dealing with right now is the
improved mood part of it,because before this your mood
was not as good.
It was all right.
It was all right, but now it'seven better.
I was in a good mood.
I know, I'm just kidding, I'mjust kidding.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
There's a 2010 study published in Psychological
science.
It found that people who smiledDuring stress inducing tasks
had lower heart rates andquicker stress recovery.
So like Basically Anytimeyou're driving in Boston.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, put a smile on your face, smile.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Anytime you are, I don't know, doing your taxes.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I was going to say taxes.
You know what?
The one time where that doesn'twork is when you're cleaning
the cat boxes.
You don't want to smile.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
You might need like a mask.
Then smile under the mask.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Maybe take the turban on your head and wrap it around
your mouth.
You'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So there's a facial feedback hypothesis that
suggests that the physical actof smiling sends feedback to the
brain to reinforce positiveemotions.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And what happens when we reinforce positive emotions?
They rewire.
So you start to create more ofthose Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And then there's this quote I love Sometimes your joy
is a source of your smile, butsometimes your smile can be the
source of your joy.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I love that.
Yes, it has the yin yang effectto it.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Exactly Because smiling isn't just a response to
feeling good.
It's a signal that creates thegood feeling.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
The good feeling.
So we're talking about feelingsand, of course, when we talk
about feelings, we talk aboutthe nervous system.
So when we talk about howsmiling activates the
parasympathetic nervous system.
So a genuine Duchenne smileactivates the vagus nerve, which
is the key communicationchannel between your brain and
your body's relaxation response.
(11:26):
Now this shifts you out offlight or flight, which is your
sympathetic nervous system andinto your rest and digest and
connect, which is of course theparasympathetic.
So there's even a theory calledthe polyvagal theory, which
explains how facial expressions,especially smiling, signals
(11:46):
safety to the nervous system.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yes, yes, yes, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
So basically, smiling tells your body you're safe,
which means you can heal, youcan connect and you can create.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Ooh, I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
So I like the word create because, of course, as we
sit down and we want to createsomething, be it-.
A podcast A podcast, a recipe,a business plan, a date night.
A date night.
Do it with a smile.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
That's right.
You like that, I do like that.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
So your smile is a signal to your nervous system
that the world is safe again,you like that it's like a bird
song.
Oh, a bird song.
Are we ready for a game?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Huh, is it game time?
It's like when you tuck the dogin and ask if they want to go
for a walk.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
My ears are huh.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Huh.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Game time.
Is it game?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
time.
Yeah, let's play a game.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Okay, so I have a game yes, from the depths of my
game drawer which is calledSmile or Frown, and the gist of
this game really is I'm going tosay three phrases and you have
to guess which of those threephrases were said with a smile
(13:07):
or a frown.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh okay, you like that yes.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
All right, and then I'll give you a chance to say
some phrases, if you have somehandy.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Okay, probably not, but go ahead.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Okay, so I want you to close your eyes.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Close my eyes.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
And I want you to hear my words without looking at
my face and I want you to seeif you can tell whether or not
I'm smiling.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Okay, that's the game .
Speaker 2 (13:30):
That's the game.
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Oh.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Here's the first.
You need to relax, babe.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Definitely not smiling.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's a frown, eyes closed.
Okay, we need to talk.
Say it again Smile or frown.
Say it again we need to talk.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I heard your smile, so I'm going to say smile.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Nah, you cheated.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
You listened for the smiles exactly this little smile
sounds like.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Here's the difference over here.
Here's the frown.
We need to talk, sinister,isn't it Nasty?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Uh-oh Fish face.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Uh-oh, something's about to shift the talk.
The talk.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Great, alright.
What's your number?
Shift the talk, the talk.
Great, all right.
What's your number three?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Number three I'm going to say this with either a
smile or a frown.
Which one are you going toguess?
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Which one are you going to give me?
Do you want me to help?
Do you want me to help?
Do it again.
Do you want me to help?
I think you're like cheatingthe system.
My eyes are closed, but I'mguessing you have neither frown
(14:47):
or smile.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Oh, come now.
It's a total frown.
Do you want me to help?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Okay, first of all, if we play that back, roll the
tape.
That was different Nonsense.
You're trying to cheat thesystem.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
It was the same.
Actually, I frowned even moreMore profound frowning in the
last one, so that's whatprobably would have said it.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Oh yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But the opposite of that is do you want me to help?
He's like, oh yeah, sure.
The other way around is like,oh yeah, chastisement, got it.
What are yours?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
What's hilarious is when you act.
When you do the happy one, itlooks like you're being really
fake.
You want me to help.
It's like you never talk likethis.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
I know, but Never that's said with a frown, but an
evil frown which is like anevil laugh.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Okay, so I don't have three, but I do have a reaction
.
I want to play with you.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
And I'm going to say it in two different tones and I
want to see what your reactionis to each tone.
Okay, okay.
So if I was like Mikey, takeout the trash.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
If I was like hey, mike, can you take out the trash
?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Oh, I like the last one better.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yeah, you like that one better.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, it means like you have a treat for me at the
end.
Oh, I'll take out the trash.
The first one is like oh, I'mthe trick.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
You're the trash man.
Take out the trash.
Next we're going to talk aboutmy favorite part of the show,
which is emotional and energeticeffects of a smile.
So the energy of a smile isreally fascinating, because
smiling is contagious.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Sure is.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Mirror neurons in the brain cause others to mimic
smiles automatically, smilesautomatically.
So what's crazy is this makessmiling a co-regulation tool, a
way to help others shift intosafety and joy just by being in
your presence.
Crazy, just from smiling.
So a study in the Journal ofNonverbal Behavior found that
(17:12):
smiling individuals areconsistently rated as more
trustworthy, confident andapproachable.
Smiling also improves yourenergetic frequency.
So if you follow Abraham Hicks,abraham Hicks teaches that joy
is one of the highestvibrational states and if you
look at like the emotionalguidance scale, it's right up
(17:35):
there, honey, it's at the verytippy, tippy top.
So a smile is frequencymedicine.
It shifts your vibe faster thanany to-do list ever will.
And, as Mother Teresa says,peace begins with a smile.
Inner peace, baby.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
I like how you talk about energetic frequency and
how you have the ability toraise and lower that frequency
just by manipulating parts ofyour body.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Also means your mouth , yeah, so like we talked about
movement medicine last month andwe're talking about smile
medicine.
Little tiny shifts are going tochange your entire nervous
system, which in turn changesyour frequency your vibrational
energy that other people feelfrom you.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, and that is alsocontagious.
People want to feel better.
So when they get that good,safety-loving feeling from you,
they are going to reproduce itto be a part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yes, indeed, indeed Indeed.
And you know we we did a show acouple couple of weeks back
about embodiment right and andactually taking information and
putting it into play.
So what I want to talk about alittle bit is how we can
actually practice smile medicinein our real life situation,
right, one of my favorites is tosmile when you wake up.
(18:58):
Before you even check yourphone.
Head on pillow, you wake up andyou smile.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, or if you're like turning off your alarm, you
just like you know, turn offthe alarm and ah yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
One of my favorites is smiling at strangers.
I'm talking about baristas,co-workers.
You're sitting in line, youknow, waiting for the red light
to change.
You know green.
I look over to the left andright and I smile.
It's nice, it's nice.
I like to smile beforeresponding to difficult
(19:35):
conversations, which to includeif I have to write an email that
I'm not really excited aboutwriting, I will smile first,
doing so because the languagethat I will use tends to be more
warm and welcoming and lessemotional and harsh or things
like that.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Do you like to smile before responding in difficult
conversations?
That's amazing.
I cannot wait to see that inpractice.
This is something you'recommitting to.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yes, I'm going to put a smile on my face before I
answer that, yes, yes, I lovethat for you.
Smile while you were respondingto difficult situations too,
not before.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Yes, you can smile before, you can smile while, you
can smile after, whilecrocodile.
So tell me some ways thatsmiling has helped you
professionally.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Oh, wow, well, one of the many jobs that I did.
I was a recruiter for a while,crocodile, so tell me some ways
that smiling has helped youprofessionally.
Oh, wow, well, one of the manyjobs that I did.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I was a recruiter for a while.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Corporate recruiter.
Corporate recruiter yeah, itwas a very cutthroat business,
literally calling people at work, telling them to quit their
jobs or sending me a resume.
Right, it's cutthroat, right,but what they said when I went
through the training is you gotto do two things.
When you are on the phone withsomeone a potential client the
first thing you do is you standup because it gives you a sense
(20:56):
of authority.
The second thing you do is yousmile.
If you smile during the wholeconversation, you are more than
likely to get that person to sayyes, I trust in you, I will
send you my resume, I'll put mybutt on the line and see what
happens.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
So one of the ways that I've used smiling quite a
bit with coaching is that, likeif I'm coaching a client that is
about to do the smallest thinglike a reel on Instagram to
recording their course or goingon the nightly news I always
tell them, as soon as you areready, put a smile on your face,
(21:36):
because it tells your nervoussystem you're safe.
And the second, that yournervous system feels that you're
safe, especially if you'regoing to go on stage in front of
a bunch of people or it'ssomething that you haven't done
before smile, Put a smile onyour face the entire time before
you are going to hit, start, golights, camera action,
whatever's happening.
If you have a smile on yourface for a good amount of time
(21:59):
before you're fine.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I would go so far as to say that your smile is your
superpower mask.
The moment you need to tap intoyour superpowers, put on your
smile and then you get thebreath of all of your agencies
and it helps.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The whole standing thing is also something that I
coach.
It's like get in thatsuperwoman stance and instantly
you'll connect to your powersource.
So you and I, even when we werenot coaching together, we're
coaching very similarly.
Yeah, well, I taught youeverything I.
Even when we were not coachingtogether, we're coaching very
similarly, yeah yeah, well, Itaught you everything I know oh,
(22:36):
wise one.
Yes, how lucky I am you'rewelcome how fortunate.
So, uh, I think that's it.
Any other smile stories youwant to share?
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Oh my God, the smile stories are abound.
I mean I could actually.
No, I can look at my life and Ican say, and I can see all the
places where I went wrong.
And most of those placesstarted with a frown.
You know, saying yes to a badsituation, right?
Usually they started off with afrown because I was-.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Emitting that frequency.
I Emitting that frequency.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
I was emitting that frequency.
No, I was engaging in somethingin the future while holding on
to fear, while holding on toanger or bitterness, right?
So when you put on thatsuperhero mask, right, and
that's that smile, it changesyour trajectory right away.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Yeah, because then you're no longer a magnet to
bullshit, because you're smiling, so you have the energy of you
know, pure, positive, cleanenergy.
That is correct, your nervoussystem is like oh, we're safe,
we're good, oh, I can just be myhappy, vibrant self.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Yes, I mean honestly.
Going back to the gettingpulled over, the best possible
scenario that I was presentedwith was the one that I got,
which is driving away with noissues.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah, no ticket.
No ticket, no warning, nothing.
No, let's see you in court.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Had he walked up and I was all frown mean mugging.
There would have been somethingthat he could have charged me
with, because I would havecreated my own issues.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yes, you know what I mean.
So a client of mine, for example, has a lot of fear about being
on stage, on stage, and so muchso that when she's about to go
on stage, um, and when I've seenvideo of her on stage and we
both have laughed about it isthat she literally has the face
(24:35):
of like fear, like the fear isall over her face, and it's, I
mean to the point where her faceis like stuck in a downward
position and she was never awareof it until like they filmed
her going onto stage and she'slike, oh my gosh, I didn't
realize, like I knew I wasscared, like my knees were
(24:55):
shaking and I remember like mymouth getting dry and all the
things, and and I was like, well, what was your face doing?
And so then we like rolled tapeand she's like there's that
frown and she had this.
It was more like um, like itlooked like she had just saw a
ghost, kind of like she wasterrified and it was on her face
.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It was like there was no hiding it was it one of
those those frowns that wastrying to be a smile, but it
looked like a grimace.
No, it's like.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I'll show you a picture of her uh of of this,
because we actually have usedthis, because it's it's
basically, when you areterrified, your body knows and
and if your body knows, then you, it's really hard to get your
brain back on track and it'sreally hard to, you know, follow
through with what you want totalk about and it just takes
(25:44):
over you.
The fear just completely takesover you and some people will
take like beta blockers, andit's definitely not necessary if
you know how to control yournervous system, and smiling is
one of those things.
And so we, we cultivated like apractice of, like the mantra
she's going to say with thesmile on her face, so that she's
instantly put into a positionof power, and also just like
(26:08):
peace, you know, like, oh, I'mhere, this is what I, this is
what I want to do, this is whatI want to do with my life.
I came here to serve and thenthen she has a good outcome.
The other thing that was funnyabout it is that she had spent
all of this money paying for,you know, a photographer and a
videographer and like gettingall of this money paying for,
you know, a photographer and avideographer, and like getting
(26:30):
all of this content, she thought.
And she hated all of thecontent because she didn't
prepare herself, she didn't havea coach, so she didn't prepare
herself to like, go on stagewith some type of ritual,
something that she could, youknow, attract the outcome that
she wanted.
It was like, okay, this iseverything I want to happen, but
the entire time leading up toit she was just visualizing
(26:53):
herself on stage being terrified.
So that's exactly what she got.
She got exactly what she wasthinking about.
She called her shot.
Yeah, she called her shot.
So then, when they were takingall these photos and videos,
she's like I can't use any ofthem.
I didn't smile once.
My mouth was tight.
I had no saliva.
You know, if you smile likeeveryone listening right now,
(27:18):
just smile for a second.
It creates like spit, itcreates moisture, it lubes you
up.
So if you're not smiling, thisis why you get a tight mouth,
this is why you get no salivaproduction and you also get like
sometimes you get a littledizzy because you start locking
(27:39):
your knees and you're lockingyour shoulders?
Yeah, and you're just likefreaking out.
And the second that you smile,your body's like oh, we're okay,
she's smiling.
So sometimes you do have tofake it a little bit and then
add some mantra so they can kindof get into it and then start
feeling, into the feeling of,like you know, safety and joy
(28:00):
and purpose and alignment.
It's beautiful, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Yeah, well, you did mention photography and as a a
photographer, really, in orderfor me to get the best shot, I
have to smile, right?
I have to put up that warm,creative, loving energy in order
to get that out of whoever I'mshooting.
So it is contagious, it is atool.
Yeah, for sure that you can usein every aspect of your life
(28:29):
I've been taking.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
I've taken photos with photographers and when they
are uptight it's really hard toget into a flow state.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Correct, here's the deal.
Here's the little key right, alittle manifestation key.
When you are visualizingyourself in the future, always
visualize yourself smiling.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
And smile when you visualize yourself.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
That too.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Double smile.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
A double smile, because you're encoding
happiness in the practice andalso in the point of destination
.
It's nice, huh.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
Yes, I love that.
How about a quote battle?
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Oh, I'd definitely challenge you to a quote battle.
What do you got?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
I got a smile is the curve that sets everything
straight.
Phyllis Diller.
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I like that one.
Here's this one.
I have many problems in life,but my lips don't know that they
always smile.
That's from Charlie Chapman.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
I like that one you like that.
Your smile is your logo, yourpersonality is your business
card, and how you leave othersfeeling after having an
experience with you becomes yourtrademark.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Ooh, mm-hmm, I got one for you specifically Zuri
trademark.
Ooh, mm-hmm, I got one for you,specifically Zuri.
Okay, smile, it is the secondbest thing you can do with your
lips.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
All right, I'm going to take it home.
Here you ready for this?
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Do it With those cute lips of yours.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
A smile is happiness you'll find right under your
nose.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Oh, that's right.
Who's that?
Speaker 1 (30:13):
It's Tom Wilson.
Oh yeah, or we know him.
You don't like that one, I'llgive you an unknown Smile.
It confuses people.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
That sounds like George Carlin.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Totally.
But it says unknown.
Okay, okay, how about a Chineseproverb?
Speaker 2 (30:31):
I love proverbs.
Proverbs are good too, butproverbs are the best.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Every smile makes you a day younger.
You like that.
Every smile makes you a dayyounger.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I love that.
Oh, okay, you're smiling, honey.
You're getting younger andyounger.
Watch this one.
There is fear when frowning.
There is love when smiling.
Spread the love.
I put the spread the love atthe last.
That's mine.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
That's yours.
So here's our challenge for theweek.
Week we are calling on theEmpowered Posse to try smiling
intentionally five times per dayand notice what shifts.
Just you know, like if you aredriving to work or you're
(31:25):
sipping on your coffee orwhatever you're doing, just try
to insert a smile into it andand pick five times throughout
the day that you're going to dothis.
So that's our call to actionfor this week is to get active
by just adding a simple smile.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
In the elevator in traffic.
You know what I'm talking aboutyour pickup line to pick up
your kids.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Basically everywhere, everywhere.
Whatever you got going on inyour life and whatever you're
doing, even if you stay at home,like you know you have a baby.
Just smile at your baby extra.
Like, just figure out a way toadd five more smiles to your day
.
That's your challenge.
And the second thing we want toinvite you to do is to come
(32:13):
visit us on social.
I want to see like a smileselfie or tag me in something
that made you smile.
Just let's start sharing thesmile more with one another.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Let's see how contagious it could be.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
It's so contagious and we have a bunch of smile
content for you this week.
So visit us on the EmpowermentCouple on Instagram and we are
going to be giving you a toolfor emotional regulation, brain
chemistry, healing andconnection on our Instagram.
So come visit us.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
We are there for you.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Yes, and we definitely want those smile
selfies.
You are always welcome.
We want to invite you to tellus what you would like to hear
on the show.
Tell us who you want on theshow.
We are always available in DMs.
If you want to privately sharesomething.
You want to reach out to us.
We also have links in our shownotes that you can apply to be
(33:08):
on the show.
We just have a simple form justto make sure we're in alignment
.
And, yeah, just tell us who youwant to see and what you want
to hear and we're here to serveyou.
Love.
And I want to end on a littleclosing affirmation.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Make sure, when you give the affirmation, that
you're smiling.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
Okay, ready, freddie.
Yeah, can you hear my smile?
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah, I see the smile , here we go.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I carry medicine in my body.
My smile is how I share it withthe world.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
I love that first one , that I carry medicine in my
body.
We all carry medicine in ourbody.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Yes, that's what's so beautiful about free medicine
it's accessible to everyone.
So make it smiley.
Yeah, make it smiley.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I'm smiling at you now.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
When you smile, the whole world smiles with you.
Oh, we all know that one, thatone's solid.
Okay, sending you the highestvibrations.
Speaker 2 (34:07):
You are health.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
You are love.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yeah, this shifts you , shifts you out of.
Stop smiling like that.
It's so cute, but it's, it's so.
It's distracting that littledouchane little.
Look, you got in there, okay.
So I'm talking about the, theshift you know, going in and out
no no you're not.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I washed my hair and then I was like I'm just going
to put my hair in a littleturban.
Mike said I look like a whitegenie.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yeah you kind of do.
But you didn't come out of alamp, you came out of like a.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Gucci handbag or something.
It's the gold rims.
Do I look wise?
Speaker 2 (34:56):
You look like you're.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
You want to rub on my lamp to make some wishes?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
I can and I will.
This is the sound of me rubbingon it.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Alright, so if we haven't made you smile or laugh
with our silliness, you know,check your pulse.
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