May 13, 2025 • 28 mins
Ever wondered if there's a simpler path to wellness than what we've been sold? In this refreshing conversation with holistic nutritionist Lacey Davidson, we uncover how reconnecting with natural cycles might be the key to lasting health.
Listen to PART Two and then check out Part One and the rest of Season 4!!!
Season 5 is coming out soon with a new website, logo, sound, visual effects, and social media posting!!! Not to mention TOP-NOTCH guests!!!!
Please be sure to checkout our website for previous episodes, our psych-approved resource page, and connect with us on social media! All this and more at www.thelylaspodcast.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, it's Sarah Stevens with the Lylas
Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in again, asthis is our last re-release for
season four, which means thenext release will be season five
.
So, and remember, we arestarting off strong.
We've already got guestsconfirmed, recording dates set.
It is going to be hot, and wehave taken all of your
(00:20):
suggestions that you've given usthrough DMs, text messages and
through our social media and weare incorporating them in to our
new show.
So who do we got for thisre-release?
It's Lacey Davidson.
She came on and we had to dotwo episodes because this girl
was so good.
She is everything we want to bewhenever we grow up, because
(00:43):
even though she's younger whichis kind of funny she has all her
shit together and it is justamazing to sit there and listen
to someone who can be sopractical, so real, so open and
just emits positivity.
So huge thanks again to Laceyfor coming on our show, for
(01:03):
sharing your knowledge ofwellness, nutrition, how we can
all just live healthier lives.
This is your part two, though,that we are re-releasing.
Why?
Because we want to do it inreverse, to have a teaser.
So those of you that didn'thear what all she had to say in
part one now you'll have to goback and listen to that episode.
Now you'll have to go back andlisten to that episode.
(01:25):
So here we are, Lacey Davidson,our holistic wellness provider,
sharing part two of our finalre-releases from season four so,
(01:53):
when I moved back to huntington, three years after, um, I
started grad schooling incalifornia.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I just finished my ryt registered yoga training and
I found studio eight, which is,um, a space that that sarah and
I share in common and holddearly in our hearts, and and I
started teaching yoga there andum, that's really where I
started to to build and findthis sense of community, I think
, like I.
Finally, I felt like I was apart of something, um that was
(02:17):
bigger than me, um, and Joan,who owns studio eight.
She had a mural on the wallthat said, uh, be the change
that you want to see in theworld.
You know the famous Gandhiquote and I, I love that and and
embrace that to this day.
That's, that's a big part ofwho I am and and what I do.
(02:37):
While I was teaching at Studio 8, park came to one of my,
literally burst in the door toone of my classes and we were
married.
I don't know, five years later,something like that.
So yoga has been and has becomea big part of what I do on
multiple levels, when it comesto working with clients or, you
(03:03):
know, just friends and family.
Yoga is definitely thefoundation of my philosophy,
like maybe people from anutrition perspective don't
necessarily seek me out becauseof my yoga background, but it's
definitely the foundationalphilosophy of how I work with
people, you know, letting themkind of set the pace and set the
(03:24):
tempo and come to their ownconclusions and kind of discover
what it is that that makes themtick, as we're unwinding their
nutritional habits and building,you know, new ones at the same
time.
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Have you found that, as you do these kind of
workshops and you know communityevents, that people are
receptive?
Are you noticing like a changeand that people really are
gravitating to this idea of whatwe're putting in our bodies and
and a more holistic lifestylein general?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, you know, and on that front I tend to um oh,
how do I say this?
I tend to what's the word I'mtrying to think of?
Um, it's on the tip of mytongue, but I the, the, the
crowds that I might attract, orthe, the, the positions that I
(04:24):
put myself, in kind of guaranteethat the audience is there to
do the work.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You know what I mean.
Like yeah right For.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
For, for instance, when I got my first job as a
registered dietitian, um, I knewfor a fact that I did not, like
I couldn't, physically andmentally, work in a hospital
where people were sick anddidn't have an interest in
hearing what I had to say.
Like they were sick, they werethere to rest and get IVs and
get meds and get out of thereRight, like they could care less
(04:56):
about what I had to say aboutnutrition.
But I worked in outpatient andso people had to be willing to
show up, like they had to bewilling to book the appointment
and come and and chat about whatwas going on.
And, you know, hear me out onwhat I thought might help them
change change course.
So stack the deck, I think, isthe word, that, the phrase that
(05:21):
I was looking for in thebeginning the word, that the
phrase that I was looking for.
In the beginning I tried not toput myself in a position where
I'm going to get like booed offstage and rotten tomatoes thrown
my way, processed food thrownat you, right.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, oh, that's funny, yeah, well, and I think
that from that you found adifferent niche too, because
eventually you ended up leavingthe outpatient world right and
just wanted to grow a differentcommunity.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I did, yeah, so exactly I, I kind of delve
deeper, even even from there Umand, and found that the folks
that I want to work with maybeum aren't aren't even
necessarily coming to anoutpatient setting right Like
they right now.
(06:09):
All of my clients are virtualand mostly I work with folks who
have some sort ofcardiometabolic concerns.
So you know, heart health,diabetes, maybe they want to
lose weight, but in most casesthe root cause of all of those
(06:29):
things lies much deeper, andthat's what I get excited about
helping them to uncover.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I love that.
I think most you said theyreach or they come to you
because they have some sort ofcardiac, you know, health issue.
You know, interestingly enough,today is 11 years.
My dad passed away from a heartattack and he was not
overweight.
Like you know, he wasn't a manthat would have sought out
necessarily somebody forsomething like that.
(06:58):
And would you say that's truefor people Like I?
You tend to put those twothings together right, like
heart health and obesity, or atleast in my mind you do.
Do those two things always gotogether?
Or yeah, have heart issues andnot be overweight?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That is such a great question and I think it's a huge
misnomer and, largely from apublic health perspective, our
fault and when I say me, our,like practitioners, you know the
medical community we've paintedthis picture that being
overweight is what leads tothese other conditions, and
that's absolutely 100 percentnot the case, right?
(07:39):
It's like, ultimately, all ofus have these.
You know, some degree of animbalance in our body.
Malnutrition is, you know,probably leading the charge in
that imbalance, but anoverburden of, you know, toxins,
or you know pesticides orpollutants you know, you name it
and in addition to not enoughof the right nutrients.
(08:00):
And so these imbalances at thecellular level, like deep, deep
in our tissues, right, theymanifest in different ways
depending on the person.
So for some people it looks likeweight gain, for other people
it looks like hypothyroidism,for some people it looks like
heart attack or stroke, or youknow, all of the things that
(08:23):
precede that, hypertension, allof those different things.
And so that's a big passion ofmine is like helping people to
understand that the diagnosis oreven the symptoms aren't
necessarily what we should belooking at or attacking.
It really goes much deeper,however.
(08:44):
The solution is often always somuch simpler than what we're
sold, than the narrative thatwe're sold, that it has to be
complicated, that we have to cutit out or, you know, medicate
it out or numb it out, andoftentimes it's really just a
matter of getting back in syncwith nature, cycles and what
(09:07):
nature has to offer us and andreally leaning into that.
Sorry, that was kind of a spoketo my heart.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
That was beautiful.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I can get on tangents if you let me sorry.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
I love that and I think for me I mean mean you
know we're, you're, you're alittle bit younger than we are,
but when you talk about some ofthe things that we can do on a
cellular, cellular level, whatare some things just off the top
of your head that you think ofare important for midlife women
to be considering as part oftheir, their daily habits?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Um, really not all that different than the things
that you would want your kids todo, right, like I think it's.
It's easy for us.
You know, I went to thepediatrician with my kids and
they give me the five, four,three, two, one.
I probably butchered that.
It's something like that of,like you know, five fruits and
veggies down to three, two hoursof screen time and no sugar
(10:10):
sweetened beverages or somethinglike that.
I forget how it goes.
I'm not a very good patient.
I've never heard this.
That's interesting.
But anyway, I think to myselfokay, two hours of screen time,
doc, at what point does thatchange?
Right?
Like when does it become okaythat kids only get two hours of
screen time?
But you and I are working menand women and we're staring at a
(10:32):
screen for at least eight hours, right, like, when does that
become okay?
So you know simple things thatwe can do.
We can obviously dwell in thatand I don't recommend that, like
it is what it is.
I'm very fortunate to be ableto work remotely and use the
screen and raise my kids the waythat I want to, but at the same
time, you know being outsidemore like being in the sun.
(10:54):
The sun is our fuel source, itis our lifeline.
Just like no different than thetrees outside.
Like there are no leaves on thetrees where I am because
there's not a lot of sun, but inthe summer, when there's more
sun, there will be leaves.
And so our bodies are built bythe same design.
Like the more that we're in thesun and absorbing the rays, the
(11:16):
more vitamin D that our bodymakes.
It doesn't matter how muchvitamin D we take, it matters
how the sun activates it in ourphysical being.
And I think more of that willcontinue to become apparent
through science.
I think science will catch upto nature eventually and show us
all of these things with proof.
But to get back to the point, Ithink more time in the sun,
(11:40):
more clean water, more fresh,wholesome foods, you know we
don't have to be tyrants, wedon't have to.
You know, totally live off theland and you know, only eat what
we raise.
I think it's.
It can be very simple, like westill get in our lifestyle and
ask ourselves like where can Imake subtle shifts that make me
(12:04):
feel a lot better?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Can you just explain what you mean by clean water,
like when you say does that meanlike filtered water, like out
of your refrigerator, or becausenow it's like stay away from
bottled?
Water right, so what?
What do you consider clean?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
water.
You know, for a long time,fluoride was a mandated
requirement to be in our water,and pretty soon fluoride will be
removed from all city watersources because we know now that
it's linked to all sorts ofneurodegenerative conditions in
(12:45):
children and adults, and sothat's just one thing that ends
up in our in our waters.
But, um, and it's mandated tobe in our water, right?
So so, having a clean source,whether it's from the your, your
city tap, and all you can do isis put a carbon filter on it,
or, um, you have a well that'sdrilled out of a, you know, from
(13:09):
the top of a mountain, from apure, pristine spring source,
you know that that would beprobably the ultimate, but doing
the best you can in thesituation that you're in, right
Like again, not stressing aboutit, not dwelling on it, just
like, where can I makeimprovements If I'm drinking out
of plastic all the time?
(13:30):
Can I just switch to a glassbottle?
You know, if I have regular tapwater, can I put a carbon
filter on and remove some of theimpurities or toxins that might
be in it?
Do I have the income or themeans or the interest to get a
Berkey water filter, like that's, you know, the gold standard
for really removing all of thethings.
So there's a lot of differentways that you could improve
(13:56):
water, in my opinion, but justdrinking more of it probably is
the best thing that any of uscould do.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
I love that you say that, though, like what's
accessible to you and don't getcaught up in you know the the
highest quality water, like thebest that you can do, right,
we're all making, we're alldoing the best we can with what
we have, and I love that messagewhen we apply it, even to
things like nutrition.
Right, because if you're likemost of us, it's like we're all
(14:27):
in or we're all out, right, um,and so just that idea of like it
doesn't have to be perfect, butlike some step in the right
direction is better than nothing.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yeah, gosh, it's so great, lacey, I loved having you
on here.
I just feel.
I think one thing is that Iwant to be you whenever I grow
up, because to have some ofthose insights you talked about,
like in your early twenties andI'm still like I don't know mid
forts and not there yet.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
It's just so cool to hear you be so wise, never,
always, always learning, alwaysthe student.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
I would say she's a pretty fabulous mom too.
I feel like she probablylearned a lot from Miss Jeannie.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
This is true.
Yes, yeah, I've been surroundedI'm so fortunate by all the
awesome people in my life.
You know I've had amazingmentors over the years and you
know people that constantly helpand lift up and guide me, and
so I'm just the vessel to passthis on, like for sure.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's funny that you were like I went to California
and sort of like discovered whoyou were and but in my mind
you're.
I think you were maybe likefive or six years old and we
pulled up on the farm and youwere like riding your horse bear
back around the backyard.
So I was like you've kind ofalways been this girl, at least
in my mind.
You know people like freeze intime in your brain, um, but like
(15:52):
that's, if I think of LaceyDavidson, I think of you just
riding that horse around thebackyard.
I was like, well, look at her.
I was like I wanted to be andthat was, you know, 30 years ago
.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I love it.
So my daughter is two, um, andmy mom is telling me all the
time she she just says this islittle Lacey, like this is
exactly how you are.
Because she is so strong willed, like she there is there is no
negotiating, like she has madeup her mind and this is what
she's going to do.
She has the biggest attitudeand is so sassy.
(16:25):
And I'm like what are youtalking about, mom?
And you know you don't rememberyourself at two or at five, mom
, and you know you don'tremember yourself at two or at
five.
And I think there's this wholelike forgetting ourselves.
You know, and maybe that's partof the you know schooling or
peer pressure, or you know allof the things that happen as you
transition through latechildhood and adolescence.
(16:48):
But I think it really is moreof a rediscovering, as you just
said, like rediscovering who youreally are, who you were all
along, right?
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Right, yeah, but I have to know has your mom found
the fountain of youth?
Because I swear that woman hasnot aged.
I'm like are you BenjaminButton?
What's happening here?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I don't know how she does it.
She's very kept with hersecrets but she's my most
willing patient, all the time,Like if there's some new theory
that I want to test.
She's always down to like sipthe Kool-Aid.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
So I love it.
Well, it's working.
Whatever your Kool-Aid is, I'dsay bottle that and sell it.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
We're ready.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I have one more question.
I know we're coming up on ourtime limit here, but I wanted to
ask your thoughts onsupplements.
Are you a supplement person?
Is there any like things thatyou personally take every day?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That's a great question.
So I'm definitely a food firstkind of gal, like I never
generally recommend takingsupplements blindly, and I never
generally recommend takingsupplements until you've done
the work of either undoing orimproving the standard American
diet.
Right To me it's like vacuumingthe floor with mud on.
(18:18):
It's like you're just kind ofthrowing more fire or more more
fuel on the fire without reallyaddressing the root of what's
what's causing the problem.
And so I like for folks to kindof go through a period of
really nourishing their bodieswith real whole food and finding
(18:39):
a rhythm in shopping andcooking and preparing and
enjoying the process of doingthat.
And then if there's still gapsor there are very specific
issues that we're trying totarget, then I think supplements
are a really awesome tool inour toolkit, just like
(19:01):
medications.
You know I made this stab atmedicines earlier but I'm
totally not anti them Like.
I'm pro them when it makessense to have them right, like
when we really need them so thatthey can work their magic and
be potent and powerful.
So the other thing aboutsupplements I'll say is quality
is really important.
(19:21):
So supplements are by and largenot regulated by any, by the
FDA.
You're kind of innocent untilproven guilty in the supplement
industry, and so finding asupplement brand that has a
science-backed board, that'sthird-party tested, that has a
(19:42):
robust evidence-based backgroundto back it up and that you know
what's in there is actuallywhat you're buying that, to me,
is really important.
I even, like you, know findinga local herbalist in your
community to get supplements andor you know, herbals from Like.
(20:03):
To me, that's just likeshopping with a local farmer.
You know what you're getting.
You know you can talk to themabout it.
You can hear stories of howit's helped other people and
what specific blends orcombinations that they might
recommend that you didn't eventhink about when you were just
looking at.
You know what the big box storehad on the shelves.
So, yeah, that's kind of my, myoverview.
(20:25):
Take on supplements.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
I agree.
As I get older, though, I feellike and I mean so, you know,
obviously on social media yousee a lot of people pushing
different types of supplementsand I feel like we're in the
target zone right now.
You're like you're over 40, youbetter take everything right,
like your muscle is gone and youshould eat protein from the
time you wake up till the timeyou go to sleep.
That's what it feels like.
(20:48):
But, you know, and I do findthat I'm starting to incorporate
some things just to kind ofplay with it and see if I notice
a difference I'll start, youknow, one new thing and see if
it has the intended effect thatI'm looking for.
But it does seem that as we getolder, we're being bombarded
with like, oh, you need this andthis and this, and you know, if
(21:10):
you're eating a pretty nutrientdense diet, you know I feel
like most of our vitamins.
But for me now, as a 42 yearold woman, it's more about, like
muscle, maintaining muscle and,like you know, just trying to I
don't know, like not fall apart.
(21:31):
Yeah, it sounds like you think,oh, you're only 42.
But you do start to noticethings after you turn 40.
Like things definitely changeand your body changes and and
you do start to say, okay, maybeI do need something else.
Is that something typicallythat a um dietitian would work
with somebody on specifically,or or is there a different type
(21:54):
of practitioner you would go toto find out if you specifically
need supplements?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So I think up until um, I went to school to become a
dietitian.
Even during my time in training, like it was, it wasn't ever a
big part of the curriculum likeeverything that I know and most
of what I practice today.
I didn't learn during mytraining Like it's all been post
education that I've sought out.
(22:21):
You know additional informationfrom experts.
But yeah, I think nowadays alot of it's becoming easier for
dietitians to get theinformation.
It's becoming easier fordietitians to partner with
companies like Fullscript andhave access to a dispensary that
just drop ships the supplementsthat you might recommend to
(22:41):
your patients.
So I think more dieticians thannot today, especially who are
working, you know, virtuallyonline, are kind of niching down
and working with a specificaudience, are more up on
supplements than they used to beand there's just more knowledge
out there today than we used tohave years ago.
(23:04):
It's more accessible.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah, apparently they're paying more attention to
women's bodies, because nowit's all about perimenopause.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
You know.
So you asked me are there anythat I take?
And I didn't answer that.
And I do from time to time.
You know, again, I'm a foodfirst kind of person and so I
challenge myself.
I, you know, I challenge thefolks that I work with, but I
challenge myself to say, well,is there a way that you could
get more of that from food?
So I take collagen from time totime because it's a great
(23:35):
protein source.
But I also ask myself, like,could I just chew on that chewy
part of the roast and actuallyeat it instead of cut it off?
Could I just eat that more?
Could I take the time to throwmy bones in the crock pot and
make a batch of bone broth andget the collagen in that way?
(23:56):
So for me, and I think for mostpeople, it's a matter of what's
more convenient.
It's a matter of what's moreconvenient, and sometimes it's
just more convenient to throw ascoop of collagen in a smoothie
than it is to cook a roast withmeaty cartilage in the crock pot
or to eight-hour stew a chickenback or a pot of chicken backs
(24:18):
to make bone broth.
So that's one that I take.
I usually encourage people, ifthey're not eating fish two or
three times a week, that takinga fish oil, a high quality fish
oil supplement, is not a badidea.
And I'm not opposed to peopletaking vitamin D.
You'll find that most peopleare most everybody would be
below what they need on theirlabs for vitamin D and magnesium
(24:41):
.
But to that I would say are youspending enough time in the sun
?
Cause it doesn't matter howmuch you take, it has to be
activated by the sun.
Um, and are you getting yourhands dirty, like, can you get
in in the dirt?
Do you have some um mineralsthat you could, could consume to
?
You know, if you're growingyour own carrots in your
backyard kitchen garden, like,can you just eat a little of
(25:03):
that dirt?
You know, can you sprinkle some, some mineral salts into your
water, like there?
There are maybe not easier ways, but there are more efficient
ways to get those nutrients backinto our body that aren't
supplements.
It just takes a little moreknow-how and and work to make it
(25:27):
happen.
Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
I love it Eat dirt.
I had to laugh because I loveto grow lettuce in my kitchen
garden.
That's one thing that growsreally well here in Charleston
and I would.
When I worked in schools, Ioften had students who would eat
lunch with me in my office andone day I had brought these
(25:50):
lettuce wraps in and I hadprobably just like picked it.
I probably washed it, I'm notsure, but I went to take a bite
and the biggest slug you haveever seen was in this lettuce
and you have never seen littlegirls squeal so loud.
They came unglued.
It took me a while to go backto eating lettuce.
I'll be honest, like it was hadthat gone in my mouth, I'm
(26:14):
telling you listen, girl.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Try owning a farm to table restaurant where the
lettuce is brought in fresh fromyour farmers, like we've had an
oopsie or two.
We've had customers who got asalad and you couldn't believe
there was a slug on it.
So it happens.
It happens to the best of us.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Okay, it's not just me then.
Okay, see, I was trying to eatthe dirt Lacey, that's what it
was.
I was trying to get thoseminerals in and the slug off
with it.
In the end, probably, but Itell you that was too funny.
I've so enjoyed.
I could talk to you for likethree hours, I think you're Well
listen let's call me anytime,let's chat.
(26:54):
I definitely next time.
Every time I come home I'm like, hey, let's go out to out Wayne
, and everybody's like that's afar drive and I'm like, guys,
but let's go.
But I do, I love what you'redoing, I think it's amazing for
the community and I just, um, Ithink it's pretty awesome.
So, like Sarah, I want to beyou when I grow up or right back
(27:15):
at you guys riding bareback inmy backyard all right.
Well, that's all we've got forthis week.
Y'all um lacy.
Real quick, before we sign offwhere can people find you on uh
social media or your website?
Where can we find?
Speaker 2 (27:34):
yeah, so I'm on social media facebook and
instagram.
I'm just lacy davidson ferguson.
Um, if you want to worktogether, my website is lacy
davidFergusoncom.
There's some links there thatyou can shoot me a message and I
can get you on my list.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Do you work with people outside of West Virginia?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I do, yeah, all of my , all of my consults are virtual
.
I have both group andone-on-one coaching services, so
there's there's really no limitto to what we can accomplish.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Awesome, love it Awesome.
Well, we appreciate you so much.
Thank you so much, thank you.
Hey everybody, it's Sarah Stevens with the Lylas
Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in again, asthis is our last re-release for
season four, which means thenext release will be season five
.
So, and remember, we arestarting off strong.
We've already got guestsconfirmed, recording dates set.
It is going to be hot, and wehave taken all of your
(00:20):
suggestions that you've given usthrough DMs, text messages and
through our social media and weare incorporating them in to our
new show.
So who do we got for thisre-release?
It's Lacey Davidson.
She came on and we had to dotwo episodes because this girl
was so good.
She is everything we want to bewhenever we grow up, because
(00:43):
even though she's younger whichis kind of funny she has all her
shit together and it is justamazing to sit there and listen
to someone who can be sopractical, so real, so open and
just emits positivity.
So huge thanks again to Laceyfor coming on our show, for
(01:03):
sharing your knowledge ofwellness, nutrition, how we can
all just live healthier lives.
This is your part two, though,that we are re-releasing.
Why?
Because we want to do it inreverse, to have a teaser.
So those of you that didn'thear what all she had to say in
part one now you'll have to goback and listen to that episode.
Now you'll have to go back andlisten to that episode.
(01:25):
So here we are, Lacey Davidson,our holistic wellness provider,
sharing part two of our finalre-releases from season four so,
(01:53):
when I moved back to huntington, three years after, um, I
started grad schooling incalifornia.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
I just finished my ryt registered yoga training and
I found studio eight, which is,um, a space that that sarah and
I share in common and holddearly in our hearts, and and I
started teaching yoga there andum, that's really where I
started to to build and findthis sense of community, I think
, like I.
Finally, I felt like I was apart of something, um that was
(02:17):
bigger than me, um, and Joan,who owns studio eight.
She had a mural on the wallthat said, uh, be the change
that you want to see in theworld.
You know the famous Gandhiquote and I, I love that and and
embrace that to this day.
That's, that's a big part ofwho I am and and what I do.
(02:37):
While I was teaching at Studio 8, park came to one of my,
literally burst in the door toone of my classes and we were
married.
I don't know, five years later,something like that.
So yoga has been and has becomea big part of what I do on
multiple levels, when it comesto working with clients or, you
(03:03):
know, just friends and family.
Yoga is definitely thefoundation of my philosophy,
like maybe people from anutrition perspective don't
necessarily seek me out becauseof my yoga background, but it's
definitely the foundationalphilosophy of how I work with
people, you know, letting themkind of set the pace and set the
(03:24):
tempo and come to their ownconclusions and kind of discover
what it is that that makes themtick, as we're unwinding their
nutritional habits and building,you know, new ones at the same
time.
That's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Have you found that, as you do these kind of
workshops and you know communityevents, that people are
receptive?
Are you noticing like a changeand that people really are
gravitating to this idea of whatwe're putting in our bodies and
and a more holistic lifestylein general?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, you know, and on that front I tend to um oh,
how do I say this?
I tend to what's the word I'mtrying to think of?
Um, it's on the tip of mytongue, but I the, the, the
crowds that I might attract, orthe, the, the positions that I
(04:24):
put myself, in kind of guaranteethat the audience is there to
do the work.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
You know what I mean.
Like yeah right For.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
For, for instance, when I got my first job as a
registered dietitian, um, I knewfor a fact that I did not, like
I couldn't, physically andmentally, work in a hospital
where people were sick anddidn't have an interest in
hearing what I had to say.
Like they were sick, they werethere to rest and get IVs and
get meds and get out of thereRight, like they could care less
(04:56):
about what I had to say aboutnutrition.
But I worked in outpatient andso people had to be willing to
show up, like they had to bewilling to book the appointment
and come and and chat about whatwas going on.
And, you know, hear me out onwhat I thought might help them
change change course.
So stack the deck, I think, isthe word, that, the phrase that
(05:21):
I was looking for in thebeginning the word, that the
phrase that I was looking for.
In the beginning I tried not toput myself in a position where
I'm going to get like booed offstage and rotten tomatoes thrown
my way, processed food thrownat you, right.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, oh, that's funny, yeah, well, and I think
that from that you found adifferent niche too, because
eventually you ended up leavingthe outpatient world right and
just wanted to grow a differentcommunity.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I did, yeah, so exactly I, I kind of delve
deeper, even even from there Umand, and found that the folks
that I want to work with maybeum aren't aren't even
necessarily coming to anoutpatient setting right Like
they right now.
(06:09):
All of my clients are virtualand mostly I work with folks who
have some sort ofcardiometabolic concerns.
So you know, heart health,diabetes, maybe they want to
lose weight, but in most casesthe root cause of all of those
(06:29):
things lies much deeper, andthat's what I get excited about
helping them to uncover.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I love that.
I think most you said theyreach or they come to you
because they have some sort ofcardiac, you know, health issue.
You know, interestingly enough,today is 11 years.
My dad passed away from a heartattack and he was not
overweight.
Like you know, he wasn't a manthat would have sought out
necessarily somebody forsomething like that.
(06:58):
And would you say that's truefor people Like I?
You tend to put those twothings together right, like
heart health and obesity, or atleast in my mind you do.
Do those two things always gotogether?
Or yeah, have heart issues andnot be overweight?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That is such a great question and I think it's a huge
misnomer and, largely from apublic health perspective, our
fault and when I say me, our,like practitioners, you know the
medical community we've paintedthis picture that being
overweight is what leads tothese other conditions, and
that's absolutely 100 percentnot the case, right?
(07:39):
It's like, ultimately, all ofus have these.
You know, some degree of animbalance in our body.
Malnutrition is, you know,probably leading the charge in
that imbalance, but anoverburden of, you know, toxins,
or you know pesticides orpollutants you know, you name it
and in addition to not enoughof the right nutrients.
(08:00):
And so these imbalances at thecellular level, like deep, deep
in our tissues, right, theymanifest in different ways
depending on the person.
So for some people it looks likeweight gain, for other people
it looks like hypothyroidism,for some people it looks like
heart attack or stroke, or youknow, all of the things that
(08:23):
precede that, hypertension, allof those different things.
And so that's a big passion ofmine is like helping people to
understand that the diagnosis oreven the symptoms aren't
necessarily what we should belooking at or attacking.
It really goes much deeper,however.
(08:44):
The solution is often always somuch simpler than what we're
sold, than the narrative thatwe're sold, that it has to be
complicated, that we have to cutit out or, you know, medicate
it out or numb it out, andoftentimes it's really just a
matter of getting back in syncwith nature, cycles and what
(09:07):
nature has to offer us and andreally leaning into that.
Sorry, that was kind of a spoketo my heart.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
That was beautiful.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I can get on tangents if you let me sorry.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
I love that and I think for me I mean mean you
know we're, you're, you're alittle bit younger than we are,
but when you talk about some ofthe things that we can do on a
cellular, cellular level, whatare some things just off the top
of your head that you think ofare important for midlife women
to be considering as part oftheir, their daily habits?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Um, really not all that different than the things
that you would want your kids todo, right, like I think it's.
It's easy for us.
You know, I went to thepediatrician with my kids and
they give me the five, four,three, two, one.
I probably butchered that.
It's something like that of,like you know, five fruits and
veggies down to three, two hoursof screen time and no sugar
(10:10):
sweetened beverages or somethinglike that.
I forget how it goes.
I'm not a very good patient.
I've never heard this.
That's interesting.
But anyway, I think to myselfokay, two hours of screen time,
doc, at what point does thatchange?
Right?
Like when does it become okaythat kids only get two hours of
screen time?
But you and I are working menand women and we're staring at a
(10:32):
screen for at least eight hours, right, like, when does that
become okay?
So you know simple things thatwe can do.
We can obviously dwell in thatand I don't recommend that, like
it is what it is.
I'm very fortunate to be ableto work remotely and use the
screen and raise my kids the waythat I want to, but at the same
time, you know being outsidemore like being in the sun.
(10:54):
The sun is our fuel source, itis our lifeline.
Just like no different than thetrees outside.
Like there are no leaves on thetrees where I am because
there's not a lot of sun, but inthe summer, when there's more
sun, there will be leaves.
And so our bodies are built bythe same design.
Like the more that we're in thesun and absorbing the rays, the
(11:16):
more vitamin D that our bodymakes.
It doesn't matter how muchvitamin D we take, it matters
how the sun activates it in ourphysical being.
And I think more of that willcontinue to become apparent
through science.
I think science will catch upto nature eventually and show us
all of these things with proof.
But to get back to the point, Ithink more time in the sun,
(11:40):
more clean water, more fresh,wholesome foods, you know we
don't have to be tyrants, wedon't have to.
You know, totally live off theland and you know, only eat what
we raise.
I think it's.
It can be very simple, like westill get in our lifestyle and
ask ourselves like where can Imake subtle shifts that make me
(12:04):
feel a lot better?
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Can you just explain what you mean by clean water,
like when you say does that meanlike filtered water, like out
of your refrigerator, or becausenow it's like stay away from
bottled?
Water right, so what?
What do you consider clean?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
water.
You know, for a long time,fluoride was a mandated
requirement to be in our water,and pretty soon fluoride will be
removed from all city watersources because we know now that
it's linked to all sorts ofneurodegenerative conditions in
(12:45):
children and adults, and sothat's just one thing that ends
up in our in our waters.
But, um, and it's mandated tobe in our water, right?
So so, having a clean source,whether it's from the your, your
city tap, and all you can do isis put a carbon filter on it,
or, um, you have a well that'sdrilled out of a, you know, from
(13:09):
the top of a mountain, from apure, pristine spring source,
you know that that would beprobably the ultimate, but doing
the best you can in thesituation that you're in, right
Like again, not stressing aboutit, not dwelling on it, just
like, where can I makeimprovements If I'm drinking out
of plastic all the time?
(13:30):
Can I just switch to a glassbottle?
You know, if I have regular tapwater, can I put a carbon
filter on and remove some of theimpurities or toxins that might
be in it?
Do I have the income or themeans or the interest to get a
Berkey water filter, like that's, you know, the gold standard
for really removing all of thethings.
So there's a lot of differentways that you could improve
(13:56):
water, in my opinion, but justdrinking more of it probably is
the best thing that any of uscould do.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
I love that you say that, though, like what's
accessible to you and don't getcaught up in you know the the
highest quality water, like thebest that you can do, right,
we're all making, we're alldoing the best we can with what
we have, and I love that messagewhen we apply it, even to
things like nutrition.
Right, because if you're likemost of us, it's like we're all
(14:27):
in or we're all out, right, um,and so just that idea of like it
doesn't have to be perfect, butlike some step in the right
direction is better than nothing.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yeah, gosh, it's so great, lacey, I loved having you
on here.
I just feel.
I think one thing is that Iwant to be you whenever I grow
up, because to have some ofthose insights you talked about,
like in your early twenties andI'm still like I don't know mid
forts and not there yet.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
It's just so cool to hear you be so wise, never,
always, always learning, alwaysthe student.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
I would say she's a pretty fabulous mom too.
I feel like she probablylearned a lot from Miss Jeannie.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
This is true.
Yes, yeah, I've been surroundedI'm so fortunate by all the
awesome people in my life.
You know I've had amazingmentors over the years and you
know people that constantly helpand lift up and guide me, and
so I'm just the vessel to passthis on, like for sure.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's funny that you were like I went to California
and sort of like discovered whoyou were and but in my mind
you're.
I think you were maybe likefive or six years old and we
pulled up on the farm and youwere like riding your horse bear
back around the backyard.
So I was like you've kind ofalways been this girl, at least
in my mind.
You know people like freeze intime in your brain, um, but like
(15:52):
that's, if I think of LaceyDavidson, I think of you just
riding that horse around thebackyard.
I was like, well, look at her.
I was like I wanted to be andthat was, you know, 30 years ago
.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I love it.
So my daughter is two, um, andmy mom is telling me all the
time she she just says this islittle Lacey, like this is
exactly how you are.
Because she is so strong willed, like she there is there is no
negotiating, like she has madeup her mind and this is what
she's going to do.
She has the biggest attitudeand is so sassy.
(16:25):
And I'm like what are youtalking about, mom?
And you know you don't rememberyourself at two or at five, mom
, and you know you don'tremember yourself at two or at
five.
And I think there's this wholelike forgetting ourselves.
You know, and maybe that's partof the you know schooling or
peer pressure, or you know allof the things that happen as you
transition through latechildhood and adolescence.
(16:48):
But I think it really is moreof a rediscovering, as you just
said, like rediscovering who youreally are, who you were all
along, right?
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Right, yeah, but I have to know has your mom found
the fountain of youth?
Because I swear that woman hasnot aged.
I'm like are you BenjaminButton?
What's happening here?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
I don't know how she does it.
She's very kept with hersecrets but she's my most
willing patient, all the time,Like if there's some new theory
that I want to test.
She's always down to like sipthe Kool-Aid.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
So I love it.
Well, it's working.
Whatever your Kool-Aid is, I'dsay bottle that and sell it.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
We're ready.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I have one more question.
I know we're coming up on ourtime limit here, but I wanted to
ask your thoughts onsupplements.
Are you a supplement person?
Is there any like things thatyou personally take every day?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
That's a great question.
So I'm definitely a food firstkind of gal, like I never
generally recommend takingsupplements blindly, and I never
generally recommend takingsupplements until you've done
the work of either undoing orimproving the standard American
diet.
Right To me it's like vacuumingthe floor with mud on.
(18:18):
It's like you're just kind ofthrowing more fire or more more
fuel on the fire without reallyaddressing the root of what's
what's causing the problem.
And so I like for folks to kindof go through a period of
really nourishing their bodieswith real whole food and finding
(18:39):
a rhythm in shopping andcooking and preparing and
enjoying the process of doingthat.
And then if there's still gapsor there are very specific
issues that we're trying totarget, then I think supplements
are a really awesome tool inour toolkit, just like
(19:01):
medications.
You know I made this stab atmedicines earlier but I'm
totally not anti them Like.
I'm pro them when it makessense to have them right, like
when we really need them so thatthey can work their magic and
be potent and powerful.
So the other thing aboutsupplements I'll say is quality
is really important.
(19:21):
So supplements are by and largenot regulated by any, by the
FDA.
You're kind of innocent untilproven guilty in the supplement
industry, and so finding asupplement brand that has a
science-backed board, that'sthird-party tested, that has a
(19:42):
robust evidence-based backgroundto back it up and that you know
what's in there is actuallywhat you're buying that, to me,
is really important.
I even, like you, know findinga local herbalist in your
community to get supplements andor you know, herbals from Like.
(20:03):
To me, that's just likeshopping with a local farmer.
You know what you're getting.
You know you can talk to themabout it.
You can hear stories of howit's helped other people and
what specific blends orcombinations that they might
recommend that you didn't eventhink about when you were just
looking at.
You know what the big box storehad on the shelves.
So, yeah, that's kind of my, myoverview.
(20:25):
Take on supplements.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
I agree.
As I get older, though, I feellike and I mean so, you know,
obviously on social media yousee a lot of people pushing
different types of supplementsand I feel like we're in the
target zone right now.
You're like you're over 40, youbetter take everything right,
like your muscle is gone and youshould eat protein from the
time you wake up till the timeyou go to sleep.
That's what it feels like.
(20:48):
But, you know, and I do findthat I'm starting to incorporate
some things just to kind ofplay with it and see if I notice
a difference I'll start, youknow, one new thing and see if
it has the intended effect thatI'm looking for.
But it does seem that as we getolder, we're being bombarded
with like, oh, you need this andthis and this, and you know, if
(21:10):
you're eating a pretty nutrientdense diet, you know I feel
like most of our vitamins.
But for me now, as a 42 yearold woman, it's more about, like
muscle, maintaining muscle and,like you know, just trying to I
don't know, like not fall apart.
(21:31):
Yeah, it sounds like you think,oh, you're only 42.
But you do start to noticethings after you turn 40.
Like things definitely changeand your body changes and and
you do start to say, okay, maybeI do need something else.
Is that something typicallythat a um dietitian would work
with somebody on specifically,or or is there a different type
(21:54):
of practitioner you would go toto find out if you specifically
need supplements?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So I think up until um, I went to school to become a
dietitian.
Even during my time in training, like it was, it wasn't ever a
big part of the curriculum likeeverything that I know and most
of what I practice today.
I didn't learn during mytraining Like it's all been post
education that I've sought out.
(22:21):
You know additional informationfrom experts.
But yeah, I think nowadays alot of it's becoming easier for
dietitians to get theinformation.
It's becoming easier fordietitians to partner with
companies like Fullscript andhave access to a dispensary that
just drop ships the supplementsthat you might recommend to
(22:41):
your patients.
So I think more dieticians thannot today, especially who are
working, you know, virtuallyonline, are kind of niching down
and working with a specificaudience, are more up on
supplements than they used to beand there's just more knowledge
out there today than we used tohave years ago.
(23:04):
It's more accessible.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Yeah, apparently they're paying more attention to
women's bodies, because nowit's all about perimenopause.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
You know.
So you asked me are there anythat I take?
And I didn't answer that.
And I do from time to time.
You know, again, I'm a foodfirst kind of person and so I
challenge myself.
I, you know, I challenge thefolks that I work with, but I
challenge myself to say, well,is there a way that you could
get more of that from food?
So I take collagen from time totime because it's a great
(23:35):
protein source.
But I also ask myself, like,could I just chew on that chewy
part of the roast and actuallyeat it instead of cut it off?
Could I just eat that more?
Could I take the time to throwmy bones in the crock pot and
make a batch of bone broth andget the collagen in that way?
(23:56):
So for me, and I think for mostpeople, it's a matter of what's
more convenient.
It's a matter of what's moreconvenient, and sometimes it's
just more convenient to throw ascoop of collagen in a smoothie
than it is to cook a roast withmeaty cartilage in the crock pot
or to eight-hour stew a chickenback or a pot of chicken backs
(24:18):
to make bone broth.
So that's one that I take.
I usually encourage people, ifthey're not eating fish two or
three times a week, that takinga fish oil, a high quality fish
oil supplement, is not a badidea.
And I'm not opposed to peopletaking vitamin D.
You'll find that most peopleare most everybody would be
below what they need on theirlabs for vitamin D and magnesium
(24:41):
.
But to that I would say are youspending enough time in the sun
?
Cause it doesn't matter howmuch you take, it has to be
activated by the sun.
Um, and are you getting yourhands dirty, like, can you get
in in the dirt?
Do you have some um mineralsthat you could, could consume to
?
You know, if you're growingyour own carrots in your
backyard kitchen garden, like,can you just eat a little of
(25:03):
that dirt?
You know, can you sprinkle some, some mineral salts into your
water, like there?
There are maybe not easier ways, but there are more efficient
ways to get those nutrients backinto our body that aren't
supplements.
It just takes a little moreknow-how and and work to make it
(25:27):
happen.
Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
I love it Eat dirt.
I had to laugh because I loveto grow lettuce in my kitchen
garden.
That's one thing that growsreally well here in Charleston
and I would.
When I worked in schools, Ioften had students who would eat
lunch with me in my office andone day I had brought these
(25:50):
lettuce wraps in and I hadprobably just like picked it.
I probably washed it, I'm notsure, but I went to take a bite
and the biggest slug you haveever seen was in this lettuce
and you have never seen littlegirls squeal so loud.
They came unglued.
It took me a while to go backto eating lettuce.
I'll be honest, like it was hadthat gone in my mouth, I'm
(26:14):
telling you listen, girl.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Try owning a farm to table restaurant where the
lettuce is brought in fresh fromyour farmers, like we've had an
oopsie or two.
We've had customers who got asalad and you couldn't believe
there was a slug on it.
So it happens.
It happens to the best of us.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Okay, it's not just me then.
Okay, see, I was trying to eatthe dirt Lacey, that's what it
was.
I was trying to get thoseminerals in and the slug off
with it.
In the end, probably, but Itell you that was too funny.
I've so enjoyed.
I could talk to you for likethree hours, I think you're Well
listen let's call me anytime,let's chat.
(26:54):
I definitely next time.
Every time I come home I'm like, hey, let's go out to out Wayne
, and everybody's like that's afar drive and I'm like, guys,
but let's go.
But I do, I love what you'redoing, I think it's amazing for
the community and I just, um, Ithink it's pretty awesome.
So, like Sarah, I want to beyou when I grow up or right back
(27:15):
at you guys riding bareback inmy backyard all right.
Well, that's all we've got forthis week.
Y'all um lacy.
Real quick, before we sign offwhere can people find you on uh
social media or your website?
Where can we find?
Speaker 2 (27:34):
yeah, so I'm on social media facebook and
instagram.
I'm just lacy davidson ferguson.
Um, if you want to worktogether, my website is lacy
davidFergusoncom.
There's some links there thatyou can shoot me a message and I
can get you on my list.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Do you work with people outside of West Virginia?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I do, yeah, all of my , all of my consults are virtual
.
I have both group andone-on-one coaching services, so
there's there's really no limitto to what we can accomplish.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Awesome, love it Awesome.
Well, we appreciate you so much.
Thank you so much, thank you.
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