April 22, 2025 • 38 mins
Wellness expert Serena Sabala shares powerful strategies for preventing burnout in the nonprofit sector, explaining why self-care isn't optional but mandatory for effective leadership and service.
Here are some key takeaways:
• Self-care is not optional but mandatory - you cannot give from an empty cup
• Health is easier to maintain than regain once lost, as illustrated by Serena's father's mental health breakdown
• Creating a wellness culture requires zero budget - start with healthy boundaries
• Leaders must model self-care behaviors, as staff mirror their actions
• The "tripod of optimal health" consists of three pillars: focus, food, and fitness
• American "hustle culture" often glorifies overwork at the expense of wellbeing
• Prevention through wellness practices costs far less than treating health conditions later
• Wellness retreats offer immersive experiences that plant seeds for lasting habit changes
Contact Serena on Instagram and Facebook @wholeshiftwellness, on LinkedIn at Serena Sabala, or email at info@wholeshiftwellness.com. Get a free PDF copy of her book "Make the Shift" with this link: https://d2saw6je89goi1.cloudfront.net/uploads/digital_asset/file/1025155/Make_the_Shift_PDF.pdf
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey, nonprofit friends, welcome to the Spring
Forward podcast, where we talkabout all things nonprofit, from
board discord to grant writingand strategic planning tips.
If you're an executive director, nonprofit board member or just
someone heavily involved in thenonprofit sector, then this is
the podcast for you.
Let's spring forward intoexcellence.
(00:24):
Okay, this is the podcast foryou.
Let's spring forward intoexcellence.
Welcome, welcome, guys, toanother episode of the Spring
Forward podcast.
I'm your host, spring RichardsonPerry, and today I am super
excited to be talking to youguys about health and wellness
in the nonprofit sector.
We did an episode about this awhile back, about burnout at the
(00:48):
beginning of the year, becauseit just seemed like so many
people were overextendingthemselves, and so today I am
super excited to be talkingabout this again, but from a
different lens, with SerenaSabawa.
She is a certified nutritionconsultant, she's a yoga teacher
and a fitness trainer, and shestudied the subjects of wellness
(01:10):
and nutrition for over 10 years.
She has a unique and holisticapproach to health.
She has written a book, shedoes wellness retreats.
She has a very, very uniquestory and she has a very, very
unique story and I am superexcited to be talking to her
today and to let her share alittle bit of that story with
you guys.
So welcome, serena.
(01:31):
Thank you, spring.
It's so, so wonderful to behere this and lift up this
really important subject,because we find a lot in the
nonprofit sector that you know alot of people get burnt out
because it's a lot of emotionallabor, there's long hours,
(01:56):
there's just you know thatcompassion fatigue sometimes
that comes with it.
So I kind of just want to startoff with just a few practical
strategies maybe that you cantalk about for leaders to help
them prevent burnout inthemselves and for their teams.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah.
So the first thing straight offthe bat that I feel compelled
to go into is that the singlemost important distinction
practice realization.
That is fundamental to, frankly, anybody, but especially those
in position of leadership withinorganizations and non-profit
(02:37):
organizations like that.
You know we need you guys to bein tip-top shape.
You're doing work that isbenefiting so many people and
communities.
But there's a fundamentaldistinction, which is you can't
give from an empty cup, right,you, you.
If you run yourself to theground to the point where you
(02:59):
don't function at your optimallevel of productivity, of
resilience, of anything andeverything that you've got to
give and you've got to master tofulfil your responsibilities,
then frankly, you're doing adisfavour to everybody around
you, to your work, to theservice users that you're
(03:22):
facilitating and helping, toyour families and to the
communities around you.
So the first and most importantthing to realize is that
actually let me just put thedon't disturb I'm sorry about
that that your self-care is notoptional, it's mandatory.
(03:44):
That your self-care is notoptional, it's mandatory,
absolutely like you shouldn'tview it as something that maybe
you get to do, maybe you don't.
It really should be seen as thefoundational element of your
habits, routines and lifestyles,because you can't give from
(04:05):
empty cup.
You know and we go back to thatage-old metaphor that everybody
uses the first thing they tellyou on the plane if there's an
issue with the plane, you've gotto put your oxygen mask on
first before you tend to anybody.
And the truth of the matter is,you cannot fulfill your
responsibilities to the best ofyour abilities if you don't
(04:26):
prioritize your self-care.
And I feel really compelled toemphasize this and I'll share a
little bit about my personalstory, by the way, and the
reason why I'm so passionateabout it and it's the first
thing that I want to share withyou all.
That's the single mostimportant strategy.
The single most importantstrategy is a shift in mindset
(04:48):
From viewing self-care as anice-to-have to viewing it as a
must-have, foundational,fundamental habit pattern that
makes everything else possible.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yes, like you wake up every morning and brush your
teeth right, so that should be apart of your daily habits
having some sort of self-care,some sort of way to take care of
yourself.
I love this, and guys in herbook, serena.
I love this.
And guys in her book, serena,tell us the name of your book
(05:25):
Make the Shift, make the Shift,guys.
I read it and it is amazing.
It talks about a mindset shift,because a lot of times that is
our block.
Our block is not that we can'tdo it.
Our block is that our mind istelling us that we can't do it,
(05:48):
so we don't, and so you have toreframe your thinking to
understand that, in order for meto best serve my community, I
first need to take care ofmyself so that I can put my best
self forward to continue toserve those who are most in need
(06:08):
.
This is wonderful.
This is like it's not rocketscience, but sometimes it's so
simple that we forget about that, and I find a lot of times
people in the nonprofit sector,they feel guilty for wanting to
take care of themselves.
(06:30):
And so you know how do weovercome that, you know how do
we set those boundaries andrelease that guilt from wanting
to take care of ourselves.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, that's a beautiful question and yes,
absolutely, guilt is probablythe single most detrimental kind
of factor that gets in the wayof leaders and people in general
, gets in the way of themprioritizing their self-care,
especially if you work in anonprofit sector, because
(07:04):
obviously you're you're dealingwith very dire and serious
challenges.
You're dealing with people'slivelihood, and many people
working in that sector do it outof sheer passion.
Maybe they do it out of havingexperienced challenges in their
own lives and now wanting tomake a difference in the lives
of others.
So I can see and I know for afact, I've experienced it myself
(07:28):
the guilt is something thatreally takes conscious work to
overcome.
But I'm going to give you guysa very real example from my
personal life to drive thisconcept on.
As you remember from reading thebook Spring, what has kind of
(07:48):
sparked my interest in healthand wellness practices is that
my dad, when I was very young Iwas anywhere between five to
seven he got really ill.
He started developing a mentalhealth disorder called bipolar
depression.
We all know about it, we'veheard it, but he has a very
(08:11):
severe case of bipolar disorderand my dad essentially ran
himself to the ground to thepoint where he became mentally
ill because he was trying sohard to do everything that he
felt he needed to do.
He ran a very successful, yes,yet stressful business.
It was a creative business atthat and he had a young family
(08:32):
and he had family peer pressure,responsibility, etc.
So he started.
He neglected his well-being tothe point where he got very ill
ill that resulted in him losinghis business.
It resulted in him, you know,going through profound personal
(08:54):
challenges that he has neverrecovered from.
It created havoc in his life.
He created havoc in my life, mysisters, my mothers, you know.
His marriage broke down.
He lost all his friends andassociates, and so I'm saying
this to say he struggled due toguilt, he struggled to tend to
(09:18):
his own well being and he ranhimself to the point where he
lost his health and well-being.
And let me tell you, once youlose it, to regain it it takes
so much work, it takes so muchenergy, it takes so much money,
so much time.
(09:38):
Health and wellness is like oneof those things where it's so
much easier to maintain than itis to regain if you lose it all
together.
My dad has never recovered.
He's never been.
He's not the same person, he'snever going to be the same
person.
His life was completelytraumatized by him losing his
(09:59):
mental health.
Once you become present withthis and I kind of the
double-edged kind of the otherside of the coin is that this
made me so present with our realdisease, with our fundamental
health and wellness it doesn'tmatter how rich, popular, famous
or anything else you are, ifyou don't have your health and
(10:22):
wellness, nothing matters, right, and I became present with that
at five years old.
Once you become present withthis, there's no going back.
The guilt disappeared, you know, because if my dad had the
strength, the courage, theability, also the tools and the
(10:44):
support in order to be able totake care of himself, so that he
didn't have to get to the pointwhere he got to, my life would
have been so much better.
His life would have been somuch better, right.
All the time, money, energy andattention that he would have
spent maintaining his health andwell-being would have been the
(11:05):
best investment of his lifeabsolutely, and I hope you guys
caught that.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I know Serena's beautiful accent and, by the way
, uh, the spring forward podcastis officially international
today because, serena, where areyou today?
Are you in London or in Spain?
Where are you today?
Are you in London or in Spain?
Where are you?
I'm in London at the moment.
She's in London, guys.
So we are officiallyinternational, but her beautiful
accent is so like, just what'sthe word I'm looking for?
(11:36):
It like mesmerizes you.
So I hope you caught what she'ssaying, guys, because basically
what she's telling you is thatif her dad would have
prioritized his health andwellbeing in the beginning, all
of these things could have beenmitigated.
It's just like your health interms of the way you eat, right?
(11:58):
So if you're constantly eatingfoods that have sugar in them
and are high fats and all thesethings, that's going to have a
domino effect on your health.
You could develop diabetes, youcould develop heart disease,
high blood pressure, all thesethings that now you're going to
have to have medication tomanage, whereas had you in the
(12:21):
beginning tended to your health,maybe not ate as much in one
sitting or changed white rice tobrown rice, or just as just an
example but but what?
What she's saying is that youknow, instead of trying to fix
it once it's broken, maintain it.
Do the maintenance just like ona home or a car.
(12:43):
Right on your car, you're goingto get your oil changed every
so often so that your enginecontinues to run appropriately.
But if you don't get your oilchanged as it needs to be, it's
going to have this domino effectand eventually your
transmission is going to go out,and that's going to be a huge
expense where you're going tohave to probably buy just a
(13:06):
brand new car and that's abeautiful metaphor.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Spring.
Think about the differencebetween main, even just in terms
of investment.
You know, we're all, we are all, we all understand numbers of
money, right, and I thinksometimes what I also see is
many professionals, many leaders, almost feel like it's it's a
decadent to invest in practicesto take care of themselves,
(13:30):
whether it's healthier food,whether it's a personal trainer,
whether it's a mindset coach,whether it's therapy, whatever
the area that needs moreattention in your life is.
And if you're like, oh no, Ishould save the money, it's
almost like a decadent expense.
You know we don't prioritize it.
But if you think of it in termsof the car, think about how much
(13:53):
it costs to upkeep a car.
You know you might spend somemoney.
Yes, of course.
Think about how much it coststo replace the car altogether.
You know it's 10 times moreexpensive to have to buy a whole
new vehicle than it is to makesure that you go, that you do
your checks, that you change theoil, that you put the right
(14:14):
kind of gas in, that you do themaintenance stuff.
Now take that and multiply itby a thousand and that might
apply to your body.
You know, and I always use thismetaphor with our clients.
You know, if somebody told youyour body is broken down, you
(14:37):
need a new one, you need totrade in your house in order to
get a new body, would you sayyes to that?
Speaker 1 (14:44):
It's either that or no more body yeah, I'd be like
you know what, buy a house,that's it buddy, of course,
without, without, without a body, the house doesn't matter, it's
your body is priceless.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
There is not enough money in the world to to convey
the value of your body.
And I'm saying this to saybecause I want to emphasize how
important this mindset shift is.
You know, because I see it timeand again and I see it with my
clients before I even give thema nutrition plan or a training
plan or a mindset plan.
(15:25):
They need to really shiftpriorities, otherwise my plans,
they will not be put in practicebecause they'll still feel like
there's more important thingsto tend to in life.
But once you make the mindsetshift, then you realize oh,
actually, the little extraeffort, time, money and energy
that I invest in my health andwell-being is probably the best
(15:48):
investment I'm making today.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
It is, and just personally I will share.
You know, investing in yourhealth takes more than just, oh,
I'm going to take thesevitamins or these supplements.
It is this well-roundedexperience because it makes your
life that much better.
(16:13):
One of the things that I'venoticed, just personally for me,
is that if I don't get a goodnight's sleep just something as
simple as sleep it affects mywhole day, my mood, my energy,
and so if I'm not feeling right,then I'm not going to do
anything.
If I don't do anything, thenI'm not working, and if I'm not
(16:35):
working, I'm not making money.
So, again, simple, small, smallthings, small shifts, have a
huge impact in your overall life, and so one of the things I
want to talk about, serena, ishow, in nonprofits, how can we
foster that culture of wellnesswhen resources are limited?
(16:57):
Right, when you have to firstput the mission of the
organization in terms of servingthe community first, but how
can you take the limitedresources that you do have to
invest in the wellness of theemployees, because they're the
ones who have to be well andhealthy to serve the community
(17:19):
100% Great question.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
And so, again, the shift has to happen at the
organizational level, right?
So I encourage leaders of anorganization are present with
our fundamental health andwellness practices are to their
(17:50):
own well-being first andforemost.
They will be more inclined tofilter down this mindset to the
entire workforce.
Because the truth of the matteris, if you see your manager
neglecting themselves, if yousee the boss not taking care of
themselves, you're going tothink that that's what you need
to do.
You know you're going to mirrorthat behavior, right, because
(18:14):
you don't want to be the one,you don't want to be the selfish
one that's leaving work on timeto go to yoga.
You know if the boss is stayingbehind late, Right, right.
So you think okay, so that'swhat they're doing.
That implies that this is whatI should be doing in order to
succeed and progress in my work.
So actually really shiftingorganizationally to prioritize
(18:40):
healthy boundaries and startsfrom the top and filters down,
like you can't preach it to youremployees if you're not doing
it as the manager or founder orowner of the company.
So let's start there.
That's fundamental.
Then, once again, the mindsetshift has happened.
You don't need big budgets.
(19:01):
First of all, boundariesrequire no budget.
Of all boundaries require nobudget.
Healthy boundaries require nobudget.
You don't have to spend a pennyto just start encouraging
people to create healthyboundaries so that, like you
were saying, they can tend atleast to the most basic viable
(19:24):
kind of, to the most basicviable kind of minimum viable
practices for health andwell-being.
And I can tell you what Ibelieve those are.
But, like, let's start with thefact that to get the basics
right, you need to spend $0.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I love it.
She said it four times y'all.
And so that means zero dollars.
That means that is superimportant, right?
Zero dollars to enactboundaries.
It doesn't need to startshutting everything down so you
can be out of there on time.
That sets the tone Because,like Serena said and this goes
(20:14):
for anybody who's working,whether you're in a nonprofit,
whether you're in the privatesector if you see your boss
every day, day in, day outthey're there at 7 in the
morning, they don't leave till 7at night, and this is their
daily way of being right Thenyou're going to think oh my gosh
, you know I probably need to bedoing the same thing and you
(20:38):
know for them, maybe it works.
You know we don't know whattheir schedule is at home, but
you have to do what is best foryou and you have to prioritize.
You and leaders need to make itvery clear in nonprofit
organizations that, yes, we arehere to serve and, yes, we want
(20:59):
to make sure that we are ourbest selves for the people that
we serve, that we are our bestselves for the people that we
serve.
But in order to be our bestselves, we have to take care of
ourselves.
So if you see me here until 6pm, but that doesn't work for
you if your schedule says 8 to 5and you need to leave at 5
(21:20):
o'clock.
By all means, please leave at 5o'clock.
If you see me here until 6o'clock, you do not have to
follow that, because it may be aday where I have a deadline
that I have to meet and I haveto get something done, so it's a
one-time thing.
If we find that overworkingourselves is becoming the norm,
(21:41):
that is when we need to take astep back and that is when we
need to say hold up, I need to.
Something has got to change,something needs to shift and we
need to start making thosechanges immediately.
Because, just as Serena saidabout her dad, who just worked
himself into the and it had apermanent effect on his health,
(22:06):
I see these things happen everysingle day, where people are
driving themselves to be sickbecause of not taking care of
themselves appropriately.
Their physical wellbeing, theirmental well-being, their
spiritual, spiritual well-beingall of those things are just as
(22:30):
important as going to work andmaking money.
Yes, we need money to live, butyou should not be living to
make money no, exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And also let's talk about quality of work versus
quantity of hours spent at yourdesk.
You know it's not just thelonger you're there the more
great work you get done.
Quite the opposite sometimes,the the healthier, happier, more
centered, more balanced you are, the more effective you are in
(23:00):
the work that you do, you know.
So it will take you less time,fundamentally, to get the same
amount of work done, potentiallya higher quality work.
Because even if I think ofmyself and like you were saying
spring, when you don't take careof yourself, when you're not
eating the right food, whenyou're not sleeping enough, when
you're not hydrated, whenyou're not moving, the version
(23:22):
that shows up at work is theversion that that is not as
effective.
Let's be honest you're not aseffective.
You're not going to be as aseffective.
You're not going to produce thesame quality of work and it's
going to take you longer.
You know it's going to take youlonger.
So actually it's false economyto think that you have to stay
longer, all costs, at thedetriment of your own health and
(23:45):
well-being.
You might think it makes youlook good, but stop and ask
yourself am I producing my bestquality work here, or would it
be more effective to take timefor myself, recharge,
re-energize, you know, rebalancemy body, mind and spirit, so
that when I show up I'm a pointabsolutely, absolutely, guys.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I'm telling y'all I hope y'all are picking up these
gems, because Serena is droppingthem all over the place.
Guys, I want Serena, I want youto talk about the way that you
work with leaders and how youhelp them find this balance,
because I think the listenerswill really, really enjoy this
and maybe even want to be a partof it.
(24:31):
So talk to us about that.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
So we have developed.
Me and my husband, eugene, havebeen working together for over
30 years combined in the healthand wellness industry.
We have extensive experience.
We work with over 600professionals across five
different countries, so we havebeen able to clearly identify
what I call the tripod ofoptimal health and well-being.
(24:55):
So if you imagine your bestself, your healthiest, strongest
, most confident self, andyou're standing atop a tripod,
which is a structure with threelegs, what happens to this
tripod if even just one of thethree legs is a little bit
weaker than the others?
The whole structure is weak,right?
(25:17):
It's wobbly, it's leaning onone side, it's at risk of
falling down altogether, right?
Yes, and we see this so oftenMost of us are doing something
right.
You know, some of us are betterat eating healthy food.
Some of us are better atexercising regularly.
Some of us are better at takingcare of our mind and mental
(25:39):
health.
Exercising regularly, some ofus are better at taking care of
our mind and mental health, butit's very hard for busy
professionals and leaders toreally develop us a holistic
strategy that will allow you tostrengthen all these three
pillars in a way that is thatreally works for you.
And, by the way.
The three pillars, as you readabout it in the book, are focus,
(26:00):
food and fitness.
So if you want your optimalhealth and well-being to be
unshakable in the face of anychallenge that the universe
throws your way, you need tohave strong focus, which is
anything to do with your mindsetand mindfulness.
You gotta have strong foodpillar.
(26:20):
So a great approach to healthyeating, which doesn't mean
they're only eating salad, bythe way, or they are not enjoy.
I'm a foodie, I love food, butthere has to be, there has to be
balance at the level of yournutrition food firstly.
Fitness a very effectivemovement practice doesn't mean
(26:43):
you have to go to the gym.
I don't go to the gym, butyou've got to develop strategies
that allow you to move yourbody in the way that your body
needs to move to stay healthy,strong, flexible.
So those are, those are thethree fundamental pillars um the
moment you neglect one of thesethree um, which can look a
(27:05):
million different ways, thenyour whole well-being is is weak
and wobbly and shaking, youknow, and because human beings,
we have a tendency of wanting todo the things that we're
already kind of good at right.
So, so if we love working out,we're like, okay, let me work
out a little bit more to kind ofget even healthier, um.
(27:27):
Or if you, if you love eatinggreat healthy food, you're like
okay, so let me, let me becomeeven healthier with my nutrition
.
So we want to double down onwhat we're already doing
somewhat well, but we continueto neglect the areas with most
room for improvement, and thatreinforces a state of imbalance.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Oh, my goodness, I love this.
And this is what really drew mein to the book, guys, because
as I was reading it, I was on aflight and I actually finished
it and probably the first like.
I read half of it, the firstpart of the flight, and then we
had a layover and then Ifinished it in the second half.
(28:10):
It was that good y'all.
I mean, I had never reallythought about it in this way,
right, it does take focus, right?
When you decide, okay, I needto lose 30 pounds, you get
really focused on losing those30 pounds.
So now you're eatingdifferently because you know,
(28:31):
okay, I can't eat lots ofcalories all the time or I'm not
going to lose this weight,right?
So your food intake isdifferent.
Now.
Your nutrition is different,right.
And then you also start to workout more.
Your fitness becomes differentbecause you know I have to move
more, I have to eat better and Ihave to stay focused on what
(28:54):
the end product is going to be.
And those are the things thatSerena digs deep into her book,
and I would encourage each andevery one of you to take a look
at it, to go grab the book andreally read through it, because
it is really going to changeyour perspective on the way you
(29:14):
see your health.
You are going to put a muchbigger price tag on your health.
You're going to value it a lotmore, because I think right now,
especially as Americans, wehave this hustle culture and in
other countries it's not so muchthat way.
There are countries thatprioritize rest throughout the
(29:35):
day.
There are countries that willgive you, I think I want to say
in like China or Japan, they getlike a two-hour break in the
middle of the day for lunch andyou know, just to take a break
to relax your mind.
And there are other countriesthat do this as well, that just
prioritize resting over work,work, work, work, work.
(30:01):
Right, because America wasestablished on the American
dream.
You can come to America, youcan work your way up to the top
and whereas in another countryyou were born into a specific
station and that is what it isfor you for the rest of your
life, right?
But America sells the Americandream.
Come over here, work hard andyou can make lots of money and
(30:25):
change your life.
Well, I might make a lot ofmoney, but what am I willing to
sacrifice to do that?
Because at this point.
I can't even enjoy it becauseI've worked myself into the
ground.
Even enjoy it because I'veworked myself into the ground.
And in Serena's case, in herdad's case, he literally did
(30:48):
that.
He worked, worked, worked,worked, worked, and then he
couldn't even enjoy the fruitsof his labor after it was all
said and done.
And so let that be a real lifetestament to putting your health
, your spiritual, your physical,your mental well-being first,
so that you can continue to takecare of those in need.
(31:08):
If you're in the nonprofitsector, of course you're there
to serve, but also if you have afamily, they need you.
If you have kids, if you haveaging parents who depend on you
to care for them, or any of yourloved ones who are depending on
you to help them and take careof them.
You can't take care of anybodyelse until you take care of
(31:30):
yourself first.
Just like Serena said, the ageold metaphor you have to put
your oxygen mask on first beforeyou try to put the oxygen mask
on somebody else, right?
So I mean, this is, this is,this is great stuff.
Serena, I'm so excited for this.
I want you, I want you to talkabout your upcoming retreat and
(31:53):
the things that you guys dothere, because I also think that
this is really important foreveryone to hear about, because
a lot of times we think, oh,that's too expensive, I can't
afford that.
But can you afford to be on$600 a month medication the rest
(32:13):
of your life?
That far exceeds the price ofthe retreat in one year, and so
talk about that, serena.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Yes, well done, by the way, for breaking it down so
effectively, especially in theUS, given how expensive health
care is in the US.
Really, for you guys, more thananyone else in the world,
prevention rather than cure isthe best way to save money in in
your lifetime.
You know, uh, one medication,only one medication only, can
(32:48):
cost you hundreds of thousandsof dollars in your life.
You know when, when workingwith some professionals or going
to a retreat, or preventingthat meditate, that medication
from being needed, might costyou a couple thousand dollars.
You know, it's like, it's likethere's no, it's a no-brainer,
it's literally a no-brainer.
(33:09):
And and a wellness retreat is agreat opportunity.
And because, first of all,everything is done for you.
You just show up and you don'thave to think about logistics,
planning, organizing, arrangingyou, just, you literally just
have to show up.
(33:30):
So it it couldn't be easier tostart creating new habits than
to embark on an experience suchas a wellness retreat, because
you don't have to figure out anyof those logistics that
sometimes get in the way of ustaking action.
The second reason why awellness retreat is an amazing
(33:52):
experience that I highlyrecommend.
Everybody has at least once intheir life and we have clients
that come every single year isthat when we take you out of the
bubble of your day-to-day lifeand we remove all those triggers
, all those things that kind ofimpact the way that you operate
(34:14):
right, all thoseresponsibilities, all those
burdens, all those stressors weplug you into an environment all
those responsibilities, allthose burdens, all those
stressors.
We plug you into an environmentthat is specifically designed
for you to pick up new,healthier habits and to see,
over the course of a week, howthese habits feel in your body,
(34:36):
how your body transforms, howyour mind transforms, how your
soul feels.
In just one week, you will feelso transformed, so empowered,
so much better in all wayspossible.
They will become much easier tocontinue to maintain some of
(34:56):
them in your day-to-day lifebecause we've planted the seeds,
we've nurtured them for a week.
When you go back home, you'renot going to go back.
You're not going to want to goback to feeling the way that you
normally feel or to operatingin that way.
Of course, you're not going tobe able to retain every single
thing, but you will find it ahundred times easier because we
(35:19):
planted the seeds so deep in thein the course of a week that
you're going to be a new versionof yourself and there's no
going back.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
I love it, guys.
I absolutely love this.
Serena, thank you so much.
This was just a wonderful,wonderful conversation, very
enlightening, but just also justvery real and authentic.
Guys, you know, there's nothingmore important than your health
and well-being Point blankperiod, nothing left to say.
(35:53):
Because if you're not healthy,if you can't take care of
yourself, there's no way thatyou can take care of anybody
else.
And so, serena, I just Iappreciate you so much for being
on the podcast today.
Thank you so much.
If anyone wants to get in touchwith you or to learn more about
(36:15):
what you do and all the thingsthat you offer, how do they do
that?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
well, I am very active on the main social media
platforms.
You can find me on instagram atwhole shift wellness, and
facebook, same handle.
I'm also on linkedin at serenasabala.
So if you send me a dm to anyof those platforms, we will get
to it.
It might take me and the team alittle time, but we will
(36:42):
definitely get to it.
You can also email me info atwhole shift wellness dot com.
And, in fact, what I would loveto do spring, if you allow me to
, I would love to gift yourlisteners with a free pdf copy
of my book make shift, so theycan simply get in touch with you
.
Anybody that wants a free PDF,or you can make it available
(37:04):
whichever way you see fit, andthey can start taking a real
action, a real step in thedirection towards their health
and well-being.
Because, you know, ideas andand and conversations are
brilliant only if they arefollowed by action.
(37:24):
I am a big action woman, so Iwant you to take action.
I want you to read the book, Iwant you to do the exercises in
the book, because that willspark new habits and new results
in your life oh, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Yes, yes, yes, it is all about the action.
We can talk until we are bluein the face, but it is about
taking action.
So this is awesome, guys.
I will put a link with theepisode to get the PDF, if you
so choose.
I will put Serena's informationin there as well, so that you
(38:04):
can reach out to her.
Uh, this has been truly amazing.
I truly appreciate you, serena.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast today and, guys, I
hope you enjoyed it.
Please, uh, if you have anyquestions, any comments, let me
know, and until next time, guys,on the Spring Forward podcast.
Bye-bye, bye.
Hey, nonprofit friends, welcome to the Spring
Forward podcast, where we talkabout all things nonprofit, from
board discord to grant writingand strategic planning tips.
If you're an executive director, nonprofit board member or just
someone heavily involved in thenonprofit sector, then this is
the podcast for you.
Let's spring forward intoexcellence.
(00:24):
Okay, this is the podcast foryou.
Let's spring forward intoexcellence.
Welcome, welcome, guys, toanother episode of the Spring
Forward podcast.
I'm your host, spring RichardsonPerry, and today I am super
excited to be talking to youguys about health and wellness
in the nonprofit sector.
We did an episode about this awhile back, about burnout at the
(00:48):
beginning of the year, becauseit just seemed like so many
people were overextendingthemselves, and so today I am
super excited to be talkingabout this again, but from a
different lens, with SerenaSabawa.
She is a certified nutritionconsultant, she's a yoga teacher
and a fitness trainer, and shestudied the subjects of wellness
(01:10):
and nutrition for over 10 years.
She has a unique and holisticapproach to health.
She has written a book, shedoes wellness retreats.
She has a very, very uniquestory and she has a very, very
unique story and I am superexcited to be talking to her
today and to let her share alittle bit of that story with
you guys.
So welcome, serena.
(01:31):
Thank you, spring.
It's so, so wonderful to behere this and lift up this
really important subject,because we find a lot in the
nonprofit sector that you know alot of people get burnt out
because it's a lot of emotionallabor, there's long hours,
(01:56):
there's just you know thatcompassion fatigue sometimes
that comes with it.
So I kind of just want to startoff with just a few practical
strategies maybe that you cantalk about for leaders to help
them prevent burnout inthemselves and for their teams.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah.
So the first thing straight offthe bat that I feel compelled
to go into is that the singlemost important distinction
practice realization.
That is fundamental to, frankly, anybody, but especially those
in position of leadership withinorganizations and non-profit
(02:37):
organizations like that.
You know we need you guys to bein tip-top shape.
You're doing work that isbenefiting so many people and
communities.
But there's a fundamentaldistinction, which is you can't
give from an empty cup, right,you, you.
If you run yourself to theground to the point where you
(02:59):
don't function at your optimallevel of productivity, of
resilience, of anything andeverything that you've got to
give and you've got to master tofulfil your responsibilities,
then frankly, you're doing adisfavour to everybody around
you, to your work, to theservice users that you're
(03:22):
facilitating and helping, toyour families and to the
communities around you.
So the first and most importantthing to realize is that
actually let me just put thedon't disturb I'm sorry about
that that your self-care is notoptional, it's mandatory.
(03:44):
That your self-care is notoptional, it's mandatory,
absolutely like you shouldn'tview it as something that maybe
you get to do, maybe you don't.
It really should be seen as thefoundational element of your
habits, routines and lifestyles,because you can't give from
(04:05):
empty cup.
You know and we go back to thatage-old metaphor that everybody
uses the first thing they tellyou on the plane if there's an
issue with the plane, you've gotto put your oxygen mask on
first before you tend to anybody.
And the truth of the matter is,you cannot fulfill your
responsibilities to the best ofyour abilities if you don't
(04:26):
prioritize your self-care.
And I feel really compelled toemphasize this and I'll share a
little bit about my personalstory, by the way, and the
reason why I'm so passionateabout it and it's the first
thing that I want to share withyou all.
That's the single mostimportant strategy.
The single most importantstrategy is a shift in mindset
(04:48):
From viewing self-care as anice-to-have to viewing it as a
must-have, foundational,fundamental habit pattern that
makes everything else possible.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Yes, like you wake up every morning and brush your
teeth right, so that should be apart of your daily habits
having some sort of self-care,some sort of way to take care of
yourself.
I love this, and guys in herbook, serena.
I love this.
And guys in her book, serena,tell us the name of your book
(05:25):
Make the Shift, make the Shift,guys.
I read it and it is amazing.
It talks about a mindset shift,because a lot of times that is
our block.
Our block is not that we can'tdo it.
Our block is that our mind istelling us that we can't do it,
(05:48):
so we don't, and so you have toreframe your thinking to
understand that, in order for meto best serve my community, I
first need to take care ofmyself so that I can put my best
self forward to continue toserve those who are most in need
(06:08):
.
This is wonderful.
This is like it's not rocketscience, but sometimes it's so
simple that we forget about that, and I find a lot of times
people in the nonprofit sector,they feel guilty for wanting to
take care of themselves.
(06:30):
And so you know how do weovercome that, you know how do
we set those boundaries andrelease that guilt from wanting
to take care of ourselves.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, that's a beautiful question and yes,
absolutely, guilt is probablythe single most detrimental kind
of factor that gets in the wayof leaders and people in general
, gets in the way of themprioritizing their self-care,
especially if you work in anonprofit sector, because
(07:04):
obviously you're you're dealingwith very dire and serious
challenges.
You're dealing with people'slivelihood, and many people
working in that sector do it outof sheer passion.
Maybe they do it out of havingexperienced challenges in their
own lives and now wanting tomake a difference in the lives
of others.
So I can see and I know for afact, I've experienced it myself
(07:28):
the guilt is something thatreally takes conscious work to
overcome.
But I'm going to give you guysa very real example from my
personal life to drive thisconcept on.
As you remember from reading thebook Spring, what has kind of
(07:48):
sparked my interest in healthand wellness practices is that
my dad, when I was very young Iwas anywhere between five to
seven he got really ill.
He started developing a mentalhealth disorder called bipolar
depression.
We all know about it, we'veheard it, but he has a very
(08:11):
severe case of bipolar disorderand my dad essentially ran
himself to the ground to thepoint where he became mentally
ill because he was trying sohard to do everything that he
felt he needed to do.
He ran a very successful, yes,yet stressful business.
It was a creative business atthat and he had a young family
(08:32):
and he had family peer pressure,responsibility, etc.
So he started.
He neglected his well-being tothe point where he got very ill
ill that resulted in him losinghis business.
It resulted in him, you know,going through profound personal
(08:54):
challenges that he has neverrecovered from.
It created havoc in his life.
He created havoc in my life, mysisters, my mothers, you know.
His marriage broke down.
He lost all his friends andassociates, and so I'm saying
this to say he struggled due toguilt, he struggled to tend to
(09:18):
his own well being and he ranhimself to the point where he
lost his health and well-being.
And let me tell you, once youlose it, to regain it it takes
so much work, it takes so muchenergy, it takes so much money,
so much time.
(09:38):
Health and wellness is like oneof those things where it's so
much easier to maintain than itis to regain if you lose it all
together.
My dad has never recovered.
He's never been.
He's not the same person, he'snever going to be the same
person.
His life was completelytraumatized by him losing his
(09:59):
mental health.
Once you become present withthis and I kind of the
double-edged kind of the otherside of the coin is that this
made me so present with our realdisease, with our fundamental
health and wellness it doesn'tmatter how rich, popular, famous
or anything else you are, ifyou don't have your health and
(10:22):
wellness, nothing matters, right, and I became present with that
at five years old.
Once you become present withthis, there's no going back.
The guilt disappeared, you know, because if my dad had the
strength, the courage, theability, also the tools and the
(10:44):
support in order to be able totake care of himself, so that he
didn't have to get to the pointwhere he got to, my life would
have been so much better.
His life would have been somuch better, right.
All the time, money, energy andattention that he would have
spent maintaining his health andwell-being would have been the
(11:05):
best investment of his lifeabsolutely, and I hope you guys
caught that.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I know Serena's beautiful accent and, by the way
, uh, the spring forward podcastis officially international
today because, serena, where areyou today?
Are you in London or in Spain?
Where are you today?
Are you in London or in Spain?
Where are you?
I'm in London at the moment.
She's in London, guys.
So we are officiallyinternational, but her beautiful
accent is so like, just what'sthe word I'm looking for?
(11:36):
It like mesmerizes you.
So I hope you caught what she'ssaying, guys, because basically
what she's telling you is thatif her dad would have
prioritized his health andwellbeing in the beginning, all
of these things could have beenmitigated.
It's just like your health interms of the way you eat, right?
(11:58):
So if you're constantly eatingfoods that have sugar in them
and are high fats and all thesethings, that's going to have a
domino effect on your health.
You could develop diabetes, youcould develop heart disease,
high blood pressure, all thesethings that now you're going to
have to have medication tomanage, whereas had you in the
(12:21):
beginning tended to your health,maybe not ate as much in one
sitting or changed white rice tobrown rice, or just as just an
example but but what?
What she's saying is that youknow, instead of trying to fix
it once it's broken, maintain it.
Do the maintenance just like ona home or a car.
(12:43):
Right on your car, you're goingto get your oil changed every
so often so that your enginecontinues to run appropriately.
But if you don't get your oilchanged as it needs to be, it's
going to have this domino effectand eventually your
transmission is going to go out,and that's going to be a huge
expense where you're going tohave to probably buy just a
(13:06):
brand new car and that's abeautiful metaphor.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Spring.
Think about the differencebetween main, even just in terms
of investment.
You know, we're all, we are all, we all understand numbers of
money, right, and I thinksometimes what I also see is
many professionals, many leaders, almost feel like it's it's a
decadent to invest in practicesto take care of themselves,
(13:30):
whether it's healthier food,whether it's a personal trainer,
whether it's a mindset coach,whether it's therapy, whatever
the area that needs moreattention in your life is.
And if you're like, oh no, Ishould save the money, it's
almost like a decadent expense.
You know we don't prioritize it.
But if you think of it in termsof the car, think about how much
(13:53):
it costs to upkeep a car.
You know you might spend somemoney.
Yes, of course.
Think about how much it coststo replace the car altogether.
You know it's 10 times moreexpensive to have to buy a whole
new vehicle than it is to makesure that you go, that you do
your checks, that you change theoil, that you put the right
(14:14):
kind of gas in, that you do themaintenance stuff.
Now take that and multiply itby a thousand and that might
apply to your body.
You know, and I always use thismetaphor with our clients.
You know, if somebody told youyour body is broken down, you
(14:37):
need a new one, you need totrade in your house in order to
get a new body, would you sayyes to that?
Speaker 1 (14:44):
It's either that or no more body yeah, I'd be like
you know what, buy a house,that's it buddy, of course,
without, without, without a body, the house doesn't matter, it's
your body is priceless.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
There is not enough money in the world to to convey
the value of your body.
And I'm saying this to saybecause I want to emphasize how
important this mindset shift is.
You know, because I see it timeand again and I see it with my
clients before I even give thema nutrition plan or a training
plan or a mindset plan.
(15:25):
They need to really shiftpriorities, otherwise my plans,
they will not be put in practicebecause they'll still feel like
there's more important thingsto tend to in life.
But once you make the mindsetshift, then you realize oh,
actually, the little extraeffort, time, money and energy
that I invest in my health andwell-being is probably the best
(15:48):
investment I'm making today.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
It is, and just personally I will share.
You know, investing in yourhealth takes more than just, oh,
I'm going to take thesevitamins or these supplements.
It is this well-roundedexperience because it makes your
life that much better.
(16:13):
One of the things that I'venoticed, just personally for me,
is that if I don't get a goodnight's sleep just something as
simple as sleep it affects mywhole day, my mood, my energy,
and so if I'm not feeling right,then I'm not going to do
anything.
If I don't do anything, thenI'm not working, and if I'm not
(16:35):
working, I'm not making money.
So, again, simple, small, smallthings, small shifts, have a
huge impact in your overall life, and so one of the things I
want to talk about, serena, ishow, in nonprofits, how can we
foster that culture of wellnesswhen resources are limited?
(16:57):
Right, when you have to firstput the mission of the
organization in terms of servingthe community first, but how
can you take the limitedresources that you do have to
invest in the wellness of theemployees, because they're the
ones who have to be well andhealthy to serve the community
(17:19):
100% Great question.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
And so, again, the shift has to happen at the
organizational level, right?
So I encourage leaders of anorganization are present with
our fundamental health andwellness practices are to their
(17:50):
own well-being first andforemost.
They will be more inclined tofilter down this mindset to the
entire workforce.
Because the truth of the matteris, if you see your manager
neglecting themselves, if yousee the boss not taking care of
themselves, you're going tothink that that's what you need
to do.
You know you're going to mirrorthat behavior, right, because
(18:14):
you don't want to be the one,you don't want to be the selfish
one that's leaving work on timeto go to yoga.
You know if the boss is stayingbehind late, Right, right.
So you think okay, so that'swhat they're doing.
That implies that this is whatI should be doing in order to
succeed and progress in my work.
So actually really shiftingorganizationally to prioritize
(18:40):
healthy boundaries and startsfrom the top and filters down,
like you can't preach it to youremployees if you're not doing
it as the manager or founder orowner of the company.
So let's start there.
That's fundamental.
Then, once again, the mindsetshift has happened.
You don't need big budgets.
(19:01):
First of all, boundariesrequire no budget.
Of all boundaries require nobudget.
Healthy boundaries require nobudget.
You don't have to spend a pennyto just start encouraging
people to create healthyboundaries so that, like you
were saying, they can tend atleast to the most basic viable
(19:24):
kind of, to the most basicviable kind of minimum viable
practices for health andwell-being.
And I can tell you what Ibelieve those are.
But, like, let's start with thefact that to get the basics
right, you need to spend $0.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I love it.
She said it four times y'all.
And so that means zero dollars.
That means that is superimportant, right?
Zero dollars to enactboundaries.
It doesn't need to startshutting everything down so you
can be out of there on time.
That sets the tone Because,like Serena said and this goes
(20:14):
for anybody who's working,whether you're in a nonprofit,
whether you're in the privatesector if you see your boss
every day, day in, day outthey're there at 7 in the
morning, they don't leave till 7at night, and this is their
daily way of being right Thenyou're going to think oh my gosh
, you know I probably need to bedoing the same thing and you
(20:38):
know for them, maybe it works.
You know we don't know whattheir schedule is at home, but
you have to do what is best foryou and you have to prioritize.
You and leaders need to make itvery clear in nonprofit
organizations that, yes, we arehere to serve and, yes, we want
(20:59):
to make sure that we are ourbest selves for the people that
we serve, that we are our bestselves for the people that we
serve.
But in order to be our bestselves, we have to take care of
ourselves.
So if you see me here until 6pm, but that doesn't work for
you if your schedule says 8 to 5and you need to leave at 5
(21:20):
o'clock.
By all means, please leave at 5o'clock.
If you see me here until 6o'clock, you do not have to
follow that, because it may be aday where I have a deadline
that I have to meet and I haveto get something done, so it's a
one-time thing.
If we find that overworkingourselves is becoming the norm,
(21:41):
that is when we need to take astep back and that is when we
need to say hold up, I need to.
Something has got to change,something needs to shift and we
need to start making thosechanges immediately.
Because, just as Serena saidabout her dad, who just worked
himself into the and it had apermanent effect on his health,
(22:06):
I see these things happen everysingle day, where people are
driving themselves to be sickbecause of not taking care of
themselves appropriately.
Their physical wellbeing, theirmental well-being, their
spiritual, spiritual well-beingall of those things are just as
(22:30):
important as going to work andmaking money.
Yes, we need money to live, butyou should not be living to
make money no, exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
And also let's talk about quality of work versus
quantity of hours spent at yourdesk.
You know it's not just thelonger you're there the more
great work you get done.
Quite the opposite sometimes,the the healthier, happier, more
centered, more balanced you are, the more effective you are in
(23:00):
the work that you do, you know.
So it will take you less time,fundamentally, to get the same
amount of work done, potentiallya higher quality work.
Because even if I think ofmyself and like you were saying
spring, when you don't take careof yourself, when you're not
eating the right food, whenyou're not sleeping enough, when
you're not hydrated, whenyou're not moving, the version
(23:22):
that shows up at work is theversion that that is not as
effective.
Let's be honest you're not aseffective.
You're not going to be as aseffective.
You're not going to produce thesame quality of work and it's
going to take you longer.
You know it's going to take youlonger.
So actually it's false economyto think that you have to stay
longer, all costs, at thedetriment of your own health and
(23:45):
well-being.
You might think it makes youlook good, but stop and ask
yourself am I producing my bestquality work here, or would it
be more effective to take timefor myself, recharge,
re-energize, you know, rebalancemy body, mind and spirit, so
that when I show up I'm a pointabsolutely, absolutely, guys.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I'm telling y'all I hope y'all are picking up these
gems, because Serena is droppingthem all over the place.
Guys, I want Serena, I want youto talk about the way that you
work with leaders and how youhelp them find this balance,
because I think the listenerswill really, really enjoy this
and maybe even want to be a partof it.
(24:31):
So talk to us about that.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
So we have developed.
Me and my husband, eugene, havebeen working together for over
30 years combined in the healthand wellness industry.
We have extensive experience.
We work with over 600professionals across five
different countries, so we havebeen able to clearly identify
what I call the tripod ofoptimal health and well-being.
(24:55):
So if you imagine your bestself, your healthiest, strongest
, most confident self, andyou're standing atop a tripod,
which is a structure with threelegs, what happens to this
tripod if even just one of thethree legs is a little bit
weaker than the others?
The whole structure is weak,right?
(25:17):
It's wobbly, it's leaning onone side, it's at risk of
falling down altogether, right?
Yes, and we see this so oftenMost of us are doing something
right.
You know, some of us are betterat eating healthy food.
Some of us are better atexercising regularly.
Some of us are better at takingcare of our mind and mental
(25:39):
health.
Exercising regularly, some ofus are better at taking care of
our mind and mental health, butit's very hard for busy
professionals and leaders toreally develop us a holistic
strategy that will allow you tostrengthen all these three
pillars in a way that is thatreally works for you.
And, by the way.
The three pillars, as you readabout it in the book, are focus,
(26:00):
food and fitness.
So if you want your optimalhealth and well-being to be
unshakable in the face of anychallenge that the universe
throws your way, you need tohave strong focus, which is
anything to do with your mindsetand mindfulness.
You gotta have strong foodpillar.
(26:20):
So a great approach to healthyeating, which doesn't mean
they're only eating salad, bythe way, or they are not enjoy.
I'm a foodie, I love food, butthere has to be, there has to be
balance at the level of yournutrition food firstly.
Fitness a very effectivemovement practice doesn't mean
(26:43):
you have to go to the gym.
I don't go to the gym, butyou've got to develop strategies
that allow you to move yourbody in the way that your body
needs to move to stay healthy,strong, flexible.
So those are, those are thethree fundamental pillars um the
moment you neglect one of thesethree um, which can look a
(27:05):
million different ways, thenyour whole well-being is is weak
and wobbly and shaking, youknow, and because human beings,
we have a tendency of wanting todo the things that we're
already kind of good at right.
So, so if we love working out,we're like, okay, let me work
out a little bit more to kind ofget even healthier, um.
(27:27):
Or if you, if you love eatinggreat healthy food, you're like
okay, so let me, let me becomeeven healthier with my nutrition
.
So we want to double down onwhat we're already doing
somewhat well, but we continueto neglect the areas with most
room for improvement, and thatreinforces a state of imbalance.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Oh, my goodness, I love this.
And this is what really drew mein to the book, guys, because
as I was reading it, I was on aflight and I actually finished
it and probably the first like.
I read half of it, the firstpart of the flight, and then we
had a layover and then Ifinished it in the second half.
(28:10):
It was that good y'all.
I mean, I had never reallythought about it in this way,
right, it does take focus, right?
When you decide, okay, I needto lose 30 pounds, you get
really focused on losing those30 pounds.
So now you're eatingdifferently because you know,
(28:31):
okay, I can't eat lots ofcalories all the time or I'm not
going to lose this weight,right?
So your food intake isdifferent.
Now.
Your nutrition is different,right.
And then you also start to workout more.
Your fitness becomes differentbecause you know I have to move
more, I have to eat better and Ihave to stay focused on what
(28:54):
the end product is going to be.
And those are the things thatSerena digs deep into her book,
and I would encourage each andevery one of you to take a look
at it, to go grab the book andreally read through it, because
it is really going to changeyour perspective on the way you
(29:14):
see your health.
You are going to put a muchbigger price tag on your health.
You're going to value it a lotmore, because I think right now,
especially as Americans, wehave this hustle culture and in
other countries it's not so muchthat way.
There are countries thatprioritize rest throughout the
(29:35):
day.
There are countries that willgive you, I think I want to say
in like China or Japan, they getlike a two-hour break in the
middle of the day for lunch andyou know, just to take a break
to relax your mind.
And there are other countriesthat do this as well, that just
prioritize resting over work,work, work, work, work.
(30:01):
Right, because America wasestablished on the American
dream.
You can come to America, youcan work your way up to the top
and whereas in another countryyou were born into a specific
station and that is what it isfor you for the rest of your
life, right?
But America sells the Americandream.
Come over here, work hard andyou can make lots of money and
(30:25):
change your life.
Well, I might make a lot ofmoney, but what am I willing to
sacrifice to do that?
Because at this point.
I can't even enjoy it becauseI've worked myself into the
ground.
Even enjoy it because I'veworked myself into the ground.
And in Serena's case, in herdad's case, he literally did
(30:48):
that.
He worked, worked, worked,worked, worked, and then he
couldn't even enjoy the fruitsof his labor after it was all
said and done.
And so let that be a real lifetestament to putting your health
, your spiritual, your physical,your mental well-being first,
so that you can continue to takecare of those in need.
(31:08):
If you're in the nonprofitsector, of course you're there
to serve, but also if you have afamily, they need you.
If you have kids, if you haveaging parents who depend on you
to care for them, or any of yourloved ones who are depending on
you to help them and take careof them.
You can't take care of anybodyelse until you take care of
(31:30):
yourself first.
Just like Serena said, the ageold metaphor you have to put
your oxygen mask on first beforeyou try to put the oxygen mask
on somebody else, right?
So I mean, this is, this is,this is great stuff.
Serena, I'm so excited for this.
I want you, I want you to talkabout your upcoming retreat and
(31:53):
the things that you guys dothere, because I also think that
this is really important foreveryone to hear about, because
a lot of times we think, oh,that's too expensive, I can't
afford that.
But can you afford to be on$600 a month medication the rest
(32:13):
of your life?
That far exceeds the price ofthe retreat in one year, and so
talk about that, serena.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Yes, well done, by the way, for breaking it down so
effectively, especially in theUS, given how expensive health
care is in the US.
Really, for you guys, more thananyone else in the world,
prevention rather than cure isthe best way to save money in in
your lifetime.
You know, uh, one medication,only one medication only, can
(32:48):
cost you hundreds of thousandsof dollars in your life.
You know when, when workingwith some professionals or going
to a retreat, or preventingthat meditate, that medication
from being needed, might costyou a couple thousand dollars.
You know, it's like, it's likethere's no, it's a no-brainer,
it's literally a no-brainer.
(33:09):
And and a wellness retreat is agreat opportunity.
And because, first of all,everything is done for you.
You just show up and you don'thave to think about logistics,
planning, organizing, arrangingyou, just, you literally just
have to show up.
(33:30):
So it it couldn't be easier tostart creating new habits than
to embark on an experience suchas a wellness retreat, because
you don't have to figure out anyof those logistics that
sometimes get in the way of ustaking action.
The second reason why awellness retreat is an amazing
(33:52):
experience that I highlyrecommend.
Everybody has at least once intheir life and we have clients
that come every single year isthat when we take you out of the
bubble of your day-to-day lifeand we remove all those triggers
, all those things that kind ofimpact the way that you operate
(34:14):
right, all thoseresponsibilities, all those
burdens, all those stressors weplug you into an environment all
those responsibilities, allthose burdens, all those
stressors.
We plug you into an environmentthat is specifically designed
for you to pick up new,healthier habits and to see,
over the course of a week, howthese habits feel in your body,
(34:36):
how your body transforms, howyour mind transforms, how your
soul feels.
In just one week, you will feelso transformed, so empowered,
so much better in all wayspossible.
They will become much easier tocontinue to maintain some of
(34:56):
them in your day-to-day lifebecause we've planted the seeds,
we've nurtured them for a week.
When you go back home, you'renot going to go back.
You're not going to want to goback to feeling the way that you
normally feel or to operatingin that way.
Of course, you're not going tobe able to retain every single
thing, but you will find it ahundred times easier because we
(35:19):
planted the seeds so deep in thein the course of a week that
you're going to be a new versionof yourself and there's no
going back.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
I love it, guys.
I absolutely love this.
Serena, thank you so much.
This was just a wonderful,wonderful conversation, very
enlightening, but just also justvery real and authentic.
Guys, you know, there's nothingmore important than your health
and well-being Point blankperiod, nothing left to say.
(35:53):
Because if you're not healthy,if you can't take care of
yourself, there's no way thatyou can take care of anybody
else.
And so, serena, I just Iappreciate you so much for being
on the podcast today.
Thank you so much.
If anyone wants to get in touchwith you or to learn more about
(36:15):
what you do and all the thingsthat you offer, how do they do
that?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
well, I am very active on the main social media
platforms.
You can find me on instagram atwhole shift wellness, and
facebook, same handle.
I'm also on linkedin at serenasabala.
So if you send me a dm to anyof those platforms, we will get
to it.
It might take me and the team alittle time, but we will
(36:42):
definitely get to it.
You can also email me info atwhole shift wellness dot com.
And, in fact, what I would loveto do spring, if you allow me to
, I would love to gift yourlisteners with a free pdf copy
of my book make shift, so theycan simply get in touch with you
.
Anybody that wants a free PDF,or you can make it available
(37:04):
whichever way you see fit, andthey can start taking a real
action, a real step in thedirection towards their health
and well-being.
Because, you know, ideas andand and conversations are
brilliant only if they arefollowed by action.
(37:24):
I am a big action woman, so Iwant you to take action.
I want you to read the book, Iwant you to do the exercises in
the book, because that willspark new habits and new results
in your life oh, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
Yes, yes, yes, it is all about the action.
We can talk until we are bluein the face, but it is about
taking action.
So this is awesome, guys.
I will put a link with theepisode to get the PDF, if you
so choose.
I will put Serena's informationin there as well, so that you
(38:04):
can reach out to her.
Uh, this has been truly amazing.
I truly appreciate you, serena.
Thank you so much for being onthe podcast today and, guys, I
hope you enjoyed it.
Please, uh, if you have anyquestions, any comments, let me
know, and until next time, guys,on the Spring Forward podcast.
Bye-bye, bye.
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