You Are The Health Expert with Carrie Leaf

Today's guest is Carrie Leaf.  For over a decade, Carrie has helped her clients break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back in life. Life's too short to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled. Let Carrie help you learn and develop better ways to handle the issues that are standing in the way of your goals. She will help you identify and eliminate the subconscious thought patterns that are holding you back in life.

Carrie offers a variety of life coaching services (both virtual and in-person) that will nurture your spirit, help you overcome personal challenges, and allow you to achieve your individual life goals. She caters to each of her client’s personal needs in order to unlock their full potential. Contact Carrie to start your proactive journey today.

Connect with Carrie at carrieleaf.com.

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 1:00

Welcome back to a Magical Life. I'm your host, magic Barclay, and today I'm again joined by Carrie Leaf. Carrie is a mom of toddlers. She's a firm mom. She's a mindset expert, but today she's going to talk to us about why you are your health expert. Welcome.

Carrie Leaf: 1:24

Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.

Magic Barclay: 1:27

My pleasure. Now this is probably a topic that many people will go, no, my naturopath is, my doctor is my functional medicine doctor, is someone else, is my health expert. So can you explain to listeners why they are their expert and how they can find what's right for.

Carrie Leaf: 1:54

Absolutely. So our healthcare team is crucial and important. And of course, like these people having our support and our healthcare team, we want them and we want good ones and, and we wanna trust in them and we wanna keep them there. However, at the end of the day, nobody can know your body or your mental health, your, your physical health, your mental health any way around better than you do. Nobody can feel physically what you're feeling. Nobody can feel emotionally what you're experiencing. Nobody can hear the thoughts inside of your head. and so intuitively, we have our answers. We intuitively know if something is off or wrong or not functioning. It's, it's best within ourselves. but we might not necessarily always be the best at tapping in and hearing that intuition. And so that is as. Skill that is very beneficial to develop. It takes some time and it takes some practice. Some are just kind of more naturally there than others, but it's an important skillset to develop because then we, you know, we can, we can get the indicators. Sooner. we can get more in tune with ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and we can recognize then like, Nope, something's not right, something's off. I'm not feeling, my best. Something's not functioning quite like I it used to, or how I know it can. And when we're more in tune and we can then turn to our team sooner. we're going to have better health results all around the, you know, this is about prevention or catching things early on if we want to maintain the best health possible. But we all know the people that might ignore or overlook or be so disconnected from their body. That they're not even recognizing or noticing changes or symptoms within their body and their physical or mental health. And so it is worth jumping in and, and connecting to the body and in connecting to the intuition to be your own best self healer. You are the expert of you. Your team helps you go through that journey and that process.

Magic Barclay: 4:18

And so what are some ways that people can understand or identify their response? To what is being said or to a supplement or to a program, because many times these whispers can be ignored. They're not seen for what they are. So what are people looking for?

Carrie Leaf: 4:42

I think people are going to benefit from looking for what works for them, in multiple areas, you know? So, for example, In general, studies would say seven to nine hours of sleep is what helps most people function best. there's the rare, you know, smaller percentage of people that can get away on fewer like five hours. This. Sleep, but most of us function the best around seven to nine. through experience, paying attention and, and trying different things, I've learned I do better on the closer to nine side I like my sleep. I I like that, that, you know, eight, nine hour range. and then I noticed if pushing past that, if I'm getting it a 10, it's a little bit too much for me now, other people. If they get in tune, they might say, I do better around seven, you know, hours of sleep. And then the same goes for what we eat. We can all have different sensitivities to different types of food. Certain foods don't affect all of us the same. We're we're. We're all human, but we're made up differently. So, you know, maybe I can eat certain fruits all day long, but somebody else is gonna have a hard time experiencing and, and digesting those fruits. And so learning and getting in tune with what kind of foods does my body operate the best with? obviously exercise as well. Some bodies are built for different types of exercise. I've, I've learned through life experience. and also some genetic testing that my body is not built for, like long distance, endurance running. I am a sprinter. I can do the short burst, and have strength there. But, the way my body is built and designed, I, I'm, I'm not gonna be a cross country person. It's not set up that way. And so it's fascinating to know, you know, we're all built in different ways and so. Learning how our body best operates and functions and, and works is pretty key to getting the best results. and then I like to have people look at that like mentally, emotionally too. If, if you're feeling a strong emotion, Check in and, and see if you can tie that into and figure out where you're experiencing that emotion in the body. It's gonna show up in the body. For example, my anxiety tends to, the first physical symptom that I'll notice is a tightness, a c clenching in my jaw if my stress is getting out of whack. If it's getting too high. that's gonna show up. and my shoulders are gonna get really tight and tense. And for some reason, for me, it's almost always on the right side of my body, you know? And so sometimes I'll experience that tense and, and tightness in the shoulder or the job before I even recognize that my anxiety or my stress is. Is getting a little too high. so we want to be the ones that just kind of know the indicator lights on our body, like an indicator light on a car, if it's functioning well or if it's starting to break down. So mentally, physically, both ways. Those are some, areas that I would start to dig into and learn.

Magic Barclay: 7:58

I think there's some really interesting points that you just mentioned. So many people talk about a gut feeling. Say your doctor or your nutritionist or your naturopath says do A, B, C, but you're not really feeling it and you don't know why, but something saying, no, that's not for me. I think a lot of people don't feel like they have a right to voice how they're feeling. So how would you suggest. Listeners voice that concern they have. They may not have the right words for it, but knowing intuitively that something may not work for them because we know that, you know, if they go along with something that doesn't feel right, they can actually start a chemical response in their brain and that will make that treat. Bad for them. So how would you suggest people voice those concerns?

Carrie Leaf: 9:01

Yeah, I think that I would really have to probably to get specific, know the individual and know where they might struggle with that specifically, because, you know, there might be some, people that are people pleasers. They want to make people happy and, and follow the rules and, and do as they ask. there might be people that have medical trauma or experiences where it's hard to speak up. There's, there's a lot of things. That might be difficult. but, I think the most important thing there though is that the individual, the patient is first telling themselves, telling themselves and believing I am. My own best self healer. I am the best expert of myself. I know better than anybody else if something's off, if something's right, if something's wrong. So I am the expert on that. This doctor is the expert in their scope, this their practice. And so they might have. Good. options and suggestions to try because of their training, but they're not me, you know? So the most important thing there is telling yourself I am the expert of me. I am the expert, healer, of myself. I'm my own best self healer. And from there, you know, it would just be voicing. Something like, I don't think that's gonna work for me, or, I'm not sure how well I'll follow through on this, or this doesn't feel quite right. Is there another option? A lot of times, you know, from a medical provider, we see them as experts or our time can be, um, really quick and short with them. We're in and out sometimes on the provider. But questions or asking, you know, why this or why that? Why do we go right this route? Why this procedure? Why this medication? Why this suggestion? Why this food, why this supplement? And you know, maybe voicing I struggle with this, or I'm not so sure about this, is there an alternative? So being very curious and, and knowing that you're entitled to that. this is your body, this is your health, your mind, the doctor. Isn't experiencing, you know, the results from what they're suggesting and, and they don't have to experience and go through what you do. So you're the one that is, is gonna have to be your own best advocate in that sense. because they don't know what they don't know, right? they can't know of like if, if you have a history with something that you know is gonna make you mentally or emotionally resistant to it, they don't know if you have, a history. Uh, struggling with certain, well, hopefully they know if you have a history with struggling with certain medications, but you've gotta voice that. You gotta speak up. So, just knowing that you are gonna be your best advocate and you're entitled to ask questions and that time to get the best results. reminding yourself, I'm, I'm my best self healer. I'm the expert on myself.

Magic Barclay: 12:01

Exactly. Now, Carrie, is there anything you feel we haven't covered that the listeners need to?

Carrie Leaf: 12:08

I, I do think that what a lot of people struggle with sometimes is if I say, you know, trust in yourself, trust in your intuition, or like you mentioned that gut feeling, people will be like, but I don't know it. I don't hear it. I can't feel it, or I second guess it. And that's common, especially the world that we're in today when there's so many distractions, so many things going on. We're constantly busy. Anxiety is high. it is hard to get in tune with ourselves and learn ourselves and advocate for ourselves. But I would suggest that, people. except, and understand that that's a practice and that takes time to get to know yourself and to get in tune with yourself on that level and, and that it's also can be uncomfortable, you know? So that might mean sitting in physical discomfort, sitting in emotional discomfort, and asking yourself, what am I experiencing right now? And allowing yourself to be in that. And it's within. That time and that moment that you sit in it and that you may are either quiet or you, you sit with that physical or emotional discomfort for a moment that you're gonna get your answers and then you're gonna get more in tune with yourself. But oftentimes we find it uncomfortable and we jump right out and we go to the next thing and we're, we're busy and we got this going on, and we let the mind wander. So mindfulness, um, being in the present moment, sitting with our physical and emotional discomfort and experiences and just letting them be, is going to be what will help us get in better tune with ourselves and understand ourselves better, so we truly can be our best self healers.

Magic Barclay: 14:02

Well said. Thank you so much for that wisdom, Carrie. Now people can find you@carrieleaf.com or on Instagram at Carrie Leaf Coaching. Thank you so much for your time and sharing your thoughts with the listeners.

Carrie Leaf: 14:18

Thank you so much for having me. It's been my pleasure.

Magic Barclay: 14:22

Listeners, this was your episode 1 63 in 1 64. Christian Della Hok talks about soulful power. For now listeners, have a great day. Go forth and create your magical life.