Welcome to a new week!
I’m excited to sit down with this blank page today because I had some full circle moments this week that gave me hope + I just have to share them with you.
So, let’s dig right in.
Welcome to The LIFT
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HONEST TRUTH
First, let me say, there are times when it’s hard to show up. When you have something important to share + it seems no one is listening or no one cares. When you want to help, but don’t know how. When you feel overwhelmed + lose confidence. When you feel small + lose hope.
If you’re in that space right now, I hope that reading this issue of The LIFT inspires you to keep going.
Recently, I was having one of those weeks…the kind where things just aren’t going the way you want. I’ve been working on a couple of projects that I’m very passionate about, but that have me feeling discouraged. I go back + forth between excitement + frustration on a daily basis. And, there are times when I just want to retreat + stop trying.
While doomscrolling one day to distract myself from my own frustrations, I saw a post on Facebook from Robyn O’Brien (one of my personal heroes) about a new film she is in that had just premiered in Seattle to a sold-out crowd of 800 people + received a 4-minute standing ovation.
I immediately looked it up + saw it was going to be at a local theatre so I bought tickets + my husband + I went to see the film on Wednesday night.
UNHEALTHY TRUTH
If you don’t already know, Robyn O’Brien is the Erin Brokovich of the food industry - a role she never planned on playing, but as a mom - she found herself stepping up with a message she knew no one really wanted, but needed, to hear.
Reading her book (The Unhealthy Truth) + listening to her TedTalk many years ago opened my eyes to the connection between so many illnesses + our food supply. The changes that occurred in the food industry in the 1990s that most of us don’t realize. The differences between our ‘innocent until proven guilty’ approach to safety vs. most of the world who use the ‘precautionary principle’ as a guide before introducing new chemicals + materials into the environment. The fact that many of our U.S. companies formulate products differently for export because of ingredients that are banned in other countries. The realities of our farmers today who are riddled with debt in large part because of these new technologies that require them to pay royalties + licensing fees to plant seeds that are patented because of how they are engineered. The truth that our tax dollars go to subsidize the very foods that are making us sick.
If you are not familiar with her work, I have included links to get you started in the resources section below. When she started out, she was just one person trying to spread the word. Now, she is one of many. And, she was one of many well-known faces in this film.
COMMON GROUND
So, the film we saw is called Common Ground. It’s a follow-up documentary to Kiss the Ground which came out in 2020. I’ll include a link to both in the resources section below.
This is a must-see film. It explores how regenerative agriculture can help heal the soil, our health + the planet. Now I realize “regenerative agriculture” may sound incredibly boring, but I’m telling you…it’s incredibly exciting + empowering.
By sharing the success stories of farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture, the film profiles a growing movement that has the potential to replace our broken food system, balance the climate, save our health + stabilize our economy. Yes…all of that.
Regeneration is the natural process of replacing or restoring damaged or missing cells, tissues, organs + even entire body parts to full function in plants + animals. Scientists are studying regeneration for its potential uses in medicine, such as treating a variety of injuries + diseases. - National Institute of
General Medical Sciences
Common Ground is definitely a story of hope. It revitalized my own commitment to my work as a health educator + advocate + not to mention my own food choices. It also made me long for the day when I can have my own garden.
If you get a chance to see this film in a theatre, DO because it feels so good to be surrounded by the cheers + applause of everyone around you. It renews your faith in our ability to come together - common ground.
I loved the way the film brought in diverse political views + diverse people to show that this issue - this movement - really is a place of common ground. If we each do our part, we CAN heal our planet. We’re sitting on solutions that already exist while we bicker about stuff that doesn’t even matter.
What also stuck with me from the film were the visuals of these thriving regenerative farms - the rich soil, the way the birds + butterflies + insects all congregate together. The stark comparison of the green, lush fields versus the desolate, stripped soil of neighboring conventional farms.
It was a great reminder of how nature can heal itself when given the right elements. Much like our own bodies.
We are designed to thrive. We are designed for diversity in our environment, our food + our microbiome. And, when we provide these healthy inputs + remove the elements that cause harm, our bodies (our planet) revitalize + rebuild themselves.
Watching how the removal of tilling + pesticides + the addition of cover crops + introduction of other animals to graze + fertilize the soil…reminds you that this is how nature was designed.
The same thing works for our own bodies because we are designed the same way.
I couldn’t help but see the connection between our planet + our own health while watching the film. We are one + the same.
When we heal one, we heal the other. That’s common ground.
NEW GROUND
This week, I launch my new program on how to reduce exposures to environmental toxins in our everyday lives. Why? Because much like what is happening to our soil, SO many of these exposures are linked to our chronic health issues including:
Hormone issues - infertility, early onset period, early menopause, PCOS, uterine fibroids, hormonally-driven cancers + more
Metabolic issues - including insulin resistance, weight gain, obesity + type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s + Parkinson’s
Cancers, immune system issues, behavioral problems + even things like brain fog, anxiety, depression, allergies + asthma
We are all paying the price - personally + collectively.
While the full cost burden of exposure to all toxic chemicals hasn’t been calculated - partly because we are still learning about which chemicals in commerce might have toxic effects - we do have some figures + they are NOT great.
For example, exposure to just seven chemicals - all known for messing with our hormones + all ones that we can be exposed to regularly - was estimated in a 2016 study to cost the U.S. $340 billion in health care costs + lost wages. This was nearly twice the disease burden cost in the European Union, where chemicals are regulated more strictly.
My first class this week focuses on food because that is our primary exposure source to many toxicants. Most of us don’t realize just how much our food carries with it. We think we can avoid all toxic exposures in food just by reading ingredient labels, but that’s not the case.
While there are a number of ingredients approved for use in food that have research suggesting they could be harmful, even in the small quantities they are consumed in - things like artificial food dyes or certain preservatives - these ingredients will be listed on products + we can easily decide if we want or don’t want to purchase them.
But, what about chemicals that are present in foods that will never appear on an ingredient list?
This first class will focus on just that - pesticides + food contaminants specifically in seafood, meat + dairy products. These are things you will never see on a label, but by having an understanding of where the exposures are, you can make better choices + reduce those exposures.
The following week we will continue the discussion by looking at food packaging + other areas of exposure in the kitchen.
If you want to get in on the course, you can still register. All of the details are posted here.
The goal is not to completely eliminate exposures - that’s not possible. It’s about learning how to reduce exposures where you can so you don’t have to worry as much about the ones you can’t. It’s about learning how the choices you make impact not only yourself but also the farm workers + the planet.
Both Robyn O’Brien + Common Ground reminded me this week of how important this work is. And how each of us has something unique to contribute. We all need to be part of the solution + we can each do that in our own way. But, we have to be willing to show up - even when no one is listening or when it seems no one cares. Just like anyone at the start of a movement.
Which brings me to our mission for the week…
YOUR MISSION:
This week, I invite you to join the Regenerative Movement. (See link in Resources). When you sign up (which is just joining the free email list), they will send you two free ebooks to get you started on your path to regenerative eating. A great place to start. You will also receive behind-the-scenes footage + invitations to special screenings + online events.
Jump in during these early stages of the movement + be part of something that just might regenerate YOU.
RESOURCES:
WATCH: Common Ground | Winner Tribeca Film Festival 2023
READ: The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It | Robyn O’Brien
WATCH: Kiss the Ground | 2020
IN SUMMARY:
I wish you a week of regeneration in your world. We can all use a little restoration + repair. I hope you will take action this week to give your body what it needs to thrive in the days/weeks/years ahead.
If you need some support, you can learn more about my work + upcoming courses on my website or follow along with me on Instagram @itMayBeMenopause
See you next week?
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@itmaybemenopause.com
Instagram: @itmaybemenopause
This gives me hope. I know little of what you're talking about in terms of the people mentioned, soil regeneration, and the shows. But. When we start talking, create community, and spread awareness this is a huge step. Will the stuff going on this was an uplifting subject that ends my Sunday night with a smile before turning out the lights. Thank you.