by 5dmin | Feb 11, 2019 | Blog
On this episode we’re talking with Dr. Theresa Larson, mother, Veteran, Physical Therapist, and Warrior! We’re breaking down how she got to where she is after getting out of the marines, movement as medicine, and so much more!
Dr. Theresa Larson (Dr. T) had a variety of pain issues from playing softball and the marines and knew that movement would help people. Dr. T knew that she didn’t want to be a medical doctor, but she knew that she wanted to help people through movement. So, she went back to school and got what she needed in order to be a doctor of physical therapy, but she knew the field was broken and that she had to change it.
We’re talking about how Dr. T broke out of the mold of the normal physical therapy world and started re-writing her own rules in her own practice. She was approached by Dr. Kelly Starett, of Mobility WOD, and asked to teach seminars. Through that, she started recording videos, which are now a huge part of the teaching models at her company, Movement Rx.
The educational side of movement and rewiring the human body is so important and hardly anyone is addressing the root cause of the problem. Dr. Theresa Larson and her team are dedicated to shifting that paradigm and giving people that information they need in order to fix their bodies, rather than just putting a band-aid on the problem.
What we’re talking about in this episode:
- How Dr. T got started
- The mental health aspect of pain and training
- The emotional side of the digital world
- How to build a digital empire
- T’s work with Adaptive Athletes
- The prescription of movement
Visit Healthy Habits San Diego
by Theresa Larson | Feb 6, 2019 | Blog, Podcast
Trigger Warning: this episode contains discussion of body dysmorphia and eating disorders.
Joining me today is Steph Gaudreau, formally stupideasypaleo, my good friend, colleague, and mentor.
Steph and I met through a mutual friend several years ago and she hosted me on her Harder to Kill Radio podcast. When I was writing warrior, my publisher needed me to find a strong woman to write a quote for the book and Steph was the person I turned to.
She has definitely been through a lot of new normal in her life and this episode we’re going to go through some of those and talk about some hard topics like body dysmorphia, job changes, and being a highly sensitive person.
Steph moved to San Diego in 2005 by way of Massachusetts >> Arizona >> then she landed in sunny California. She was a Biology teacher and started to feel like she might need a change, so she initially changed schools, but still felt like she needed something more. She was blogging while teaching on stupideasypaleo (a food, fitness, and health website) and she decided to take the leap and quit teaching and take on being self-employed full-time.
Which was a HUGE step for her. She was terrified of what people would think, of failing, of making the wrong decision, but she took the leap anyway. Fast-forward 5 years and she’s still has that fear every once in a while, but she’s doing the thing that she was afraid of every day. And she’s been hugely successful doing it.
In this episode we’re talking about:
- Why facing change is frightening for her,
- How she faced fear to be able to move forward,
- How Steph faced and overcame body dysmorphia
- How she made blogging her business,
- What steps she took in learning new skills in her new job,
- Making her perceived weakness as an introvert into her strength
Show Notes:
Steph Gaudreau is a health and fitness coach who advocates healthy eating and embracing your own skin. Before she started eating a more balanced diet, which includes the foods she feared, she advocated paleo and working out in order to achieve her ideal body but she wasn’t happy. Steph used to be a teacher but as an introvert, she needed to find a job that is comfortable for her, therefore, she took a drastic change of direction and went into blogging.
Steph experienced body dysmorphia as a kid, it changed her relationship with food and how she perceived her body. Steph took health and fitness seriously in order to make her body smaller to overcome her condition but it wasn’t the solution she’s looking for.
Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:
by Theresa Larson | Feb 1, 2019 | Blog
How many of you think that you’re a warrior?
You may think that you’re not but the definition of being a warrior is taking ownership of your life. Being resilient. Being adaptive. Changing.
Who we are as humans is what makes us warriors.
12 years ago, I was 24 years old and stationed in Iraq, a first lieutenant in the Marine Corp. We were in a “hot zone” and I was in charge of 50+ marines. Our job was to run supplies to other bases in the area, as well as finding land mines in the area. The other part of my job was being an escort for female insurgents.
In 2005, the night before the first Iraqi election, and I have over 100 marines in my command. We were supposed to go run Jersey barriers in Fallujah and the risk of land mines or IED’s was high. Professionally I was on point, but on the inside, I was seriously struggling.
I was dealing with anorexia, but I wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. I was there in battle about 50% and then the other 50% of me was dealing with the addiction I had created. And that night, in 2005, was a come to Jesus moment for me. I was dealing with an exercise and food addiction and I had people that were counting on me, so I had to do something about it.
So, the next morning I walked myself into my company commander’s office and told him I needed help. He didn’t understand, so he asked me if I wanted a desk job. At that moment, I became a warrior, but really my battle was just beginning.
I was sent home, outwardly as a failure, but inwardly I knew I had done the right thing. The Marines know what to do with an alcoholic, but they don’t have any idea what to do with an eating disorder. But it was at that moment, in asking for help, that my warrior journey happened.
Listen to the full TEDx talk at UCSD HERE
by Theresa Larson | Feb 1, 2019 | Blog
On her FOURTH appearance on the Barbell Shrugged Podcast, Dr. Theresa Larson is here to talk about everything from finding your calling to the difference between adaptive and disabled.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
When Dr. T first started Physical Therapy, it became readily apparent that traditional PT wasn’t for her. She began to explore other platforms to further her passion and impact more people. Slowly she’s started to shift to more of a storyteller, working with businesses, building a media platform, and literally impacting people globally.
But of all the things that Dr. T does in her life, working with the Adaptive community really “fills her cup.” Society views them as the disabled population, but they’re so much more than that. She’s currently working to change the conversation around the term “disabled” and shifting it to “adaptive.”
The adaptive community is one of the most mentally resilient communities ever and has becomes Dr. T’s tribe and her healing environment. They’re coming off pain medication and anti-depressants and fighting to get their lives back.
The beauty of the adaptive community is that they’re constantly proving that movement is literally medicine. By moving they are showing that they can cure anxiety, depression, physical pain, and overcome the biggest obstacles in life.
And the message that they’re sending is clear: if they can do it, what is our excuse?
This episode really gets into the down and dirty of the power of finding your tribe and how health impacts leadership. Listen below and make sure to leave a review!
What we’re covering in this episode:
- Larson’s story and the journey to finding her calling
- How asking for help can elevate your business and the power of a tribe
- Training adaptive athletes and why you need to understand the individual
- Repattern your thought process to overcome hardship
- The difference between adaptive and disabled
- Why creating sustainable motivation is critical for success
- How to help others while protecting your energy and why health starts with leadership
- Creating healthy habits in your everyday routine
- The steps you can take today create a fulfilling life
by 5dmin | Jan 25, 2019 | Blog, Podcast
Dr. Kate left the Marine Corp in 2008 with big plans to transition to “normal” civilian life, not knowing just how hard that would be. Her whole family, life, and identity were wrapped up in the Marines, so she stayed in the Reserves and started working on her Master’s degree.
As a result of an injury her brother suffered in Iraq, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas knew she had a passion for public health and wanted to work with the Veteran community, specifically Adaptive Veterans. She started studying Health Promotion and Public Health, with an emphasis on yoga, and how the mind and body function while dealing with the actual cause of the problem.
Because of Dr. Kate’s struggles with leaving the Marine Corp, she volunteered with a Veteran’s service organization called Team Red White and Blue where she finally spoke to someone else about what she was dealing with in her relationships and life and discovered that she wasn’t struggling alone. It was that moment that she credits with inspiring the passion for finding out how to prevent and help that struggle for other Veterans, like her brother.
SHOW NOTES:
Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas (aka Dr. Resilience) is a dear friend and mentor and I’m so honored to have her on my podcast! She is someone who helps eliminate suffering for others and helps them live better lives, specifically the Veteran community.
Nursing the flu can be hard and sometimes it disables us from doing our normal routine. Now, imagine having a stage 4 cancer and the doctor has put an expiration date on your life. Wouldn’t that be discouraging? Dr. Kate was diagnosed with cancer but it did not put her down.
As a former Marine Corps military police officer, she had a hard time in transitioning to the private citizen life. Dr. Kate struggled and faced challenges that would eventually lead her in helping people with their mental fitness. She’s an author, speaker, and professor among other things.
In this episode Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas is telling her story of facing life, motherhood, and cancer with positivity and resilience.
In this episode we’re talking about:
- How a person can cultivate resilient traits
- What steps she took in transitioning from the Marine Corps
- Why is mental fitness training important
- How Dr. Kate came to know that she had cancer
- What things did she change in facing her diagnosis
- How cancer changed how she manages her time
Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:
To Contact Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Visit: https://dockate.com/
by 5dmin | Jan 23, 2019 | Blog, Podcast
Losing a loved one, whether family or friend, is really tough especially when it coincides with your other problems. Kenny Kane not only lost one but 13 in a span of 2 years. Notably, his mother passed when his son was born in Denmark and he has to juggle his attention from his one family to another as well as financial responsibilities.
Kenny Kane, a comic, a passionate hip-hop dancer and a soccer player, got heartbreak after heartbreak but he has emerged from it as a better person. Kerry is a co-host on the Body of Knowledge Podcast.
Listen to this week’s episode to hear Kenny’s heartfelt stories and find out more about these:
- How losing important people affected Kenny
- How did Kenny explain when confronted by his child
- What are the tough choices he had to make
- How Kenny was able to recover on these challenges
- What are the steps he took to heal
Listen to My New Normal Podcast here:
