Emily Schromm Interview
In this fascinating podcast episode, Nikki interviews Emily Schromm, a personal trainer, nutritional therapy practitioner, and serial entrepreneur. Schromm, who hosts her own podcast "Meathead Hippie", shares her insights on the impact of stress on our bodies and how it links to our overall health and well-being.
Having lived through personal struggles, Schromm emphasizes that our life experiences, particularly painful ones, often lead to our greatest learning opportunities. Through her own journey, she found her passion and has built businesses around these insights, including a tea company focusing on herbal remedies.
Schromm explains the crucial role of adrenal health in our bodies. These organs, perched atop our kidneys, are responsible for managing stress and maintaining our physiological balance. Unfortunately, the modern lifestyle often submerges us in a near-constant state of stress, straining our adrenal glands and ultimately causing a host of issues ranging from anxiety to digestive problems.
Schromm introduces the concept of hyper cortisol - an excess of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. This condition results in a cascade of negative health effects, including fatigue, brain fog, gut health problems, and hindered healing processes. Often, she points out, individuals dealing with emotional trauma and constant guilt find themselves in this destructive state. The connection between our mental and emotional health and our physiological well-being becomes clear.
Delving further into this, Schromm and Nikki explore the profound effects of emotional stress on the gut, a key center of our immune and nervous systems. When our gut health suffers, our ability to connect with ourselves and others is affected. This manifests both physically, through discomfort and bloating, and mentally, through a negative self-perception and hampered creativity.
In the realm of personal development and overall wellness, it's essential to approach our desires and manifestations from a triadic perspective: knowing, doing, and feeling. People are typically proficient at the first two parts, knowing what they want and taking actions towards it, but often overlook the critical third part, feeling.
How we feel after each activity, interaction, or decision influences our overall well-being. Whether we feel drained or invigorated, these sensations are vital indicators of our internal state and influence our adrenal health. The people we surround ourselves with also have a significant effect on our energy levels.
Many individuals express a desire for change without the willingness to alter their routines substantially. Opening up to real, practical changes can lead to powerful transformations in our lives.
One of the first steps to counteract adrenal fatigue and promote proactive health is cultivating awareness. The Body Awareness Project, for instance, encourages individuals to regularly check-in with their bodies. Noticing symptoms like lack of energy upon waking, afternoon crashes, high sugar cravings, or difficulty with sleep can signal issues with adrenal health.
However, acknowledging these signs isn't possible without slowing down. Incorporating quiet moments into daily life can seem daunting at first, but they ultimately make a significant difference. Activities such as meditating, walking barefoot outdoors, or even blowing bubbles can help you cultivate mindfulness and connect more deeply with yourself.
Challenging the societal narrative of constant productivity, particularly for those who are naturally high-energy and driven, is a crucial part of this process. Embracing the "feminine" energy of being rather than doing can be transformative, though it often requires retraining ingrained patterns.
Oracle cards or similar tools can provide a tangible means of transitioning from constant activity to more serene moments of stillness. Even if they seem "woo-woo" at first, these tools can provide essential pauses in a hectic day.
Finally, expressing thoughts and feelings on paper, in the form of journaling or note-taking, can help declutter the mind and create an internal "safe container." For those prone to overthinking, this practice can be particularly beneficial in promoting a greater sense of peace and well-being.
In essence, the journey towards better adrenal health involves cultivating awareness, slowing down, and incorporating intentional moments of peace and reflection into everyday life.
The conversation wraps up with a critique of our culture's tendency to valorize constant activity and productivity, often at the expense of our health. Both Schromm and Nikki advocate for a balance, emphasizing the importance of rest and recuperation in maintaining both physical and mental health.
This episodes underscores the intertwined nature of physical and mental health, with stress playing a critical role. It highlights the importance of understanding and listening to our bodies, and integrating rest and relaxation into our routine for improved overall health.
Find Em, her courses, tea, weight training invention, Strength Training Gym in Denver, and podcast Meathead Hippie at https://www.emilyschromm.com