Are you defining success on your own terms? Bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be using Dr. Michelle Robin’s strategies.

The founder of Your Wellness Connection® and Small Changes Big Shifts® shares how she learned to listen to her inner voice, let go of others’ expectations, and practice self-love in order to get clear about her purpose and find true fulfillment.

Dr. Michelle keeps it real and makes healthy living easy. Get her Quadrants of Well-Being, and some basic, actionable steps to make small changes that lead to big shifts.

We talk about why it’s important to own and share your “medicine”—the qualities and skills unique to you—to build meaningful relationships and contribute to your community.

Tess’s Takeaways:

• The Importance of a Wellness Plan
• The Quadrants Of Well-Being
• The Gap Between Where You Are And Self-Love Is Self-Care
• When In Doubt, Take the Next Step In The Gap
• Self-Care Starts With Knowing What Brings You Joy
• Overcome Anxiety Through Giving
• Listen To Your Intuition and Take Action
• Dr. Robin’s 31 Days of Kindness Campaign

ABOUT DR. MICHELLE ROBIN

Dr. Michelle Robin is the founder of Your Wellness Connection® and Small Changes Big Shifts®. Since opening her practice in Kansas City over 30 years ago, she's become a national thought leader in the wellness industry. Her “Quadrants of Well-Being” approach has helped thousands of people get healthy and live their best life. Michelle has spent her career guiding patients to make small changes that create big shifts. As a chiropractor, holistic healer, author, teacher, speaker, podcast host, unshakable optimist, and passionate advocate for generational change, Michelle is on a mission to inspire people to find their unique path to wellness, and enrich their purpose in life.

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE

Wellness Programs: https://onlineprograms.smallchangesbigshifts.com/course/

Small Changes Big Shifts Podcast: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/podcast/

31 Days Of Kindness: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/kindness/

Wellness Deck: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/snackables-deck/

Wellness On A Shoestring Book: https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/wellness-on-a-shoestring/

The E Factor Book

https://smallchangesbigshifts.com/product/the-e-factor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmichellerobin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmichellerobin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellerobin/

Meet Tess Masters:  

Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of The Decadent Detox® and Skinny60® health programs.     

Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.   

Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.  

Connect With Tess: 

Website: https://tessmasters.com/  

Podcast Website: https://ithastobeme.com/   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblendergirl  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/  

Get Healthy With Tess 

Skinny60®: https://www.skinny60.com/  

Join the 60-Day Reset: https://www.skinny60.com/60-day-reset/ 

The Decadent Detox®: https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/  

Join the 14-Day Cleanse: https://www.thedecadentdetox.com/14-day-guided-cleanses/ 

The Blender Girl: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  

Thanks for listening!  

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Is your health not quite where you want it to be? You're not feeling as good as you want to feel or your doctors told you, you have to make some changes. But you're feeling overwhelmed and you're not sure where to start? Well, I've brought in some help today. Dr. Michelle Robin is joining us on this episode because her philosophy of making small changes that lead to big shifts, and her four quadrants of wellbeing, just make healthy living so simple and accessible. So she's gonna give you some fantastic tips today. So back when I was living in Springfield, Missouri, my friend Chris, and I drove up to Kansas City, and I met Michelle for the first time, we had lunch together and a beautiful friendship was born. I was so inspired by her no nonsense approach. She just keeps it real. And she's also one of the kindest people I know. She is a brilliant chiropractor, wonderful coach, mentor, author, speaker. And she's just got some fantastic initiatives that are making her community better. So I think you are really going to dig listening to her today. So let's get the skinny from Dr. Michelle Robin, welcome to this episode of it has to be me. I'm testmasters. And today I am here with Dr. Michelle Robin. She is the founder of Your Wellness Connection and small changes, big shifts, as a chiropractor as a holistic health coach as the speaker. And I'm going to say, unwavering optimist, she really helps people to make small changes that are going to lead to the big shifts that they're looking for to change their life. So if you're feeling overwhelmed by the changes you might need to make to have the life that you want. This is the episode for you. Because we are going to get some fantastic tangible tips. Michelle is one of my chiropractors, I say one off because she's in Kansas City and I live in Australia. And we're dear friends and so I come to Kansas City once a year and Michelle. So excuse me the good stuff, right? So thank you so much for being here. You're one of the people that I come to for advice to help me stay on track with better choices. And I'm so excited that everyone's gonna hear you know, some of these amazing tips from you today.

Dr. Michelle Robin: Well, thank you for inviting me. And thank you for being a great friend. And thank you for teaching me about the word celebrate. Ah,

yeah, you know, you say that, but you celebrate and elevate, elevate others, you know, more than anybody I know, truly. And I just think, you know, you just weren't using that term before. But one of the things I really love about you is that you always

Dr. Michelle Robin: give people credit, when

you have been informed by something that somebody else does. You always mention them and celebrate them. So you know, thank you for that and how you show up. So I want to start by sharing one of the big it has to be moments for you that really changed the course of your life. So when you started your, you know, chiropractic practice, in Kansas City, you know, over 30 years ago, now, you know, you are a young, hungry chiropractor, you went in hard, and you're making a ton of money seeing a lot of patients, and it just wasn't working for you. So can you talk everybody through that turning point where you really started to define what success meant for you?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Yeah, that's a great question. First of all, what is a ton of money mean that I think that I've learned after being in the business world for this long, there's this different level of people that a ton of money back then, is not a ton of money now. Nor will probably a ton of money five years from now. But you know, tests in August of 1997, I remember driving home, and I thought, wow, if this is all there is check me out. It actually kind of praying I just, I was one of those people that was walking around dead. And just kind of praying for being able to leave the planet or something because I thought if I worked hard enough, I helped people and I sacrifice I'm gonna put the air quote martyr here is that I would be lovable. And so in my mentors who are mostly men, they taught me it was really about how many people did you see how much money you're making? And so I had a relatively successful practice by anybody standards in chiropractic. And I wasn't fulfilled. And so I remember driving home and it was on a an evening and I remember exactly where I was at. And you know, you think, you know, you think God, if I just take this one turn, then you then you start thinking, Well, who else is gonna get hurt? And what if I don't die? And then then I don't want to be a paraplegic. You know what I mean? So I called a minister, Mary homelake, who just was such a light my life I have so many funny stories about Mary and, and how much wisdom she shared with me through the years. And Mary said, I kind of been waiting for your call because you don't have any joy. You give her joy to everybody else. So you don't keep any for yourself. Who that's really big. You know, I'm not sure I really understood it at 31 as much as I understand it at 57. But I'm like, wow, that was such a gift she gave me and she said I, I want you to go to the Hoffman process. She had had just done the Hoffman process, which is a seven day intensive program, where it's like 10 years of therapy in a week, you unpack your refrigerators, kind of like when you go in, and you teach people about taking care of their chemical quadrant and the nutrition side of it, it's like what's in your fridge? If you have that shift in your fridge, you're going to eat it, and you're going to consume it. And we all have bad thoughts that are on our hearts are events that we've not healed. And so the Hoffman process helped me empty out the refrigerator, look at it and say, Okay, this pattern of not being a god good enough, or being the fraud or, or being unlovable, where did those come from? And are they really true. And so that was a pivotal moment for me, when I learned to have some self love. And I for me, it opened up the possibility of self love, not saying I went through that weekend love myself in one week, but it opened the possibility that I could be lovable. And that is a big part is you to think that you could possibly be levels of there's no way anybody would ever love and care about me. So that is a moment that I'm forever grateful for.

Yeah, we love the Hoffman process. I know so many people that have gone through it, and it's been life changing. You said that it started and opened up that process when you returned from Hoffman, how did you continue that process? So can you share with us some of the tools that you use to keep yourself open and keep cultivating a practice of self love?

Dr. Michelle Robin: I think the biggest tool is being a teacher and be my guide. And I like to think about being a guide it so for me, my one of my biggest fears has been the five letter F word, which is fraud. And so as a practitioner, you want to make sure you're walking the talk. And so here you are teaching people to take care of their posture and teach people to make sure they're taking time to get the care they need to get and teach people to say Be grateful and, and to reconnect to their spirit. And so one of the tools was just being able to be authentic with my clients. I remember a story there was a woman that came in kind of right before I left for Huffman checks reminded me of my mother kind of a little bit narcissistic and kind of all about her and and it just really made me uneasy and kind of I was kind of angry with it. And I realized when I got to Hockley, what it was about, and my mother super kind, and she's got lots of positive things, but that's what I was. That's the wound I was carrying at that time. And so when you say how do I carry it through, I believe it was carried through by having other people. And then I found the next teacher, right, Mary Oh, Mike was a teacher and then somebody called Sonia Choquette came into my life, literally years later. Oddly enough. Sony's done the process. And I always said to the process before Sonia shoket did the process, which is pretty cool. Because we both sometimes we get a competition you can send the most people to Hoffman. Not really, but the kind. So that's, that is another way, reading, listening. You know, surrounding yourself with people that help you feel good about yourself.

Let's talk about that. Because we do need to be very discerning about the people that we keep close to us. And we allow in our sacred circle, our family and our chosen family. What is your yardstick for who a quality person is that you keep close to you?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Gosh, I've never thought about having a yardstick for it. And I'm not sure I could put into words. But what I can tell you it's a feeling. Oh, what's it it's a feeling it's a knowing it's an intuitive hit, that I'm safe with this person. I can get that right away or I can be on guard or I'll be I'll be like, Oh, proceed with caution or nope, stop turn around. So I believe that we all have this internal knowing. And as a chiropractor, we call that the innate intelligence. So I get a chance to practice that also with my intuition and building relationships with people. So there's I do have a proceed with caution. That comes up. And some people pass a caution, not everybody. So I think that's one way if you if you want me to put worse into it. I think it's people look me in the eye. I think it's people that do what they say they're going to do. As people that are open hearted and they're there, they also are kind I would say those are the qualities I look for Yeah,

and people that elevate and celebrate others people that ask questions for me, it's another one is people that make your dreams, their dreams, you know, in the sense of they help you, you know, what can I do? How can I support you, which you do in spectacular fashion? So you tick all the boxes for me just want to tell you. I want to talk about this connection idea, because you are one of the greatest impresarios that I know where, you know, if you ask me a question about myself, and I, you know, tell you what's going on in my life, you immediately start connecting the dots, and going, Oh, wow. Oh, gosh, I'd love to introduce you to so and so, you know, so where does that come from? What was the seed of that for you, where you realize that staying intimately connected to others, and celebrating their story and asking for help when you needed it from your network, or your sacred circle, was really one of the big keys to being fulfilled, and creating a life that is rewarding and authentic?

Dr. Michelle Robin: It's a really great question. And when you ponder it, I think it's just part of who I am. I can't help it. Sometimes I will, I carry paper with me everywhere I go to meetings, because I don't want to be typing on a phone. And sometimes I'll go don't take a paper, you're not coming out with any assignments. You know, when your list is already so long, it's like, you know, what, don't go in with any assignments. And I can't help myself because I'll think about somebody, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, well, you should know this person, because they could probably help you get to where you're going. And through the years, I always say make my living $60 at a time. So, you know, a lot of people make living that way. Right. And so I become a people collector, and a people connector. And so years ago, I, my when I started practicing in 92, my business name is Robin, chiropractic and acupuncture center, because I have an acupuncture credential as well. And I remember I standing in 1997, eight ish, I don't know the exact year, but I know it was one of those two years. And I was talking to Susan Geiger at the time, one of my massage therapists, and we're saying, Okay, what do we really want to be called? Because we do work? We have massage therapy now and we have yoga, what can we say? You know, what? Your Wellness Connection. So how do you get reconnected back to your wellness connection, be your wellness, your well being. And so that was when I remember that word really coming into my life. And so then it was Robin chiropractic, which centered Your Wellness Connection. And then when we moved to our current facility, 22 years ago, we dropped the robin chiropractic and acupuncture center just became Your Wellness Connection, a wellness partnership, because in order for people to really change their lives, they've got to they've got to put on the captaincy. And they have to be the circle of it. And people like you and I, we are just part of their wheels of support. And so we can't do it for them as much as we want to. And I don't know about you, I've kind of gotten to the point where I've grown up enough that I know it's not mine to do. And so. So that's part of it. I might when I was younger that, you know if I if I dig really deeper, and I think about it, my mom was always picking up people at the laundromat or at the restaurant or people that needed a place to stay or whatever. I have no idea where that where that came from for her. But she was very open hearted and probably sacrificed a lot of her family, for other people, and probably still wanting to be loved. You know, when we look at it, at the end of the day, we all want to be loved to have on our forehead, you know? And then that's fine, make me feel important. So how could you love me enough? And so my love language is service and probably the way I do it the best is through connection.

Yes, I have seen you do that and felt it and been on the receiving end of that many times. So thank you. I want to go back to something you were saying before about knowing what's mine to hold and what isn't. And knowing that you can't do the work for your clients, but you can be the conduit you can hold the space you can give the advice you can treat. You can care how give us some tools that you use for how you maintain those healthy boundaries. And you remind yourself and check in about what is yours to hold and what isn't.

Dr. Michelle Robin: You know, one thing I guess gonna go back to that Hoffman in 97 experience is I remember before that the prior five and a half years of practice before that, something would happen. You know, I get fired every day. You don't see the volume of people I see and get don't get fired that you say something and somebody gets ticked off at you or you didn't do what they or last chiropractor did, or you know the drill. Yeah. And so I get fired every day. And it used to be, it would just melt me. For weeks, I'd still be thinking about it. And so what the process taught me is, it's everybody has their own journey and their own responsibility to the journey. And so I was able to let that go a little bit sooner. For me, I think about a spiritual connection. Some people are really tied into the church and I was not raised in a church, I went to many churches, that was not indoctrinated any church. So I'm one of those people that go to any church and feel the spirit. And so for me, church is not Sunday to Sunday. It's not Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday, it's not day to day, it's moment by moment. And so I believe one of the tools has been trying to get back to the moment. And okay, well, this matter, you know, I've had I've, I've lost 1000s of dollars and bad ideas, I have had leaks, I've gotten fired every day, I've had patients, very few thank God, because I've totally wrecks me when that happens. I've had so many really personally attacked me. It really, in the last nine months, never had anything like that happened in my career, where it's take some really nice and so the boundaries for me are remembering it's a moment in time. Time is really, really short. And I'm gonna die one day, and I can waste all my moments that I have, you know, in that space, or I can say, okay, Michelle, um, what's yours? What could you have done better? Because I do make mistakes? And then, and then not take on what's not mine. So and having boundaries is looking at it going, Okay. I'm going to try this on. Did I do that? No. Okay, or I did, okay. You apologize. And have the courage to, to say to somebody, if you want to talk that through, I'm willing to sit in the fire with you to hear your side of the story. And not necessary argue with you I if I want to own what's my known in so I think that's one way with my boundaries. Two is not being scared to stand in the fire, because I'm not a confrontational person. At all, you know that about me? So, but I can't sit the fire with somebody, I just here's a funny story. I had a patient recently hadn't seen him in a long time he came in, and I happen to know his medical doctor, he wanted me to talk to the medic doctor. So his medical doctor called while he was actually getting a treatment in my office, so I stepped out of the room to take the call. And the next day, he was so mad about it. Because he's like, that was my doctor, I should have been on that call, thought that, you know, kind of, you know, that is. And I said, You know what, I just sat with them. And I had a new doctor in the room with me. And she was like, wow, how did you I just, I just sat with him. I heard him. I apologized, said Is there anything else I could do to make it right?

You know, yeah, this personal responsibility piece of it is so important. You know, in healthy relationships, you take responsibility for your part of things, you know, the other person hopefully takes responsibility for their stuff. And you take joint responsibility for what happens when your stuff and their stuff collide. You know, and to me that is, is the mark of a really healthy fluid relationship, you know, where that that stuff keeps changing. I want to ask you about another piece of boundaries, where you've talked about getting fired every day. I've also been at events, and been part of your community, where you have absolutely unwavering loyal clients, and loyal people in your community. And you really foster that, that that sense of community and love. You really care about your clients. I've been staying with you many times where you know, we've been cooking and you just said, You know what, just just give me five minutes, I'm just gonna go upstairs to my office, I just want to check on a client, you know, and it's eight o'clock at night. And you know, you're just always thinking about how you can participate in someone's wellness and help them lean into the best parts of themselves. How do you maintain healthy boundaries there with the balance of self care and care for others?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Well, I'm getting this little message here. I've got to say something about the last boundaries first before we go into that conversation. Okay, I want to say because you made me think of some crystal isms, you know, Crystal isn't my partner has lots of wisdom and one of the crystal isms and so probably one way that I have helped boundaries is having a partner that has phenomenal boundaries. Crystal is is as I want to own 100% of my 50% but if we're in relationship, you have your 50% I buy 50% of that with you because 100 said that I've got 100% of my 50%. And so I hear that wisdom in the back of my head. Many times have reminded me that it's not all mine. Because people have their own. They have their own journeys, just like, I really think I picked my mother for my journey so that I'd be having this conversation with you, I am full of people say, what would you change? I'm like, You know what, I would change a couple things, but not in my childhood. Right. That's just what happened. That was what had to happen. So I would be living out my purpose. And I do believe this is my calling my purpose. So I wanted to just want to say that part of it is me taking responsibility for my 100% of the 50. Okay. So now going back to your question about what I heard, and it was self care, how do I take care of myself? It goes back to that five letter F word fraud, is, I've got to be intentional that I'm walking the talk, you know, am I taking time to get massage? Am I taking time to go do something that fills me lots of joy, you know, I love pickleball. So I love pickleball, for interesting reasons. And I've explained this, so when I if you listen to small changes, but just my own podcast, I'll talk about it. What I love is really three or four key elements is one, you can't be thinking about the office, you can't be thinking about patients as you're gonna get a ball to the face, right? That's nice, too. You're getting some exercise, you're working on your coordination. And you're also building connections. It's another I've got this whole now pickleball group, like I love to also play cards, which you love to play cards too. And I've got some Card friends now. And so it's it's cultivating some of my own joy, that brings me joy. And so I think that's part of self care is knowing what brings you joy. Like, I love a great hot bath. You know, and if you're if you know me, I will typically check out about 815 or 830, say, Okay, I'm gonna go take a bath. I'll see you tomorrow, because I like to be in bed by really 845 or nine o'clock. So it's really walking the talk. And then also knowing what the options are. I think so many people don't know what what are possibilities. That's one reason why I love the snackable deck, have to have one right here. And you know, it's color coded, right? And I could pick if I don't know where to start, if you don't have somebody like me in your back pocket, you say, Okay, well, let me pull this out. Well, today's this week, I'm going to focus on eating whole foods from my brain. And I don't know about you, I'm of the age where I'm thinking constantly about my brain, how do I keep my brain healthy. So that's a big part of it. So

you go back to so when you feel yourself being pulled to place your attention on somebody else, when you know, it's time to bring it back to yourself, you just go right into practical mode about what can I do to nourish myself right

Dr. Michelle Robin: now. And plus, I have a wellness plan. I have my own wellness plan, like I write for clients, I have my own and try and you know, walking that talk, and so that that helps as well.

Oh, that's that's a really key thing to just remind yourself to check in with your wellness plan. Okay, let's let's let's dive into that. Let's give everybody some tangible tools here. So your quadrants, your four quadrants of wellbeing, have helped 1000s of people to get healthy and live their best life. Can you talk us through those four quadrants? And then I'm going to ask you for some of the tangible tips from wellness on a shoestring because I just want everybody to walk away with some of these things that you give to your clients because they're so helpful.

Dr. Michelle Robin: Yeah. Yes, without a doubt, and thanks for asking about that. So I've got to tell you a story about it because I got to tell you how the quadrants of wellbeing came about. When I was in chiropractic school, there was a guy that came to talk at the college and this was he ties into what we talked about with connection it ties in about attracting people knowing who's your who are your people. And his name is Dr. Richard Jani. He came to the chiropractic college and I want to say about 1990 and, and we were hosting him he was on the lung. And he actually as a young boy from Independence, Missouri. He was fascinated with Asian lifestyle. So he ended up speaking in Mandarin writing, the calligraphy he owned Judo studios. So he became President Truman's interpreter, and he went with President Truman over to Asia, and he got hurt. And he went to the hospital and they did acupuncture on his shoulder. And he thought that was the coolest thing. So it came back to Kansas City. And the closest thing to acupuncture at that time, was chiropractic. In Kansas City, we have one of theirs. There's less than I don't know the exact number. It used to be 17. So there's less than 25 Chiropractic schools in the world in the in the world, I believe, for sure in the country in the United States, United States. You actually want to participate in Australia. I believe we do. Yeah, I'm curious. I don't know about that. Anyhow, he came back in the closest thing was, chiropractors up Have a chiropractor. And he started teaching chiropractors and veterinarians and MDs, acupuncture. So he came to speak, I started stalking him politely stopped, Pat. And they let me come to work for them. Okay. And I really didn't have time to work as I also refereed, full time with school full time referee full time that fit in this, you know, my job at the acupuncture Society of America and their their Chiropractic Clinic. But Dr. Jani held up one day in class test, he held up a manila envelope. And it said mechanical, chemical, energetic psychospiritual. Oddly enough, they still have that manila envelope because they pat, his assistant doctor, and he's deceased now, but has kept all that stuff. And I just kind of, you know, put that in my filing cabinet, in my undergraduate degrees in business accounting. And so as a business person, you think about your businesses as operations, marketing, finance and leadership. I wasn't thinking that way at that time. So I didn't own a business yet. And so I have that filing cabinet in my business degree of the filing cabinet of Dr. Yanni talking about the four areas, you're not called quadrants, he just called the Four Areas of Eastern medicine. And so when I found myself doing it after Hoffman, especially because I found myself writing wellness plans for people because people get overwhelmed. You know, what, what, what can you put that in writing or, you know, you put it on a note and then then notepad, the note gets torn away, and they can't read your writing. In my case, we have to type it up. And so I started reading plans called called, we called it the four, the four quadrants, which four quadrants means the same thing, which we've now figured out decades, a decade later, after doing that. And on my 25th year anniversary, I got the assignment for my spirit, to do a year long campaign to celebrate really how good my life was in Kansas City came to cancer, you know, my family to go to chiropractic school, the community is really much they've supported me and I believe it's because I've supported it, you know? And so, and going through that, I hired a company to tell the story. And they said, you know, what is it you're doing? And she said, Well, we got to think of a better word. And so quadricep wellbeing came about and took the basically the same knowledge and the same thing I was talking about, and well, so she's trying in the E Factor Book, book, which you so graciously have been at some events with us hosts, you know, launching those products, or those books, those ideas that those passion projects. And, and we told the story about it. And we interview people, when we did over 50 videos throughout the year, and we trip those out in the campaign around the quadrants. And we just act we we interviewed people, and then we shared those clips. And then at the end of that year, we did a celebration. And that celebration, I actually thought was going to be okay. 25 years, I've done my job. Now I can kind of dial it back. Yeah, and during that year test, I'm not you probably remember this I had for I had for my personal patients, not for people in my practice, you know, because we have, you know, 20 plus practitioners, but I had for my personal patients take their life. I

remember, yeah,

Dr. Michelle Robin: you know, you know, a 15 year old has a hard year, it was a hard year, a 15 year old and I had a 56 year old and a 67 year old and a 33 year old. And I thought wow, you're just getting started, I don't know why you think you're about done. And then here we are in this mental health crisis around the world. And so to answer your question, that's the quadrants. So the four different areas once again, mechanical, kind of thinking about the nervous system, thinking about the physical structure. And then you got the chemical which What are you putting in? In your mouth? What are you putting on your skin? And the other energetical? What about all these EMFs around us? What about our weak? How are we disconnecting from the energy because we're all energy? And then this psycho spiritual aspect of, are we really listening to our inner knowing? And are we do we trust that you and I are connected? You know, we're doing this call, you know, across the airwaves, which think about how cool that is right? Here in a whole nother continent. You know, which is probably about what 18 to 20 hours away by plane. And so you think about how that's even possible. And you got to realize that we're all one. We're all connected. So that's the quadrant story.

I really love the quadrants. Let's talk about some tangible things that we can be doing to look after those four quadrants. So you laid these out in wellness on a shoestring your first book, and yes, I felt very honored to help you launch some of those products and be there speaking at those events. It was just So wonderful. You say they're seven. But there's more than that. So tell tell the story about that. Because they're just really good simple things that again, go back to your, your mantra of small changes, big shifts.

Dr. Michelle Robin: Yeah, you know, it's interesting. When wellness, no shoestring came out in 2010, it really started about 2008. And someone came to me and said, Is this funny story, um, you don't know this part of the story. So Mike came to me in like January of 2000. And I want to say 2008. And they said, You really need to meet the new CEO of unity village, and I have an affinity for unity actually have a unity glass right here. Because of Miriam, like my minister, who became just a spiritual mentor, almost like a big sister to me. And I put on my calendar because I'm a nerd. If something sounds right, it put on my calendars. Okay. On April 2 2008, I need to make sure I reach out to Charlotte Shelton. You just can't make this stuff up tests, and so on. On April 2, I'm at an event around breathwork. At Unity on the plaza, and guess who's there? Charlotte Shelton? I have not called her yet. She said, Oh, everyone's been telling me about you. We need we need to connect we're relaunching our publishing division. Unity was one of the first new thought churches but also her ministries that they also talked a lot about holistic healing because of their founder Myrtle Fillmore. And I'm not sure if you've heard about the daily word. Have you heard about the daily word? Oh, yes. Started. Wow. Yeah, started at Unity village in Kansas City. So I met Charlie says we really want to do something I just need. I just need some simple things that people can do mind body spirit. And so I'm like, Okay, well, what could they do? Well, they could, you know, they could breathe, they can drink water, they can go for the Greens actually didn't put water into the first time. And they can be grateful they can make sure they get sleep, and they need to move. And so I was talking with Mary Omega in Hawaii, we were sitting on the beach in Hawaii. And I said, Hey, here's the new book, I'm gonna put out and tell me what you think. And I listed the habits and she's like, you're missing one. You're missing one. I'm like, barely, I'm not missing one. She's like, Yeah, people don't know how to drink water, like married people know to drink water. That is common sense. She's like, nope. So Mary, Mary, kind of just that this is Mary, this is how we talked, she was just oh my gosh, just such a gift in my life. So emotional, she's just such a still gives to me now in the spirit world. And so the seven habits on wellness, a shoestring came out in 2010. I'm gonna tell you the habits in just a second. But what's interesting test is, before that I had been trying to figure it out, because I noticed that my patients were getting sicker and sicker. Something happened 2005 ish, you know, used to be as a chiropractor, you would adjust something, they think, oh my God, that's a miracle, right? And then I noticed and I noticed 2005 2006, it was no longer miracles. It was getting harder. And so I remember thinking, Okay, if you're not going to help people, you need to get at this business. And so at almost at that exact moment, so they dropped my lap that was kind of a functional medicine doctor. And so I went down the route for the next three or four years of hiring functional medicine, functional functional medicine doctors or naturopathic doctors, because I knew the nutrition was a big piece of that. And you know that I love the spiritual world. And that's my favorite. And then I have fallen in love with the chiropractic and acupuncture world. However, I never really embraced the chemistry world like I needed to because I was not good at chemistry. And so it just slapped it right in my face. But what I found as a naturopathic doctor was Labor overwhelming my clients. And they would spend two or $3,000 on labs and they'd have five minerals with them with the supplements. And they still weren't changing their life. And then they look at the supplements and they say that damn Dr. Robin, right. Because I was the one recommending them. Right. And so another had to be me moment was when the walls are shoestring also in relation to what my gift is first floor, second floor basement, if you want to take you from this second floor to the 10th floor, I'm not your gal. The third most the PAP most of the populations living in the basement of her second floor of well being. And so that's where well so shoestring came into play, is that we can teach people about the simple habits you know, rest, reflect, rejuvenate, breathe, move your body, even the segments, I personally believe that you you've got to have chiropractic care, I don't care whether it's no force, low force or high force. And then for your space, you've got to get rid of the thoughts. And that committee that bad the negative committee and the positive committee, you've got to figure out how to tame those. You got to figure out how to clean out your refrigerator so that you're not attracted to or you don't say, You know what, I'm having a bad day. I'm going to grab a beer. I'm going to grab a Pepsi I'm gonna grab a bag of potato chips. And you've got to declutter this physical space around you because At the end of the day, you come in with nothing, you leave with nothing. And so and then go for the greens, which is really you're the master at, and then get sunshine, get omegas and then drink to your health, which is, you know, to marry for making sure I put water in there. And that was my that was the first thing that actually gave me so much freedom. Because I knew really what my calling was. My calling was to teach the basic habits.

And we all need the basics. I mean, at the end of the day, when you're feeling overwhelmed, you can just go back to the basics, do one thing today, or what are the three things you could do and they can be small things. And the small,

the small changes add up to

big shifts to quote you, but yeah, it's, it's so great. So the podcast, small changes, big shifts, and the snackable deck, which is the 52 wellness tips that you can use, you can pull out a card every day. And you can find all of this at small changes, big shifts.com. Those of you listening, were those things born out of wellness on a shoestring your practice will you know when you realize okay, so I've released wellness on a shoestring. And then the effekter your second book? Was the snackable deck a way to help people was that a solution that you provided in response to questions you were getting from your community?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Yeah, just made it bite sized. You know, I was I was talking around the country in North America on well, so she's trying I thought why are people aren't doing this. And so that really spurred the second book that you factor, engage, energize, enrich, and it talks about kind of knowing your why and, and finding your path and finding your community. Because then you have energy and then you want to enrich other people's lives. So it just basically, the more fulfilled you are the more fulfilled that you want other people to be because you realize it's such a joy. There's that word again, tense, so I'm going to I don't know if you know my word for your joy. So I'm had didn't tell you that before. So that was a factor. And then it's like, okay, how do you just keep taking it down in bite size. And now the snackable deck is a bite sized. And for me, this is like, this is like elementary school, I have another deck in mind. So I keep a keep a running wellness plan at my office. So it has probably 300 tips on it. And I'll come across something and I'll put it on that plan and then it'll percolate for a little bit bit less. So I've got people I've cared for for 30 years, you know, they've mastered drinking water, not all of them. Okay, some are being really resistant. I'm not giving up hope on them, though. One cut one came in at like, I'm trying to get up this diet coke. And I'm like, Really, 30 years later, you're still drinking diet coke. And they it's almost like a slap in the face. Right? Or a knife in the heart. I know, you know what I mean by that? So, so the so this is one of them. You know, it's got like a regular therapy. Have you heard of auricular? Therapy? Yes, where you can rub the ear. So yeah, to me, this is

like elementary, scrub my ears. When you adjust me, that's the last thing you do. And it feels so good to just my head and look at my neck and I am the ear thing at the end. It just feels so comforting. And you just feel so safe and grounded. So what is it about that,

Dr. Michelle Robin: while you're treating the whole body, the body the in the ear, they have something this auricular therapy, or goal is the the outer part of the ear. You can some people just call it your ear flap. And there's like an upside down baby in there. So you can treat the whole body. This is the spine. So I read the spine points. And then all the other points. So but also to I don't think were modeled healthy touch. So when you hear that, yeah, you know, I was like got invited to participate in a workshop called translucent you back in? Probably 2002 through about 2000. And I think 10 or 12. And, and they said to me, would you come help us? And would you be in the lomi room? I'm like, I'm not a massage therapist. What am I going to do with people for 45 minutes? That seems like 5000 hours to me. And so I said yes. My spirit said yes. And then the night before I'm like, Okay, God, really what do you want me to do with these people? Because I can't adjust them? Because I think it's I think you need to know more history to adjust people if it's a serious business to know how to adjust somebody's spine. It's not it's not as easy as it looks. In my sphere said, You know what, just go back to when they were babies. And what did your mom to your baby. They rub your feet. They rub your little hands, they they kind of touch your face softly they wrap your ears. And so when I'm doing that, especially when I'm in a very present moment, I'm imagining them just feeling safe and nurtured and loved. And when you pass that energy on to somebody, it's emotional for you and them. And I don't need to tell people that people feel it. They feel

oh, you should feel it. So that's what you're doing the times I've cried.

Dr. Michelle Robin: Yeah. And people can do that themselves. Your listeners right now in this moment could take their hand and just start rubbing their ears and seeing how, you know some people it's it is there's a sensuality to it. But it's really about treating the whole body from a whole perspective, just like doing reflexology or, or hand acupuncture.

Yeah, physical touch and also floods your body with oxytocin. Yeah, you know, which combats cortisol, you know, brings cortisol stress levels down, and it's just look, I love other people's hands on me and people that really know what they're doing. It's fabulous. It's Oh,

Dr. Michelle Robin: is that your love? Language? Touch? Touch? Yeah, well, yeah. I mean, I

love physical touch, you know, I do. I'm a huge hugger. And, you know, I'm always, you know, rubbing people on the back and, you know, touching their head and things like that I do. And I love to be touched. I love physical touch. You know, I would say my love language is acts of service quality, time and words of affirmation. Those would be the three that I lead with, if I had to pick if I had to pick them. But you know, we're, we all do all of it. Right? But we, we feel most comfortable, you know, doing certain things. But yeah, thank you for asking.

Dr. Michelle Robin: We brought up army Tosun, the oxytocin and one thing that we do, and I know, I know, you participate, you share with your community. So I want to say thank you for that is our kindness campaign.

Let's talk about that, you know? So Michelle, has this campaign 31 days of kindness, and you're going into your fifth year with it this year? Is that right? Talk, talk to me about how that was how that came about. Because I've participated in it every year, it is so beautiful. So you can learn about it at small changes, big shifts.com forward slash kindness. And it is a campaign where you just sign up and you get an email every day with a prompt, you know, these really lovely little reminders of what you can do to practice kindness today. It's just a beautiful, warm hug. And we can all you know, we can all use more kindness any minute of the day. So how did that come about? Well,

Dr. Michelle Robin: you're right, we can all use it. Because we all need to have those feel good hormones that motivate us that help us connect other people feel like we belong, because a lot of people feel like they don't belong right now. So here's a funny story. You probably through the years heard me talk about it just a little bit in 2019. This woman named Ann coons I used to treat her daughters, and they suffer from anxiety. And she's very much into the mental health movement. She's a mental health advocate. And she came to me says, oh, you know, you have a 21 day program for posture and for sleep and blah, blah, blah, and you need one for kindness. She, she basically ordered me tests. And she kind of, quite frankly, I think she kind of bullied me till I did it. And she was like, you need to do this. And I'm like, do I look like I have time to this note you need to do I'll help you. But you need to do this. And I was like, finally did get off my back. I said, okay, so that was 2019. And we did a 21 day, kindness online program, nothing like it is today. So what happens March 2020. World shuts down. You and I both have done a lot of teaching. So people like us get called to come off the bench and say how do we help humanity right now people are stressed out, they're not sleeping, their fear base, etc. So go into what what I teach about with the small changes, big shifts did that for a lot of companies, one of my clients is locked in, which is a big insurance company out of Kansas City, their world. They're also international. And finally, in August of 2020, it's okay now what do we do? What's next? Like, Okay, Coach, tell us what's next. I'm like, Well, while we're going into this election, and people are not being very nice to each other. They said, Okay, what do we do? So well, we have this kindness challenge, because we were calling it a challenge. And they said, well, we don't need to be challenged anymore. We're already challenged right now. And I said, Well, let's call the campaign, they said, Okay, we're in as long as 31 days. So technically, the kindness campaign challenge has been around six years, but it was 21 days for the very first year. And then 31, which is really where we really take in and build off of it. And so now we're there's actually, there's decks, there's kindness decks, 31 days, you can do the holiday program. I've got those. We also have that we also have a kids for elementary, middle and high school. They're seven days. So we school districts asked us to make something special for that. So that's how it came about and locked in underwrote the first year and then we had another company and it was second year and then the third year our not for profits, small changes, big shifts co took it over and we had multiple sponsors and then this year, we're going to get some is, you know, our goal is to reach a million people and so hopefully with your help, as always, we will continue to touch more lives because you never know what one life There was a ripple that my Chiropractor Dr. Lakin back when I was you know, young in high school. remember nothing about the chiropractic experience but I remember how much they started caring about me. I needed that. And that ripple is why I do what I do. I'm giving back because I should. I should have been dead many times. And I'm just giving back because of Dr. Lakin. And in the Ruth Owens of the world and the testmasters in the Dr. Yannis and the crystals and the Sundays, the people that have just believed in me and poured into me. So I'm just here getting back in the kindness campaign is a way I do that.

I really, I really love the campaign. So I'm really excited to participate and share it with everybody. So again, you can find it at small changes, big shifts.com, forward slash kindness, we'll put it in the show notes. Talking about I should have been dead several times. I want to ask you about your bike accident. And how that changed you. Because you almost died. It was very, very serious. Huh? What did you learn from that?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Accident? That's actually emotional today. You know, it's funny when you you're in a different space every moment in life. And so it's funny when things hit you at a different season. Hard to believe test, it's gonna be nine years this year, nine years. So it changed me a couple of things, I realized that life does go on, people will move on without you. And so I had patients I seen for years, I was out of the office pretty much for 12 weeks. Because as you might remember, I couldn't stand and kind of lost some feeling in my legs for a short period of time, but enough to go, oh, okay, this is pretty serious. So it really taught me more about self care. One of my, it taught me about I would say that before by accident, I was, okay, if this tape changes with a scale of one to five, I was maybe a two at self care. Okay. And then after that, I had to go to a five, because it took me a full year to get to 90% I would say probably 95%. Now I can still tell I've got some head injury. I've got some issues, some little fuzzy up there sometimes. So I probably now about 3.8 or for I've slipped a little bit. So but uh, definitely it doubled. But it's not as good as it was right after that. And so that, you know, the you know, what the bike accident taught me and I write about this in small changes pictures, one of my many books is it taught me about community more. It taught me how to receive because I was used to being the giver. And you know, there was that six week period where there was two to six people in my house. The first two weeks, I had six different people we call it Michelle setters, people would come over and sit with me because crystal, first of all, crystal is not equipped to do that. She's not a good nurse, just FYI. So you can tell her I said that. Plus, she had to go to Hoffman. You know, we are self employed. You gotta you gotta go to work. Yeah. So they've come in the beige. Michelle said they would come at eight o'clock in the morning, and then the last person to leave about six o'clock at night. And you know, they would help me they'd go the grocery. And I remember one time people would call what can I do. And this is so true. And this is actually probably the most important part of this conversation today is about knowing your medicine. And I believe that we are implanted with our medicine that only that we can uniquely give. And so I learned then what my medicine was I learned how to be a good giver. One of my mantras is to be a go giver. And so I said we had we needed groceries, to humble to say can you bring me some groceries? Right? Some people wouldn't take your money, you know? And so oh my god, people are so amazing. And so this friend SC called, Michelle, I'm coming to see you today. What can I do? It SC I really need some groceries. She said, Tell me what you need. Tell me what you need. And then I had people that took me to pt. I had people that took me to some events. You know, I just am humbled thinking about it right now. But the lesson for me was use your own medicine. I quit. I could not show up for people. I don't have the schedule that lets me drop everything and go take people to the doctor. It was making me so sad. I was feeling I was almost beating myself up because I was not that person. I can send you a note I can send you I can send you food and stuff like that. But you know what I do now, if somebody's having surgery or they've get hurt, or they need support, I send a bone broth. Especially because it can heal and I can have that delivered. I know the kinda like or I'll just I'll send it so So I found my medicine is, or I can call them and say, Okay, what do you need? What doctor do you need to get into? How can I help facilitate that for you? So I want your listeners to really think about what is their medicine that is unique for them. So that they could figure out how they could give back to the world because the best way to get out of anxiety depression is to give is to give in and you know, I, you know, I am, when I'm sucking my thumb, what I do is I'm like, Okay, keep sucking your thumb, or go find out what gets you out of this. And what gets me out of that, is by going to reach out to people.

So I want to get get inside a conversation with Michelle a little bit. So you talked before about the committee, the two committees, the positive and the negative, you talked earlier in our conversation about what you learned from Hoffman about that you are lovable, you learned about self love, and that was, you know, something that you continue to practice. When you are struggling to get to that place where you know, what your medicine is, where you know, that you are lovable, you know that you are worthy. When you're struggling to find that place, you know, just because someone's attacked you or you know, you've been fired by somebody, all this stuff, you forgetting about it, right? What are some of the things that you say to yourself, to to shift your energy, give us some of those tools?

Dr. Michelle Robin: Well, you may remember this when I was getting ready for my 50th birthday. I did 50 quotes that have kind of kept me that kept me alive my first two years, and I did a countdown on social media and I shared the quote, and then I wrote about what the meaning was. One of them for me was the, you know, I have a little prayer sheet ties right into this, I have some tools. And I've created a prayer sheet that I actually give to people if they feel like there would be receptive. Because I quit talking about spirit in my practice for a long time. Because when I was, in my first 24 months of practice, I used to have a sign on the wall and to say, it said, when said God heals, we just work here. And a patient beat me up about that. And so for a decade, I didn't really I kind of hit my spirituality. But now I'm like, okay, you know, they're gonna, I'm gonna get fired up by somebody. Right? So let me just be my authentic self. And so I created a prayer sheet, and it has some affirmations on it. But one of the prayers is the prayer protection. The light of God surrounds me, love of God unfolds to me the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me, wherever I am, God is all as well. So for me, there's some days, I see that 100 times, especially when I'm feeling really down, wounded, hurt, attacked, not good enough. And I have other things I do as well. But I created this quote, these 50 quotes, and somebody said to me, why don't you make this into a deck. And so the next year when I launched my 25 year campaign, I made him into a deck of cards. I've got one here, there's a peacock, some pictures from our travels. And I love this quote, and I'm gonna let you know it's a Rumi quote, which I think you'll love. So that's one thing I do another thing I listened to some meditations I listen to audiobooks I listen to I read books I listen to I kind of go to church about four days a week here. People are like, what church you go to, I'm like, Well, I go to the church of this person, or this person, whoever I'm following at the time. And I've almost ascended to a church service almost every day that week, because that helps me be in the right mind to be of service. Because if I am not in the right space, I'm laying hands on you, I'm giving you my shift. Right. And so that's something I do. But I rely on words a lot. And I rely on my spirit, she talks to me a lot. But she talks in words. And so here's one of my my favorite quotes. I love this quote so much. Because the only way that I can be the person I'm designed to be if I in this person, because this is what God wants me to do. But the other part too is that, that that the gap between where you are and self love is self care. So when people are struggling to get to self love, you gotta take the next step in the gap. I love that I'm gonna drink some water today. You know what, I'm gonna go to bed at the same time every day for the next two weeks to let my body get some rest. Being Well, is so simple. We make it so stick and hard. It's just shocking how hard we make it in this in this world. And yeah, here's a quote, be a lamp, a lifeboat a ladder, help someone's soul. He'll walk out of your house like a shepherd. Sorry, walk out of your house like a shepherd. And that's by Rumi. So how can you? You only way you could do that if you have the courage to heal.

Yeah, it takes courage. It takes courage to show up for yourself and believe in yourself and keep getting up and fighting for what you want. So what would you say to our listeners to, you know, people out there, we've all got a dream. And we're afraid that we might not get there that we will fail that we don't have what it takes that people are going to laugh at us that our family is going to judge us or whatever it might be. And sometimes, the dream just keeps keep swirling around in there, and we don't take action on it. So what would you say, to inspire people to go after the thing they're dreaming about?

Dr. Michelle Robin: I think it's something just keeps tapping you on the shoulder, day after day, month after month, year after year. That's probably something that you're supposed to be doing. So listen to the taps. But there's also things and we've talked about this many times is it's not all yours to do. Just because you get an idea doesn't mean you're you're supposed to do it. So that's when you might pause. And just do the next thing. And and here's the deal. You said family. I remember my stepdad, my first stepdad said to me, what are you doing open your own practice, go work for Dr. Yanni. That's safe, that's secure. And here I am 32 years later, so people are gonna judge you anyway, because they're, they're judging themselves. And I don't think they're really mean to. So at the end of the day, it's between you and you. And so what action can you take, is it I'm going to get out of credit card debt, so that I can have a little bit of freedom, I'm not, I'm going to stay in a smaller house so that I have the resources to go chase my dream. And if your dream is just to be the best mom, or to raise a fantastic kid, or have a great dog or walk dogs or whatever is I don't care what your dream is, because none of them are insignificant. It doesn't have to be to own a Wellness Center to to be a speaker, an author that has a million followers that you test. So people need to quit comparing themselves and just say, can I be the best version of me today? And listen to what is yours to do? Not your neighbors, not your partners, not your brothers sisters. What is yours to do? And so I think people gotta get real with themselves.

I love that. How do you get real with yourself? Oh,

Dr. Michelle Robin: sister, I talked to her. You know, I'm in a conversation myself all day long. And it's, you know, somebody called me the day and they said, Hey, would you emcee this event for us tonight? Like for host, which hosts first tonight? I'm like, I'll call you. I'll call you at three. And I said, What does that look like for you? Basically, I wanted to hear how does it help you hmm. And so I share with everybody what

the number one question that you ask yourself the

Dr. Michelle Robin: right yes tucked away before with that yeah, it's saying the right yes isn't the right note saying the right yes isn't the right nose? And will this help? Will this bring more joy into my life or joy in the people that I'm serving? Yeah, that joy

peace i That's a really great central question. Is this going to bring joy in what is joy

Dr. Michelle Robin: really, joy is not happiness joy is a different Joy. Joy is like an inner peace and inner knowing it's kind of like the shepherd that says you know what, I have so much light to share with you that you can't steal my light. So I've got so much I just want to be a bright light for the world. So that people can actually see the reflection of their own magnificence so so that's my biggest isn't gonna is it gonna be is it the right yes or no? Because it brings me closer to joy.

Yeah, you know, I love that Marianne Williamson piece, what is your deepest fear? And it talks about you know, when you shine your light, you give others permission to do the same. And you absolutely shine your light so beautifully and hold a safe space for others to do the same. So thank you so much for how you show up in the world. For everybody including myself. I'm so very grateful. Thank you so much for being with us today and for sharing all these this incredible insight. I love you. I love you too. And thank you. And you can find Dr. Michelle Robin at small changes big shifts.com Listen to her podcast so many fantastic interviews, wellness on a shoestring. So first of all, the E Factor is our second book, join the 31 days of kindness campaign with me. I'll definitely be be sharing it with everybody. The snackable deck with the the 52 wellness tips. You can just pull out each day and action. I mean, just so many fantastic tools that we can grab from today. So thank you so many nuggets from that conversation. I mean, the first one is the importance of a wellness plan, having a good practitioner and making good choices with regards to your food and lifestyle practices. But some of the overarching ones for me was that idea of the gap between where you are and self love is self care. And that in order to get to that place, just take the next step in the gap. Right? So just making a good choice and then making another one that really spoke to me. The other thing that really resonated with me was her idea of knowing what your medicine is, knowing what your unique medicine is, and the gifts that you have to help others and the world that really touched my heart and the importance of kindness. You know, definitely check out her 31 days of kindness campaign because one act of kindness absolutely has a ripple effect. And with our kindness, we have the ability to change the world. So yeah, what spoke to you