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Last Updated: September 2, 2024

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202: Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews Empowers Veterans and Spouses Against Chronic Pain Through Holistic Wellness

Also available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/TL_bJay3DFo

Are you able to recognize chronic pain or discomfort in your life? If so, what steps have you taken to manage it more effectively? For Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews, her desire to help others began after seeing her husband, a Marine Corps veteran, struggle with chronic pain and PTSD.

Pinky (a.k.a. "Coach P") founded Zenergy Health and Performance and created the proven 7-pillar system to help veterans and the military community overcome physical and invisible wounds through a holistic approach. Her approach encompasses mindset, physical well-being, nutrition, stress management, sleep management, recovery, and social well-being. She draws her knowledge from veterinary medicine to understand and explain medical issues to her clients. She finds her work rewarding, especially when she sees her clients regain their mobility and improve their quality of life.

Listen to Pinky's passion for making a significant impact on the quality of life for veterans and the military community!

Resources Mentioned:

• https://zenergyhp.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/zenergyhp/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/zenergy-health-performance-llc/

Read our Monday, December 2nd, 2024 newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/98c0c4a5850e/holdingdownthefort

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Jen Amos 0:00

All right. Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode here at holding down the fort to I am really excited to be bringing on our next guests. Pinky lutea. Yeah, Andrew is also known as Coach P. And Pinky is the founder of zenergy health and performance Pinky, also known as Coach P, welcome to the show.

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 0:17

Well, thank you for having me, gentlemen. Happy to be here.

Jen Amos 0:19

Yes. Okay, cool, cool. I'm so happy to hear that I always, I'm always happy when people say they're happy to be here. So you know, because it's like an hour of your life to have a conversation with me, maybe less depending on where this goes. But I always like to start off by asking people, for our listeners that are getting to know you for the first time, give us a quick snapshot of your life today. And if you need to narrow it down, I mainly want to hear what keeps you busy and or excited about life nowadays?

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 0:41

You know, I mean, that's a great question. running the business is, is really everything for me. I enjoy it a lot, you know, because it's I get to help veterans. And you know, the whole veteran community military spouses, but honestly, just living, I mean, it's enjoying every aspect of my life, being able to still move around, go have fun, you know, get outdoors, but I will say the majority of it, the business actually is my baby.

Jen Amos 1:10

Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah, my husband and I, we don't have kids yet. But like, we've been running a business together for the last eight years. And we have like two pets. But I like to say like, our business is our first baby. And it's a lot like it. I mean, it's great because I have him to do it with but like to run a business. I mean, to hear that it really excites you is very meaningful for me to hear. And I also wanted to just touch upon, like your gratitude of just being able to move and be mobile, you know, because like, you know, this month, my gym, the challenge this month was attendance. And I actually PR like I actually broke my record for like, how, like how well my attendance is at the gym? I checked. Okay, picky. I checked in to my gym this month. 25 times 25 out of 31. Like, isn't it crazy? It took thank you yeah, but it took a while to get there. Like I had to really like get into this mindset of like, you know, movement is a lifestyle. Like it's not, it doesn't have to be intense every single time. And part of where my motivation comes from, is that I think like, you know, I'm in my mid 30s now and it's like, as I get older, I can notice the differences between my friends who let's say value health versus like, you know, live a more sedentary lifestyle, because of nine to five, you know, life, all the things, which I completely understand. But what I have found, though, is just this general energy and excitement that I have for life. Like I feel like I have more time in my day to do things and I feel like I'm just more present with people. And I'm curious, like, you know, with your background and your your own personal experience of living an active life if you maybe feel a similar way,

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 2:42

you know, honestly it's it is because I I'm in my 40s so is when you look at comparison of like, like you said, friends who are more active versus friends who are more sent sanitary, there's a huge difference, right? I had the friends who are more sedentary are deal with more pains, and just, you know, more stress and everything, but the ones who are more active are able to really, really enjoy different aspects of their life. And for myself, I mean, I will say definitely in the last year, I probably felt my age more than any other time in my life. Because I've actually been a little bit more sedentary. And so breaking out of that cycle has been hard. I even for me, it's been challenging. And I actually have to put, you know, little steps into play same as the same thing as I tell my clients baby steps, right? It's like, what's one thing you can change today, or one thing that you can improve on today, and then build that momentum there. But it's tougher for everybody. And especially when I'm looking at my parents or, you know, friends, you know, other family members who are dealing with chronic pain, and they can't enjoy their life to the fullest. That is a driving force for me to you know, remind myself to get my butt into gear. Yes,

Jen Amos 3:51

yes. I think you know, even just spending time with my mom in law before this conversation. And, you know, my hope is that we can reassure my sisters in law, that she can comfortably go upstairs, you know, go up to the second floor. And it's moments like that, that really humbled me and recognize, like, wow, I can like I mean, I did box jumps at the gym, like easily, you know, or I can just skip a step on a staircase if I want to. But I know that for you know, someone like like my mom in law, it's a different scenario in which a lot of her life especially in the recent years has has been sedentary. It has been, you know, sitting reading a book or getting up to walk to have dinner sitting down again, and then getting up just to walk to sit down and watch TV. It's a very sedentary lifestyle. And so I think it's just very humbling. And also, like you said, like a good reminder to get moving.

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 4:39

It is I mean, especially because when people are dealing with chronic aches and pains is tough, right though, what the one thing you want to do is just sit on the couch, because that's probably the less painful thing to do. In actuality, the more that you move your body, the more your body is actually going to adapt and you're actually gonna feel better. And so it's just it's tough though. It's really tough and I'm I mean, I'm, I'm definitely a, you know, a creature of habit just like everybody else, where it's like, oh, I just, I'm tired, I just want to start a couch, I wanna lay in bed, but getting that drive to be able to do what you need to do, or to get your, you know, to improve your quality of life.

Jen Amos 5:15

Yeah, well, let's talk about chronic pain. Because I think that as we, you know, age, I think for some of us, we don't know that symptoms of chronic pain, you know, we tolerate it for a long time. Like, I'll give an example, in my 20s, I wore heels a lot, because I'm five one. And when I started in business, I felt like I needed to be eye level with everyone. So I would wear like, three inch heels, long story short, really mess up my posture, I got bunions on my toes, you know, that's like, probably a little too TMI for people. But anyway, like, almost two years ago, I dedicated an entire year, just going to the chiropractor and like moving my body again. And that's why, you know, fast forward to today, I'm just so surprised at how strong I am now, you know, in a number of ways, but I think that early on, it's hard to identify if what we're experienced is chronic pain. So how can you help us, like even just, you know,

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 6:10

Jen Amos 7:15

I think that's a good way to explain it. Because there was a point where for me, like my lower back was, or my hips were out of alignment, because of the heels I wore. So I came to a place where I like I convinced myself that my right leg was actually shorter than my left. So I had to, like sneak in an extra insole for my right foot to feel like my body was right. So then when I started going to the chiropractor, he's like, That is not normal. You know, and but it's like, I appreciate you saying that. It's like recognizing that if it's like a chronic ache that's lasted more than a year, then that's a good telling sign. Like if you're accepting that that is your normal like that. That is not okay. Like it may be, it may be normal, but it's not. Okay. You know, like, it's not good to normalize it, I think, is what I'm hearing you say?

Pinky Uttayaya-Andrews 7:58

Yep, exactly. I mean, to take the point, I'll take the bunions, for example. So actually, there's number of people that have bunions. And women are actually kind of notorious for having it because of the heels. Yeah, so I'll say I have it too. And I didn't even realize I had it until I had a foot injury went to a doctor. And my doctor was like, Oh, hey, you have buttons. I'm like, Whoa, timeout. I'm like, Okay, we're gonna circle back to that. But yeah, don't dismiss that we're gonna circle right back to that. And so, you know, with, with, like bunions, for example, is because of our shoes. Because our shoes are made, so that it narrows everything. Yeah. And then, but then also, with that narrowing, it creates imbalances throughout our whole body. So, you know, with us being on our feet all day, it translates up to our legs and our hips and our shoulders. So everything is all connected. This is no, but it's just being aware of those tiny little things. And I mean, with me and my bunnies, I'm doing everything I need to every single day. So it doesn't get worse, because the last thing I want to do is not to be able to walk. Yes,

Jen Amos 9:04

yeah, or get surgery because I have been told that that would be the case. And they said they had described it to me that to get surgery would basically mean to break your big toe. Just to get it back in alignment. I'm like, I'm gonna hold off as long as possible. I don't want that. I don't know. I've never had any major surgeries. I don't want that kind of surgery. And yeah, and like nowadays, I've switched. I've donated all my heels. I mainly like to wear zero shoes. They're my favorite because it's like open toe kind of concept and it feels like you're walking barefooted and they even have like nice dress shoes for them. You know? So just like, like switching to brands like that I have found to be you know, just a game changer for me and I just, you know, whenever I see people wear like cushioned shoes, sometimes I'm like, Oh my gosh, like that. Like that's just I just I just cannot like like thought of it makes me cringe. Now even especially even like nice, like workout shoes, that kind of point. I'm just like, I can't do that because I need my toes to breathe. You know, I need my toes to like do its thing. I mean that's my preference. I'm not telling Do you want to like, you know, I'm not trying to tell anyone to do anything different. I'm just saying what I have learned for myself is that, like, it's so crazy though picky how it's like, it like starts with the toes and it like it makes its way up. And I just I took that for granted, it took me a long time to like, realize that that was an issue, like it kind of started from the bottom made its way up, you know. And so yeah, I'm just kind of reflecting on that. And I feel reassured with what you're sharing and also like, you know, what you do and really helping people with chronic pain. Yeah,

no, I love it. Honestly, I tell people, like the more pages you have hit me up, I'm reading.

I love it. Well, you have to tell me a little bit about your journey to what you do with Xcel Energy because from what I know, you actually got a doctorate in veterinarian medicine. And yet here you are, you know, helping with chronic pain. So tell us that journey from your doctor to where you are today.

Ya know, so a lot of people ask me about this because we're like veterinarian to health and wellness, not seen it. So yeah, I thought I wanted to become a veterinarian went to vet school graduated. And honestly, I've actually never worked a day as a veterinarian, but I had been in the vet field for, I don't know, is like something like eight years beforehand, working as a tech. And what ended up happening, it was my last year of vet school, um, during my clinical year, I did a rotation in Cisco rehab. And so a lot of people don't don't know that there is rehab for for animals. And I absolutely loved it. So my process was started to change, you know, I was like, Well, I'm almost out of that school, let me just go ahead and graduate get that. But it's one of those things where especially so my husband is a Marine Corps vet and or Marine Corps veteran, you distinguish the two. And seeing him he was he was deployed to Iraq, you know, seeing him deal with the chronic pains, the PTSD, the depression, you know, it's just a cascade reaction. So I actually just started working with him, because as a military spouse, it's tough. We don't know what our service members are going through, we can just see it from the outside, but we can't see those individual invisible wounds, and that invisible trauma. And so I'm not even gonna deny, like, it was tough, it was really, really tough for both of us. But I knew I can help him from a physical pain aspect, because I've been doing fitness ever since I, you know, oh my gosh, ever since I was little. So probably, since high school is really when I started to, you know, do a lot more physical activities, you know, weight training, all that type of stuff, loved it. And so be able to work with him understand the body more, and getting him to a point where, you know, after two ACL surgeries, he can still go out and run, play soccer, you know, play his favorite sports and all. And that's huge, especially, you know, for him to be able to get his release out, you know. So it kind of transitioned from there, I was just doing personal training on the side, and one of my clients who happens to now be one of my best friends. Yeah, she kept on pushing me try. She's like, you guys start your own business, you know, that this is what you love to do, like, you are really good at it. And so after a while I did, I started in 2018. And honestly, it's been a phenomenal journey, it's been really great, because being able to work with people who have chronic pain, not just veterans, but you know, anyone deal with chronic pain and helping them get the release that they need, without the added medications, and, you know, not having to wait, you know, three months until they can see a result, I'm able to really isolate what their pain point is, and then get, you know, get them their relief. And I feel that the veterinary side actually helped with that, because, you know, helping them to understand what medical issues that they're dealing with. So whether if they have like a musculoskeletal injury, or if they have a, you know, a skeletal view, any type of injuries, I can explain, explain it take the time to explain it to them. And then also with animals, they can't talk to me, you know, I have to use all my other senses either feel or basically visual, you know, as far as to see what's going on. So I've been able to take that translate it work with people. So now, I can see people walking in front of me and I can just pick them apart as far as they're dealing with this pain that that pain is so, so far and amazing. My husband hates me for it because he's like, I could not stop seeing it now.

Man, it's like once you see it, you can't unsee it. Right,

exactly. That's how the journey from veterinarian to Health and Wellness Consultant worked out.

While I won, I didn't know that pets had rehab. So that's new for me to hear as well. And I just love how you found a love you know for rehab through that and you know, I like hearing that you like to help people just recover without like without like using too much medication and stuff like that. I'm sure it must feel like a very empowering experience for your clients to be like wow, I am at this age. I had tolerated this, you know, pain for so long as chronic pain for so long, and now it's gone, you know, like, like, Tell me about that epiphany or that moment that you get to witness when your clients experienced that level of empowerment and, and everything.

Honestly, it's so rewarding is so satisfying. You know, like I said, it started off with my husband and seeing how he still has his mobility, he's able to do stuff, but I'll actually give an example client I worked with for about a year, and he's an Army veteran, he was dealing with, you know, low back pain for about two years, or over more than two years, you know, hit the depression state gaining weight, and was just in a really bad place, just mentally and physically. Yeah, and after going to various doctors to try to, you know, get that relief. They were prescribing him pain medications to use, you know, stretches that weren't really as effective. And then you just things, techniques that were not that great. So after working with him, I mean, he went from what I think it was about, like 300 pounds down to about I think it was like 180 pounds, wow, his mobility, his his physical fitness has improved drastically, his nutrition improved drastically. To this day, he's actually a so going through all of that he became so empowered with him ownself that he became a running coach. And he now is back into running the way that he was before. But he also keeps in mind that he still has these issues, these structural issues and his low back. And he still does what he needs to do in order for him to continue running. But I mean, I look at him, and we still stay in touch. And I love what he's doing and where he was to where he is now. So to see that journey is so satisfying for me.

Yeah, that's like having a new lease on life, you know? Exactly.

I mean, especially because now he can help other people. He can then actually that quality time with his daughters, The Who and not sit on the sidelines. Yeah, that's great.

Oh, that's wonderful. That makes me so happy to hear. I mean, I'm sure it's even better for you. Because you were a part of that you're a part of that, like empowering journey for your client. I know that with your business, you have a proven seven pillar system to help your clients tell us about that system.

Yeah, so you know, here's the thing about our health, it's very multi dimensional, you know, a lot of people will just focus on fitness, focus on nutrition, but really, it encompasses so much more. So my seven pillar system starts with mindset. Because if your mindset isn't on board, it could be a lot harder to make it through your journey. But the mindset is, first and foremost, we focused on your physical well being the nutrition, stress management, sleep management, recovery, and then social well being, all of those tie into one another. And so to kind of break it down more, like I said, mindset, if your mind isn't on board is gonna make the journey a lot harder than then just shifting the way you think about things, right? Because a lot of times, like people will be like, well, I can't do this, because of XY and Z was saying I can't, you know, just try to reframe that to be like, what can you do? Yeah, and so it takes it from a point of restriction to a point of opportunity, then your physical well being, well, if you're dealing with chronic pain, it's not that you can't do stuff, it's just we have to modify how you do things. And then also, let's get to the root cause of the problem. So that you can move into, you know, move forward, then nutrition, you know, what we eat is really important, honestly, that's a good chunk of what happened, I mean, how it affects us physically, mentally, emotionally, you know, so we're able to choose proper foods for you. And it's different. The one thing I say is that nutrition is not a one size fits all model, because you have to take into account well, your age, your gender, your culture, like if there's a cultural component, and then your medical history, and then a few other things. So it's very much a, you know, individualized thing, and then stress, we all deal with stress, you know, so techniques on how you can mitigate the stress, or basically just how can you improve it, so that you can continue to function at your best, then sleep that affects a lot of people too, right? So a lot of people can get quantity sleep, but not that quality sleep. So how can we work on improving so that you can get that quality sleep to so that you're well rested? So that you can again, perform at your optimal best? And then recovery? Recovery is so important, where it's a combination of passive and active recovery. So how do you allow your mind your body to recover so that again, your performance it whether professionally or personally is at its best point, and then social well being? I think a lot of people forget about this, because in today's day and age of technology, where everybody is so focused on the computer on their cell cellphones, you know, we forget that that human interaction that we need that in person interaction, we need that it doesn't matter if you're an introvert or extrovert, we need that social component because it does trigger different areas of our brain to light up. So the more that we're in isolation, the more that it can be more damaging if we were to just go out and hang out with some friends, you know, or, or even just family.

Yeah, you know, one thing I found kind of, like, post COVID times was just being comfortable sitting at a coffee shop again, like, I may not be talking with anyone, but just just like being around other people, I think is like a good baby step for let's say, introverts who are like ready to get out of their shell, but they don't want to, like have full engaging conversations with people, but I really love the whole multi dimensional approach to what you do. And the key word I heard is modify, like, recognizing, like, Hey, we're going to have stress, you know, we're not going to have the best kind of slave like, you know, life is life, be life. And, and, and so but what we can do is, is acknowledge that and modify, like, what you you know, your lifestyle, so that you can just have a little like, little by little, you can have a better quality lifestyle. And so I really, I really liked that I especially like how you mentioned, that nutrition is different for everyone. You know, I think that there are a lot of fad diets out there. And of course, if it works really well, for some people, they think that it should work for everyone. And that's not always the case. You know, some people cannot be that strict or whatever the situation. And so I really just like the detail, you know, you get down to the details and working with your clients. Yeah,

it's so important. I mean, I used to be one, we're all right, if I just you know, went to the gym every day, and you know, it could counteract the way that I ate when I was younger, right? Then nowadays, like, that's, that's not going to fly. Like, if I go out and eat a greasy meal, I'm gonna be hurt.

That's so funny. Yeah, I've personally for me, what's worked is to eat locally sourced food. So like, low, I say, local and seasonal. So whatever's in season, whatever's local, whatever seasonal, I have found that to be really, that worked really well for me. And it's kind of like to the point where like, my husband and I, we have a hard time eating at restaurants, because we almost always leave feeling upset. Like, even if we try to order as clean, quote unquote, as possible. There's just something in that kitchen, you know, that commercial kitchen that it just doesn't sit well with us. And and so I'm, in a way, I'm really grateful to have gotten to that place where it's like, cool, I enjoy eating at home cooking at home. Also, I have to find different ways to socialize, because I've had a lot of foodie friends in my life, and they all want to meet over food. And I'm just like, well, you know, we're gonna have to either I'm gonna have to make different friends or like kind of tweak the way that we all meet up, you know, and see, I just wanted to mention that, but I wanted to go back to I guess, like prior 2018. When you know, you were told, Hey, you love what you do, you should totally make a business out of it. What I've come to find that it's one thing to love what you do, it's another thing to actually like, turn it into a business. So tell us about that process. Because sometimes I tend to find that it's not for everyone, like some people are really talented at what they do. They're great at what they do. But it can't always translate to being a business. So tell me about that process. And

I was scared. No doubt, I was scared to start my own business. Like, I wanted to that when I was younger, especially going through vet school, I knew that I want to have my own veterinary office, right. And then of course, players change. And but having my own like health and wellness business, it was I don't know, it was a little bit more scary. And until I saw there were certain signs that I got, you know, where I was like, Okay, this is it. No, I know, I can help people. And so I remember it was August 22 2018. It was around like midnight, where I just I got this sign. I saw a Facebook post from a friend issue that they're dealing with. And it clicked in my head. I was like, I know, I can help people like this. And that was the night I registered my business and love it. I haven't looked back since. And honestly since I started it so many doors have opened up to now just like you said, it's not for everybody, because it is a full time job. And then some Yeah, and it's you know, because you wear many hats where if you go into any other company, you're working a particular role, and then you have support from other people. As a business owner, you're the CEO, you're the accountant. You're the project manager. You're everything. Yeah, it's really overwhelming. And then you have impostor syndrome that kicks in where you're like, Hey, Ray, do this. I don't know. I really don't. I still have it. And I mean, I know people who are you? They've been in business for decades, and sometimes they still have it too. So it's relieving that like, Okay, I'm not the only one.

You know what I what I like about impostor syndrome is it's a great way to like humble ourselves and recognize that it could be used as a mode Better to like, just keep doing better and focus on being of service to your clients, you know? And yeah, I think like the natural progression of a business is growth. And I think with every growth, there is a level of imposter syndrome. It's kind of like, oh, my gosh, this is actually working. I'm actually getting clients. I'm actually getting referrals. People want to work with me, you know, like, it's just that it's, I feel like it's a constant, you know, experience, but it's also fine, right? Like, I think it's like, you know, it's like a roller coaster in the sense, but like a good one.

Right, exactly. I mean, honestly, I know my trend, when it comes to impostor syndrome, there will come a time where I'm like, I don't know, if I'm cut out for this. I don't know if I can do this, like sitting in the corner, just like, oh, my gosh, I don't know what's going on. Yeah, and then usually, it's like 24 hours later, or maybe 48 hours later. And I'll sit there, I'm like, Alright, PD, for real, but get your your crap together. And let's go.

I love that inner dialogue.

It happens all the time. My husband is just like, you know, you go through this all the time, like, I know, I know. And

you know what, it's okay. Like, I've learned to describe, like, what I do is I have what I call raw emotions. And then I have processed emotions. So I just let the raw emotions just, I just let it out, and then allow it to go out, you know, whether it's imposter syndrome or whatever, whatever insecurity I feel, and then eventually, I just work, I unpack it. And I worked through it to the point where I can like articulate what I was feeling with the raw feelings get to that place of like it being processed, and actually do something good with it. It's like, okay, we felt all the feelings, you know, they're out there, you know, we did die, just expressing it. You know, like, this is not a matter of life or death. We did it. Now. Let's just get back into it. Exactly.

And I think also, for a business owner, it's important to have other business owners in your circle for the first few years. So I'm five years into my business than the first few years. I you know, I had all my friends, and I love all my friends, but they're not business owners. Yeah, yeah. So there's something there's a little bit of disconnect, because there's some things that they just don't understand. And when you're around other business owners, and you can just there's that there's more relatability you're like, yeah, no, I've been there, you know, and it's okay. Stuff like that. It really does help out. Oh, absolutely. So yeah,

I do have, I have a friend that I've been checking in with once a month, like, it's almost like a like, like a therapy session. But it's, it's really just, I was checking in with each other. And we just check in on our businesses and see how it's going. And it's just really nice to like, talk to someone who understands the struggle. And I also know for you Pinky, you are a graduate of the services SEO program by the Rosie network. So tell us what that was like to go through a program with other people in the same shoes as you.

Honestly, I love the program, I think it was great. And I do recommend people to take advantage of that program. And so, you know, it's just to be around. And it was, it was nice to because it was a small cohort. So I feel like sometimes if the cohorts too big, it just gets a little bit diluted. Because a lot of with a small cohort, I mean, I'm still in touch with with the people in that cohort. And it's great. And, you know, if we find an opportunity that will work with someone else, we'll pass it along to that person. And so it's really just nice to have that connection, you know, and but the program was really great, you know, as far as even just putting together because one of the biggest things I wanted to do was to put a pitch deck together. And I had no clue whatsoever how to do that. Yeah, after watching so many different, you know, go to YouTube University and watching so many things from there. And then just read about it. It just made me more confused. And so going step by step to learn how to do it has been great. And it's gotten me to a point where I'm like, Okay, now I can make modifications to it. But also because one of the goals I have for this year is to enter into a pitch competition, so I can pitch my sighting. So I'm excited and kinda scared.

That's okay. Yeah, that's a good thing. Because I think fear shows that you care, you know, and that you Yeah, I think that's really it. I know that there's like an acronym for fear out there. I can't think of it off the top of my head. But you know, that's exciting. I'm excited for you, thank you for that, that's a big deal to you know, want to do a pitch competition. So yeah, I was thinking a little bit more about what you're talking about with, like, the friends that you love, and also the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are also entrepreneurs. And I think like, I just kind of reflect I'm just reflecting on how I feel like I had to, like learn that the hard way. Because like, in the past, I would invite people I loved to be part of my, you know, business projects or opportunities. And in the end, my hope for them didn't really match up with, you know, how they saw themselves and how they wanted to be in business. So, have you ever been through that experience where you're like, okay, like, I want to bring you along because I care about you, and I want to do this with you, too. Okay, how do I like lay this down gently and say that, you know, this is not going to work out?

Yep, exactly. And it definitely I've kind of been in that position where I'm like, I think I'm gonna bring this person on but that I really have to sit down and you weigh out the pros and cons. And you have to be careful who you bring in, you know, it's kind of like any other relationship, whether it's a husband, wife, relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend partner relationship, you have to bring in the people that not only are you know them personally, but they can they can match your your energy. Right? You know, it's, I find where if you bring in people, especially to your business that are, you can be too close sometimes family members is sometimes it's a good thing. You know, sometimes it can be a very, very bad thing, and then you ended up end up breaking that relationship, you know, so yeah, I always anyone who I want to bring into my business, I want to be able to meet with them have near those deep conversations and see where they're at what they can bring to the table before we can even think about bringing them on? Yeah, yeah,

I think I feel like that's still a lesson I'm learning. Sometimes. I mean, it's easy with like, virtual assistants and having our admin assistant like, by I think, like, like, I mean, I work with my husband. So that's always the lines are just blurred. It's just, it's over for us. But you know, but also learning, like, hey, we also need to have like, a personal life as well, or at least I do, I need to have a social life, that's what I learned is that he loves working. And I love to have a balance. So there's that whole thing as well. But no, I think that's, that's great. And just, you know, recognizing that it's not personal, it's business, and like finding that language to say, hey, you know, like, well, at least for you, it's like, also knowing how to vet people moving forward and understanding like, what the values are, and why they want to work with you to begin with.

Exactly. And I mean, you know, because I, there's a point where I thought, I want to bring my husband on to my business to that. I'm not good, did I There are times we butt heads, because we're both, you know, type A personalities. And we so I brought him on as an advisor, and mentor, because of there are aspects that I am not good with, you know, or I just don't have that knowledge in where he does. And then so just being able bring in that perspective. But, you know, even even when I was working with him on his health, I actually had to see him as a client versus my husband. Because yeah, I treat the two very differently. And so when we're talking about business is business, but then personal, then we can just be our goofy sells.

I love hearing that, like, Hey, we're, we're married versus you're my client. So yeah, yeah, that's definitely something that's like a daily thing that I'm always working on. But I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear that you you generally figured it out.

It's not, it's not perfect by any means. Because there are times where like, I'm here because I'm a workaholic. And I have to legit just shut down and go like, switch off, you know, Coach pinky and switch back on just pindy Yeah,

yeah, no, definitely. It's yeah, again, going back to the constant like, I mean, this is like not about imposter syndrome. But really just it's like entrepreneurship, or being a business owner is very, there's a lot of mental gymnastics and a lot of like code switching in a way. You know, it's like one day I'm, you know, this is my coach p hat. This is my PT hat. This is you know, and same, same for me. It's like, this is my podcast, or hat. This is my business hat. This is my wifey hat. You know, my again, it's like, it's like, it's like, I'm all the same. I wear all the hats because I have me and just constantly like learning to find that balance, I think is is really important. But But yeah, Pinky. I mean, I feel like I asked all the questions I wanted to ask you, I just want to make sure that you've shared everything you wanted to share about zenergy health and performance or just anything in general. Is there anything else that I haven't asked you yet? No, I

think that's it. I mean, you know, as far as energy, like I said, we I work with people who are dealing with chronic pain, and it's very whole body focus going through all those seven pillars. So the majority of people that I work with are actually with a veteran community and military spouses, because as we will one thing because veterans are go through, they deal with a lot of chronic pain. And it's, I mean, just to kind of break down the numbers. You know, there's 50 million Americans that deal with chronic pain. And then the largest population of that chronic pain sufferers are veterans. Wow. So yeah, and then you think about going through, you know, so yeah, that many millions go into the VA trying to try and get service and it can be challenging. And so but I work with with people, actually, most of them I work with them virtually, and try and help them with through their chronic pain and just working with our whole body wellness. Yeah,

well, I think that's great to hear. Because I think my natural next question was going to be like, how do people work with you? So I'm glad to hear that you have that option to work with people virtually. Yep.

So I work with people in person but alive, it is virtually and then a combination of online as well. So they go through programs so I have programs dedicated For just veteran men, and then women veterans and then military spouses, because each group is different, right and are dealing with different challenges.

Yeah. Well, that's amazing. Thank you for what you do.

Thank you. Yeah, yeah, I

mean, as we close up here any final takeaways that you want to share I've noticed in the past interviews I've done everyone has like a quote or like a main mantra they want to wrap up with so I figured I'd ask you the same like any final closing thoughts.

Don't let chronic pain run your life. It's that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Love it. Easy enough. Well, Pinky, it was a pleasure having you on our show. Thank you again for joining me.

They expect having me I love this. Awesome. Thank you so much.