Join me as we open the conversation on how to liver a cleaner lifestyle with the incredible Jordan Lee Dooley. 🌿

What is the difference between clean living and holisitic living?

How can you start to make small, manageable swaps in personal care and household products for better health?

Jordan is a voice in the holistic living and wellness space that emphasizes a grace-based approach to wellness that aligns with Christian principles. In this episode we highlight the pivotal role of stewardship over one's body in fulfilling God's calling and balancing it with the understanding that ultimate control belongs to God.

This is a good one. Trust me.

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Jordan Dooley's Links

Label Reading Cheat Sheets - Download here

Product Swaps Starter Guide - Download here

She Podcast - Listen Now

Instagram @jordanleedooley

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Hello friends, believe it or not.

2

This is episode four of ever be.

3

I still get giddy every time I

start recording, because this is

4

just a really fun dream come true.

5

Um, today I have an

amazing guest on the show.

6

Her name is Jordan Lee Dooley.

7

I'm sure you're a fan already,

but if not, by the end of the

8

episode, I know that you will be.

9

She is a best-selling author

host of the she podcast.

10

And she's a beautiful

Christian wife and mother.

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Who's passionate about

grace based holistic living.

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And I have learned so much about

clean living from her over the years.

13

We're going to dive in and learn so

much on today's episode about what

14

clean living really is, what are

some really simple, practical ways

15

to get started and how not to let the

whole thing be really overwhelming.

16

And just as big beast

that you can't tackle.

17

It's all about starting small and building

onto it and having a grace based approach.

18

So I can't wait.

19

Let's get started.

20

Ever Be Video Intro : Hey, I'm

21

your host, Mari Wagner, and you're

listening to the ever be podcast

22

where faith meets lifestyle.

23

I'm so excited.

24

You're here.

25

Whether you're a new listener

or a long time follower, I know

26

there's something here for you.

27

Pull up a chair and listen in for

28

insightful real life conversations

and actionable steps on how to claim

29

the Full life God created you for

if you're a woman desiring to live

30

a Christ centered life in today's

modern world, then this is for you.

31

Welcome to the ever be podcast.

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Track 1: Jordan, welcome to ever be.

33

I'm so excited to chat with you

today and have you on the show.

34

I'm sure I've told you this

before, but I'm a big fan.

35

I've been following you and listening to

your podcast since I was like in college.

36

So it's been beautiful to follow your

story and to be encouraged by your story

37

and having you on the show today to share

your wisdom with my audience is a full

38

circle moment So thanks for coming on.

39

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

thank you for all that

40

encouragement and support.

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I'm honestly so thrilled to be here.

42

I love all that you're doing.

43

So I'm ready to chat and just so

excited to serve your community.

44

Track 1: Beautiful.

45

So for my followers who may be meeting

you for the first time, can you just

46

give us a little bit of your background?

47

Maybe like what you do now?

48

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah, absolutely.

49

So now I, in my spare time, I, uh,

when I'm not wrangling, uh, two little

50

babies and toddlers running around, I

podcast, I write books, I share a lot

51

of, um, really grace based, um, wellness,

holistic living, natural living, Type

52

lifestyle stuff on, on social media.

53

I love it.

54

I say that I talk on the internet.

55

Um, and that is really what I do.

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And I love to write.

57

I love to speak.

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So that's what I spend

a lot of my time doing.

59

I've actually been doing

that for about a decade now.

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It started with an Etsy store, ironically,

61

So almost 10 years ago, and it was

really just a Christian Etsy store.

62

And I did a lot of hand lettering.

63

I did a lot of like scripture, a

lot of, um, I would make like decor.

64

I made journals and a lot of things

that I would use, um, hand lettering

65

and design for, but it was all

faith based and then that just kind

66

of slowly evolved into writing and

storytelling and sharing more online.

67

really have just done that for

the last decade, and it's kind

68

of followed my own journey.

69

It's grown and evolved with me as I've

gone from college student to newlywed to,

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uh, struggling with fertility for years

and being refined by suffering for sure.

71

Um, and then now in my, you

know, journey as a, as a mom.

72

So.

73

It's just kind of grown up with me and

evolved as I've evolved and the Lord's

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just taken me through different seasons.

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But that's what I do now.

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I spend a lot of time on social

media, on my podcast, um, and

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I'm writing my third book.

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So, uh, I have a lot, a lot

of time spent doing that.

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Track 1: Oh, that's beautiful.

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I love the work that you do and,

um, especially love following you

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because you do weave in the Christian

faith into everything you do.

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So it's not just, you know, educational on

clean living and, you know, inspiration,

83

but it's also all biblically based

and Christian based, which is the

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inspiration we all need in our life.

85

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah.

86

Yeah.

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I mean, that's really kind

of been my bread and butter.

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That was kind of the, the foundation

of what I got when I got started.

89

I really, um, I mean, we can probably

all speak to this in our own way,

90

but I feel like in college is when

my faith really became my own.

91

It was like, I was raised with it

growing up, but it really was something

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that became personal in college.

93

And it was like, I was on fire.

94

I wanted to share it with people.

95

I want to share it with

my sorority sisters.

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I wanted to share it anywhere I could.

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And so that was really cool that at

that time, you know, social media was

98

starting to become more of a space.

99

I feel like blogging was still

on the newer side and it's now

100

turned into a lot of other things.

101

podcasting and whatnot.

102

But at that time, you know, I was

just like utilizing that as an outlet.

103

And it also naturally like

promoted my Etsy store.

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Um, and it's cool the way that I've been

able to, to utilize storytelling and

105

also like biblical principles as the

foundation of whatever it is that I'm

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talking about in that season, whether

I'm, you know, in a season where I'm

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sharing a lot of my wellness journey or

a season where I'm sharing my, um, My

108

business journey or whatever it might be.

109

So it's always kind of

been the foundation.

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I always say a lot of times I think

on online, we tend to try to make

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Christianity or the gospel, um,

like a, a niche, like a genre.

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Like I'm a Christian fill in the blank.

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Right.

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And I feel like.

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The fact of the matter is like, if

you've been transformed by Christ, like

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you're a Christian, everything like

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you're so, so I had to kind of shift

from making it like, uh, if you think

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about like books on a bookshelf, right?

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We often think like, Oh, faith,

family, fitness, like these

120

are all categories in our life.

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And

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they're all, if you look at them

as like different books, right?

123

All different topics in our life.

124

But I think the Lord really

challenged me in my work,

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especially through my journey with.

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Suffering and miscarriage and all the

things that faith isn't necessarily

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like a genre, or it's not a niche.

128

It's actually like the bookshelf that

holds up all the other things in our

129

life and all the other categories.

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And it just seeps into everything.

131

It bleeds into everything.

132

It's the foundation of everything.

133

And so that's kind of the way

that I try to approach when I

134

share, um, anything that I do.

135

It's just like, it's all

going to be biblically based.

136

It's not like faith is this

like little category of what I

137

talk about, if that makes sense.

138

Track 1: Yeah.

139

totally.

140

I love that.

141

That's what we do here as well.

142

So you'll fit in.

143

Great.

144

I know that people are going

to love this conversation.

145

So let's dive in.

146

Let's start real basic.

147

Um, at least for me, clean living,

holistic living is still relatively new.

148

I started learning about this maybe like

three years ago, but I didn't actually

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start implementing things until now.

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Maybe a year ago, year and a half ago.

151

Um, there was a lot of, you know, buzz

happening on Instagram podcasts that

152

I was listening to stuff like that.

153

And I found it all very interesting,

but at the same time I found it really

154

overwhelming and I wasn't really

even sure what it was really where to

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start.

156

So let's break it down.

157

Let's start real simple.

158

What does clean living

really mean or holistic mean?

159

What, how would you describe that?

160

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah.

161

So I think those are two different terms

that are often used interchangeably,

162

but I think they actually can almost

mean two entirely different things.

163

So let's look at clean living

and then let's look at it

164

from a holistic perspective.

165

So clean living really just

means it doesn't mean like

166

cleaning your house all the time.

167

Um, it really just means trying to

utilize when it comes to your everyday

168

products and the things that you are

putting on and in your body from like a

169

food standpoint to a product standpoint.

170

It's just trying to choose products

that have slightly better ingredients.

171

A lot of our conventional products

Unfortunately, have a lot of questionable,

172

potentially harmful ingredients.

173

Some known carcinogens, um,

hormone disruptors, things that

174

can really impact our body.

175

Now, in the tiny microdose that they

might be in, you know, a counter spray,

176

if that was the only exposure we had,

probably shouldn't be too concerning.

177

But when you consider the fact that a

lot of these types of ingredients are in

178

all of our personal care products or the

majority of, uh, personal care products,

179

conventional personal care products, as

well as the majority of, um, Household

180

products, the majority of, you know,

and then we're exposed to things in our

181

environment that we almost can't control.

182

There's just so many, um, different

exposures to environmental concerns

183

and toxins and things that can

impact our body, our fertility,

184

our hormones, our overall health.

185

So clean living in a nutshell

is just trying to choose.

186

Cleaner products, which is unfortunately

not really a very regulated term.

187

So what might be clean to one person

isn't necessarily clean to another.

188

So the idea in a nutshell is trying

to choose slightly better ingredients.

189

And the reason a lot of these, we can

maybe get into the reason why a lot of

190

these conventional products have maybe

concerning ingredients, but the point is.

191

It's just trying to make better

choices and being a little bit more

192

thoughtful of what are the ingredients

and the products that I'm using on

193

a daily basis that I'm exposed to

and the things that I can control.

194

Cause there's a lot of things

in our external environments

195

that we can't control.

196

So what's within my control and

how can I make slightly better

197

choices to utilize products with

slightly cleaner ingredients.

198

The holistic piece of the conversation,

again, very, very interchangeable, but

199

I look at holistic living and holistic

health, not so much, you know, I think a

200

lot of times you hear that and you think

like, kind of like woo, woo, you know, um,

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Just like all the hippie to be everything.

202

Right.

203

And that can be true to a degree,

but I really think, you know, when

204

you think about holistic health, and

this is something I really had to,

205

I guess, uncover and walk through

personally, because for a while health

206

to me was I work out and I eat salads.

207

Right.

208

And then I was like, wait,

so why are my hormones mess?

209

Why am I having, you know,

recurrent miscarriages?

210

Why am I having symptomic

acne at age 27 or whatever?

211

So it was an interesting kind of shift

for me where it's like health is so much

212

more than fitness or lifting weights or

exercising or eating, you know, greens.

213

Right.

214

But that's kind of what

health culture pushes.

215

That's what we see a lot.

216

That's at the forefront.

217

Um, but holistic health is a.

218

holistic, quite literally, like

if you think about it as the whole

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person, body, mind, soul, spirit.

220

So I guess the soul soul and spirit are

kind of the same, but if you're thinking

221

about mine, your, your mental health,

your emotional health, your physical

222

health, and your spiritual health, I

kind of had to realize sometimes some

223

of the things we do to pursue health,

um, let's say physically can actually be

224

harmful to us emotionally or mentally,

cause we're stressing out about it.

225

Right.

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Or some of the things that we

might be doing to like, feel better

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mentally are actually hurting

our physical health or vice.

228

So the idea is like holistic health

is actually pursuing wellness in all

229

of those areas and taking a more,

I would say like natural approach.

230

The way I see it is like, how can I get,

you know, one to 2 percent closer to

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how God originally designed us to live?

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Cause I think in our modern culture

of speed and convenience and quick

233

fixes and magic pills and potions

and all the things that we're kind of

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promoted to or sold to all the time.

235

And that's in our face.

236

It's like, we've just gotten so far away

from like the, the, Basic fundamental

237

design that God had in the garden, you

know, and so I think holistic health is

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like kind of trying to In the best way

we can in our modern culture without

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stressing or being perfect about it

Leaning a little bit back into wait, what

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did God create and how are we originally

designed to live and how could I maybe?

241

Lean into that and try to get a little bit

closer back to that in today's world where

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we're just so far away from it So that's

kind of the way I define those two things

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Track 1: Yeah.

244

I love it.

245

And I love that you made the

distinction between the two things

246

because I think you're right.

247

It can be used interchangeably, but

some, someone might be trying to live a

248

more cleaner lifestyle, but not really

going down like a holistic health path.

249

So today we're going to dive into, you

know, dip our toes into a little bit of

250

both because I think both are important.

251

Um,

252

but what really led you

to go down this path?

253

I know you've done so much research,

um, and I've learned so much from you,

254

but what really led you to go down

the path of research and implementing

255

more of this natural lifestyle?

256

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah.

257

You know, I would say what really

started it, I was kind of curious

258

because I had struggling with adult acne.

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I was struggling with like chronic

cystic acne for years and I was

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like, where is this coming from?

261

Ironically, if I look back, it was kind

of shortly after I got off birth control.

262

I didn't really have a whole lot

of issues with skin or acne prior

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to getting on birth control.

264

And then I got on that for like a

very short period of time when I

265

first got married because my doctor

told me that was a good idea.

266

And

267

then after like six to 12 months, I was

like, I don't want to be taking this.

268

Um, and that was interestingly

enough when I feel like things

269

kind of like had a domino effect.

270

So looking back, I'm kind of

curious as to like the role

271

that played and it really made

272

me rethink a lot of things on that.

273

Um, but, and then I've really changed my

view on birth control as a whole since I

274

was 22, but that's another conversation.

275

Um, all of that said, you

know, that coupled with, I was

276

a little bit frustrated with

what was going on with my skin.

277

So I was like, Hmm, maybe I

need to start investigating.

278

And then I just started having

miscarriages and I was young and healthy.

279

And then I just stopped getting

pregnant altogether for a bit there.

280

Um, and so it almost didn't make sense.

281

You know, a lot of doctors

were like, well, you're young,

282

you're healthy, it's a flu.

283

And something in my gut was just like,

you know, call it the Holy Spirit.

284

I was just like, Hmm, I don't know.

285

I don't think so.

286

Like this doesn't make sense, you

know, so I started investigating.

287

I started working with

integrative doctors.

288

I started, um, just really digging deep.

289

This was back in 2019, 2020.

290

And I feel like that's kind

of when things started.

291

People, more and more and more

people were talking about this.

292

I don't know if it was coupled with

just what was going on with COVID

293

and people wanting to be more health

conscious, but I feel like in the last

294

four years, it's become more of a, you

common conversation on social media.

295

But at the beginning I was like

digging to try to find information.

296

Um, but that was really what

kicked it off was struggling

297

with acne and wondering why.

298

And I didn't totally dive in at

that point cause it was annoying.

299

It was an inconvenience, but it

wasn't totally disrupting my life.

300

But then when I started losing babies

and I was walking through heartbreak

301

and trying to make sense of what was

going on and also support my body, you

302

know, just from a healing perspective.

303

from pregnancies and losses standpoint

and try to support my fertility.

304

I was like, Whoa, there's a lot of things

that I'm consuming and doing and coming

305

in contact with and using every single day

that could be having a negative impact.

306

Like, what can I be proactively doing

just in my everyday life, um, to

307

better support my body and my body's

ability to support a pregnancy.

308

So that was kind of what really

kicked it off about four or

309

five years ago.

310

Track 1: Yeah,

311

no, thank you for sharing that.

312

Um, that's tough.

313

And unfortunately, I think that a lot

of women can probably relate to that

314

more and more now.

315

Um, and a lot of them don't really have

answers as to why or don't really know

316

what's affecting it or where to start.

317

Um, so

318

what if, Yeah.

319

if someone is, is here listening and

they're kind of at the beginning of this

320

journey as well, I know when I was first

starting, I would hear people talk about,

321

like you said, like, Like different

things that are affecting our fertility,

322

our health, um, our gut, our wellbeing,

and it could be environmental toxins.

323

It could be, you know, harmful

toxins in our products.

324

It could be the food we're eating.

325

Where should someone really start?

326

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah, I mean, that's the,

327

that's the big question, right?

328

Um, and I think the hard part is as

you start to become more aware, it's

329

like, once you know, you can't unknow,

and it's really easy to get sucked into

330

trying to control everything and fear and

feeling like you have to fix everything.

331

And if you don't fix everything,

you might as well do nothing.

332

Right?

333

Um, I, and I know I struggle with that.

334

So the best thing I can say is I say,

start with your first five swaps.

335

Like just make a few healthier swaps

in areas that like, I think about

336

the things that you use every single

day or that you're using most often.

337

So for example, something I often

recommend starting with her that I

338

started with is like deodorant, feminine

care products, those types of things

339

that are coming into contact with kind

of intimate areas of your body and

340

also in absorbent areas of your body.

341

Um, and that you're using often, right.

342

Um, and regularly.

343

Um, so anyways, I actually have a freebie.

344

I don't know if this is helpful.

345

I can give you a link to it, but

if you guys want to download it,

346

I'll, I'll make sure you guys have

a link for the show notes, but it's

347

basically just, here's your first

five swaps that you can consider.

348

And here's the ones I would

start with as a woman.

349

And also here's kind of the process to

go through swapping in general, because

350

I think it can feel like, Oh my gosh,

I have to like overhaul everything.

351

When in reality, it's like, start

with the things we're using the

352

most, which are most likely going

to be these four or five products

353

that I generally recommend starting

with such as deodorant, et cetera.

354

Um, And then once you've kind of

found your, you know, lower tox,

355

less harmful, um, staple for that,

your switch, your everyday go to,

356

then you move on to the next one.

357

And I generally say like, it can be

really helpful to start with the things

358

like your personal care products.

359

So that's kind of where I recommend a

lot of people will say like your laundry

360

detergent, there's not like a perfect

or right answer, but I think of like the

361

things you're putting on your body every

single day, um, the things that you're,

362

you know, even thinking about like.

363

The things your food are

coming into contact with.

364

So one of the first five swaps I

often say is like maybe eliminating

365

like plastic food, storage

containers, things like that.

366

So, um, just those, those things that

have, you know, really been linked to,

367

you know, how they can affect hormones.

368

A lot of them are, but what are

the things that we're using most

369

and most often in our lives?

370

Let's start with those.

371

Track 1: Yeah.

372

no, I totally agree.

373

I've heard people talk about how you can

start with, um, switching out what you put

374

in your body or what you put on your body.

375

And I think, you know, both are good, but.

376

I think for me it was easier to

start with what I put on my body

377

because those are products that I

already know that I use every day.

378

Makeup, skincare, you.

379

know, shampoo, like stuff that's

literally going on my skin, on

380

my body every day.

381

And then I moved to cleaning products and

stuff like that and kind of moved from

382

like, like my personal bubble and then

to the outer bubbles, like in my home.

383

Um, so that, that's great advice.

384

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022: If

you think of like your home as like a room

385

by room road map, I usually say like start

with the bathroom because that's mostly

386

all the stuff you're like washing your

hair with, putting on your body, putting

387

in your body, like all that kind of stuff.

388

And I agree about the food thing,

but the tricky thing with like what

389

you put in your body in terms of

like food, it is tricky because it's

390

like you have to then, it's like a

whole different, it's not tricky.

391

Not that complicated.

392

But I guess my point is when you're

trying to do both at the same time,

393

you're like, well, what I put in

my body is, you know, important.

394

You can almost feel like you're trying

to learn and do too many things at once.

395

That's where it's like just

compartmentalized and it's hard.

396

I think as women, cause we want

to like, think about everything.

397

Um, and I know I do that even now.

398

So it's like, this is the focus for today.

399

Let's start with that.

400

And then we can actually like, feel

like we accomplished something.

401

Cause otherwise you just kind of feel

like you're spinning your wheels, not

402

like doing a lot, but not actually

like making a significant impact.

403

So

404

Track 1: Yeah.

405

And that, I mean, that's

what happened to me.

406

That's why I was learning about

things for like three years, two and

407

a half years and didn't do anything.

408

Cause I was like, well, I'm not

ready to change everything, you know?

409

And now I just, I

410

have a more like smaller approach.

411

I have like my, like

three goals for the year.

412

Like this is what I'm going to switch.

413

And it's so much more doable.

414

Um,

415

okay.

416

What is so bad about the

stuff in our products?

417

Like.

418

I remember when I first started

learning, I was very skeptical.

419

I'm like, what are, what are,

why are these things bad?

420

Why is everything all of a sudden bad?

421

What are the things in them?

422

Maybe, I don't know if You have a few

like ingredients or what their impact is.

423

Like, why

424

are these things bad?

425

Go

426

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022: You

know, it's, it's tricky to like nail down

427

in a really quick conversation, but it's

a really good, it's a really good question

428

because I wondered the same thing.

429

I was like, really?

430

Like they're being sold on shelves.

431

Like, would they really sell stuff

to us if it wasn't, you safe for us.

432

But I think the thing I had to remember

is like, you have to follow the dollar.

433

You have to follow the money.

434

And pretty much everything that

you're trying to figure out is like,

435

well, where's, what's driving a lot

of maybe decisions behind quality or

436

ingredients or safety or all the things.

437

And I don't think it's that any of the

companies or conventional products are

438

like actively trying to harm anyone.

439

It's that these, you know, https: otter.

440

ai

441

They're not actively trying to harm

anyone, but they are actively trying

442

to increase and maximize profit, right?

443

They're a business and

they're a corporation.

444

And so a lot of times, a lot of the

ingredients that end up in products are

445

the ones that are the cheapest and like

the cheapest to mass produce so that

446

you're able to have high inventory, keep

things stocked and also keep costs low.

447

And therefore a product.

448

Profit margin high, right?

449

The, the products that use more

naturally born natural ingredients,

450

or even like there are synthetic.

451

This is the thing I think in

the natural living world that

452

people get really confused by.

453

There are synthetic ingredients

that are not harmful necessarily.

454

So it's not always like it has to be

like you picked up a rock from the

455

earth and stuck it in your makeup

and that's what makes it safe.

456

It's actually like there are synthetic

ingredients that are harmful and there

457

are natural ingredients that went in

certain ways can be harmful depending on

458

how it's processed and all of the things.

459

So when it comes to like what makes

them bad, it's that a lot of times these

460

companies that are prioritizing profit

are choosing lower quality ingredients.

461

Ingredients that like, for example,

parabens is something that is very,

462

like there's, there was actually

recently a study done and I found it

463

really fascinating where when women.

464

Um, switch to their natural or their

personal care products for 30 days,

465

uh, and they just avoided things like

phenols, phthalates, and, um, parabens.

466

Those are three kind of red

flag ingredients to watch for.

467

Um, they saw a significant reduction

in breast cancer gene expression.

468

It's like they measured before

and after that intervention of

469

removing those types of products.

470

So things like that, parabens,

phenols, um, phthalates, uh,

471

undisclosed fragrance, which can

essentially mean fragrances is not bad.

472

Like a product having a smell

is not what makes it bad.

473

It's when there's a blanket term,

like blanket term fragrance, it can

474

mean that there's 3000 ingredients

or potential chemicals that could

475

be used to make that fragrance that

we don't know what they are because

476

they don't spell it out on the label.

477

Cause it would take up way

too much space in the label.

478

So they just put fragrance.

479

Um, and a lot of times that's like,

well, is it, Fragrance made with

480

ingredients that are not going to be

harmful, or is it fragrance made with

481

ingredients that could be harmful?

482

So it's a big question to say what

makes them so bad because every

483

ingredient is so different in the

potential effects that it can have.

484

But a lot of these ingredients,

such as parabens or, um, undisclosed

485

fragrances or things like that, uh,

certain preservatives, which is what

486

a paraben basically is, it can have

endocrine disrupting, uh, effects,

487

which means it's affecting hormones.

488

Some of our, some are known carcinogens or

can be linked to carcinogenic properties.

489

Um, some are allergens and irritants.

490

Like there's just different effects

that these different products have.

491

There's actually a really interesting

website that is specific to beauty, but

492

it's really helpful for kind of educating.

493

It's called the campaign

for safe cosmetics.

494

And it helps kind of break down like, Hey,

here's why this ingredient is concerning.

495

Here's what it typically shows up in.

496

Here's products.

497

You're going to see it in

most likely or most often.

498

Um, so anyway, that's kind of a

helpful, uh, educational resource

499

too, but hopefully that kind of

answers your question in a shell.

500

Cause it's a big question that we'd

have to almost go through every

501

ingredient, but yeah, examples

502

Track 1: I know.

503

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

parabens.

504

Track 1: feel like

505

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Um, I actually have a cheat sheet too,

506

if that's an, I have another freebie

507

I can, um, that basically is

like, here's kind of the 20 red

508

flag ingredients to watch for.

509

And here's like, I give like a little

blurb of like, here's why it's a red flag.

510

Here's what you might, how it might appear

on a label might show up as like peg

511

dash one or might show up as, you know,

methylparaben or different names that

512

basically mean this is in the paraben

family or this is in the, um, you know,

513

quote unquote like harmful preservative

family that you might want to avoid.

514

So hopefully that's helpful.

515

I'll, I'll, I'll

516

include that too.

517

Track 1: Yeah.

518

It is.

519

It is.

520

And I know we could go into a

whole other episode going into

521

every single one and what are all

the facts and stuff like that.

522

But even just naming those few, I think

523

is helpful.

524

I was going to mention the cheat sheet

because that was helpful for me too, to

525

kind of Like know what some of these are.

526

And I think the biggest one that

you mentioned even to start with,

527

that's easy to remember is fragrance

and that'll start knocking out a lot

528

of the stuff in

529

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

And that's the thing.

530

Like a lot of those quote unquote

questionable or concerning

531

ingredients are often what are like

part of this synthetic fragrance.

532

Um, so that's where it's like, if you

just kind of watch for anything that just

533

says fragrance and the actual ingredients

and fragrance is not disclosed, it's

534

like, eh, probably better to just avoid

unless they disclose somewhere on their

535

website or later, you know, another part

of their label, what's actually in it.

536

And you can look up what those ingredients

are and how they affect human health.

537

Um, that's just going to be a really

simple way to avoid unnecessary exposure.

538

Track 1: One thing that has been so

refreshing for me on your page, both

539

when it comes to, you know, clean

living and your idea of like simple

540

swaps and starting small or holistic

living, you just have this like grace

541

based approach.

542

I think in the wellness world, it

can get really overwhelming just in

543

general, but also if you're going into

the wellness world with like a health

544

problem that you're actually trying to

address and find answers for, it can

545

be even more overwhelming because you

just see, you know, all these things.

546

That you should be doing all these

supplements that you should be taking all

547

these different types of, you know, eating

regimens and all this, all this different

548

type of advice, but your page has been

refreshing and it's kind of a sense of

549

like rest in peace in the midst of the

noise to be like, yes, you know, there

550

are changes that you can, that you can

make, but it's okay to have a grace based

551

approach and be patient with yourself

and know that it's going to take time.

552

So what does this mean to you?

553

And what can it look like for women

who are wanting to pursue that?

554

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

yeah, you know, a lot of people

555

talk about 80 20 like 80 percent

of what you're doing is good.

556

Then like you can have some

flexibility with 20 percent

557

and I totally agree with that.

558

But I also think, um, something

to remember is if you're, you

559

know, living 100 percent you

know, conventional products.

560

You've not made any changes.

561

You've not even considered any of

this stuff and you've changed or

562

improved 20 percent of what you do.

563

2080 is still great.

564

You know, and that's kind of

the, the heart of, well, behind

565

what I share is like, what this

looks like and the capacity each

566

of us have and the potential.

567

The commitment each person has is

going to vary person to person,

568

situation to situation, budget to

budget, circumstance to circumstance.

569

And so I think that's an important

nuance to the conversation because

570

I think otherwise it just creates

this culture of like shame, of like,

571

well, if you're not doing it all,

you might as well do nothing, right?

572

Or like, if you aren't doing it

all, you're basically doing nothing.

573

That can be the lie we begin to believe.

574

And we can think the handful of

changes or, you know, steps in a

575

healthier direction we try to make is

entirely pointless because we can't

576

change all this other stuff over here.

577

Um, And I know for me personally, I'm kind

of an all or nothing person, especially

578

when I uncover something that is like

eyeopening for me, or I'm passionate

579

about something.

580

And when I was like on this mission

to like fix my fertility and like

581

fix my body and my hormones and

whatever was going on in whatever,

582

in the, in my body internally.

583

I think I just kind of like

went straight into the deep end.

584

And so for at first, I

was very intense with it.

585

And I tend to be somebody who like

reaches for control, and it felt

586

like something I could control.

587

It reminded me a lot of when I was

in college, and this is where I think

588

sometimes it can become a very stressful

and even like an idle, um, a stressful

589

thing and an idol because it reminded

me of when I was in college and I got

590

really into fitness and I started running

and logging miles and nothing wrong

591

with running and logging miles, right?

592

That's like good for our

bodies to an extent, but it

593

kind of became an obsession.

594

I felt like there was a lot of areas

of my life that were spinning out of

595

control or just not in my control.

596

I had walked through a breakup.

597

My grandma passed away.

598

I moved away to college

for the first time.

599

All of that was happening

within the same year.

600

And I just suddenly felt like

there was, Um, like nothing I

601

had really strong control of.

602

And so I think fitness and like

controlling my calories and things

603

like that became a means of control.

604

It started with good intent to like

support my health and it turned

605

into, I'm grasping for control.

606

Flash forward a decade, I was in this

place of, or almost a decade, I was in

607

this place of no longer struggling with

control around fitness and calories

608

and those types of things and body

image, but more like my body isn't

609

functioning how it's supposed to.

610

It's got all this acne, losing babies,

like what the heck is going on?

611

And, and so I think.

612

unknowingly in my pursuit to

try to support my body better.

613

It then tipped from better

stewardship to obsession and idolatry.

614

And so I had to kind of reel it back.

615

And it was really humbling for

me because through my wellness

616

journey, I think I made a lot of, I

mean, I was able to clear my skin.

617

I supported my fertility.

618

I think it only helps my body when I

finally was able to carry a pregnancy

619

to have a lower toxin burden and

have made a lot of these changes.

620

But I had to shift to a more like,

okay, Lord, the Lord, you're in control

621

because, you know, it was really humbling.

622

There was a time where.

623

I kind of came to this realization.

624

I still had to have support from

modern medicine, such as blood

625

thinners and things like that in

my pregnancy to support pregnancy.

626

So that was like one of those

moments where I was like, okay,

627

I think all these healthy changes

have absolutely been beneficial

628

and helpful for various reasons.

629

My skin is showing that like there's

been a ton of benefits and I think

630

it's only helped my fertility.

631

However, This lie that I think the

wellness culture has started to make

632

me believe that you're in control

of your fertility and if you just

633

change all these things and avoid

all of these things, you will fix it.

634

Like, that seeped deep into my brain.

635

And then when I realized, like,

that's not actually the only solution.

636

Like, I still need some

support from modern medicine.

637

Not even that, because modern medicine

isn't always the solution either, it's

638

ultimately that God is sovereign over it.

639

There were so

640

many times in my

641

pregnancy where I had to make, and

in my journey, that I've had to make

642

concessions, or I've not been able to do

things as clean as I would have liked to,

643

or as natural as I would have liked to.

644

My birth, I was, it wasn't

as natural as I would have

645

liked.

646

And it was just like one act

of surrender after another.

647

So it's like, I think when it comes to

wellness and it comes to making swaps

648

and clean living and all these things,

this grace based approach really means

649

like stewardship in the best way you can,

but with a heart posture of surrender

650

because we aren't in control and we

don't get to like, we can make all the

651

swaps in the world and we may not get

the result or the outcome or the fix or

652

the healing that we expect physically.

653

Yes, our bodies are designed to heal.

654

I believe God made our bodies perfectly.

655

But this, this lie that you can heal

yourself if you just eat all the

656

right foods and avoid all the wrong

things and do all this, like, it

657

totally cuts God out of the picture,

even if we do it as Christians.

658

And so that's where it's like,

ultimately I had to come back to, He

659

is sovereign over it all, which means

that I can do the best I can with what

660

I have, where I'm at with my budget

and my time and my life and all that.

661

But if I need to make, like, just

the other night, it was like one

662

of those moments we had to, Order

carry out and it all came hot food

663

and plastic and I was like, ah,

that stresses me out for a second.

664

I had a moment because I try

to avoid eating hot food out of

665

plastic for various reasons.

666

And I was just like, Lord, cover it.

667

Like sometimes you just

have to release it.

668

And that's where it's like, if I tried to

do everything perfectly and didn't make

669

those concessions or those, you know,

not concessions isn't the right word.

670

What's the word?

671

Compromises.

672

Um, where it was like, this

is what we got to do for life.

673

And I got to feed my family.

674

And this is what we had to

do because we were traveling.

675

And you know, it's just like, I

think we can get, so the more we

676

know, the more stress we can get.

677

And it's like our, our intent and

our heart for being better stewards

678

can really quickly turn into

forgetting God or sovereign over

679

the details that we can't control.

680

And so that's kind of where I'm like,

you have to take a grace based approach.

681

You got to do what you can, where

you can and like celebrate the

682

progress and not aim for perfection.

683

Track 1: I love that.

684

That is a beautiful way to view it all.

685

And I think the way that we should

view it as Christians, because

686

in the end, no matter what we do,

like you said, God is sovereign

687

and he's in charge of everything.

688

And

689

this whole thing you're talking about

kind of reminds me of when we look at our

690

life and we feel like if we don't do one

thing, we're going to do something else.

691

The right way, we're going

to mess up God's plan

692

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

right, right.

693

Track 1: of a sudden we have

all this power to totally screw

694

up what God has in store, which

695

just isn't true.

696

And you know,

697

the Lord, like you said, like he

gave us all these natural things, but

698

he also gave us humans who are very

intelligent and that have made advances

699

in research that, that can also help us.

700

And so in the end, the Lord is guiding,

you know, every single one of our lives

701

and is blessing us.

702

And in the end

703

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Well, And the one other thing that I

704

want to speak to, because I think, and

if someone's at the beginning of their

705

journey or maybe somewhat early on, and

you're starting to uncover all of these

706

things, like parabens can be bad and

all this, like kind of what we talked

707

about, that's why I was like, kind

of hesitant to answer your question.

708

Cause I was like, I don't

want to create any fear.

709

But, um, you know, I think as you

uncover like, Oh my gosh, all this

710

stuff is in my products and all

this stuff is in our food and it can

711

like start to be really happening.

712

And you can almost feel it.

713

I'm sure you've heard this phrase

that people kind of nonchalantly say,

714

like, everything's going to kill you.

715

Right.

716

And I think people say that either as a

way to dismiss having to make any like

717

intentional changes like everything's

going to kill you, or it's like, Oh my

718

gosh, everything's going to kill you.

719

And you kind of freak out.

720

Right.

721

It's like one or the other.

722

It's two extremes.

723

And.

724

That's it.

725

I feel like the Lord really challenged

me to remember like, yeah, it is

726

because we live in a fallen world and we

727

live in a world touched

by brokenness and sin.

728

So there will, we could choose the

most perfect products in the world.

729

That doesn't mean we're

going to avoid death.

730

It doesn't mean we're

going to avoid sickness.

731

It doesn't mean we're

going to avoid suffering.

732

It's going to find its way toward

us or to us in one way or another.

733

We will be touched by the, by

the, You know, fall essentially

734

of mankind because we can't escape

that on this side of heaven.

735

And I think sometimes in our

effort to pursue wellness and to

736

be better stewards of our body,

it's like we're longing for Eden.

737

We don't wanna be touched by infertility.

738

We don't wanna be touched by illness.

739

We don't wanna be touched by disease.

740

We don't want our families

to be touched by death.

741

So we like insulate.

742

And it can almost quickly, and that

doesn't mean like we shouldn't do

743

anything, but we, I think, try to do

everything or, or the fear of like, oh

744

my gosh, everything's gonna kill us, or

everything's gonna cause infertility, or

745

everything's gonna mess up our hormones.

746

It's like, yeah.

747

It is.

748

And I think I actually felt more

peace in my journey when I came to

749

accept that, like not from like a

place of like laziness, like, well,

750

everything's going to kill you,

so I'm not going to do anything.

751

But instead from this place of like,

yep, ultimately I'm going to be touched

752

by disease and death and brokenness

and suffering on this side of heaven.

753

So the sooner I can remember that

and make peace with that, the more

754

like freedom I can pursue a wellness

journey from, because it's like,

755

okay, I'm going to do what I can

756

to like mitigate risk and support

my body where I can, but like.

757

I'm not getting out of this thing alive.

758

Last I checked the like death

rate was a hundred percent.

759

So if I can make sure I'm investing in

eternity as much as I'm investing in my

760

product swaps and the things that I'm

doing in my temporal life to support my

761

body, that's, I think the sweet spot.

762

And that's where we're able to do it from

a place of so much more joy and freedom.

763

Track 1: That is so, so good.

764

Snaps, claps all around.

765

I love that.

766

Okay.

767

On the, on the same topic of, you know,

Lord is sovereign of all, and we're

768

going to encounter suffering in this

world, you know, and keeping our eyes on

769

the Lord essentially is what we should

be doing in our life no matter what.

770

So why does this lifestyle really

make sense from a Christian

771

and biblical perspective?

772

You know, how do we see that

this is more than just a trend

773

and it really is something that

we're called to do as Christians?

774

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah, I think that that

775

answer is to part one.

776

It kind of goes back a little bit to what

I said at the beginning about, um, just

777

getting a little bit closer back to, you

know, Like really looking at like, how

778

did God design us to live and how are we

able to get a little bit closer to that?

779

How can we live a little

bit more aligned with that?

780

Be a little bit more mindful of

the things that we reach for use.

781

Um, simultaneously, I think the other

part of the conversation, as much as

782

this can become an idol and a fear

driven thing, and as much as we need

783

to keep a realistic, you know, uh,

surrendered perspective and heart

784

posture toward it, um, The reality is,

you know, I think about my, like my

785

life now as a mom, but this applies to

anything that you're being called to do.

786

I know that the mornings I wake up

from poor sleep, you know, don't eat

787

first thing in the morning and I'm now

hangry and tired and like overwhelmed.

788

I'm not the best me and

I'm short with my family.

789

I'm crabby.

790

I'm like more critical,

you know, things like that.

791

I'm frustrated.

792

Um, And so I realized like when

I feel like crap, just in that

793

like temporal short, like I

eat breakfast and I'm better.

794

Right.

795

But like in that micro example, I

think that's a micro example of a macro

796

reality that when we aren't taking

care of our body, when we're not well

797

rested, when it's, you know, when our

hormones are all a mess, when we aren't

798

nourishing ourselves well, when we

aren't proactively supporting our bodies.

799

And feel kind of like crap.

800

We are, we are not as equipped

to show up for our calling and

801

just steward our calling well.

802

So yes, we don't want to make it an idol.

803

Yes, we want to keep a surrendered heart

posture that God is ultimately sovereign

804

over the things we can't control.

805

But that doesn't mean we neglect it

altogether because if we do that,

806

we're going to feel like crap and

we can't show up for our calling

807

very well when we feel like crap,

we're not going to be very patient.

808

We're not going to be very kind.

809

We're not going to have those fruits of

the spirit as well as we could if our

810

bodies were well supported because our

bodies and our souls are so integral.

811

And I think sometimes as

Christians, we almost like.

812

separate them.

813

Like your body just carries your soul.

814

It's like,

815

okay, true kind of, but also

like they're like inseparable.

816

And so

817

the spiritual element is so impacted

by the physical and vice versa.

818

So I could be in the Bible every single

day, all day and be spiritually nourishing

819

myself, which is the most important thing.

820

However, If I physically feel like

crap, those things are going to be

821

like incongruent and misaligned, right?

822

So, um, I think it's really just

fundamentally coming back to caring for

823

the vessel that God gave you to carry out

your calling on this earth, whether that's

824

to parent children right now, to host a

podcast, to write a book, to show up to a

825

job and, you know, be a light there, like

whatever that looks like in this season,

826

how can you make sure that you're not

just like, Giving your body a bunch of

827

junk that isn't actually fueling it well.

828

And that's actually maybe

creating a lot of imbalance.

829

That's making it harder for you to show

up with patience, kindness, self control,

830

gentleness, humility, all of these

things that we want to, that we want

831

to like exemplify as Christ followers.

832

Right.

833

Um, so it's really just, if you look

at it from that lens, it makes it a

834

lot more, it gives it a little bit

more of an eternal perspective than

835

just, Oh, I just want to clear my skin.

836

Those things are great too, but really

what's the like heart of the matter.

837

Yeah.

838

Track 1: No, that's beautiful.

839

I love that.

840

Uh, we could talk about this forever,

but we're going to have to wrap up soon,

841

but before we go, can you share any sort

of resources or point people to maybe

842

where they can dive in to learn more?

843

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah, absolutely.

844

So the two resources I mentioned,

I think are great starting points.

845

They're like just freebies.

846

There's a ton of books and like

podcasts and things, but I almost

847

say like, start really simple

because otherwise it can feel like

848

you're just drowning in information.

849

I think Mari's giving a

ton of great information.

850

So she's a great resource too.

851

Um, but the safes or the first five

swaps guide and my label reading cheat

852

sheet, I would say, So those are going

to be great resources to not only make

853

your first five swaps, but also just to

be able to be a little bit more equipped

854

and empowered with knowledge when you're

at target and you're considering which

855

deodorant to buy or which shampoo to buy.

856

You can just check the back of the label

because I could tell you all the best

857

brands and all the things, but you have to

do it works for your budget and consider

858

what like is most important for you.

859

And also brands change, products change.

860

So it's better to just be able

to say, can I check these things?

861

So those are the two things I would

honestly recommend starting with.

862

If you just want a really simple, like.

863

Where do I even begin?

864

Starting point.

865

You're not ready to have

like a PhD in this stuff.

866

Track 1: No, absolutely.

867

I agree.

868

Start small, less overwhelming, you know,

869

small, small goals to do first.

870

So thank you, Jordan,

your wealth of knowledge.

871

I love everything that you

brought to the table today.

872

I know that our listeners are going

to get so much value out of this.

873

So where can people learn more

about you and find more of you?

874

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah.

875

So I have a podcast called she, so if

you like this podcast and you listen to

876

podcasts, you might like that as well.

877

Um, and then I'm also on

Instagram at Jordan Lee Dooley.

878

So you can follow along my journey there.

879

And also a lot of, um, podcast episodes

that are very, I say it's like grace based

880

wellness and biblical womanhood is what

we talk about in my show, which I'm sure

881

is very similar to what you're doing here.

882

Track 1: Yeah, it's great.

883

I listen to she a big fan, highly

recommend to go check it out.

884

And that's all we've got for today.

885

So thanks So.

886

much for coming on Jordan.

887

squadcaster-ecga_1_04-16-2024_115022:

Yeah, thank you for having me.

888

It was so fun to chat.