Some connections go beyond time and space. A childhood friend, a whispered prayer, a moment of gratitude—these simple practices can shape our health and how we experience our 1,000 waking minutes.

In this episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores the power of connection—not only with people, but with something greater than ourselves. From friendships that shape who we are, to the practices of prayer, meditation, gratitude, and belonging, Wendy unpacks how these experiences affect our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Drawing on science from the Blue Zones, the Nurses’ Health Study, and new research on meditation and prayer, we discover surprising health benefits: from improved mood and reduced anxiety to lower blood pressure, stronger immunity, and even greater longevity. Alongside studies, Wendy shares stories of friendship, family traditions, poetry, and the rituals that help us feel grounded in a bigger universe.

This episode also includes a guided Mindful Minute and practical ways to invite connection into daily life. Whether you identify as religious, spiritual, or simply reflective, you’ll find inspiration to pause, breathe, and honor what connects us all.

CHAPTERS:

(0:00) Introduction and reflections on friendships that shape us

(3:49) What it means to “connect with the universe”—beyond religion or doctrine

(5:28) Elie Wiesel’s wisdom: “If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that will be enough.”

(7:55) Science and health benefits of connection: gratitude, prayer, and belonging

(10:29) Longevity lessons from the Blue Zones

(12:30) The Nurses’ Health Study and depression risk

(13:36) Research on spiritual intervention and anxiety and depressive symptoms

(14:40) Study on mindfulness-based interventions and cancer symptoms and coping

 (16:15) A study on meditation, prayer, and cognitive clarity

(18:28) The Mindful Minute: a pause for presence and gratitude

(21:08)) Personal story: John Neihardt’s poem The Child’s Prayer

(24:23) Practical ways to connect—belonging, meditation, transitions, affirmations, rituals, and honoring loved ones

(31:02) Closing thoughts on connection, gratitude, and living our 1,000 waking minutes

CONNECT WITH WENDY:

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Visit my website: wendybazilian.com

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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey–together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

REFERENCES:

Buettner, D. (2012). The blue zones: 9 lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest. National Geographic Books.

Buettner, D., & Skemp, S. (2016). Blue zones: Lessons from the world’s longest lived. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 10(5), 318-321.

Gonçalves, J. P., Lucchetti, G., Menezes, P. R., & Vallada, H. (2015). Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Psychological medicine, 45(14), 2937-2949.

Li, S., Okereke, O. I., Chang, S. C., Kawachi, I., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2016). Religious service attendance and lower depression among women—a prospective cohort study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(6), 876-884.

Neihardt, J. G. (1972). Black Elk speaks. Fine Communications. (Original work published 1932)

Pazer, S. (2024). The effect of meditation and prayer on neurocognitive clarity: A German population study. International Journal of Progressive Research in Engineering Management and Science, 4(1), 45–52. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384893000_The_Impact_of_Spiritual_Practices_on_Neurocognitive_Development_A_quantitative_Study 

Rouleau, C. R., Garland, S. N., & Carlson, L. E. (2015). The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on symptom burden, positive psychological outcomes, and biomarkers in cancer patients. Cancer Management and Research, 7, 121–131. https://doi.org/10.2147/CMAR.S64165

Lately I've been reflecting on

a childhood friend I hadn't

seen in decades, but who

I realized was so much

a piece of who I

am today, that he never

really left me.

Some connections stay with us.

And I feel connected, maybe

you do too, when I

consider that there's something bigger

than just us.

And the practices like prayer,

meditation, expressing gratitude, that can

help us feel part of

something more.

These aren't just good for

the soul, it turns out

they may be good for

our health too.

And that's what we're exploring

today.

We experience 1,000 waking

minutes on average every day.

How are you spending yours?

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and

you're listening to 1,000

waking minutes.

I can't wait to connect

with you here with practical

ways to eat well, move

daily and be healthy, to

optimize every waking minute you

live for a happier, healthier

life.

Thank you for sharing some

of your waking minutes with

me today.

Let's get started.

I'm saying yes to better

days.

Yes.

I'm on my way.

Yes.

It's gonna be okay.

Yeah.

Welcome to 1,000 waking

minutes.

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian, and

I'm so glad you're here

and joining me today.

This episode is about connection

and not just the kind

between people, but the kind

that reaches beyond us.

It asks us to slow

down and look up, perhaps,

or look inward as some

of us can do, or

simply be still in the

moment and feel that there's

something more that seems to

surround us if we give

it even a little breath

of space.

So I've been thinking a

lot lately about the friendships

that help shape us and

really the type of friendships

of earlier seasons of life,

perhaps when we were still

figuring ourselves out.

Maybe you've had a friend

like this too, a friend

that showed up in your

life or maybe that you

spent years with but haven't

seen in recent times or

in your adult life, but

they were maybe friends who

were steady or kind or

real and authentic and that

become or have become, if

you look back on it,

part of who you are

today.

And even if you've lost

touch maybe after years or

in some cases after decades,

and I have someone who

comes to mind, someone that

you feel like you are

somehow connected with, the good

ones, or that you wish

for others to have friends

like this, or even if

you have children, that your

children will experience friendships like

this.

So I'm not just thinking

about sentimentality, but foundational friends

that maybe help shape how

you relate to others today

or how you show up

for others perhaps, or even

how you love one another,

maybe that you hope your

children can experience, as I

mentioned.

So maybe this is a

space today, a pause where

you can think of someone,

yourself, as I am and

what sort of inspired this

topic, this moment.

So in talking about connection,

I want to talk about

sort of connection to the

universe, to the mystery and

the spirit of things, and

specifically how it impacts our

health and how we live

our waking minutes over days

and months and even decades.

So today isn't about religion

per se, but it can

be, or about prayer, though

it can be that too.

It's not about any kind

of doctrine or dogma, but

it is about presence, maybe

about reflection or wonder, one

of my favorite words, as

you may know by now,

about gratitude.

Maybe we can use the

word spirituality.

Maybe you connect with that

word.

Maybe you don't.

If it makes you prickle,

that's okay.

There's something else.

But maybe what I'm trying

to suggest is the spirit

of connection or things beyond

those that are in our

actual line of sight or

in a material form.

When it comes to these

kinds of memories, like where

wonder and hope and personal

wishes for ourselves, our family,

our loved ones might live,

that's what I mean.

And how do we tap

that?

And what does that mean

for our identity?

But today we're talking about

health.

How do those pauses affect

our health, our mind, the

way we live in our

minutes?

So I'm going to call

it connecting with the universe.

You call it what you

will, but today I'm talking

about connecting with the universe

in the ways that connect

with you.

So Elie Wiesel, the Nobel

Peace Prize winner and the

author of Night, if you've

ever read that powerful book

or read about him, but

he wrote, "if the only

prayer you say throughout your

life is thank you, then

that will be enough."

And I believe in that.

It's a gesture, maybe.

It's a feeling that's said

with intentionality, honestly, from the

heart.

If the only prayer you

say is thank you, that

will be enough.

So today we're going to

talk a little bit about

spirituality and health.

No matter what your beliefs

are, from being deeply religious,

perhaps, or completely secular, science

shows that we're healthier when

we cultivate connection.

And not just with people,

but with something beyond ourselves.

You might call it God

or nature or chi, that

kind of energy and flow.

You may invoke something about

the universe or love or

oneness, as is often referenced

in sort of the Eastern

religions, or maybe science.

The name really doesn't matter

to me anyway, but the

space for it does.

So this isn't about rules

and rituals, but about making

space and thinking about places

in your life where that

may be present.

Places where you can breathe

and appreciate and reflect where

we are in this sort

of vivid, beautiful world that

is also sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes

awe-inspiring, sometimes just so

much bigger than ourselves and

our humanity.

So to remember a friend

that maybe you haven't seen

in a long time, or

feel a deep connection to,

like you're right there.

That's something that I can

feel, and maybe you can

too.

And when we do this,

I think we heal, and

I think our focus sometimes

can sharpen.

We can go to places.

Sometimes we soften, and maybe

sometimes we even grow.

So what is the return

on investment of this kind

of connection for health?

You know I love to

bring in some science or

talk about the return on

our benefits to our health

from doing or connecting in

this way.

The return on connection, maybe

we'll call it, in research

as in life.

So cultivating gratitude or practicing

prayer, these are two primary

ways that people connect with

broader universal presence.

Saying thank you, and we've

talked about gestures, simple gestures

in previous episodes, or gestures

of kindness outward.

Saying thank you, it's not

just good manners really.

That act has been shown

to make people feel happier

in research.

So an expression or warm

thanks or an expression of

gratitude, it can sort of

facilitate or bridge social interaction

and relationships, and also like

the perception of warmth between

two individuals or more.

Intentional gratitude, even when you

know something goes deeply awry

and the bad things in

life happen, but intentional gratitude,

expressing gratitude for the things

in life that you can,

that you have, that you

have at the moment.

It's been linked to lower

blood pressure in fact.

It's been linked to improved

immune function and even decreased

stress according to some research.

So the role of gratitude

alone is part of spiritual

well-being and has been

shown in some research.

And also prayer, and it

doesn't need to be limited

to the hands together, head

bowed, or looking up kind

of version of prayer.

Prayer can encompass thoughts or

words, hopes, and it can

come in many forms from

meditation to chanting to simple

words or a nod to

something beautiful that you pass

and you acknowledge.

That can be prayer.

So let's talk about some

of these returns.

I want to share with

you a few studies that

I came across and returns

on our connections with the

other.

So number one, longevity.

How about that?

So if we look to

the blue zones, if you've

heard about the blue zones

before, there are certain areas

in the world where people

live at a higher rate

beyond 100 years, so there's

more centenarians per capita.

And researchers have sort of

identified some key habits or

key behaviors that these communities,

some are in the Mediterranean

region like Sardinia and Greece,

some are in Costa Rica.

And the uniquely only one

in the United States is

in Loma Linda, California, where

I did my doctoral work.

But one of the common

threads, and there's sort of

nine key attributes or behaviors

that have been identified over

time in the research, one

of the key ones was

not necessarily belonging to a

specific religion, but belonging period.

So belonging to some either

faith-based community, and the

denomination didn't seem to matter,

but showing up for something

that creates meaning and connection

does.

So belonging.

And here's the surprising part

of that.

People who attend sort of

spiritual gatherings just four times

a month, so roughly once

a week, as is in

some of the organized religions,

but they may add, actually,

according to the research that's

been done, between four and

14 years to their life

expectancy.

By showing up to a

community that has a sense

of spirituality or connection, add

between four and 14 years

to their life.

Is that incredible?

Something as simple as showing

up and belonging.

That's a meaningful difference.

And as it turns out,

this type of connection can

not just support your years,

but also your mood.

So I turn next to

a study I want to

share about emotional health.

If we look at the

famous Nurses' Health Study, maybe

you've heard that before.

It's a prospective study that's

followed over 74,000 women

for decades now.

But research reported, after following

over 16 years, that those

who attended weekly religious services

had significantly lower risk of

developing depression, according to some

research.

So the Nurses' Health Study,

the NHS study, it's a

large-scale, as I mentioned,

long-term prospective cohort study,

meaning they followed the same

group of people over time

to see what changes or

outcomes or measurements showed up.

And they surveyed them many

times over the course of

those years on their directly

reported habits, from diet to

exercise, and in this case,

attending religious services.

So what they found was

a meaningful link between that

regular spiritual connection and emotional

well-being.

Another study a few years

back now, so in 2015,

but I think it's relevant

because it was a broad,

a systematic review and meta

-analysis of randomized control trials,

it looked at spiritual and

religious interventions.

Sort of like, think if

you've ever heard people who

start a prayer group or

someone or interventions, and they

looked at the impact on

anxiety and depressive symptoms.

And the takeaway from this

study was that the majority

of studies, because this was

a meta-analysis and review,

showed reductions in both depressive

symptoms and symptoms of anxiety.

Of course, more research is

needed on this area.

Researchers are the first to

say it, but the trend

appears to be there.

Meaningful connection seems to offer

some real protection or risk

reduction for our hearts, our

mind, like anxiety and depressive

symptoms.

So longevity, mental health, and

you might be curious about

healing.

Can connection or prayer heal?

And I certainly know of

friends and family, maybe you

know some too who've asked

for prayer or called on

prayers from others, or maybe

you've offered it up or

even created prayer circles around

friends or families going through

hard times and health issues

and illness.

Maybe you've been on the

receiving or maybe the giving

end of this.

Well, we've known for centuries

that people often turn to

prayer and ritual and quiet

reflection in these types of

times, especially in times of

uncertainty, times of illness.

And while we can't always

measure it with the scientific

method in a laboratory setting,

we can use some of

the tools of modern science

now to look at and

consider practices like mindfulness.

So in a review that

was published in a journal

called Cancer Management and Research,

they pulled together evidence on

how mindfulness-based interventions affect

people with cancer.

And they found that these

practices reduce psychological distress, improve

sleep, and help enhance overall

quality of life.

So this wasn't about curing

cancer, keep that in mind,

but it was about coping.

It was about feeling better.

It was about being more

resilient in the face of

challenge.

And that matters, don't you

think?

I do, big time.

And finally, for the ROIs

today, the RO Connection, ROCs,

a recent study that really

caught my eye and caught

my attention recently about meditation,

prayer, and doing nothing.

So it was three arms

and what researchers called neurocognitive

clarity.

So when I hear clarity,

when I hear neurocognitive, I

get excited, but clarity, whoo,

I'm in, tell me more.

So this is a 2024

study from Germany.

It was conducted by researchers

who did a study looking

at cognitive benefits of spiritual

practices in just a little

more than a hundred young

adults.

So this was young adults,

age 18 to 30.

They divided the participants into

three groups, regular meditation, regular

meditators, regular prayer practitioners, and

a control group that didn't

do either of these.

And they found something interesting.

They found that both meditation

and prayer improve mental clarity,

concentration, and overall cognitive function.

So meditation actually had a

slightly stronger effect, but prayer

still had significant benefits, especially

when they were practiced consistently.

So the longer someone has

been practicing, the stronger those

effects were.

So that's important.

This is one example about

how these quiet moments, maybe

taking some pauses for prayer

or reflection or meditation, don't

just nourish the spirit as

sometimes we hear.

They can help sharpen the

mind.

They can soothe the nervous

system and they can help

us think more clearly and

feel more connected perhaps.

Overall, that's all talking about

strengthening our capacity to live

well in every meaning of

the word well.

So whether it's about aging

well and longevity or managing

stress and anxiety, staying mentally

sharp, I love that word

clarity, or simply finding some

peace in your day, it

turns out that this kind

of connection does really matter.

So those are the ROIs.

Now let's turn it into

practice.

But I would be remiss

of course if I didn't

offer us a moment to

reset together in a mindful

minute.

That is a type of

like mini meditation.

You call it whatever you

want.

I like to call it

the Mindful Minute.

And it's something we can

do together right now.

So in each episode that

we have a thematic like

this, we'll pause together for

this time.

Just one moment to breathe,

to notice, to reconnect.

And perhaps it's to yourself,

the day, or maybe to

something more.

So you don't have to

do this perfectly by the

way.

There's no such thing as

perfect when we take a

moment for ourself in mindfulness.

Let this just be like

a pause or maybe remembering

a friend.

Maybe it is a prayer

for you or some gratitude.

Let's be in the moment.

So we always start by

sitting comfortably, our feet grounded.

Like feel your toes in

the ground and be outdoors.

I'm not outdoors right now,

but if I were I'd

be sort of digging them

into the grass.

Let your hands rest gently.

They can rest on your

abdomen or just on your

lap in front of you.

And let your eyes soften,

maybe even close.

Let's do a preparatory breath

together in through your nose,

out through your mouth.

Allow your shoulders to drop.

And let's begin.

Maybe think of two words

you could say, one on

the inhale, one on the

exhale, that you repeat like

thank you.

Thank you.

It could be I hope,

maybe be well.

Notice your surroundings just by

your senses.

Fix anything right now.

Just breathe and be here.

One more inhale, be well.

There we are.

Sometimes that's all it takes,

a breath, a pause, perhaps

a quiet thank you.

Thank you for sharing that

Mindful Minute with me today.

So when I was little,

I met the poet John

Neihardt.

He was the author of

Black Elk Speaks, a Native

American, early American author.

And he studied and wrote

about Black Elk.

And he studied and wrote

poetry in the tradition of

the Sioux tribe that he

was studying.

And he gave me one

of his books.

I was very young at

the time.

And inside the book, and

he signed it to me,

and I still have that

book.

And he signed it to

me, to my name with

his name on it.

And inside the book was

a little piece of paper

with a hand-typed poem.

So separate from the book,

it was tucked in.

It was a little slip.

And it was in the

first few pages.

And the poem is called

The Child's Prayer.

My parents turned it into

a sort of like decoupage

plaque also, that was something

that I put on my

wall.

And I would sort of

quietly read it, probably almost

daily, because it was sort

of a part of, you

know, your space, you notice

it, you don't notice it

sometimes.

But I always loved it,

especially because I was told,

and I was young, under

five, I was told it

had been written just for

me.

I believed it.

Part of me still does

believe it.

I've never found it anywhere

else.

I believe it was written

for me.

And sometimes it's the belief,

but it's really for all

of us.

So before we turn today's

topic into a little bit

of practice, I thought I

would share that poem with

you and see if it

connects with you.

I think it was great,

great for children.

I think it is great

for children, and all of

us, including the big kids

too.

So here it is.

The Child's Prayer by John

G.

Neihardt.

"Great spirit, you are everywhere.

You made the lovely earth

and air.

You made the creek that

runs and sings, and everything

with legs or wings.

You made each blade of

grass and tree, and all

the little kids like me.

So good is everything you

made, that we should never

be afraid.

Great spirit, teach us what

to do, so I can

be as good as you."

Great spirit, this was.

I love that.

The Child's Prayer.

Thank you for sharing that

with me and indulging me

in that.

I hope that that connects

with you.

That poem still grounds me.

And whatever your beliefs, I

think, I hope, we can

agree that our world is

at its core good.

And that sort of reminds

me of that.

We are lucky to have

the opportunity to be here

and live here.

And I hope you enjoyed

hearing that much, that poem,

that beautiful poem, as much

as I do, and as

a reminder of just that

fact.

So if any part of

this speaks to you today,

connecting to the universe, spiritually,

through prayer, through religion, through

hope, through silent moments or

gratitude, I wanted to provide

a few simple ways to

bring it into our 1.000

Waking Minutes, or maybe reminders

of ways that you're already

doing that.

So first, belong.

Remember when I talked about

the Blue Zones?

Belong.

We saw from the Blue

Zones, we see from the

landmark Nurses Health Study, women

who attended faith-based services

four times a month significantly

extended their lives.

The value is in the

regularity and the meaning of

weekly or even periodic services,

connection.

And it's a terrific way

to practice.

Maybe it's been a while,

but maybe you make an

effort to start again.

You can go and do

and participate.

And if you don't connect

with a religion per se,

there are lots of ways

to connect with like-minded

others, like study groups and

book clubs and social groups,

other special interest groups.

Some may argue that one

is more valid than another.

I say they're all valid.

Some way of belonging and

connection.

That's what I think the

message is today.

It might be a choir,

community service.

There's lots of examples that

we could tap.

Second, maybe try meditation.

Meditation can take many forms

and it can be an

effective way to gain introspection,

to help balance your nervous

system.

And it can be something

that you can practice regardless

of any religious persuasion or

feeling about spirituality.

Overall mindfulness can increase awareness

of ourselves and the world

around us.

And of course, some of

the mysteries of the universe.

Another more practical, tactical way

to connect is maybe in

how you use your time.

So using transitions during your

day as moments to pause,

maybe taking a Mindful Minute.

So it might be between

a meeting, one meeting and

the next.

Or it might be when

you're washing your hands.

My daughter has a song

that she sings while washing

your hands.

Maybe there's a poem or

a thought or a gratitude

that you practice.

Maybe I'll try that.

I think that might be

my next thing to try

in a transition for myself.

Maybe before sending some emails,

you take a pause, you

take a moment, you say

a prayer even.

Using the time and those

transitions in that way.

Another way is maybe borrowing

or utilizing a prayer from

somewhere that connects with you,

or you can even make

one up.

You can pray, you can

recite mantras.

The act of prayer doesn't

work.

And I put that in

quotes for everyone.

But most of us can

benefit from thinking or saying

positive words, certain sounds, certain

phrases, affirmations, which you may

have heard about affirmations, and

it may even evoke memories

of some funny skits on

SNL.

The affirmations, they actually have

been shown to really help.

Positive affirmations, a few words

of reflection, a few words

of gratitude, have solid psychological

and spiritual power and benefit.

Each new year, I sort

of set an intention.

Each year, sometimes I try

to capture it in like

an affirmation or a single

word, or something that I

try to bring to the

forefront.

It may be something that's

there, but I just want

to bring a little more

attention to it.

So that becomes a way

that I personally bring like

an affirmation or an intention

to mind and sort of

use it in this way.

We can create small rituals,

like taking a breath before

a meal, maybe saying a

prayer.

We used to call it

grace.

Some people still do.

A moment of silence, or

a quiet thought before sleep.

Maybe you have a mealtime

prayer, or something poetic that

you'd like to share.

We have a few of

those, one that we use

sometimes that some dear friends

of ours, Nancy and Tom,

taught us, which is a

simple sort of mealtime prayer

that gives thanks, and that

also brings us fond memories

along with when we share

it.

So thinking about creating a

small ritual at mealtime, or

maybe it's before bed, doing

a gratitude journal could be

a way to invoke this

connection, or saying prayers before

bed, or giving hope for

someone's health and healing, including

your own.

In the spirit of that

also, another thing you can

do is honor those that

helped shape you.

So carrying on a memory,

not just in thought, but

in some kinds of practice.

I always think of the

Dia de los Muertos each

year, the Day of the

Dead, the celebration that has

such deep ritual and meaning

about honoring those who've come

before us with offerings, ofrendas,

and all the traditions that

go with it, and such

a very clear ritual that

is grounded in spirit and

happiness.

It's always so fascinating.

So maybe there's grand practices,

and meaningful, impactful practices and

rituals, but maybe it's something

small, like carrying out an

activity in honor of someone,

or saying a small prayer

that reminds you of them,

or just saying their name

aloud.

There are so many ways

to honor our loved ones,

our mentors, our family, our

friends.

And you can also let

silence be like a prayer

too.

Sometimes you don't really have

to speak it to feel

it, and it can be

internal and personal.

So I have a number

of others that I've collected

over time that I've heard

from you, from individuals I've

been around who have shared

with me, from volunteering to

choosing to read positive media

on purpose, to going to

mindfulness retreats, or Zen Buddhist

retreats even.

But I'm going to stop

here for today on that.

I hope that those give

you a few little practices,

and maybe you have some

that you can share with

me that you have done,

and to bring attention to

them again, knowing that there's

such a beneficial part to

our overall health, because we

can just choose one, and

let's be real with it,

and let's connect in that

way.

So maybe today, I hope

you'll find one minute, just

one to be still.

Maybe offer a small prayer,

or a thank you, or

a moment of remembering, maybe

a way that you can

feel more connected to yourself,

to someone else.

It might be someone who's

near, it might be someone

who's far, both in time

and space, and to something

greater, you know, connecting to

the universe.

So I'm so thankful for

your time to listen today,

and to connect in this

way.

Lately, I've been thinking, as

I mentioned, more about all

of this, that connection, and

meaning, and the ways that

we take pause.

And honestly, it came from,

I was sparked from really

thinking deeply about a friend

from a long time ago,

that I'm so grateful to

have had in my life

for so many years, despite

the time that had passed

since I saw him.

And I will think of

him when I think of

this episode of today, and

on a continued basis.

We hadn't been in touch

for a long time, which

was something that pained me,

but now I sort of

see the beauty in that

connection.

And I'm so happy to

have been able to share

it a little bit with

you today.

So even across time, in

our spirit, we can be

spiritual.

Maybe you'll embrace that term

a little bit more, maybe

not, that's okay.

But renew some of those

things that connect to you.

Because I do think that

we connect to something bigger.

We have to.

You know, it's airwaves, or

sound waves, or humanness, something.

There's some kind of waves

that connect us.

So maybe this conversation today

can spark a little bit

and be part of that

too.

If this episode felt useful

to you, or thought-provoking

even, I'd be glad if

you shared it with someone

else who might enjoy it.

I always appreciate if you

care to leave a kind

comment on your podcast platforms,

or wherever you tune in,

or write me, because I

really believe that our community

and our efforts to be

healthy, and to be health

-inspired toward a well-lived

life, that we're better together,

that we support each other.

You can always find the

study references in the show

notes, or write me, either

way.

And you can find me

at wendybazilian.com.

And I would be so

happy if you join on

Instagram at @1000WakingMinutes

.

And this is 1,000

Waking Minutes, our 1,000

Waking Minutes.

I'm Wendy Bazillion, and until

next time, be well.

Thank you for tuning in

to 1,000 Waking Minutes.

A huge thank you to

our amazing collaborators, including our

production and marketing teams, and

Gabriella Escalante in particular.

To the ultra talented Beza

for my theme music, my

lifelong friend and artist, Pearl

Preis Photography and Design.

To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,

Joanna Powell, and of course

my family, and everyone working

tirelessly behind the scenes.

And to you, our valued

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support.

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Until next time, find some

simple opportunities to optimize those

1,000 Waking Minutes each

day.

Yes, it's gonna be okay,

yeah.

I'm saying yes to better

days, yes.

I'm on my way, yes.

It's gonna be okay, yeah.