The Unf*ck Your Fitness Podcast

189. Herbalism Meets Fitness: Simplify Your Habits and Reconnect with Your Body ft. Rachelle Robinett

• Kristy Castillo

Share episode

Have you ever wondered what herbalism actually is…or how it could realistically fit into your already-full life?


I’m excited to welcome Rachelle Robinett to the podcast and have a fresh, no-fluff conversation on herbalism, the original form of medicine! 


Rachelle is an herbalist, educator, author, and a lifelong naturalist. Her new book, Naturally (which comes out July 2025), dives into nine core herbs and how they can support your body in ways you might not expect. 


Whether it’s optimizing your fitness recovery, supporting liver detox, or just creating better habits for long-term health, herbalism offers tools that are deeply rooted in both nature AND science. 


And no…you don’t have to overhaul your life or add more to your to-do list in order to see positive effects from herbalism!


Whether you’re a total newbie or a longtime wellness enthusiast, this episode will give you a deeper understanding of how herbalism can support your body, mind, and goals, regardless of where you are on your journey! 


Episode recap:

  • Rachelle’s personal journey into herbalism + what keeps her passionate about it
  • Why herbalism supports your WHOLE health
  • The power of one, small habit when starting w/herbalism
  • Understanding herb synergy + how testing can guide what your body really needs
  • Building a routine that fits YOU
  • Reconnecting with nature instead of constant tech and social input
  • Liver support 101: detox, daily habits, and hormone balance
  • Why symptoms are signals + why root cause healing matters
  • What to expect from Rachelle’s book Naturally 
  • How Rachelle blends integrity, authenticity & education in her work


Links/Resources:

Send me a text with episode ideas or just to say hi!

Support the show

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Un-Fuck-Your-Fitness Podcast. I am your host, Christy Castillo, and I'm here to give you real talk and cut the BS so you can actually enjoy building a body you love. I'm a personal trainer obsessed with giving you simple action steps to take you from feeling stuck to feeling sexy. Let's go.

Speaker 2:

Hey guys, what's up. I am super excited about today's episode. I am chatting today with Rochelle Robinette, who is a beautiful and so talented and so down to earth. I've been stalking your Instagram page, who is a writer and herbalist educator and a lifelong naturalist, and she offers beginner friendly advice, guide and, in my opinion, a very, very fresh perspective to herbalism, which is exactly why I wanted to have you on the podcast. Herbalism, just to kind of break it down, is the science and art of plants as medicine, and you also do a very good job of sharing everyday remedies, rituals, breaking it down so so nicely. So welcome to the podcast, Rochelle, I'm so excited to have you.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, I'm so happy to be here. I'm excited.

Speaker 2:

Tell me a little bit about yourself, just kind of like what you're up to these days, and then we'll dive into all the details.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah, well, these days I am very much in the world of kind of pre-promoting and promoting this book. It's been a labor of love. It mean it's the culmination of over 10 years working in herbalism, but really a lifetime of working and studying and practicing and exploring herbalism, the natural world, plants as medicine. I live in Brooklyn and Costa Rica and I'm just a forever student of life, of the body, of nature, of the mind, and can't wait to continue to explore and write more about it as I do so.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, how long have you been into? Has it kind of always been something that you've been attracted to and wanted to learn about?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, in many ways it was.

Speaker 3:

I grew up on a farm in the Pacific Northwest and my parents worked in Western medicine and sort of holistic functional medicine, respectively, dad and mom, and you know I was never intent on making sort of healthcare my career, but I was fascinated from the time, as long as I can remember.

Speaker 3:

I was fascinated by, you know, the body's relationship with nature and how, when we engage with these different aspects of our environment, they change our states. You know, so, really kind of philosophically or really deep in at the root cause, kind of nonverbal, like what is light doing to our body, what is sound and temperature, and you know even what are thoughts doing to our body and why do they make us feel the way that we feel. So I was studying that, or trying to study that, from the time I was very young, which led me into, you know, exploring the world's healing traditions, the world's mysticism, the world's spirituality, and all of that ultimately, you know, some decades later, led me into herbalism and I realized that herbalism is that holistic practice, it's that lifestyle that really looks at the entirety of the human body and the environment that we exist in and how those two things coexist. Awesome, I love that.

Speaker 2:

I love the way that you explain things. It just like makes so much sense to me. There's a lot in my world of health and fitness there's you know that there's so much out there and a lot of it just said in a way that you don't understand. And I think this topic, this space, is maybe I don't even know if overlooked is the right way, but everything in health and fitness on my end, you know, you learn it a certain way and you learn how to move and how to work out and how to eat, and it really takes away from listening to your body. It takes away from a lot of. It takes away from, anyway, speaking in general terms, that that part of it, the, the nature, the sound, all of that. It's just. It becomes very much of having a plan and a lot of that is what I talk about.

Speaker 2:

So it's I'm really excited to dive into this because it is. You know, you have your macros and you have just all the things in my fitness space and then there's this tie into this space, which I love both, and so I just think it's something that I love the way that you speak about. It is what I'm trying to say that it's so normal. It's just so normal because that's why I created this whole podcast is to unfuck your fitness Like I want you to say it in a way that just makes sense to everybody, instead of making it seem like such a foreign topic, which I think herbalism seems like a foreign topic unless you dive into it. You know the way does that? You're nodding your head like yes, but I'm glad you agree.

Speaker 3:

I do. I do agree. I totally agree that it is overlooked, and the ironic thing is that it is all around us, like it's in our kitchen already. It's in our spice cabinet, it's at the coffee shop, it's in the sidewalks. It's like growing through the concrete. You know, it's in our backyard, it is all around us all the time and it has. It precedes all of the. I mean, it precedes modern medicine, it precedes the wellness industry, and the other thing that I love about it is that it includes all of that right.

Speaker 3:

I love, like, let's talk about macros. You can talk about macros and herbalism, you know you can talk about habit stacking and herbalism. I use all of those things together. No-transcript connect it all back to the natural world, which ultimately, you know we are nature, so we need to not forget that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, ignore that part. Agreed, I like that. You just said that you can have both and I think when I was first coming into, I probably was more interested. I don't remember if I got into health and fitness well, fitness, I should say and then was interested into like more of the holistic eating and the herbs and all that kind of stuff, and then kind of went back to fitness because in my head they were so separate. In my head it was like you are either you're either eating clean or you're tracking your macros, or you know you're into herbalism and you're doing or you're not. It was kind of like you can't, can't, half ass it, I don't know. That's just kind of how I looked at it. As I'm going through my own journey or just living life, I'm realizing more and more the importance of the things that you talk about and that they can go together. And not only can they, they should, they should go together. Like you said, this does precede all of that. So I really like you have to talk about the book for a moment. It's beautiful, you have it behind you and you had sent me the transcript, so a beautiful setup back there. It's seriously beautiful and it's so easy to digest and understand.

Speaker 2:

I have not read the entire thing because I didn't have time to do that before our meeting here, but I really do like it's called, naturally, the Herbalist's Guide to Health and Transformation. It truly is the ultimate beginner-friendly guide to herbalism. If I can digest it, that is a real beginner's guide and I really like how it talks about the nine you say the nine primary types of herbs, their benefits, how to incorporate them. It does that in a way that's so simple and, just like a lot of what I was saying unfucking your fitness on this podcast, it breaks it down into how to actually do it, because it becomes this for me I hear herbalism, no clue where to start.

Speaker 2:

I know what it means, but I don't know where to start and you talk about choosing one thing. What's one thing that you want to start with? You talk about you know you don't need all the things in your wellness routine. You really just break it down so simple. So let's dive into that quickly and kind of talk about that because, again, like health and fitness, when I say you know you need to plan, you need to check your macros, there's all these things that you have to do not have to, but should you know kind of do to get the body you want. Whatever we're talking about in that space, if we're bringing that into you know herbalism terms, it does become overwhelming. So you do say to start with one can you talk about that for a little bit as someone who's brand new and just kind of teach us how to break that down Absolutely?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know what I would say is, or what I do say is in terms of you know where to start, and obviously that's why I wrote this book, because that's one of the most common questions you know that I get, of course. What is herbalism?

Speaker 3:

Where do I start Like I don't even know if I like it? I don't even know if I like it, I don't know if I trust it, but tell me a little bit about it. You know, and without fail any time that somebody learns you know what herbalism actually is and what it can do for our lives. Like we are all. We all want this.

Speaker 1:

We all need this.

Speaker 3:

We're all looking for it, even if we don't realize we're looking for it. So, just kind of you know, just revealing a little bit of what it is, always leads to more interest in some kind of adoption. But, in terms of you know where to start and that one, that one step to take, I like to look at somebody's routine and say you know, what are you already working on right now? Or what are you seeking an answer for? Or what is something that you know is plaguing you, what's some imbalance in your body? Like, always, start with you, and that's advice I give broadly in terms of you know, what supplements do we need to be taking? What trendy you know health whatever do we need to be doing? It's not about whatever is popular in the industry right now. It's about your body and your life and your needs. So let's say, I have migraines, you know, and I want to, um, I want to resolve them naturally, you know. So that would be a place to start and say, okay, what kind of herbs might be able to help me there? Or I am trying to improve my fitness performance. There are absolutely herbs that are going to improve fitness performance or fitness recovery, right? So we start with what we need and then we can go to. You know, obviously my book will, you know, give you plenty of sort of first steps to take. There are also resources, like you know health food stores, farmers markets, herb shops. There are herbalists in every town. So if somebody really likes to learn from another, you know human directly, we can connect with them.

Speaker 3:

A lot of holistic healthcare practitioners also understand herbalism. They need to be sort of in the functional health space. But really that's why I wrote, naturally, you know. So you go to the chapter on energy and motivation and find you know the herb or the herbal protocol to start, and then that might look like to be really specific. That might look like drinking a specific cup of tea at once a day to begin. Or, even easier, you know an herbal blend in capsule format that you take along with any other supplement you're already taking. Just put it in the cabinet right by the others and add it to your stack, and that is one step, you know, to include a little bit more herbalism in your life. Carry a tincture around and, you know, spike your water periodically. It's just one step like that that leads to the next, the next, the next. But like with anything, I don't recommend taking more than one step at a time. We need to make it habit. We need to know how it feels in our body and our lives before we add on another.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's. I love that. You said it just like. You said it Like I think that's part of it too.

Speaker 2:

When you're looking at someone else, it's like that in you know all of social media or whatever kind of talking about, how you said, not looking at something that someone else is doing or what's popular in this space, it's what is something that you would like help with, something that you're trying to improve on, and go that way. I think that alone makes it so much easier to dive in, rather than what is someone else doing or what is this herb and what can it help me with, it's going to make more sense and affect you more. So if you have something you're looking for and then going out For me, too, that's research, whereas I think that's with anything in kind of this space is, if you, if it's not your goal to begin with, or you're not struggling with migraines, why would you take migraines? Or, instead of looking at it as all or nothing, think of something that you are struggling with and move into that. I think that's a really smart way and simple way of not making it over complicated.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, not being overwhelmed by the space. I mean there's so much coming at us now. There are, you know, so many new products, so many trends, so much. You know so many headlines and it's fine to consume them and we can be educated about what's you know popular and see if maybe it is something we need. For example, you know creatine's return, but ultimately you know we need to start with our own health and I definitely talk about that in the book because otherwise, you know it can be a bit, it can feel a bit like flailing. You know, try a trend and try a trend and try a trend and you know that doesn't lead to long-term sustainable. You know vitality or transformation, if that's what we're looking for.

Speaker 2:

Sure. Then you feel like you're still kind of chasing the next, chasing the next thing, or kind of still out there looking. Do you recommend and this is totally just a random question, but for me if I'm looking at, let's say, I am on creatine would there like creatine? There's a couple of different things that I take, not a lot, because I very much only take things that I need for my own body. I'm not. I don't really stray at all into other supplements that are good for you. If that's something that I'm struggling with, it doesn't even catch my eye. Would you recommend a kind of like? If I'm like, okay, I kind of want something that's a little more natural to you know, replace my creatine, or do you recommend taking both? Or you know how? Are you kind of in like the replacement factor of, or does it depend on the supplement? I guess?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's a great question, and all random questions are totally welcome.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Now we're thinking about me. Let me ask a specific question. That's great.

Speaker 3:

That's what we're supposed to do, right? I mean, I take creatine too, and I think that it definitely depends on the supplement if you want to replace the supplement or supplement the supplement with herbs. So creatine is very, you know, specific and kind of special in its makeup and how it works in the body, what it does. So I wouldn't attempt to replace creatine with herbs. However, you know, for example, along with my creatine, I take herbs that help enhance physical performance and recovery. I work out pretty intensely. I love it.

Speaker 3:

I've always been like a fitness head, if you will, like a little gym rat, or you know, I surf and run and cycle and lift, and so we can supplement supplements with herbs.

Speaker 3:

Or, for example, if we're taking a vitamin C supplement, that's an opportunity to replace it with an herb or an herbal blend that's high in vitamin C, and the benefit of doing that is that herbs are full spectrum, they are concentrated extracts. I mean, herbs are herbs, but herbal supplements are, you know, full spectrum. They're concentrated extracts of the entirety of the plant. So we get something called synergy, where you know the plant or the supplement. It works better because it's still whole. It's not that we've isolated just the vitamin C out of that plant and concentrated it into a supplement. We're actually taking the whole, you know rose hip extract, for example, or something like that, and that's the case with turmeric, that's the case with vitamin C, that's the case with a lot of different things. Last thing I would say there is that all herbs have so many more benefits than maybe just the one or two that we're seeking. So we get all of these sort of secondary and tertiary benefits when we're taking plant-based supplements along with the vitamin C, if that's what we're after, for example.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, yeah, okay, yeah, I knew that was going to be a question that I would get from someone listening, honestly, definitely. But all my listeners, pretty well, they're going to know, like, should I stop this? Should I add this? Because I think, too, I get a lot of questions about supplements, and should I stop this? Should I add this? So because I think, too, I get a lot of questions about supplements.

Speaker 2:

And you know, should I take this? How do I know if it's working? And I'm like, well, you should know if it's working. I mean, you should feel that it's working. So if you don't feel that it's working, I personally wouldn't take it. Or if you stop taking it and then you feel a difference and you think, okay, well, I wasn't, I just wasn't noticing because I felt so much better, you know, if you kind of stopped taking something. So that's something in terms that just of supplements that I would say. So I it's good to know and I'm sure that your book dives all the way into that as far as you know what to take, and I love the entirety of that too If you're not separating, you know, just isolating the vitamin C or or isolating one part, I mean anything you can take in more whole natural form is better, right.

Speaker 3:

So that makes sense, you know, and in terms of like whether or not supplements are working or whether or not herbs are working, you know we can treat herbs just like supplements in that sense, and you can definitely feel it out you know, is my recovery improved? Are my, you know, migraines, for that example, improved, whatever it is? I'm also a very big fan of getting tested, you know, having labs doing our blood work, and this is where you see sort of herbalism meeting modern science or modern healthcare in a really beautiful way. You know we can get tested, understand exactly what we need, look for the natural sources of support for those. You know levels, and then take those herbs for six months or a year, however long it is, get tested again and know exactly how well they worked. You know, so we can figure it out, but I really like to work with labs because I think then we're not guessing.

Speaker 2:

I really like to work with labs because I think then we're not guessing. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. That's a great tip as well. We are big over here on creating routines and trying to fit these things in and making them habits. I know I don't want this to necessarily come across to my listeners, and I know my clients are kind of we're already trying to figure out how to fit everything in right and kind of learn all of this.

Speaker 2:

And your book is so simple and even your Instagram. I'll, of course, have everything tagged in the show notes, but when I go to your Instagram which is so refreshing, even the quotes, everything is just like so nice and it makes it feel like I can do this. It's there's nothing wrong, it's not like pressure as far as, like you just said, you know take all of these things, buy all of these and do all of this and, you know, kick everything out. So, as far as kind of incorporating this in you talked about, of course, you know choosing something that you're struggling with or a goal that you have.

Speaker 2:

What is your, I guess, advice or how do you go about being more intentional? What is your, I guess, advice or how do you go about being more intentional. You know seeking things out that are for you and then creating a routine around it, because I know for me I have certain routines. So you know I get up in the morning and I take my creatine and my drinks that's right next to me, like my probiotics and stuff, so I could add it into that. Or if there's certain things at bedtime that you would associate with this do you kind of habit stacking those kinds of things?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, definitely I love that. So the first thing I would say is that you know it may not sound like it at first, but you know the way that I explain it in herbalism and hopefully the way I can explain it right now is working with herbalism is actually going to simplify our lives. It is not something that has to be another thing to do. I mean, I've worked with thousands of people, you know one-on-one, you know, in their daily routines, understanding like it's not going to work if it's another thing that we have to do. So again, yeah, to answer your question, how do we simply integrate this? I love to habit stack. So anything you're already doing that can have either the herbal kind of addition to it or a replacement.

Speaker 3:

So if there's something that we're taking or doing or using, you know, that can be replaced with herbs. That's a perfect way to just, you know, add this single step into your routine. So, you know, I have my supplements that I take in the morning, and I have them kind of well, morning, midday and evening, you know, and I have these rows in my cabinets where I know exactly you know what time of day this sort of lineup goes for, and those are some supplements like probiotics, amino acids and also herbs, and they're all blended right there. I have, you know, coffee in the morning, but it's half coffee, half herbal coffee. If I'm drinking water throughout the day, there are herbs in the water, because it's a big batch of tea that I brewed at the beginning of the week, or because I've dropped some tinctures into it.

Speaker 3:

Now, my routine is a bit intense because I've been doing this forever. However, the easiest way to integrate it is, you know, that single step, habit, stack or replacement, and just just stick with that step, like we said before, until it is second nature, and then we can add on one more. And I think something that people will love about, naturally is I have case studies in there from clients that I've worked with and it is extremely detailed, you know, in terms of describing exactly how we affected their routine. I recommended this at this time in this way. This person did this, they had these results and you can see how you know. Diet, lifestyle, herbalism, all of it sort of works, you know, gradually over time to change and become ultimately transformational.

Speaker 3:

So there's lots of real life examples in the book of how this works.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yes, I think that's really. It just makes it more real. I guess I feel like it's not. I live in a really small town and it's not herbalism isn't something that is talked about there at all. So you know, I kind of always had to go outside of my space, outside of my town, and it's very my mom actually, but she knows a lot about I don't know if it's herbs specifically, but she's always dove into this sort of thing and always had this stuff around. So it was never been anything that I was a stranger to. But I didn't ever know who to go to or I could go to the World Wide Web, I realized. But I like a person, I'm very vocal that way. So, yeah, I feel like for some people it just feels very untouchable.

Speaker 2:

So I think your book in general and then those case studies, seeing what's possible, because I think too, as far as unfucking your fitness and just the fitness space generally, I'm on here talking about muscle building and these very specific things. It seems separate, but it's not and I love that. You even said I work out pretty intensely and I take creatine. I mean, we're going to love that, because it seems like you see someone online. That's an herbalist. You wouldn't think they take creatine, I mean because they just seem so separate, so I just love that. Do you get asked that a lot Like is that a lot of what you talk about or not at all?

Speaker 3:

It's a great point because, you know, from the very beginning of my work in herbalism, you know, I was determined to present it and to represent it in a way that it is not commonly presented or represented. Yeah, you know, it can be stylish, it can be cool, it is totally relevant for modern lives. It works with, you know, high performance, fitness or athleticism. It works with I mean, I was working in fashion in New York City.

Speaker 2:

You know and I was a herbalist Like these are things people are like you're wearing lipstick and you're an herbalist.

Speaker 3:

You're wearing high heels and you're an herbalist. I don't, I don't understand, but I like it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, for sure. So yeah, so it was. It was always part of my mission to just show that it does not have to be the brand that it has, you know, acquired over the years. It can be crunchy and it can be, you know, relegated to health food stores, but it can also be in the fashion industry in New York City or in the tiniest town. That's never. You know that. Thinks they haven't heard of herbalism. But again, they're probably practicing all around us. You know that.

Speaker 3:

Thinks they haven't heard of herbalism, but again they're probably practicing it all around us Like it is, it is, it's for everyone, it really really is and it you know it used to be part of all of our lives Historically. In all of our lineages herbalism is there. It was the original medicine. You know, animals use herbalism like it's. It's in our, it's in our genes, it's in our past.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I love that, let's bring it back. I, honestly, when I was I mean I get emails all the time, you know, to have people on the show and I'm like, gosh, an herbalist, like. I'm just like, okay, go to your page, you're like adorable and like so relatable, but I'm like an herbalist on the unfuck your fit, you know. I'm just like, how do they even in my brain and there's, there are just certain, you know, things that were just taught or just the way that we think, and I'm like I don't know, but I really want to, and so, and then, as I'm diving in, I'm like, no, it's perfect actually, the way that you go about it. But in my head I'm saying you don't have to do. Do you know what I mean? It's like, yeah, I'm just like, yes, this is gonna be great because merging the two worlds is honestly well. That's why I created this podcast not to create the merge of these two worlds, but just to like, I think, kind of break down some barriers too. Like unf, fucking your fitness for yourself. What does fitness look like, literally, for you? What do you want out of it? It doesn't matter what it looks like for anyone else and it doesn't matter what anyone else is kind of taking and what do you want for yourself, and I find a very gradual transition.

Speaker 2:

So another sidebar but kind of how I teach clients is we start obviously where they're at and they come to me for fitness and we learn macros and we learn the things you know eating kind of whatever, and I don't really care about the perfection of it. As we go into it, they naturally want to know more about whole foods, you know. They want to know how can I not drink protein shakes three times a day? What's the more natural foods? And then it also is going to go right into this as far as what are more healthy ways I can supplement and all of this.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, it's such a natural transition and I think it's not talked about a lot, but I do talk about it behind the scenes a lot, but I'm not an expert. I think it's just great. On that note and you did touch on it a little bit as far as our modern lives, if there's something that maybe bothers you or if there's something you could say just about technology, running our lives and how we've come, I feel like we've become obviously more off-put or we're just going away from nature and natural things and listening to our bodies. Everything is digital and everything is social media. So just tell me a little bit about your thoughts on that and why you think this is so important now.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's a great question, you know, I think, in terms of the screens and technology and the sort of, you know, immediate gratification and dopamine addiction that we sort of get into or maybe it's, you know, maybe I can not say dopamine addiction, but this you know, the attachment, you know to that experience.

Speaker 3:

I think what I've seen at the most macro level to speak about a different kind of macro is you know that, that this, this modern lifestyle that is so technology driven and therefore facilitates, you know, this sort of immediate gratification where we can just sit in a chair and, like you know, scroll and lose, you know, hours of time and kind of modify our brain and our habit patterns, you know hours of time and kind of modify our brain and our habit patterns, you know, is that it trains us away from relating with ourselves and with our bodies, sort of, you know, goes back to that point about being, you know, inundated with all of the trends and supplements and, you know, inundated with all of the trends and supplements and, you know, fads in the health industries.

Speaker 3:

You know we're taking in all of this external stimulation and external input and not reflecting from an inward, you know, out perspective, not tuning into what we need. And what I've learned after seeing, you know, people for so many years is that, as a generalization, we're losing connection with ourselves, we're losing the ability to relate to our own bodies and to listen to our own bodies, to understand what our symptoms are saying we need is one of the greatest teachings that herbalism offers and that, you know, I definitely attempted to teach over the years as well, is to step back from, you know, all of that input, learn how to re-relate to ourselves, learn how to listen and then act from that you know point. Obviously, hopefully, we're acting in a you know, in a sort of natural way, but that step itself is so, so, so critical for long-term health.

Speaker 3:

I mean it's a way of active listening to our own bodies. It's a way of having a relationship with our own bodies and, again, that's one of the same as having a relationship with nature. And actually, the first main chapter in the book where I'm talking about the nervous system and herbs for the nervous system, which are called nervines. You know, in every chapter there's a more sort of philosophical concept that's in there, as well as the herbs, and that chapter is about listening. For that reason, I love that, because I think it is absolutely critical to our health. So, look, I wear an aura ring.

Speaker 3:

I love technology in terms of what it can do to better our lives, but I also will turn it all off and walk away on a regular basis. That's part of my life in Costa Rica is to fully disconnect, because it's incredible what we can do when we, you know, re-relate with our bodies.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I love that. Thank you for speaking on that. I think it's so. I do believe, and it feels like there's a kind of a collective want to move a little bit away from social media. People are finally starting to realize like we need a little grounding, we need some sunshine, we need to touch the earth, we need to. This is kind of a dopamine attachment and you know, we're kind of longing for more. It just seems like we're taking in so much information and it feels like as at least in my world that people are like I'm just taking in so much information, I don't know where to start, I don't feel good, I don't know my body, I don't it's. You're just grasping from everywhere. So, yeah, I totally agree with that and think that that is absolutely the first step.

Speaker 2:

Actually, the episode that will be coming out tomorrow is kind of about that. I have coming out is really talking about what fitness means for you, like being intentional about that piece. So I think maybe this coming out the week after will really be important for that, because you can't really reach any sort of I mean, you can be healthy and you can be fit, but it won't be on your terms. It's kind of like chasing as far as a physical goal right, chasing that number on the scale if that's someone else's goal or that's not how you really feel about it. Or if you see someone taking creatine because they want to have big muscles and then you start taking creatine and that's not really your goal, it's not going to create that happiness and that healthy from that healthy place. So I agree that that's absolutely the first step. For sure I'm really going to enjoy learning about the. I've done some nervous system work myself over the past few years, so that is kind of a huge piece I also want to dive into.

Speaker 2:

You talk a lot about, or you kind of associate it with, liver detoxification, that kind of stuff. So I had someone on the podcast a while back talking about she was a massage therapist in that space and it was a really great episode and a lot of people were like that's the best I've ever heard it explained. People don't really understand that detoxification process, liver health. Do you have a lot of advice on that? Or can you speak on that for a moment? Because I think that's a really I think between the nervous system regulation and then there's a lot of talk now about detoxing and liver health, which is great. It can be information overload, but I think you, you know, have a great way of explaining that. So if you could talk about that for a little bit and maybe how that relates to also kind of just getting in touch with yourself in that first step of clearing out our bodies.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, definitely. Well, I do. I have a whole chapter about liver health, detoxification, retreating Actually, this is right on topic, because the chapter is about retreating more in the conceptual sense. You know, we don't have to go on a retreat, we don't have to go on this heavy cleanse, but what does it mean? To retreat from some of those inputs you know in our environment in order to reset and release.

Speaker 3:

And you know detox literally and more figuratively, so, in terms of the way that I treat detoxification in general, is to just remind people that our body is detoxifying itself all day long, every day. It does that excellently and knows how to, and that's one of the processes that is ongoing. And so you know the first step, and often the most effective step for detoxifying or detoxification is to reduce or eliminate. You know whatever it is we're putting into our body that's causing our liver to have to do extra work or our skin to have to do extra. You know any of our detoxification pathways to work we stop putting in. You know excess alcohol or caffeine or refined sugar or chemicals from the environment, or you know any of these things that our body is able to clean up and catch up. You know on anything else that's sort of backlogged, then I think one of the you know, of course we can support liver function and I love to do that with herbs.

Speaker 3:

Actually, one of my top five herbs that I think you know, of course we can support liver function and I love to do that with herbs. Actually, one of my top five herbs that I think you know practically everyone needs that I recommend, you know, all the time that I travel with, is milk thistle, and milk thistle is an herb that improves liver function, but it also helps regenerate any damage to the liver, helps regenerate any damage to the liver, and I recommend this so often, not necessarily because we all need to detoxify more, but because optimal liver function is helpful for, yes, detoxification, but hormone balance as well. And when we're focused on supporting liver function and we're also focused on optimal digestion and elimination, we're normalizing hormones, and that is sex hormones, stress hormones, sleep hormones, and those regulate so much of our lives, our days. It's incredible how much balanced hormones can improve our lives and it's often overlooked that liver function and detoxification pathways are a big part of that. So I like to reduce, you know, whatever we're putting in, that's quote, unquote, toxic, or that's just stressing those systems.

Speaker 3:

Support liver function with herbs like milk, thistle, turmeric is also great, artichoke and licorice are also great Again, I have a whole chapter on these and then make sure that we're eating a lot of fiber and drinking a lot of water, because gut health, motility elimination again is part of that detoxification process. So that's my sort of protocol. You know top line, and then you know, from a more mental and spiritual standpoint, you know we can detoxify these other systems, maybe our nervous system, by just taking a break. You know, taking an hour, taking a day, taking a weekend, taking a walk no-transcript.

Speaker 2:

I think that's part of maybe I don't know part of all of this. In general, it's part of. I can't even narrow it down because it's a lot, but God forbid we change anything or God forbid we slow down and go for a walk.

Speaker 3:

It's like what supplement can I take to manage stress? And that's what you see all over the place, is you know? Yes, that is. That is the. That is, unfortunately, the modern perspective of medicating symptoms, as opposed to addressing root causes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when you said that, I thought I'm so glad you said that it's just like it's not our natural reaction to slow down or think am I putting something in my body that's causing my gut to react badly? Or you know, if my liver is detoxing always, which it is why is it not working correctly? Maybe it's something I'm doing instead of can I just go purchase a random supplement to fix that?

Speaker 3:

So anyway, detox Right.

Speaker 2:

I don't Anyway, I just thought it was interesting, like that's crazy that that should, that should be our first.

Speaker 3:

It should be our first.

Speaker 3:

And often that's all we need to do. We don't need to go buy a detox, do a juice cleanse, do all these things. Now, of course, sometimes those are, um, you know, important, but far more often that's not what we need to do. And I would just say, like on the symptoms versus causes point, or symptoms and causes point any symptom in our body is a signal that there is a cause. Yeah, and that is. You know, that is part of that conversation we were having earlier about listening to the body. Why do I have this symptom? Maybe we don't know. Yeah, maybe we do know.

Speaker 2:

Maybe we sense probably kind of why you may not want to admit it, yeah, but if we can think that way, we should, we should agree. Yeah, that was my uh, that was my first, so I think that's super important, very clear. And then, yes, finding things to support, I know and and I think that's why the nervous system regulation, the live, like all of that is a very it's a hot topic right now. There's just different things out there, but those two things when I think about I mean, I even have some issues going on with myself and my first thought was like I don't. And yes, I'm going to the doctor and yes, they're putting me on medication, but I'm like, and they're still trying to find the root cause. But it is frustrating to think like, am I doing something? Is there something that I'm taking? And I have stopped things and do feel better already. So it's like, yeah, I kind of just take a step back and think about what you're doing, how you're feeling, like you said, but that's just not our, our top priority or maybe our top thing to do, and I think just just stepping back is really important. So I love that we touched on all of that, because I think that's so important.

Speaker 2:

And that kind of goes back to two as far as adding more things. In a lot of times, when you know my clients don't have time to go for a walk, or they don't have time to go for a run, or they don't, you know, have time to squeeze one more thing into their day, yeah, it's definitely. Time is fleeting. But also, can we take a little step back with the intention of either it's detoxing or it's calming your nervous system, or it's just shutting everything off and letting your mind think, or it's just creating more time for things that matter that will benefit your life, rather than scrolling on social media. Maybe that's benefiting your life in a couple of ways, but I doubt it really at this point. It's really that helpful.

Speaker 2:

So I think, just really coming back to yourself, I love that part about this. I love that we're kind of combining the two worlds and that it can be. You can push and you can have a goal and you can really work hard at it, and then after that, you can slow down and give your body that other part that it needs. So I think this is really really good. I am so excited to dive into your book and learn more about it.

Speaker 2:

I just think that you've and you said that was the point of your book, which I want to get to in a minute was kind of your goal of speaking in that way and bringing it back to the world. I think when there is we live in a world where there's so much information but when you can say it in a way that relates to people which is what this income, this entire conversation was is just very relatable very down to earth. It does create that curiosity and it does create that something within us that says, oh, I can do that if she can do that I can, I can be fit, I can have goals, I can take creatine and I can.

Speaker 2:

You know like I just think they're so off and for whatever reason, we do think that it's all or nothing, and that's another mindset I think that you know we have in general. Yeah, I'm rambling, but that's. There's a lot in here, that's just. I'm so glad that we're making it very, very doable. So give me a little sense about that in your book too, as far as just kind of your goal with that and what you really hope that it gets across, what people are going to get out of it.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I'm always glad to hear that that's how any of my work is received, because that has been the goal from the very beginning the very first Instagram post, the very first blog post, which is really how this all started. I wanted to educate people, but I wanted to do it in a way that shows that I am there in the trenches with them. I am there exploring the human body and mind and connection to nature right along with them, because we all are doing that. Still, we are all perpetual students of our own bodies in this world, in this life. So, you know, the book is extremely accessible, very empowering. There's so much information in there that can just be taken out and made into that you know, single first step. And at the same time, you know while it's accessible and while it's very much a guide for anybody who's brand new to herbalism. If you're a professional in the healthcare industries or in the fitness industry or in you know therapy there's so many different specialties you're going to learn a lot in naturally as well. So it really spans this sort of like herbalism 101 to.

Speaker 3:

Here is the mechanism of action of this very you know this specific herb for metabolic function Because you know, one of the things from you know that was always important to me is root causes, but I use root causes as a way of understanding how these things work as well, and I find that you know explaining some of the science, explaining exactly why an herb works or why a food works, or why you know creatine work, helps people to understand their bodies and their sort of routines in a way that is empowering, because, rather than just hearing, like you know, you know tell me what to do. What am I supposed to do? It's the why, yes, and the how. So then in the future, if you don't have that specific like what to do, you have the understanding of why something worked before and you can probably do it yourself this time with a different combination of you know ingredients.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, I always, always wanted this information to be accessible. It's I don't have to try to make it, make it exciting. That's one thing. Anybody that encounters you know herbalism. They're like hold on, there is a plant that does this.

Speaker 1:

I'm just like true, that's all.

Speaker 2:

I have to say, and you just deliver the information, and it's so cool.

Speaker 3:

It is so cool, it's beautiful, it's fascinating, and it's always been that way. People are like this is crazy, like how did I not know this existed? It's amazing, and it's natural and there's no negative side effects.

Speaker 2:

And you're like yep, yeah, no, you're right, it is. It is definitely something that's like oh my God, I didn't know that. It's like something we're all yearning for. Is like that basis of like oh, that makes so much sense when we're out here searching for something to make sense or something to feel right, because, when it comes down to it, we all kind of we are in tune with our bodies. Or something to feel right Because, when it comes down to it, we all kind of we are in tune with our bodies, whether we pull out of it for a minute. But when you feel something like that, herbalism is exactly like you said. People are going to be interested in it, and for the right reasons.

Speaker 2:

And then I'm big on education. Here too, I want people to understand don't just take a supplement because someone told you to. Don't just do a workout routine, don't just lift heavier and hurt yourself because someone told you to understand progressive overload. Understand what you're doing and make sure it's something you even fucking want to do, for that matter. If not, don't do it right now. You know if you're not ready or it doesn't make sense, or understand why. So I like that. You're very much into that too. Lastly, and for my own enjoyment. Tell me about your business, for like being in a space where you and this touches on kind of what you were just talking about because I find it easy to be myself and want to be relatable and want to be different and say things in a different way. But in your experience, was it difficult to come into a space where it's very cut and dry and very this or that and to kind of say it in a different way, or was that always kind of easy for you?

Speaker 3:

That's a fun question. You know, I did not find it Well. This is also part of my like personality. I I have to go my own way. I've. I've always been a little uncomfortable with like fitting in.

Speaker 3:

Yeah can relate so you know, I definitely I tread I still tread carefully, in the sense that I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of the herbalists and all of the herbal industry. You know history, lineage, everything that comes before me and that surrounds me. You know that I'm working within nothing but respect and, at the same time, you know, as I mentioned, I wanted to present it in a different way, you know, just present it in a slightly different way, and I have only been met with respect and appreciation and you know excitement for doing this, because I think that making herbalism more accessible and exciting and introducing it to people who are unfamiliar with it, any herbalist is going to be excited about that as well. Yeah, so, yeah, so I wouldn't say, I mean, there's absolutely nothing easy about being an entrepreneur and different iterations of businesses over the year, that that's a separate podcast.

Speaker 3:

But I think you know and here's what, here's the word that comes to mind for me and that's integrity. It was always about integrity. I am being who I am. I am sharing something true about integrity. I am being who I am, I am sharing something true. I'm doing it in the best way possible I can to communicate transparently, honestly, to not be affected by you know trends, to not be chasing clicks or engagement and to just stick with that. Over the years there's so many times that people came back and they said you know something about, you know my a reputation, or you know somebody said something to somebody to said something and then they found me because it was you know.

Speaker 3:

I was like okay, good, like this is yes, this is like my intention.

Speaker 2:

You know, is resonating Right right. Yeah, awesome, I love that, I definitely it's. It's. Yeah, the online space is crazy, Entrepreneurship crazy, and I just remember starting out and thinking I needed to kind of look like these other things. But you know, just trying to kind of figure yourself out and I can tell you're just well, you're just speaking to different people, different people. People need to learn from different people and in different ways. We don't all learn the same way. Some people aren't, you know, or some people are more visual, some people are more verbal. It just depends. But I just kind of wondered, because I appreciate what you do in your space and how you do it. I think that's just, and I know it's just different and it's a challenge to be yourself but also do the things that people give, information that people want to digest the way that they need to digest it, but also say it within the way you want to say it.

Speaker 2:

It's such a fun game A lot of people regret it sometimes yeah it's so hard and I think it's fun for my listeners to hear that kind of stuff too. It's not always easy to just put this stuff out there, but we do appreciate it. Thank you for appreciating that we are being ourselves and just saying this in a way that's like I hope you get it. I really hope that when I put this out there, that it's accepted in a way that I mean for it to be, and so, yeah, I think that resonates Well. Thank you so much.

Speaker 2:

I have truly loved this conversation. I was really excited to have you on, so I appreciate it so much. The knowledge is so helpful. The conversation was so, so good. I know it's just going to land so well and that was my goal just being like hey, you can have fitness goals and you can take these supplements and you can take herbs as well. Also, just to pay attention to your body I think that's something I talk about a lot here and this will tie into that. So, so well. Your book is available for pre-order now, correct, and then it's out July 22nd, I think, exactly.

Speaker 3:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And you are in full. What do I want to say? Launch mode for that.

Speaker 3:

Full launch mode yes.

Speaker 2:

I am Yay.

Speaker 3:

That's exciting. Yeah, it's very, very exciting. I can't wait for this to be out in the world and for you know, for it to start changing lives. The reception so far has been fantastic and it's a long. You know it's a long process.

Speaker 1:

So there we go. Good, I'm to see it all come about, but thank you for being here.

Speaker 2:

I really, really appreciate it. I'll have everything for you guys in the show notes so you can go follow her. Well, before you look at the show notes, she is at Rachelle Revenant on Instagram. Very, very simple to find. It's super fun, super digestible. You know, I wouldn't recommend anyone that wasn't that way. But thank you for being on and I will talk to you guys in the next episode. Bye, bye.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for listening to today's show. Go ahead and leave a rating and a review and, of course, follow the podcast so you don't miss out on any future episodes. And I would love it so much if you came to connect with me over on Instagram at Christy Castillo Fit. I will see you next time.