Let Food Be Thy Leadership Advantage

Have you ever experienced a big “wake up” on your life journey–where one day, everything is different and you can’t go back to what was before?

After my first child I had two miscarriages, and then I entered into a period that was of deep introspection for me. Caught off guard by my dark yet profound response to these two losses, I was marked with a significant experience that would forever serve as a “before” and “after” intersection of my life.

Of course, from any challenge comes significant opportunity–I knew that this was an important part of my journey and it was going to serve me in some way… I just wasn’t sure yet how. But with my analytical prowess, my natural instincts kept me asking questions and staying curious through the whole experience.

As it turned out, the blessings were many and continue to play an important role in my life (as well as for my entire family) because I learned about the importance of food. Now keep in mind that this was before all the educational documentaries (like Supersize Me, Food, Inc., etc.) and major health initiatives came around. It was also at the very cusp of the organic movement when public awareness about the sad state of our food system in the U.S. became more mainstream. So I had to find out the hard way, but through the pain, I discovered the unimaginable magic that food beholds for us.

It seems silly because it really is so simple. Everything we need to thrive is actually provided right from the earth. The dirt. Our natural environment! And no, this is not going to be a lecture and I’m not even going to touch on the environmental challenges we face. On the contrary, my focus here is on the value of quality, clean, real food, and how it can play a critical role in your life, including how it can give you a true leadership advantage!

We all know we “should” drink eight glasses of water each day… Some of us hit the mark, and some of us don’t. Some of us might even argue the basic merits of this suggested target. But at the end of the day, none of us can argue the indisputable fact that our body needs water to live.

We also know our body needs FOOD to live. We know we should eat 400 veggies a day, 70 grains, etc., etc… (haha). Again, some of us make those goals each day while others don’t. And some argue whether those are the right goals to begin with. But again, the bottom line is we just can’t argue the fact that we need food to live and without it we die.

The struggle lies around what kind of food and what kind of water really nourishes the body. Today, we live a life of easy reach and fast pace. And because we are not farming our own land, we depend on what is available to us in our nearby communities. But each of us can still take a moment to be intentional and aware of what helps our bodies feel good and work well versus what makes it break down or makes our life more challenging than it already is.

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If you are facing a health challenge, like frequent headaches, lower levels of energy, trouble accessing your brain in the afternoon without a big gulp-sized coffee–or perhaps even overwhelm, stress, and frustration– considering different food choices can make a big difference. Any of these challenges can be greatly improved by changing what you are eating, and the rules are simple:

Now I’m not going to go all Whole 30 or Keto diet on you. There are plenty of programs and options for an actual “diet protocol” to follow. I prefer to keep things really simple because it is more about a mental shift and a commitment to fueling your life through your body then it is about following rules, feeling constrained, or being strict with yourself.

As we get older, we become a greater accumulation of what we have been and done over the years we’ve lived, and the food we have eaten is no exception. It plays a significant role in what our body becomes and how it functions. But the magical message here is that no matter how many years have passed, it is truly never too late to make a shift! Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal and change. (Did you know that our cells turnover completely every four months?). So by committing to making a significant change for a full four months, the composition of your body would change entirely!

Imagine a sharper focus. A quicker step. A more productive day. Imagine a positive outlook and an energy that people notice! When you show up, you show up with all of yourself. You may not even be aware how much your physical and mental health are playing a role in how you are perceived in your leadership, or how much it is impacting what you do, what you say, and how productive you are. I encourage you to simply start paying attention. Start thinking about the experiences you have throughout your day and then think about the food you are eating. What connections can you make? What can you do differently? Try to experiment and see what works.

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I suppose by now you’d like to know how my story ended…

Well, it’s not over yet (obviously). I spent four months committed to eating clean food. I put a lot of effort into learning, and I studied a lot. I went to farmer’s markets and got to know our region’s farmers. I watched a lot of documentaries. I learned that for me, clean food means organic and not genetically modified, and I make sure any animal products I consume come from animals that are happily raised on pastures with full freedom to move around as they please. I want to eat like people ate a hundred years ago when food was unadulterated–when it was pure. But that doesn’t have to be everyone’s agenda. All I’ll leave you with is my own experience: after running some nutrient tests to see where I was depleted, and then retesting after modifying what I was eating, my nutrients completely shifted.

The evidence was incontrovertible.

My vision improved and so did my gums! It was amazing to see shifts in things I never even saw as problems before. Everything about how I felt improved too. And then, I had a son! And our family life was forever changed. Because of our pain, we were prompted to make healthy shifts that we now pass on to the young lives we are shaping. Food quality is a ubiquitous conversation within our family… though it admittedly isn’t always an easy one because nothing is black and white. For instance, when my kids ask “mom, is this healthy?”, I can never answer with a straight “no!”, because even though something might not be the best choice, it is not going to hurt you if you’re not doing it too frequently. So making better choices are what we try to keep in the forefront of our conversations. And better choices are what I encourage you to be thinking about more consistently in how you leverage food as your leadership advantage!

This isn’t to say I’m perfectly steadfast in my dietary choices. I sometimes do get derailed (like when I’m traveling for work and can’t find a good salad, or when I’m driving long distances and need to eat something while behind the wheel). It seems life today does not make it easy for us to stick with our food commitments! But my baseline is always there and I know what I need to do to get back to the place where I thrive. And this, my friends, has made all the difference. I have a choice now that I didn’t even know I had.

To quote a Switchfoot song:

“Don’t close your eyes. This is your life. Are you who you wanna be? You’ve got everything to lose. Everybody’s watching you now. Everybody waits for you now. What happens next? Dare you to move.”

Have fun. Life is too short. Mix it up and try new things. Your life will thank you for it and so will your health 🙂

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P.S. JOIN US AT THE HEALTHY DAY EVENT ON SEPT 23RD

I’m excited to share that I will be co-hosting a farm-inspired dinner celebration in honor of Healthy Day Partners and Mim Michelove, who was a guest on The Everyday Leader podcast this week.

Click here or the image below to download our event flyer: