A Surprising Way to Nourish the Nurturer with Dr. Tamar Lawful

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I had to cut out a lot of what I was doing already.

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That was spreading me thin, Like I mentioned, yes, I was wife, new mom.

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I also served on the board of three nonprofits in my area simultaneously, and doing that helped ground me and realize that I was doing too much and it wasn't necessary.

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Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics, part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, a must-have resource for pharmacist entrepreneurs seeking to enhance patient care while enjoying career and life.

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Join us as we pivot into nutrigenomics, using pharmacy and nutrition for true patient-focused care.

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Explore how to improve chronic conditions rather than just manage them.

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Celebrate entrepreneurial triumphs and receive priceless advice.

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Align your values with a career that profoundly impacts patients.

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Together, we'll raise the script on health and pivot into a brighter future.

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Hello and welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Neutrogenomics.

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I'm Dr Tamar, Lawful Doctor of Pharmacy and Nutritional Genomics Specialist.

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I'm excited to have you join me today because if you're, like me, entrenched deep in the trenches of the healthcare field, you know all too well that our scrubs can sometimes feel like superhero capes.

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We're constantly putting others first, saving the day one patient at a time.

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But let's get real for a moment.

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Where's the save button for our own health?

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I've been in those comfy, well-worn caregiver shoes, darting from one task to the next, only to realize I'm running on empty and my self-care tank is flashing a bright red warning light.

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So how do you switch gears from constant caregiver to self-care believer?

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That's what we're going to crack open in today's special episode.

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So how do you switch gears from constant caregiver to self-care believer?

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That's what we're going to crack open in today's special episode.

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I'm switching gears and sitting in the guest seat for a change to chat with Dr Marina Bouskoff, Dr Pharmacy herbalist, integrative health coach and host of the Holistic Pharmacy Podcast, part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

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So if you're tired of pouring from an empty cup or an empty IV bag for that matter and ready to prioritize, you listen in.

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Hi everyone.

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Welcome back to the Holistic Pharmacy Podcast.

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I have with me today Dr Tamar Lawful, and she's a holistic pharmacy practitioner, so welcome, Thank you.

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Thank you, Marina.

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Yeah, I've been following you on LinkedIn and I thought you'd be the perfect guest here today, so I would love to start off with just going over your background, where you grew up and how you became a pharmacist.

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We're gonna take it all the way back.

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Okay, well, I'm actually.

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I was born in Jamaica.

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We're going to take it all the way back.

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Okay, Well, I'm actually.

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I was born in Jamaica and I was raised in New Jersey, since I was four years old, mainly by a single mom and a fairly close knit family.

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And you know, we didn't really use medicine that much.

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I don't think I even knew what a pharmacy was until until my mom had a discussion with me about what do I want to do?

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When I grew up, when I was like 15 years old so not really having it, not really being sick that much as a child, not having taken medicine that much I really didn't know much about medicine.

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And at some point my grandmother in Jamaica got sick with lung cancer and my mom flew me and my brother there to see her.

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She was literally on her deathbed and there was nothing I could do.

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You know, I'm 14 years old, felt helpless, but I wanted to help her and I didn't know how.

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So I think that was a turning point in my life where I started trying to think how can I help people who are sick, how can I help them get better, but not really know what to do, you know.

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So I think a year later, my mom had that conversation with me.

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You know, what do you want to do when you grow up?

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And I was like, I want to help people get better and my mom's a nurse at that time.

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She worked night shift and also as a single mom, reason me and my brother.

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And so I said I think I'll be a nurse like your mom.

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And she said, no, you can't be a nurse.

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She didn't want me to be a nurse.

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So she's like okay, if you want to help people.

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She talked me through it, you know, and had me do my research as to what kind of professions help people and what.

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In what ways do I want to help people?

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So I landed on pharmacists because I was skeptical.

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I didn't know if medications really worked.

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I thought that, oh, you know, like placebo effect, people just take it and they get better because they think it's supposed to work.

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So I was interested in finding out if this was true.

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Do medicines really work?

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And I'm going to just prove it wrong.

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I'm going to go to pharmacy school and, you know, tell the truth and let everyone know this stuff doesn't really work.

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And so that was part of it, but I was very interested in knowing if they do work, how do they work work, and so that was part of it.

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But I was very interested in knowing if they do work, how do they work.

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But, on the other hand, I saw an opportunity to help people who are sick get better, without putting myself back in that room with my grandmother and having that uncomfortable feeling and that feeling of helplessness, so not necessarily being right there in front of the person who is ill at that moment and yet still being able to help them.

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Later on, that changed.

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I was very comfortable being around people who are ill and speaking with them and managing their therapy and talking to them about it.

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Yeah, I love that.

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So it's literally the scientific pursuit.

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And you know, the placebo effect is such a big, you know, real factor that we see in studies and is always present in the evidence-based literature.

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So it's so interesting that you know me personally, I always want to kind of push it further and utilize that effect.

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You know, like you said.

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And so what did you learn?

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You know, when you did go into pharmacy school, as far as proving or disproving your theory and how did that?

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Plus, you know your personal story which, by the way, thank you so much for sharing, about your grandma, and you know I'm so sorry for your loss.

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You know how did that inform you going through pharmacy school and then the decisions that you took after you graduated.

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Well, you know, it didn't.

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It didn't all come together until the last year of pharmacy school.

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When you do rotations and the rotation that really stuck out to me was when I was working in Philadelphia at a psychiatric hospital and day one you're, you're in the room with these residents or our patients and you can't have a conversation with them.

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You can't have a logical, reasonable conversation with them, and then they're put on, whether it's the antipsychotics or antidepressants, and in three weeks it is safe for me to be in a room on my own with them speaking and getting their medical history.

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So I saw firsthand how medication actually can help somebody when it comes to mental illness.

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So that was something I was able to actually witness myself and say, oh, it actually does work, it's not just in the book what they're telling me.

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So that was when a light bulb went off in my mind that, okay, if this is something that I can physically see, visibly see then by now, six years in a pharmacy school, so I had some confidence in how the medications work already and the fact that they can have for improving health.

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So that was the aha moment for me, where I became I was no longer a skeptic, but transitioning from there into where I am today with my pharmacy practice is my experience in the hospital setting as a transitions of care pharmacist, where I primarily saw patients with diabetes and hypertension and heart failure and dyslipidemia and manage their medication therapy.

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I was able to deprescribe medications, get them off what wasn't needed, get them on what was needed, make those dosage adjustments, and the part that I loved the most was being able to talk to them and counsel them about their medications, about their disease state, and then give them some lifestyle change advice.

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Some people I didn't see again, but then there are others that I saw.

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They came back in less than 30 days and that truly bothered me.

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I felt like I wasn.

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They came back in less than 30 days and that truly bothered me.

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I felt like I wasn't doing enough and I wanted to do more.

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Something else needs to be done, because what I noticed was they were getting off medications that weren't necessary, but medications for diabetes or for their blood pressure.

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They were still on it and they were getting on more.

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So I said this isn't.

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Something has to change.

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So that led me into starting to try to figure out you know what.

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How can people really be helped to really manage their disease states, and especially for these conditions that are reversible with diet and lifestyle changes.

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Yeah, I love that.

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So you went from kind of wanting to take a more distant approach to patient care to like really being, you know, in love with the communicating and wanting to do so much more for these patients than you know, just adding on new and new medications and they continue to land back in the hospital with complications.

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So how did that experience?

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And then the specialty sounds like cardio metabolic.

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How did that evolve into?

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You know your specialty today and what do you do today?

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yeah.

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So it evolved into my specialty today when I decided to really start focusing on women in general, because they're they're women that have these conditions, women and but I really want to focus on women because things were starting in.

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My health was going down the drain because I wasn't taking care of myself and I looked at the underlying reason why that was.

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It wasn't because, oh, I wasn't eating right, it wasn't because it was because I wasn't taking care of myself.

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Bottom line, I was not taking care of myself.

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So, to bring me to where I am today, I realized that there are many of us health professionals, we're mothers, we're caretakers, sometimes we're the breadwinners and we carry so much on our shoulders and we're taking care of everybody else and neglecting ourselves.

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We are on the back burner, we're an afterthought for our own selves.

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So that took me to trying to think of how can I encourage women in healthcare or professional women to start looking at themselves first and not feel guilty about it and in that process, help them make those lifestyle changes, help them make those healthier nutrition choices, take a holistic approach, not just looking at the medicine they're on, but looking at them as an entire human being, as an entire wonderful woman so that they can give themselves the love and time that they deserve.

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Yeah, I love that.

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That's definitely a pattern.

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I see that you know whether or not the woman is the breadwinner nowadays most women do work and take care of the home, um, in some sort of way.

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And if they're also mothers and caretakers, whether or not they're mothers, that's a lot.

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That's a lot that one person has to deal with, and you know there's lots of emotional and stress, not only like the physical toll on your body, and then, of course, sleep.

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And so I'd love to know you know what is your definition of self-care?

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You know what's the first step when it comes to self-care, and how did you figure out what needs to be done for yourself, for your own life?

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I teach my clients that I don't say patients, I say clients, because I feel like when you say patient and disempower somebody, it's like oh well, I'm your patient, so my health is in your hands, but as my clients, the power to make changes for their health is in their hands.

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So you'll hear me say clients.

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So I tell my clients that there's no definition for self-care.

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It's what you need it to be, you know so, for for me it might be spa days and help me relax.

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For someone else it might be running 10 miles that helps them relax.

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But it's what it's what you need it to be.

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It's personalized and personal, but it's what I teach them is that it has to be something you can do every day.

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There should never be a day that goes by that you don't do something for yourself in some form of self-care.

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So for some it might be meditation, it might be and this is a true story.

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I had one client.

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She worked from home since COVID started and she realized that she wakes up in the morning and gets right to work.

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She doesn't take a shower.

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It might be the end of the day when she takes a shower 4 pm, 5 pm.

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So she chose that her self-care tasks for this one week that we were focusing on was to wake up and take a shower.

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And Marina, that one shower changed and set the tone for her whole day and she viewed everything in a more positive light.

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She was happier, she felt less overwhelmed with things that she had to handle as a single mom, and so for her self-care was taking a shower.

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So I helped my clients discover what their form of self-care is, what it is that they need specifically for themselves, that they need specifically for themselves.

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So I, if I had to put a general definition, though it would be an activity or practice in which you are truly catering to your needs.

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I love that.

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Yeah, I could certainly be different person to person, like you said, and individualized medicine is the new medicine that I think we're all kind of trending towards, which is wonderful to see.

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So I'd love for you to just kind of fill in the gap with you know how did you figure out this definition, this approach, this way that you now work with clients, and how did you even go from working, you know, as a transitions of care pharmacist to now having your own clients?

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oh, wow, yeah.

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So what I did, the steps I took again from my personal experience transitions care pharmacist I did residency when I was a pharmacist for nine years and I did residency then, then transitions to clear pharmac.

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Right, I was stressed.

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It was very stressful on life for me and being pregnant and newly married you know.

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So a lot was going on.

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So I started looking and I had issues of weight loss after I had the baby.

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So I started researching like what's wrong with me?

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I could I could easily lose weight before you know.

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So I went to interest in ketogenic nutrition and that took me down a rabbit hole literally, where I fell in love with nutrition, not just ketogenic nutrition, but I started understanding the power that nutrition has on us and I wanted to learn more and I wanted to teach other people this and I found this as a way that I could help you know, really help people improve their health, focusing on nutrition.

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But I wanted more training for myself personally to make sure that when I do teach others, that my teaching or coaching is effective.

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So I went to health coaching school, integrative Nutrition, there in New York, and that program exposed me to so many different tools and ways that I could help my clients and I really resonated with the program areas that focused on self-care and our mental status and things like that.

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So I decided you know, this is something I could definitely incorporate into my program because we need to start there.

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We need to start with ourselves before we can even really start making true changes in our actions and habits.

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Yeah, so, from health coaching school, that's where I really was introduced to different aspects of health in general.

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Integrative nutrition is not just about food.

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In general, integrative nutrition is not just about food and we talk about primary foods, which is the foods that we don't eat, the food, spirituality, relationships, finances.

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Those are the primary foods, the secondary food or the foods that we eat.

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So being my practice is holistic, because I am considering these other foods in addition to the physical foods that we eat.

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When it comes to eating, my clients and what they need, Love it.

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Yeah, I also went to IIN, so I'm totally familiar with the concepts that you're mentioning.

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So how did you navigate?

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You know this almost like stressful life situation, right With all the things that were going on with pursuing this new venture that's more holistic.

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And then how did you transition into this new business and building your client base?

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I had to cut out a lot of what I was doing already.

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That was spreading me thin, like I mentioned.

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Yes, I was wife, new mom.

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I also served on the board of three nonprofits wife, new mom.

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I also served on the board of three nonprofits local nonprofits in my area.

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Simultaneously, I had to do some inner searching.

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So I do like Reiki and energy healing.

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Well, I go to I don't do it myself, but I perform it myself but I have a specialist that I see that helps me with that.

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And doing that helped ground me and realize that I was doing too much and it wasn't necessary.

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So I had to start with cutting out a lot of things that I was doing in my life so that I could then start focusing on myself and have time for clients as well.

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Now I still work as a hospital pharmacist in a hospital setting and thankfully my job schedule allows me to have my business and to be able to have that quality time with my clients.

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So the transition worked out pretty well.

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I just had to start with me making some changes in my life to put myself first, and that freed up some time for me to work on my business and see clients.

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Love it.

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So what is your process when seeing a client as far as like?

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Do you take them in for an intro session or do you have them go through a program that you've designed?

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And how did you also the more business skills once you've got the training?

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as far as coaching, oh, yeah, so my program is through application process.

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So I will review applications just to make sure that they are definitely right for the program, because I want to make sure that I can really help them and once, if that application's approved, I speak with them on the phone, have a discovery call to just gather some more information and let them know about the program.

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Now my program is a 90-day health coaching program.

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Right now it's group coaching.

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I do offer two spots for one-on-one coaching a year, but it's group coaching and they go through a 90 day or 12 week program where I have different phases that they go through and work on and apply in their life.

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And through that process, what I found, they end up coming off their medications.

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Now, that wasn't what I initially went into.

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Initially I went into the doing this because you need to get healthy and you know cater to yourself.

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But then they started getting off medication and I was like, oh, this is great, this is even better, this is awesome.

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Yeah, so they're getting off medications or avoiding to be on medications in the first place.

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So my only degrees in pharmacy I don't have a business degree, you know.

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So I didn't know what to do when it came to a business that required I needed a business coach or coaches.

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I've had a couple of business coaches and then I'm also a member of my local chamber of commerce and they provide a lot of resources for entrepreneurs and hold my hand every step of the way.

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So I definitely appreciate my local chamber of commerce.

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So it's important that we don't try to figure out everything on our own when we're going out there and diving in into entrepreneurship.

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There are plenty of resources out there to help us that we can get information from.

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Yeah absolutely so.

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Who do you mostly see?

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Is it people going through, like the online training, or is there an in-person component locally?

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And what have you seen clients you know achieve?

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Or maybe like, who is your ideal client that you can help?

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It's online online program.

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Some of my clients have been local so for them they've had a little bit extra support, like hey, I'm going to the gym, you guys can join me, or let's go for a group walk or something like that.

00:20:28.577 --> 00:20:32.061
For the local clients Online we have challenges.

00:20:32.061 --> 00:20:36.267
So you know, we, I use a program that can track.

00:20:36.267 --> 00:20:49.990
You know their steps, their, their exercises, you know what they've been eating, so I can use that for challenges, depending on what, whatever the goal is that the group wants to do for that particular time frame.

00:20:49.990 --> 00:21:03.605
So my ideal client would be women in health care who are looking for a way to really prioritize themselves and reclaim their health.

00:21:03.605 --> 00:21:12.384
You know they're stressed out from day to day from work, from the responsibilities of the roles that they have in their family.

00:21:12.384 --> 00:21:17.670
They're likely suffering from prediabetes or recently diagnosed with prediabetes.

00:21:17.670 --> 00:21:40.476
They might even have type 2 diabetes already, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and on medications on medications and they're looking for a way to get off of these medications, a way to have more energy so that they can play with their kids, so they can feel like doing something, and so these are the type of clients that I've been seeing.

00:21:41.157 --> 00:21:51.743
I have some outliers that, for example, one of my clients was having issues with menopause and she didn't want to start hormone therapy at all.

00:21:51.743 --> 00:22:10.317
So she came on board and, with the nutrition and addressing other factors within my protocol working on other factors that my protocol addresses she was able to improve within two weeks and her symptoms drastically improved and she never had to start hormone replacement therapy at all.

00:22:10.317 --> 00:22:13.886
And a year later she she always she still contacts me.

00:22:13.886 --> 00:22:27.787
She's like I'm still not on medications, I'm still doing good, so I'm just learning, uh, what she needed to eat and the lifestyle changes she needed to make and being able to sustain those new habits.

00:22:27.787 --> 00:22:33.156
She's been able to maintain the results so that she doesn't need to be on medications and she can control her menopause symptoms.

00:22:33.156 --> 00:22:36.198
So that's been great.

00:22:36.578 --> 00:22:37.340
That's amazing.

00:22:37.340 --> 00:22:39.156
Congratulations on all that.

00:22:39.156 --> 00:22:52.854
That must be super rewarding to watch your clients thrive, you know, and even though we're pharmacists to know that they don't have to depend on a drug or a medication and they could just manage with lifestyle and diet.

00:22:52.854 --> 00:23:00.551
So I'd love to know what are the main steps or pillars that your program takes people through?

00:23:01.093 --> 00:23:07.459
Well, what I do is, ultimately, I'm going to I break it down in an acronym that I call DNA.

00:23:07.459 --> 00:23:15.487
And so DNA is detox, nourish and attune.

00:23:15.487 --> 00:23:31.277
So it's important that, when it comes to detox, you're detoxing your old way of thinking, whether it's thinking about nutrition, thinking about how you feel about yourself, and detoxing from old habits, physically detoxing your body.

00:23:31.277 --> 00:23:43.897
And then there's nourish, where you're nourishing your entire body through sleep, exercise, nutrition, self-care, that you're giving your body that love, that nourishment.

00:23:43.897 --> 00:23:46.698
And then that's being then the attunement.

00:23:46.698 --> 00:24:15.654
The A part of DNA is being in attunement with yourself so that you can start setting boundaries, that you can learn how to say no, whether it's no to your boss I'm not going to pick up the extra shift or no to a family member you know I can't do that for you today and being in attunement with what you really want out of life and what kind of lifestyle you have, and along that as well, when you're in attunement, you're able to be consistent with the new changes and habits that you have.

00:24:15.654 --> 00:24:20.093
And that hits everything that we really cover in my program.

00:24:20.093 --> 00:24:24.282
And I also go further and tell them you have to have all three for this to work.

00:24:24.990 --> 00:24:39.036
All three DNA, because if you have, if you're detoxing your mind and your way of thinking, but you're not nourishing yourself, you're not really getting the sleep and the exercise, this is failure to thrive.

00:24:39.036 --> 00:24:44.857
You know, when we, when we want to talk in medical terms, you're really not going to be successful at reaching those goals.

00:24:44.857 --> 00:25:01.193
And at the same time, if you're, on other hand, if you other hand, if you have the detox, you're changing your mind and habits, but you're really not truly in attunement, you're not setting the boundaries, you're not really zoning in on what type of lifestyle you want and not being consistent.

00:25:01.193 --> 00:25:03.661
I call this septic shock, because you're going to be stuck.

00:25:03.661 --> 00:25:06.416
You're not, you're just going to be stagnant right there.

00:25:06.416 --> 00:25:11.790
You're not moving forward, not going anywhere.

00:25:11.810 --> 00:25:12.795
So it's important that they have all three.

00:25:12.795 --> 00:25:14.580
They brace all three components of the DNA in order to get those true results.

00:25:14.580 --> 00:25:26.615
And then, on the other hand, physical DNA I do nutrigenomic testing, so their DNA is actually used to guide their lifestyle changes, their nutrition choices.

00:25:26.615 --> 00:25:46.917
And this is a feature that they absolutely love and are floored by, because they always say what I usually get most commonly when they get their results, is I knew something was going on, but this explains what and why, and then now I know what I can do about it.

00:25:46.917 --> 00:25:59.105
You know so, using nutrigenomic testing, working with them to implement the recommendations that come from that test, has been very effective for them getting the results.

00:25:59.829 --> 00:26:07.324
Wow, I love how you tied in that proprietary acronym with the nutrigenomics and pharmacogenomics.

00:26:07.324 --> 00:26:10.145
So congratulations on all that.

00:26:10.145 --> 00:26:11.431
That sounds super fun.

00:26:11.431 --> 00:26:13.535
You know and makes complete sense.

00:26:13.535 --> 00:26:32.049
So I would love to also hear an example of you know something that, let's say, the testing revealed that maybe the person wouldn't have otherwise known, or some benefit that you're seeing overall of doing these tests known, or some benefit that you're seeing overall of doing these tests.

00:26:34.890 --> 00:26:41.930
You know, the overall benefit of that that I see from these tests is, I feel, that they're more prone to stick with the recommendations now that they see that this is really personalized for them.

00:26:41.930 --> 00:26:48.452
Like, oh, I shouldn't be doing high intensity workouts, I just need to do yoga, you know.

00:26:48.452 --> 00:26:55.571
So they're like going to yoga, they're doing Pilates, and then the eating at times can be overwhelming for a lot of people, like what should I eat?

00:26:55.571 --> 00:26:56.414
What shouldn't I eat?

00:26:56.414 --> 00:27:08.678
So being able to really see from their genetic tests that these are the foods that will benefit your health, based on what's working or not working right now, is your DNA pathways, and then I.

00:27:08.678 --> 00:27:18.718
Then they are linked to a meal plan that that includes these components, these different types of foods, recipes that include these foods for them, um, makes it easier for them.

00:27:18.718 --> 00:27:22.436
They takes out the, the planning or decision-making for them.

00:27:22.436 --> 00:27:24.690
They have, they're already told that these are the types of foods.

00:27:24.690 --> 00:27:26.173
This is a recipe you can use.

00:27:26.173 --> 00:27:28.640
So it makes it easy for them.

00:27:29.121 --> 00:27:55.430
So, yeah, overall, I feel like they they're more compliant when, because it is specific to them from their dna, as far as helping, like I educate them based on some of those results, like when it comes to the need for supplements, because, as we know, genetically we may not be able to to process or break down certain, whether it's medications, or we may not have enough of a certain vitamin produced in our body naturally based on genetics.

00:27:55.430 --> 00:28:16.925
So some clients have discovered that, for example, me, specifically B12, I'm not a good producer of any type of vitamin B, so that I found was something I needed to do was to implement vitamin B in my supplement with that and I see a huge difference in how I feel now that I've been doing that.

00:28:16.925 --> 00:28:30.703
So certain cases like that, there might be some deficiencies that they're prone to, vitamin deficiencies that they're prone to genetically that they did not know about and the test has revealed the potential for that.

00:28:31.309 --> 00:28:33.535
Yeah, thank you for walking us through that.

00:28:33.535 --> 00:28:42.122
So tell us, can anybody just order these tests, or do you need to work with a practitioner that's been trained, or how does the process work?

00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:51.173
Yeah, with the company I use, a client they can order it without a practitioner, but then they will need to see a practitioner to get the results.

00:28:51.173 --> 00:28:54.299
Yeah, so in my program they it's included.

00:28:54.299 --> 00:29:11.151
It takes about four or five weeks to turnaround time to get those results back and it's, you know, released in a secure platform, hipaa, hipaa compliant, and I'm able to share their specific results with them for their records as well.

00:29:11.151 --> 00:29:25.214
But yeah, the company I use right now, initially they did not, it had to be only the practitioner that ordered it, but now they allow the patients to order it, but then they're required to actually make an appointment with a practitioner.

00:29:25.777 --> 00:29:34.462
Got it, and is this something that practitioners can just add on and self-study in order to participate, or do you have to go through specific training?

00:29:35.130 --> 00:29:44.667
I personally went through specific training through the American Nutrition Association for Nutritional Genomics, but you don't need to because it depends on the company.

00:29:44.667 --> 00:29:48.519
I've worked with two different companies and they each train you.

00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:59.394
The company I'm with now has a very robust training program to make sure you understand the test, you understand how to read it.

00:29:59.394 --> 00:30:08.896
They have weekly webinars on different topics related to the type of results you can get from the test, and so education is continuous.

00:30:08.896 --> 00:30:12.263
So you don't need a specific degree or certification.

00:30:12.263 --> 00:30:20.153
Most I believe most of the programs the companies that offer it will train the practitioners on how to understand it.

00:30:20.535 --> 00:30:20.996
Love it.

00:30:20.996 --> 00:30:25.913
And how has this new component, you know, with the nutrigenomics and the testing now affected your program?

00:30:25.913 --> 00:30:29.746
Do you feel like you know, with the nutrigenomics and the testing now affected your program?

00:30:29.746 --> 00:30:37.952
Do you feel like you know it's now a vital component or do you feel like you know the program can also work without the nutrigenomics?

00:30:38.654 --> 00:30:40.981
Well, I've had the nutrigenomics since day one.

00:30:40.981 --> 00:30:43.875
The health coaching part of my program.

00:30:43.875 --> 00:30:49.737
It's always been there but for not everyone's comfortable with their DNA being tested, you know not everyone's comfortable.

00:30:49.737 --> 00:30:50.858
So I do have that option.

00:30:50.858 --> 00:30:53.263
If they don't want the test, it's fine.

00:30:53.263 --> 00:30:55.594
It's definitely an extra perk.

00:30:55.594 --> 00:30:57.077
They can actually.

00:30:57.077 --> 00:30:58.862
You know it helps to that.

00:30:58.862 --> 00:31:00.330
It's personalized and they get.

00:31:00.330 --> 00:31:03.237
They get a look inside of themselves literally.

00:31:03.237 --> 00:31:05.079
But it's not.

00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:06.663
It's OK if they don't want that.

00:31:06.663 --> 00:31:09.773
So I do have an option for those who do not want the DNA test.

00:31:09.773 --> 00:31:22.634
They still go through the same health coaching process but it's just not going to be personalized based on their personal nutrition recommendations and lifestyle recommendations Got it Got it.

00:31:23.837 --> 00:31:25.825
So tell us a little bit about you.

00:31:25.825 --> 00:31:27.250
Know your marketing strategies.

00:31:27.250 --> 00:31:30.380
How are you spreading the word about this business?

00:31:30.380 --> 00:31:36.323
And I see you on social media and it looks like you're having a lot of fun with that, like on Instagram.

00:31:36.323 --> 00:31:38.476
So talk to us a little bit about that.

00:31:39.037 --> 00:31:40.401
Marina, I'm going to be honest with you.

00:31:40.401 --> 00:31:41.691
I'm going to make this honest hour.

00:31:41.691 --> 00:31:42.791
I hate social media.

00:31:42.791 --> 00:31:45.255
I can't stand it.

00:31:45.255 --> 00:31:48.057
I absolutely cannot stand it, but I use it.

00:31:48.417 --> 00:32:09.888
So I did a little bit on LinkedIn, but my main platforms are TikTok and Instagram actually to do those videos, to put out information about different topics related to health and self-care and nutrigenomics, and then in my local community, I talk about it.

00:32:09.888 --> 00:32:12.760
Where I'm at a nail, I love going to nail salon or getting massages at the spa.

00:32:12.760 --> 00:32:16.096
So perfect places to talk to people about health, right?

00:32:16.096 --> 00:32:27.095
Yeah, although my ideal audience are health care professionals, this is a program that can benefit different types of people, so I don't want to be stingy.

00:32:27.095 --> 00:32:31.101
So I do talk to people wherever I go about it.

00:32:32.330 --> 00:32:37.394
For example, I was on a plane going to Mexico a couple months ago and this lady sat next to me.

00:32:37.394 --> 00:32:38.459
She's a case manager.

00:32:38.459 --> 00:32:41.118
So we started chatting and she was asking me what I do.

00:32:41.118 --> 00:32:44.990
So I told her about the business and she's like oh, my husband's a doctor.

00:32:44.990 --> 00:32:46.574
He's sitting two words up.

00:32:46.574 --> 00:32:49.922
So she said he needs you in his medical practice.

00:32:49.922 --> 00:33:11.053
So after we got the plane, she introduced me to her husband, we exchanged numbers and now he's interested in seeing how I can help him, his patients, with what I do from his in his practice, do from his in his practice.

00:33:11.073 --> 00:33:16.117
So it's important that we we always advocate for ourselves go to a mountaintop and scream it loud what you're doing, let everybody know what you're doing, because you never know who's out there listening.

00:33:16.117 --> 00:33:26.563
That can either put you in contact with somebody that needs your service or put you in contact with somebody that could use your service like in their, in their business or their practice.

00:33:26.563 --> 00:33:31.901
So social media is not the only way to to market.

00:33:31.901 --> 00:33:40.102
So it's important that we um, we used, uh, different means talk about what we do wherever we go, different people yeah, I love that.

00:33:40.162 --> 00:33:53.157
So, like building a strong referral network and, like you said, you don't know if they know somebody that needs you or if they introduce you to their own network, and that's super powerful and has a compound effect.

00:33:53.157 --> 00:34:02.269
Yes, yeah, um, so I would also love to know what's next for your business like are you going to continue the group programs?

00:34:02.269 --> 00:34:04.575
Do you love individual ones better?

00:34:04.575 --> 00:34:08.143
Um, anything special events or launches coming up?

00:34:08.710 --> 00:34:09.911
Yeah, so we have.

00:34:09.911 --> 00:34:31.878
Roop Hochen is being continued and I have a free workbook on self-care hacks for healthcare professionals that have a lot of different tools in there that I have personally used and still personally use, and it's a great workbook to figure out what type of self-care you need for yourself personally, great, amazing.

00:34:31.958 --> 00:34:34.423
So all that sounds really good.

00:34:34.423 --> 00:34:41.614
Congratulations again on all that, and if you just have like a minute or two, I'd love to do a rapid fire round of questions.

00:34:41.614 --> 00:34:43.639
Okay, let's go for it All right.

00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:50.840
Okay, question number one what would be your number one tip for people to implement right now for their self-care?

00:34:51.510 --> 00:34:57.474
My number one tip would be to start a meditation practice like for yourself.

00:34:57.474 --> 00:35:03.882
Not like open a company and start, but to practice some type of meditation practice.

00:35:03.882 --> 00:35:16.873
That way you can really get grounded and be in attunement with yourself, because anything that you want to do, whether starting a business, getting healthy it starts with you.

00:35:16.873 --> 00:35:22.831
But you need to be grounded so you can see where you need to go and have some direction.

00:35:23.432 --> 00:35:36.777
Yeah, that's such a great tip that I hear all the time from people and I still know people sometimes just get really scared because they think you know I'm gonna really be bad at meditating so I'm just not going to start.

00:35:36.777 --> 00:35:45.362
But it could be not as scary, it could be like a moving meditation or it could be like you are just, you know, reflecting.

00:35:45.443 --> 00:35:54.021
So just like a reflection could be another angle that we can view it as and there's so many apps out there that you can use for guided meditation.

00:35:54.021 --> 00:35:56.998
I love to use Calm C-A-L-M.

00:35:56.998 --> 00:35:58.574
I use the Calm app.

00:35:58.574 --> 00:36:03.521
They have different guided meditation, so if you don't know how to meditate, that's a great way to start.

00:36:04.190 --> 00:36:05.876
Yeah, that's such a great tip.

00:36:05.876 --> 00:36:14.574
Yeah, guided meditations can be a really great solution for people that are, you know, afraid they won't be able to keep up with it or won't enjoy it.

00:36:14.574 --> 00:36:39.769
So question number two is what would be your message for people that are, you know, looking to maybe either start this more holistic journey, like they're not really sure if they're aligned with their career as a pharmacist or a healthcare professional and they just want to learn for themselves these concepts of lifestyle medicine?

00:36:39.769 --> 00:36:42.317
What would be the first step for them?

00:36:42.878 --> 00:36:43.780
I would say go for it.

00:36:43.780 --> 00:36:49.635
Your first step is to make a decision yes or no and that decision should be yes, go for it.

00:36:49.635 --> 00:36:50.797
And um.

00:36:50.797 --> 00:36:57.679
And then from there you'll start taking the steps and doing the research you need to do to find out what your next step should be.

00:36:57.679 --> 00:36:59.490
So what type of practice do you want to do?

00:36:59.490 --> 00:37:05.320
What exactly do you want to be like Marina and be more of the herbal or you know um?

00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:08.385
And then, as pharmacists, we got stuck in this box.

00:37:08.385 --> 00:37:13.492
Like I started out in industry.

00:37:13.492 --> 00:37:18.663
I was working for a pharmaceutical company doing oncology, drug research, and then then there's retail and hospital, but there's there's more.

00:37:18.663 --> 00:37:23.039
You know, we can do so much as pharmacists like so much.

00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:27.791
So I would say the first step is just to say yes to doing something different and go for it.

00:37:28.233 --> 00:37:31.440
Yeah, the first step starts with a decision.

00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:40.181
Such a good point, and our skills are so versatile that we can grow in so many different directions from our baseline.

00:37:40.181 --> 00:37:44.195
So another fun question for you what's your favorite hobby?

00:37:44.817 --> 00:37:45.617
This is a funny one.

00:37:45.617 --> 00:37:47.963
My favorite hobby I love music.

00:37:47.963 --> 00:37:53.681
I play, grew up playing the piano and clarinet and a couple of years ago I picked up the guitar.

00:37:53.681 --> 00:38:00.242
So I picked it up again earlier this year and stopped last month because I wanted to have nails.

00:38:00.242 --> 00:38:06.380
You cannot play the guitar and play those chords if you have long nails.

00:38:06.380 --> 00:38:11.070
So that was my favorite hobby playing the guitar.

00:38:11.070 --> 00:38:13.032
But I've put that down for a little bit.

00:38:13.032 --> 00:38:18.757
So right now my favorite hobby is I've really gotten back into exercising on a regular basis.

00:38:18.757 --> 00:38:26.182
So my favorite hobby right now is making sure I get to the gym at eight o'clock in the morning and get that workout on.

00:38:26.784 --> 00:38:31.067
Nice and what is your favorite nutritious meal?

00:38:37.190 --> 00:38:37.951
I love food, marina.

00:38:37.951 --> 00:38:38.932
I absolutely love food.

00:38:38.932 --> 00:38:41.938
Nutritious Is that your alternative term for healthy, healthy, nutritionist, I guess?

00:38:41.938 --> 00:38:46.675
Yeah, or hearty, healthy, healthy, okay, well, I'll go with a snack.

00:38:46.675 --> 00:38:50.793
My favorite snack are cucumbers and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

00:38:50.793 --> 00:39:02.023
Oh yes, absolutely love it like that's my go-to, and then chop up some cheese in there, whether it's mozzarella and some tomatoes, so I'll say cucumber salad, like I love.

00:39:02.023 --> 00:39:04.775
Hands down, I'll drop everything for a cucumber salad.

00:39:04.775 --> 00:39:05.557
I'm simple.

00:39:05.898 --> 00:39:11.393
It's not hard to please, All right.

00:39:11.393 --> 00:39:14.639
Well, Tamar, thank you so much for coming on.

00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:20.800
Please tell our listeners what's the best way to get in touch with you and support your work.

00:39:21.550 --> 00:39:33.438
Okay, sure, the best way to reach me is on LinkedIn, dr Tamar Lawful PharmD, or you can visit my website at thelifebalancecom.

00:39:33.438 --> 00:39:40.496
And life is spelled L-Y-F-E because it stands for love yourself first, every day.

00:39:41.056 --> 00:39:41.737
Amazing.

00:39:41.737 --> 00:39:43.822
Well, it was such a wonderful conversation.

00:39:43.822 --> 00:39:48.481
Thanks so much again for joining me, and I will have all of your links in the show notes.

00:39:48.481 --> 00:39:50.773
I hope you have a wonderful day ahead.

00:39:51.376 --> 00:39:52.018
Thank you, marina.

00:39:52.018 --> 00:39:52.940
Have a great day as well.

00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:53.601
Thanks for having me.

00:39:53.601 --> 00:39:56.978
That's all I have for you today, friend.

00:39:56.978 --> 00:40:05.800
I thank Dr Gruskoff for interviewing me and sharing my message with all her listeners and giving me the opportunity to share it with you as well.

00:40:07.050 --> 00:40:09.275
We've crossed the finish line for today's self-care marathon.

00:40:09.275 --> 00:40:14.958
I hope you're walking away feeling equipped and inspired to make your well-being the VIP it deserves to be.

00:40:14.958 --> 00:40:21.324
Don't forget your health is a cornerstone not only for you, but also for those who trust you with their care.

00:40:21.324 --> 00:40:23.431
Remember identifying what you need.

00:40:23.431 --> 00:40:30.998
Shedding those worn out mindsets and embracing a holistic lifestyle is a prescription with your name on it, and there are no nasty side effects.

00:40:31.369 --> 00:40:33.878
We'd absolutely love to hear how this episode resonates with you.

00:40:33.878 --> 00:40:40.264
Feel free to share your thoughts, your stories or even your questions on our social media platforms at Dr Tamar Lawful.

00:40:40.264 --> 00:40:46.920
If you found value in today's episode, don't hesitate to share it with your loved ones and your friends and your colleagues.

00:40:46.920 --> 00:40:48.925
And finally, take a moment to engage.

00:40:48.925 --> 00:40:51.489
Leave a rating or review on our podcast.

00:40:51.489 --> 00:40:58.371
Every word you share helps us to learn, grow and reach more people, helping our community rise one person at a time.

00:40:58.371 --> 00:41:08.501
Coming up next week on the show, we're talking about overcoming the unique challenges of sleep disorders for shift workers, so you can achieve better sleep health without sacrificing your night duties.

00:41:08.501 --> 00:41:13.818
And if you don't work nights or spin shift, this episode will be great for you as well.

00:41:13.818 --> 00:41:15.364
Talk to you next Friday.

00:41:15.364 --> 00:41:21.992
Until then, always remember to raise the script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.