Mindset, Community, and Proactive Health Drive Resilience

Key Quotes

"I know this morning as I was getting ready for the podcast I was kind of reading your bio and i'm like this whole wrestling thing and i'm like i don't quite understand like was she just being a host of it or was she and i was like i went on youtube and i was like holy crap like you were just in the ring to full out you know like wrestlemania and crushing it and i was like that was amazing so um i'm very impressed by that what we're going to talk about today is is how so many of us struggle with various kinds of health issues and challenges and how how we deal with them"

Dr. Hyman introduces Maria Menounos by highlighting her unexpected wrestling career, setting the stage for a discussion about overcoming health challenges. He emphasizes that many people struggle with health issues, and the conversation will explore how to navigate these difficulties.

"yeah i mean every struggle can be a lesson and kind of catapult you to your next level i feel like and i think that that's what i've seen but it's also the way i kind of approach things it doesn't mean that i'm not on my knees when something awful is happening it just means i think about how long do i want to stay there and how am i going to climb out and how am i going to make something out of this that's useful and positive"

Maria Menounos shares her perspective on adversity, viewing struggles not as endpoints but as opportunities for growth and advancement. She explains that while difficult times are inevitable, her approach involves actively seeking ways to learn from them and transform them into something beneficial.

"so it was a hashimoto's and then a few months later my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor glioblastoma i then diagnosed myself with a brain tumor i ended up with a meningioma oh and bonus ball pancreatic cancer that's not something usually people come out the other side of so your story is pretty much a miracle"

Dr. Hyman recounts the extensive and severe health crises Maria Menounos has faced, including Hashimoto's disease, multiple brain tumors, and pancreatic cancer. He emphasizes the extraordinary nature of her survival and recovery, calling her story a "miracle."

"well yes that's life how are we going to roll through it how are we going to get up i want to show myself and others that there's another way to go through challenges that's a big mental shift for people and something bad happens life is happening for me not to me"

Maria Menounos articulates a pivotal mindset shift: reframing life's challenges not as personal attacks ("happening to me") but as opportunities for growth ("happening for me"). She stresses that this perspective is crucial for navigating difficulties and inspiring others to adopt a similar resilient outlook.

"i always tell people like you have to have some good tools in your toolkit which is why i love what i do with this show because i try to bring people in that will give us tools to handle these challenging moments because there's no handbook for life and the shit you have to go through in life it's just you get there and now you're a turtle on your back so if you have some tools you can like flip over a little quicker"

Maria Menounos emphasizes the importance of having practical "tools" to navigate life's inevitable hardships. She explains that her show, Heal Squad, aims to provide listeners with these resources, likening life's challenges to being a turtle on its back, where tools can help one recover more quickly.

"i'm like god loves me and it's not that he doesn't love the people that are gone because he everyone has a different mission i would just say god loves me but he loves you too so just connect and and talk and whatever it sounds like like my prayer is i've just formed on my own i don't know how other people pray i just say you know but one of the key things that i do love is continue to flow is a very key thing i would say god continue to flow in abundance of miraculous healing love safety wealth for me my family and my loved ones continue to flow amazing people to help me on this journey to help my family on this journey"

Maria Menounos describes her consistent prayer practice as a source of strength and guidance, focusing on gratitude and requesting abundance for herself, her family, and others. She highlights that this practice has consistently brought her helpful people and resources, underscoring the power of faith and connection.

"i think that to me you know you can eat whatever and all the actually all that's great and you have to do all that but it's really this mindset and that's i think what you said before is really key that the traumas and the things that we have whether it's like the big t trauma that gabor maté talks about which you know things like incest or little traumas which is maybe your parents neglected you or you know were just you were a latchkey child or whatever those little traumas or big traumas shape our thinking they shape our beliefs they shape our way we see the world they shape lenses they shape our behaviors they shape our relationships"

Dr. Hyman connects physical health to mental and emotional well-being, emphasizing that mindset, including past traumas, significantly shapes beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. He asserts that while diet and lifestyle are crucial, addressing underlying psychological factors is fundamental to overall health.

"i think the more community you can have the more your life is enriched and and the more actually biological healing occurs um there's this whole framework that i thought of when i was down in haiti and understanding that you know just as disease was chronic disease uh you know was something that wasn't just happening randomly that that you're your behavior is determined by the people around you and your closest friends"

Dr. Hyman underscores the profound impact of community and social connections on health, citing evidence that belonging and social support can lead to biological healing. He contrasts this with the idea that behavior is influenced by one's social circle, suggesting that strong relationships are as vital as other health interventions.