Melissa Urban: Setting Boundaries, Keep It Real, and Food Freedom

I am so pleased to welcome Pistol Squat Queen, six-time New York Times best-selling author, and Whole30 founder Melissa Urban to the podcast! Melissa is a thought-leader in the truest sense of the word (just check out her Instagram to see how her radical honesty is pushing culture forward) and this episode is no exception. Melissa gets super personal right away, taking us through the hardest parts of her life journey, like addiction and abuse, to share how she transformed her life and her circumstances to end up becoming a major leader and business owner in the health world.This show will make you think twice about how much you enforce your own personal boundaries when Melissa highlights the important link between having boundaries and success and happiness, and you’ll learn why her philosophy these days has been centered around being strong and bendy (both mentally and physically), and focusing more on flexibility and mobility. You’ll also hear how Melissa’s own personal development evolution actually mirrored what she was doing for herself in the gym, and how she learned to celebrate “actually listening to my body and giving it what it needs.” Melissa also makes a very thought-provoking statement that “judgment is a mirror, not a window,” and shares how her own moments of being critical or judgemental towards others always leads to a greater understanding of herself. “If you see certain traits in an unfavorable light, it’s probably because you’re also denying yourself those same emotions or those same traits,” Melissa perceptively notes.Melissa also gets really honest by sharing how she adapted to the rapid success of her first book by becoming a version of herself who she coined “Whole30 Melissa”, a version of herself who did it all, and did it all perfectly. And guess what? “I hated Whole30 Melissa! Not even I could live up to her expectations!” She realized that she also had become totally relatable as a by-product of her own refusal to “model anything that was not perfection.” Aware of the impact she can have by being consistently open and honest with her followers on social media, Melissa now shares her life with unfiltered honesty, while also keeping Brené Brown’s tip in mind to keep it personal, but not intimate when sharing deeply personal stories. You’ll also learn about vulnerability hangovers, why relapses are lessons and not failures, how to create “buffers” in your environment to help yourself, and the reason why social support and community is at the heart of Whole30. Enjoy listening to this empowering and hard-hitting show with Melissa, and remember her wise words: “You absolutely should trust yourself. You are the best authority on you.” TIMESTAMPS:Melissa gives much good advice on keeping your life on track. [01:35]Melissa explains how her journey from rehab to “strong and bendy” progressed. [04:58]Every judgement we have ever held about anybody else is just a reflection. [08:27]Melissa describes how she realized that she had to be true to her real self. [10:40]You can put personal self out there and be honest, and it’s really scary. [14:43]Everyone needs to set up their own boundaries. [17:25]Melissa had to change everything about her life in order to maintain her recovery. [24:60]Social support is very critical. You need to hear that you are not alone. [30:37]What is the Whole 30 program? It educates you to your own food freedom. [34:03]Does carnivore diet fit into the program? [40:23]Does Whole 30 focus on weight loss? [42:04]   A relapse in this program is not a failure. [45:24]As a person ages we need to continue to explore optimal eating because our changing body changes. [47:38]Mental health is affected by your diet. Look at what works for you individually. [50:45]Most people have really dramatic ups and downs in their life. [53:19]LINKS:Bradventures.comMelissa UrbanWhole 30 programPistol SquatJoin Brad for more fun on: Instagram: @bradkearns1Facebook: @bradkearnsjumphighTwitter: @bradleykearnsYouTube: @BradKearnsWe appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, Brad won’t sell out to anyone if he doesn’t love the product. 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