My TEDx Talk: What a Childhood Among Wild Animals Taught Me About Human Energy

This week Dr. Jennifer Ashby does something different — she shares the TEDx talk she gave a few years ago. Raised alongside an elephant, lion cubs, bears, wolves, and dozens of other animals, Jen learned early that the energy of every living thing moves in a natural cycle of balance, harmony, and healing — and she spent 30+ years in East Asian Medicine turning that lesson into something usable. She makes the case that your physical energy is the base of all your health, explains the two kinds of energy that run it, and gives you eight daily guidelines to protect them. She closes on the balance she saw on safari: we, too, are nature.FEATURED OFFERThe Energy Prescription — Dr. Ashby's new Wiley book — turns this talk's framework and eight guidelines into a daily system for thriving through perimenopause and menopause. Out October 20th. 👉 Pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394389663 (No sponsor read this episode.)5 KEY TAKEAWAYSYour physical energy is the base of all your health, and you have two kinds. Prenatal energy is finite — you're born with it and can only spend it. Postnatal energy is infinite — replenished daily if you participate. It's rarely one single thing. Wrist pain becomes shoulder pain, then neck pain, then anxiety and lost sleep. The body is one system working toward homeostasis.The Epic Eight, from the TEDx stageYou'll feel stress; the skill is not embodying it. Sort true threats from the rest — a deadline is not a tiger. Jen's starter: MBSR by Jon Kabat-Zinn.We, too, are nature. Left alone, nature is brutally but beautifully balanced — animals eat, drink, sleep, breathe, move, poop, play, and don't embody stress longer than survival requires. Return to the basics and you preserve yourself. (Jen's honest caveat: this assumes clean water, food, and housing — she calls it a crime that health is a privilege.)TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome + why this week is different 00:47 The talk begins: energy, balance & a true story 01:20 Growing up among wild animals 03:30 Why one single "fix" rarely works 06:30 Physical energy is the base of all your health 08:30 Prenatal (finite) vs. postnatal (infinite) energy 15:30 The Epic Eight: diet, hydration, sleep, breathing 18:00 Movement, bowel movements, joy, not embodying stress 24:30 One more story: safari in Kenya & Tanzania 26:00 We too are nature + thanks🔗 CONNECT WITH DR. JEN ASHBYNewsletter: https://www.drjenniferashby.com/newsletter-sign-up Website: https://www.drjenniferashby.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjenashby/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drjenashbyRESOURCESThe Energy Prescription (pre-order) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394389663DailyOM — Dr. Ashby's courses — https://www.dailyom.com/instructors/dr-jennifer-ashby