We recently had the chance to connect with Abby Phon and have shared our conversation below.
Abby, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
My kids have given me many moments where I laugh and feel proud all at the same time. When my son was 4 I remember picking him up from preschool and him telling me that one of the boys in his class had oreos for morning snack and with the most serious look on his face he said to me, “Mommy, that was NOT a good choice.” (He understands cookies are a fun food and if you’re going to have them, at least have some nourishing food first to balance it out). The combination of his (astute) observation and the incredibly serious tone he used to say it, with the fact that he was talking about a preschool snack tickled me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a holistic health & wellness coach, biohacker and Reiki energy healer (basically your run of the mill, every day, modern witch!). 🙂 If I can heal myself anyone can and I’m happy to help guide and support them through it.
I think people have been led to feel disempowered from their health. There is a sense that doctors are the best and only way to heal people. Although Western medicine can be super beneficial at times, doctors definitely don’t know everything. They can get as little as 30 minutes of nutrition training their entire medical school experience and aren’t trained to connect things that are happening in the body with non-medical causes. There are things that can be addressed with lifestyle, relationships, diet and more but Western training is super fast to prescribe medications that mask symptoms, have side effects, or big price tags. I am not saying don’t see a doctor. But I am saying people have so many easy, sustainable, inexpensive changes they can make which can avoid medical interventions in the first place!
I’m currently working on several retreats and workshops. I have a fall retreat in NJ, a February retreat in Tulum, MX and will be doing a few workshops at the award-winning resort/spa The Lodge at Woodloch in PA in March. I feel like the need for health, wellness, healing and connection is so real and very much needed, and hosting events like these lets me reach more people than 1-on-1 coaching.
I’m always staying on top of my industry as well. Currently I’m taking a course in rituals & ceremonies – cacao, full moon, new moon, fire, etc. It’s fascinating and I love it!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
A loss of cultural & ancestral knowledge. Our ancestors spent lifetimes learning how to heal themselves with natural remedies out of necessity. This knowledge is getting lost as we turn over the responsibility for our health to companies with conflicting motivations. I think smart people tend to put a lot of faith in progress and modern medicine, but are losing touch with some “old wives” remedies that are safe and effective, with minimal side-effects. Chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint, cloves, ginger, garlic and onions, sunshine, earthing, eating REAL, WHOLE foods (not processed ‘food’)… these are just a few basic items that can really heal people instead of popping pills.
Those dandelions we pull out of our yards can be as effective as medication for some things like sugar management, reducing inflammation and weight loss. (I personally drink dandelion tea often, it’s great for the liver!)
Western medicine can be life saving for sure, but I have never met a medication that didn’t come with side effects. Even something people don’t think twice about, like Tylenol or Ozempic.
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day tends to focus on my 3 kids and getting them fed, dressed and out the door for school. But before any of that happens, I say a morning affirmation, oil pull (improves oral & gut health, supports detoxification & reduces inflammation), tongue scrape (improves oral health among many other benefits!) and brush my teeth (with non-fluoridated toothpaste, of course).
I’ll have my lemon water while the kids are eating breakfast (alkalizing & stimulates digestion) and try to get outside for some sun (usually it’s about 2 minutes since it’s all I have time for!). I also make my morning smoothie which is loaded with protein, fiber, healthy fat, adaptogens, and ZERO crappy protein powder (I basically make my own – I’m very proud of that!) :)-
Once they are at school and before I start my work day, I will move my body in some way – usually a walk. I love to get outside as often as possible (love getting natural Vitamin D!). But if not, I’ll do a pilates class, tennis, a little weight training or jump on my rebounder/trampoline. Since mornings with 3 kids are busy, I don’t always have time to meditate, but I try to at least get in 5 deep breaths.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I hold it as a truth that we all have the power to heal ourselves, but that seems to put me in the minority. Most people I know really don’t know anything about how to heal themselves naturally. I hear about people from other countries who live a more natural life and are in sync with nature. In Japan, it’s common to do forest bathing for healing. In Iceland, they go for an ice plunge regularly. Saunas are a staple in Denmark. Home gardening (growing your own produce) is the norm in Italy and Greece. And you should see their school lunches! Whole, REAL foods that look as delicious as anything a great restaurant would serve. Nothing processed and it all includes fresh veggies! Which is how it should be.
I feel like Grounding (literally walking on earth with your bare feet), drinking filtered water and avoiding highly processed snack foods like goldfish crackers should not be something I have to preach, but here we are. The most powerful tools for healing are free, but way underprescribed. Things like sunlight, exercise, meditation, time in nature, sleep, salt, hot & cold, etc. can be super helpful but are rarely leveraged. I may seem like a crunchy-granola, crazy person but really, it’s just getting back to nature, our ancestral wisdom and holistic health… with a big side dish of biohacking. (I can’t live without my red light device!) Although I do have a great granola recipe, lol!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
In a word… everything, lol. A lot of holistic health coaching is providing people a roadmap to consistent, small habits that compound over time to yield big benefits. Eating healthy food (focusing on mainly whole-food, plant based and organic ingredients) has some short term benefits, like better energy, less bloating and no sugar crash. But the big benefits come over time, with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Walking 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week is similar. There are some short-term benefits to mood and digestion, and many long-term benefits to health, longevity and more. My sauna sessions are another – they help stave off colds and illnesses… and are also linked to double-digit reductions in all-cause mortality. A 15-minute investment here or there can literally add years to your life. My whole lifestyle is meant to do both – improve my day to day but ALSO pay off years down the road with fewer health problems, hospital visits and cognitive decline.
Holistic health isn’t a one-and-done quick fix. It’s about creating healthy habits that are easy and sustainable to become part of a long-term pattern that improves your overall health, happiness and vitality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://abbyphon.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/abbyphon
- Facebook: https://fb.com/AbbyPhon
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/abbyphon
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