Redefining Wellness Beyond Checklists: Geoff Grant on Wellness Reimagined

0:00It talks about awareness like it's a checklist. Eight glasses of water, 10,000 steps, seven hours of sleep. But what if the real work isn't about optimizing metrics at all? What if it's about questioning the framework you've been handed and asking whether it even fits the life we are actually living? Welcome to Wellness Reimagined, Amniharika and this is where we step back in the noise and explore what it really means to live well on your own terms. The curiosity and a little more spaciousness than the issue. Today I'm joined by G. of Grand and we are feeling bad.

1:01The layers on what wellness has become and what it could be instead. Welcome Jeff. It's so great to have you here. It's great to be here and thank you to you for inviting me and thank you to your words as well, your audience. So to start with, when people hear the word wellness today, what do you think they misunderstand most about it? About wellness? Yeah. Well, wellness is everything. It's this whole thing. It's mind, body and spirit. And I think people just forget that maybe they think it's certain things. Maybe like, oh, it's like, oh, relaxing or just going for a walk or something like that.

2:05But it's really like your whole body. And I think that's important to point out because we are our body. We have this. We have our body and we're given one opportunity to celebrate that and to experience it. And I just want people to know, just I think that's a good word experience. Make experience your whole body and slow down and be intentional about it. So if it's not about discipline or perfection, where does that lead someone who has been trying to get it right for years?

3:10I think you answered the question. It's not about getting it right. It's just about the experience of it. And I think that's important to emphasize because we all make mistakes. We all do things that sometimes we do things that we don't want to do. Or sometimes we were too hard on ourselves. Especially today. Today is a very meaningful day for me because it's the one year anniversary of the passing of my wife. And I think about how hard I am on myself. And I should be in the moment and easy on myself today. And most days. I really appreciate you for sharing that.

4:12Oh, thank you. I think that's the relief. So many of us need to hear because that's the framework itself might not be the problem. But it's our inability to follow it. Like there's something liberating in realizing that you don't have to win a game that was designed for you. That's right. That's right. It's not a problem. It's a practice. And I love that distinction. It's a practice. It's a daily practice. And there's nothing to blame. Nobody to blame. Nobody to shame. And it's just, it's not, you know, I get a special, I'm talking to myself specifically.

5:14There's nothing to get right in this moment. It's just experiencing the moment that's the most important part. Very true. Yeah. So what you see as the deeper forces that kept this narrow version of wellness be all or map hating now. The deeper forces are me looking in the mirror. And the 20 foot and, you know, I've been a caregiver for 25 years. And you know, to both my mother and my wife. And I've really had to look deep into the mirror about my, you know, my identity who I am. And, you know, my physical health, my mental health after caring for somebody else for

6:19so, you know, other people for so long. And you know, it's, it's a journey. It's a journey. It's a journey. That's what I want to say. It's a journey. And that's, that's really, it's made me look at myself. The thing has made me look in myself deeper than that experience. And I'm curious when we internalize those factors, what does that do to our relationship with our own bodies and minds? That's a good point like we wouldn't, we wouldn't internalize that when we, we integrate it. I call it integrating. We integrate it and we, we don't deny it.

7:21I think it allows me to be more present and have more empathy. And I have less patience for the, I'll call it mundane. You know, the little things in life. And yeah, that's, that's how I feel. I really just try to embody being, you know, the 25 years. And really how does it feel and how does it affect me? And don't deny anything. I don't deny that I was a caregiver. I don't, I don't look upon it with, you know, any bad ill will or regret. I think it's almost like the, outpost our sense of okness.

8:27Like we are constantly checking external measures instead of tuning into what actually feels nourishing or true. That disconnection runs deeper in our cells than we ever think. That's right. It go, it's in our cells, right? It's in our body. And some days, you know, like today, some days feel a little odd, you know, some days feel a little off because of our, I'm just sort of like reflecting, reflecting more today. But I really feel like I am meant, this is meant to be. This is meant to be. This is who I, you know, when I was growing up, I was totally the opposite. I was not living in the moment.

9:28I didn't care, you know, it's just like I just wanted to get over things. But you know, as I get older, I realize you have to, you know, if you want to, you can either go through things or you can grow through things through experience. Wow. I think I longed that because, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's not about overhauling everything at once. That's right. That is sucked away. It, that it's going through or grow through. Wow. Yeah, yeah. It's about reclaiming one small permission at a time and noticing what shifts when we do that. And that simple steps and that simple realization, it's a great, great start.

10:33It is a great way to start. It's, like you said, it's about revealing. We, we were constantly revealing ourselves. And I, I wouldn't want to live any other way. I really wouldn't because we're like, we're, we're either revealing or we're hiding right. Right. And people can see right through us. And we're, we're more vulnerable when we're revealing our true selves. And vulnerability as, as you know, is strength. Which is a, a, a young dad's a sign of a weak personality in, in the days we are living. And the strings by the way, one need to realize that vulnerability is a strength. It is a strength. It is a strength.

11:33You know, it's so easy to say, say, Oh, I'm scared. I want to, I want to be strong. I want to appear strong. I don't want to appear weak. But vulnerability is quite the opposite. In fact, as you know, it's quite the opposite. Yeah. And how does this show up in everyday moments? Like, what are the small ways people might notice they're, they are stuck in someone else idea of wellness? That's a great question. We have to try not to be let other people project on you. Their ideas of wellness. You know, wellness means wellness is deeply personal.

12:36And wellness is in highly individual. And you know, if, if, if exercise is not your thing, don't exercise. Just go for, just go for like a walk in nature. That's, that's a big part of wellness to me is going for a walk in nature. And you know, just being outdoors, being with people that you value, your friendships, that you value in the people that you love your family, you know, connection. And just, you know, kind of like quiet reflection. And you know, taking care, like nurturing your spirit is very important to me. Like nurturing your soul.

13:36Like feed, feed your soul. So it's just to wrap up, I mean, just to wrap up on that point, it's highly individual. You know, if somebody says, you know, do this, do that, you know, you can try things. You don't have to stick, you don't have to stick with them, but do what makes you feel whole. I think that's where the arts and the brain mostly stuck, stuck in because we live in a distal world. And just to the media consumes much part of our thoughts, our perceptions and everything I would say, you have knowledge. So we can see every, we can see hundreds of perceptions for one thing.

14:44And we always see is a perfect routine, perfect body, perfect diet. And as you know, it is the right way. But it gets messy and that's the way it's really. Wow. It is, especially with, especially with social media, you know, and it's very difficult to be yourself. Like you said, when so many other people are projecting upon you, you know, about their ideal of perfect, right? You know, the perfect, the perfect vacation, the perfect body, the perfect house, the perfect car. And that's all, that's all made up. That's all made up. That's, you know, who knows what they're going through.

15:46You know, that's, it's just all projection. It's projecting, it's, it's that, it's other people projecting what they think is perfect. I'd rather, I'd rather have, this is my house. This is my body. My house, my body is my house. And I'd rather have work on that than have, you know, you know, a big house and all, a perfect car and all that other stuff. And you know, it's, it's taking me a while to realize that, that those are really the most important things because nobody can ever take that away from you. Very bad. Nobody can ever take that away from you. And nobody can do that to you, for you, it's, you, you have to do it for yourself. Only you can do that. I mean, only us or a good for my is it.

16:47That's right. That is. It's a body that I have built that I take care of. Nobody takes care of me. I, I nurture and take care of myself. And that's very empowering. That is true. So if, if someone's ready to start reimagining their own version of wellness, where would your suggested they begin with? I think they can, you can begin just by putting your pen to our pencil to a piece of paper and really journaling what really matters to you. What, what do you want to focus on in your life? What do you want to improve? What do you want to, who do you want to be?

17:51Peas that, I think that's the simplest way to start. Because it makes your words concrete. What do we do that? And or, or if that doesn't, if journaling doesn't ring, you know, resonate with you, then just go for a walk in nature and reflect upon those things or, or, you know, talk to a friend about those things, about who you want to be and, and just have a conversation. It can start, it doesn't take them, it doesn't take money. It does not take money. And it does not take a lot of work. I think that's the track to use real work, isn't it? Because it's, it's what about, it's about noticing without fixing and, exactly, exactly.

19:03But yeah, listening without immediately correcting, it may sound simple, but it's a completely different way of being with others. That's right. It's not about fixing anything. It's not about, you know, must do this, must change or must, you know, must do this or must do that. It's just about, and it's about, you know, questioning or being curious. It's about being curious about what's possible. Very. Yeah. And what about when it feels hard to sustain when the old patterns come, creep back in or the world keeps pushing the same tired messages?

20:04I think that's a great question. I think I tried to stay for me, I tried to stay grounded in those things that matter to me. So when things start to get a little wobbly or staying, you know, things start to get a little messy, I'm grounded in myself. And I ground myself, you know, by, you know, going for walks or journaling or meditating or just having conversations with other people, it's really staying, keeping my feet still. And, you know, going, putting my feet in the dirt, putting my feet in the grass, and that's how I stay grounded. I know that I'm skill and all that.

21:09How do help people or the art gentleness when everything around them is still demanding and wanting? I just invite them to see other perspectives. You know, I offer, excuse me, I offer other perspectives and I offer different, another viewpoint, another way of looking. You know, don't look for, don't look for peace and groundedness in this. You know, look, look for it in here. You know, this is, the phone is external, the screen is external, social media is external, I'm all about, you know, internal.

22:11It's not, it's not easy, but it's, it's a practice, it's a practice. I think that's where the real shift happens because when the stop treating said bags as failures and start seeing them as information, when we stop trying to be invincible and just practice coming back again, the game with a little more kindness, everything shifts. Exactly, that's what this world needs is a little more kindness. A lot more kindness, that is what this world needs. Kindness towards ourselves and kindness towards our other people. And Juf, thank you so much for this conversation, the joining us.

23:18If people want to continue exploring these ideas with you on the south, they can define you. They can find me, they can reach me through social media or my website. My website is Jeff Grant, consulting.com, g-e-o-f-f-g-r-a-n-t consulting.com, or they can reach me through TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. They can find me, I'm out there. And just, you know, I'd love for people to reach out and just have a conversation. About how they, about what they're seeking and how they stay their ideas. I love new perspectives and listening to new, you know, different experiences.

24:25Thank you for sharing that and again, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much for having me and thank you again to your audience. And this is where we are not here to give you another plan to follow. We are here to remind you that you already know more than Juf Singh Kiyotu. And that listening to that knowing is the most radical act of wellness-terious. Thank you for being here, take what resonates and leave what doesn't and keep asking the questions that matter to you.