The Zenquest of Leaders with Host Jess Ollenburg

Dr Grace Hameister: The Zenquest of Leaders with Jess Ollenburg

• Jessica Ollenburg / Dr Grace Hameister • Season 1 • Episode 4

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Enjoy this incredibly informative, lively and entertaining conversation with Dr. Grace. We’re talking integration of mind and body, biohacks, gizmos and doohickeys, corn syrup, olympic training, spirituality, Dr. Google, thanking Carl Lewis, everything zen… and so much more.  Check out this episode's landing page, links to topic resources and contact info for Dr Grace at The Zenquest of Leaders with Dr Grace Hameister — zenquest.online.

Here’s a quick summary on today’s guest…

•Since 1999, Dr. Grace has been in practice as a licensed and board-certified doctor of chiropractic, and advanced cold laser specialist in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, California, and now in Wisconsin. 

•She has over 6,000 hours of advanced classroom and clinical orthomolecular nutrition experience, including her own trademarked cleanse and weight loss program, which  has been very successful among her patients and corporate clients.

•A former Olympic-level rhythmic gymnast, World-Champion water skier, and post-grad assistant performing cancer research in immunology, Dr. Grace has intimate knowledge of how the body can function at its best - from the cellular level, on up to full-body systems integration and repair.

•While educating on the effectiveness of alternative care and integrative medicine, Dr. Grace is adamant about always being armed with the most current high-tech medical equipment and scientifically valid modern health solutions. 

•From cold laser therapy for accelerated tissue repair and pain management, to anti-aging solutions with cellular detoxification, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, functional blood panel analysis, applied kinesiology, body composition analysis, and meditation & visualization techniques, Dr Grace integrates select tools for the most effective individual outcomes and consistent clinical results.

•As a current member of the American Academy of Private Physicians, you may find her working in her clinical setting, backstage in a VIP green room, private home, or on a corporate campus designing corporate wellness programs. 

•Her life as an elite athlete merged with geeky scientist, and this combo has brought her to live and work in the world of high-powered executives, entertainers, athletes, gifted practitioners, and innovative thinkers who are having a positive impact on people and our planet. 

•Currently, she sees patients in the 3rd Ward in Milwaukee, and is the Founder and CEO of her HealthTech startup Food FiXR, which is gaining massive momentum. 

•Dr Grace is the host of the highly popular (un)Common Medicine podcast, where you’ll find another collaborative podcast with our host Jess Ollenburg. 

Jessica Ollenburg:

Since 1999, Dr. Grace has been in practice as a licensed and board certified doctor of chiropractic and advanced cold laser specialist in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, California, and now in Wisconsin. She has over 6000 hours of advanced classroom and clinical orthomolecular nutrition experience, including her own trademarked cleanse and weight loss program, which has been very successful among her patients and corporate clients, including my family, A former Olympic level rhythmic gymnast, world champion, water skier, and post grad assistant performing cancer research in immunology, Dr. Grace has intimate knowledge of how the body can function at its best from the cellular level on up to full body systems integration and repair. While educating on the effectiveness of alternative care and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Grace is adamant about always being armed with the most current high tech medical equipment and scientifically valid modern health solutions. From cold laser therapy for accelerated tissue repair and pain management to anti aging solutions with cellular detoxification, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, functional blood panel analysis, applied kinesiology, body composition analysis, and meditation and visualization techniques. Dr. Grace integrates select tools for the most effective individual outcomes and consistent clinical results. As a current member of the American Academy of private physicians, you may find her working in her clinical setting, backstage in a VIP Green Room, private home, or on a corporate campus designing corporate wellness programs. Her life as an elite athlete merged with geeky scientist, and this combo has brought her to live and work in the world of high powered executives, entertainers, athletes, gifted practitioners, and innovative thinkers who are having a positive impact on our people and our planet. Current, she sees patients in the third ward in Milwaukee, and is the founder and CEO of her health tech startup Food FiXR, which is gaining massive momentum. Dr. Grace is the host of the highly popular Uncommon Medicine podcast, where you'll find another collaborative podcast with yours truly. Thank you, Dr. Grace for being here. It's such a pleasure to talk with you.

Grace Hameister:

I am absolutely honored to be not only of service to you, but also to receive any accolades that you send in my direction... for all of the things that you've accomplished in your career. It's truly an honor to be here.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Oh, thank you so much. Thank you so much, and right back at ya. And we met sharing our dedication for our craft. We met as a result of a corporate wellness panel that HRS had sponsored, and your dedication to research and your energy about it. It wasn't just your know how, but it was the passion and your ability to change minds and create impact that really resonated with me. And we've been friends since, and you've made a great deal of impact in our personal lives as well.

Grace Hameister:

Yes, I'm just blown away with how much you guys have really been able to take the information I gave you and just completely change your health and your mindset. And it's just, it's an honor to watch that, seriously. Like that's, that's what still makes my, you know, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up --when you can't unsee the things that you do to help people. You can't unsee that, you know, and, and it's because of that, that it gives me the energy and the drive to keep going and do even more.

Jessica Ollenburg:

I couldn't agree more. That's exactly how I feel about my work when I see that impact-- when I see how it has improved lives. when it has improved people's mindset. Any kind of positive impact is so rewarding, and it really is fuel.

Grace Hameister:

And it's really cool. You know, you give that one person a little access to this kind of understanding and it ripples out into the universe and creates change all along the way. So we're not stopping anytime soon.

Jessica Ollenburg:

No, we're not. We're gonna keep going! Can you share one or two of your favorite stories or light bulb moments created in corporate wellness?

Grace Hameister:

Favorite stories in corporate wellness... I would say the moment that the CEO comes into agreement and alignment with being treated, you know, there's one thing when you're actually looking at, yeah, the metrics of how this is helping your, your workforce, and, you know, for every dollar spent, you're going to have an ROI of at least $3 - $4, right. But it's another when you have the leaders in charge in your hands, you know, as, as a chiropractor, as a doctor, integrative medicine, physician, food specialists, all the things that I do, you know, the, one of the coolest experiences ever was working with the Anaheim Ducks C-suite...

Jessica Ollenburg:

Okay!

Grace Hameister:

...the guys that write the checks for the Ducks

Jessica Ollenburg:

Sure!

Grace Hameister:

... and the CEO and the VP of Operations, I would go up into their offices and adjust them and take care of them, and, you know, and work on their bodies, so that they could be available to lead the team. And, the kinds of stories that I get to hear in those situations, you know, there's a certain level of vulnerability... that and trust that these guys are giving me because, you know, if there's a doctor-patient relationship there, I'm very, very adamant about protecting the privacy and the integrity of that relationship. That's one of my superpowers working with the C suite in particular,

Jessica Ollenburg:

Sure...

Grace Hameister:

... and high profiles and any patient that I have, basically. But the ones that are really, really powerful in the world, like there's, there's people bombarding them at all points in time. The last thing they need is to have some vulnerable health related issue leak out into the press, there's not, you know, something that's said, but it's just, it's really awesome to be able to meet people as people. No matter what position they are, we are still people, right?

Jessica Ollenburg:

absolutely

Grace Hameister:

Transcend that into the corporate wellness experience. And, and to, you know, to pluck that high profile CEO out of his space for a second and give him a moment to just breathe in... that's when she can be that much more powerful, and back out the door. So I think that would be one of my favorite kind of perspectives and stories of the of the corporate wellness world.

Jessica Ollenburg:

I love that. And that's so important messaging for today. Because if you don't have top down alignment, if you don't have that culture, spread and aligned throughout your organization, whatever your initiative is not going to succeed as it would if you had that top down leadership by example. And the definition of culture, wellness, champion of the human spirit, those are all important demonstrations right now for leaders.

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, yeah... exactly! And, and the mind space, and the ability to have the impact on your people because you're taking care of yourself first, right? There's not one CEO, you can tell me, that if they're not involved with enough fitness, enough food, and enough meditation and stress relieving activities... no one is leading anybody! They're just leading us down the drain?

Jessica Ollenburg:

Or maybe you are leading but like you said, you're leading into down the drain or into a brick wall.

Grace Hameister:

Okay, yeah, certainly Yeah, exactly. You know? So I think that a really important thing to remember is, you know, just like RuPaul says,"If can't love yourself, honey, how ya gonna love somebody else." And that that's important. Even for the business world. It's very important. Remember these things.

Jessica Ollenburg:

It is so true. And it's so important for all of us to remember, you can't pour from an empty cup, and simple airplane technology -- put the air mask on yourself before helping another. We know this. We don't always do it. Sometimes we get so caught up in the priorities and demands and challenges and risks of the day, that we lose sight of this because we put ourselves last by nature, and to have constant reminders and something to keep you actively and proactively doing the things that you suggest is really important. So to have someone like you who we can have that messaging from is so important. I'm so excited about Food FiXR as well.

Grace Hameister:

Thank you. Yeah,

Jessica Ollenburg:

I want to hear about Food FiXR. We, John and I, worked with you for our own health. And, you know, I've been practicing yoga since I was 12. Our family has always been on top of "what is the light bulb du jour fitness buzzword?"

Grace Hameister:

(Laughter)

Jessica Ollenburg:

... trying it on seeing if it fits, because we're all different, right. But all these different ideas, some of them work for most people and and all of them probably work for someone so try them on.

Grace Hameister:

Right.

Jessica Ollenburg:

But when we met you and started working more dedicatedly with you, you really customized the approach, helped, and really helped us figure out how to be more true to our own unique needs... the Eluvies cleanse, we still stream our own soda, we love that Kevita, or we've got the Rumblex.

Grace Hameister:

Nice!!

Jessica Ollenburg:

...all the things, all the things and it just, it's been wonderful to find something that works for you. And thank you for bringing that to us.

Grace Hameister:

And well, thank you for telling me that and just know that, you know, the whole purpose of my approach to helping people is you gotta listen. You know, that's, that's one of the things that many physicians are so... you know... gagged with... they literally have hands around their throats dealing with the insurance industry. And, you know, getting tests done that are only approved by what the insurance company tells you can do... not what the other like 1000s of tests that we can do to find out what your body is trying to tell us. There's so much more that's out there that you know, we're literally being silenced about and, and the only way to truly get to a person's unique needs is to listen to them not only physiologically and biologically, but also just listen, like if you're telling me... well, then it's like that old joke, you know, Doctor hurts

when I drink my tea:

Well, take out the spoon. Right? (laughter) don't drink the tea with a spoon in it like that. So it's very important to, you know, to make sure that for as much as our bodies are so very, very similar, they're also very, very different. And a lot of the difference comes from our thoughts, and our habits, and habits and thoughts that we don't even know that we habitually think about. That's the real kicker right there. That said underlying thing that you didn't even know the story you were telling yourself for years on end, that isn't your true essence. It's not where you really truly live, it's just this like undertone of of bullsh*t, you've been telling yourself for the longest time and until you can give yourself tools to to be able to get past those and, and and transmute them and dissolve them and really realize how much health you have access to, how much love you have access to, how much excellence you have access to, and energy and all these other things because you're doing what you've been intended to do. We're put on this planet to be excellent and to have an impact on people's lives, not to just swim in this flurry of, of despair, you know. So, you have to have those thoughts and those actions to to help to, to bring that to light. And to go back to, you know, your your illumination of Food FiXR, that's kind of why I wanted to create this business in the first place. You know, people are just drowning in information that is so depleted of truth and so difficult to find. And, you know, even I as a physician and you know, now you've had this experience. You even told me at first "We eat really well" and I said "Well, I'll see..."(laughter)

Jessica Ollenburg:

Those comments were hysterical(laughter) the food diary comes back "Oh, no! Oh, sh*t." (laughter).

Grace Hameister:

The better one is like, um, I have some suggestions. You actually did great, really great, but that's just a thing. Like, you know, someone, I had a client for example, who you know, he had a heart attack, he had a stent, he had all these all these problems and his doctor gave him the, you know, the so very informative, you need to lose weight. Well, no sh*t, you know. So, I mean, it doesn't give any sort of direction. So it's like here just try doing calorie restriction and improve your diet. So, so my client did and he you know, and he basically ended up he was eating the things that he would normally eat but you know, still honestly like gained another five pounds. So he was just thinking, What do I do? I don't get it, I don't understand and and so you can have somebody that's, that's totally okay go and get some probiotics so they get some some Dannon yogurt, and then they never look at the ingredient list to see that one of the first ingredients on there is corn syrup, why it shouldn't be corn syrup is what's in Coca Cola. Why? It doesn't, it doesn't need to be there. And if you don't know what to look for, it's those little insidious things like that, that increase your insulin that increase your your blood sugar that creates fat in your body and and creates cortisol to raise in your body. So you can't get rid of the fatty move from want to because the stress hormone won't let it go away. Right. So that's where Food FiXR comes from. It's a single evidence based place for people to go to, that helps you find the right foods to help your body heal from your condition, whatever that condition may be. And it's not going down the rabbit hole of Google, of you know, what should I do? Or or Dr. Google, which is my favorite when people come to the office and tell me what they you know what I should know about what's on the internet?

Jessica Ollenburg:

(Laughter)

Grace Hameister:

And I'm like, How about since you're here in my office? How about I tell you about the research and studies that are really something that kind of based off of, and we can go from there. You know, I did cancer research in immunology, I know a couple things about science. Let's just give me give me a week that if I'm wrong from Google, then we can talk. But yeah, that's that's the premise behind food fix, are you giving us your condition, and our algorithm gives you an actual grocery store list, so that you know exactly what foods to get at the grocery store to help your body heal from your condition, and then access to what stores have it and you can purchase it to the app.

Jessica Ollenburg:

And I love that the idea of it being individualized, it's so important where we are learning there are so many studies that show that a certain diet and a certain nutritional pattern will work better for one human being than another. And yet, there are some common threads, such as just looking out for corn and corn products, as you've taught us, which really has been very, very helpful. And the other items, so many of them you've been able to target. And I imagine that's what's being delivered through Food FiXR. And where is Food FiXR at this stage? It's gotten some really, really good showcasing recently. Tell us about that.

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, we've got some really great momentum, we are in pre MVP status, which means that we're still designing and building the actual code for the for the tech to work. I've been doing this as a doctor for over 15 to 20 years. So I know it works, right? This isn't something I'm just making up. We're actually I've just gotten to the limits of what my human self can do. And now I need to have the technology to expand it out into the world so I can have a greater impact. So that's what the that's why we're doing the technology version of it. Sure. We have... I've gotten the$10,000 grant from the local Milwaukee community, the For-M in MKE Tech Hub

Jessica Ollenburg:

Nice!

Grace Hameister:

Yeah! We won second place at prize tech competition last summer for$2,500. And we were just flown out to South by Southwest in Austin, because I made it into the Elite Eight through our pitch competition. There are eight states in the Midwest that were represented there. And I was representing Wisconsin... a runner up with that.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Fantastic! Go Wisconsin! Thanks for representing.

Grace Hameister:

(Laughter) That, I did. Thank you. And we did a great job. And as of this week, the biggest news that we have is our actual build out is in progress, meaning we've partnered with a company called Suggestic. They've worked with Amway, they've worked with United Healthcare. Companies under their tech development and business development have started to raise monies in revenue up to $250,000 a month, an hour now $2 million a month companies and so we are definitely on track for being in that same category. We are still working to get our funding together to you know, we are we're talking to angel investors, any kind of investors who are looking to be part of our preseed process. We've already bootstrapped $30,000. And now that we have Suggestic on the line, we're looking to gain our revenue within the first four months. So, we're looking to raise funds, and if anyone can connect us with someone who's interested in the preseed and angel funding direction, we'd be more than happy to connect and talk about that.

Jessica Ollenburg:

That that's fantastic. That's really, really exciting, Dr. Grace! And listen to that, listeners... if anybody out there wants to invest, we'll be giving up that contact information in a little while as well.

Grace Hameister:

We have, we are now like we have ...

Jessica Ollenburg:

Shameless plug! (Laughter)

Grace Hameister:

Exactly!(Laughter) shameless plug. And, and we are a win win situation. I mean, literally, we are with a company already... two of them, actually. One of them was a $5 million company and the other one has created $2 million companies, you know, so we're in the hands of the right people the right way with the right messaging that's getting this out to people that help them with their health, and improve the quality of our food and this planet. So anyone that wants to have an impact right now is the time to get in contact with us, because we're definitely ... we're not ... we're not stopping. This is something that needs to be done. And it's definitely needed in the in the in the market. I mean, just this last couple of weeks, the White House had yet another Symposium on the strategy of hunger, nutrition and, and health in our country looking at diet related diseases. And they put out a 44 page document describing some of the things they want to do to start having an impact on reducing diet related disease and Food FiXR has solutions for four of the five columns.

Jessica Ollenburg:

That's wonderful... exciting...

Grace Hameister:

So we are positioned to spearhead policy and public health. And we're doing it right now.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Fantastic. And I know you you won't stop it'll, it'll get done. That's fantastic news. I want to talk a little bit about functional medicine and your favorite gizmos and doohickeys.

Grace Hameister:

I love that. I love gizmos and doohickeys(laughter)

Jessica Ollenburg:

gizmos and doohickeys. Let's talk 'em...

Grace Hameister:

well, this is actually the whole premise behind my podcast (un)Common Medicine, because I have the"un" in brackets because while it's really very common to me, it's still widely unknown to most people. So I love that you're bringing this up because there's so many things out there that are scientifically valid and have creating change in people's lives that most people don't even know about. And and you know what? We're not mostly just a functional medicine doctor, I'm my umbrella and net is widely cast, you know? So we're a lot ...

Jessica Ollenburg:

It's very integrative!

Grace Hameister:

Yes, it's very integrative. Exactly. I'm much more in that category. So I specialize in high tech therapeutic devices, things like cold laser therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and ozone therapy. And I've recently been geeking out on methylene blue and nitric oxide. And there's all kinds of, you know, what... what they say in the biz now is Bio Hacks. It's what I've been at the forefront of trailblazing for the last, you know, 15-20 years of my career. So I think those would be my favorites to geek out on a little bit -- cold laser, hyperbarics, ozone therapy. Like I said, the methylene blue and nitric oxide in particular, another really great one B3 bands that help to naturally increase nitric oxide in your body as well as increasing testosterone naturally. So there's and that's just by exercising wearing blood flow resistance training bands, I mean, there's just so much that the body is capable of doing if you give it give it little tools and tricks, and those are some of my favorites.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Thank you for that. I love those topics. And was it the cold laser therapy that we worked together with? I really enjoyed that. The science geek in me really loved that as well.

Grace Hameister:

I know I know it's so profound to use, especially when you when you can couple it with the applied kinesiology you know you do the muscle testing you do you find out where the neurology is broken down a little bit not not working as well as it can. And you see that instant muscle reaction instant pain relief, you see that? And again, you can't unsee that, you know and there's there's a level of competence I have, being able to treat people when I know that my my technology is always working in my favor. And so it was my intention. That's the other big thing. You know what I'm working on, you're not just shining and laser light on him like hey, good luck with that. We'll just let the technology work for it. No, there's a lot of thought behind exactly what nerve roots we're looking at with cranial nerves. We're looking at the past pathways that these go through and the very intricate physiological responses and biological responses. And it's, there's a lot going on behind us that laser being shined on you, however, when you have the training and excellent understanding of how they work, and the impact you can have is so amazing, and it's so fulfilling for me.

Jessica Ollenburg:

And you have a style of really explaining what you're doing. So it's not just that you listen, and customize and tailor and adapt. But you will also do a really good job of explaining and I wish we had more of that, I'd like for that to be an example for more practitioners.

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, I hear that, you know, it's, it's a tough line to walk to, you know, I've, I've been adamant about that my entire career, you know, some guys get into the office, and they just, they want the numbers, you know, because obviously, more numbers means more money, and I get that too, money hasn't always been my driving factor should be a little bit more, it is helpful.(Laughter) When they say money can't buy you happiness. Yeah. But you know, a lot of us, especially doctors that are MDs in the hospital systems and stuff, you just... you're given five minutes, you know? And you're not given the flexibility and the availability of your, the true essence of your education and, and that to me, I've always thought was a disservice. I couldn't have my, I couldn't see a patient standing in front of me, and not be 100% available, to help them to truly be a steward of their own health. You know, my whole purpose in, in, in helping people and and being a doctor is, I don't want to see you in my office all the time. You know, right?

Jessica Ollenburg:

Right!

Grace Hameister:

I want to see you out there enjoying your life. I mean, granted, when you are in my office, I have reverence and respect, and I'm grateful, honestly. But is not my purpose to see people three times a week for the rest of your life. You know, I don't, I don't operate like that. And I feel that maintenance care is is critical. You need to get worked on I need every three weeks I get adjusted, I have to smile, I'm using my body as much as I do, you know, the more active you are the if you're an elite athlete, you need to see me more Yes. But I don't want the mindset of you, depending on me for your health care, you need to be the steward of your own choices. And so the more I can fuel your brain and your body with the access to healthy choices, and solutions, the more you can be having an optimal experience rather than, you know, an act of what I say is proactive rather than reactive experience, right? Yes, that's very important to me.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Well, and being proactive, is it's always easier to fix something if you've been proactive than to wait until you're at the point of being reactive. And I just love what you said about being a practitioner and what your goals are. I so resonate with that! I cherish long standing lifetime relationships with clients. But I don't want them to depend upon me every day. My... I love it when the light bulb moment happens when I've created, setup a new policy or perspective, technology, some type of change management, given them the keys to now... as you said... self steward... but to allow them to implement it and now contact you for next level or "Well, this is weird... I haven't seen this before.... Not routine yet. What do I do?" Right? To be on call but to watch them actually increase and transform their own capabilities rather than to become dependent upon you. And and obviously as practitioners not not every health case doesn't require ongoing maintenance, many of them do.

Grace Hameister:

Exactly!

Jessica Ollenburg:

If somebody can be brought to a point where they can help themselves, be proactive and avoid the health problems. Why wouldn't you want to facilitate that as a practitioner, and you do? Thank you for that.

Grace Hameister:

Thank you. Yeah, I take that very seriously. And thank you, Jess, that means a lot. I do. And, you know, I think it's all about access to information. You know, like Maya Angelou says, when you know better, you do better. And so I make it my mission to give people as much information as I can, so that they can do better. And then the stuff that they can't do. That's what I'm here for. You know, that's exactly why I'm here.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Yes. World Champion water skier and rhythmic gymnastics competitor in the United States Olympic Training Center. Tell us about that.

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, that's that's how I grew up. I was the first Olympic level rhythmic gymnasts in our state of Wisconsin. First one ever wants to, I've got pictures of me on the podium, and I'm the only one on number one because no one else was at the same elite level as me. And so I didn't have anybody competing against I would just I would just win. And then I would go to Nationals and regionals. And that's, that's how I made it into Olympic Training Center, you qualify to go there. So I earned my space to be able to go to the OTC in Colorado Springs, Colorado. And in fact, that's where I got my first first kind of experience of that... of the fact that food is more than just something you do at dinnertime. That it's actually something that helps the athlete. It helps depending on how you eat, you can be a better performer, a better competitor, you can heal faster, all this stuff. And we learned that at the OTC when I was 12 years old. And they told us in 10 years from now, 5% of the foods we eat haven't even been invented yet. And that blew my mind. In 10 years from now, the eating 5% of my food hasn't even that doesn't exist right now. You know, like, this is like Back to the Future kind of stuff. And that's when the movie was out. But by the way, that was more like what is happening. It's crazy. But it's true. If you look at all the power bars and the different kinds of water and the cereals, and now you know all the stuff that's out now, if you don't know what you're looking at, you can really be doing damage to your body just because it's new or trendy. Right. So the Olympic Training Center was an amazing experience for me. I also met other Olympians when I was there like Carl Lewis, which blew my mind as a 12 year old kid meeting an Olympian like that. That was an amazing story. I actually got lost on the campus. It was right after lunch, I got lost. And I was just terrified. Because if you don't if you show up late and you have to run a mile or do some sort of field something, and I'm like, I hate running, so I don't want to do that. And so I was obviously looking very nervous. And in this this gentleman on a bicycle pulls, you know, like comes up brings bike over to where I am. So I'm like on the side of the just looking around. And he's like, "Hey, are you okay?" And I'm like "I'm lost," and then I realized who he was. It was Carl and he had like Gumby hair cut at the time, you know? And, and I just looked at him and I'm like, "I'm really lost." And he asked me what sport are you in? I told him and told him where I needed to be. He's like, Oh, okay, it's that building right over there. And he's like, okay, so go go run. And I saw I started running, turn back and like "Thanks Carl Lewis. I'm gonna run!"

Jessica Ollenburg:

(Laughter)

Grace Hameister:

It's experiences like that, that I've had like, over and over and again by being an athlete. And, then the waterskiing thing was just a bizarre fluke. I was on a, on an amateur team. It was like 18 or 19 years old, and I had joined the team with my boyfriend. The first my first boyfriend he was he was huge and waterskiing and, and show skiing. That's what I did was water ski show skiing. So with my gymnastics background, and my ability to climb like a monkey, I was really good with doing the pyramids and all the things that I had to do. So I ended up getting discovered on on the ski team that we were on because we had over, you know, we would do pyramids with over 30 people behind one boat.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Oh, wow!

Grace Hameister:

yeah, and competed in nationals. And that was broadcast on ESPN, you know. So I got discovered there and then got my first job working at SeaWorld in San Diego, Cypress Gardens in Florida, and won the world championships in '93 doing that, so my geeky scientist and my elite athlete merged to become Dr. Grace and that's that's how I got the inspiration to do all the things that I do now.

Jessica Ollenburg:

I love that journey. And it all comes together and I'm sure you call forth all of it.

Grace Hameister:

I've seen more in my the first 20 years of my life and most people see in their entire life. You know, it is crazy now and now I'm like 30 more years and on top of that, because I've got stories for days and I'm so grateful every experience that I've had, you know, good and bad, honestly have led me to a really peaceful and expansive place that I'm in now and I'm really grateful for that.

Jessica Ollenburg:

That's so important to hear and so inspiring. Peace.

Grace Hameister:

Right?

Jessica Ollenburg:

Yes, peace. Speaking of that, here is a question for all the Zenquesting leaders out there. And we've we've certainly learned, and you and I have have discussed so many times that and we discussed in this program, how we need to actively refuel our tanks as humans before those tanks run dry, you can't pour from an empty cup. And more than ever right now, it's it's important to actively take steps for your mental health. We call it Zenquesting. Dr. Grace, how do YOU zen? And to what extent is Captain involved in that?

Grace Hameister:

Major?

Jessica Ollenburg:

Oh, Major! To what extent is Major involved in that? (Laughter)

Grace Hameister:

He's, he's more elevated. Professor Major Murdoch, my puppy. Yes, I love that you brought him into this! So obviously, yes, he's a huge portion of my, my Zen and sanity and consistency. But I would say the first place that I would start, my personal Zen is I have to have to have to have to meditate. And it's not only meditating, it's active meditation, that connects directly with higher intelligence, my higher mind, moving my energy from grounding myself to cosmic energy, getting connected to God, source universe, all that is, and being grounded at the same time. And letting that energy flow is technique that I've learned from practitioners like Jeffrey Allen, and Jose Silva, and Joe Dispenza. And, oh, God, so many Reverend Michael Beckwith getting on to Agave every Sunday and reconnecting with my spirit, my soul. But using the tools that the technology tools of spirituality in a consistent basis, for me is the only way that I can operate. It keeps my energy up, it keeps my mental state from going into a spiral, you know, when you're looking to create something and you're just not quite seeing it happening yet. You're like, what else should I do? Like, sometimes it's not up for you to do sometimes it's up to what you need to do is just go take a nap, and let the universe do what you've already asked it to do. And just chill out, you know. So my Zen starts and ends with my spiritual practices, several of them and then integrated with that is mind and body. It has to be both, you can't do one or the other. You can't be you know, an Olympian doing fitness and not balancing out the meditation and the breathing and turning down the, the the self chatter and self talk that that isn't serving your purpose, right. So I have to do things that keep me flexible, I love Pilates, I have to eat right, there's zero compromise in my food choices, do I go out and do some silly things sometimes like getting fries or actually eating pizza with gluten in it? Yes. But then again, I'll take three or four days and cleanse myself and you know, and get back on track again. But it's important to me that I have my water first thing in the morning, that I have my journaling and that I set the intention for the day and visualize and, and run my energy and make sure I'm not blocked anywhere or feeling excessive energies that are distracting me from being able to be of service to myself and all those I touch. And now that I'm stepping into the CEO role, you know, of a tech company, being a leader, this is the culture that I'm creating. This is the kind of company that Food FiXR is. We are not going to be, you know, anything but in alignment with the earth, with repairing toxic crap that we've been seeing just completely override our natural tendencies. I mean, the kinds of of manufactured foods we're eating now are... there's zero help for your body by eating those, you know, and, and .. So, the company that Food FiXR is, the integrity of my soul and my sole purpose, they are one of the same and to be in this blessed position to now you know, have a platform that is going to be able to be more expansive and helping people on a bigger scale than the ones that can just make it through my door. I take this very seriously, you know, so yeah, I have to have my meditation my good food and and of course Professor Major Murdoch and all the exercise we get together... my pup... that is very important to me too.

Jessica Ollenburg:

And that's All such important advice. Thank you so much. Thanks for sharing all of that. And being a good example and bringing that into the CEOs office. It's just fantastic that you'll be able to be someone who can advocate on all angles.

Grace Hameister:

Oh, yeah, we will definitely have nap pods in the offices. There's no doubt about it. Because I know around three o'clock, I'll be like, Don't bug me. (laughter) Nap time and I'm good. And lots of laughter if there's not lots of laughter, forget it!

Jessica Ollenburg:

Lots of laughter!

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, you can't! This... you know, this world can be too crazy to not be silly.

Jessica Ollenburg:

But laughter at no one's expense.

Grace Hameister:

Correct. Thank you.

Jessica Ollenburg:

It's possible. It is absolutely possible.

Grace Hameister:

It is. I mean, it's totally. Yeah, I mean, I couldn't I couldn't make it through the day without having humor in my life, for sure. So I appreciate that. That's definitely going to be a core a core value to purpose as well. We're going to be dorky and silly. And that's what the company is gonna do, too. So you want to be engaged. It's gamified. And playing with everything and and that's that childlike mentality. Not childish, childlike.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Yeah...

Grace Hameister:

Like, yeah, you're curious and cultivating more creativity. Like that's, that's the core of our essence, you know, so I'm excited to to expand deeper into that.

Jessica Ollenburg:

That is exciting. I'm excited to to follow along with you.

Grace Hameister:

Well, I'm grateful to have you having my back because I definitely will be calling you on some C-suite moments. Like "Jess, I need some operations help here. My doctor Grace mentality has gotten as far as I can. So I might need a little help

Jessica Ollenburg:

on you. And I'll be right there. Thanks for that. I've seen things you might not have seen yet. Exactly. You've seen things I haven't seen yet.

Grace Hameister:

Exactly. That's the power all

Jessica Ollenburg:

about experiences. Boredom is the enemy.

Grace Hameister:

Yeah, I've got too much going on, be bored. This there's too much to do in this world. You know, and I'm grateful for every second of it.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Lastly, I want to ask you to share with us how business owners can reach you.

Grace Hameister:

Oh, of course, obviously, you can get on to Food FiXR. That's our website, F-O-O-D, F capital X capital R, or FoodFiXR.com You can always email me and get in contact with me through LinkedIn. I'm Grace Hameister... you can find me on LinkedIn. The (un)Common Medicine podcast is the podcast we're talking about, and that's uncommonmedicine.com and any of the social tags that you can possibly think of Instagram, Facebook, we've got a little bit of TikTok going on and we do have a YouTube channel. Both of them are uncommonmed or foodfixr, and you can follow us on all of those. Food FiXR is also on LinkedIn too. So remember, Food FiXR does not have an ER. It's XR because we're doing more tech in augmented reality and all kinds of good things that we want to integrate in with web 3.0 as it's growing. So, FoodFiXR.com

Jessica Ollenburg:

Thank you so much for this discussion. I've really enjoyed it. It's been so informative. We got our moments of laughter, wisdom, lightbulb. It's been wonderful. Thanks so much for joining today.

Grace Hameister:

Absolutely my pleasure, Jess! It's always always awesome to collaborate with you and see you and I can't wait to, you know, keep that relationship going and keep each other in the loop as things are improving. Good job on the podcast. By the way, I love seeing you in this spot.

Jessica Ollenburg:

Oh, great. Thank you. Thanks for all the support. It's it's been a wonderful journey and lots of fun having good conversations with interesting people like you!

Grace Hameister:

Thanks, Jess. Thanks so much.

Jessica Ollenburg:

All right. Thanks again.

People on this episode

Contributor

Jessica Ollenburg

Host
Contributor

John Ollenburg

Co-host