Transcript…

In this episode, you will learn:

There is not only one end all be all modality for everyone. Everyone is different, so something that works for someone else, may not necessarily work for you.
The Vagus Nerve is the key to regulating your nervous system and calming your mind and body
Meditation does not have to look like for you, what it typically looks like for others. It can be active meditation, yoga, going for a walk in nature without your phone, music, or headphones, going for a run, etc, focusing on your breath, getting out of your mind.

Episode 34: Take Your Power Back

Katie Wrigley 0:08

This is the pain changer podcast episode 34. Last week, magic Barclay came back to provide guidance on how you can become your own health advocate. Talk about starting to step into your own power. This week we’re diving deeper into personal power and how to take back your power with Natalie Viglione. Natalie has an amazing journey around her own severe health issues. And what she found was the biggest help to regaining her health. Stay tuned. That’s coming up next. Natalie Viglione blends creativity with science as an entrepreneur. She’s a cycle breaker, truth seeker, an intuitive healer, and a vessel for life and business guidance. She helps entrepreneurial humans take their power back so they can heal in both their life and business, and be empowered to creatively push their gifts into the world through clarity and intention. I Love that empowerment bit. She guides people to remember how to become conscious co creators with the universe. She brings this work into the world with her husband, Mark Viglione, and through several brands that cohesively work together to support and serve others. Wow, thank you for that background, and welcome to the pain changer podcast, Natalie, so happy to have you with me today.

Natalie Viglione 1:37

Thank you, Katie, this is awesome. I’m glad to be here. This is a, you know, a topic near and dear to all of our hearts here. So I’m excited to dive in.

Katie Wrigley 1:49

Awesome. I am too. So let’s just go ahead and do that. You have a really awesome background in corporate and I love that you combine business and spirituality into your entrepreneurship now. What was that journey like for you to explore and what did your corporate life look like before you started to bring spirituality into it?

Natalie Viglione 2:11

Um, well, you know, it was interesting, because that journey through corporate was actually quite fast, hard and it asked a lot of me. And I have a lot of energy. I always have and so I gave all of that plus some. And little did I know that it was depleting me greatly as I kept going. And so it was very interesting, because the spirituality part of me really blossomed when I was really young. And I was always connected to something else, something more, and I was always the odd person out in my family. And you know, it was just very, it was that outlier experience, I was very much that. So as I really dove into the corporate world, to go up as fast as I possibly could, I started to kind of separate the spiritual self from the corporate self, and therefore I was not integrated fully. It was like, it was a super secret power. And I utilized it but I was very quiet about it. And rarely did I talk about it unless I was in an environment in which I felt safe, which was very, you know, being in the New York City realm for that big push in that career, that’s a very, very disconnected all over the place kind of city. And so therefore, it was rare to find a safe place for me to feel like I could open that vessel in me completely. So yeah, it was very, it was not integrated. And that really, I think, hurt me more than I could really even fathom.

Katie Wrigley 4:21

Yeah, and so much of what you just said there. I just want to pause for a moment cuz I know I haven’t given you a chance to fully answer that very long question I asked but so much of what you just shared resonates. I’ve also been an outlier. And I put my heart and soul into corporate and that was part of how I wound up disabled and I’m not knocking corporate. That is a great lifestyle for the right kind of person that thrives in that environment. And I know plenty of people who do. It’s just an environment I found I didn’t thrive in. But it is a wonderful place for a lot of other people. So, where was the point that you wanted to just shift and start to get out of this disjointed nature that I’m hearing and start to combine your spirituality with your business sense and bring this into one whole person?

Natalie Viglione 5:14

Yes. Well, you know the interesting note about the corporate thing, it’s like, not all corporations runs the same way. No. And I was, you know, in a very specific industry, and it was an ad agency marketing agency, this, you know, Fifth Avenue, New York City lifestyle, and it was toxic to say, just because that is that industry truly. And I have meandered that road and different cities, and it’s, it’s the same for everybody. And so, you know, that we got to pick our industries very carefully, but I always thought the creative industry would be the most embracing. It’s like, so not the truth. So what I started to realize, when I, when I got into that Vice President realm, and so you know, I was really, truly trying to move up that ladder. And then I was like, “Where the F is this ladder going, by the way, Natalie? Did you think about this?” Like, yes, your paychecks just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. But is that bringing you happiness? Is that bringing you really anything? And the truth of the matter is, No. That answer was, you know, that was not the piece of me that … I was not being fulfilled through that. And so there was a point, I’ll never just never forget this, because I was already in that place of, there were a lot of toxic things happening in yet another agency, and I was like, you know, this is really showing me that I’m not co creating, I’m actually creating against the purpose within myself. And I felt the split of my soul, so you know, my higher self, whatever you would like, I say that, because that’s a higher dimension for me and I’m connected to, saying “You can keep going this pathway and it will serve you as well as it can and you can do well but you’re going to be disconnected from this.” And I sat there and I realized that that was true. So I had to say no, and I had to stop. And I went to this conference, Mama Gina is this woman that runs this conference in New York, and she has a business there called the School of womanly arts. And all I needed was one day, all day, like until it was like 9am to like 3am. And all I needed was that kick in the pants. Because on Monday, I went in and I said, I’m out. Oh, wow. And I left I didn’t, I had had kind of a plan. But I didn’t really know the full scope of what that would look like. And so that was my day that I said, I cannot choose this toxic path anymore. It’s just that I am done. And there we are.

Katie Wrigley 8:15

That’s not an easy decision to make, you know, so often in society, and our culture will lead us to go for the six, seven digit jobs. And we don’t often pause to think, okay, what are we giving up in return for that nice, big cushy paycheck, and I discovered similar, I was chasing the money wanting to oh, this is gonna make me feel good. And when I reached my goal, very early in my career, I was like, now what? I was lost for years until I got connected to my purpose. And I started to, what I call, wake up. I started understanding the higher self, I started to understand that God isn’t something that people just talk about to scare you, Source is a real thing. And I started to really tap into that. But what you just mentioned there, that’s not like… you just didn’t wake up and go, “Yeah, I’m done.” Like, there was a lot of things that happened, you know, and this woman, thank goodness for her, she helped you really see that in a different way. And it’s so interesting, because I have this conversation a lot with people and I’ve noticed myself, you know, I’m in this big transition of my own. And I keep thinking back to those times where I had the paycheck regardless of what I did. And my mind tries to tell me it was better then. And I know my mind is lying. I’m like, “No, I was not better. That’s lying. Get out of my root chakra, go somewhere else.” I ask, what does my heart want? And I have much better results that way. I don’t know about you.

Natalie Viglione 9:51

Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah, yes. Yes.

Katie Wrigley 9:56

So you had mentioned I don’t think we’ve really highlighted this but you did mention that you wound up running into a severe health issue at some point in this journey with these different ad agencies. And my understanding is, is what you’ve described that the New York ad agency life, it’s very high pressure, it’s very, very draining unless you are purpose built for that kind of work. And even then it’s probably still draining. So how challenging was it for you to be trying to run your business when you were dealing with your health issue, and if you’re comfortable, zero pressure, if you’re comfortable to share a little about what happened in your body, and how this got rolled into everything that you’re doing today?

Natalie Viglione 10:39

Yes, this is actually really important to talk about, because I think we need to share our stories of healing and the pathway and what it was, that was the wake up call that something else is happening, because here’s the truth, this is the crazy part. So there’s one thing in my life that I’ve always had, and I’m really, like, really getting this more and more, I had a very poor image of my body. So I had a little bout of anorexia in my high school days. And, you know, I was an athlete, and, you know, I played a lot of different sports, I went from like, softball to cheerleading, and then I was playing soccer and then running. So I’ve been extremely fit, extremely focused on, you know, Exercise and Health and, and very, very focused on health and wellness, like my whole life. But you know, very poor body image. So there’s a whole bunch of reasons why that’s like a whole other podcast episode. But I’ve put some big puzzle pieces together. So interestingly, we don’t talk about our birth ever. Hmm. And I’ve gone back to that moment in time. And what I’ve put together, which is fascinating, and for anyone listening, talk to whoever you can about your birth, because that tells us a lot of secrets. Yes. So I was born a preemie two months early. So the cool thing was, it was the seventh month, July on the seventh day, and I was born, you know, the gestation period was only seven months. So I’m like, clearly sevens, my number. So, yeah, but my father so I was born in 78. So my father was a Vietnam vet. Agent Orange poured and dumped onto those poor beings. The entire vegetation. I mean, if you look at that area now, it’s like an atomic bomb went off in that, you know, I mean, Agent Orange is, it’s murderous. And so, we just need to be very clear on this. So I was born with low IgA, which means my immunity system is not set up for success. So I was already hitting life with this low IgA situation, which is immunoglobulin A. And so you either have it or you don’t. It’s either there or not, it’s not low or high. It’s really like you have it, or it’s really not here. And that is what I’ve tied into some lawsuits happening over that whole thing with other people across the globe, that a lot of people have that same issue. Oh, wow. So low immune function. My father did too. And so you get infections, super easy. And so I dealt with that all grown like when I was little, like, you know, always strep throat constantly all year round. So then, you know, the doctors tear out your tonsils. I was like, first line of defense, they tear it out. Cool… Not cool. Not cool. So, you know, it’s just like one thing after another. Well, when I hit, I was in my early 20s. And I had black mold situation happen. I was extremely ill, like, extremely for a good year, and got out, I finally realized what was happening, got out of it, and also got out of the toxic relationship that that all was attached to. And the interesting thing is that, you know, thinking back now I’m like, I had an infection, I had sinus infections constantly. I always, always got this like bronchial, you know, bronchitis or just bronchial infections constantly. Eventually, gut infections were a massive thing. But you know, I was kind of operating at this high level anyway. So it’s like, I wasn’t noticing all that stuff. Right. So you just think everybody gets these things, everyone gets sinus infections constantly. No, not true. Everybody gets, you know, bronchial infections constantly. Nope, not true either. So I was operating at a level that was not good. Right nor positive, but I was moving so quickly. It’s like, I didn’t really take time to notice that that’s not supposed to be that way. Because it didn’t really stop me. You know, I mean, it did when I hit the black mold in that early time. That stopped me for a good year. I mean, it caused I can’t even name all the things that it had that had happened, you know, eye infections. I had insomnia for a year . It was horrendous. So fast forward, and this is a long answer, but fast forward into the moving into the business and starting this, you know, it was interesting, because we left New York City to come down and move elsewhere, which was probably four, four years ago, or so. Maybe almost five now. But the interesting thing is, it’s like when I was in my late 30s, it all just caught up. And what happened was weight gain massive, I’m not, I’m not talking 20 pounds, I’m talking 50. I’m talking 70 pounds of like, just so no matter what I do, if I don’t eat for a week, I gain weight. If I do eat like, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t work out enough. I couldn’t eat healthy enough. Nothing was working, nothing. And of course, you know, I started going into the traditional methods, conventional medicine, and they had no answers, and made me feel even worse. And I was like, you know, and I only went that path because I needed some tests done. Right. So my symptoms hit and it was just, weight gain for no reason, which hits you on every level.

Katie Wrigley 17:12

Yes. And especially as someone who had been struggling with body image already to have that hit you. And so much of your story resonates with me. Thank you for your vulnerability, like the being an outlier. Like I said, the constant infections, the “take out the tonsils to solve the sinus infection problem”, and I’m still at this age. I’m 47 now, I’m just diving into the root analysis, because I now know that’s possible, like, “Oh! I can actually find the core of all my issues? Really? Let’s find it!” But oh my gosh, I’m so sorry that you had to experience all of it. And I too, I had, I had the inability to lose weight, it didn’t matter what I did. And I was so depressed and my energy was so low. And in my case, it was from something completely different that I was able to actually quickly turn around once I found the right doctor to help me. But until then, you know, you said the same thing, they make you feel worse, like all these traditional, conventional, allopathic doctors keep going “your blood work is normal, your blood work is normal.” I’m like, “I’m 33 and I need a nap after I go to the gym. What part of that is normal to you?” “Well, your blood work is fine.” I’m like, “But it’s not. I’m not functioning. I am too young to need a nap after a workout. I’m not 80. I’m barely into my 30s. I should be bouncing off the walls with energy and I’m not.” And yeah. And I felt like I was so self conscious even going to another doctor and I went to a functional medicine doctor who had an allopathic background, had shifted to a holistic side and he changed my life. And I started to feel healthy again. So what happened after the weight gain piece? What was next and tying it back into the business too? Of course, when you Yeah, I’m sure it’s going to intersect soon.

Natalie Viglione 19:19

Yeah, I mean, you know, the interesting part is, as soon as I left corporate, and you know, I was moving into my own business. It’s like, all these symptoms hit me and I was like, that’s interesting. That’s something that you think about because for me, you know, I went into this, I’m healthy and fit. I wasn’t worrying about my weight. Like it was just there and it was like, I just kept it. It was just, you know, for 15, 17 years it was just okay, it was there and it was good. It was fine. I think any woman is always thinking “Well I need to be thinner and better” because that’s the constant social norm. That’s what we’re told is supposed to be that way. And it’s not. So when that all hit and that was, you know, 2017, I think is when that really came down on me hard, now starts the pathway of finding a person to help you, which is like, man, is that challenging because healers often, you know, there’s a lot of missing info, the websites suck, or you can’t get the information you want, or they’re hidden because they’re hidden for a reason because they’re so good. It needs to be more balanced. But anyway, finding the path to healing has been, I am still literally on that path. Because it’s been so many puzzle pieces, putting it all together. I didn’t even get a mycotoxin test, until I was in a random conversation with a potential client in Alaska. And for me, you know, for the creative business that I run, and she said, “You know, everything you talk about sounds like you have mold.” I was like, “Oh my God. You’re the first person that said that”. So anyway, it led me down that pathway and sure enough, boom, off the charts with two, you know, major strands in the chart of the mycotoxins. Wow. And I was like, “Okay, that’s what I’m dealing with.” Well, yes, on one level, then the second level is my whole body’s inverted. It can’t burn fat, it doesn’t understand what that process needs to be. So it’s called, syndrome X, it’s called metabolic syndrome, there’s so many names. But at the end of the day, something is not working right in your body. And what I found out even further than that, in most of this is my own research, because I’m the healer I was also waiting for.

Katie Wrigley 22:10

Nice. Me too

Natalie Viglione 22:14

Exactly, we all are at the end of the day, because we know our bodies, if we listen, we listen. And so I figured out through the root root cause protocol, which is a book called Cure Fatigue. And the minerals in our body are so important, and this is something that, you know, there’s literally hardly any naturopaths who know about this. It’s like this unknown science. And that has been the key to be like, “Oh, my God, that’s like, the missing element that I needed”. So, you know, I’m on this new path of like, the new protocol and doing all these things, saunas, you know, foot baths and like, all this stuff. So all of this finding the right healer and going within to find the truth as to what can actually work. You know, I’m running a business and my emotional wellness is like, totally screwed. And, you know, I’m just, it’s like, you’re trying, you’re doing a balancing act. And I’m one of those people that I show up no matter what, for everybody. Because if I can’t even show it for myself, and then I can’t show it for other people, then to me that is not success. So I’ve kept that I will always show up no matter what I feel like. And that has really kept me going because you do stuff to start to get into the mind that you are serving others. But then you know, as my husband actually has, has pointed out, he’s like, “But you need to serve yourself. Where are you in this equation?” Yes. So that’s something we really need to remember. So as we put all these puzzle pieces together, because again, that is really who it’s going to take. We have to do this ourselves. Because someone drops wisdom over here. Someone drops some wisdom over here. You know, someone says something over here, and you’re like, Oh, if I put these all together, man, do I have a picture!

Katie Wrigley 24:20

Yes, absolutely. I love the way you said that. And we are all so unique. Right? Like I think I heard somewhere. It may have been a different podcast that we have, like, there’s only 5% of us that makes us different, but that 5% is vastly different and varying and that means the same diet isn’t going to work for everybody. The same healing methods are not going to work for everybody. Everybody is going to think their method is a silver bullet. There is no silver bullet. I would like to think my method is, I know it’s not. Not everybody’s going to be able to do what I do. And that’s why I have this podcast too. One of the reasons, is to introduce other modalities and help people be able to put the puzzle pieces together like you just so eloquently said, Natalie, and figure out what the best healing path is for them, and it’s tapping into the body. Once you find the key to unlock your wellness, there’s no stopping you, you’re unstoppable. The hard part is where did you put the key? Where do you find it? But once you find it, you’re off, you’re off to the races, like Natalie is.

Natalie Viglione 25:34

Yes, exactly. Yeah, you know, that has been the biggest learning lesson for me is to very clearly get that there is not anything that’s the same for anyone. No. And that’s the problem with a lot of people that have put together these quote unquote programs. And it’s like, it doesn’t work that way. You cannot put me into that box. Sorry. Because that box is not going to work for everybody, period. Ever. And so that’s why working with you know, several different kinds of modalities, or, in my case, I don’t know 10. Bringing those all together, because it’s all the options, and then ensuring that you’re making, you know, the decisions that are right for your healing journey, because it’s not ever going to be the same. Even if somebody else has mycotoxin, quote unquote, illness. It’s not going to be the same. No, it’s not the same strands. It’s not the same combination. It’s not, what else is it? You know, a company you’ve been with how long has it been? I mean, it’s just, it’s vast?

Katie Wrigley 26:52

Oh, yes.

Natalie Viglione 26:54

Vast. That’s been the most beautiful, I think learning honestly.

Katie Wrigley 27:02

Yeah. And it is beautiful, when you can see that because I don’t know if this happened with you, but it immediately created this collaborative environment in my head of like, “Ooh, I have an offer and this isn’t going to work for everybody, for whatever reason”, you know, like, and again, you know, I build flexibility into my program. So I’m running a program right now. And I’m encouraging meditation. I’m encouraging other modalities, other pieces of it, because it’s not, there is no silver bullet. There’s just faster and slower paths.

Natalie Viglione 27:35

It doesn’t exist.

Katie Wrigley 27:38

No it doesn’t. But I mean, I love my modality. I’m sure you love your modalities, you know, but it’s wonderful to give people choices on these. So let’s take this as an opportunity to segue into some of what you do. How can it help people who are struggling with any kind of pain? And I actually want to just go back really quick to when you had mentioned that your emotions were suffering, your mental state will precede your physical state period. Yeah, you can’t have good physical health and poor mental health, it doesn’t work that way. They’re either both going really well, or you’re struggling in both areas. You’re one person. Those are not separate areas of health, they are linked. Yes, it makes a big difference. When you start to tap into it and start to look at it that way, like your mental health and your physical health. You’re going to want to build those because they are linked. Focus on one or the other, and you will automatically help the other one but they are linked. So how can your programs and what you and your husband are doing help people who are struggling with chronic illnesses, chronic pain, emotional or physical or both, whatever it may be, or any other autoimmune, any kind of condition that has the label “chronic” in air quotes there?

Natalie Viglione 28:59

Yes, yes. Yeah, I like that air quotes because, you know, they are chronic, but it’s not forever. As long as we take action and know what we’re doing as best we can. Yeah, so interesting, another part of this whole journey is that ignited, I’m very connected to divine, I’m very connected into higher spirit, I’m very, I’m very much a channel so I am automatic, right, and I do a lot of things. So a lot of things come through. And in all of that process, what came through to me was a big “Whoa, wake up, lady, you’re like an ancient being, you’re a healer. Wake up to that. This is why you’re in the process of healing”. So I was like, Okay, so that’s what really kicked off the master herbalism program and getting into that, moving into nutrition because again, what I will encompass, and this is like the future, you know, business model right now, we’re serving the creative side. So helping entrepreneurs. How do you get your magic into the world creatively? Because you need to use your throat chakra to ignite and tell your truth, speak your truth. Give the world what you are offering so that people can be brought into the fold of that needle you have. That is one side of it. But then on the other side, this Disrupt Now side, that’s called Team Gu, which Gu is sort for gurus. So on the Disrupt Now side, you know, this has been, this was brought in through a dream, right? I saw the logo, everything. And that is about embracing transformation, because the only thing that’s constant in this world is change. Constant utter change all the time, including our bodies. So what is your magic? What is your unique gift? Figure out what’s unique, get clear on that, have intention and how you create, move into the creative side of things, you know, using that clarity. And man, those two things working together, from my perspective is like how people create balance, and that is harmony. But bringing this health aspect in is so massive. Wow. Because again, as you know, as we well know, when you are working, when you are an entrepreneur, when you are dealing with chronic issues, there are days when you are broken, and you almost feel like you cannot… “How am I supposed to keep doing this again? I’m sorry, I’m not understanding this process because it’s just some days, it’s almost like you’re not going to get through the day. And then you do. Yep. And then something, you know, a synchronicity comes into your life and you’re like, “Okay, thank you . We’re gonna keep going, we’re working”. But this health aspect and bringing this into what we do is going to be so imperative because, again, there is no nutrition that’s right for everybody, but there are foundations of truth that we need to weave into understanding your body. At least get the uniqueness. That’s going to just bring balance in, just a whole new light that brings into the awareness is so powerful. And then, you know, from my perspective, the Earth has everything that we need to heal, as does the sun. And so therefore, to me, I’m tapping into the ancient wisdom of what the Earth has to offer. And for me, that’s called Earth magic. Some people call it plant medicine, some people call it herbal medicine, Earth magic, you know, and so if I can really, like really get that to help people to provide, you know, that unique wisdom to just help them balance in even more ways. That’s why I’m doing this and adding it into what we already do. Because it’s so imperative. I mean, like you said, and when one of our imbalances starts to become so imbalanced, like I’ve had this issue recently, fully realizing I am stuck in my Sacral Chakra, right now I need to really detox that sucker. And I really need to tune that up. So my psyche is dying because it’s so caught in what I look like. It’s like I look in the mirror and go, “That body is not mine, by the way. I don’t know what you think I’m supposed to do with this stupid thing”. Just these words that I say to myself and my husband has been my reflection saying, “Do you hear yourself?”

Katie Wrigley 33:57

Wow. Yeah, we don’t sometimes. The words we use to speak to ourselves are so important. You know, and every time you’re looking at your body and you’re not feeling like it’s yours, there’s a disconnection that’s trying to take place in there. And it’s yes, it can be really powerful to divide you or unite you. I just want to take one little break here because we’ve mentioned chakra a couple of times, so if that is a new term for anyone listening, they’re also referred to as energy centers. Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about energy centers and these have been proven with science. We actually have seven centers depending on roughly seven, some identify with more, some identify with less, depending on what kind of modality you’re using, talking about chakras between Pranic Healing Reiki, whatever it may be, there’s pretty much seven that everybody agrees on that go from basically your core or your crotch up to the top of your head, which is your crown, your connection to Source universe, God, whatever you call it, your root chakra is all about survival. That’s all that Chakra cares about, the Sacral Chakra, and I’m really super simplifying. Sacral Chakra is basically your pleasure center, Solar Plexus, your third one up, that’s right in your Solar Plexus area. Your Sacral Chakra is right about your belly button. The Solar Plexus, a sense of self, Heart, is exactly where you think it is. Heart Chakra is where your heart is. It’s about love. Throat chakra is your voice. Natalie’s already mentioned that. Your Third Eye chakra, sitting right behind your logical mind. Sometimes they are in conjunction with each other, sometimes not. It’s really interesting to see a difference in a cognomovement session. Crown, connection to Source, your higher self is the one at the top of your head. So that’s just a basic rundown of chakras because we’ve mentioned it a few times. So just want to give a reference for anyone going “What the hell is a chakra?” That’s a chakra. And the most basic way I can dumb it down, they do so much more than what I just said. But there is a ton of healing available to us just in the chakra system alone. ,

Natalie Viglione 36:04

Yeah. And you know how a really interesting way to tie this all together because I’m also very much into Tai Chi and Qi Gong and bringing these modalities in. And that’s, that’s my other way of, you know, sometimes we really need to think about the exercise that we do. That is extremely important as well. But you know, the interesting thing is that any healing, ancient healing practice 1000s, and 1000s, and 1000s, and 1000s, many, many, many 1000s of years old, they’re talking about the same stuff. You know, there’s many chakras, all over our body, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurvedic. But the really simple way to think about this, too, is that we have a vagus nerve in our body. That vagus nerve touches everything in our body, this whole spinal column, every organ, every system. Yep. And that’s what can turn on our relaxed state. So talking about de-stressing, getting into a better emotional and mental state. I mean, just activating our vagus nerve is like, a very simple way of, you know, what Chi Gong and Tai Chi, all these things are talking about, is really getting into this system that’s within us. And this, this vagus nerve is like all the things if you do any research, just type in activating vagus nerve, and you’ll just tap into tons of wisdom. And you know, that took me a long time to really see “oh, there it is! Okay, this is really what everybody’s talking about!” And our belly button is like this massive, cosmic doorway to healing. And, man, there’s just so many cool things that can be learned around that alone. Anxiety, depression, emotional, you know, just that feeling of stress inside of your body. And if you have chronic health issues, your internal state is so stressed. Because if there’s inflammation, you know, these kinds of practices just help to tap into that relaxed state, which is more needed than I can even… I don’t think there’s words to put around how important that is.

Katie Wrigley 38:25

Oh yeah, exactly. You said that perfectly. I’m almost stuttering over here, because I’m like, “No, there literally is no other better way to say it than how you just did. The vagus nerve, we touch on that in every single cognomovement session. I do. We turn our head to the side and we give a big yawn and your vagus nerve goes “Ahhh ” when you do that, and it releases energy. And you’re right, there is a ton to that in there to be able to access that and I think it also shifts you from your sympathetic to your parasympathetic nervous system as well. The parasympathetic is what relaxes you, helps you down regulate and everything. And you know, it’s funny that you said if you’re in chronic pain, we start to get into a state of perpetual fight or flight. I’m saying we because I used to be in chronic pain, even though I’m not anymore. And recently, last week, I was totally shocked to learn that I have adrenal fatigue and ADHD. So they’re balancing each other out right now. But the adrenal fatigue, I was really surprised to find it because I work with the ball all the time but I’m not focused on adrenal fatigue. I can’t feel it in my body and that’s a core of what’s needed for my modalities. You have to feel it, but my naturopath was like “I would have hated to have seen this two years ago like if this is the state that you’re in now” like her words were, “I don’t want to say you have the worst case of adrenal fatigue I’ve ever seen. But it’s really bad”. Well, thanks like, and I don’t say thanks because she’s you know, because she gave it to me straight. She didn’t sugarcoat it and she gave me information I can take action on. Yeah, I’m already taking supplements. She set the expectation. It’s going to be a few months. Yeah. And so this also gives me time to say, “Okay, well, I’ve got three months until I’m bouncing off the wall and the ADHD starts to get at hand”. So let’s just go ahead and rein that in unnatural ways now so when we’re feeling better we’re operating on all four cylinders right out of the gate, fueling myself, you talked about diet, one of my coaches gave this great analogy: “You cannot expect to get to the moon without rocket fuel. Doritos are not rocket fuel”. Good point! And so I think about, what fuel do I need for my body? What fuel do I need right now? And I have like plant based everything going on in my kitchen right now. Everything’s healthy. Everything is as close to organic, local as I can possibly get. And I feel so much better with rocket fuel in my body because I’m going to the moon, I’m going places. I need to fuel my body just like you. I’m totally getting deja vu talking to you right now. Just so you know.

Natalie Viglione 41:19

Yes, yes. You know, and that was a root cause protocol. Coming into my sphere was one of the most imperative research mechanisms that became another catalyst for me to realize, you know, we’re always looking at blood tests. Yeah, sure. They have some basis and there’s some foundation there. Oh, but look at what about a mineral test? A toxic test? Yeah, I highly recommend people go and check that out. Because when your minerals are off, your entire system is completely screwed. And the problem is that our food, it’s the food, if we talked about this food thing, and you know, this organic, you know, there’s regenerative farming, which is a hold up because what we have today is an extremely toxic food situation happening because of the soil. So the toxicity of the soil is causing massive problems. So what’s happening is, there’s no longer any copper in our foods. And so this copper imbalance is causing an iron imbalance. And so, in fact, what I’m realizing more and more is that, you know, this quote, unquote, I don’t even like the word, but this quote unquote, obesity problem. This is, you know, there are so many people like me that are doing everything right. And completely inverted in our bodies, and it nothing is working and you’re like, What is going on? What’s going on is the toxic world. And we have chemicals in the foods, you know, glyphosate, that’s off the charts for me, herbicides, pesticides, anything like that. And what happens over time is it gets into the soil and the soil is so depleted of nutrients. And so there’s a lot of farmers all over the world that are focused on soil health, and that alone will help our food so it’s like, you know, we can get as organic and as local as possible. But what’s this other level? This other level is also this regenerative soil process and practice to bring and regenerate health and nutrients back into our soil again. And if this can keep growing and growing and growing, you know, then we can help these imbalances in our bodies become the right side up again and help people that you know, this whole, this whole concept of having a healthy body image and how many people are dealing with more weight on their body than there should be, you know, I just want to share that this isn’t because everybody is stuffing junk food down their face their all day every day. Yes, some people are, yes. And that’s a whole, you know, process and an easily fixed one, like, you know, but there’s a whole slew of people in this world that aren’t doing those kinds of things, and still getting these kinds of awful results in their body. And I just, I really want to voice and talk about this, because I think that’s what I’m here to help show. And to help, you know, demonstrate that you can do everything right, and if everything feels wrong, we’re dealing with some other things getting to that root.

Katie Wrigley 46:11

Yeah. And, you know, you brought up a good point that the toxicity, you know, that’s around us. And I just started to learn about that type of farming method we’re talking about that is starting to reverse and really replenish the soil. Because if you want to be healthy right now, you either already have your dirt go in, in a way and you are a home farm, her farmer getting all your crops, or you are supplementing the hell out of your life. Like I take a ton of supplements, and I have experimented with different amounts and the ones that I’m on now. Yeah, it’s expensive per month. But my ability to function with and without them is remarkable. And, you know, listening to episodes I recorded earlier as I first started in them and commenting on the difference in my body and like, “Oh, I’d forgotten that’s how I felt. Yeah, these are working”. And it’s easy for me to stay there. And it’s funny, because my partner comments all the time. He’s like, “You take so much crap”, I’m like, “I don’t take crap actually, I’m taking supplements that I’m not getting from my food”. So there’s a big difference. Like, you’re not seeing a slew of Big Pharma bottles in my medicine cabinet to cover symptoms from the toxicity. My body is trying to get out of, you see supplements that are activating my body that are allowing me to work through this on my own to have my body producing the things my body needs for myself. Exactly. But it’s, you know, and for anyone listening, you know, you mentioned that we’re going back to the ancient ways, and one of the things I heard in early life is like, oh, we have all these new developments. And yes, we have all these new developments. Personally, and I can’t say this definitively, because not everybody and I haven’t honestly looked at the data. But I feel a big reason we see a lot of people going back to these ancient remedies is because what we are doing and what we are told works, doesn’t work. The allopathic method is great for certain things for acute conditions. When you have a sinus infection before you go for the root analysis, you’re gonna want to get rid of the infection, there’s a lot of play for allopathic doctors, they are not the be all and end all they are only looking at your physical body, they are not taking your mental state into account. They are not taking your spiritual state into account. They and I’ve said this in other episodes, they are leaving a lot on the table and I love my allopathic doctor, she’s great. And I only go to her for a limited subset of stuff I need. I go to my naturopath for other things that I need because she and she’s the one who diagnosed the adrenal fatigue. You know, one of the first questions someone asked is, “How do you know it’s accurate?” I’m like “Because the line showing where I am, is my energy pattern”. Yeah, it’s clear this is not a false test. And that’s something else to be cautious of. Double check anything you’re looking into online. Not everybody is authentic, not everybody has a valid way to help you. There are a lot of scams out there. So reach out to Natalie, she’s a real person, she is a real healer, she legitimately authentically wants to help. And so I just wanted to bring that awareness to and I’m curious, you know, the toxicities in the body and the other thing that I’ve noticed and in myself too, the other thing that can keep weight trapped in your body or or prevent you from gaining more weight if you’re on the side where you want to add more weight to your body, our emotions can be trapped in there. So I wish you guys could see Natalie’s face she just like “Ahhh yeaaaah”, and part of what you do with herbs can that help on the emotional piece of it as well to help like grief getting that stuck in your body? Who cow that’s going to slow you down angst, shame. Ooh, and all the years of body shame. Where do you think that goes? If you don’t acknowledge it? It stays, it goes nowhere if you don’t acknowledge it.

Natalie Viglione 50:03

That’s the Sacral, man, that is where that is, our relationship to ourselves, you know? So one of my favorite herbs right now is milk thistle. Not only does it smell amazing, I know I need it. So, I’ve worked so hard to help to support my liver to get all of these toxins out of my body. And that while the milk thistle is working to support your level, and this is just one example, right? To support your liver in helping it detox and get cleaner faster and to help move things through. Because I mean, the liver is like the biggest organ in your body. It’s massive. It’s massive. And the work that it does is, I mean, extremely important. And, you know, what it also works on is helping decrease the anger, that feeling of like rage, you know, so it’s working on this emotional side as well. So these herbs have, you know, herbs have chi, which is energy, just like humans, all things do, actually everything’s conscious. A book I recommend for everybody is The Secret Life of Plants. That book is mind blowing, amazing. It shows us with science, that everything is conscious, including minerals, like, you know, crystals and such minerals. So the whole world, the whole universe is alive, conscious and aware. How and so while we take these things into our body, it can work on that. But there’s this other side, which again, this was reflected to me extremely recently. So, why I think it’s so fresh on my mind. You know, if you’re a spiritual person, if you are very much connected to divinity, and you feel that within you, you know, this meditative affirmations and things of this nature are so important. Like it’s amazing when you really start to think like, okay, if I’m pissed off all the time, which I am often, because I am pissed that there are so many talks in this world that we have been poisoned with. I’m pissed. Well, guess what that does, that increases bile. So my gallbladder is like all kinds of screwed up because it’s being pissed. It’s like, angry. I have bile for things happening out here. So our emotional state is actually affecting our organs. Oh, yes, absolutely. And we have to be very aware of this. And you know, it’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to not remember how much this mental state of being even angry at things like toxins, and how that’s affecting your insides. So I mean, bringing the big part of healing is also this meditative affirmations, bringing things in that can help us go “Woosah”. Remember, just remember,

Katie Wrigley 53:10

Yes! We call that down regulating the nervous system. And conscious meditation is a great way to be able to do that. And if you’re like me, you have the hyperactive mind. Meditation does not have to be sitting still torturing yourself, because that’s torture for me, which was very hard for me to admit. But I will take a walk in the woods without music and I will get the same. So a meditation can be active, it does not have to be passive. And if the idea of sitting still for five minutes makes you want to scream, then don’t do it. Go walk for five minutes without headphones on, without your phone. Unless you’re tracking your mileage, then go for it. But put it in your back pocket where you’re not tempted. Turn it off, put it in, do not disturb and be. That counts as meditation, it is connection to self. It is allowing time for all those survival instincts, all those survival hormones, all those to settle down, connect to the breath. And any thoughts that keep going through your head, just send them in a boat, send them on a boat, put him in the clouds, whatever visual works for you. I like a shitty little raft. And send them on a shitty little raft downstream. Just like “that’s not serving me, go on my little raft because I don’t care if you fall in the river or not. You don’t serve me.” Yeah, that’s what works for me but find whatever visual works for you. It counts as a meditation. You know, it doesn’t have to look like someone else’s meditation. As long as you feel the way the visual of what meditation looks like, you’re meditating.

Natalie Viglione 54:39

Yeah, and I don’t think that people really, really get either because this other Tai Chi practice, Qi Gong practice, is moving meditation at its finest. So that is another you know, it’s just there are so many ways to do that. And you know, that’s why I don’t like to say prayer and I like to really say minute meditation because we get this immediate visual, you know, visual of what those things are attached to. Right? And it’s like, it’s just be still and/or be still and move.

Katie Wrigley 55:15

Yep, yoga, it’s a great way to meditate, moving your body and some of the yoga poses, you know, we heard recently from another guest. It’s not a specific pose, but the movements are meant to free the energy and the emotions out of your body that absolutely you don’t have to meditate and do yoga, you can meditate in yoga, you can meditate with Tai Chi, you can meditate with Chi Gong, anything that is these, these, what they call the soft arts, I believe is how they’re referred to. And there’s so many benefits other than the physicality of it. And that spiritual thing, you know, even if you’re sitting here, wanting to deny the existence of a higher force, I get it. A lot of people who had religion crammed down their throat really feel like it’s safer to be an atheist. What I found, though, when you can find a way to refer to a higher power as energy as source as the source as God, whatever works for you, it gives this extra level of accountability, to remind you that this work is worth it. Whatever else is going on in your life, you’re here, you’re here for a reason. And your body is a vessel you’re living in. And the better you can treat it, the easier it’s going to be to be fulfilled to be in your purpose to live the life you actually want. Yes, exactly. Where can people find you, Natalie? And then I would love to have you just kind of we’ll end on a positive note as well. But where can people find you, Natalie, to reach out?

Natalie Viglione 56:54

Yes, I think the easiest place is NatalieViglione.com. Super easy, because you can explore one of the places that feels good to you. So we have team Gu, and then the Disrupt now Program and a podcast. And then we started a fun like product company, which has healing candles, and my husband does jewelry. And so with crystals and stones, so it’s like supportive products for all these different things. So yeah, NatalieViglione.com is the best place to just see all the things.

Katie Wrigley 57:35

Beautiful. And we’ll make sure we link to your site and also link to the book that you recommended. It was The Secret Life of Plants.

Natalie Viglione 57:42

Yes. And the Cure Fatigue. Yeah, yes.

Katie Wrigley 57:45

Yes. Okay. So we’ll make sure to link both books. And also make sure we link to your site as well. I thank you so much, again, for coming on the show today. Natalie, this has been such a pleasure to talk to you and see your energy and just so much in your story in mind parallel. And I’m just happy to be on this healing journey along with you.

Natalie Viglione 57:52

Yes, thank you, Katie.

Katie Wrigley 57:55

As a last note, before we wrap up, where would you suggest someone start up their hearing this and going, “Oh, my gosh, I bet I got some toxicity going on.”? Or maybe they’re feeling a little overwhelmed right now, where’s the first place that you would recommend they start?

Natalie Viglione 58:24

Well, so I’m going to offer what I wish I would have known. I wish I would have known about the Root Cause Protocol, when I first started, and I wish that I would have known about the mineral test toxic tests that they have in there. And I wish I would have also known about the mycotoxin test. If you’ve ever been exposed to mold, black mold, especially. Whew, that’s a really important one. So just think back to your sphere of life, and where you’ve been, what you’ve lived in. Do you live in an older home? Do you, I mean, especially like we live in the Asheville mountains, it’s like a frickin rain forest here. And anybody that lives in any kind of area like that, needs to be at the top of the list. So yeah, two simple things, Root Cause Protocol, and the tests that are within there, and then the mycotoxin test, if I would have done those two, flipping back four or five years ago, this healing journey would be very different. And it would have been a lot quicker.

Katie Wrigley 59:32

Nice. Thank you. That is really really solid advice and I’ll see if I can find a link to it if you don’t know of anybody. I do know someone who does the root cause analysis protocol. I’m actually getting my results on Thursday. I am so beautiful at the information not because I want to look for anything wrong. I want to be able to fix whatever’s there and I know it’s gonna be fixable. I feel great. You know, that’s the power of the mind right? I’m dealing with severe adrenal fatigue and apparently ADHD and I am firing on all cylinders right now. Because I’ve done so much of this work, and I’m not taking those as part of my identity, those are things I’m dealing with, and they’re not in my way. So exactly. A mindset is huge.

Natalie Viglione 1:00:18

It is. And you know, what was really fascinating about this mineral test is all the foods that I was actually ignoring and not utilizing. And my nutritional path, is because it’s like red meat and things that I just, you know, I’m in my, my base state, I just want plants in my body. You know, that’s just kind of I’ve always been that way now, my whole life, honestly. Yeah. But what it showed is I must have organ meats in my system to get my copper levels correct. So it showed me the picture of things I need to put back into my diet. And what the blood test showed was normally even further the nature naturopathic side, which is actually looking at real levels, not, you know, comparing them against everybody who’s sick, also, right. But it was also the mineral test that showed a very different state of being around the minerals and the copper especially. So for me, I was like, wow, wow, that just another little tidbit on that one? That blew my mind.

Katie Wrigley 1:01:26

Yeah, that’s very powerful. So thank you, again, for joining me today. I really, really appreciate it.

Natalie Viglione 1:01:36

Same. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Katie Wrigley 1:01:39

And thank you, as always my listener, for joining me today. I hope you’re walking away from this episode feeling empowered to step into your own power. Find that root cause. Next week, we’re continuing this path of mixing business with wellness, and yes, it is possible to have both. I’m going to talk to Greg Whiting, who’s going to speak directly to the entrepreneur out there and how you can heal your pain and trauma too.