The Mightiest Warriors
The Mightiest Warriors is a podcast that shines light on the remarkable stories of humans who have transformed profound adversity in their lives into a force of compassion, leadership and service to others.
"He who has a why to live for can deal with almost any how."
Victor Frankl
The Mightiest Warriors
Beyond Diets: How Lifestyle Changes Create Lasting Transformation
What happens when you challenge the belief that your energy levels, mental clarity, and weight are simply "fixed" parts of who you are? In this captivating follow-up conversation with Ashley Sheridan, we explore how small, sustainable lifestyle shifts created remarkable, lasting change.
Ashley shares her experience with the Essential Provisions challenge—replacing just one meal six times weekly with whole food nutrition while eliminating high-glycemic carbs and aligning with her natural circadian rhythms. The transformation unfolds through her story: sustained weight loss of eight pounds over three months, dramatically increased energy levels, enhanced mental clarity, and a profound sense of control over her wellbeing—all while managing two demanding jobs.
What makes this conversation particularly powerful is its challenge to limiting beliefs about health. Through a fascinating visual demonstration, we explore how our perceptions shape our reality—just as a hand making a clockwise motion appears counterclockwise when viewed from a different angle. This metaphor perfectly captures how statements like "I could never give up pasta" or "I'm genetically programmed to be overweight" keep us trapped in patterns that no longer serve us.
Beyond nutrition, we discuss the deeper dimensions of our relationship with food. Are you eating foods you love that don't "love you back"? Ashley's creative alternatives—zucchini sheets instead of pasta in lasagna, cauliflower rice in place of grains—deliver satisfaction without sacrifice, dismantling the myth that health-supporting foods can't be delicious and convenient.
The conversation expands into the healing power of connection with nature and animals, who teach us to live fully in the present moment. As Ashley notes, "There's not much right now that we have control over, but our bodies we can." This empowering realization serves as the cornerstone of lasting change.
Whether you're struggling with fatigue, brain fog, or simply seeking greater vitality, this episode offers both inspiration and practical wisdom. Subscribe to the Mightiest Warriors podcast for more conversations about transforming life's challenges into service to self and others.
For more information or to purchase Essential Provisions MREs go to: www.essentialprovisions.com
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Speaker 1:Hi, welcome to the Mightiest Warriors podcast.
Speaker 1:This is a podcast that engages the lives of remarkable human beings like you and I, who have taken life's challenges, met them head on and have found inspiring ways to translate those challenges into service to self, to others, and this is a continuum from an interview that I did a few months ago with Ashley.
Speaker 1:Sheridan and Ashley and I are both on the team at Essential Provisions. Essential Provisions is the sponsor of the Mightiest Warriors podcast, and Essential Provisions is a whole foods nutrition company committed to nourishing the warrior in each of us, and they make fantastic meals ready to eat and what we call sports blends that are high energy blends for those in between meal needs. And so Ashley and I, a few months back, started a conversation with respect to health and how some of the essential provisions products could be integrated into a lifestyle shift as part of a nutrition program, but also we talked about many other aspects of lifestyle that we know hugely influence how we experience our lives each and every day, how long we live, how fulfilled we are, and so, ashley, it is so good to see you after what I know has been a few very busy months.
Speaker 1:And yeah how have you been doing?
Speaker 2:I've been doing great. I, you know, I took my EP challenge. I took my EP challenge, which was a month long, having the field fuel as a meal, a replacement meal, at least six times a week. So I'd replace one meal six times a week. I'm not a huge three a day person, so it was usually, you know, I do kind of a mid morning and then I would do an early evening break with it, and it took a little bit of a time to get used to that. And I also incorporated a lot of what you and I spoke about, like high glycemic carbs, getting rid of those, trying to lower sugar intake, getting enough water, circadian rhythms, you know, getting that sunshine in the morning and in the evening, and it was. It just became a. It wasn't a hard thing to get used to, it just became something I created in my lifestyle and I've continued it.
Speaker 2:I will say that I haven't been eating the field fuel as much as like six times a week. I use it more when I need something, that's, I probably have it once a week, I would say. And I have to tell you I mean I've been super busy this summer. I'm doing two part time jobs which are readily on my feet and have to have a lot of energy. I have to keep these two jobs. You know the schedule, get ready and perfect. Keep these two jobs. And you know the schedules, get ready and perfect.
Speaker 2:And the energy, the lack of brain fog, the fact that I can actually keep up with this. My whole body feels lighter and leaner and I don't miss any of that, any of the stuff that I was eating beforehand. I occasionally have some pizza. I'm going to do that. I'm not going to say I'm never going to do it again, but I can't tell you how great I feel. I keep losing weight, but it's a steady weight. It's maybe a pound a week, just getting down to where I'd like to stay and stay steady. I've, overall lost about eight pounds, which I think over three months is just perfect, because it's the kind of weight loss that I'm not going to jump back in and regain it and I just I can't tell you how great I feel. It's just, you know, with everything else in the world that's going on, it's like my health is like wow, this is fantastic.
Speaker 1:The extent to which, you know. You brought up a few things. I just want to just elaborate on the extent to which a, you know, a lifestyle health plan does not have to be complicated, and I do think that it can. One can easily become overwhelmed when you look at the sheer volume of information that's out there. Do this, don't do that? So much contradictory information. This is good, no, this is not good.
Speaker 1:And so it can be so difficult for people just to even clear their heads to the extent that they can find a starting point, something that's clear, something that's simple, and I think one of the great things about the path that you've undertaken is you kept it simple and even substituting a meal a day from our whatever it is that we love to eat. And I think when one begins to focus specifically on processing of the foods and choosing those as a target to take out and to introduce something that's completely unprocessed, is often all that's necessary to begin to see a shift in how one feels. And while weight is one really important attribute of that, I love what you just shared, ashley, about just your energy level, just kind of navigating this crazy journey that we're all on right now with a bit more ease.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think that is such an important. I mean, we're all seeking more ease in our lives, our lives, and so, while I know there's always a lot of attention on blood sugar and blood pressure and weight and all those things that are, of course, really important, just quality of life and our ability to be more resilient with all of the threats and assaults and conflict and negativity that's out there right now, having a, an oasis that you can build around your life and your experience of life can really make a huge, huge difference, and so, uh, yeah, your experience really exemplifies that well, and it's it, it kind of crept up on me, which is really funny.
Speaker 2:Um, I mean, I noticed the difference after four weeks. I definitely met that, I felt it, but then it was, as I continued on this and you know it's easy right now too, because I'm in the country Um, it's easy to get, you know, product produce and and things that we know are not processed, and I've just really steered away from any of that stuff and it's, you know, summertime, it's, you know, lots of healthy stuff going on out there, but it just was one of those things that, like one day, I just was like, oh, things that, like one day, I just was like, oh my god, I cannot believe that I can keep these two part-time schedules in order in sync and and remember it am I? And remembering things? And you know, I think it was like awakening from a deep winter sleep and then going, oh my god, I can do this, it was fantastic. And from a deep winter sleep and then going, oh my God, I can do this, it was fantastic. And the fact that I have enough energy to do it and my energy has just been increasing, I mean, you know, four months ago I might have had a hard time Well, not a hard time, but I would have been like a little out of breath going up 16 steps and now it's like nothing, you know, it's just like nothing, and I just feel so much, much better. My clothes are fitting better. You know, I feel better. It's, I just feel lighter. It's a weird, wonderful kind of reality that I'm just embracing. I think it's great.
Speaker 2:And you're right, you know, lifestyle changes they don't need to be daunting. You know, and you're right, you know lifestyle changes, they don't need to be daunting. You know, they can be just. You know, I think I'm going to stop with the pasta, or I'm going to stop with the bread, and that was not so hard. I started creating meals like I would do a lasagna and I'd use, you know, saute some links of zucchini and use that instead of pasta sheets. You know, you can find different. Or do a cauliflower rice with some, you know Parmesan and Asiago cheese and create a layer out of that. You can create different things and that just, and you don't miss it, you know, that layer of pasta did not affect anything whatsoever and, um, and I've got my husband on it too and he's feeling much more energetic and he loves the essential provisions meal and neither one of us are weekend warriors that go out and you know, trail bike for a million hours a day or go hike for hours in a day, but we do have lots of animals and we do have to take care of them and we do live in the country.
Speaker 2:So it's just been an overwhelming fantastic thing. I mean I just everything is better and it's and it's been less expensive as far as groceries are concerned, because you're being more conscientious about what you're buying. So I don't know, it's just kind of been a win-win and I've needed it. It's you know, there's a lot going on right now and I just needed to have this feeling good business and sleeping well. I mean, it's just. I can go on about all the positives.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've generated such great momentum, ashley, and um and I love the example you give at with the lasagna and in this I've been on um, uh, kind of a lower carb journey now for some time. I had a family history of diabetes in both my parents, who struggled with their weight and began to see changes in my own health and biology, you know, many, many years ago. And there is this, I think, one of the challenges when one confronts the need to assert more I hate to use the word control, but when one attempts to really influence their lives in a more direct and meaningful way, there is this tendency and challenge that I find is pretty pervasive and a lot and some of it is perpetuated by the medical community, where we frequently will tell people that, yeah, you know, ashley, that fatigue you feel is just, you know you're getting up there in age, you know we're all getting up there in age, so we're going to talk more, we can't do as much, and there's this tendency to create a belief system that will actually have you convinced that this is as good as your life can be and so be thankful for that, and without ever considering that you know our beliefs, just because we believe them doesn't mean they're true, and I think part of the journey of transcending health challenges requires taking inventory of one's beliefs and challenging some that may not be serving you as well. And so, you know, a common belief that I hear people clinging to is oh, I could never give up lasagna, I could never give up spaghetti. And you know, and if that's one's mindset, then that will likely, the behaviors that come as a consequence of that will reflect that mindset. That's sort of how things seem to work.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, when I began to experiment, as you have done, you find there are so many alternatives. We started having, you know, veggie getty using zucchini and squash, and I couldn't believe how good that tasted and my son, who's quite particular, loved it. And you begin to see that there are pasta alternatives that are lower glycemic and rich in protein that can be just as tasty. And you see the effects that an individual change could have on others that we are in close relationship with, be it our spouses, be it our kids. And so I often find that there's a contagion, particularly between spouses, at the ages we're at, you know, it's just, it's nice to share some of those things, and you realize, wow, you know, I see how much better my wife feels, or my husband feels, or or my kids now, or you know, and so that's part of the beauty of this. There's a contagion, and that and that inspiration can spread to those that we love.
Speaker 2:I agree with you and I've even tried, you know, talking to some of my friends and fellow co-workers and stuff because you know, I think we have become quite a lazy society. As far as food is concerned. You know it's fast, quick, fills me up for five seconds and then I'm done. You know it doesn't. It's not about getting in and really creating something that can bring you joy while you're doing it as well. You know, with cooking I find that sometimes I might start off being really hungry, but by the time I've created it I'm not that hungry anymore because I've inhaled it so much. You know all the scents, the smells that you're getting and the whole process of it. You kind of fill up your senses.
Speaker 2:I also think that, um, you know people are again, if they can take a pill, take a shot, it's going to make them lose weight, feel better, and I just I don't see that as a healthy alternative. Um, and this I can't live without. I mean, there are lots of people that I've talked to. They're like I just can't live without. You know, my crackers I can't live, and I'm like yourself for one day, not trying it. No, just try it, see what happens.
Speaker 2:It's not your, that's your control. If you want to, if you want to be happier than be, I mean, and be more fit, that's in your control. There's not much right now that we have control over, but our bodies we can. You know, I have a good friend because I was saying I just wish I could lose weight, I wish I could be skinny. You know, all this body image that I, it has inherently come down on me and she was like you know what, just do it, then you can do it. If you really want to be that way, do it. You know, she was like I'm just, you know, kind of tired of hearing you do that, just be thin.
Speaker 1:If you want to be thin, be thin, you can do that, it just that's such an epiphany, ashley, and I think it often does come back to these perceptions that we cling to, that you know, I tried it before and it didn't work. Therefore, I'm not capable. Something's wrong with me, I'm not, I don't, my willpower is not. We all have narratives. We all have this boring tape of you know, usually negative self-talk and you know, as it turns, our, our thoughts are more than these fleeting uh things that come into our heads. You know, they will very much influence everything that we do and, um, I do.
Speaker 1:I can't remember if, if, if, we've done this, ashley, uh, but but I I do this a lot when I'm talking, uh, out in the community, public or doctors is I'll have them raise their right hand with their finger pointed up toward the ceiling and then to look up at their hand and make a circle moving in a clockwise direction. So, make a circle with your hand in a clockwise direction. A circle with your hand in a clockwise direction and, without changing anything, lower your hand to the level of your heart, keep it moving and as you look at your hand, what direction is it moving in?
Speaker 2:Maybe I'm concentrating too much because it's still going clockwise.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just bring it down quickly. Oh, quicker. Yeah. And as you look at it, at the level of your heart, what direction is it moving?
Speaker 2:as you look at your finger.
Speaker 1:So as you're looking up at it, it's moving clockwise. As you look down at it, it's moving counterclockwise. That's amazing Clockwise, clockwise, clockwise, lower, counterclockwise, right.
Speaker 1:Wow that's so cool, so I often use that as an example that you know, if one were looking at their hand above their head, you'd come to the conclusion that your hand was moving clockwise, and nobody. That perception would be an absolute truth for you. Yeah, and nobody could convince you otherwise. That truth might be. I'm a failure. I can't lose weight. I've tried in the past and it didn't work. I could never, I could never eat pasta without the ingredients that I've come to love. I could never imagine going out and not having dessert. And without doing anything other than changing the perspective with which we look at the same exact conditions, you can arrive at the opposite conclusion. So I think one of the challenges and this is something obviously in my own life I'm always thinking about, but in working with others is we tend to hold on to our perceptions as if they're absolute truths, and until we challenge them, the possibility of realizing a different truth will never be likely. And so I do think that's that's one of the challenges of self-care is, uh, coming to a place of saying, gee, is it possible, uh, that something that I believe to be true is actually not true? Um, or what would I need to believe to be true, in order for me to be in the place that I'm in, you know, and one might come to realize, you know, for most of my life, I believe that I'm born to be in the place that I'm in, you know, and one might come to realize, you know, for most of my life I believe, that I'm born to be fat, or I'm born to be a little bit slower, or I'm born to be tired. My parents had this, I have it. Therefore, I'm genetically programmed and there's very little I can do about it. And what I loved about what you said, ashley, is that there's so much of our reality that we have very little ability to influence. You know, be it the politics, be it, you know, be it just this, so be it just this. So I think it really does help to begin to think about, for people particularly who are maybe feeling overwhelmed by you know, it's what is it that I can actually influence? What is it that maybe I have less influence over? Except what I can influence is how I interpret and respond to this or that. I can't influence this or that, but I can influence the way that I interpret and respond to that, and I think you know that as one begins to just take inventory of their perceptions, which are malleable, they're like really balls of clay that we can. You know, that may have looked like a certain thing, but you know, we become the sculptors, we become the authors of our book of life, we become the programmers of the software that runs our. You know, we take a more CEO or CEO role and so much of that requires challenging perceptions that are no longer working for us, even if we think they're true.
Speaker 1:And what I love about people often tell me I love dessert. I mean, who doesn't right? I love bagels, I love chips, I love pasta. And then often I'll ask them well, do desserts love you back? What's that relationship like? For you it's a love affair. I get that. I've been in love with lots of things and I kind of realized, you know they don't really love me back. You know they don't really love me back. The beauty of sort of these lifestyle shifts and in particular, you know, foods, that if one can begin to really focus on foods that not only you love, but foods that actually love you back, that's when the magic begins to occur.
Speaker 2:And you know, it's interesting to think about it that way, at least for me, yeah. And you know, with essential provisions, the field fuel, that was such an easy one to love and have it love me back because, my God, it was so delicious. And that's the other thing I wanted to say about the month that I had. I never got tired of it, never. You know, I would kind of crave that lentil chili a few many times but, um, yeah, but I never did.
Speaker 2:I once, you know, feel like, oh, I can't. You know it's. This is like the 15th day I've had this protein shake and I can't take it anymore and I can't take the time. You know, it was just because it's real food and it has real, um taste to it and then real, you know, seasoning, and even to the fact that you know I'm a classic um, I got to put more hot sauce, or I got to put, I got to add something to this to make it better. Didn't have to do that with us. It was amazing, it was so great.
Speaker 2:It doesn't surprise me, given I know the, the inventor of this wonderful recipe, but, um, it really was delicious every time and I have given it to a few people. Um, one of them is a friend of mine. He's a park ranger in Colorado and he took it with him camping and said oh, just, it's too hot to eat something. I said just eat it out of the bag, you don't have to heat it. And so he did. And he was like oh, wow, yeah, you know it's. And another friend of mine was like I've read that this could be eaten outside of the bed without being heated up. So I tried it and it was, it was quite good. I said, yep, you know, that's the beauty of it.
Speaker 1:That is the beauty of it, and I've had very similar experience. I've had many. My wife had surgery a shoulder replacement not too long ago and she does most of the cooking. So I had a nice supply of the MREs and, you know, the bison stew, the bison chili, the lentil chili, the vegetable stew I just kept rotating, and these are great meals in and of themselves, but you could also add them to rice or other things that you might be preparing, you know, just to give you some hybridization with other things that you might like on your plate.
Speaker 1:I think there's because these are all ingredients that we've evolved to be in relationship with to the point that you made Ashley, there's something really satisfying and satiating. And, of course, all of these I'm a little biased as the medical director of the company, but just knowing and loving Brian Gentry McGee, who really creates these recipes you know these are the genesis of all of this was love she had for her father, who had a traumatic brain injury. And so when you look at the broader context of the chef, the creator, as I refer to Robin the alchemist, there's a complete context of compassion and love, and you know, I mean.
Speaker 1:I think those are important attributes and not always something we talk about. You know, the foods that we eat are more than just sort of calories and vitamins and minerals. I think in the future of nutritional science Ashley we're going to come to, when we have better tools and ways of measuring see that food has an energetic footprint, an emotional footprint, and those layers, those energetic layers of the material, that which we are actually preparing and cooking, may or may not be aligned with where our energetic levels are at. Oh, I totally agree with that.
Speaker 2:I totally agree with that, because there's a lot of love and passion that's going into this, which is kind of what. When you were talking about Robin Gentry-McGee, I was thinking about the conversation we had just had about Frank Lloyd Wright and how he was somebody that thought about things way before anybody else had. And this is happening with Robin too. She's created things that nobody had even thought about before, and how wonderful is that and the inspiration and the passion behind it is. It's incredible. It's something that you know. Years from now, people will look back and go, wow, who had the? This is so insightful that she was able to create this kind of nutritious meal that you know. Who knows what our life is going to be like in the future. But you know this will probably be around for it. It's just, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:It is very cool and it does sort of shatter the myth that fast food can't be healthy. This is an offering of love to themselves. You know we've taken all the work out of that so people can just enjoy it. And, for anyone who's interested, essentialprovisionscom is where you can find these meals ready to eat. Robin is looking at these meals ready to eat. Robin is looking at other MREs that will be coming into the supply line that we currently have and offerings and that'll continue to expand and grow. We've got a lot of good health information on the website and people can certainly take advantage of that.
Speaker 1:And, ashley, it's really been so good to catch up with you and inspiring to hear how you've transformed a really busy, active summer season into a pleasurable engaging and you know very it feels like a very satisfying summer experience there in wisconsin yeah, it's been, it's good, it's really good, and I'm just letting it happen.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm not listening to anything about how I can't do anything, i'm'm just like I can do this. This is under my control. So, yeah, I've enjoyed it and thank you so much for all the tips and suggestions that you made to me at the beginning of this EP challenge. And, yeah, it's been great and I'm going forward. I'm not looking back, I'm not changing back to anything.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, beautiful, and if, if, uh, people have other, uh, interest in going a little more deeper into nutritional science or, um, circadian biology, which you touched on, Ashley, just getting a little more sun in the morning later in the day and not getting quite as much of that fluorescent toxic lighting after dark. We have several videos on our Essential Provision YouTube channel, and so feel free to check that out and get a little more information. And I also have a podcast called the Health Edge, which is just a personal health podcast that I've done for many, many years. That takes the topics that we've talked about, Ashley, and goes a bit more deeply for those who really kind of get into the science and are looking for a bit more granularity. So the health edge is something people can check out as well. What's on the horizon for the rest of the summer? Anything exciting?
Speaker 2:Just kind of the same stuff I would like to add. With the circadian rhythms and the new diet and everything. I think it's really important to connect with nature and animals. I find that when things are getting I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole. I tend to go be with my horses or go out to the paddock and love on a water buffalo or something, just because you know, the thing about animals is they live in the present. They don't worry about what happened in the past, they don't think about what's going on in the future. They just live right now and it's so comforting to kind of be mindful with them. So that's important. You know, I think we've got some Australian visitors coming to see us later on and towards the fall and the winter and we'll just keep plowing along and enjoying life and loving this weather, because even though it's rained a lot here, we've had pretty good summer so far and yeah, that's going to be about it.
Speaker 1:That's great, ashley. Yeah, we're at a similar latitude where I live in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, so you want to take advantage of every summer day, even if it's raining. It's just nice to have longer days and warmer temperatures, and the seasons are wonderful to embrace. And, yeah, love the animals, love nature. We're all part of this remarkably connected ecosystem.
Speaker 2:Yeah, even just go. I mean, living in the Driftless area here in Southwest Wisconsin, it's just sometimes it's just fun to take the long way home. You know, it's just sometimes it's just fun to take the long way home. You know, just take that one street that you never took before and just try to figure your way back. It's just just to get away a little bit, it's really good Love that Well, ashley, until we connect again.
Speaker 1:I thank you and appreciate your your uh motivation and generosity to share with all of us.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, it's great. I mean, if anybody wants to ask me any questions, they can feel free to. I mean, I've come up with some pretty good recipes. You know that zucchini spaghetti is quite good, with the lentil chili, I would say as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I can. With your permission, ashley, I could include your email in the description notes, if that's okay. Yeah, definitely, because I do think it's all about community right.
Speaker 2:It is about the community and it is. You know, I'm not. I'm just your average person, not a high pro athlete or anything. I'm just somebody that wanted to take control of my life.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, that is a good note to leave on you. Stay well, Ashley.
Speaker 2:You too. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Peace to you too.