Journey to Iconic Podcast

Just Start: Small Steps, Big Vision, and Magical Results with Priya

• Kirsten Barfoot

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In this episode, I chat with Priya about her journey from the vibrant tropics of India to the rainy streets of the Netherlands and how this shift sparked her passion for making fitness accessible to everyone.

She shares how she embraced the Dutch love for outdoor activities, turning those drizzly streets into her training ground and discovering the joy of movement, no matter the weather or budget.

We talk about her growth from struggling with short runs to conquering marathons, showing how slow and steady progress can lead to incredible achievements. Priya opens up about the realities of marathon training—finding balance, staying consistent, and adapting to life’s demands, especially as a busy parent.

We also touch on the lessons running has taught her about life, from tackling nutrition and hydration challenges to staying disciplined even when things get tough.

Our conversation takes a deeper turn into mindfulness, journaling, and visualisation, and how these practices have helped Priya set and achieve goals, whether it’s a personal best in running or an unexpected financial win.


This episode is all about embracing who you are, taking small, mindful steps forward, and connecting with others on the same path. Tune in and join us on the journey to becoming iconic.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Journey to Iconic podcast, where we unlock your highest potentials through transformation and intuition. I'm your host, kirsten Barfoot, ceo of Journey to Iconic. Each week, we dive into the realms of personal growth, intuition and authentic leadership, guiding you to become the best version of yourself. Whether you're looking to enhance your personal brand, align with your true direction or tap into your inner wisdom, you're in the right place. Let's embark on this journey together and start transforming your life today. Hello, hello, thank you very much for being here Today. Our special, special guest is Priyam Varda, and I am speaking to her from Netherlands, and you're going to see why this beautiful woman has joined us today, because I've been following her for about six months now. Now, and when it comes to health, dedication, discipline, wisdom, this woman stands out in a crowd, for sure, and so I really want to talk about looking good and feeling good easily with Priya today. And welcome Priya, thank you for being here.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, christine. That's such an amazing introduction of me. I feel so good about myself right now just listening to you talk about me, but thank you so much for having me on your show.

Speaker 1:

Yeah well, thank you very much. The thing that I really am really drawn in by your content is that you speak in such a way that is so relatable. I don't feel like I'm being told off, but I'm being informed about why health is important, about why health is important, and also the way that you say it is in such a way that I actually do believe it when you say, look and feel good easily, and you know we'll get to that. But I just wanted to say thank you, because we don't necessarily associate health and looking good as an easy thing, but you really make it seem it on that journey.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, thank you so much. Actually, that's one of that's something I'm doing very consciously, because I was myself a victim of the belief that being fit requires a lot of time, requires, it's difficult and it's only meant for people who have money and who need to look a certain way because it's their job. But that is I learned along the way. That is so not true, and being healthy, being fit, should be for everybody, everyone.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, absolutely fit should be for everybody, everyone, absolutely, absolutely, and we would. We were talking about um just before this, um, we before hitting record that you're actually in the Netherlands right now and um, I'd love you to just share a little bit about the wisdom that you have found since living in a place that might not seem climatically, or climatically you know, hospitable towards getting out and about. So can you maybe share a little bit about, about that as being a frame of reference, of course, of course.

Speaker 2:

So, having grown up in a tropical country like India, the first thing that shocked me when I moved to the Netherlands was, of course, the weather. It rains here 10 months of the year and it rains every day. That says that, on an average, the Dutch get to see sunlight for about 35 to 40 days a year. So you can imagine how dull, how gray and how wet the weather is all the time. And for someone coming from a place where the temperatures are normally between 25 and 35, this is a bit difficult for me to accept. So clearly, I spent my first year being sad or depressed or angry for moving here because I would not go out. But then I would see people step out and live their life like nothing has happened, like it's a part of their life to be in, to grow up in such a weather. And that got me thinking. And the more I lived here, the more I saw people. They just dress up for the weather and they go.

Speaker 2:

It's very normal for the Dutch to say, oh, that is just two kilometers, let's walk. And for me initially that was like I am not walking. Two kilometers, that is a lot of walking. Or they will say, oh, it's just a 45 minute walk. I'm like say, oh, it's just a 45 minute walk. I'm like just a 45 minute, that's a lot of walking. But for them it's a way of life. You know, to wake up on weekends and to go cycling with the kids, to go hiking with the kids on any to any nearby park. It's the way of life for them.

Speaker 2:

And I also saw this, saw the same lifestyle, when I went, when I was in the Nordics, you know, in Denmark, in Sweden, in Norway. These are far colder countries, but they just get outside. And that got me thinking. You know, there's a reason why all these countries always chop the happiness index. Yes, they pay absurd amount of taxes. Ask me about it. I feel like I earn money just to pay taxes out here it's about 56% or something. But even then people are so happy because there is something that comes with moving and something that comes with moving in nature that really cannot be paralleled with anything else.

Speaker 1:

And I've seen that in the last five years of my life in the Netherlands thing is and I've seen that in the last five years of my life in the Netherlands Wow, like I've just got a little bit of goosebumps here going my gosh. It makes me, it makes me feel like I need to go to a, you know, a cooler climate, because something I noticed when I traveled to New Zealand is that you know they're not as cold as maybe over there, but you know they were also the same like active going out always and um, you know it does make a difference. So so talk a little bit about um. It got you thinking, it got you motivated, did um, you know, one of the things that I'm totally inspired by is by how many marathons you have put some effort into, and I'm assuming you've been training in in the Netherlands for this. Yes, did that happen as a consequence of you getting out and about? Has that always been something that's been on your bucket list?

Speaker 2:

How did you transition from coming from a tropical climate not really enjoying the weather that much and then changing your mindset and then moving into that mindset, right? So as far as the mindset is concerned, I read you know, one of these really common things that we all read but it doesn't stick in your head is don't fret about things you cannot control. So I would constantly be cribbing about the weather. You're saying, oh my god, here we go, another day of rain, another day of dull, gray skies, but guess what? That really didn't change anything. The Netherlands continued yes.

Speaker 2:

So at some point I had to learn to accept it, which would be good for my own you know mental health, instead of me constantly cribbing about it. So once that happened, I was far more comfortable getting out and about and living my life like the way everybody else does, and so running was. I was always into fitness. I was into running even, you know, before I had kids, but never this seriously. I would run for fun. And then I once had to be a coach for my son who had to run a three kilometer race in school, and it was a charity run, so the longer you ran the more money you would make.

Speaker 2:

You know, every lap had a lot of money, so I had to coach him for that, which got me into running more actively. And then I signed up for my first 10K and I realized, gosh, I do miss this thing, why have I stopped? And then I slowly picked up from there. I'll be honest, the first couple of marathons I ran I just wanted to see if I enjoy running the distance, if I enjoy what it entails physically and mentally. I said, let me try. If I'm up for it, I'll do more of it, I will train, but if not, then good enough.

Speaker 2:

You know I can stop with one or two. It's a privilege to run, nobody's forcing me. But it really is a good addiction to have, you know. So you just cannot stop. So then I did the first first couple of them and I said, okay, not anymore.

Speaker 2:

But I would constantly find myself getting out and running and thinking about how do I fuel myself? How do I, you know, run better, or is my form right? And I started talking more and more about it, started reaching out to people who are already in that community, because my friends and family were honestly getting bored with all my marathon talks, um, and then it just, it just became one of those things that I really, really enjoy it. It gets me out there, it gets me moving, um, and, more than anything else, it tells me that I can do tough things, because running that 42 kilometers is really not the tough part at all, because you go there, you finish the run and then you're done. But it's a six, seven, however many months of training you need before that, where you have to show up day in and day out, weekends, weekdays, whether you have work, you don't have work, you show up. You know there is no other way to do it.

Speaker 2:

And somebody was asking me last week how do you build endurance for something like that? And I said by enduring. You build endurance by enduring. There is no other way to do it. And that builds a mental toughness in you that cannot otherwise, you know, come so easily that you can actually get out there and do hard things. That builds the discipline, and I spoke about it yesterday, you know, in my LinkedIn post that discipline therefore becomes a transferable skill.

Speaker 2:

So, when I'm not missing my marathon trainings, when I'm not missing my workouts, when I'm not missing my strength training because I don't want to get injured. I know how to show up in other parts of my life. I know how to show up on LinkedIn and because I'm already used to doing it, you know my mind knows that when something is tough, how do you break that barrier? How do you not rely on motivation and how do you just show up relying on systems or routines? And that is what I find so, so satisfying about running that it is preparing me, or it prepares me constantly for every other area of my life yeah, that is seriously motivating, um and and and I saw that post and I thought, yeah, so because they do say to, if you can, if.

Speaker 1:

And I'd like to ask your process because that was a really good thing that you shared with us that they say to train for the marathon because we're so used to training for the sprint, where we're training for that short-term hit or that instant gratification, and yet that doesn't really get the longevity going. You know we might have that one win or something like that, but then we're back to the ground zero again, and yet it's that marathon that is, as you are saying, is preparing you for that long journey. It's preparing not only your physical body but your mental body and transfers into other areas of your life Absolutely, into other areas of your life, absolutely. And so for people like me and any of the listeners who might also find themselves in this same situation, is that how do you train for a marathon? Like you know, what you shared the other day was, you know there was a step-by-step and stacking, and I thought that was.

Speaker 2:

That was like wow, thank you yeah well, thank you for asking, and I would say, whether it's a marathon, whether it's any endurance sport or whatever you want to do in life, I think one of the biggest mistakes we make is to go out there and just start doing it all in full force and then we think, oh my God, this is insurmountable and I cannot do it. And then we drop out, which is why I tried to do the first couple of races, just to see if I'm interested or not. And what is what my marathon training has taught me actually is the first 5k that I had to run. Believe me, I could not. I would run two kilometers that's for those interested in miles, that's barely one and a half miles and I would be panting and I would stop and say I'm not doing this, I cannot do this, this is too much. People are crazy. How do they do 42 kilometers, 26 miles? And then I would tell myself, okay, you know, next time I'm only going to run two kilometers, not more. I don't care at what pace I run it, I stop at two. And then that got easier. And then I said you know, I'm not panting it too, so I'm going to maybe make it four and see how I feel about it, and this happens slowly, over a period of time. It is not overnight, it cannot be. I ran two kilometers today. I'm going to run four tomorrow. You have to, unless you're fully into sports and that's the only thing you can do. Then probably you can stack it faster. But as a working parent, this is how fast I could go and I didn't want to push myself and get an injury or burnout, and so I started doing it slowly, like really taking it really slow.

Speaker 2:

And one of the other things that also happens when you're training for an endurance sport is you get to train in different circumstances. Right, you need to train not just your mind but also your gut. So how often should I eat when I'm running that long distance? What should I eat? Because you really don't want to be running the distance and be searching for restrooms and bathrooms in between While they are provided. That kind of puts a break in your running and then it's really hard to pick up pace. So what do I eat? How do I train my gut? Should I eat every 20 minutes? Should I eat this gel or should I drink that gel? Should I do a sports drink? How do I run when it's humid? How do I run when it's raining? How do I run when it's hot? How much hydration do I need to do if the weather is warmer than usual?

Speaker 2:

All these things happen when you are training, and that again translates to different aspects of your life, to show you that not every day is the same. You know, some days are rainy, you still show up. Some days are warm and fuzzy Good for you. Some days are cold and brutal Too bad, but you still got to show up. That's, that's just a part of life, and that is why I speak so much about, you know, about running, about fitness is that it's so basic, it's so doable that when you start doing it, you will see how it influences every area of your life. It doesn't matter whether you're going to a nine to five job, it doesn't matter whether you're an entrepreneur, it doesn't matter whether you're a C-suite leader. It will still influence you in the most positive way that you can ever imagine. So, yeah, that's why I talk so much about being fit and running, because it changed my life, that's why I talk so much about being fit and running?

Speaker 1:

because it changed my life. It is, and it's so easy to get caught up in your excitement and your enthusiasm of it, and that has translated through even your written words, and what I was hearing as well is you, you know, just going back to the start of that story was, um, you know, going out all gung-ho which I could totally relate to, you know, I go yeah let's do this and I'm all full of excitement and I over commit and then I'm like I can't do this and it's.

Speaker 1:

But what I heard was that you were listening to your body and your mind and you were like, okay, hang on a minute, I'm gonna just take a step back here. And it was listening and then also so keep on going and then listening for that next cue. So I was hearing listening to your body and mind, as well as being curious about how you could improve, how you could, how things could be more beneficial, and I was like, wow, you know, how does that translate into the other areas of your life?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, again, one of the things I picked up during the last five, six years of my journey in fitness is also building a lot of self-awareness, and I didn't go out there to say I'm going to build self-awareness. That did not happen. Honestly, I was reading a lot about how people journal and people meditate and how it changed their life and, I'll be honest, I thought it was just a lot of hocus pocus. I said how can writing or meditating do anything to anybody's mind? It's all for. You know the Buddhist monks who are, who are already in a mode of Zen. So for them, yes, meditation is a way of life, but for regular people, of course not. But yeah, you know, I'm going to try it, just to tell people that it does not work.

Speaker 2:

That's how I started and I got so addicted to journaling because you know I would write every day and it made me feel so good. I started with something as simple again as writing three sentences of gratitude and for the first one week I was thinking what do I write about every day? Like, how can I find something to be grateful for every day? That sounds impossible, but it's amazing when you start doing it, those little, little things that you notice about your life that you otherwise wouldn't have noticed and you feel so good about yourself. And from there I went on to write my feelings. You know how my day was, what I felt good about, what I felt bad about. And then it slowly started helping me to realize and to understand my own shortcomings and my strengths. And therefore, when I saw a lot of things which everybody see on social media, you know, somebody bought a house, or somebody ran a marathon faster, or somebody is doing like a I don't know 150 kg deadlift and you are barely able to do 5 kg. You know that it takes time to get there and you know how to get there. You know to not compare yourself and you know that it takes time to get there and you know how to get there. You know to not compare yourself and you know, get depressed because somebody else is possibly doing better than you or at least that's what they're showing on social media Because you are more self aware. You know, okay, I may not be able to run a marathon, but I'm really good at playing the guitar. Maybe someone else is not. You know I'm able to. I have two children and I see struggles of people not being able to have kids. So there are always things you can be grateful for. There are always things that you have that other people may not have, but a lot of people will not speak about it on social media, you know they will always talk about what they have, and so it becomes really, really important to develop that self-awareness through whatever means.

Speaker 2:

Right it comes from. I would say learning to be still so. For me it's journaling, for me it's meditating. For somebody else it could just be sit down and do nothing, right, uh, quiet in your mind. Stop running mental tasks all the time. You will always have things to do, but sit for a moment, like if I tell people. If I tell somebody, why don't you just sit down and stare outside the window for 20 minutes? Um, their reaction is like 20 minutes. What do I do for 20 minutes looking outside the window? For 20 minutes? Their reaction is like 20 minutes. What do I do for 20 minutes looking outside the window? It's too boring. I'm like, okay, open your phone and scroll for 20 minutes. You don't even realize how quickly that passes, right? 20 minutes becomes 30, 40, and, before you know, 60 minutes gone.

Speaker 2:

So give yourself time to understand yourself, and that will again translate into whatever it is that you're trying to find out right. It could be hey, why am I not getting promoted? What am I not doing right? Or it could be do I really enjoy my job? Do I enjoy a nine to five or do I want to do something else? Do I want to just keep skipping jobs because I don't enjoy this one, or do I just generally not enjoy working and I'm looking to enjoy something else in life? What is it? And only you can answer this question for yourself. You can go to a therapist, of course, but they will not answer it for you. They will help you figure out the answer yourself. Which is what? Journaling, meditation, sitting still, and all of that too. It'll help you discover yourself.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my goodness, you are a world of wisdom. So so the thing that is just coming to my mind is cause I know, you know, I know that people battle with what's the right question, or I can't think of the question, or what do I write, or, um, you, you know, there it becomes this, almost there's this barrier that is put in between, because all of a sudden now it becomes this intellectual exercise versus a mindful exercise.

Speaker 2:

So maybe you can speak a little bit into that Of course, yes, if you're looking specifically about journaling, I always say this it is not your theses in college, it is not your university exam. That has a certain formula where a question expects a certain answer. It is as blank as it is. It can be as colorful as it is and it is all up to you. I know a lot of people who use so many different colors, who actually make their journal look so beautiful that you want to buy it and just keep staring at it. They're so good at it, right? Someone like me. I just jot down my thoughts. There is no rule, there is no way to get started, there is no way to finish. You can write 10 pages in one go. You can write three lines, completely up to you. I also say if you're struggling so much, just go to Google. Google has so many questions and answers and search for journaling. Prompts for self-awareness.

Speaker 1:

I love it. You really can use Google for everything, can't you Amazing?

Speaker 2:

So just Google those questions and say questions to develop self-awareness, or affirmations to get a job. You will find a lot of these suggestions everywhere and just get started. That really is the hardest part, you know. And again, the same thing happens when you're training for a marathon. That's why I say life lessons are transferable.

Speaker 2:

For me, the hardest part is always putting on the socks and shoes and getting out. I'm always looking for excuses to not go out and run. I'm like, oh, it's too hard, it's too much. Today I'm tired, I didn't sleep, I don't feel like it. But then, once you put on the socks and shoes and you get through the first five minutes of it, you're like life is good, I'm good, I feel strong. Right, it's the same thing with journaling or anything else.

Speaker 2:

Getting started is the roadblock. Don't complicate it. It's not, like I said, it's not your doctoral thesis, it's not a university examination. There's nobody to judge you. It's just a conversation you're having with yourself. And it's ditto for meditation.

Speaker 2:

Don't think about what. Do I meditate? How much do I meditate? Should I do it for five minutes? Should I do it for seven minutes? Should I be sleeping? Should I be sitting? Should I be standing? It's however you like it, it's whatever works for you. If it is sitting still with your eyes closed and doing it for two minutes, go for it. If it's sitting still using a guided meditation tool plenty of apps available right to do that Put on something, listen to somebody helping you, you know, guiding you how to meditate and do it that way.

Speaker 2:

So the answer to that question, I would say, is you got to do something to find out what works for you. You cannot keep watching tutorials and videos and say I am going to do it, like this person, but she's doing it for 20 minutes. I don't have 20 minutes, or I'm. Oh, look at that person. Her journal is so beautiful. I am not a good artist, so I'm not going to do it that way. And then you're just giving yourself excuses to not do it. Get into it, act it'll come, trust me. I mean human intuition is a very, very strong ammunition.

Speaker 1:

Use it yeah, I love it and I, you know, I think that's the problem is that we tend to see all of the answers outside of ourselves, you know, and then we expect somebody else to have the answers for us, and and then we feel, maybe you feel a calling to do something and you feel like, okay, I'm going to do it. And then we start trying to do it the same way as somebody else and it doesn't quite resonate the same way with us. But what I'm hearing you say is you know, we've got to listen to our body, we've got to listen to what's happening within us, what's going to work for us. Keep, I hear, start, yes, start. Give something a go, get it wrong if you need to, but don't stop. It's about like what you were saying is having a look at okay.

Speaker 1:

Well, maybe the two kilometres was a little bit, you know a little bit. Longer than two kilometres was a bit much. Let me just scale it back. And it's taking notice of, of what is presenting for you and just, you know, delving that little bit deeper the next time on what's going to work better for you. So I'm a hugely experimental person. I, I'm owning that now. I'm like, just give it a go and then figure out along as you go. You know yeah.

Speaker 2:

Isn't that what we all are doing at the end of the day? We are all just figuring it out, right, like who has all the answers? Perfectly Nobody.

Speaker 1:

No, that's right, but I think I grew up feeling like I had to be perfect and so that whole like getting stuff wrong was just not okay, and so it's really taken a number of years to just acknowledge, hey, the experimentation is part of the journey. And then it becomes this journey of refinement. Rather than needing to have it perfect, it's like actually just get it wrong. Give yourself permission to get it wrong and then figure it out from there, like get it better. Get it better Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

This is also something. It's so interesting you mentioned this, but because I was just the same, you know I also grew up with. I need to be perfect, I need to hold myself together all the time. That's what good women and good mothers and good wives do they. They have like a speak and span clean, instagram worthy home. They have beautiful kids who listen to them all the time, who don't, you know, invest in screens. They have the perfect marriage that you can flaunt to everybody else. They are achievers in their job. They're doing everything else.

Speaker 2:

That's who I need to be, and with constant, you know, journaling and with me writing out my frustration, saying, oh my God, I had to do so much of this today and I couldn't get to something else. And having that written down over a period of months or years and then just spending some time reading it. It just hits you someday like what am I trying to do? Why am I trying to do everything? And that may not normally happen. You know and that is what is the beauty of self-awareness that when you give yourself time to reflect, something that you have missed for so many years will suddenly come to you and you will have a very aha moment. It may not be something like what Archimedes had about you know something important like if I sit inside water, the mass of my body is the water that displays outside.

Speaker 1:

Maybe not as intellectual as that, but you will definitely discover something about yourself that's right, and you never know when the next invention or equation or, uh, new world thing could come about. And yes, it's, it comes from the. It definitely comes. And I think even those, um, those geniuses would concur that having a relaxed, quiet and mindful mind and experience of life is what creates the ability to have these insights that can be groundbreaking absolutely.

Speaker 2:

even newton was sitting under the tree when the apple fell on his head, doing nothing, thank God for that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and, and Einstein, he's also a big. He's known to be an advocate of imagination, and so you know, and while we're talking about imagination, I wondered if, in what you're doing, do you spend time visualizing your outcome, or is it you're nodding or looking at me? So you've got something to say on that.

Speaker 2:

Oh, you don't even get me started on visualization. I could speak for hours about how it's changed my life and how it's been so beneficial to me. Again, it started off as me practicing it only to see what it's all about. Everybody's talking about it. Let me give it a shot. Um, and I started by picking up something really, really tiny like, um, visualizing myself find 50 dollars magically one week, like I'm not going to earn it, but I'm. 50 dollars is going to come to me and what am I going to do with that money? How am I going to feed you? Know all those things they say about visualization? Um, and it did happen. Right, it did happen like I won a voucher somewhere for $50 and it was only because I had been a customer for the last 12 months, something like that. I hadn't shopped with them, and it just came into my mail account and said okay, fine, $50, let me aim for something bigger. And that's how I slowly started doing it, and it's so mind blowing. Everything in my life that has happened in the last three years has come to me and my mind before it's already happened, and the biggest.

Speaker 2:

It could sound funny, but one of the best examples I could give you is having my daughter. And I remember speaking to my husband once and saying you know, I feel like we're going to have a baby girl in 2021. And it was January 2021. And he said there are 12 months in a year. The first month is over. You do know, it takes about 10 months to get a baby. I said, yeah, but I just, I don't know. I just feel like there's going to be a baby girl. I already know her name and I know we're going to be like sitting on this couch and taking a picture with her, and she'll be dressed in white. And I gave him the whole picture and he said hmm, I think you need to get some sleep, um, and so do I I. I said, oh, he obviously didn't believe in all that, and my daughter was born November 2021. It was unbelievable, even something, as you know, for me, as big as I'm going to hit this time in my marathon, and I would write the time down and I would visualize how it feels for me to cross the finish line with that time ticking.

Speaker 2:

And when I was running the Dubai marathon this time I thought I was really slow. My watch bonked and I couldn't figure out what pace I was at and I was very upset. I said I'm this couldn't be happening to me and okay, fine, I'm gonna finish the race. And I kept running and then somewhere along the line there was somebody cheering saying you got this. Just another three kilometers, you're there. You're almost there. I didn't believe it. I said it cannot be, I'm not gonna do this. And then it happened again a few meters down the line and I talked to a fellow runner who was running and panting as well. I said hey, do you know like are we closer to the finish line? He goes yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's just like you just turn around the corner and then you can see it. I said what Really, is that even possible? And I took that turn around the corner and I could see from a distance of about 300, 400 meters. The clock was showing the time that I was, you know.

Speaker 2:

I was visualizing and I stopped at that moment. I stopped and I said I cannot believe this is happening. This cannot be true. I don't know how this happened. And then somebody said come on, come on, come on. You need to get to the line and say, oh yeah. And I crossed the finish line and I cried. I'm like this is so unbelievable that this can actually happen. And whatever they say about your mind not knowing the difference between real and imaginary is so, so true, so true. I've experienced it. I have no idea how to put it in words, but because of all these experiences, I am a big visualizer and I advocate it for everybody, everybody, absolutely. Start small again, but do it Just start small.

Speaker 1:

Everything is start small, exactly, yeah, and you know, I think, when I look back on those moments, that I have moments that I have, you know you use they come together in a way that is so like magical. And the way, the way, because you know you've mentioned it when um with your daughter that it's like you saw something or you got a, an experience, and then it happened. And the way I always find it is like did I create that experience or did I remember it? It's like did did the future experience come back and did I, did I remember it? Because it's that that kind of thing where you're like it, yeah, which way was you know? Because it's so exact.

Speaker 2:

It's so exact. Yes, it's almost surreal. That experience is amazing. You got to believe in it, you got to try it and you got to feel it for the first time, and then you will never go back. You will never not visualize after that, which is why, probably just for you to believe in something, you should start small yeah, small and investigate and don't worry when your watch doesn't work because it's all meant to be.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because how much would you have been fussing over your watch if you did have it, um, not racing, um, would would you have been fussing over your watch if you did have it Not fussing? Would you have been checking your watch and trying to manufacture the result of thinking I've got to make that time and and how much mental energy would that take?

Speaker 2:

Yes, Versus just trusting yourself. Right, like I think the watch would have been a more. It would have. It would have told me I'm either going do it or not gonna do it. But because I have put in, so I had put in so much effort into my training, into showing up, it was, you know, going to happen a couple of minutes here and there. I just needed to trust myself. Uh, but it was, it was beautiful, yeah crossing the finish line.

Speaker 1:

Well, congratulations, congratulations and thank you for sharing those two stories, because they're very powerful. They're very powerful um. So I wonder if there is anything specific you would like to share, like um. Is there any um, um, anything in terms of looking and feel good easily that you think is like if I could just leave them with one, one golden nugget? Um, I know you've probably got millions of them, but is is there one that comes to mind that you would wouldn't like to leave without sharing? Um?

Speaker 2:

I'll try to. If it's okay, I'll try to put it into two golden nuggets, because it goes kind of together um, invest in what you eat, um, and when I say invest, I don't mean money, I mean watch what you eat, get your proteins and get your fiber in. Because whatever it is that you're trying to achieve in life focus, productivity, motivation, anything, discipline it all starts with your gut. If you are not eating right, you will not feel right. If you're not feeling right, you don't think right. When you're not thinking right, you don not feel right. If you're not feeling right, you don't think right. When you're not thinking right, you don't do right. So that's as basic as it gets. I'm not even saying only have salads, only have the lettuce, don't have anything else, but try to keep at least the first part of every meal protein and fiber. They line up your gut in a good way and they cushion the impact of the carbs and fat that you eat by not spiking your insulin levels. And this does not matter what age you are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 it's important for everybody to do it.

Speaker 2:

Good health and good deeds start with a good gut, and second, of course, is moving. If you enjoy a particular form of movement, pick that. But if you have a choice, I'd say always, always, lift weights, even if you can do it two times or three times a week for 20 minutes. That'll do you so much good, especially for women. As we age, as we hit menopause, as we go closer to our 40s and 50s, our muscle mass declines big time and you need those muscles for everything you do in life from making you look good, from absorbing your sugars, from keeping you active, from, you know, stopping you from hitting your Alzheimer's or dementia early on all of those things you will need your muscles. So eat well and keep moving Two problems that can mostly solve 90% of everything that adults face all over the world.

Speaker 1:

Beautiful, and when you see Priya, you will see that she has this beautiful, healthy glow. You believe her. She's amazing and I'm so grateful for you being here today and sharing all your wisdom. Thank you. Now for those who want to get in touch with you. You are active on LinkedIn. Who want to get in touch with you? You are active on LinkedIn. You post very amazing content Monday to Friday, is it?

Speaker 2:

Monday to Friday yes, monday to Friday. Monday to Saturday, now Monday to.

Speaker 1:

Saturday See, start small and inch up and so follow her because she's so I I will have your link, um, in the in the comments section. And um, and you do offer 60 minute sessions and you've also got a 10 week program. Is that, is that right for helping people become limitless?

Speaker 2:

yes, thank you. Thank you so much for summarizing that. Yes, I am on LinkedIn. That's the only platform I'm currently on. I generally stay away from social media for the sake of my mental health, and I offer two coaching varieties, like you said. One is the 60 minutes power coaching and the other one is the 10 week intense, intensive program, and both of them are one-on-one coaching Beautiful beautiful and people if they want to get in touch with you, they would DM you through LinkedIn.

Speaker 1:

Is that? Yeah, absolutely yes, awesome. Well, thank you very much. I encourage you all to go and follow Freya on LinkedIn and she will give you so many good things to think about in your life thank you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for saying that it was absolute pleasure talking to you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for joining me on this episode of journey to iconic podcast. I hope you found inspiration and practical insights to help you unlock your highest potential. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate and leave a review to help others find us For more resources and to connect with our community. Follow Kirsten Barford on LinkedIn and other socials or visit our website at wwwkirstenbarfordcom. Remember your journey to iconic starts with embracing your unique self and stepping into your power. Until next time, keep moving forward, trust yourself and remember I've got you.