Shownotes

How many times do you walk away from a doctor’s appointment feeling discouraged, unseen, and with more questions than answers? No matter how hopeless you feel it is, there is an answer out there. Listen to this episode for ways to approach your appointments, health conversations, and the value of self-advocation.

If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co. Or leave a comment below!

And as always, if you’re enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.

In this episode you will learn about:

• How LL became comfortable telling her health stories
• Three tips for getting the most out of your doctor’s appointments
• Common should not equal normal
• How to find the right doctor for you
• What the middle space means and how to live in it

Episode References/Links:

• Agency Mini: profitablepilates.com/mini
• Cambodia Retreat: https://lesleylogan.co/cambodia-pilates-retreat/
• Blogs: https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/blog/

Transcript

Lesley Logan
Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I’m Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I’ve trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it’s the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It’s a practice, not a perfect. Let’s get started.

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Lesley Logan
Welcome back to the Be It Till You See it interview recap where my co host in life, Brad and I are going to dig into the advocating convo I have with Jessica in our last episode. If you haven’t yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause this now, go back and listen to that one. And then come back and join us.

Brad Crowell
Do it.

Lesley Logan
You know what this intro just made me realize, 1) where on what episode, 138. And I’m still reading a script. So anyways, there’s that and 2) I need to get Lindsay Rathert on, Lindsay Moore on. (Brad: Yeah.) Because we are gonna actually bring her on. She’s already said she wants to be on and to talk about how you can be an advocate. So I’m saying that because I know that Brad and Amanda make notes and help me remember.

Brad Crowell
You just coaching the team right here live on the pod.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, yeah. Let’s if they’re listening. (Brad: Okay, okay.) Anyways, aside from that amazing announcement that’s going to be …

Brad Crowell
That’s not typically how we do things around here, y’all. (Lesley: No.) We’re gonna roll with it today.

Lesley Logan
I know. I’m getting, I’m giving notes. I’m sure, there’s gonna be notes to me. There’s any note behind the note. (Brad: Amazing.) Anyways, we are also very … because we were so busy with Agency Mini week. It is insane and amazing around here, the buzz in this house is so fun, because one of the things we’re on this mission to do is more bodies doing Pilates. And one of the ways we can do that, as you know, I’ve said before, not everyone like’s me, I’m not a taco. And so I help, we help other instructors and studio owners grow their businesses, because when they grow their businesses, they’re teaching more people. And that means mission accomplished.

Brad Crowell
Yes, that’s very true. So this week is, is one of the two times each year we do Agency Mini, and it’s for fitness business owners of all kinds. And it’s where we get a chance to really, you know, get to know you, you get to know us and all the you know how that, how our coaching program works during this week, and it’s full of amazing foundational information for fitness business owners. And …

Lesley Logan
I mean, also we do the webinar foundational information, then we answer all of your questions. (Brad: Yeah …) No matter where are you are in your business, we have an answer for you.

Brad Crowell
Yeah. But right now, we’re in the middle of it. So it’s a little too late to jump in. But you can put yourself on the waitlist for the next round, which we’re going to be doing early next year. So if you are interested and information about that just go to profitablepilates.com/mini.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, and now we’re getting really ready in a week we’re gonna be in Chicago … (Brad: Yeah, hop on a plane.) Yeah, Balanced Bodies Pilates on tour, where I hope we’re gonna see you there. And we’re gonna see you there, make sure we let us know Brad’s and I actually going to be at our booth. And then I will be at our booth and teaching classes. So we want to see you …

Brad Crowell
Yeah, and OPC members, check your emails.

Lesley Logan
Oh, yeah, we’re working on, we’re working on that meetup. So make sure you are watching for that. And then we come back from that on our anniversary, happy anniversary, Babe. (Brad: Oh thanks.) We’ll be on a plane and … (Brad: It’s how we do.) It’s literally how we do. I mean, if we let this least this one will be together.

Brad Crowell
Least this one, we will need together. (Lesley: Yeah.) Yeah.

Lesley Logan
Because two days after we return. So week and two, like two weeks from now is our in person business retreat. (Brad: Yeah.) So which I can’t wait. And many of you are like, “Oh, I wanted to the next one.” Well, I don’t … there isn’t one. So if you’re wanting to be on a retreat with us, then you actually just want to join us in Cambodia.

Brad Crowell
Yeah, look, if you are like super interested in digging into the customer journey, and the entire process, whether you’re a brick and mortar or you’re an online business, and all the automations that can be associated with either of those scenarios, you still can join us in real life in Las Vegas for the business retreat. If that’s something of interest to you just shoot us a DM otherwise, like Lesley said, at the end of October, we are going to be kicking off our Cambodia retreat is gonna be the first one we’ve run in more than two years. Thank you COVID. (Lesley: I know. It’s so crazy.) And we are really really, really excited to be getting back to one of the places in this world that we are just the most passionate about. I know you’ve heard me talk about it 100 times but truly, it’s one of my favorite places to be on this planet.

Lesley Logan
It’s so magical. We’re going a week ahead of time (Brad: Yeah.) and I’m not sad that our flight out is not as early as we had planned because we get a few more days …

Brad Crowell
It’s gonna be amazing to be back there and as you probably already know, I spent a month there earlier this year with Lesley’s dad. The two of us went through all 12 bedrooms, we you know figured out what needs to be looked at, adjusted and it was two years of upkeep that you know we were able to like do this great construction on the property, did amazing landscaping and gardening, our place is looking really fantastic. In fact, that just got pictures of our new banana trees that we planted and they’re already like, you know, a third again, as tall. It’s only been a couple of months. It’s crazy to see them grow. You’re gonna love hanging with us there. So we hope you come join us.

Lesley Logan
Yeah. Because you know what, like, shared experiences are really what makes like life so amazing and interesting. And I had some people ask me on a call, like, “What else should I do when I’m there?” And I’m like, “Yeah, because once you’re all the way over there, you may as well bop around.” (Brad: Yeah.) And we still might, we haven’t actually planned our extra days. But you can go to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali. I mean, like, they’re like, wherever (Brad: Yeah.) you in Southeast Asia have so much fun. So anyways, we hope you join us. And …

Brad Crowell
To do so just go to lesleylogan.co/retreat.

Lesley Logan
Thanks for remembering that. I was like, “Ah what is that?” Anyways, it is Mini week loves. (Brad and Lesley laughs) (Brad: Yeah.) Okay.

Brad Crowell
But first, Lesley, (Lesley: Oh) we had an audience question respond to. Yeah. (Lesley: We do.) That question was, okay. This is personal. So, what finally made you, Lesley, comfortable enough to share your story about all the health challenges that you had experienced literally starting in college? And then it took, what, 10 years before you were willing to actually be open about all those challenges? (Lesley: Yeah.) Yeah. This is a really great question. This is a very personal question. But …

Lesley Logan
I know, I feel like I’m more comfortable sharing the health stories rather than why I’m more comfortable sharing them.

Brad Crowell
Well, it was … it’s kind of perfect timing for this episode, (Lesley: Yeah.) because of the sensitive topics you were discussing in the interview with Jessica.

Lesley Logan
You know, I think it’s a combination of things. But I’ll tell you what, for the for the stomach stuff, I didn’t share them for a long time until like, I would like really wait till I had to share them. And then it was like, “Why aren’t you eating at this restaurant?” And living in LA and losing as much weight as I lost, I was very aware that people thought I had an eating disorder. And I didn’t, I would rather them know that I had like, diarrhea every morning. But I think that I, eating disorder, like I just felt like that was because because I wanted them to know the truth. And I could feel the side eyes and then glances and then the interesting comments. And so I thought a) well, there’s probably a lot of people who are like me, and then everybody’s treating them the same way as I’m being treated. So I may as well share. And then the other thing was is that my clients were sharing things about themselves that are personal because it was affecting their practice. And I was and then they were going you know, they were acting like I didn’t understand or they thought I wouldn’t understand. And the truth was I did understand and I just didn’t tell them that so I started to realize that my not sharing my stories was actually making people think the wrong thing about themselves, about who I was, about my priorities. And so it just became easier to share than not share and then what also happens when you share to the right people obviously I didn’t like go tell a random person I told people as close to so you know if you’re seeing yourself in the story like be really careful make sure we have we have a podcast interview coming up with Elle Russ about boundaries but like make sure that you tell someone you know is going to be understanding, don’t go tell the person is always a Debbie Downer always sees the negative things and things go tell someone who like really does. It’s usually the positive Polly. And …

Brad Crowell
I think this I think what didn’t you write a series of blog posts (Lesley: Aha.) about your gut journey, your gut health journey. (Lesley: Good memory. I forgot that.) For those of you who are wondering what we’re talking about, and what story you know what when she started to share, you can find them on the blog at onlinepilatesclasses.com.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, I forgot that we weren’t that. I ended up …

Brad Crowell
It was like four. I think four or six … posts, I mean.

Lesley Logan
Those posts came about after we finally got answers. And so that (Brad: That’s …) also, so I would so if you’re trying to do the same thing, first, open up to people that you feel like you can trust with your story, and that aren’t going to (Brad: Judge you.) like judge you or shove it … all everyone feels like that. And what you heard in Jessica’s podcasts is just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s normal. So I told some people and then because those people because I trust those people when those people when the right people to tell they actually people in their network to help me. And then I got help. And once I had answers, then I felt really comfortable sharing the story. Because I wasn’t sharing from place up “I need answers”. I was sharing place, “I’m on my healing journey”. And I think that for me that made the most comfortable to (Brad: Yeah.) share with random people, to write a blog that anyone could read.

Brad Crowell
Also, there’s a little bit of hope when you feel like (Lesley: Yeah.) you have a light at the end of the tunnel. (Lesley: Yeah.) And I that’s where I thinking back now, this was many years ago, but, you know, having had a chance to have that 200 page report from the doctor that we found, where he actually sat down explain to you all the things it was, even though even though there was still a multiple year path to being more healthy, and being, you know, healing, it at least there was a path that was like, “Okay, we can do this.: Whereas before, it was always (Lesley: Yeah.) like, “We don’t know, we don’t know.” And this is just terrible.

Lesley Logan
Yeah. So if you are in a situation right now, where you don’t have help, hope and help, then people that you really do feel like has your best interests at heart of the people to tell, then hopefully, with their network, you can get the help and the hope and then and then that was when I felt comfortable sharing anybody and people were like, “Whoa, I had no idea.” I’m like, “I know, you didn’t have any idea.” Like, it is a lot. So …

Brad Crowell
Look, if you are, you know, if you’re applying this to your story, and you have had gut challenges that you’ve gone to every doctor, and every doctor has told you that there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re probably crazy. And you know that you’re not and you know …

Lesley Logan
And I did have a doctor telling me that. I had a doctor literally say, I think you have body dysmorphia. I need to go see a psychologist.

Brad Crowell
Yeah, yeah. I’m I’m pulling bits from your story, if you’re, if you experience are experiencing the same things, and you’ve been, you know, dealing with with something for years, and we are more than happy to connect you to the doctor that Lesley found, that was able to actually dig in and have this bigger picture about it. So if that’s something that is really of interest to you, and you’re just like you’re at the end of the road, you just don’t know what to do next. Reach out to us and let us know. We’re happy to (Lesley: Yeah.) make that that connection for you.

Lesley Logan
Yeah. Yeah. So I hope that was helpful. I hope, you know, it’s, there’s, it’s like, I it’s like you, I always think about Tiffany Haddish. And somebody I’ll have her on the show. But she shared like that she had like a, how about her doing her comedy, and she like, told a story about someday her and she and her mom, I got in a fight in the parking lot, that morning. She told the story and someone heckled it. And she realized in that moment, like, sharing things with the public where they could have judgment around it before you healed from something is not is not the way to do it. So she instead shared what was going on with her family and her joking way and her way of the way that she handles life with close people. And like that requires like, maybe you sitting down and like writing down a list of people who like are like whose opinion of you matter, who always are like they are to help you out. And then she would when she healed from it, then she make it a comedy special. (Brad: Yeah.) And so I think like, that’s just kind of how I like interpreted it myself. It’s like, “Okay, who can I tell around me? Who I don’t feel is going to judge me? Who I don’t feel is going to be like, Lesley, we’re all going through this.” And then and then I was able to write those blogs and now I just talk about it because I you know, it’s it, I don’t want anyone to think that what they’re going through with their health is normal. (Brad: Yeah.) You know, it’s just like Jessica said …

Brad Crowell
Well, we’re gonna cover that.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, just gonna know it’s not normal.

Brad Crowell
Okay, now let’s talk about Jessica. Y’all, you may have already heard Jessica Valant because we had her on as a guest way back at the beginning of the pod. That’s because Jessica and Lesley are very close friends. They’ve known each other for a very long time. So we’re so excited to be welcome, welcoming Jessica Valant back to the Be It pod. She is a leader in the Pilates industry, with a background in Physical Therapy. She is the founder of Momentum Fest which is a huge international movement festival, usually hosted out, well, it’s always been hosted out of the Denver area. (Lesley: Yeah.) It’s moved around and so …

Lesley Logan
Well, people from the international community come.

Brad Crowell
Yeah, people fly in from all over the world. It’s really amazing. Jessica is a strong believer in self advocating, and she’s a mom that is passionate about helping women find a positive outlet for tough health questions. And that’s specifically because she has experienced a lot of health challenges since her early 20s. So very similar convo as what we just talked about, Lesley just talked about Oh, but Jessica has been struggling with endometriosis. So anyway, she has been through all the things including multiple pregnancies, IVF, all that stuff. And it’s a very powerful interview that we that you held with her. I didn’t even know some of that stuff. And I also didn’t know that she was so transparent about it. And she basically said, you know, I never imagined that would be in the healthcare industry. But because of all the circumstances that I went through, I am.

Lesley Logan
Well, I think like, this is if you’ve ever heard your mess is your message, and I would like hear that all the time from podcasts. And that’s kind of how this podcast came to be. Because like, I was a perfectionist, and I was not thinking, like, I like it just so anyways, if you’re so basically, she didn’t imagine she’d be there. And because her, I don’t want to say that her health is a mess. But like, the idea is that like her problems, basically became the thing that she talks about. (Brad: Totally.) She’s the best person to talk about it because she’s experienced it and she knows it. And so I had to have her back because I mentioned on her first episode, we didn’t even get into the women’s health. And I was like, well, that’s so important …

Brad Crowell
We could change that. We could call it your pain is your program.

Lesley Logan
Oh, well, then it’s ours. I’m already putting a little topper on that. That’s mine. Mine. All right, I just felt like LL Finding Nemo. Mine, mine. Yeah. What did you love that you said?

Brad Crowell
Yeah. So I think a little bit of practical advice because I started laughing about this, because we’ve been paying for health insurance for ever. And we hardly take advantage of it. And this summer, we thought, well, we need to just go get an annual checkup. And I went to the annual checkup. And I don’t know, I just sat there and like, you know, was like, I felt like I was like having like a shoot the shit like convo with my new general practitioner. And it was only like partway through that. I was like, “Oh, wait, I have like, I have actually a family history to share with you.” And then at the end of it you came in and we met in the lobby, and you said, “Oh, did you ask them about this thing, specifically that you booked the entire appointment to ask about?” And I totally forgot, I like literally forgot. And fortunately, we were still at the office. And I was able to pull the doc aside and be like, “Hey, quick question. But it made me feel hilariously dumb that I forgot to talk to you about the thing.” And when Jessica was talking about that scenario, in her in her interview with you, I started laughing because I completely forgot some of the major stuff that that was like that I wanted to talk to him about. So she had very practical advice. She said, here are three tips for getting the most out of your doctor’s appointments. Okay, this is any doctor’s appointment. Number one is to take notes, and just save them, write them down, write down what it is that you’re feeling. And then you can then ask the doctor, hey, you can say to them, “Hey, this is normally how I feel. But I have been feeling these other things instead. Can you tell me what this means?” Right. But the big key thing there is write it down. (Lesley: Yeah.) So that when you get in front of the doctor, you’re not going like, what was the thing I can’t remember? Like, I mean, I think we’ve all probably done this with our vet appointments, where we’re like, oh, you got like six things we want to vet to check in our dog and we get there. And we’re like, we only remember three of them. Like what I need to call my spouse like I can’t remember, there was something else.

Lesley Logan
Well, how about this? You go to the grocery store, and you forgot the thing you went to the grocery store for. (Brad: Sure.) So like this is just sound (Brad: Sure.) human beings do so if you’ve done this, it’s like, there’s nothing wrong with you. It’s it’s totally normal. And so that’s why you have a notes app on your phone. (Brad: Yeah, exactly.) It’s like … you can write it in the appointment notes so you have on your calendar, you can (Brad: Sure.) write in your appointment notes, so you don’t have to it’s like really easy. Come up with a system that works for you. (Brad: Yeah.) And I, I did I did laugh. I like I kind of rolled my eyes actually. Because I was like, the whole appointment was on that thing. What are you doing and talking about?

Brad Crowell
I talked about everything else, like …

Lesley Logan
… like getting referrals, like seven things and I’m like, “What are you talking about? That is not why you made this appointment.”

Brad Crowell
So the second point that Jessica said is, if you are really struggling with something that is affecting your stress levels in which it’s very plausible, if if something’s wrong with you, it could cause you to worry when you get in front of the doctor you may not actually be thinking clearly, and she suggested to take someone trusted with you to the appointment and just to sit there and be there and kind of look at it from an analytical perspective and make sure that you know, the emotional side of it isn’t actually clouding the conversation or stopping you from asking the questions that you should be asking so that could be your partner. Or it could be your best friend, you know, someone who already knows these things about you that you feel comfortable sharing those things with, you’re obviously going to have to have permission from the doctor because of all the HIPAA laws here in the United States, and all that kind of stuff about sharing sensitive health information, but I’m sure that’s something that they can work out. (Lesley: It’s completely …) It’s not uncommon, (Lesley: It’s … uncommon.) So it’s like, it’s like a parent child thing to, right? Obviously, there’s another person in the room. And the last thing that she recommended was to be an advocate for yourself, and to come up with a list of questions for the doctor that you you are allowed to request blood tests, you don’t have to sit there and like, hope that they suggest it. You can say, “Hey, I’m worried about this thing. You know, can we do a blood test or can we do a? Do I need to see a specialist or do whatever do I need to take the supplements because of this thing that I’m worried about?” Whatever it might be. Right. And the other thing is, she said, listen, doctors are, you know, you’re the client of the doctor. And so doctors are busy, just like you will have clients with your, you know, whether you’re teaching or your whatever it is that you’re doing for work, you may have clients, you’re the doctor’s client, so it’s okay for you to raise your hand again and be like, “Hey, don’t forget about me. You said you were gonna give her give me this referral? Hey, you were gonna fax this thing over? Hey, you were gonna give me a prescription?” Whatever it is, right. You’re allowed to be the squeaky wheel.

Lesley Logan
I used to work at the doctor’s office. I did. I don’t know if you know this, but I used to work at a doctor’s office. And I actually worked in records and then I moved into phone calls. And here’s what was very interesting, people who called I’d have their messages and have to go find their chart. Now everything is like do… like as digital, but I had to go find their physical chart. And I have to put the phone thing on the chart. And guess what I got put back on top, I got put back on the top. And so the squeaky wheel forgot their phone calls answered. And I was like, “This system doesn’t make any sense because this poor person over here has been patient is getting nothing over here. (Brad: Right.) But at any rate, like it is your health and as your body. And I am going to go into what I loved. I’ve already said it, but it’s just not as common as me. It’s normal. Don’t let your doctor tell you otherwise. So in that same doctor’s appointment, (Brad: Yeah.) same office would end up happening is like the person we’re supposed to see. And I really did have Brad, like, look up some criteria of like, what I thought I wanted a doctor. And he did. And he totally did. And he, like she met all the criteria was also close to home. And she was so busy. He was there for over an hour and hadn’t got his appointment. So the other doctor in the office just did the appointment and …

Brad Crowell
Yeah, for me. So I had not the GP we had booked, but it was in the same office as (Lesley: Yeah.) basically her business partner, I guess, or something like that. Anyway, (Lesley: And he …) he was like, super helpful.

Lesley Logan
Super helpful. So great. I haven’t watched the two of them talk at one point. And I’m like, “Oh, that guy’s really helpful. That’s great.” But the person I got, first of all, it was like, it was like a night and day difference, not only did no one read what I wrote on the frickin paperwork that I wrote down. They made me answer it again. And then when the doctor came in, she made me answer it again. And like, I wrote it down, and I answered it, and like you have it right there. Like I already feel like you’re not organized. Then I was telling her the things I’m concerned about in my body considered going back to family history, my father’s had skin cancer, he’s had melanoma. So I said, I haven’t been a dermatologist since 2018. I’d like to see a dermatologist. She checked my back, just my back and she goes, “These all look fine.” And she kind of just, I felt dismissed about that. (Brad: Right.) Then I asked her a couple more questions. And she either so my insurance wouldn’t cover it or I don’t have to worry about that. Because it’s like, you’ve tested this many different times. And I felt so unseen. So like, even if, even if she’s completely corrected what she said, the point is, it’s that you it’s your body, it’s your health, and you have the right to find a doctor who will help you. So I’m going to juxtapose this to the woman who helped me with my IUD removal. And I share that because that was a journey and a half with all of you. But here’s the deal that woman advocated for me. She found she’s like, “I think I found your IUD. Let me get someone to confirm that I’m seeing it.” Got it. Her specialists in her office to look at the ultrasound goes, “Is that it? What what where is it at her uterus? What’s going on here?” And then she’s like, “Let me go see if I can remove this today.” I didn’t ask her to because I was told I couldn’t have removed that day. But she went to go see if she could do it then. And she came back and said, “I’m so sorry, your insurance won’t let me remove it today. But it’s a really simple procedure. It’s not gonna be a problem. We know where it is.” And so just let’s and she took me to the front desk to make the appointment. (Brad: Yeah.) And so …

Brad Crowell
That’s really interesting. (Lesely: So …) That’s really amazing. (Lesley: It’s amazing …) You know what it’s funny, I think I feel like like this is a second time. I’ve heard this story from you, obviously. And I feel like my conclusion was that the first the first GP was advocating on behalf of your wallet because she kept saying your insurance won’t cover that. And the reality is, it doesn’t matter. You need these tests anyway, this blood worked on anyway, the referral to the doctor anyway, whatever. Right. As so she was almost advocating for your wallet instead of your health. (Lesley: Yeah.) Whereas the second doctor, you know, she was advocating for your health first.

Lesley Logan
Yeah. So luckily, I can go to her for my female stuff. And I’m going to find a different GP and I’ll just keep the hunt going. But I hope that that helps all of you give yourself permission. Like, I know, it’s not especially I know a lot of places healthcare is a really hard thing, whether your government covers it, or you’re in the US and the shitshow that we’re all in. The reality is, is that it is up to us to advocate for ourselves. And we really do only have this one body. (Brad: Yeah.) We really do. And I don’t know why we don’t do preventative work. But like, please, please, please, like, take care of the body that you have, move it as much as you can. And when something feels off, write it down. Like Jessica said, take notes. How long is it off? When was the last time it felt right? Because if it is something that is consistently off, dismissing it, it’s just going to cause more problems.

Brad Crowell
Well, I mean, just circle it back around just because it’s common (Lesley: Yeah.) does not mean it’s normal. (Lesley: Yeah.) Right. And it might be common, you know common across the population. But it doesn’t mean it’s normal. Our bodies shouldn’t be doing some of the things that are happening.

Yeah. And before we go into the BE IT actions, I just want to say this, like I have more female health advocates coming on the show. And there’s a big reason why. We have to hear this message over and over again. Because here’s the deal, ladies if your health is off, my stomach was off. Jessica has people dealing with pelvic floor issues, those will be off. If you have those issues, it does absolutely affect you feeling confident enough to go to work. It affects you feeling like you can show up and be your whole self. There are things you say no to because you’re worried about how, like I said no to amazing dinners, because I couldn’t eat the food. And like who knows what would happen there? And so I cannot help you ‘be it till you see it’ if your health is keeping you from that. So anyways, okay, (Brad: Yeah.) we can talk about this action items now.

All right, so finally, let’s talk about those BE IT action items that you discuss with Jessica Valant. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo? Why don’t you go first?

Lesley Logan
My big takeaway is how can you live that best life in that middle space? I thought this is so good. Like I was like, ” this is so good.” The …

Brad Crowell
Oh first off what, let’s explain what the middle space means.

Lesley Logan
Yeah. So, day to day action. You know, like the middle, here’s the thing, you have a start point. This is like this the middle, you have a start point. And you have a goal. Right? So in particular, with what Jessica was saying is like you you had the life you had then like, then you have this like situation that’s going on with your health. And you have this goal at the end, like when this health thing goes away. (Brad: Yeah.) But the reality is, is that because how long test take because how long healing takes because of all because of research all that stuff. There’s going to be a middle. (Brad: Yeah.) And I, how do we live our best life? How do we be it till we see it? How do we show up and do other things while we’re in the middle waiting for the healing, waiting for the results, waiting for the thing that’s going on to be different? And I if you I don’t think this is like everything this is whether it’s health, whether it’s business, whether it’s love, whether it’s anything like how do we live our best life in that middle space, that space between where we started and where we want to be?

Brad Crowell
Okay, so, so yeah. So what are those actual suggestions that Jessica had about how we live our best life in the middle?

Lesley Logan
Yeah, so she mentioned like the day to day action. So like, and that’s, y’all, there’s a lot of days that can be very much the same. And instead of it being redundant, “Oh my gosh, I’m like living this life waiting for the next thing.” It’s like, what action can you take each day, it’s going to give you clarity, it’s going to feel really good, then it takes a plan. So you really are going to need to plan and, and that is the hardest part. But then you have to work the plan. My loves she didn’t mentioned that, but this is very important. And Amy Ledin’s like once you have a plan, you should have to work the plan, and you have to trust the plan. You can’t just do it one day, and then the next day.

Brad Crowell
Yeah, actually, this makes me think back to your doctor’s like 200 page, (Lesley: Yeah.) you know, like all of the research that he did on your, like testing on your blood, and all the conclusions that he drew from it, he came to you and said, “Okay, here’s your plan for the next 12 months.” Right. (Lesley: Yeah.) And he literally gave you the steps.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, he did. And I had to work them. (Brad: Yeah.) Yeah. Know that it is your journey. I thought that was very key the your, that is your journey. And like, I think it can be easy to compare your journey to someone else’s journey, but it’s your journey. (Brad: Right.) And it’s okay to be in this journey. And, and also one day at a time, it’s a process, it will get you where you want to go. So anyways, I feel like I’ve just this I’m so passionate about this and I hope this is episode … And so what did you, what are your BE IT loves?

Brad Crowell
Yeah. So you asked a really great question at the very end of the interview, that that neither of you actually answered. And I wanted to bring it up, back up so that we can answer here, you asked, “How do you find a middle where you can live in that and thrive in that and enjoy it? So that you’re not constantly looking at that finish line.” Right. And Jessica said, “Right, like endometriosis of which there’s no cure.” So how do you enjoy the middle? You know, even if there there might not be an end.

Lesley Logan
Well, I kind of I mean, I kind of I think that was a rhetorical question. (Brad: Oh.( (Lesley laughs) (Brad: I mean …) Do you want more. I mean,

Brad Crowell
Yeah, effectively can how can we answer that? You know, how do we how do we find contentedness in the middle? How do we enjoy the journey?

Lesley Logan
I think it’s going to be different for everybody. And I do think like specifically, when, when, when you’re one where there is no cure, like I think about Lori Watson, right? She’s got back fusions. And so she’s (Brad: Right.) like, one day, there’s gonna be in her lifetime, they’re gonna be like, here’s a new spine. (Brad: Right.) Do you know what I mean? And I share that because we just had her on OPC to do a workshop about back stuff. But um, and I think like Jessica with endometriosis, and I think some of these things, maybe, you know, your pain becomes your program. And she is like finding money to raise money for research, we actually can figure out endometriosis. (Brad: That’s true. She you did there.) Yeah, I just like I know, I’m so good at circling back to things. And but I think like I said, I think it comes back to the ‘be it till you see it’ like who, why do you want? (Brad: Yeah.) First, like, what do you want? And also like, you are not your endometriosis, you are not whatever this pain is. I was not my stomach issues. I was not my health. Like, those are the things those are not the things I am, that’s not like, here, it’s not gonna be on my tombstone here lies Lesley, she had a lot of stomach problems. It’s gonna talk about like, the what, I don’t know, I don’t even know what my tombstone, but it’s not gonna say that. So, the reality is I think you need to go back to like, what are you what are you wanting out of this life that you have? (Brad: Yeah.) And where are you today? And then when you work yourself backwards, that’s what creates the plan. (Brad: Yeah.) And then I really think you got to celebrate the fuck out of each day. (Brad: Yeah.) And what did go well, and so the highlight of your day is not the pain you’re in.

Brad Crowell
It’s the joy of the journey. (Lesley: Yeah. And I’m not saying we …) So what joy can you find (Lesley: Yeah.) in the journey? How do you you know, I feel like taking a pause, you know, like this brings back Jackie Serviss, Powering the Pause, you know, or Amy Ledin you know, her ongoing battle in and you know, cancer free and then it goes back and …

Lesley Logan
She doesn’t focus on her cancer every day. I talked to her every other week. She we don’t even talk about that. (Brad: Out of remission. Yeah.) Yeah. We talked about the action steps she’s taken that day, what she’s celebrating, what’s going well, and I’m not saying that any of these people nor myself ignore the pain, you still are advocating for yourself. It’s just that you know, what we what, what we manage is what grows right? What what we appreciate, appreciates. So you can each day appreciate the good things that happened that day the people that you love, the the people that open the door for you, the people that, like, supported you, and yet this other stuff can still have happened. But you can we, if you focus on all that good stuff, I think you’re just gonna feel fucking better. And you’re (Brad: Yeah.) going to enjoy that medal. And then you take notes like each day about, like how you’re feeling about the thing that you’re trying to solve a problem on. But I don’t know, like …

Brad Crowell
What we appreciate, appreciates.

Lesley Logan
Yeah, it really does. So I think I’m a verbal processor. I hope everyone followed that. And I hope and if you’re like shouting out from your phone, like to me and Brad, what the answer is, then send it to the @be_it_pod. (Brad: Yeah.) And I’ll post it, I’ll talk about it in a future episode, because I would love to hear how you are trying to live and thrive in the middle without without your whatever your thing is holding (Brad: Yeah.) you back. It’s there, it’s part of the journey. It makes it … Here’s the deal, have you ever heard anybody inspiring a story? Say, “I had it like this amazing life, and it was so fucking great. And then I got here and I made this amazing thing. And it’s so been so fucking great.” And then … no, every single person, including Oprah, her fucking self, they all came from some sort of pain. And then they used it to create the programs and the platforms, and another whatever ‘p’ where we want to put in here to to help others. So they and they don’t focus on the pain that they came from. It’s just part of the story. It’s part of their middle, and it’s what helps them reach other people. So anyways,

Brad Crowell
Yeah. Well, that’s awesome. I think that was a great answer to a rhetorical question.

Lesley Logan
Well, I’m Lesley Logan.

Brad Crowell
And I’m Brad Crowell.

Lesley Logan
Thank you so much for joining us today. We’re so grateful you’re here. How are you going to use these tips in your life? Let us know by sending a DM to the @be_it_pod Instagram. And we will catch you on the next episode.

Brad Crowell
Bye for now.

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Lesley Logan
That’s all I’ve got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate this show and leave a review. And, follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over on IG at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us help others to BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day!

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Lesley Logan
‘Be It Till You See It’ is a production of ‘As The Crows Fly Media’.

Brad Crowell
It’s written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.

Lesley Logan
Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.

Brad Crowell
Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.

Lesley Logan
Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can’t see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.

Brad Crowell
And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.