Episode 194
Maria Malec:How to Create Effortless Wellness
Maria Malec:
How to Create Effortless Wellness
Join me for an eye-opening conversation with Maria Malec, a lifestyle and wellness architect, as we explore the transformative power of mindset in health and wellness. Discover how small daily choices can lead to significant health outcomes, and learn practical steps from her latest book, "Feel Better With Less Work Seriously." Don't miss out!
First Aired on: Jun 2, 2025
Episode 194
Maria Malec:How to Create Effortless Wellness
Maria Malec:
How to Create Effortless Wellness
Join me for an eye-opening conversation with Maria Malec, a lifestyle and wellness architect, as we explore the transformative power of mindset in health and wellness. Discover how small daily choices can lead to significant health outcomes, and learn practical steps from her latest book, "Feel Better With Less Work Seriously." Don't miss out!
First Aired on: Jun 2, 2025
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents:
In this episode:
In this episode:
Introduction
Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Malec, a lifestyle and wellness architect, who has empowered many to take control of their health and well-being. In this episode, we discuss the role of mindset in wellness and how our daily choices can significantly affect our health outcomes. Maria's insights are rooted in her extensive experience and her latest book, "Feel Better With Less Work Seriously," which outlines practical steps for informed self-mastery.
Episode Highlights
Maria's Journey into Wellness
Maria shares her personal journey into the wellness space, starting from her experiences as a mother faced with health concerns in her family.
- Her motivation for exploring holistic health options.
- The impact of her large family and lifestyle choices on her approach to wellness.
- Embracing intentional living to make smarter daily choices.
The Power of Mindset in Health
We dive into the importance of adopting a positive mindset for health and how it influences our daily choices.
- Understanding that healing can be a natural byproduct of good choices.
- The idea that personal faith and belief can influence health outcomes.
- Questioning societal norms around health and wellness practices.
Read Labels and Ingredients
Maria stresses the importance of being vigilant about what we consume, both in food and personal care products.
- Reading ingredient lists is crucial for making informed choices.
- If you can’t pronounce it, it might not be good for you.
- Our choices can have a long-lasting impact on our health.
Establishing Systems and Routines
We discuss how creating systems in daily life can support health and well-being effectively.
- Systems reduce decision fatigue and streamline healthy habits.
- Examples of practical systems Maria has implemented in her home life.
- How to engage the entire family in these health-supportive routines.
The Concept of Passive Wellness
Maria introduces the idea of passive wellness, where health becomes a byproduct of our choices rather than a constant battle.
- Wellness can be integrated into our lives seamlessly.
- Small daily decisions compound to create significant health outcomes over time.
- Incorporating wellness into busy lifestyles without feeling overwhelmed.
Notable Quotes from this Episode
Your desire to change needs to be greater than your desire to stay the same.
Maria Malec
Self-care is daily care, and it’s not just about going away for the weekend.
Maria Malec
We sacrifice our health on the altar of convenience and fast.
Maria Malec
Other Resources:
Other Resources:
Connect with Maria Malec
Connect with Maria Malec
Watch this interview:
Watch this interview:
Episode Transcript
Julie Michelson: Welcome back to The Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson, and today we're joined by Maria Maleek, a lifestyle and wellness architect, author, speaker, conscious educator, and good vibes pollinator. Maria has confidently taught hundreds of people informed self-mastery and self-reliance skills to overcome rising wellness and lifestyle hurdles.
Her latest book Feel Better With Less Work Seriously provides a simple framework for one to get in better control of their health, home and habits using the be do, have formula. In today's conversation, we're talking about the importance of mindset and the impact our daily decisions have on our health.
Maria, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. I'm so excited for this conversation. I've, I've listened to your podcast and some recordings that you've done, and I, I'm just excited for you to share your wisdom with listeners. Well, thank you, and I know that's what you're all about is helping people.
Shorten that path. Um, yes. Take advantage of your experience. So tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got into the wellness space.
Maria Malec: Well, I guess it was by accident, uh, becoming a mother and, um, a family member. One of their children experienced a medical. Mishap, if you will. And that got my brain thinking
Julie Michelson: and
Maria Malec: I'm like, okay, there's, there's gotta be something more to it.
So like every other mother who is really concerned about the things that you put in and on your body, and especially your children, um, I went down the rabbit hole. And I consumed everything that I could. I went to masterminds conferences. Uh, I joined a, a, a company 20 plus years ago that I'm a representative for to this day where they have holistic products.
And through that company I learned so much. And then I went on to have five children. I also had five miscarriages. Oh
Julie Michelson: boy.
Maria Malec: So I was pregnant 10 times in seven years. Wow. So I had lots going on and I just wanted to make it the best experience for my family that I could, and I was literally. Barefoot and pregnant.
And I was in the kitchen. I was making food and blending concoctions. Making tinctures. I've been making my own laundry detergent for 20 years, takes five minutes. Um, so I've really embraced this. Lifestyle. Wow. And it's, you know, really intentional living, and I know that's kind of a buzz word, intentional living, but for me, intentional living means making smart choices that serve multiple purposes.
Julie Michelson: Ooh. I like that. As a coach, I'm all about stacking, so I love that. Yeah. And that,
Maria Malec: that's a new term for me stacking, but I don't, you know, even my wardrobe, uh, I don't say I have a capsule wardrobe, but I make sure that whatever I have can go with maybe three or four other things. Yeah. Um, that's just the way it is.
And I guess having so many children and trying to create systems to streamline everything, yet embrace everybody's unique personality, and that was a struggle for me because I realized that with one child, something that you could do, you can't do with the other child. Right. So it made me become.
Multipurpose, if you will. Sure. And what, what is, what it has turned into is that I say to people, can you imagine a life where healing isn't a constant requirement, but a natural byproduct of your daily choices? I love that. Yeah. That's, and
Julie Michelson: that's the, I mean, that, that's the whole point.
Maria Malec: Exactly. And. We're constantly adapting to our environment.
We're healing and adapting. Healing and adapting. No two days are alike. We don't breathe the same air, we don't take the same steps. We don't drink the same glass, we don't have the same cells. At all. And once I understood all this and had a basic understanding of the body and how things in nature, um, affect our body, well, you know, even the, the chemicals that.
Our body uses that information and, and it really is information. It might be in the form of an apple or in the form of a pill, but it's just information. And what I did was study what actually activates our body to operate optimally. Mm. Yeah. More is not better. More supplements, um, that taxes the body just as much as pharmaceuticals.
And, and I will tell you, I haven't used an over the counter drug in about 20 years. Yeah. And now my mission, which I started about two years ago, is called Taking Healthy Back. I love that. I, I started a podcast interviewing different people who use alternate methods of maintaining wellness, healing, and they all come back to the same things.
They all come back to nature. Um, and it's not really about, um, balance because I, I don't think you, we can have balance because there. There's so much variety. Sure. You know, um, but it's about creating processes to, to let them work and flow in your daily life. Does that make sense?
Julie Michelson: It does make sense. I love that.
Um, I know I've heard you talk about, I love that you brought up balance. I haven't thought about this in a long time. Um, but it, it. I, and I've heard you use the word alignment, which, which is really different than balance. And, and most of us are, I idea of balance is unattainable and if we have it, then it's gone.
Right? Like there's no, we're, we're not created to that it balance, uh, almost gives you this idea of something static and we're not, yeah. Yeah. We're dynamic. And life, like you said, life is always changing. Um, so I, I, I love. That idea. Um, tell me a little bit about, um, the importance of faith in wellness.
Maria Malec: For me, it's everything.
Yeah. Uh, my dad just turned 98. Oh wow. And he said to me, he says, you know, I'm just rowing the boat, but God is. Driving the boat. And it wasn't until the past couple of years that I really embraced it, like faith had always been a part of it. You know, there's the scripture that says, do you not know that your body is a temple?
And I, I really lived that and I really, um. You know, every day we make choices and if I decide to drink alcohol or put, uh, a netter bar into my body, I'm making a conscious choice knowing that those aren't the best choices. Um, and for the most part, I subscribe to what am I putting in and on my body? And that led me down the road to reading.
Ingredients. Yeah. Um, and that's a big thing right now in the media is finally, yeah. Um, I'm, I'm, I'm thrilled. Uh, the food Babe Van Hari, who led the way for all the che getting chemicals out. I, I had her book years ago. Yeah. And that was one of my main resources that to this day, I still use. And really what she did was teach us how to read ingredients.
And basically the rule of thumb is, if you can't pronounce it, don't, don't put it in your body. Yeah. And
Julie Michelson: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your body either. You know, it's just exactly. But I, I love that you, I think the probably one of the most important steps people can take to support, whether you're looking to support wellness or, you know, recover from illness, whatev, whatever your goals are, wherever you are in this, in this journey.
Um, reading ingredients. If you don't know how to do that, you, you're, you're, it doesn't matter. You know what fancy. Gadgets you have, or like you said, supplements you take or, you know,
Maria Malec: motions and potions. I like to call. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Um, it is, and I love the, you know, it's, it's about the reason we're having this conversation is to empower people and Yes.
And so it may take longer in the beginning to grocery shop to. To turn those boxes, bottles, whatever, labels around and read, you know, stop falling for the marketing on the front and read what's actually in the products. That's a good
Maria Malec: point. Yeah. You know, we've really sacrificed our, our health on the altar of convenience and fast.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Well, and I, I think it's, it's, we've almost been brainwashed to, you know, it, it's kind of wild the way. Lifestyle has changed, especially in the us. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and so it's, it's that getting back to how we were designed to live, which doesn't mean you have to go. Live in the jungle.
Maria Malec: Off the grid. Yeah, exactly.
And yeah, that's, that's my whole mission is, you know, I'm just a mom and I don't have any degrees. I didn't go to any special schooling. I just read a lot. I learned a lot and then I applied it. Right. And that's what I like to call the be, do, have. Formula and who do you have to become and what do you have to do to get the thing you want?
And if the thing you want is weight loss or better health or you know, even financial gain, you have to be become a certain person. You know, a person with a scarcity mindset is never gonna become a millionaire.
Julie Michelson: Right.
Maria Malec: You know, it just, it just goes hand in hand. And I like to teach people how you can shift your mindset, and it's just adopting a wellness mindset, questioning everything.
And here's the thing, and it goes across the board every time you make a decision. You know, new Year's resolution, things of that nature, you are going to be met with opposition, uhhuh, and disruption. You know all your best intentions to start that diet on Monday, and then by Wednesday, you know you've already ruined it for yourself.
Julie Michelson: Mm-hmm.
Maria Malec: It takes consistency, it takes discipline, and these are all ugly words that no one wants to hear yet. It is so attainable and you know that you, when you really want something, you'll do anything. You'll stop at nothing to get it. Yeah. It just depends on how important it is, and your health is not, oh, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it either because Yeah, when you, when you get to it, you know, you either pay up front mm-hmm.
With good health, with good products, good resources, or you're gonna pay the doctor. Right. Yeah. You know, so it, it, it really is a conscious choice and I can't think any other way. Yeah. And that's just with anyone, sports athletes, you know? Yeah.
Julie Michelson: And, and, and I, I think the key is we all have, like, some people think, oh, they're different.
I'm just not built that way. Right. But when we find our motivation, I mean, your whole journey has been about being a mother. My whole healing journey has been about wanting to be alive, to watch my children grow up. Right. So yeah, it
Maria Malec: is the why, but, and also in the moment, yeah, in the moment when it feels good or when you're trying to, um, get out of pain.
It, it does. You don't think of that in the moment.
Julie Michelson: Well, but, but one of my best coaching tools, especially with the mothers, because we, we tend to put ourselves, like you said, at the bottom of the list, we'll get to that later. Mm-hmm. That's, you know, um, right. And, and so. It, it becomes really powerful, especially for mothers of girls, but, but mothers in general, um, to say, you know, what are you modeling for your children?
Mm. Right. Like that, this is hard. The, that, like you said, making the conscious choices. Mm-hmm. Everything we do. It is a choice throughout the day and everything. I know you've talked about the importance of routines. I mean, I can't even imagine as a mother of five, I, I only have three. So, um, you know, routines, that's significant.
Routines are we get what we can handle. So key, um, even with the, my employees at like, we need, like you said, systems, routines, habits. So that our lifestyle just becomes our lifestyle by every little choice that we make. But it's not, it, it's not an overwhelming thing day to day, right? They say like, the most successful, you know, people, men especially, but you know, where they, you know, they, they're not deciding in the morning what they're gonna wear.
Like they're just taking some of those decisions off the list. From being set up for success. And, and I really do believe we do have to work harder in modern times to optimize health. Um, it, you know, it's not, it doesn't sure just happen, um, but it doesn't mean it has to be this overwhelming chore.
Maria Malec: Well, that's what I.
Talk about is creating passive wellness. Yeah. You know, um, we don't intend on getting sick. We don't intend on, you know, hurting ourselves or we don't intend on becoming. Poverty stricken. Sure. You know, so why can't our health and wellness and abundance all be a byproduct of our choices? Darren Hardy said, our current status is the compound effect of all of our choices.
Yes. So each time we make a choice, you're either creating and uplifting or you are. Killing and destroying. Mm-hmm. Or dis, you know, destruction. What's the
Julie Michelson: same. Yeah. I mean, everything you put in your mouth right, is either supporting health or destroying it. It, it's, right. This, you know, it is al always about the little things and not like the huge dramatic, you know, oh, I'm gonna.
Do all these unhealthy things for decades and then, you know, right. I'm gonna go to then pay the
Maria Malec: paper.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. You know, or, uh, oh, I'm gonna go to like a wellness retreat for a week and that's gonna fix everything.
Maria Malec: Right. Or, you know, when you're eating something that maybe is not the best choice, and as you're eating it, you're saying, oh, I shouldn't eat this.
This is so bad for me. You're compounding. Mm-hmm. Exactly, you're, you're what you're eating are also those words. Yes. And all our words matter. Life and death in the power of the tongue and. What people don't realize is self-care is daily care and it's not just go away for the weekend, like you said, right.
Or I'm gonna fix it in, you know, I'm gonna go to this camp and yeah, fix everything. Or like the
Julie Michelson: people that, that, you know, do health supporting things during the week and then throw it all out on the weekends.
Maria Malec: I've done that. I mean, I think we've done that. I think we all have. Sure. Right. And even when you say, well, it's my cheat day, that that's still a negative thing.
Cheating is, is that something positive and uplifting? So our thoughts, our words, our actions, our environment, how we feel inside. It's all affecting everything else and our environment. Is affected by what we actually feel inside. You know, you can have a smiling face, but you could really be sad and miserable and crying on the inside.
You know, we've, we've all heard that. Um, so creating systems, that's another thing. Like, oh, creating systems. Um, my dad had something that he said all the time in business system order structure, SOS. You create a system which creates order and, uh, builds the structure of your life. And I mean, I even set up a system for packing my suitcase or my, my purse.
Um, how I set up my kitchen is just set up so that everybody. Can get through people. No one's looking for things or where's this, or putting things haphazardly. So my whole system is my whole system. My whole home is set up. With a system in mind, you know, if someone wants to put electrolytes in their water, instead of keeping the electrolytes in the cabinet, set up your water bottle the night before.
Put the electrolytes right near your water bottle. Or someone who's like, oh, I forget to take my vitamins all the time. Well, set your vitamins out. Buy your water, or buy the coffee. You know, that's a system. Yeah. It, it doesn't have to be this whole big, you know, spreadsheet check things. It doesn't have to be any of that.
Right. And it's what you want.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. And it does mean, I, I, I feel like I can say this, even though we haven't met in person, I've, I've seen enough of your content and you, you share a lot of, of life. Um, you're not a boring person. Like system doesn't mean thank you. You don't ever have fun. You don't, you know, 'cause for some people that just sounds monotonous and no, it's, it's the how, it's self-supporting really.
Maria Malec: It is. And it's just making your life easier as you go. Yeah. You know, it takes a small pocket of time of focused. Yeah. Until it becomes natural and then you let everybody else know who's living with you, what, what's going on. Mm-hmm. I mean, that's the thing. You gotta communicate it all and then everybody's doing it.
Yeah. You know? Yeah. With within your own personality. So that's the other thing. I like to have people take personality tests because mm-hmm. Sometimes I think so many people are out there, well, I wanna do it like her, I wanna do it like, but your personalities are different. I don't like spreadsheets, I don't like, um, tho those kinds of lists.
Some people thrive with that. Sure. I don't, yeah. I like variety. I like to exercise, but I don't go to the gym and do the same thing every day. Right. Type of thing. Yeah. You know,
Julie Michelson: and some people love that, which I don't, that's her personality. Um, you know, I, I enjoy. Physical activity in the ways that I enjoy and I don't, I have never, and, and I, I can be fit and healthy without going to the gym and for somebody who loves it.
Then that's what they should do, right? Like that's, yeah, absolutely. I had a
Maria Malec: season, I had a season of like five years doing CrossFit. I couldn't even imagine doing CrossFit now. So I've created a little gym on my lanai here and it's different all the time and I love it. Yeah, I put the music on and I do what I feel my body is calling me to that day.
Okay. It's, it's listening. Um, it's not just getting quiet. It's listening to your body and seeing what the cravings are and all cr, all cravings are not bad. Right. Your, our bodies are speaking to us all the time. And that's the other thing I like to talk about is, you know, when you turn off the bad stuff, you also turn off the good stuff,
Julie Michelson: right?
Um,
Maria Malec: learn learning how to navigate your emotions and listening to your emotions with without labeling them, you know, and judging them well. Yeah. I, I don't like labels at all, so I mean, I won't even call anyone a best friend because I just think labels put things in a box and like we talked about earlier, everything is.
Always changing. Yeah. Ebb and flow. There's seasons, you know, and, um, listening to them and understanding ourselves. Um, I, social media is great, but it's a double-edged sword and there's so many things. A, to distract us, b, to have us compare ourselves to other people and comparison is a thief of joy. So if we're always striving to be like everybody else, and then someone's like, well, I don't know who I am.
That's why. Right? Yeah. You know, and we all have a unique purpose. Not one of us has the same purpose, just like our fingerprints. And I started embracing that about a year ago. I just turned 60. So, uh, you know, 59 years of searching and sure. That's my purpose, you know? Yeah. Clearly motherhood is part of that, of course, as my purpose, and I really believe that now, you know, I wanted to teach people about health and wellness.
And it just seems like a lot of people are, well burn that bridge when I get to it, or I already, I'm already doing something and what I really think I need to be doing is, is helping mothers, especially young mothers, because yeah, there's lots of books out there, but there's nothing like someone who's been through it.
Right?
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Well, and I love that because again, mothers tend to. Put themselves last and, and, um, there I could personally even we joke, uh, like there's so many things I did as a, as a young mom that I absolutely would not do now. Things I fed my children, myself, my, you know, um, and so to, to gift somebody.
With that. I, I always, um, think of even just the ripple effect of when I'm working with a mother and that family mm-hmm. Changes their lifestyle. Those kids aren't going to end up, you know, with chronic illness, you know, decades later because they're being raised around wellness, like true wellness and, and so I love that.
I, I think. That you wanna change the world, work with young mothers.
Maria Malec: So, yeah. And you know, the, the first five years of a child's life is the most critical. Yeah. And I, I did a lot of research, uh, with neuroscience and brain development. Like I really went down there and children need 3D eye to eye interaction and.
You know, today when I see these kids in the stroller with the phone, you know, I'm not, I'm really not judging because I know they're trying to keep their kid busy and you know, entertained or, or whatever it is, but it's just so detrimental to their brain development.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Because I think it's by the age five, if they don't make certain synapse connections.
They never will. Yeah. You look at school system today, why are there so many EIP PS and um, learning disabilities and it's not all just a DD and yeah. You know, it had to do with that, those very formidable years of brain development.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Um,
Julie Michelson: it's so true. I had that, that same thought through. The mask era.
Um, watching don't, don't even watching. Yeah. How did I know? You know, I would see like in public mothers with, with babies and toddlers and the mom's wearing a mask and I'm thinking, oh my God, these poor kids are growing up without, you know, seeing mommy smile and being able to read emotions on faces and.
I know it's, we don't even know yet what damage that has done. Um, but, and so combine that with the kind of screen era, that's, that's the norm right now. Mm mm-hmm. Um, and, and so it is, it's, again, it's, and I like you, I'm not judging, uh, I did whatever the things were that, that. With the, you know, whatever was, Hey, I used
Maria Malec: to prop up.
I used to prop up the baby bottle. That was like taboo. Then, you know, there's always, you know, there, there's always something. But right now I believe it's more critical than anything. And then of course, the food. And the food choices. Yeah. And how they're contributing. Look at all the children right now who have adult diseases.
It's
Julie Michelson: crazy. We never, we
Maria Malec: never heard of those things.
Julie Michelson: No. I was, I was in my early thirties when I was diagnosed with my first autoimmune condition, and the, and the, the rheumatologist at the time even said like, you're so young now, you're, it's crazy to say this out loud, but you're almost lucky if you make it to your thirties without.
Chronic illness diagnoses. Sure, sure. It's, it's insane. And it, it's, it, it, if a path took us somewhere, that means that we can change course.
Maria Malec: Absolutely. And here's the thing, and this was another thing that was a revelation for me, is that. It's not so much that our bodies are broken or sick. Correct. It's that they're out of relationship with the way the body was created.
The body was created to work in a certain manner, and I liken it to what if you had a PC computer and you put Apple computer information in it? Right. Is it going to work? It's not, maybe a little bit, but it's not gonna work optimally. And that's really what I'm pressing home with helping families is that everything you do, and not just the ingredients of foods, but the thoughts, what are you watching?
What are you scrolling through? Yeah. Um, I, I saw a video recently about, um. I think it was Prince the, the singer Prince. He was talking to his friend and they were talking about some scary movie that they saw, and the the, his one friend said something like, yeah, I can't get it outta my head. I can't get those images.
Like, you can never forget it. Mm. Because our bodies keep score. Our brain is just a big infinite library of images. And here's an interesting thing that the brain doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction. Yes. Meaning it doesn't know if you watched a car accident or if you were in it. Right.
Your body is going to respond chemically in the same way. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. So, and that goes, you know, back to our thoughts, you know, when you were talking about the, you know, maybe having a, a eating something that is not, you already know before you make the choice that, that it doesn't support your body. Um, the difference between, like you were saying before, you know, like, oh, I'm cheating the, the language.
You don't have to say it out loud, the, whatever those thoughts are that you're having it. Yeah. Um, you know, or, uh, this is gonna inflame me, this is gonna hurt later, whatever you're thinking. And it happens, right? Well have that same food, but be thinking, my body is strong enough to handle this now. Uh, you know what?
Whatever positive thoughts. You are going to handle it totally differently that, yeah.
Maria Malec: Ah, and I mean, even some kid allergies or allergies in general. You could be eating something and scrolling on your phone and see something, you know, something horrific or something. Scary, and now all of a sudden you're eating that food and your body's reacting in a way and it turns that food into like every time you eat it.
After that, yeah. You get some kind of a reaction. And it's not necess, I mean, it could be the food I just, right. Disclaimer, but also, but it could be the body imprinting. Mm-hmm. That experience that you saw with the food that you were eating?
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Come on. I know.
Julie Michelson: So we can change, we can change the story.
Maria Malec: So, uh, one, one of the things I do at home all the time is I listen to praise and worship music, or I listen to classical music, or, um, I even listen to, um, like scripture in the background because that's affecting the environment.
Mm-hmm. You know? Absolutely. I don't even have to be conscious of it, but it's getting in the subconscious. So if you think of some of that. I'll call it like my parents, that crazy music or you're listening to the news while you're doing things that's getting in your psyche. Yes.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: I would, yeah, without, I don't wanna get too deep, but I know, I mean, these are the, these are the realities and they're like, oh, don't worry.
Or when people say a joke and they're like, oh. Or they say something. Maybe a criticism to someone. Oh, I'm only joking. Yeah, it's too, too, it's out. Already been released.
Julie Michelson: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Ugh. I love that. So, so much wisdom, which is what you're all about, right, is sharing. I, I am excited for all the young families who get to work with you because really the, and some of the stuff I, I joke now the things that at my younger self thought were woo woo or Ola, or, you know.
Uh, it's, there's so much science and it's, it's not new science, right? All of this, um, and, and for people that, that are like, you know, really question, show
Maria Malec: me the science. But, but we also know that, show me the science isn't also true either. True, true. And, and, and, you know, when you ask me about my faith, you know, everything.
If it can't be backed up with scripture. It's, it's probably not the right thing. I, I firmly believe that.
Julie Michelson: Oh.
Maria Malec: And, um, you know, that, that's a, a personal perspective, but it, it can be backed up in so many ways. Yeah. And so that's why I question everything that I hear. Sure.
Julie Michelson: Well, I mean, that's, you're supposed to, I think I was, you know, very grateful for being raised to question.
Um, and, and you know, so I, I, I think that, that, that's why we're both doing what we're doing is because, you know, otherwise we would just be, you know, uh, the. I hate to use the word sheep. I don't know what else, but we might still be, I use it all the time, still be doing, you know, the things that the majority of the population are doing that that is not serving health and wellness at all.
So I think
Maria Malec: at one time, you know, we lived in neighborhoods where. The moms got together all the time. They brought the kids together, you know, knitting, extended circles, sewing circles, things of that nature. They shared recipes, ideas. They commiserated, they grieved together. We're, we're not living in that kind of, the world is just so big now.
Yeah, and I wanna get back to that. Kind of, um, old, old way of doing things in a modern world, right? You know, I live in this world too, so I'm not, like we said, living off the grid. I'm not word you using spider venom and you know, like weird things like that. Um, I did wanna say that I've created two tools, if I could talk about that here.
That, um, I'm given away for free. Um, two books. One's called Self-mastery made easy, the route to discovering your True Self, and it's literally a book of 121 questions. Love it to get to know yourself. I don't think enough of us are questioning ourselves. We're looking outside of ourselves and making a judgment based on other people's life experience.
Um. So this is, it's on Amazon, but I also send it out in a PDF form. Nice. Then you know, once you know yourself, you think, Hey, I think I wanna get on this, you know, road to wellness, passive wellness. By virtue of my choices, I have feel better with less work. Seriously love it. And it's basically a framework of five things, mindset, designing your home, internal purification, and fortification.
Spiritual awareness and movement. I've been living this for the past 20 plus years, basically based on something I learned from the company that I'm a rep for. Um, I'm at a conference and I'm like. That's it, that's the key. So I just created a very simple book at the end of each chapter are, um, personal reflection questions based on the chapter.
You know, what do you, what are you feeding your family? You know, what's your mindset? Things of that nature. Just simple stuff, easy, wonderful. Such great
Julie Michelson: resources. So I, I have, we're at that point where listeners are trained to lean in. So I am gonna ask you for one step that people can take today to start to improve their health or support their health.
Maria Malec: There's a quote that I use that says, your desire to change needs to be greater than your desire to stay the same. If you're tired of being on the hamster wheel, if you're tired of managing sickness and not fully living your life with all your senses, you just need to first make the decision. You have to decide who you are and who you need to become to.
Get those things that you want, and not just who you need to become, but what do you need to do? What steps do you need to take? And that's where you and I come in, Julie. You know, we can help someone 'cause we can look in on someone's life, just like a business advisor. Look at a business, see what's working, what's not working, what we need to add, what we need to.
Remove. It's not that hard. I'm a one step at a time, girl. Yes. You don't tackle, you don't quit smoking and go on a diet the same day, you know? And it's taking an honest look at oneself. I.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: And the, the first step is really just getting there, just making the decision and not looking back and know that you are going to be met with disruption.
Yeah. Because anytime you're getting ready to get, go to the next level
Julie Michelson: mm-hmm.
Maria Malec: You, your brain's going to fill you with self-doubt, fill you with temptation, fill you with distraction. Yeah. And I, I think I've reinvented myself, myself like 20 times. Sure. That's, that's called growth. Yeah. Yeah. And I can't expect today what happened yesterday, and my past doesn't define me.
Yeah. And learning how to look at your past with forgiveness. Look at your past like a movie and not a participant. Not an actor in the movie. And, um, basically forgiving yourself for not knowing now what you didn't know then. Sure. Sure love it. And just making the decision. A decision is the first step.
You can't do anything. You know, if I'm gonna go up a staircase, I have to decide I'm gonna go up the stairs. Right? Yeah. Right. One step at a, that's good advice. One step at a time.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Love it. Ugh. For people that are listening on the go and aren't gonna check the notes, where's the best place to find you?
Maria Malec: I love Instagram. Okay. So, and all my handles everywhere. Even, uh, YouTube is taking healthy back with Maria. Perfect. And, um, you know, you can, you can message me, um, you know, a quick responder and I just love helping people find their way.
Julie Michelson: Amazing. It, it comes through, it's very clear. Thank you, Maria. Thank you so much for your time, for sharing your wisdom and, and for supporting listeners.
Um, I think anybody can just take whatever nugget resonates with them and, and start to really make some good, good decisions.
Maria Malec: And I know that if we lived in the same neighborhood, we'd be hanging out all the time.
Julie Michelson: Absolutely. Absolutely. For Thank you. Everyone listening. Remember, you can get those show notes and transcripts by visiting Inspired Living Show.
Hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I'll see you next week. Thank
Maria Malec: you. All right. Thank you so much.
I.
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Julie Michelson: Welcome back to The Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson, and today we're joined by Maria Maleek, a lifestyle and wellness architect, author, speaker, conscious educator, and good vibes pollinator. Maria has confidently taught hundreds of people informed self-mastery and self-reliance skills to overcome rising wellness and lifestyle hurdles.
Her latest book Feel Better With Less Work Seriously provides a simple framework for one to get in better control of their health, home and habits using the be do, have formula. In today's conversation, we're talking about the importance of mindset and the impact our daily decisions have on our health.
Her latest book Feel Better With Less Work Seriously provides a simple framework for one to get in better control of their health, home and habits using the be do, have formula. In today's conversation, we're talking about the importance of mindset and the impact our daily decisions have on our health.
Maria, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me. Good to be here. I'm so excited for this conversation. I've, I've listened to your podcast and some recordings that you've done, and I, I'm just excited for you to share your wisdom with listeners. Well, thank you, and I know that's what you're all about is helping people.
Shorten that path. Um, yes. Take advantage of your experience. So tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got into the wellness space.
Maria Malec: Well, I guess it was by accident, uh, becoming a mother and, um, a family member. One of their children experienced a medical. Mishap, if you will. And that got my brain thinking
Julie Michelson: and
Maria Malec: I'm like, okay, there's, there's gotta be something more to it.
So like every other mother who is really concerned about the things that you put in and on your body, and especially your children, um, I went down the rabbit hole. And I consumed everything that I could. I went to masterminds conferences. Uh, I joined a, a, a company 20 plus years ago that I'm a representative for to this day where they have holistic products.
And through that company I learned so much. And then I went on to have five children. I also had five miscarriages. Oh
Julie Michelson: boy.
Maria Malec: So I was pregnant 10 times in seven years. Wow. So I had lots going on and I just wanted to make it the best experience for my family that I could, and I was literally. Barefoot and pregnant.
And I was in the kitchen. I was making food and blending concoctions. Making tinctures. I've been making my own laundry detergent for 20 years, takes five minutes. Um, so I've really embraced this. Lifestyle. Wow. And it's, you know, really intentional living, and I know that's kind of a buzz word, intentional living, but for me, intentional living means making smart choices that serve multiple purposes.
Julie Michelson: Ooh. I like that. As a coach, I'm all about stacking, so I love that. Yeah. And that,
Maria Malec: that's a new term for me stacking, but I don't, you know, even my wardrobe, uh, I don't say I have a capsule wardrobe, but I make sure that whatever I have can go with maybe three or four other things. Yeah. Um, that's just the way it is.
And I guess having so many children and trying to create systems to streamline everything, yet embrace everybody's unique personality, and that was a struggle for me because I realized that with one child, something that you could do, you can't do with the other child. Right. So it made me become.
Multipurpose, if you will. Sure. And what, what is, what it has turned into is that I say to people, can you imagine a life where healing isn't a constant requirement, but a natural byproduct of your daily choices? I love that. Yeah. That's, and
Julie Michelson: that's the, I mean, that, that's the whole point.
Maria Malec: Exactly. And. We're constantly adapting to our environment.
We're healing and adapting. Healing and adapting. No two days are alike. We don't breathe the same air, we don't take the same steps. We don't drink the same glass, we don't have the same cells. At all. And once I understood all this and had a basic understanding of the body and how things in nature, um, affect our body, well, you know, even the, the chemicals that.
Our body uses that information and, and it really is information. It might be in the form of an apple or in the form of a pill, but it's just information. And what I did was study what actually activates our body to operate optimally. Mm. Yeah. More is not better. More supplements, um, that taxes the body just as much as pharmaceuticals.
And, and I will tell you, I haven't used an over the counter drug in about 20 years. Yeah. And now my mission, which I started about two years ago, is called Taking Healthy Back. I love that. I, I started a podcast interviewing different people who use alternate methods of maintaining wellness, healing, and they all come back to the same things.
They all come back to nature. Um, and it's not really about, um, balance because I, I don't think you, we can have balance because there. There's so much variety. Sure. You know, um, but it's about creating processes to, to let them work and flow in your daily life. Does that make sense?
Julie Michelson: It does make sense. I love that.
Um, I know I've heard you talk about, I love that you brought up balance. I haven't thought about this in a long time. Um, but it, it. I, and I've heard you use the word alignment, which, which is really different than balance. And, and most of us are, I idea of balance is unattainable and if we have it, then it's gone.
Right? Like there's no, we're, we're not created to that it balance, uh, almost gives you this idea of something static and we're not, yeah. Yeah. We're dynamic. And life, like you said, life is always changing. Um, so I, I, I love. That idea. Um, tell me a little bit about, um, the importance of faith in wellness.
Maria Malec: For me, it's everything.
Yeah. Uh, my dad just turned 98. Oh wow. And he said to me, he says, you know, I'm just rowing the boat, but God is. Driving the boat. And it wasn't until the past couple of years that I really embraced it, like faith had always been a part of it. You know, there's the scripture that says, do you not know that your body is a temple?
And I, I really lived that and I really, um. You know, every day we make choices and if I decide to drink alcohol or put, uh, a netter bar into my body, I'm making a conscious choice knowing that those aren't the best choices. Um, and for the most part, I subscribe to what am I putting in and on my body? And that led me down the road to reading.
Ingredients. Yeah. Um, and that's a big thing right now in the media is finally, yeah. Um, I'm, I'm, I'm thrilled. Uh, the food Babe Van Hari, who led the way for all the che getting chemicals out. I, I had her book years ago. Yeah. And that was one of my main resources that to this day, I still use. And really what she did was teach us how to read ingredients.
And basically the rule of thumb is, if you can't pronounce it, don't, don't put it in your body. Yeah. And
Julie Michelson: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your body either. You know, it's just exactly. But I, I love that you, I think the probably one of the most important steps people can take to support, whether you're looking to support wellness or, you know, recover from illness, whatev, whatever your goals are, wherever you are in this, in this journey.
Um, reading ingredients. If you don't know how to do that, you, you're, you're, it doesn't matter. You know what fancy. Gadgets you have, or like you said, supplements you take or, you know,
Maria Malec: motions and potions. I like to call. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Um, it is, and I love the, you know, it's, it's about the reason we're having this conversation is to empower people and Yes.
And so it may take longer in the beginning to grocery shop to. To turn those boxes, bottles, whatever, labels around and read, you know, stop falling for the marketing on the front and read what's actually in the products. That's a good
Maria Malec: point. Yeah. You know, we've really sacrificed our, our health on the altar of convenience and fast.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Well, and I, I think it's, it's, we've almost been brainwashed to, you know, it, it's kind of wild the way. Lifestyle has changed, especially in the us. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and so it's, it's that getting back to how we were designed to live, which doesn't mean you have to go. Live in the jungle.
Maria Malec: Off the grid. Yeah, exactly.
And yeah, that's, that's my whole mission is, you know, I'm just a mom and I don't have any degrees. I didn't go to any special schooling. I just read a lot. I learned a lot and then I applied it. Right. And that's what I like to call the be, do, have. Formula and who do you have to become and what do you have to do to get the thing you want?
And if the thing you want is weight loss or better health or you know, even financial gain, you have to be become a certain person. You know, a person with a scarcity mindset is never gonna become a millionaire.
Julie Michelson: Right.
Maria Malec: You know, it just, it just goes hand in hand. And I like to teach people how you can shift your mindset, and it's just adopting a wellness mindset, questioning everything.
And here's the thing, and it goes across the board every time you make a decision. You know, new Year's resolution, things of that nature, you are going to be met with opposition, uhhuh, and disruption. You know all your best intentions to start that diet on Monday, and then by Wednesday, you know you've already ruined it for yourself.
Julie Michelson: Mm-hmm.
Maria Malec: It takes consistency, it takes discipline, and these are all ugly words that no one wants to hear yet. It is so attainable and you know that you, when you really want something, you'll do anything. You'll stop at nothing to get it. Yeah. It just depends on how important it is, and your health is not, oh, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it either because Yeah, when you, when you get to it, you know, you either pay up front mm-hmm.
With good health, with good products, good resources, or you're gonna pay the doctor. Right. Yeah. You know, so it, it, it really is a conscious choice and I can't think any other way. Yeah. And that's just with anyone, sports athletes, you know? Yeah.
Julie Michelson: And, and, and I, I think the key is we all have, like, some people think, oh, they're different.
I'm just not built that way. Right. But when we find our motivation, I mean, your whole journey has been about being a mother. My whole healing journey has been about wanting to be alive, to watch my children grow up. Right. So yeah, it
Maria Malec: is the why, but, and also in the moment, yeah, in the moment when it feels good or when you're trying to, um, get out of pain.
It, it does. You don't think of that in the moment.
Julie Michelson: Well, but, but one of my best coaching tools, especially with the mothers, because we, we tend to put ourselves, like you said, at the bottom of the list, we'll get to that later. Mm-hmm. That's, you know, um, right. And, and so. It, it becomes really powerful, especially for mothers of girls, but, but mothers in general, um, to say, you know, what are you modeling for your children?
Mm. Right. Like that, this is hard. The, that, like you said, making the conscious choices. Mm-hmm. Everything we do. It is a choice throughout the day and everything. I know you've talked about the importance of routines. I mean, I can't even imagine as a mother of five, I, I only have three. So, um, you know, routines, that's significant.
Routines are we get what we can handle. So key, um, even with the, my employees at like, we need, like you said, systems, routines, habits. So that our lifestyle just becomes our lifestyle by every little choice that we make. But it's not, it, it's not an overwhelming thing day to day, right? They say like, the most successful, you know, people, men especially, but you know, where they, you know, they, they're not deciding in the morning what they're gonna wear.
Like they're just taking some of those decisions off the list. From being set up for success. And, and I really do believe we do have to work harder in modern times to optimize health. Um, it, you know, it's not, it doesn't sure just happen, um, but it doesn't mean it has to be this overwhelming chore.
Maria Malec: Well, that's what I.
Talk about is creating passive wellness. Yeah. You know, um, we don't intend on getting sick. We don't intend on, you know, hurting ourselves or we don't intend on becoming. Poverty stricken. Sure. You know, so why can't our health and wellness and abundance all be a byproduct of our choices? Darren Hardy said, our current status is the compound effect of all of our choices.
Yes. So each time we make a choice, you're either creating and uplifting or you are. Killing and destroying. Mm-hmm. Or dis, you know, destruction. What's the
Julie Michelson: same. Yeah. I mean, everything you put in your mouth right, is either supporting health or destroying it. It, it's, right. This, you know, it is al always about the little things and not like the huge dramatic, you know, oh, I'm gonna.
Do all these unhealthy things for decades and then, you know, right. I'm gonna go to then pay the
Maria Malec: paper.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. You know, or, uh, oh, I'm gonna go to like a wellness retreat for a week and that's gonna fix everything.
Maria Malec: Right. Or, you know, when you're eating something that maybe is not the best choice, and as you're eating it, you're saying, oh, I shouldn't eat this.
This is so bad for me. You're compounding. Mm-hmm. Exactly, you're, you're what you're eating are also those words. Yes. And all our words matter. Life and death in the power of the tongue and. What people don't realize is self-care is daily care and it's not just go away for the weekend, like you said, right.
Or I'm gonna fix it in, you know, I'm gonna go to this camp and yeah, fix everything. Or like the
Julie Michelson: people that, that, you know, do health supporting things during the week and then throw it all out on the weekends.
Maria Malec: I've done that. I mean, I think we've done that. I think we all have. Sure. Right. And even when you say, well, it's my cheat day, that that's still a negative thing.
Cheating is, is that something positive and uplifting? So our thoughts, our words, our actions, our environment, how we feel inside. It's all affecting everything else and our environment. Is affected by what we actually feel inside. You know, you can have a smiling face, but you could really be sad and miserable and crying on the inside.
You know, we've, we've all heard that. Um, so creating systems, that's another thing. Like, oh, creating systems. Um, my dad had something that he said all the time in business system order structure, SOS. You create a system which creates order and, uh, builds the structure of your life. And I mean, I even set up a system for packing my suitcase or my, my purse.
Um, how I set up my kitchen is just set up so that everybody. Can get through people. No one's looking for things or where's this, or putting things haphazardly. So my whole system is my whole system. My whole home is set up. With a system in mind, you know, if someone wants to put electrolytes in their water, instead of keeping the electrolytes in the cabinet, set up your water bottle the night before.
Put the electrolytes right near your water bottle. Or someone who's like, oh, I forget to take my vitamins all the time. Well, set your vitamins out. Buy your water, or buy the coffee. You know, that's a system. Yeah. It, it doesn't have to be this whole big, you know, spreadsheet check things. It doesn't have to be any of that.
Right. And it's what you want.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. And it does mean, I, I, I feel like I can say this, even though we haven't met in person, I've, I've seen enough of your content and you, you share a lot of, of life. Um, you're not a boring person. Like system doesn't mean thank you. You don't ever have fun. You don't, you know, 'cause for some people that just sounds monotonous and no, it's, it's the how, it's self-supporting really.
Maria Malec: It is. And it's just making your life easier as you go. Yeah. You know, it takes a small pocket of time of focused. Yeah. Until it becomes natural and then you let everybody else know who's living with you, what, what's going on. Mm-hmm. I mean, that's the thing. You gotta communicate it all and then everybody's doing it.
Yeah. You know? Yeah. With within your own personality. So that's the other thing. I like to have people take personality tests because mm-hmm. Sometimes I think so many people are out there, well, I wanna do it like her, I wanna do it like, but your personalities are different. I don't like spreadsheets, I don't like, um, tho those kinds of lists.
Some people thrive with that. Sure. I don't, yeah. I like variety. I like to exercise, but I don't go to the gym and do the same thing every day. Right. Type of thing. Yeah. You know,
Julie Michelson: and some people love that, which I don't, that's her personality. Um, you know, I, I enjoy. Physical activity in the ways that I enjoy and I don't, I have never, and, and I, I can be fit and healthy without going to the gym and for somebody who loves it.
Then that's what they should do, right? Like that's, yeah, absolutely. I had a
Maria Malec: season, I had a season of like five years doing CrossFit. I couldn't even imagine doing CrossFit now. So I've created a little gym on my lanai here and it's different all the time and I love it. Yeah, I put the music on and I do what I feel my body is calling me to that day.
Okay. It's, it's listening. Um, it's not just getting quiet. It's listening to your body and seeing what the cravings are and all cr, all cravings are not bad. Right. Your, our bodies are speaking to us all the time. And that's the other thing I like to talk about is, you know, when you turn off the bad stuff, you also turn off the good stuff,
Julie Michelson: right?
Um,
Maria Malec: learn learning how to navigate your emotions and listening to your emotions with without labeling them, you know, and judging them well. Yeah. I, I don't like labels at all, so I mean, I won't even call anyone a best friend because I just think labels put things in a box and like we talked about earlier, everything is.
Always changing. Yeah. Ebb and flow. There's seasons, you know, and, um, listening to them and understanding ourselves. Um, I, social media is great, but it's a double-edged sword and there's so many things. A, to distract us, b, to have us compare ourselves to other people and comparison is a thief of joy. So if we're always striving to be like everybody else, and then someone's like, well, I don't know who I am.
That's why. Right? Yeah. You know, and we all have a unique purpose. Not one of us has the same purpose, just like our fingerprints. And I started embracing that about a year ago. I just turned 60. So, uh, you know, 59 years of searching and sure. That's my purpose, you know? Yeah. Clearly motherhood is part of that, of course, as my purpose, and I really believe that now, you know, I wanted to teach people about health and wellness.
And it just seems like a lot of people are, well burn that bridge when I get to it, or I already, I'm already doing something and what I really think I need to be doing is, is helping mothers, especially young mothers, because yeah, there's lots of books out there, but there's nothing like someone who's been through it.
Right?
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Well, and I love that because again, mothers tend to. Put themselves last and, and, um, there I could personally even we joke, uh, like there's so many things I did as a, as a young mom that I absolutely would not do now. Things I fed my children, myself, my, you know, um, and so to, to gift somebody.
With that. I, I always, um, think of even just the ripple effect of when I'm working with a mother and that family mm-hmm. Changes their lifestyle. Those kids aren't going to end up, you know, with chronic illness, you know, decades later because they're being raised around wellness, like true wellness and, and so I love that.
I, I think. That you wanna change the world, work with young mothers.
Maria Malec: So, yeah. And you know, the, the first five years of a child's life is the most critical. Yeah. And I, I did a lot of research, uh, with neuroscience and brain development. Like I really went down there and children need 3D eye to eye interaction and.
You know, today when I see these kids in the stroller with the phone, you know, I'm not, I'm really not judging because I know they're trying to keep their kid busy and you know, entertained or, or whatever it is, but it's just so detrimental to their brain development.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Because I think it's by the age five, if they don't make certain synapse connections.
They never will. Yeah. You look at school system today, why are there so many EIP PS and um, learning disabilities and it's not all just a DD and yeah. You know, it had to do with that, those very formidable years of brain development.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Um,
Julie Michelson: it's so true. I had that, that same thought through. The mask era.
Um, watching don't, don't even watching. Yeah. How did I know? You know, I would see like in public mothers with, with babies and toddlers and the mom's wearing a mask and I'm thinking, oh my God, these poor kids are growing up without, you know, seeing mommy smile and being able to read emotions on faces and.
I know it's, we don't even know yet what damage that has done. Um, but, and so combine that with the kind of screen era, that's, that's the norm right now. Mm mm-hmm. Um, and, and so it is, it's, again, it's, and I like you, I'm not judging, uh, I did whatever the things were that, that. With the, you know, whatever was, Hey, I used
Maria Malec: to prop up.
I used to prop up the baby bottle. That was like taboo. Then, you know, there's always, you know, there, there's always something. But right now I believe it's more critical than anything. And then of course, the food. And the food choices. Yeah. And how they're contributing. Look at all the children right now who have adult diseases.
It's
Julie Michelson: crazy. We never, we
Maria Malec: never heard of those things.
Julie Michelson: No. I was, I was in my early thirties when I was diagnosed with my first autoimmune condition, and the, and the, the rheumatologist at the time even said like, you're so young now, you're, it's crazy to say this out loud, but you're almost lucky if you make it to your thirties without.
Chronic illness diagnoses. Sure, sure. It's, it's insane. And it, it's, it, it, if a path took us somewhere, that means that we can change course.
Maria Malec: Absolutely. And here's the thing, and this was another thing that was a revelation for me, is that. It's not so much that our bodies are broken or sick. Correct. It's that they're out of relationship with the way the body was created.
The body was created to work in a certain manner, and I liken it to what if you had a PC computer and you put Apple computer information in it? Right. Is it going to work? It's not, maybe a little bit, but it's not gonna work optimally. And that's really what I'm pressing home with helping families is that everything you do, and not just the ingredients of foods, but the thoughts, what are you watching?
What are you scrolling through? Yeah. Um, I, I saw a video recently about, um. I think it was Prince the, the singer Prince. He was talking to his friend and they were talking about some scary movie that they saw, and the the, his one friend said something like, yeah, I can't get it outta my head. I can't get those images.
Like, you can never forget it. Mm. Because our bodies keep score. Our brain is just a big infinite library of images. And here's an interesting thing that the brain doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction. Yes. Meaning it doesn't know if you watched a car accident or if you were in it. Right.
Your body is going to respond chemically in the same way. Yeah.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. So, and that goes, you know, back to our thoughts, you know, when you were talking about the, you know, maybe having a, a eating something that is not, you already know before you make the choice that, that it doesn't support your body. Um, the difference between, like you were saying before, you know, like, oh, I'm cheating the, the language.
You don't have to say it out loud, the, whatever those thoughts are that you're having it. Yeah. Um, you know, or, uh, this is gonna inflame me, this is gonna hurt later, whatever you're thinking. And it happens, right? Well have that same food, but be thinking, my body is strong enough to handle this now. Uh, you know what?
Whatever positive thoughts. You are going to handle it totally differently that, yeah.
Maria Malec: Ah, and I mean, even some kid allergies or allergies in general. You could be eating something and scrolling on your phone and see something, you know, something horrific or something. Scary, and now all of a sudden you're eating that food and your body's reacting in a way and it turns that food into like every time you eat it.
After that, yeah. You get some kind of a reaction. And it's not necess, I mean, it could be the food I just, right. Disclaimer, but also, but it could be the body imprinting. Mm-hmm. That experience that you saw with the food that you were eating?
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: Come on. I know.
Julie Michelson: So we can change, we can change the story.
Maria Malec: So, uh, one, one of the things I do at home all the time is I listen to praise and worship music, or I listen to classical music, or, um, I even listen to, um, like scripture in the background because that's affecting the environment.
Mm-hmm. You know? Absolutely. I don't even have to be conscious of it, but it's getting in the subconscious. So if you think of some of that. I'll call it like my parents, that crazy music or you're listening to the news while you're doing things that's getting in your psyche. Yes.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: I would, yeah, without, I don't wanna get too deep, but I know, I mean, these are the, these are the realities and they're like, oh, don't worry.
Or when people say a joke and they're like, oh. Or they say something. Maybe a criticism to someone. Oh, I'm only joking. Yeah, it's too, too, it's out. Already been released.
Julie Michelson: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Ugh. I love that. So, so much wisdom, which is what you're all about, right, is sharing. I, I am excited for all the young families who get to work with you because really the, and some of the stuff I, I joke now the things that at my younger self thought were woo woo or Ola, or, you know.
Uh, it's, there's so much science and it's, it's not new science, right? All of this, um, and, and for people that, that are like, you know, really question, show
Maria Malec: me the science. But, but we also know that, show me the science isn't also true either. True, true. And, and, and, you know, when you ask me about my faith, you know, everything.
If it can't be backed up with scripture. It's, it's probably not the right thing. I, I firmly believe that.
Julie Michelson: Oh.
Maria Malec: And, um, you know, that, that's a, a personal perspective, but it, it can be backed up in so many ways. Yeah. And so that's why I question everything that I hear. Sure.
Julie Michelson: Well, I mean, that's, you're supposed to, I think I was, you know, very grateful for being raised to question.
Um, and, and you know, so I, I, I think that, that, that's why we're both doing what we're doing is because, you know, otherwise we would just be, you know, uh, the. I hate to use the word sheep. I don't know what else, but we might still be, I use it all the time, still be doing, you know, the things that the majority of the population are doing that that is not serving health and wellness at all.
So I think
Maria Malec: at one time, you know, we lived in neighborhoods where. The moms got together all the time. They brought the kids together, you know, knitting, extended circles, sewing circles, things of that nature. They shared recipes, ideas. They commiserated, they grieved together. We're, we're not living in that kind of, the world is just so big now.
Yeah, and I wanna get back to that. Kind of, um, old, old way of doing things in a modern world, right? You know, I live in this world too, so I'm not, like we said, living off the grid. I'm not word you using spider venom and you know, like weird things like that. Um, I did wanna say that I've created two tools, if I could talk about that here.
That, um, I'm given away for free. Um, two books. One's called Self-mastery made easy, the route to discovering your True Self, and it's literally a book of 121 questions. Love it to get to know yourself. I don't think enough of us are questioning ourselves. We're looking outside of ourselves and making a judgment based on other people's life experience.
Um. So this is, it's on Amazon, but I also send it out in a PDF form. Nice. Then you know, once you know yourself, you think, Hey, I think I wanna get on this, you know, road to wellness, passive wellness. By virtue of my choices, I have feel better with less work. Seriously love it. And it's basically a framework of five things, mindset, designing your home, internal purification, and fortification.
Spiritual awareness and movement. I've been living this for the past 20 plus years, basically based on something I learned from the company that I'm a rep for. Um, I'm at a conference and I'm like. That's it, that's the key. So I just created a very simple book at the end of each chapter are, um, personal reflection questions based on the chapter.
You know, what do you, what are you feeding your family? You know, what's your mindset? Things of that nature. Just simple stuff, easy, wonderful. Such great
Julie Michelson: resources. So I, I have, we're at that point where listeners are trained to lean in. So I am gonna ask you for one step that people can take today to start to improve their health or support their health.
Maria Malec: There's a quote that I use that says, your desire to change needs to be greater than your desire to stay the same. If you're tired of being on the hamster wheel, if you're tired of managing sickness and not fully living your life with all your senses, you just need to first make the decision. You have to decide who you are and who you need to become to.
Get those things that you want, and not just who you need to become, but what do you need to do? What steps do you need to take? And that's where you and I come in, Julie. You know, we can help someone 'cause we can look in on someone's life, just like a business advisor. Look at a business, see what's working, what's not working, what we need to add, what we need to.
Remove. It's not that hard. I'm a one step at a time, girl. Yes. You don't tackle, you don't quit smoking and go on a diet the same day, you know? And it's taking an honest look at oneself. I.
Julie Michelson: Yeah.
Maria Malec: And the, the first step is really just getting there, just making the decision and not looking back and know that you are going to be met with disruption.
Yeah. Because anytime you're getting ready to get, go to the next level
Julie Michelson: mm-hmm.
Maria Malec: You, your brain's going to fill you with self-doubt, fill you with temptation, fill you with distraction. Yeah. And I, I think I've reinvented myself, myself like 20 times. Sure. That's, that's called growth. Yeah. Yeah. And I can't expect today what happened yesterday, and my past doesn't define me.
Yeah. And learning how to look at your past with forgiveness. Look at your past like a movie and not a participant. Not an actor in the movie. And, um, basically forgiving yourself for not knowing now what you didn't know then. Sure. Sure love it. And just making the decision. A decision is the first step.
You can't do anything. You know, if I'm gonna go up a staircase, I have to decide I'm gonna go up the stairs. Right? Yeah. Right. One step at a, that's good advice. One step at a time.
Julie Michelson: Yeah. Love it. Ugh. For people that are listening on the go and aren't gonna check the notes, where's the best place to find you?
Maria Malec: I love Instagram. Okay. So, and all my handles everywhere. Even, uh, YouTube is taking healthy back with Maria. Perfect. And, um, you know, you can, you can message me, um, you know, a quick responder and I just love helping people find their way.
Julie Michelson: Amazing. It, it comes through, it's very clear. Thank you, Maria. Thank you so much for your time, for sharing your wisdom and, and for supporting listeners.
Um, I think anybody can just take whatever nugget resonates with them and, and start to really make some good, good decisions.
Maria Malec: And I know that if we lived in the same neighborhood, we'd be hanging out all the time.
Julie Michelson: Absolutely. Absolutely. For Thank you. Everyone listening. Remember, you can get those show notes and transcripts by visiting Inspired Living Show.
Hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did. I'll see you next week. Thank
Maria Malec: you. All right. Thank you so much.
I.
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Julie Michelson: Welcome back to The Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson, and today we're joined by Maria Maleek, a lifestyle and wellness architect, author, speaker, conscious educator, and good vibes pollinator. Maria has confidently taught hundreds of people informed self-mastery and self-reliance skills to overcome rising wellness and lifestyle hurdles.
Her latest book Feel Better With Less Work Seriously provides a simple framework for one to get in better control of their health, home and habits using the be do, have formula. In today's conversation, we're talking about the importance of mindset and the impact our daily decisions have on our health.
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Connect with Maria Malec
Maria Malec
As a lifestyle and wellness architect, author, speaker, conscious educator and good vibes pollinator, Maria has confidently taught hundreds of people informed self-mastery & self-reliance skills to overcome rising wellness and lifestyle hurdles while transforming challenges into well-being through personalized holistic practices.
Experiencing a full sensory life is Maria's zone of genius & gifting. Her latest book, Feel Better with less work. Seriously!, provides a simple framework for one to get in better control of their health, home and habits using the Be+Do=Have formula. When implemented, these 5 Pillars of foundational wellness assures her clients will stay out of the doctor's office while thriving and not just manage symptoms. After 20 years of implementing this method, her family of seven is living proof it works.
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