Liz Plosser ON: Becoming a Morning Person Even if You Aren’t One & How to Create a Morning Routine That Works For You

Liz Plosser chats with Jay Shetty to talk about the beauty of setting your morning right. The things that happen throughout the day are often beyond our control that leaves us frustrated and disappointed. This is why setting the right energy in your morning, after waking up, can help you become better prepared for what may happen within the day and still maintain a positive composure. Liz is the Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health, overseeing the brand across its print and digital platforms and various brand extensions, reaching an audience of 47+ million women monthly. She is a marathoner, triathlete and boutique fitness–lover, and believes that sweat changes everything… positively impacting your mental, emotional, and mental health. Get your copy of Think Like a Monk today by clicking this link!https://thinklikeamonkbook.com/ What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:09 Doing something you love and get paid for doing it 06:03 Useful skills that are integral to your purpose 10:08 Having a partner who supports you all the way 15:05 Leaders must remember the nuts and bolts on the ground level 18:59 Most of the time, we can control what happenings in the morning 22:21 Signs you’re a morning person 25:03 How to become a morning person 29:20 Have clear values and take little micro actions 32:50 Mornings can just be chaotic 35:56 Journaling can help lessen your morning mess 38:28 You don’t have to wait to start making changes 46:28 How to start a journaling practice 51:07 How do you win your weekend and how does that transform the week? 54:29 It’s better to say NO quickly 55:16 Liz on Final Five Like this show? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally! Episode Resources: Liz Plosser | Instagram Liz Plosser | LinkedIn Liz Plosser | Twitter Liz Plosser | Book Achieve success in every area of your life with Jay Shetty’s Genius Community. Join over 10,000 members taking their holistic well-being to the next level today, at https://shetty.cc/OnPurposeGenius See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jay Shetty?

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• 0:41Jay Shetty?

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• 1:24Jay Shetty?

  Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. This episode is brought to you by Orange Theory Fitness. One of the best investments you can make is in your own strength. The choices you make today can help shape how you feel for years to come. Orange Theory Fitness provides a one-hour workout to build strength, burn fat, and build muscle, with an expert coach guiding you every step of the way. Head to orangetheory.com/onpurpose to learn more and get your first class free. Orange Theory Fitness: helping people live longer, more vibrant lives. Terms and conditions apply. See webpage in studio for details.

• 2:00Speaker 01

  How many hours a day are you in meetings? How much time are you spending having lunch? Are you working out? Like, get clear on that. And that will help you hone in on, like, one, what are the things that you enjoy? And maybe you love those meetings, which is great. But this is also going to help you find where you have some room for improvement. Because maybe lunch isn't on your calendar. What are you going to do for yourself today? Do you need time to take a walk or to journal during your lunch break? Do you need time to make yourself a healthy yummy sandwich?

• 2:36Jay Shetty?

  Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every single one of you that come back every week to listen, learn, and grow. Now, you know that I love interviewing experts, thought leaders, influencers, and people who have insightful things to share with us about our body, our mind, and even our energy and spirit. And today, we're talking about a theme that is so close to my heart. And I get to talk with one of my favorite, favorite people in the world, who I'm so excited to sit down with. We're talking about our morning routines. And I'm sitting down with the one and only editor in chief of Women's Health, Liz Plosa, and talking about her new book, Own Your Morning.

• 3:20Jay Shetty?

  You know how much I love mornings. You know how much I love Liz, if you've been following me. And this book is beautiful. I feel like I'm opening up a ray of sunshine. Like, literally, I just want you to take a moment to just look at how beautiful this is. And every page you turn, you're just met with real great nuggets of wisdom. So while you're listening, what I want you to do is I want you to tweet, I want you to Instagram and share hashtag #OwnYourMorning. And you can tag me and Liz in your post as well. I want to see how you're going to start owning your morning after this. Liz, welcome to the show. Thank you for being here. Thank you for writing this beautiful book. And I can't wait to dive into it with you.

• 3:58Speaker 01

  Oh, Jay, it is so awesome to be here with you in person, too. I feel so lucky and grateful for that amazing introduction and just... Super grateful for your friendship and your support and for you being a contributor to this book, too. It's like, it's all happening right now and I'm, I'm filled with love and light and happiness. So it's awesome to be here with you.

• 4:18Jay Shetty?

  You are a powerhouse. You're a leader in the health and wellness space. You're a, you know, you're an editor in chief. You have this huge responsibility, but your background wasn't in media or wellness. Your background was that you were an investment banker.

• 4:35Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 4:35Jay Shetty?

  And I love that about you.

• 4:38Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 4:38Jay Shetty?

  Because it's the colliding of two completely different worlds, at least from an external point of view. But I'd love for you to take us back as to Liz at college, trying to figure out what Liz wanted to do.

• 4:54Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:54Jay Shetty?

  And how you ended up as an investment banker.

• 4:57Speaker 01

  I will go back even further and say that an interest in fitness and health and nutrition has always been part of my DNA. I grew up playing sports. I got really into running and training for marathons and sort of how fuel could help you perform at your peak. So that has always been hugely important to me. But honestly, Jay, when I was in college, where I was an English major, but I also took a lot of economics classes and really always loved business and learning about it. It, even though I was an avid magazine reader back then, like the person who spent all her allowance money at the supermarket buying all the magazines, like I grew up doing that.

• 5:38Jay Shetty?

  Me too.

• 5:39Speaker 01

  It never occurred to me that you could do something you love and get paid for it. Like, I thought work had to be hard. I went through the interview process as a senior. I went to Princeton and sort of the investment banks and consulting firms descended upon campus and all my friends were going to them. And I had enough background in economics and math courses to get an amazing job offer. Even at the time, I was like, I cannot believe this is happening. You did see that I'm an English major, right? But to their credit, I think they saw value in somebody with a slightly untraditional background and perspective. And then I moved to New York and it was like my ticket to come to New York City and start my life and be able to pay for an apartment and all those things. And

• 6:24Speaker 01

  I learned very quickly that it was not my life's passion. And I'm actually, in retrospect, so glad that I didn't land in some job that I was like, sort of okay with. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't that great. Like, I viscerally knew in my heart, this is not, this is not meant to be my, my life's work. And having that experience and feeling that in my gut really catapulted me to start learning about what do you want to do? And like networking with people and asking everybody about their jobs and do you like them? And the further I went down that path, the more this crazy idea of like, well, I love, love, love magazines. I love health and wellness. Could I explore that? Could I go there?

• 7:07Speaker 01

  It's suddenly, the more I learned, the more I was like, I think this is, this is where I want to go. So, um, fast forward to today, as you mentioned, I'm the editor in chief of women's health. It's literally a dream job. I actually, when I was 23 years old, had a dream that I would have this job. So it's, um, I still wake up every day and I feel the, the immense responsibility and just joy and gratitude that I get to do what I do every single day. But I'm also like really glad that I went down that little rabbit hole of investment banking because I have some quirky skills that actually are quite valuable in my line of work.

• 7:44Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, tell us about those because I think often when people are seeking transitions, we almost have this very binary view.

• 7:53Speaker 01

  Right.

• 7:53Jay Shetty?

  What I'm doing right now is useless. I hate it. It's not what I want to do. It's not my passion. It's not my mission. This thing over here is what I want to do.

• 8:02Speaker 01

  Right.

• 8:03Jay Shetty?

  And we can be very negative and neglectful of the skills, the learning, the growth. So I was sharing earlier with you, my corporate experience at Accenture.

• 8:13Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 8:14Jay Shetty?

  It wasn't my dream. But what I learned was so powerful.

• 8:18Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:18Jay Shetty?

  The mentorship I received, the incredible opportunities I got because I was a part of that company and the great initiatives they had, the relationships and network I have.

• 8:28Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 8:28Jay Shetty?

  Back at the company and the people that left and are still there. And I look back at that and think that's been a strength for me in living a life that's truly authentic to my passion and my purpose.

• 8:39Speaker 01

  Totally.

• 8:40Jay Shetty?

  So with you, tell us about some of the useful skills you brought along with you that have been integral to your purpose.

• 8:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, just as you were talking, I was, I was thinking about my colleagues from my, my early investment banking days and I'm still in touch with a lot of them. They were really proud of me and supportive when I completely changed industries, surprised, but also very, very supportive. And I was just thinking about how it was a very male-dominated group that I was in, as finance can be. But the woman who led our group was a powerful, compassionate, amazing woman. And she was incredibly supportive. I remember walking into her office and like taking a thousand deep breaths beforehand to tell her, I'm going to leave this awesome, amazing group and job to go do this completely different

• 9:31Speaker 01

  thing. So I will always just have like a soft spot in my heart for the, the guidance and support and tips that she gave me on my way out. She was such a, like a luminary in my life, even at that age. And I have gone on to be so lucky to have so many other women who have been mentors and helped me along the way. So there's that piece of it. On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, when I was talking about the quirky skills, I was thinking about how good I am at Excel and building Excel spreadsheets.

• 10:00Jay Shetty?

  I love that.

• 10:00Speaker 01

  That's not traditionally something that editors and chiefs do very much, but you kind of actually do, like I now, because I'm in the role that I am, I very much am focused on the content and the creative side, but I also have to look after the business. And are we using our resources and our precious editors' brains and times in appropriate ways that are good for the brand, not only for our readers, but also to make the brand flourish and be healthy. So I can pull out a spreadsheet and like run the numbers on something in an instant.

• 10:35Speaker 01

  I made a lot of decks, you know, in PowerPoint back in the day and I continue to love doing that and love like sprinkling magic dust on them and tinkering with them. I have also found that when people discover what my experience was and where my first job was in my industry, everyone's like impressed and appreciates that I bring a slightly different, not completely traditional perspective to my work. I think that's something maybe for your audience to keep in mind wherever they are in their journeys is that a diverse perspective, and I mean that in all of the ways, that is really healthy and valuable, no matter what you do or where you are.

• 11:16Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I read a really interesting study probably around four years ago now and it was by MIT and they looked at employees' networks, online and offline. And they found that employees who knew people, who knew people, who knew the same people, had less innovative ideas and were able to bring less creativity to the table. But employees who had a network that was more diverse, where you'd be confused by how they know both those types of people.

• 11:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 11:45Jay Shetty?

  And so I often say that when I have ideas or thoughts, I often think, well, what would a tech giant say? So what would Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs or someone like that think about this? And then what would the Dalai Lama think about this? And to me, that opposite spectrum of thought is where I try and work from. So I'm always trying to combine strategy with sincerity or assertiveness with affection. And I feel like the more polar opposites you can put together, the more interesting your work becomes. And so when I hear you say that, I love that. I am terrible at Excel.

• 12:19Speaker 01

  Even after being a consultant at Accenture?

• 12:23Jay Shetty?

  I avoided Excel at Accenture like the plague.

• 12:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:27Jay Shetty?

  I did never did it. I stayed away from it. I stuck to my strengths and skills. And I did a lot of PowerPoints and all that kind of stuff. But what gave you the courage to make that shift and transition? Because you went to an incredible institution. You're almost trained to go off and do something in a particular way. How did you disconnect from any expectations, any opinions, any noise, any any thoughts that people would have had, like, you're probably gonna make less money.

• 12:54Speaker 01

  Right.

• 12:55Jay Shetty?

  You work so hard, all these things that you would hear. Did you hear them? And if you did, how did you deal with them? And if you didn't, how did you deal with it for yourself?

• 13:03Speaker 01

  Oh, I I love all of this. And it's it's fun thinking back on it because it's been almost 20 years now. So for starters, I shared my dream, literally my dream, with a group of strangers who I met training for a marathon. I I did a marathon through team and training. We would get together in Central Park, you know, people from all over New York City, all different ages, all different careers. But you make great, great friendships, I believe, when you sweat next to somebody, literally. And when you have

• 13:36Jay Shetty?

  That's true.

• 13:36Speaker 01

  10 miles to run together, you've got a lot of time to talk about all the things. So this group already knew that I was struggling with my happiness in my career. But when I remember, I I had this dream about being an editor at a health and wellness publication. And we had a 15 mile long run that next morning, on Saturday morning. And, you know, a couple of miles in, as we'd started warming up, I shared it. And I think maybe in my heart, I knew that these people knew me well enough by now that they would be honest and open with their feedback. And I am so glad that they were like, you should do that, like, could totally see you doing that. So this was a group of people who like, knew me through running.

• 14:21Speaker 01

  But they just got it instantly with my personality. And they thought it, they they gave me sort of the courage to take the next step, which was then to start investigating and talking with people. And like we were talking about, educating in myself and learning more about the industry. There was plenty of pain and struggle and, you know, dozens of interviews that didn't pan out and people that We're not willing to take a chance on an investment banking analyst. And finally, it did work out and it was through a ton of hard work and networking. And also, Jay, I'm going to be honest, it was a lot through like some privilege and luck because of where I've been in my life. So I don't, I don't take any of that lightly and like I own it that I made the transition. And then it was like terrifying, like, okay, I've literally put everything on a limb.

• 15:05Speaker 01

  You know, I'm going out on this limb, like, what if I don't like it? What if, what if it's not all I think it's going to be? And it was awesome, like from day one. And this is day one when I was like fetching coffee and like processing contracts for freelance writers, but just like the energy of creating. So my first job in this space was as, as an editorial assistant at Self Magazine in the fitness department. And I, it was just amazing from the start, like sparks were flying. I was happy. Yes, I was doing a lot of grunt work, but I was learning so much and I was willing to roll up my sleeves and be the one who didn't know and hadn't gone through the internships and all of that. One last thing I'll say is that you've heard me talk about my husband, Matt, before.

• 15:49Speaker 01

  And we have a crazy, chaotic life. He's got a big full-time job. We have three children. We have a puppy at home. Like rewind back to 23-ish year old Liz, who was contemplating this change. And Matt and I have been together since our senior year of college. So he's, we've known each other since we were 18. We, um, we were in Latin 104 together on day one of college. Matt was very much of the mind that like, don't think about the salary. If you love this as much as I think you're going to, and you think you're going to, that's all going to work out eventually. So having the support of a partner who loved me and knew me and cared about me and was like, you've got this, you can do this. I know it's scary.

• 16:32Speaker 01

  I know it's a lot less money, but take the next step. That was hugely impactful and helpful.

• 16:37Jay Shetty?

  That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that with us. I love hearing that. It's, I think it's so refreshing to hear about that where we can hold space for our partners and we can create space for people to become who they want to be, rather than feel pressured to or shoehorned into something else. And, and even though you mentioned privilege and luck, I, I do also believe there's You know, there is a lot to be said for doing the grunt work.

• 17:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:03Jay Shetty?

  Often, if there's privilege, there's a feeling of I shouldn't be doing this.

• 17:08Speaker 01

  Right.

• 17:08Jay Shetty?

  But it sounds like in your journey, you've actually done a lot of that and been okay with that. Let's speak about that for a second because I feel the same way.

• 17:17Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:18Jay Shetty?

  That there isn't a substitute for that.

• 17:21Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 17:21Jay Shetty?

  And often, our dream job or passion is on the other side of some grunt work.

• 17:28Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 17:28Jay Shetty?

  That feels beneath us.

• 17:30Speaker 01

  Right.

• 17:30Jay Shetty?

  Even though I don't think anything's beneath anyone.

• 17:33Speaker 01

  Right.

• 17:34Jay Shetty?

  But often, that perception is actually what limits people. And I feel that more and more today than ever before, where there is a certain disconnect. Tell us about how you made that fun, or how you made it meaningful, or how you felt at the end of a day of getting coffees and doing contracts. But how did you keep going? Because now you're at the top of the chain.

• 17:54Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:54Jay Shetty?

  But you started at the bottom.

• 17:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:56Jay Shetty?

  So how did you keep feeling that momentum at every stage? Because you don't get to the top in a year, or even five.

• 18:02Speaker 01

  No, no, it takes a minute. It was very much about feeling the vibes and the energy of that office. And I was fortunate enough to work at a place that the most junior of editors were allowed to come into the brainstorm meetings and see and hear things.

• 18:19Jay Shetty?

  That's rare.

• 18:20Speaker 01

  It is. And I, I was just sort of like so bold and courageous of like pitching stories. And I remember waving my hand like six months in saying, I have a, you know, I have this feature story idea. Those are the big, long stories with lots of pictures in the middle of the magazine. And I know it's crazy, I know I'm brand new here, but I actually want to be the one to write it. And my boss let me do it. I mean, it took a ton of handholding. And by no means was, did that mean I was like ready to be promoted to senior editor because I had penned a feature. But working toward and having those moments or opportunities was enough to keep the spark and the energy alive.

• 19:01Speaker 01

  And so to kind of bring it full circle, since now I'm at a different point in my career, I try very hard to keep that in mind with my awesome team members. Um, and try to nurture an environment where. No matter where you are on the totem pole or the masthead, that every single one of us has something to contribute and a great idea is like embedded in each of their their brains. And also to give them access to things that are interesting to them, even if it's not quote unquote, part of their like, you know, little box job description. So I'm trying to pay that forward because that was really helpful to me in my career. And I'm sure you feel this way too. Just because we are where we are in our professional careers,

• 19:44Speaker 01

  doesn't mean that we're not still rolling up our sleeves and doing the grunt work. Like a few years ago, when I started at Women's Health, I was only overseeing the print side of the brand. And we integrated print and digital. And then I began overseeing the website, social media, video, all the things. And I had experience in the digital space from my previous few jobs. But when that formally went into effect, I actually asked to like build stories in the in our CMS system and go through the SEO training and like, get the like 101 and to experience what it was like to be in the system. And I'm not like trying to pat myself on the back, but I think it's important to, as leaders,

• 20:29Speaker 01

  to remember what like the nuts and bolts are like on the ground level. I think it gives me more sensitivity and compassion for what every single team member is going through every day. And it's also just a good reminder that we all have so much to learn and there's, there's plenty of sweat left, you know, no matter where we are in our careers.

• 20:49Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. Thank you so much for opening up about that because I love what you just said, that sweat is in every stage of the journey. There is no substitute for it ever. Forget just the beginning. It's, it's never going to go away. But at the same time, I think for a lot of us, we need to find the meaning in the sweat early on. When you feel the sweat isn't in stuff you care about. So I think you really gave a lot of people that are listening today, hopefully a lot more motivation and inspiration to stick with it. Because you have to look at it, you have to look at, you have to play the long game. You have to look at the long term when you're in those situations. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. I know how important every hire is for a business.

• 21:31Jay Shetty?

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• 22:14Jay Shetty?

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• 22:58Jay Shetty?

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• 23:42Jay Shetty?

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• 23:52Jay Shetty?

  Now I want to talk about your book, Own Your Morning, which is what we're discussing today. I want to, before we dive into the book, which I really hope everyone's going to get after listening to this episode, is let's talk about when did mornings become a thing that you thought were important? Because people can be morning people, and we'll talk about what it means to be a morning person. Discovering that your morning is a powerful time to set up a successful day. When did that happen for you? And what was it that made you convinced that owning your morning had to be important?

• 24:25Speaker 01

  Yes, so this has definitely been a journey for me and lots of experimentation to arrive at the point where I am now. But I'm actually going to go back in time to that, that first job we were just talking about a few minutes ago in investment banking. That was a job where anything could happen, and I feel like a lot of people can relate, no matter what industry you're in. Anything could happen during the day. A deadline could be thrown on my desk at 5pm. A friend would invite me to an event, like the possibilities of the day, both good and bad, were endless. And I learned very quickly that, so sweat, a workout is an essential part of my day, has been since I was a kid.

• 25:06Speaker 01

  But I learned that if I said, okay, I'm going to hit the gym on my walk home from work tonight. Maybe up to nine out of 10 times, something would happen. I would get derailed. I wouldn't be able to get there. And then the like perpetual, like, ugh, cumulative effect of not getting that workout, something that powers me up, makes me feel clear and calm and confident, I felt like, ugh, so blah. You know, within like a week of starting that job, it's not rocket science, but I was like, oh, I get it. I have to set my alarm clock for way earlier and get to get myself to the gym and showered, et cetera, before I hit the workday. And then I'm so much better prepared for all the twists and turns that are in store for me during the day. And I cannot control what happens during the day. None of us really can.

• 25:52Speaker 01

  But we can, for the most part, control what happens in our mornings. And so that was the beginning for me, that I, when I got in my workout and did the things that powered me up in the morning, the whole rest of my day went a million times better. And I've sort of been hacking this over time and researching it and learning about it. And it's been a life's passion for me. And that's So that's my, so now I'm a very early riser. I don't run a marathon every morning, but I do have little micro actions I take that nod to the things that are most important to me. And I'm a much better human the rest of the day because of it.

• 26:26Jay Shetty?

  I love it. I love it. And now the first chapter, I loved the title when I first saw this. And you very emphatically say to everyone, you are a morning person.

• 26:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:38Jay Shetty?

  And I know a lot of people hear that and go, no, I'm not.

• 26:42Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:42Jay Shetty?

  Because there's such a cynicism around, or not even a cynicism, there's just a pessimism around our own selves of like, well, I love staying up late. And I, me and my wife hear this all the time. My wife wakes up at 5:00 AM every day.

• 26:56Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:56Jay Shetty?

  I wake up at 6:00 AM every day.

• 26:58Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:58Jay Shetty?

  When we're with our friends, a lot of people say to us, well, but we sleep at like 2:00 AM or 1:00 AM. And, you know, I'm going to be waking up at like 8:00 or 7:00 or whatever it may be. And this isn't about better or worse. This isn't about comparing. This isn't about, oh, we're more healthy. Or it's, it's not that. It's a conversation about what do you want from your life?

• 27:20Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 27:20Jay Shetty?

  When you tell everyone emphatically, anyone can become a morning person, tell us what are the signs that someone's a morning person? And then what are the steps we can take to become one? If we're sitting here going, Liz, I'm really not a morning person.

• 27:35Speaker 01

  Yes, I hear you. And I'm so glad you brought this up because you are exactly right. I am also an early riser. You know this about me, but I wake up at 5:17. But this book is not about like, you need to be waking up at 5:17. There is no judgment whatsoever if you are in the camp of, I actually want to wake up at 8:00 AM and that works for me. I'm, I am with you. My goal is to help you make the most of the time you spend after you get out of bed.

• 28:00Jay Shetty?

  Love that.

• 28:01Speaker 01

  To set yourself up for the best day possible. And to be honest, Jay, and what I hear a lot from people is, they actually wish they could wake up a little earlier. But like your friends, they're night owls. And it's just not in their nature. So.

• 28:16Jay Shetty?

  It's a pattern, a habit.

• 28:17Speaker 01

  Yep. So two quick things. As I share in the book, I was not a morning person. I very much loved to sleep in, especially as a teenager. There is a lot of science that suggests that we have a chronotype. So you might be more predisposed to enjoy popping out of bed in the morning, or to staying up late at night. So early birds, night owls. Some people get their rush of energy in the middle of the day. The cool thing is it's constantly changing over time. So even if a couple of years ago, that's how you were, or you are there right now, it might change just naturally, which is, I think, interesting. I feel like that's partially what happened to me. But secondly, there are a lot of things you can do if you do want to wake up earlier

• 29:01Speaker 01

  to set yourself up the night before. And also, like, what you do when you get out of bed, exposing yourself to light. Like, this is what the book really breaks down. If that is your goal, to wake up earlier and you think you would be healthier and happier for it, this book can help you do that. It really is possible.

• 29:19Jay Shetty?

  I think also when people think about becoming a morning person, they think they have to sleep less.

• 29:23Speaker 01

  Right.

• 29:24Jay Shetty?

  And that's not the thing. The point is, you can still sleep as much as you want. You're just going to try and sleep earlier so that you can still have that amount of sleep. And so I think a lot of people struggle with the idea of being a morning person.

• 29:34Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 29:35Jay Shetty?

  So I feel like I've always been a morning person, but I'm also someone who really appreciates sleep.

• 29:41Speaker 01

  Me too.

• 29:42Jay Shetty?

  And really wants good sleep. Even though people are like, "Oh, Jay, but you were a monk and you wake up at..." And I'm like, "Yeah, but I love sleep."

• 29:47Speaker 01

  Me too.

• 29:48Jay Shetty?

  And sometimes, I wish I wasn't a morning person because sometimes I'm like, "I wish I could wake up past 7:00 a.m." Like, I can never wake up past 7:00 a.m. And so I wake up naturally. I haven't used an alarm clock for a very long time and my body will wake me up usually between 8 hours to 8 hours 15 minutes asleep. And I'll naturally wake up. When you talk about people becoming a morning person, what are some of the things that we need to stop doing in order to help us become morning people? Is there some of the techniques and tools you can share with us?

• 30:20Speaker 01

  Absolutely. So you're exactly right. As much as you wish or want to become a morning person, it's not just like you wake up and, "Oh, here I am, morning person." So for starters, let's talk about the night before, which I know is a little bit counterintuitive in a book about mornings, but I devote a couple of chapters to it. First of all, you're exactly right. It's important to know how much sleep you need and that can help you back into what time you need to go to bed. I know everybody is sick of hearing this, but the truth is, there's so much science about exposing yourself to blue light, which we get from our devices in the evening. It is going to amp up your melatonin production, which makes it harder to fall asleep and harder to stay asleep. So, right there, if you want to have an awesome morning tomorrow, you want to have a good night of sleep.

• 31:06Speaker 01

  So like, do yourself a favor. Pick up a paper book or stop scrolling on your phone, you know, ideally at least an hour before you hit the sack. I also talk in the book about sleep rituals. I interviewed all sorts of sleep experts and looked at all the latest and greatest research on this. And there are simple things you can do such as making your room a little bit cooler. That helps you sleep more soundly. Personally, I like to take a shower before I go to bed. Just I have this vision that it's like rinsing the good and bad energy off me and kind of creating a clean slate for me to get all the restoration that my night of sleep has in store for me. Let's talk about alarm clocks for a second, too. So I'm sure you know this because you're also super into sleep.

• 31:50Speaker 01

  The later phases of our sleep cycle are called REM sleep. And that's, that's like where the magic happens and all the restoration happens. So if you're the type of person who snoozes your alarm button for like an hour or even just a time or two, you're actually disrupting that really powerful sacred time of sleep. So I, I am really encouraging folks to think hard about what time do you have to get up? Like, what's the latest you can get up? And set your alarm for that. Like, that is your sleep spot and sweet spot. And then back into what time you need to go to bed. Those are just a few examples, but they will all help a lot. They will help tremendously.

• 32:29Jay Shetty?

  I love that. That's such a great piece of advice because often we hear like, oh yeah, set your alarm half an hour before your ideal time. And actually, what you just said is we're disrupting our own sleep.

• 32:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 32:38Jay Shetty?

  And so I couldn't agree with you more. I, I think it's unhealthy to set up too many alarms. And also the repetition, what we don't realize is we're creating a pattern where we don't listen to our alarm. And so now that alarm is becoming less and less useful because you're so used to just pressing the snooze button. And so it's losing its impact because you reject it. It's like someone giving you advice and every time they give you advice, you're like, nope, don't want it. Nope, don't want it. Nope, don't want it. That person's advice becomes less and less useful over time. So now an alarm becomes less and less meaningful.

• 33:09Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 33:10Jay Shetty?

  Whereas if it only rings once and it rings at the time when you know you want to be up, you're going to respond, hopefully.

• 33:16Speaker 01

  Yes. And actually, a note on alarm sounds, because

• 33:21Speaker 01

  Rings tend to be what we choose, or like that angry bleeping sound. And so one other tip or suggestion for folks who want to get up earlier, just have a more graceful entry into their day. Pick a sound that you like, that makes you happy. I use the chimes on my iPhone, but it could be anything. It could be a song you love. Start your day with something that makes you happy. It doesn't have to be like a loud, annoying.

• 33:48Jay Shetty?

  What I love about this book, Liz, is that it's so practical. And I want everyone to see that because often when we hear about books on health and wellness, there's good ideas and maybe a couple of good thoughts and pointers. But Liz's book is full of exercises and takeaways. And I really appreciate that when I see that in a book, Liz, because I just find that sometimes we're even like, oh, I've heard that idea before. Oh, I know that, but that's never been the issue.

• 34:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:15Jay Shetty?

  We know we need to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. We know that we need to put our phones down, but we need activities and exercises to actually help us do that. And I'm really glad that you put some in. Are there any favorite activities or exercises that are in the book? That you're just like, this one really worked for me, or this one really worked for a friend? Could you share one with us?

• 34:32Speaker 01

  The chapter about learning what your personal core values are, that one is near and dear to my heart. Um, I think it's, sets, sets this book apart from, um, other publications or books that have dabbled in mornings. Uh, because to, to your point, when we first started this conversation, my goal is not to get you up at five, 17 a.m. like I do. My goal is to make your morning more magical. And what I learned is that when you're really clear on what your values are and what fills you up and lights you up. And then when you can actually take little micro actions, nodding toward them every single morning, you are just prepared in ways you cannot even imagine to be a better parent, employee, pet parent, like sister, brother, friend, all the things.

• 35:17Speaker 01

  So there's one exercise in that core values chapter. I mean, I take you through several activities to sort of hone in on what they are for you. But the one I think is simplest and fastest, and you could even open up your, your phone right now or your. Computer right now and do it without having to put pen to paper is to take a calendar inventory and look at where you're spending your time. How many hours a day are you in meetings? How much time are you spending having lunch? Are you working out? Like, get clear on that. And that will help you hone in on like, one, what are the things that you enjoy? And maybe you love those meetings, which is great. Maybe that means collaboration and teamwork are one of your core values.

• 36:00Speaker 01

  But this is also going to help you find where you have some room for improvement. Because maybe lunch isn't on your calendar. And what are you going to do for yourself today? You know, do you need time to take a walk or to journal during your lunch break? Do you need time to make yourself a healthy yummy sandwich? So, anyway, that's one exercise that can help you get clear about what your personal core values are. And then the rest of the book is really like, choose your own adventure. Or you could read the whole thing and get ideas, but say, fitness or meditation, which I know is so integral in your life, are things that you want to add to your morning and they align with your core values. Then there's advice for how to actually bring those to life every morning.

• 36:44Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I love that. I want to ask you this because I get asked this a lot. And I'm always conscious of it when I'm answering the question. And now I get to ask it as someone who's actually dealing with this. So, you're a mother, you're an editor in chief, you're a wife. You play a lot of roles in your own life. And I find that, in my opinion, mothers, especially with young children, have the hardest mornings. I look at my mother and that's where I remember it from. My mom used to wake us up, get us dressed for school, me and my younger sister. She'd make our breakfast, she'd make our lunch. She'd then drop us to school. And she was an independent financial advisor at the same time.

• 37:27Jay Shetty?

  So she was also had her own mini company that she was setting up. So my mom was, and then she'd pick us up from school, make us dinner, and help us with our homework. So I'd lived in a house with a superpower powerhouse mom that I love and adore. And I just saw now, when I think about it, I'm like, how does anyone do all of that? Like, how is that even possible? And today, life's supposedly become easier and we have more support and we have more help here and there, or we have tools and technology. But as a mother, as an experienced professional, as a successful professional, how are you getting through your morning? How are you still waking up at 5:17? Or how did you manage it when your kids were slightly younger? I want to hear about the messiness.

• 38:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 38:10Jay Shetty?

  Because I think often, mothers also are the ones that end up judging themselves the most about not being there for their kids and then not feeling like they can perform, and then feeling like all the responsibilities on them too.

• 38:21Speaker 01

  So glad you asked about the messiness because I also want to be very clear that although I've got a good thing going with my mornings, that does not mean that every morning goes as I envisioned that it would, without, you know, a little tornado here, a little disaster spilled milk there. I'm also kind of chuckling because here we are, it's fall, my kids just started the school year again, which is awesome. So all three of them are in.

• 38:46Jay Shetty?

  Are they back at school?

• 38:47Speaker 01

  They are, yes. So for the first time in a long time, on Monday, the school bus, you know, it pulls up at 8:04 a.m. And I'm like, oh, this, I have to like get everything together. Like, this is no joke. Because for a long time, they were doing school from home. And, you know, if I went to my first work meeting, wearing leggings, so be it. So I knew I was going into my office, I had some reasons to be there. So I commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan. So honestly, Jay, it was like, I had to put all the stuff I talk about in Own Your Morning into practice. Like, practice what you preach, Liz. And for me, that meant doing a lot of prep the night before,

• 39:30Speaker 01

  pulling out what my outfit was going to be, having my children do the same, having them pack their backpacks. I made the lunches the night before because, oh, that is just like one more thing. And everybody has opinions, you know, they don't want the. Whatever they with my kids, they're very picky jelly sandwiches. I can't believe I'm admitting that, but despite it all, despite it all, it was like a morning of madness. And I did get them to the bus. Everybody got to school. They had lunches in their backpacks. But when I got to my desk, my hair was still wet. Like I was slightly disheveled and frazzled. And I did not feel like I wanted to that morning. And that's okay, too.

• 40:11Speaker 01

  I knew in that instant, if I hadn't done the stuff the night before, if I hadn't been trying all the tips and tools that I write about in the book. This morning would have been like, you know, if it was a seven on a scale from one to 10, it probably would have been a two or a three. And that's no fun. And I have a job to do that I love to help women live their healthiest, happiest lives. And I have to like show up and be ready for that. So my mornings are not perfect. I just posted on my Instagram recently, a reel that was sort of like Instagram versus reality. Like, you know, me like sipping my coffee and the reality version is like my giant Bernese mountain dog puppy is like,

• 40:52Speaker 01

  tumbles in and knocks it over and I have to like clean it up. So I get it. We're we all that's real life. Like that's, that's going to happen to each and every one of us.

• 41:01Jay Shetty?

  How do you make and prioritize time for yourself? You're leading a team with the kids, a company like, how do you actually even prioritize and make space for that time? I know you wake up at 5:17 as much as you can, which is incredible. But how do you make sure that that's a priority when you are serving so many other people?

• 41:21Speaker 01

  Yes, it goes back to the heart of this, which is mornings are the only time I can can really control and to have space to fill myself up and to take time for myself. And I, I think it's a lot like what you hear on airplanes about how you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help the person next to you. I 1,000% believe that is true. It's sort of counterintuitive, like, wait, what? I'm gonna leave the apartment and go to the gym and do this Liz thing? I'm gonna take the time to journal for 10 or 15 minutes? I'm gonna do all this Liz stuff when I have like life and career and people pulling on me in every direction?

• 42:01Speaker 01

  But the reality is, once you start doing that, you very quickly see the benefits. And that you are able to give so much more to everybody else and everything else you do when you've stopped and filled up your own teacup first.

• 42:17Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, I remember I used to just keep giving and going and giving and going. And then I asked myself this question, do I want to give people my best? Or do I want to give them my leftovers? And I realized I was just giving people my leftovers. But these were people that I love. You don't give the people that you love your leftovers. And that's when I started realizing that self-preservation was so important. And my morning was the most important time to preserve because it was the only time that was truly sacred and mine and I could carve out. And I found that even recently, this week, I've been thankful enough to have a beautiful morning routine. It's almost back into flow again.

• 43:01Jay Shetty?

  And I'm feeling all the benefits of it and I'm prioritizing going to bed earlier, saying no in the evening. And there's parts of me that wanna go out and do this thing and I have to keep pulling back. What happens? See, here's the challenge. When we talk about morning routines, a lot of people think, oh, yeah, they must wake up every day at the same time. Like, we talked about the messiness. How do you get back on track? Because I feel like we all get on track, maybe for three days, maybe we even do the 21 days and it's meant to be a habit and it will stay forever. But then we fall off. I get on and fall off all the time. How do you get back on once you've fallen off? This episode is brought to you by Whole Foods Market. If you're talking about quality food, you can't forget Whole Foods Market, who've been holding themselves to the highest standards since they opened in 1980.

• 43:48Jay Shetty?

  That means you'll see thousands of organic products across their stores, from the produce department to the aisles. It also means you'll never see certain ingredients. They've banned artificial sweeteners and colors, high fructose corn syrup and more, so you can shop with peace of mind. Shop Whole Foods, Market, in-store or online. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. We talk a lot about intentional decision-making, and that extends to the practical stuff too, like making sure your coverage actually works for your life. State Farm is there to meet you where you are, and they know how sweet it is to feel good about your decisions. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

• 44:33Jay Shetty?

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• 44:45Speaker 02

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• 45:13Speaker 01

  Oh, I'm very glad you brought this up. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which, full disclosure, I don't know who said it or where it came from, but it's really stuck with me over time. And the quote is, "Let's make better mistakes tomorrow."

• 45:25Jay Shetty?

  Oh, wow. I don't know either.

• 45:27Speaker 01

  I, that was like my mantra on Monday as I arrived at work with slightly damp hair. I was like, okay, okay, we're going to learn from this, Liz. But I, I too get off track or I have something happen in the evening and it means I can't wake up at the hour I want to. I'm always looking for reasons to reset. And the beautiful thing is, it doesn't have to be a huge life transition, like starting a new job or moving into a new home or, you know, a change in relationship status. Though those are all awesome reasons to have a reset. It could be as simple as the changing of seasons. But also, Jay, I think it could be as simple as like... It's a new week, or it's a new day tomorrow.

• 46:10Speaker 01

  You don't have to wait for January 1st, or the changing of the season, or a huge massive shift in your life. You have the power to choose that tomorrow is going to be better and different. And I would recommend embracing those moments of like, oh, that morning did not go like I wanted it to. Or I stayed up way too late last night and nothing went like I hoped it would. Have a moment and reflect on that, like sit with that. And now, now you get to do something about it and you get to make tomorrow better.

• 46:40Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I love that. I think what you're saying is so true that judgment and guilt don't get you anywhere. When I, when I judge myself or I guilt myself because this has been such a bad week, I'm now just creating more guilt and creating more judgment. And then now I'm feeling worse and now I don't feel like getting up tomorrow.

• 46:58Speaker 01

  It's a, it's like a death spiral. You're just gonna get lost in that tunnel.

• 47:02Jay Shetty?

  It's such a vicious cycle and it just keeps going. And so I find that actually me saying, yeah, I gave myself a week off last week, but tomorrow's gonna be different.

• 47:08Speaker 01

  Totally.

• 47:09Jay Shetty?

  It's such a healthier way to move and make progress. One of the things I think I love that you talk about in this book is power breakfasts.

• 47:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 47:16Jay Shetty?

  I love talking about practical things to actually do eat in the morning. I'd love to hear the science about it. I struggled for a long time with bloating in the morning. And so for a lot of time I'd wake up and I'd eat really well at night. I don't eat late. I consider myself to have a really good diet, but I think over time I haven't necessarily been mindful and so things have happened. But I remember waking up feeling bloated. I remember waking up feeling, no matter what I ate in the morning, I would end up feeling, you know, just not good. And then finally, and very recently, the two things that solved it, it was celery juice and chia seed pudding.

• 47:55Speaker 01

  Cool.

• 47:55Jay Shetty?

  So chia seeds in the morning and celery juice has transformed my life. I feel, the celery juice is almost like a cleansing. I feel completely clean and internally and fresh. And then the chia seed pudding is really grounding. And so to me, that's really worked for me. I wanted to hear what you found through the science of breakfast, because I think so many people skip breakfast or they grab a bagel on the way. Or they're eating on, you know, I mean, we're not commuting anymore, but I think breakfast is an untalked about meal or unheard of nowadays.

• 48:25Speaker 01

  Yes, I love the breakfast chapter in the book and I love actually the morning magic essay that was penned by this woman Kate Merker, who oversees food for women's health. There's a morning magic essay in every single chapter, but Kate talks about the ritual of making toast for her family and her kids. And she talks about how it fills them up, the smell of it, the ritual of it. They put cilantro on it. Sometimes it's with avocado. It can be all these different things. And to me, what's so beautiful about that story and about your chia pudding is that it's gonna look different for every single one of us.

• 49:02Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that's why I asked, because I was like, I don't think everyone's eating.

• 49:05Speaker 01

  No, and I get asked this a lot as the editor of women's health, like, oh, do you intermittent fast or do you skip breakfast and should I be, should I be eating before my workout or right afterward? And Jay, there's like, there's a study for everything. And what it really comes down to is what works for you. And you felt icky in the morning, you felt off. And so you probably tried all sorts of different things.

• 49:31Jay Shetty?

  So many things.

• 49:32Speaker 01

  And that's what you have to do. You have to experiment. I, I will never say to somebody, yeah, you should do your workout fast in a fasted state, which yes, there is science that suggests you'll go into the fat burning zone more quickly if you do sweat without eating first. However, if you feel weak or you can't give a hundred percent in your workout because you didn't put any calories in your body, then who cares what that research study said, it's not going to make a difference. But maybe you're like me and I actually, I feel like I get stomach cramps and I feel off if I eat right before I work out. But it takes trial and error and experimentation and it might take trying some different, some different foods and. Just seeing what what works best for your body.

• 50:17Speaker 01

  But like you, over time, I've experimented with all sorts of different meals and the timing of them. And what works best for me is making myself a smoothie right when I get home from the gym. So this is like while I'm making my kids their breakfast, which might be scrambled eggs, it might be cereal and apples, it could be a little different every day. For me, I like to have a banana with some peanut butter powder and some whole milk and ice. And sometimes I'll add cinnamon or some other anti-inflammatories like that. But it it's it fills me up. It's satiating. It feels refreshing after I've moved my body and gotten all hot and sweaty. And I feel like energized and ready to tackle the day.

• 51:01Speaker 01

  But it took me a long time to arrive at that that meal that to learn that like this is what helps me really perform at my peak in all the hours that follow.

• 51:09Jay Shetty?

  I'm so glad you made that point. And hearing the editor-in-chief of Women's Health say that is so refreshing and helpful because I think that's exactly it, that none of us are the same.

• 51:18Speaker 01

  Right.

• 51:18Jay Shetty?

  None of us have the same goals or core values, as you said.

• 51:21Speaker 01

  Right.

• 51:21Jay Shetty?

  And therefore, fat burning may not be your priority. Your priority may be feeling good.

• 51:26Speaker 01

  Right.

• 51:26Jay Shetty?

  Your priority may be getting energy. Your priority may be losing weight or gaining weight, whatever it is. Like, it's just your core values and your priority has to be. And we have to be able to experimenting. I think that's what I'm hearing from you is just how many different types of things have you tried? I remember trying oatmeal. I remember trying cereal. I remember trying avocado toast. I remember trying just dates and nuts. And and finally, I found a win with this. And I feel so good about it. And again, I don't go around saying, hey, everyone should do this. I think you should try these two things that I've found to be beneficial. And celery juice has lots of benefits. But at the same time, you may have it and be like, Jay, I feel terrible after that.

• 52:08Speaker 01

  Right.

• 52:08Jay Shetty?

  And and I love that you're just giving us permission to say, just try stuff.

• 52:12Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 52:12Jay Shetty?

  And stop thinking that it has to be this way.

• 52:15Speaker 01

  Yes. Well, that is very much the ethos of Women's Health is that we are we are determined to help our readers live healthier, happier lives. And our job is to give you science-backed, expert-based.

• 52:28Speaker 01

  Soundly researched ideas and tips and suggestions. But the truth is, the magic happens when something resonates for you and you decide to try it. And then it unlocks a whole new part of you. You feel better, you feel happier, and it's going to look different for every single person.

• 52:44Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, absolutely. You talk a lot in the book about, obviously, your journaling practice, too.

• 52:48Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 52:49Jay Shetty?

  We've spoken about this before. And I am such a big believer in journaling. I think it's such a powerful practice. My wife, as well, owes journaling. She talks about journaling in the same way as you do. She feels so connected to it.

• 53:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:04Jay Shetty?

  And she will often do a lot of free journaling, where she just let everything out and everything go. And I want to hear, how can someone start a journaling practice if they feel scared by it?

• 53:15Speaker 01

  Yes, and I identify with those people because it seemed like just one more thing to take on. But I have aspired to journal for many years. And I, this summer, it really clicked, like, as a non-negotiable ritual that I do every single morning. And the way I wrapped my head around it was by giving myself permission to stop after two sentences if I didn't have anything else to say or just wasn't feeling it. And that was like the game changer for me. And I think you can apply that to a lot of different areas in your life, like even workouts. I've told people, just, just go to the gym or start the workout for a few minutes.

• 53:57Speaker 01

  And if you feel just, ugh, I'm not feeling it today, you can stop.

• 54:01Jay Shetty?

  Why four minutes? Where did you come up with four minutes?

• 54:02Speaker 01

  So four minutes, there's actually very cool science about four minutes. Physiologically, that's how long it takes for our body to acclimate to the work of a physical exertion. Your oxygenation changes, your joints and muscles lubricate. Essentially, you warm up. So. It's the difference between being warmed up and coming in cold. And nine times out of 10, when I make it to the four minutes point on those days, I just am not feeling motivated and don't feel like it by four minutes in. I'm like, what? I feel like a new person. I've got this. And I go ahead and do the whole workout. Same thing with journaling, though. Some mornings I'm like, I don't have time. I don't have anything to say. It's okay, Liz. Just two sentences is enough.

• 54:46Jay Shetty?

  Where did you get to two? How did you figure out two?

• 54:49Speaker 01

  I literally pulled it out of thin air. It felt like, um,

• 54:52Jay Shetty?

  You can do two, yeah.

• 54:52Speaker 01

  Short enough, like, I gave it some effort, but also short enough that it didn't overwhelm me. And Jay, I have never stopped at two sentences. It always goes beyond that, once you get going.

• 55:03Jay Shetty?

  I love those two pieces of advice. I think it's so important. We always set like a target, but what we need to do is set a minimum.

• 55:11Speaker 01

  Hmm, yes.

• 55:11Jay Shetty?

  Right? It's like the opposite. It's like, we're always used to saying like this, I want to write a page a day. But we don't just say, well, let me just write two lines a day.

• 55:19Speaker 01

  Right. It's like a reframing of that.

• 55:21Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, it's a reframing. And actually, you're so right that you develop more confidence, more excitement, more enthusiasm, when you break what you thought you were gonna do, rather than when you fall short of a target. So if you even wrote nine lines out of 10, that would feel worse than if you stopped at two.

• 55:39Speaker 01

  Yes, I love that. One of my favorite studies is about the power of accomplishments and taking a moment to reflect upon them. It's a psychology principle, the psychology of momentum. When you accomplish something, that propels you forward to accomplish another thing. And it, over time, it raises your expectations, but you gain that momentum. So if you are able to reframe and say, I did it. I did four minutes. I did two sentences. Actually, I blew that out of the water and I did 10 minutes and 10 sentences, whatever it is. That, that little perspective shift will be extremely powerful in everything else you tackle the rest of the day.

• 56:18Jay Shetty?

  Absolutely. Yeah, I was watching a video recently where one of my friends, Jason Goldberg, he was talking about a study in the Olympics. And he was saying that people who get bronze are happier than those who get silver. Because people who got silver were so close to being first.

• 56:34Speaker 01

  Oh, it's so fascinating.

• 56:35Jay Shetty?

  That that pains us so much that we feel less happy. Whereas when you got bronze, you're kind of happy because I made it to the podium.

• 56:40Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 56:41Jay Shetty?

  And so I feel like every day, we need to just make it to the podium and not try and aim for this number one. Because when you aim for that number one, you kind of just set yourself up for. I'm not saying we shouldn't aim high. That's not the point I'm making. I'm just saying that on a daily basis, you don't need to be number one. You just need to make it to the podium.

• 56:58Speaker 01

  I, this is going to become a new Liz mantra, make it to the podium.

• 57:01Jay Shetty?

  I love it.

• 57:02Speaker 01

  I'm obsessed with that.

• 57:02Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, it's from that study that he shared in a video and I thought that was fascinating. One of the things that I love in this book that you talk about also is winning your weekend.

• 57:12Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 57:13Jay Shetty?

  And when I read this, I couldn't agree with you more because I think I think about that every week. Where I'm like, the quality of my week is based on the quality of my weekend. And the quality of my weekend is based on my week. And as monks, we were taught that the quality of your day is based on your two hours of meditation. And the quality of your two hours of meditation is based on your day.

• 57:36Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 57:36Jay Shetty?

  And so they're symbiotic.

• 57:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 57:38Jay Shetty?

  And often I think we look at our weekends as a way of making up for the week. How do you win your weekend and how does that transform the week?

• 57:47Speaker 01

  Definitely. Weekends are so powerful. And I'll just speak for me personally, weekends are the time when I actually, I do not set that 517 alarm. I'm going to sleep as late as my kids and dog let me. But I am also, in many ways, bringing to life those core values that I bring to life every single weekday morning too. I want to spend quality time with my kids. I like to go to a farmer's market and take the time to, you know, like, pick up the fruits and veggies and meet some of the farmers who are there and think about what do I want to cook this week? Get excited about putting all the fall apples into a beautiful bowl on my kitchen countertop.

• 58:29Speaker 01

  And the other thing is, Jay, for me, on weekends, I have to be clear about all the plans and invitations and things that could come my way. And it's so easy to be like, well, that sounds like fun. You know, this party or this event or this dinner. And that stuff can be really fun and being social and being around people is wonderful and can have tons of health benefits. But I also try to be really careful about not overextending myself and making the weekend like a new, different form of hustling. I have to build in time to just chill and relax. And sometimes that means saying no to going out to dinner with friends. You know, just being honest that what my body and heart and soul need are just some

• 59:13Speaker 01

  like alone time, watching the latest Marvel movie with my kids and my husband and petting my dog.

• 59:18Jay Shetty?

  How have you got better at saying no? I think that's something that so many of us struggle with. And when you talk about owning your morning, winning your weekend, saying no is such a big part of that because the night before, like I know me and my wife, because we've found our morning groove right now, we're making sure that we're in bed by nine thirty in the evening because that's really important to us, but we're saying no to so many things.

• 59:38Speaker 01

  It's so true. I think a lot of us feel like to live fuller, happier lives, we need to add things. And you're exactly right, removing some things and decluttering is just as powerful and important. So I, as a lifelong people pleaser who squirms at the thought of somebody being mad or upset or disappointed, it's taken me a long time to learn this, that the kindest and most authentic thing to do is to say no quickly and not let the invitation sit there and fester where it's occupying your brain power, probably stressing out your friend who invited you and is like, what's up? Why hasn't Jay responded to me? Like, can he come? Does he want to come?

• 1:00:20Speaker 01

  You know, and you don't have to go into the paragraph-long reason why you can't be there. You can just simply say, thank you so much for the invitation. I'm really sorry that I have a conflict and I can't come, but like, I'm looking forward to seeing you, blah, blah, blah. Your version of that in your own words and an authentic way. But that's been very powerful for me is rather than letting it sit and thinking about it, and then there's like more drama and internal like, ugh.

• 1:00:52Speaker 01

  Can't say no now, that's been, you know, just handle it in the moment. And that, that does require that you get clear about what your weekend is going to look like. Are you going to have like one social commitment? Is next weekend one where you actually just need to lay low and not have any? And then when the invitation comes in or the thing pops up, you're more prepared to answer in the moment. And imagine like the, the amount of space that that will release in your brain and the emotional energy it unlocks for you to not have that sitting around, hanging over you.

• 1:01:25Jay Shetty?

  I love that. I love that. I want to encourage everyone who's been listening and watching today to make sure you grab a copy of Own Your Morning. We'll have the link in the caption and everywhere else. And of course, I really want to see what you're all learning from this session. So I want you to tag me and Liz and I want you to hashtag Own Your Morning. Liz, you've been so generous with your time. I want to end, as we do with every On Purpose episode, with a final five, with a fast five.

• 1:01:51Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:01:51Jay Shetty?

  Which are the rapid fire questions. Where you have to answer every question in one word or one sentence maximum. So you have a bit of flexibility.

• 1:02:00Speaker 01

  Ooh, I like, I like a challenge.

• 1:02:01Jay Shetty?

  Good. I, I know you do. So the first question that I have for you is, what is the best piece of morning routine advice you've ever received?

• 1:02:14Speaker 01

  I mean, I literally wrote a book about this, Jay. You're making me say one word. Okay. I'll say one word.

• 1:02:20Jay Shetty?

  One sentence.

• 1:02:21Speaker 01

  Okay. Light. Light.

• 1:02:23Jay Shetty?

  Light.

• 1:02:24Speaker 01

  Do you want me to expand?

• 1:02:25Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I want you to expand. For a sentence. Yeah.

• 1:02:27Speaker 01

  It is scientifically proven that exposing yourself to light ASAP after waking naturally makes you feel more energetic and alert.

• 1:02:36Jay Shetty?

  I love that. Beautiful. I, I wake up at 6:00 AM, so, and you wake up at 5:17, when it's not very light.

• 1:02:42Speaker 01

  I mean, this is getting more challenging as we're moving into wintertime and it's dark in the morning. But light, like even a bright light from a lamp, that's good for you too.

• 1:02:52Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I love that. Question number two. What's the worst piece of morning routine advice you've ever heard?

• 1:02:59Speaker 01

  The worst piece is that there's one right way to do it. It's going to look beautifully different and unique for every single one of us.

• 1:03:06Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that's a great answer. Third question, how would you describe your current purpose?

• 1:03:11Speaker 01

  Service. I'm gonna leave it at one word, service.

• 1:03:14Jay Shetty?

  Of that. And question number four, what's the most recent thing you've been tinkering with or playing around or experimenting with in your morning routine?

• 1:03:23Speaker 01

  I love listening to music to set my energy and I'm having a lot of fun tinkering with different types of music.

• 1:03:30Jay Shetty?

  I love that.

• 1:03:30Speaker 01

  And using it to go where I want to be energetically and to take me down a notch when I'm a little overly adrenalized and hyped up.

• 1:03:37Jay Shetty?

  That's brilliant. I really like that one. That's so awesome. I think we all listen to the same songs again or the same playlist. So important. I love that. Okay, fifth and final question. If you could create one morning routine habit that everyone in the world had to do, what would it be?

• 1:03:55Speaker 01

  I think we could change the world if everybody began their day with gratitude. I personally write a gratitude list. It can be short, it can be long, but that is some incredible energy to begin your day with.

• 1:04:10Jay Shetty?

  I love that. Liz Plus, everyone, the author of Own Your Morning. Make sure you get the book. Make sure you tag us, please, please, please. I think Liz says so many awesomely insightful things today and I want to see everything that resonate with you. So you can tag Liz on Instagram, tag me as well, and please, please, please, share the hashtag #OwnYourMorning so that we can follow along and see all of your insights. Liz, is there anything that I didn't ask you that you want to share, that you want to tell my community?

• 1:04:34Speaker 01

  You're the most awesome interviewer and it's super fun to talk to somebody else who loves mornings. And yeah, I just want to say that you don't have to be a morning person to read this book. It will have some tweaks and ideas to elevate your morning, to help you level up. But it's also for those of you who think you're a night owl and that you can never change your morning. I promise you, I promise you, you can. I will help you, Jay will help you, and I can't wait to see everybody's hashtags because I'm inspired by how different everybody's mornings look. And that's the fun part. I'd love to share them and inspire more, create a little morning movement.

• 1:05:10Jay Shetty?

  Yes, morning movement. I love that. #OwnYourMorning. Tag us while you're doing your weird, funky, interesting, curious morning routine practice. I can't wait to see it. And Liz, thank you so much again for coming on On Purpose and I can't wait to share this with my community.

• 1:05:25Speaker 01

  It was wonderful to be here with you. Thank you so much, Jay.

• 1:05:28Jay Shetty?

  Thanks, Liz.

• 1:05:37Speaker 03

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