The Spiritual Root of Anxiety Nobody Is Talking About | Madison Prewett Troutt

Most people treating anxiety are starting in the wrong place. Madison Prewett Troutt — author, speaker, and podcast host — makes the case that anxiety, loneliness, and chronic exhaustion are primarily spiritual battles, and that no supplement or protocol will produce lasting freedom until the foundation is addressed first. **In this episode:**- Why your body is a temple and what it actually means to steward it well — physically, spiritually, and relationally- The three things every human needs to be truly healthy: connection to God, connection to people, and connection to the earth- Satan's specific strategies to keep you stuck in fear, comparison, and compromise — and how to recognize them- A real spiritual prescription for overcoming anxiety (prayer, confession, praise, gratitude, and addressing childhood trauma)- How community, marriage, and mentorship shape your health just as much as what you eat- The health habits Madison and Grant actually practice — cold plunge, infrared sauna, and the mindset behind all of it Uncover what’s really going on in your body with advanced biomarker testing for hormones, thyroid, and metabolism— plus a 1-hour consultation with a Senior Health Advisor! → http://mybloodwork.com Thank you to our sponsors! Sunlighten Sauna: https://get.sunlighten.com/axepodcastManukora Manuka Honey: https://manukora.com/axe Watch The Dr. Josh Axe Show every Monday & Thursday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drjoshaxe?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Early Access! Our listeners enjoy every episode before anyone else! Tune in below and join our exclusive group of listeners → Spotify: https://bit.ly/DrJoshAxeSpotifyApple Podcast: https://apple.co/3JDvWcS Pre-order my NEW BOOK, Heal Your Cells → healyourcellsbook.com Watch my free training on how to naturally balance your blood sugar and reverse your symptoms → http://DrAxeDiabetesClass.com Discover practical steps you can take today to start healing your thyroid naturally → http://DrAxeThyroidClass.com If you’re ready to start feeling like yourself again and balance your hormones, take my free class → http://DrAxeHormoneClass.com CONNECT WITH DR. JOSH AXEInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/drjoshaxe/Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshAxe/TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thedrjoshaxeshow/X → https://x.com/drjoshaxe/LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshaxeWebsite → http://thehealthinstitute.comSign up for my newsletter → https://bit.ly/4oE9Jf3Ask Dr. Axe → http://speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe CONNECT WITH GUESTInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/madiprewFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/p/Madison_Prewett-100071149486251/TikTok → https://www.facebook.com/p/Madison_Prewett-100071149486251/Order Book → www.daretobetruebook.com 0:00 Introduction — Who Is Madison Prewett Troutt?4:00 Why Christians Should Prioritize Physical Health4:16 Your Body Is a Temple: What That Actually Means7:37 The Loneliness and Anxiety Epidemic in a Younger Generation10:33 The Three Pillars of True Health: God, People, Nature12:15 A Spiritual Prescription for Overcoming Anxiety15:03 Childhood Trauma and Breaking Negative Thought Patterns26:57 Spiritual Warfare: What the Enemy Is Actually After34:11 Community, Christian Schools, and Who You Surround Yourself With41:53 People Worth Modeling Your Life After45:36 What Great Marriages Teach Us54:24 How Women Battle Comparison and Criticism Differently1:05:08 Facing Public Criticism and Staying Grounded in Truth1:08:48 Grant and Madison's Real Health Habits DISCLAIMERThis content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Josh Axe and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Dr. Axe nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health conseque

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

• 0:00Josh Axe?

  Yeah, the only thing I remember is there's just a lot of people making out. You know, when you were on The Bachelor, what was the biggest challenge in being a Christian on that show?

• 0:12Speaker 01

  The biggest? Pray, pray, pray. James talks about it again and again and again. In all circumstances, pray continuously, never stop praying.

• 0:20Speaker 01

  Stepping into that environment was so hard. There was definitely temptation everywhere, darkness everywhere. I mean, even, you know, some of the people who helped put on the show would literally consider themselves witches. And you're faced with the constant, you know, pressure and temptation of, am I gonna kind of give in? Am I gonna kind of conform to just like what everybody else is doing and what's being asked of me? Like, I don't want to feel like a bad person for like the standards that I have. Or am I gonna stay true to who I know God is and who I know God has called me to be? And stay true to those values and to my beliefs? If I'm gonna stay true to my values, if I'm gonna stay true to my convictions, what is truth? Like, what is my foundation of truth? And I just think so many people, we don't have the answer to that question.

• 1:03Speaker 01

  And so then we're just following whatever reel we see on social media, whatever ad pops up, or whatever the people around us are doing. But asking yourself that question, I just challenge everyone who's watching and listening, what is truth? I went into that dark environment, you know, completely in love with Jesus. I actually had gone through Bible college before that and wanted to, you know, teach the Word of God for a living.

• 1:26Josh Axe?

  What are your thoughts on dealing with childhood trauma?

• 1:29Speaker 01

  Even going on a TV show like The Bachelor, there were some traumatic things that, you know, my brain went through and that then stress was released and my hormones got off and my body was kind of like fighting against itself. And I was dealing with all of these like health issues because of this kind of trauma that I faced. And then this, you know, inability to sleep and this inability to eat. And it just like led to all of these different things. Am I gonna follow what I want most or am I gonna give in to what I want right now? And there's so many moments. I mean, you can think about that with the food you eat and the way you work out.

• 2:05Josh Axe?

  Yeah, well, I've been so impressed with the way that, you know, you have really focused on having your faith interwoven into everything from the way that you were on television to, again, your health and your podcasts and everything else you're doing.

• 2:17Speaker 01

  For me, it was just continuing to come back to this place of what I want most is a relationship with God. What I want most is to find a man of God to spend the rest of my life with. What I want most is to make a difference for God and to point other people to God.

• 2:47Josh Axe?

  A guest today stood in front of millions on one of the biggest shows on television and refused to compromise what she believed. What the cameras didn't show was the deeper story, the anxiety, the faith, the identity behind the conviction. Madison Pruitt-Trowell is an author, a speaker, and a host of the Stay True Podcast. Her book Dare to be True is helping a generation build real faith, fight anxiety, and stand firm in a culture of compromise. Maddie, welcome to the show.

• 3:16Speaker 01

  Thank you. That was an incredible intro. I feel ready to go.

• 3:19Josh Axe?

  You know, I just, I wanted to be prepared here for you. Well, hey, it's so good to see you. I know I was on your podcast a few months back and we've had a chance to, you know, talk a little bit over the past few months. And yeah, really excited you're here.

• 3:32Speaker 01

  I'm so excited. I've been going to the clinic. It's been changing mine and my husband's life. And now my mom's going. I mean, it's just like the family. We're now, we're now all involved.

• 3:41Josh Axe?

  It's so great. I love that. How's the family affair? Well, I know when I went to your house, you and Grant had a massive home gym. You had an infrared sauna.

• 3:48Speaker 01

  We did.

• 3:48Josh Axe?

  So when I, I mean, as soon as I walked in and I was just, you know,

• 3:51Speaker 01

  We did it all for you. It was all staged. It was all staged. It was all for you. I'm just kidding.

• 3:55Josh Axe?

  So funny.

• 3:56Speaker 01

  No, yeah, we had the infrared, we had the cold plunge, the whole nine yards.

• 4:00Josh Axe?

  You guys are doing it right. So let me ask you, why, why do you do that? Or why should a Christian do everything they can to honor God with their body? I'm not saying every, every Christian out there needs to be cold plunging and doing infrared light. But why should Christians, more than anyone else, focus on health and wellness?

• 4:15Speaker 01

  Yeah. I just believe our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. And how we care for this house that God lives in really matters. And so, you know, for Grant and I, that's something we've continued to talk about and we have not done it perfectly. You know, and through different seasons of life, we've had some seasons that we've done it better than others. But we continually just come back to this place of we want to live a life of excellence. We want to live a life that honors God in everything that we do, how we steward our bodies, how we steward our times, how we steward our resources, our finances, our relationships, like every aspect of our life, does this glorify God? And I just think most of the time as Christians, we think about it just in a compartmentalized way. Like, our faith is just reading the Bible. Our faith is just going to church. Our faith is just small group time.

• 5:00Speaker 01

  But we don't see it as, our faith is every area of our life, every aspect of our life. And can we look at our life in every area and say, this glorifies God? And when people watch us, you know, the way we eat, the way we take care of ourselves, the way we spend our time, the way we spend our money, would they say, wow, they're living a life that truly reflects God? Or would they be like, yeah, I don't really know. It kind of looks like, you know, the rest of the world.

• 5:23Josh Axe?

  Yeah. Yeah. Well, I've been so impressed with the way that, you know, you have really focused on having your faith interwoven into everything from the way that you were on television to, again, your health and your podcasts and everything else you're doing. You know, I've really enjoyed being able to connect with Christians in supporting them, in supporting them in getting healthy. In fact, I don't know that I've ever shared this before, when I first was deciding where I was gonna move and open up my clinic. Like, I grew up in Ohio and then I was in school in Florida. And so I didn't really have any connections or roots necessarily to Tennessee. But I just really spent some time in prayer and I felt like God said to me, I want you to go to Nashville and help Christians get healthy and honor them with their body. And that's a part of why I ended up moving here.

• 6:05Josh Axe?

  And then, and then there's been so many Christians I've been able to connect with over the years and some that I just really respect who, you're gonna know a lot of these people, our audience well, who are, you know, they're like you. It's woven into their life. I think of Candace Cameron Bure or Tim Tebow. Like, they're both really into health and fitness.

• 6:21Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 6:21Josh Axe?

  Craig Groeschel, John and Lisa Bavir. I had Michael W. Smith on last week. Like, he's got a greenhouse. He's got a farm. He's got chicken. You know, so, so I love seeing Christians, even more now than I've ever seen, really focus on honoring God with their body. I remember the church potlucks growing up. I was, I went to a Christian school and, and it was like, you know, the, just, you know, not healthy at all.

• 6:43Speaker 01

  Yeah. Oh, yeah. And I grew up in Alabama. And so like, you know, corn dogs, pizza, ages was very normal. And at church, you know, you're so used to like, after service, come grab some donuts, grab a slice of pizza. And so that was kind of what I was very used to. And it really wasn't until I got married and, you know, was like, oh, I need to probably start learning how to cook and all these things. And then my husband grew up in Dallas, Texas and had a little bit more of a healthier lifestyle. And so he kind of rubbed off on me that way. And then as we just continued to, I mean, honestly, reading the Bibliodiet and just like diving more into kind of, yeah, the health and wellness space, it's something that I just became so passionate about.

• 7:22Josh Axe?

  I love it. You know, I think this idea like we're called to be a light to the world, just in every area, just reflect God and, and do everything we can to honor Him with our bodies. So I love, I love it. You know, one of the areas I want to kind of dive into, I want to come back to physical health and hormones and some things there. But I do want to, do want to start off talking about anxiousness. And this is something I know, I've talked to Rebecca Lyons quite a bit about. I've talked to some others. But this seems to be even, even I think a little bit more in your generation of just a high degree of loneliness and anxiousness. But why do you think that is?

• 7:56Speaker 01

  I think we're more connected than ever because of social media, but more disconnected than ever because of social media. And so I think there's this, you think that you're connected to people, but you're not really connecting to them. And so there's not a, you know, I just, even in spending time with people that I love that are a generation, you know, younger than me, there's just such a hard time dialoguing, you know, like feelings, looking in the eyes, having a conversation. And I think you're just seeing a generation that because of social media, there's just been more of a disconnect in that way.

• 8:28Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 8:28Speaker 01

  So I do think that that plays a huge role in it. It can lead to so many different types of anxieties. I know for, as a female, you can get on social media and everything about your life, you can feel so content, you can feel so confident. And then instantly you get on social media and suddenly you're comparing your body. You're seeing someone else's success. You're seeing someone else's, you know, marriage where their spouse is walking in with 100 roses and 100, you know, like all these beautiful romantic things. And suddenly you're like, wait, why isn't my spouse doing that? Why don't I have this house? Why doesn't my body look like this? And it just leads to this like debilitating comparison and anxiety in those ways. So I think it can lead to loneliness. I think it can lead to comparison and discontentment with self and with life.

• 9:13Speaker 01

  And so I would say that's really one of the biggest reasons. And then, of course, if we're not spending time in the Word of God and we're going to God as our source of peace, as our source of security, as our source of hope, I think there's going to always be a longing for stability. And we're gonna try and find that in other things when ultimately that can only be found in God. And I've walked through You know, with people who have gone through really, really bad anxiety, people that I very much love, even my husband has walked through it really heavily. I've walked through seasons of it. And, you know, it's not one of those things that you can just like slap somebody and say, just pray about it, you know, just like love God more. And that's not the case. However,

• 9:58Speaker 01

  I do believe it is a spiritual battle. And I do believe you have to fight spirit with spirit. And I do believe that that is where you should start. That's not why I'm saying it has to just stop and finish. But I do believe starting in prayer, starting in the word, starting and confessing it to community. Hey, I'm feeling anxious right now. I'm going to confess that. Will you pray for me? And I've just seen that lead to instant breakthrough and instant healing. And then you do the next steps, you know, look at your diet. How are you spending time outside? Are you doing life with people? Are you spending time with people? Or is it just on your phone all the time?

• 10:33Josh Axe?

  Yeah. You know, I listened to this, it was like a seminary class, and they were talking about the professor was talking about, in order for us to be healthy, we need to be deeply connected to three things. Number one, God. Number two, people. Number three, the earth and nature. And it really made me think about this sort of if we're going to be healthy to your point, and with a spiritual battle, and I really think anxiety and depression, while there are some common, you know, deficiencies like vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, generally, it is absolutely a primary spiritual and mental battle. And you need to take care of that foundation first. And so I love that you're saying that because in the medical field today,

• 11:14Josh Axe?

  if somebody has anxiousness and depression, they never even think about spirituality. They don't think about emotions. They don't think about human connection. It's just, here's a synthetic drug, which has a massive side effect as well, by the way. So but with that, you know, so it's just, it's not getting to the root of the issue. But to your point, you know, really connecting with God, you know, building meaningful relationships. And part of that is removing the focus off yourself and serving others, which is so paradoxical, right? And you would think, oh, if I need to care for myself, it's like, no, you remove the focus from yourself. Okay, you know,

• 11:48Speaker 01

  It's so true. It's so true. You believe the lie that if you could just fix you, then you'll be better for everybody else. And it's like, actually, if you just focus on everybody else, then it might fix you. Like, just show up and serve, show up and love, show up and think about, how can I encourage someone? And I just think so often, we're showing up thinking, who's going to encourage me? Who's going to see me? Am I going to be enough? You know, is, am I going to have? And it's just like, if you can show up thinking about how you can serve and how you can love other people, it really makes such a difference.

• 12:14Josh Axe?

  I love it. I'm big into natural prescriptions. And I know that sometimes fighting anxiety and depression might not be formulaic. But I am curious, if you had to write a prescription for somebody spiritually to overcome anxiety, what are some of the top things you would say to do? Maybe a certain amount of something a time a day, or something, a few things in particular?

• 12:37Speaker 01

  Yeah. Well, I think it definitely starts with prayer. I think you see all throughout scripture, you know, are you in trouble? Are you happy? Are you in need of healing? Are you pray, pray, pray? James talks about it again, and again, again, in all circumstances, pray continuously, never stop praying. Scripture is so clear about that. Don't be anxious about anything. But instead, pray about everything. And so have you prayed about it as much as you've worried about it as much as you've thought about it, as much as you've talked about it? Pray first. That's always my biggest piece of advice. The second thing would be confess, like confess it to a friend, confess it to a mentor, confess it to a pastor, confess it to a small group leader, confess it to someone that loves God and loves you, that you trust, and you trust their relationship with God. And

• 13:20Speaker 01

  confess the hard things, confess the lies you're believing, confess the feelings you're feeling, and have them pray. Again, James says that if you want to be healed, then confess and have someone pray over you, then you will be healed. And so I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power of confession and bringing it into the light. I believe that the enemy's kingdom is one of darkness. And so when you keep those secrets and those thoughts and those lies that you're believing, those feelings that you're feeling in the dark, it just gives the enemy more work to just keep that spiraling and keep that multiplying and going. But as soon as you confess it and bring it to the light and have someone else invited into that journey and process with you, I just believe it breaks so much of the grip that Satan has. And so I would say, starting

• 14:02Speaker 01

  there, and then, you know, if it is continuing to be so severe that it's debilitating, and you don't know what else to do, I would say for sure, like, look at your diet. I would say spend some time outside. Make sure that those things are being checked off. And then I would say, yeah, if you need to seek out, you know, outside help outside of that, go to a longevity clinic. I mean, go, go find a place that is in alignment with the kind of life that you want to live and what you care about. Like, for me, I want to, you know, go to longevity clinic. I want to go to somewhere like that where I know, okay, yeah, I'm not going to just be prescribed drugs. I'm not going to be prescribed these things. Like, they're going to actually care about my longevity. They're going to actually care about my spirit, my body, my soul, and they're going to treat those things.

• 14:43Josh Axe?

  What do you think about, by the way, I agree with everything you said, and especially in terms of the, I mean, prayer and confession, those are just so, so foundational when it comes to overcoming anxiousness. Two other thoughts here, just to add to what you shared. One would be, you know, spending time in just praise, gratitude, sort of those things. And then the other one would be, what are your thoughts on dealing with childhood trauma? Because this is something I see that for some people, they get in these patterns of these negative mindsets of maybe something happened a long time ago, and they're still kind of living with some of that pain today?

• 15:17Speaker 01

  Yeah. I was literally reading in 2 Corinthians 10 earlier today, and it was just talking about how we have been given power and authority to demolish strongholds and every pretension that has set itself up against the knowledge of Christ, that we can take captive every thought, and that we can submit it to Christ. And so I would say it's twofold for me, because I do believe that there are, there are 100% things that have, people have walked through that are so big and traumatic that it can't just stay in your head. It can't just be between you and God. You've got to let people into that. You've got to let, whether that's counseling, whether that's, I mean, I definitely believe that no matter what the trauma is, it should always involve,

• 15:58Speaker 01

  like, friendship and godly community and church community, a church family. But inviting people into that space, not trying to deal with, you know, those things on your own, those thoughts on your own, is so huge. And, and then I, yeah, and then I just, again, I go back to the word of God, I go back to confession, I go back to community. Those are kind of all prayer, those are kind of always my, my thoughts. I know for me, just walking through even, you know, you alluded to this in my intro, but even going on a TV show like The Bachelor, there were some traumatic things that, you know, my brain went through, and that then stress was released, and my hormones got off, and my body was kind of like fighting against itself. And I was dealing with all of

• 16:40Speaker 01

  these like health issues because of this kind of trauma that I faced. And then this, you know, inability to sleep and this inability to eat. And it just like led to all of these different things. And for me, I just continued to fight that with, of course, like, taking care of my body, but also fighting it spiritually, confessing it to people, bringing people into it, not trying to figure it out by myself. And part of that was getting connected, you know, to a great, you know, health and wellness doctor that could help me walk through that naturally, at that time, but also bringing community into it of, you know, confessing those traumatic things that I had walked through, and also the anxious feelings I was feeling as a result of it.

• 17:22Josh Axe?

  Yeah, yeah, that's so powerful. You know, when you were on The Bachelor, what was the, what was the biggest challenge in being a Christian on that show?

• 17:31Speaker 01

  The biggest?

• 17:32Josh Axe?

  By the way, I'll say this, I don't, you know, my wife Chelsea's watched some episodes, some seasons. I, I don't think I've ever, I mean, I've watched a few episodes, so I don't, I know a little bit about what going on, not a lot.

• 17:47Speaker 01

  That's very fair.

• 17:48Josh Axe?

  But, um, yeah, the only thing I remember is there's just a lot of people making out, you know, that's what I, that's what I remember about the show.

• 17:57Speaker 01

  You're not wrong, sadly. You're not wrong.

• 17:58Josh Axe?

  He just made out with her.

• 18:00Speaker 01

  Yes. And he's dating 30 people. Yes, it's insane. It's insane. No, and it was a crazy experience for so many reasons, because I was a strong believer. And so I, it wasn't like I went on the show and then I got saved after, you know, and I'm like, working through it after. It's like, I went into that dark environment, you know, completely in love with Jesus. I actually had gone through Bible college before that and wanted to, you know, teach the word of God for a living. And so that was my life. That was my lane. I was a church girl. I grew up in, you know, a very like, Jesus-loving, spirit-filled church. And that was my life. And so when my friend applied me for the show without me knowing, and I got the call, I totally treated it. Josh is

• 18:45Speaker 01

  a prank call. I was like, this is not real. There's no way this is real. And there's no way they would want this girl from Alabama who wants to tell everybody about Jesus for a living. Like, this just isn't adding up. And as I took the time to really pray about it with my family, I felt like this God was leading me into that environment that made no sense. I had never watched the show. I actually judged all of my friends who watched the show. And I told them they needed to get their life right with God, because there was something wrong with them, because they were watching The Bachelor. And then, you know, God just has an amazing sense of humor. And that was the path that, you know, I felt like God had for me. And stepping into that environment was so hard. There was definitely temptation everywhere, darkness everywhere. I mean, even, you know,

• 19:30Speaker 01

  some of the people who helped put on the show would literally consider themselves witches and would call themselves witches. There would be conversations with, you know, girls and just like things that you're witnessing and seeing that is just really, really hard. And you're faced with the constant, you know, pressure and temptation of, am I going to kind of give in? Am I going to kind of conform to just like what everybody else is doing and what's being asked of me? Or am I going to stay true to who I know God is and who I know God has called me to be, and stay true to those values and to my beliefs? Because that's what matters most. And I think what I've seen in life is you're going to be faced with so many moments of temptation and pressure. And ultimately, it's going to come down to, am I going to follow what I want most?

• 20:12Speaker 01

  Or am I going to give in to what I want right now? And there's so many moments. I mean, that you can think about that with the food you eat and the way you work out. And it's like this immediate satisfaction over this long-term, you know, goal and hope and desire and dream. And for me, it was just continuing to come back to this place of what I want most is a relationship with God. What I want most is to find a man of God to spend the rest of my life with. What I want most is to make a difference for God and to point other people to God. And so I had to keep coming back to that place, but there were a lot of really hard moments and truly moments where I would have to kind of like sneak away because you're filmed the whole time. I mean, there's cameras on you from the moment you wake up at 6:00 AM, you

• 20:54Speaker 01

  know, until the moment you're going to sleep at 1:00 AM. And so you're running on no sleep and the food is not great, you know? And so there's just, there's a lot going on, but I would have to just sneak away and truly like lock myself in the bathroom and just cry out to the Lord and be like, I need you. I don't know how to show up. I don't know how to stay true. I don't know how to keep doing this, but I need you to lead me. And he did through that whole wild journey. And it was a beautiful now outcome of now getting to share it with other people.

• 21:27Josh Axe?

  Wow, that's amazing. You know, this is a, here's a question for you. How do you know what you want most? Like, how did you discover it? Because I think there's maybe some people, especially maybe that didn't grow up in faith-driven homes or didn't, you know, and maybe they, they, they just, they don't know what they want. And so they just, they keep going to this immediate thing. But you know, how, how did you, how, how do people discover and recognize, oh, that's, that's what I want?

• 21:54Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 21:56Josh Axe?

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• 22:42Speaker 01

  I was literally just talking to my 14-year-old cousin about this because I'm like, you're about to enter high school, okay? And you're going to be faced with a lot of opportunities to compromise and to cave and to conform and to give in. And it's going to come back to like, what do I value most? What do I want most? And you've got to know that and you've got to know who you are so that you don't let other people try to tell you who you are. And I think for me, it definitely helped having, you know, parents who spoke that over me. So for those who are listening who are parents, just the encouragement that you give your children, the words you speak over them matters so much. Just the words of life. I mean, we're told in scripture that we have the opportunity to speak life or death, like life or death is in the power of the tongue. And so what you're speaking

• 23:25Speaker 01

  over yourself, what you're speaking over your children, what you're speaking over other people, there's so much power there. And my parents just did an amazing job of speaking so much life over us. And then of course, you know, you're always faced with the crossroads moment of like, this is my parents' faith. What's my, like, what do I want to believe? Who am I going to be? And that moment happened for me in college. And I just made the decision ultimately, you know, what is truth? Who is truth? I'm going to choose to base my life on the truth of Jesus Christ. I've seen that I can chase success and money and algorithms and boys and all of these things. And I keep coming up empty and also full of shame. Or I can choose to build my life on Jesus Christ as the foundation and actually be satisfied

• 24:10Speaker 01

  and have so much peace and have so much joy, not always because it's roses and rainbows, but because I know that this life isn't all that there is. I'm not living just for this life. I'm living for an eternal one. And so for me, that started in college and it's continued to grow. I'm still growing in it. It's continued to grow. But it always comes back to that for me of like, what do I want most? Whether it's like, you know, a health and wellness goal, or whether it's a financial goal, or whether it's a relational goal, being able to ask myself that question always comes back to what does God's word say?

• 24:44Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 24:44Speaker 01

  And, you know, what is the foundation of truth? Like, if I'm going to stay true to my goals, if I'm going to stay true to my values, if I'm going to stay true to my convictions, what is truth? Like, what is my foundation of truth? And I just think so many people, we don't have the answer to that question. And so then we're just following whatever reel we see on social media, whatever ad pops up, or whatever the people around us are doing. But asking yourself that question, I just challenge everyone who's watching and listening, what is truth? That was a question Pilate asked Jesus in John, chapter 18. He looked at Jesus and says, what is truth? And it's hilarious because truth was staring right at him because Jesus says in John 14, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No

• 25:26Speaker 01

  one comes to the Father except through me." And for me, building my life on that truth has changed everything. Because I've seen it all, you know, I've seen, I've seen the people who have everything that this life can bring you. And I've seen the people who have nothing that this life can bring you. And what I've seen is those who have their life built on the truth of Jesus Christ, they're the ones who have peace and hope and love.

• 25:50Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 25:50Speaker 01

  And the ones who don't have their life built on Jesus Christ, they're chasing the things of this world, hoping they'll find peace, love, joy, and they still keep coming up empty.

• 26:00Josh Axe?

  You know, I love that answer, especially the way you wrapped it up in the end. Because I, that's, that's kind of what I, that when I think back as a kid, and even, even more so like in college and post-grad, I started seeing certain men and women, and I thought, you know, to your point, oh, they're hopeful. Oh, they're a good leader. Oh, they've got great wisdom. They have this sort of sense of, you know, you know, when you get around like somebody who is, oftentimes it's a pastor or a priest or somebody, and they have this sort of level of just serenity and wisdom and calmness and even just, you know, and I remember just thinking like, that's like, I want that, you know? And all those people were Christians and they were the most devout Christians. And, and that's part of, I think,

• 26:44Josh Axe?

  what led me to already, you know, growing up in a Christian home, but also saying, these are people that are thriving, that are, you know, super high-character people. And that's, that's, that's what I want.

• 26:55Speaker 01

  Yeah, amen. Amen.

• 26:56Josh Axe?

  Yeah. You know, one of the things I know you've talked about, and I think that's really important. It's interesting because I think in different, maybe areas of Christianity, it's looked at a little differently, or maybe talked about a lot or not talked about at all, is spiritual warfare. And knowing that, hey, Satan comes to steal, kill, destroy, deceive, lie. And, and, and, you know, I'm curious as sort of what your perspective is on that and what value to place on that? How important it is for people and Christians to understand that's happening? Is that something you've experienced? How do you fight that?

• 27:30Speaker 01

  Absolutely. I believe that the enemy attacks because he's threatened. And so anybody that, you know, feels a spiritual weight right now and has been experiencing spiritual warfare, that's good. I would say you should be almost like more alarmed if you're not experiencing any sort of spiritual warfare, because maybe there's more that, you know, you could be doing with your life and more you could be doing with the kingdom of God and sharing that with other people. But, you know, for me, when I think about just that we have a very real God, but we also have a very real enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy, I think back all the way to the Garden of Eden. Because the enemy and, you know, the Garden of Eden, he shows up to Adam and Eve. And I think it's interesting

• 28:13Speaker 01

  that it's in the form of food is, is kind of how the first temptation happens all around that. But it's interesting because he shows up and he asked the very first question ever in scripture. And he says, did God really say? And it's really this, can you distort who God is? Like, let me make you question God's goodness. Let me make you question God's truth. Let me make you feel that God is withholding something from you. And so that's kind of how he comes into the picture. And he comes up to Eve and he kind of, did God really say that? And then his next line is, you know, oh no, if you eat that fruit, you won't really die. Kind of downplaying sin, you know, the seriousness of sin. And then ultimately leading to, you know, no, actually, if you eat this fruit, you'll be

• 28:56Speaker 01

  like God. You can be your own God. You don't have to wait on God. You can just take your life into your own hands and find everything you want in this world. There is now an advantage to rebelling against God and falling into sin. And so this is how the enemy kind of works. But what I think is so interesting is Eve's response as she gives in to Satan's trickery. And it says that she saw that the, the, the fruit was, you know, good for food, which means it's satisfied a craving, kind of that fleshly bodily desire, pleasing to the eye. She saw this is something I want and I don't have. And so now I'm coveting it. I want it. I've got to have it. And then lastly, she saw that it would, you know, make her wise that she would know good and evil. She would, you know, she desired just gaining

• 29:40Speaker 01

  this wisdom, kind of being like God, being powerful like God. And 1 John 2 talks about this exact same thing. And he talks about how everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, doesn't come from the Father, but comes from the world. And you see kind of from the beginning of the Bible to really the end of the Bible, you know, first John two is one of the last books in the Bible. Satan runs the same play again and again and again and again. And he comes after those same three things. And so, one of the biggest things, the lust of the flesh, I do believe is, is anything bodily, whether that's food, whether that's, you know, sex and sexual pleasures, anything kind of in that.

• 30:20Speaker 01

  But it's this like target with pleasure and trying to get you to chase pleasure instead of chasing God's presence. And then, you know, the lust of the eyes is this like materialistic covet, like I gotta have it.

• 30:32Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 30:32Speaker 01

  And then the pride of life, like so many of us, we want to be important. We want to be relevant. We want to be powerful. And those are the same three temptations that the enemy comes after us today. And I've just seen that same thing in my own life. Every time I've fallen into sin and I've believed the enemy's lies, it's fallen under those same three temptations. But what I love is God is so much more powerful. And when we know the enemy's schemes, when we're aware of his schemes, Ephesians six says that we can stand firm against the devil's schemes. We can put on the armor of God. We can take our stand against him and we can win. Like the, the Lord has already overcome. But you know, the enemy's still operating today until we're taken into full glory.

• 31:16Speaker 01

  And it's like, while we're here, we've been given winning weapons of how we can overcome, of how we can defeat these temptations and these lies and these schemes. And I think the biggest thing is that we have to understand, we've talked about kind of just like the spiritual realm. Like we're not just bodies with spirits. We are actually spirits with temporary bodies. Like we have a very temporary, short mist of a life here on this earth, but our spirits are eternal. They're forever. And so, how you're, I think, thinking through, you know, this, okay, I'm getting in a fight with this person. Why do I keep getting in a fight with this person? Okay, I'm falling for this same, I said I wasn't gonna eat that again and I eat that again. Or I said I was gonna do that.

• 31:57Speaker 01

  And I, and it's like, you have to understand, it's a spiritual realm and the enemy operates in a spiritual way. And, um, and for me, fighting that, you know, in the word of God, in prayer with community, has helped so much.

• 32:12Josh Axe?

  That's so powerful. I'd never heard anybody break down as well as you just did, sort of these, the temptation that Eve, Eve had. And how it just so aligns with, you know, the, you know, the, our, our unhealthy desires, our sinful desires that we can have. And, uh, you know, and I think there is such value in education. This is why reading scripture is so important. It's why not only going to church is so important, but Bible site, it just being really biblically literate in understanding what the Bible teaches and how to apply it. Because I mean, so much of the Bible is taken out of context, is misused. And so, I think when you really understand, and then you can actually utilize, you know, God's word in that way. I mean, it's incredibly, incredibly powerful.

• 32:58Speaker 01

  Totally. Cause I think so often we just get hit, you know, with these darts, you know, we get hit with these lies and then we just don't know how to respond. Or it's just like, you feel hopeless or you feel, you know, oppressed. Or you just feel kind of like this is just like how it is or how it's always gonna be. And it's like, no, as believers, we can walk in victory. Cause we're not fighting for victory, we're fighting from victory. We've already received the victory in Christ.

• 33:21Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 33:22Speaker 01

  And so, we've been given these, you know, weapons and these, you know, we don't fight with the weapons the world uses. Like what I was saying earlier, like we have these weapons that demolish the lies and demolish the strongholds and demolish the, you know, generational curses and these things. Like we've been given the, the word of truth. And so, like you're saying, I think scripture has, it's helped me so much. Because every time a lie comes and you see, you know, we talked about the Garden of Eden and then I talked about first John two, but also the enemy came to Jesus in the same exact way in Matthew four, within the, you know, temptation in the wilderness. And Jesus responded to every single lie and temptation with the truth, with God's word. And he just said, it is written. So we didn't debate the devil, he just responded with truth.

• 34:04Speaker 01

  And so, I'm like, that's where we just gotta, we gotta know the truth and we gotta be in the truth and we gotta share the truth. So important.

• 34:10Josh Axe?

  You know, Chelsea and I are kind of making the decision on, or you know, made the decision on, you know, what, what school do we send our child to? By the way, I know everybody, and I just want to preface it and say, everybody's in a different financial situation. I think the main responsibility is on the parents to educate the children in a golly way. But you know, I was talking to, um, Chelsea and I were talking about, we were just very, very adamant about sending our child to a Christian school. And like my mom, we did not have much money growing up. My dad worked out on telephone pole lines, repairing them in, in Ohio. And my mom would teach part time. She actually taught part time at a Christian school so we could go to the Christian school. So like my family were, they were just, I mean, again, my parents just sacrificed a lot.

• 34:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 34:55Josh Axe?

  So, so myself and my siblings could go, go to a Christian school. And I was talking about something the other day who they're, they just finished their PhD at Liberty in, uh, in psychology. And he just said, it was such a different education than what he had at Vanderbilt. Because, you know, you, you go to this school and he said, you know, everything Christianity thought, Christian thought was woven into. And so, some, getting an education that is Christian, where Christianity is woven into every part of it and that understanding versus worldly, it's just radically different. I don't know my point with that, but my point was like, we're, you know, it's so, I mean,

• 35:29Speaker 01

  No, that's huge.

• 35:30Josh Axe?

  You're, you're gonna learn, you're gonna find this out soon.

• 35:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 35:32Josh Axe?

  I mean, when I grew up, there was one public school, one Christian school in a small town in Troy, Ohio. Here, there are like a, there's like a hundred schools and options.

• 35:40Speaker 01

  But thinking through that is so important because so often it's like, I want my child to go, you know, where all their other friends are, where the sports are gonna be really good. And thinking through it in a different lens of how is, how is their character gonna be formed? And who's gonna be pouring into them spiritually? And is there a biblical foundation? All of that is so important.

• 35:58Josh Axe?

  Yeah, it was interesting. The reason, what turned us on to this school was we, uh, my, we have cousins in Knoxville. They were playing basketball here at the school in, in Nashville. And so, we went to go watch and, um, the one player on the other team got injured. And literally everyone from their team, they, they, they put a circle, you know, they got in a circle around him, held hands and the coaches all prayed for him on, on the court. And we're like, wow, this is just an amazing thing that just the way that they were living it out. So anyways, all that being said, I think that, you know, uh, I, I just, I think that something to go back to that we talked about at the start, um, if people want to grow, if they want to overcome anxiousness, if they want to be successful, if they want to be happy, just your community is so important. Where your kids go to school, the friends, the friendships you have, your growth groups.

• 36:42Josh Axe?

  Like my biggest life lesson is you become who you surround yourself with.

• 36:46Speaker 01

  Absolutely.

• 36:46Josh Axe?

  And so, like, I'm semi obsessive about like, you know, finding the right people, connecting with the right people, doing that because I just find myself starting to act like them, think like them. And, um, and, and you know, something else I hear pretty often, and I hear this from a lot of young people, and I had the same challenge is they'll say, you know, I want a mentor, but I don't know where to find one. Have you, have you heard or experienced that? Cortisol and chronic stress aren't just mental. They create real physical strain on the body over time, disrupting hormones, sleep, metabolism and recovery. One tool that helps regulate the stress response, support detox pathways and promote recovery

• 37:31Josh Axe?

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• 38:12Josh Axe?

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• 38:23Speaker 01

  Oh, and I was literally sitting here telling you that I wanted your mother-in-law to be my mentor because she's amazing.

• 38:28Josh Axe?

  Yeah, she's awesome.

• 38:28Speaker 01

  And I have so seen that for a lot of people that I know and even my own self. And I do think, you know, the environment that you put yourself in really matters. Like same for, you know, the single person who wants to find your spouse or the person who's feeling lonely and wants to find community. Putting yourself in the environments in which you are setting yourself up for success really matters. And so, of course, like the first place that I can think of is church, you know? I have, um, you know, a friend who literally just walked up to someone at her church and said, will you be my mentor? And I know so many people that that is their story. And then I know some people who don't have mentors because they don't have the courage to go ask. And I do think it starts with putting yourself in that environment.

• 39:11Speaker 01

  And then also just taking that leap of faith and asking, like straight up asking. I think so often it's kind of just like, wanna go to coffee, like wanna hang out? But I think straight up being like, will you be my mentor? I would love to be, I would, I would love to learn from you. I would love to just watch your life and ask you questions and, and to truly be mentored in that way. And then, you know, if you go to coffee or lunch, like come with some questions, ask them some questions. You know what I mean? Like sometimes it's just kind of like, hey, I just want you to pour into me. And it's like, no, no, like show up, like be hungry, you know, be, be wanted, like be in this place where you want to learn and show up in a way where it shows, like I'm not, I don't want you to waste your time in any way. I, I want to learn from you in every way. And so, I've thought about this and I've written out some questions.

• 39:55Speaker 01

  And so, taking the time to be intentional in that way also I think is really helpful.

• 39:59Josh Axe?

  You know, I, I've had the opportunity to both just have some unbelievable mentors. In fact, I mean, the, the prayer that I prayed, I, I shared this with Michael W. Smith. He was on last week and I said, I prayed in college that God would send a flood of Christian men into my life because I didn't have any, like I went to college and it was like, well, where are they? And he just did that. And so, then I've had that opportunity to do that for other men. And, and one thing I will say is, is that if I've had, I don't know, 25 men that I've really, over the past 10 years poured into. Or had an opportunity, well, maybe it's, maybe it's quite a bit of time or a little bit of time. There's probably, I mean, it's probably only 20% though, that really take it and run with it. There's another that do a few things and there's some that they just don't do anything,

• 40:42Josh Axe?

  you know, and, and I think for myself, it, those people, those five of the, out of 25 that really went and said, I'm going to take to heart what you said. I'm going to really value this gift, this mentorship you've given me. And they've gone and applied it and done and said, thank you, I'm grateful. Here's my next set of questions. I just want to keep pouring into those people, you know, and so I think if you're going to find a mentor, also be an amazing disciple.

• 41:07Speaker 01

  That's so good. That's so true. It's, it's contagious. You're like, you walk away from those people and you're like, well, now I want to go, you know, be that for someone that, you know, it's just a very contagious spirit to have. And I think that's just a good, I think about Matthew 5:6 where it says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. It's a promise. When we hunger and thirst for more of God, we will be filled with more of God. And so when, whether that's in the form of godly community or mentorship or whatever it may be, but coming, you know, showing up hungry and saying like, I want to learn more. I want to know more. And so I'm going to, I'm going to watch your life. I'm going to ask you questions. But also, you know, on the flip side, you know, being someone who's willing to also invest in someone and be someone who seeks someone out to pour into them and to love on them in that way too, is awesome.

• 41:52Josh Axe?

  Who, who are some people maybe from afar, they could be maybe known to the public or not known, but that, that you really, that you really admire and you could say, hey, I'm trying to model part of my life after, after this person.

• 42:05Speaker 01

  Yeah. For me, since college, it was always Christine Kane. She was always someone I really looked up to. I think from the way she had such a, just like she told the truth, like she spoke the truth and she spoke it boldly. Lisa Bavir falls into this category as well. Just speaking the truth so boldly. And then I would say also she, just as someone who has such a heart to like make a difference for those who, I mean, have been abused and who have been, you know, mistreated. And so fighting for the, for the voiceless, fighting for those who can't speak up for themselves. And so I just see, like, when I, when I read scripture, I'm like, yeah, like she has modeled her life after so many of these verses that I've read, like she stands firm in the word of God. She

• 42:47Speaker 01

  speaks the word of God unashamedly. Like you can tell she's spent deep, deep time in prayer alone with the Father. But you also see like she's, you know, not just going to all these big Christian conferences, like she's, she's traveling all over to like help set the captives free and to, you know, bring good news to the poor and it just like these beautiful things that I think so often it's easy to just focus on one, but I, I've always admired that she's had, you know, a heart and a capacity to do both, as well as being a wife and a mom and all the other things that she does as well. So she's definitely someone I've really looked up to. And then my parents have always kind of played that role for me in different ways as well. And then God is, is really, I mean,

• 43:26Speaker 01

  similar to you of praying that prayer, God has been so kind to put so many incredible, like women in my life of just that model, those different things, or even friends that demonstrate different aspect of God's character that I just get to learn from, or, you know, in this season of my life, being a new mom and getting to have friends around me that have kids that are older, you know, than my sweet little Hosanna, getting to watch them parent and discipline and love and raise their children up in the way that they should go is so inspiring. And I feel like I'm learning so much from them and gleaning so much wisdom from them. And so I think praying that prayer is a great start. But yeah, there's people that have kind of been like from afar and inspiration to me, but also people up close.

• 44:08Josh Axe?

  That's so good. You know, I, I don't know Christine, but I've really, again, really admired her. I think she's coming on here in a few months on the show and I'm just really looking forward to, because again, I, I love how bold she is in her faith. And then John and Lisa Bavir, I just love them.

• 44:23Speaker 01

  They're amazing.

• 44:24Josh Axe?

  I mean, they are so amazing. They're one of those couples where I look at their marriage and I'm just like, it's so great. Like when they're interacting together, they're sort of like, just a, just a, just a, just a love there. That's just really, really powerful, like, like adoring each other, complimenting each other, but they're, but they're both a little feisty towards each other in that way, you know, the sort of Sicilian Italian going at it. And I just, I love it. But I always, I always like watch relationships like that. I'm like, hey, what is it that, that they have that is just so, and that's just, you know, so profound. And it's just a mutual like love and respect, you know, in such a powerful way and constant open communication and, and, and there's,

• 45:08Josh Axe?

  there's such great value. I like, I really feel for people that have maybe don't have those people in their lives, because if I wasn't able to get glimpses of people like John and Lisa Bavir, or even just have amazing parents myself, or Chelsea's parents, and it's just Chelsea's mom now, but seeing the way that her mom and dad interacted, that, that has taught me more than reading books, more, taught me more than anything about, hey, here's how to have a great relationship.

• 45:35Speaker 01

  Totally.

• 45:36Josh Axe?

  Are there, what have you learned from your mom and dad? And also, what have you learned? Like, has anything, this is two questions. Well, let me first ask that, and then I'll ask the next one. What have you learned from your mom and dad or other great marriages that you and Grant are trying to model?

• 45:52Josh Axe?

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• 46:36Josh Axe?

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• 47:15Speaker 01

  They're this beautiful balance of love and truth. They do such a great job of, like my mom is just so full of compassion and love, and it bleeds into every aspect of her life. And she's so moved by just like loving people. And my dad is so passionate about truth and, you know, standing firm in truth and speaking the truth. And so I've just seen them kind of like the, just love and truth, kind of like be this beautiful, just balance and the way that they parented. They also very much believed in parenting each of us differently. And so how they parented me was very different than how they parented my other two siblings, which I think is, is so beautiful,

• 47:58Speaker 01

  because I think it'd be so easy to just kind of copy paste, copy paste, copy paste, do the same exact thing, but they were very intentional to kind of love each of us, you know, discipline each of us uniquely and intentionally. And I'm very grateful for that. I do think, again, like the words that they spoke over us, but also the way that they modeled. I mean, they showed us not just, hey, you should pray, but they showed us how to pray. They showed us, you know, not just you should go to church, but we went to church. They showed us not just you should go and consume church, they showed us, we're going to go and serve at church. We're going to be a part of the church. We're going to give to the church. We're going to tithe. We're going to show up and serve. We're going to go on the mission trips with the church. And so we were just very integrated from a young

• 48:40Speaker 01

  age in all of those aspects, as well as, you know, I grew up with my dad as a coach. And so I was also very ingrained into just like sports and athletics and basketball life. And so if I wasn't at church or church camp, I was in the basketball gym. And so that was kind of my life, but they just did such a great job of just like disciplines and hard work and the truth, as well as seeing people, loving people, showing up for others, serving others. And so they did a really good job of complimenting each other in that way and kind of giving that to my sisters and I.

• 49:12Josh Axe?

  That's so good. What's the biggest thing that surprised you about marriage?

• 49:16Speaker 01

  Oh, wow. There's so many. Our first year of marriage was really hard. I think we both came into it not realizing how selfish we were.

• 49:23Josh Axe?

  Oh, by the way, you took mine. I mean, I was just gonna say, I constantly, the first couple of years, I'm like, I'm so selfish. Like, I only think about myself.

• 49:33Speaker 01

  It's crazy. You think you've like, worked all that out, you know? I thought I was coming into marriage like, he has no idea what kind of treat he's getting. And then immediately, I'm like, all of these things start rising up in me. And, you know, this anger I thought, you know, I'd already dealt with, or this, you know, whatever it is, that just kind of gets exposed and gets brought up to the surface. So I would say, that was definitely something we just had. And still, I mean, you always have to work through, I guess, you know, your selfishness, but especially that first year of marriage, I wasn't prepared for the amount of just like, worldly expectations, and also selfishness that we both had and had to work through. And I was just like, the typical cliche, you know, wife hitting her knees in prayer, saying, God changed my husband. And, you know, a few days into

• 50:18Speaker 01

  praying that prayer, it quickly went to, God changed my husband, to God changed me. Like, I see there's so much in me that needs to be changed, and pruned, and worked on, and made holy. And I just, it was a, it was a battle of that first year, learning, learning to die to yourself. And I think for me, I just had treated dating, and life is like, oh, he's gonna serve me, he's gonna show up for me. And you're just like, this is what I deserve. Kind of just honestly, this like, feminist kind of mindset. And I get into marriage, and I'm like, whoa, like, marriage is all about sacrifice. Marriage is all about service. Marriage is all about dying to self. I'm like, it's so the opposite of what the world paints. It's so the opposite of what the movies in Hollywood shows you.

• 51:01Speaker 01

  And so, really, you know, asking yourself, in marriage, in parenting, in life, like, have I been more discipled by the world than by the word? Because for me, in that first year of marriage, I realized, oh, like, I've been pretty discipled by the world in terms of marriage, and what I think a marriage should look like. And so I'd really strip that back, and really kind of relearn, okay, when it comes to intimacy, when it comes to romantic, and serving each other, and spending time together, and all aspects of marriage, and what makes up a marriage, kind of going to God's word, and being like, what do you say about marriage? What is the point of marriage? And getting to that point was so helpful.

• 51:41Josh Axe?

  That's so good. You know, one thing I changed my, my mind on, it made me look at the, in a different way, is the golden rule. You know, because when we first got into marriage, I'm like, oh, well, I like this, so Chelsea will like this. Like, do unto others. Like, this is what I'm, this is what I'm doing. And I, and I realized, it's like, oh, no, her love language is quality time. You know, mine is like, words of encouragement, and physical touch. And so, like, I always felt like, man, her love tank is never full. I'm like, I'm doing all this stuff over here, it's just never full. And then over time, I just, you know, started realizing, it just takes deep, meaningful, intimate conversation, and listening. And, oh, okay. Well, that, and I, I started joking around, I'm like, does this count? Can you teach me what counts and what doesn't count?

• 52:24Speaker 01

  A hundred percent.

• 52:25Josh Axe?

  So, you know, figuring that out, so.

• 52:27Speaker 01

  No, that's a whole learned art. It's like, learning how to love someone how they want to be loved, and not how you want to be loved. It's like, oh, it's easy for me to love you how I want to receive love. But loving you how you are designed and wired to receive love is different.

• 52:45Josh Axe?

  Oh, yeah. Yeah, you know, I was talking to a friend, this was, this was quite a few years ago, and I think, I think he learned this, but he had been, they had been engaged for like, 12 years.

• 52:55Speaker 01

  Oh, wow.

• 52:57Josh Axe?

  That's a long time.

• 52:58Speaker 01

  Versus our three months. I'm like, he would have looked at us like, we're crazy.

• 53:01Josh Axe?

  That's the way to go. Chelsea and I were six months, we dated six months, engaged six months. But I, no, the whole time, I'm like, we gotta, you know, yeah, this has to be a shorter, shorter timeline. But, yeah, I was, and he told me, he goes, you know, I said, hey, why have you not married her yet? And he said, you know, I just realized, she just doesn't always make me happy. I mean, that was the, that was the answer.

• 53:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah. And when you don't know what the heart and the why behind marriage is, I mean, you're gonna, I feel like you're gonna keep coming back to that place of like, I just want to be happy. I just want my needs to be met. But when I read scripture, I'm like, man, it just zooms it all out of this is, we're a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. This marriage isn't just about us. It's not about making each other happy. It's not about us sitting around figuring out how we can find the five principles to thrive in our marriage. It's like, no, no, no, like, this is about eternity. This is about the kingdom. This is a reflection of Christ and the church. Like, this is all about pointing other people to Him. And if we don't have that eternal mindset in our

• 54:03Speaker 01

  marriage, it's gonna be so easy to make it about my own selfish desires and happiness. And that, again, that was like, the, one of the biggest wake up calls for me that first year of marriage. Because I was like, wait, it's not about my happiness? He's not just here to serve me all the time? It's like, oh, wow. It is about service, but it's also so much more than about us. Like, it's about Jesus.

• 54:24Josh Axe?

  Yeah, so good. So, one of the things I, I also learned in marriage, marriage is that, generally speaking, I think women battle things different than men, men battle. Like, I think men, the biggest thing they want to do is feel, and we've heard this before, but, like, want to feel respected. And so there's a sort of like, respect off, between maybe men, and then men, I just don't think they, they, I just don't think about things that much. You know? And one thing I realized with Chelsea is, and she shared this with me, is she said, you know, for her, and she would say that she does, she feels like it's less of a battle now, but she definitely felt like it was a comparison, you know? And to your point, you talked about this earlier, especially with social media, you

• 55:06Josh Axe?

  know, and looking at people that have perfect bodies, perfect marriages, perfect lives. To your point, some of these people, it's like, oh, and you're throwing a kid's birthday party. I'm like, was that like, a hundred thousand dollars for a kid's birthday party? Am I a good mom? So, so all that being said, how do you battle criticism? And is that something you've noticed? Like, this is something women struggle with more, more than men?

• 55:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 55:29Josh Axe?

  Potentially.

• 55:30Speaker 01

  I think for me, when it comes to kind of this comparison trap, and falling into, you know, she's got this, and they've got this. And for me, it is gonna ultimately come down to, like, who does God say that I am? And am I, do I believe that that is who I am? Like, it's one thing for God to just say that, it's another thing for me to believe that and receive that. And so, if God says that I am His child, if God says that I'm made in His image, if God says that He has put a specific calling in my life, and given me a specific gift, that isn't like everybody else's, but the gift I've received, isn't just for me, it's to serve other people. And kind of getting to

• 56:11Speaker 01

  that place of like, who does God say that I am? Who do I say that God is? Because I'm not gonna know who I am if I don't know who He is. And so, making sure He stays in His proper, you know, place, and I have the right view of who He is. Because I think sometimes we can have a distorted view of who we are, if we fall into this distorted view of who, of who God is. And so, if we think, you know, God is this unfair God, who's just like, waiting for us to screw up, then we're probably gonna feel like we can never do enough. And we're just constantly striving, we're constantly performing, we're constantly, you know, if, if God is, it's, I just, I think you have to get to this place of, who is God? Who am I? Who does He say that I am? And then, and then there's like, some practical things around that, right? Of just like, how do I set up boundaries, as much that I can,

• 56:57Speaker 01

  to not continually set myself up for failure. And so, for me, one of the biggest things that I've made a decision on this year is to delete social media. And so, I am off Instagram right now, and have been off for the last six or seven months, on my personal page. My podcast page is still running, but I've been off social media. And that has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. Because I am not constantly seeing what everyone else has. If you think about, I shared earlier, the Garden of Eden, when Eve saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye, and she had this coveting moment. Again, it's the same temptation we face today. We get on social media, we covet what everybody else has, we envy what everybody else has, we compare ourselves to what everybody else has, who

• 57:41Speaker 01

  they are, what they're doing. And immediately, your, you know, gifts no longer feel good enough. Your body no longer feels good enough. Your marriage no longer feels good enough. And it begins to target all of these things, as you begin to covet, as you begin to envy. And so for me, it was, you know, practically, it's like, Jesus says, if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. And so whatever that thing is that you need to cut off.

• 58:06Josh Axe?

  If your phone causes you to sin.

• 58:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, if your phone causes you to sin, flush down the toilet. Like, whatever you gotta do, get a flip phone, you know, delete social media. I mean, it sounds extreme, but it's like, if you're living in a perpetual state of like crippling comparison, and all you can think about is, I don't feel good enough, because I'm always thinking about what they have and who they are and what they're doing, then I can't be who God's called me to be. I can't show up for the people around me the way God's called me to. And so for me, it was, you know, I was hitting, not all the time, but I was hitting these, these moments of, I couldn't fully appreciate, you know, the way God had wired me, because I was focused on the way God had wired them. I couldn't fully appreciate the, the platform and influence God had given me, because I was focused on the platform and influence God had given them. I couldn't

• 58:50Speaker 01

  fully appreciate the friends and community in my life, because I was constantly focusing on the vacations and the friend trips that everybody else was going on. And so for me, it just came down to this place of, I'm gonna remove this from my life, and, you know, for a season. And that doesn't mean I'm gonna always be off social media. I'm sure I'll get back on. But when I do, I'm gonna set up some boundaries, you know, whether it's I'm only allow myself to get on for 30 minutes a day, whether it's I only allow myself to get on a few times a week, whether it's I have a Sunday off, a Sabbath day, whatever it is, like putting some boundaries around kind of those stumbling areas for you. Like, where do you find yourself comparing and falling into comparison? Is it when you watch certain rom-coms, and then you suddenly feel like your marriage isn't good enough? Well,

• 59:32Speaker 01

  then cut out the rom-coms. Is it, you get on social media and you, you feel this when you see, so, you know. But I do think that ultimately, it is a heart problem, and you do have to get to a place where it, because if, even if you remove those things, you're still living life. So you're still gonna find yourself in environments where you're around someone who's really beautiful, you're around someone who's really gifted, you're around someone who's, and if you aren't confident in who God is and in who you are in God, then it is ultimately going to just arise in a different place. You were kind of talking about earlier, like getting to the root. It's like, yeah, if I'm just picking off the fruits, and I'm never getting to the root, then it's just gonna blossom and bloom in a different way, right? Like, I can cut off, like, comparison in social media, but

• 1:00:14Speaker 01

  if I don't get to the root problem, if I don't get to the heart, then that's gonna just show up in another area of my life.

• 1:00:21Josh Axe?

  Yeah. Well, you know, and I think it comes down to something you, you said, and it reminds me of an A.W. Tozer quote, and he said something, I mean, I get this exactly right, but, what you believe about God is the most important thing about you. And it's like, well, the most important thing about us is what we believe about God and who He is. And it's like, wow. Because if you believe that God is a perfect Father, and He gave you unique gifts, and then it's like, well, you just need to take your unique gifts and use them well. And just because somebody else has a different gift, and they're maybe using it a different way, or more successful in some area, that doesn't mean that you're failing, right? And so I think there's this element of, uh, being able to fix your eyes on Jesus, trust Him, do your best with what you've been given. And, um, and, and, you

• 1:01:06Josh Axe?

  know, but, but, and I do want to say this, I actually think there is value in comparing yourself to others with the right heart, right? Because I think about the World's Best Athletes, they will tell you, oh, I swim faster, or did this faster, did this better. Because iron sharpens iron, because of that principle. I was watching this video, so it's my, our daughter did her first competitive thing ever, she's six years old, and did the summer swim league this summer.

• 1:01:32Speaker 01

  I love it.

• 1:01:32Josh Axe?

  And did great. And Chelsea and I are both like worried about each other, from the standpoint of, I'm like, are you looking up the scores of all the other kids? And like, and like, tracking everything? And she's like, yeah. I'm like, okay, so am I. Um, so we are, you know, diehard, and we're trying, we're gonna do our best, just also, just let her flourish and have fun, and, and do all those things. But, um, I was, but I had it show up on my feed, and I, I'm actually rarely on social media now, but I did, I was on Instagram, and Missy Franklin, she's a well-known swimmer, showed up on my feed, of her cheering for her teammates, and cheering for somebody who's breaking the world record. And it was really inspiring, because, and I think, by the way, it like shocked everybody, had millions and millions of views, because she was so happy for this person, she was

• 1:02:16Josh Axe?

  cheering for them, probably more than she would cheer for herself, and be happier for this person, more than would be herself. And I think it was so shocking, and so many millions of people would watch it, because that's so rare.

• 1:02:27Josh Axe?

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• 1:03:12Josh Axe?

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• 1:03:34Speaker 01

  Oh, and I, it's such a, I feel like it's, it so shows that she is a truly confident person in who she is and how she's wired. Because I feel like that's such an easy, like, one way to point to confidence is, can you celebrate other people's wins? Can you celebrate other people's success?

• 1:03:48Josh Axe?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:49Speaker 01

  Because it's really easy, it's very easy to celebrate someone's success if it has no tie to you, or anything that involves you, or anything that you're passionate about. Like, for example, if I was, you know, celebrating someone who is incredibly gifted at, um, let's try, like, you know, making beautiful blankets, and they just are so good at, you know, getting some yarn and just going to town. And I am like, that is so impressive. Like, that's amazing. But now, it might be harder for me to celebrate someone who is, you know, a podcaster or a speaker, right? And they're super successful, and they have this incredible, but, but I can celebrate, you know, my girl who just sold a million blankets, because

• 1:04:34Speaker 01

  I'm so happy for her. But it's harder for me to celebrate, you know, my friend over here, who just got a million extra subscribers and followers, you know, and it's, it's, you have to, again, it's the heart, but it is, I think that's what's so cool about that story, is being able to celebrate someone who's, who's in your same lane, who's kind of running in your same, um, lane, and being able to cheer them on. And that really just shows, like, I know, you know, that I'm confident, and that I'm doing what I'm called to do, and it doesn't diminish or take away from who I am by celebrating other people. It actually shows that I'm confident in who I am.

• 1:05:07Josh Axe?

  Yeah, it's powerful. You know, a, a related topic to comparison, I think, and, and your answer might be very similar, but is criticism. I know that when I first started, um, putting out content, I mean, I would start reading the YouTube comments, and of course, there'd be some nice ones, but then also, I was like, whoa, that is ruthless.

• 1:05:24Speaker 01

  It's horrible.

• 1:05:25Josh Axe?

  And so over time, I realized, you know what, I'm not gonna like read and focus in on those comments. I, I was able to decide, maybe, you know, early on, and better, maybe some people would just be like, I'm gonna just embrace these, you know, these. But I am gonna sometimes look at some of the criticism and say, is there truth in that? Did I, you know, um, am I being as credible as I can? Am I being as fair as I can be? And, and looking at things those that way. But I'm curious, in terms of, I mean, I, I'm sure you got, just from being on such a large televised, uh, you know, show, like, criticism.

• 1:06:01Speaker 01

  Oh, yes. Lots of it. Lots and lots and lots of it. You know, and from the very beginning, and it was very, very hard. And I think that is what really led to kind of this like stress response in my body negatively responding to, um, a lot of this criticism, feeling so misunderstood, feeling so, just like, man, I can't even advocate for myself, and, and really like having to come back to this place of like, God, you're my defender, you're my protector, um, you're my advocate. And I think that has been one of my biggest, like, things that I've leaned on. But it's definitely been difficult. I mean, even, you know, to this day, I tell my team, or I tell my friends, like, hey, if you see viral videos of me, you know, around, and someone's just dogging on me, I really don't care to

• 1:06:44Speaker 01

  know. I really, I really don't care to know. Um, if you see it, why don't you just pray for that person? And you don't even have to let me know. You, you just pray for them. Um, and I think for me, it did start out where I would, you know, I would read some of the comments and things, and then I just learned, like, it's not good for me to know all of the amazing things said about me, as well as it's not good for me to know all of the horrible things said about me. We were never made to probably be as praised and criticized as we are in today's world, in this social media world. And I think from a spiritual lens, it, it just all lines up with scripture too, of just like, if they hated me, they're gonna hate you, Jesus says, you know, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, you know, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And just again and again, throughout scripture, you see, it's just kind of part of it, when you're

• 1:07:28Speaker 01

  speaking out, you know, in a, in a truthful, Jesus-centered way. Um, but also, it's just the world. Like, I look at people who aren't believers at all, and they're like, uh, everyone's praising them one day, and they're at like the top of their game, everyone's obsessed with them. And then, two days later, they're doing something cringey, and everyone turns on them, and, you know, it's, it's just a crazy world we live in.

• 1:07:49Josh Axe?

  Yeah, yeah. You know, I, uh, I don't know, this reminds me. So, I mean, I got plenty of criticism. I remember Chelsea and I, we were down in 30A, we posted a picture of us just going on a date night. And Chelsea was wearing something absolutely appropriate, some of my mods, like, the dress was down to here, showing, showing a little bit of knee. And there was like some old, like, I have some really like, there was, there's a handful of like ultra, ultra conservative Christians, and they're like, your dress should be like, what, you know, getting into it, like with, like, commenting on my wife online. First, I'm sorry, I have a, I have a sister, Chelsea's sister, two, younger sister, just, you know, anyway, she's good with words. She went on there and gave, gave them a, gave them a lashing. And, um, it reminds me of like, I've got my, my two-year-old

• 1:08:34Josh Axe?

  and six-year-old, my two-year-old just adores the six-year-old, like, two-year-old daughter, it's just like, anyways. And that's another thing I'll say about having like a good marriage or good Christian friends, is like, you know, they're always defending you, fighting for you, going out of their way to help you, and, um, it's so powerful. Last question. For, what are your and Grant's health habits?

• 1:08:57Speaker 01

  Something we try to be very intentional about is the food that we're eating, trying to eat whole foods, trying to cook a lot of our food. That does get challenging in travel, that gets challenging in, you know, some different seasons of life, but for the most part, we really try to, um, to cook a lot and to, I mean, we just went to the longevity clinic and we did learn we needed to eat some more salmon. So we're trying to add some more of that in our, uh, you know, in our recipes and I am getting better at that. I'm learning some good salmon recipes, which is, which is really fun. Um, but yeah, so we try to, try to eat as healthy as possible. I kind of, I kind of do the, the 70 30 rule. I'm such a sweet tooth. So you know, like that, that's really where it's like, you know, every now

• 1:09:39Speaker 01

  and then some, but I have found like, what I really love doing is when you talk about like the healthy alternatives, like I love finding like the healthier ice cream versions, you know, the healthier, whatever it may be version. And so that's what I try to do. Um, we try to stay active and work out very consistently. So I have, um, you know, uh, some workouts, Pilates studios here that I go to, um, a few times a week. We have an at home gym and try to stay active there. We try to spend a lot of time outside, um, and take our sweet little hosanna outside a lot. And I think just the vitamin D, getting in the grass, running around outside. It is hard when it's so hot outside, when it's like a hundred and something degrees outside and you don't have a pool. It's like a little

• 1:10:21Speaker 01

  less motivating, but we do try to do those things. Um, I think those, and then we're very, uh, consistent with praying with each other every single day. And so he prays over me, us every single night before we go to bed. Um, we even try to do communion. Like one thing we would love to be even more intentional about is like a weekly communion moment and just like taking some time to, you know, remember God's sacrifice, Jesus's sacrifice and take the body and take the, you know, the, the blood and just have that moment of just like, it's just so beautiful in doing it, of course, like alone, but especially in doing it like with your spouse. There's just something so powerful about it. Um, and so we love that. And, and then I just would say like doing life with community and making

• 1:11:06Speaker 01

  sure that we're, you know, staying in relationship with other people. It can be easy. I think sometimes even just like fall into this rut of like, especially when you have a life where you're traveling or you're doing some things where you're like filming or whatever it may be, then you get home and you kind of want to just like, oh, like let's just relax. Let's just turn off. And something we try to be very intentional about is just making sure we're still hosting, we're still going out and spending time with people. We're, you know, being active with people and seeing other people and kind of not just like locking in with the three of us right now. Um, and that's something I, I have seen too with like the families that I look up to and the parents that I look up to with how they raise their kids is just constantly putting them environments with other kids and letting them

• 1:11:49Speaker 01

  play, letting them be active and letting them form those relationships, um, and it not just be like their family all the time. Yeah. So yeah, those would be some things that I would say, read the word, pray. I mean, there's so many I could say, but those would probably be some of the ones.

• 1:12:01Josh Axe?

  Well, so good. It's really, really, uh, you know, holistic. It's focusing on, you know, spiritual health, you know, mental, and then also, you know, physical. And I think that's what it takes to be healthy. You know, I think that there's a lot of people who just to go back to where we started, they're trying to fight, sometimes even spiritual battles with food and diet and they won't see the breakthrough. And it's like, man, it is so important. And, and I really think the foundation that's greater than the physical, of course, is the spiritual in terms of making sure that you are connected to God, connected to community and also connected to nature, you know, in order to get healthy. Um, this has been amazing. Thanks so much for coming on today. I know, I know you've got a book out, Dare to be True. I want to encourage everybody to check it out. It's on Amazon, bookstores nationwide, Dare to be True by Matty Pruitt Trout. Want to encourage

• 1:12:46Josh Axe?

  you guys to check it out. Also, if you're watching on YouTube, let me know, uh, what, what'd you learn today? What is the biggest thing that Matty shared today that you can walk away with? Have you dealt with comparison, criticism? Uh, how'd you fight it? We would love to hear from you there as well. Also, don't forget to subscribe. It's the number one thing you can do here to support the show. And think about, who could you share this with? Somebody that maybe is dealing with anxiousness or wants to know about more about how to have a great marriage or just balance priorities as a parent. We'd love to hear from you and we would be so grateful if you would share this episode, subscribe to this episode. Oh, also don't forget to go and subscribe and check out Matty's podcast, the Stay True Podcast. I think you're going to love that as well. Want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr. Act Show. Can't wait to see you on the next episode.