MSG Presents "Eric on Money": Healthy at Work—Why Employee Wellness Is Financial Wellness

🎙️ Eric on Money: Healthy at Work—Why Employee Wellness Is Financial Wellness

In this episode, Eric teams up with Coach April to break down a truth every company and professional needs to hear: financial wellness starts with personal wellness. From long hours at the desk to pizza-filled lunch meetings, they unpack how daily workplace habits—what you eat, how you move, even how honest you are about stress—affect not just your health, but your financial future.

Coach April shares practical strategies for staying healthy at work, while Eric connects the dots between physical burnout and financial breakdown. Together, they explore why being intentional about wellness is a financial strategy—because when your body and mind are drained, your productivity, creativity, and income potential all take the hit.

Whether you’re an employee, entrepreneur, or executive, this conversation will help you see wellness as the most valuable asset in your financial portfolio.

💬 Tune in, take notes, and ask yourself:
Are you treating your health like it’s part of your wealth plan?

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Good afternoon,. How are you all doing today? I'm here with Coach April. We are going to have a nice conversation about wellness, and I'm gonna kind of start this off by saying April and I are on a mission to get wellness into more corporate organizations and institutions. So we've created this series.

[00:00:27] We had a live before that we talked about some things. And today we're gonna get into something that I feel very strongly about April, which is, how can you be healthy at work? Is that, is that even possible? And this is Coach April's area, one of her areas of expertise. So we got the right person here with us.

[00:00:51] April, coach April, I was hoping you could kind of. Reintroduce yourself to the audience and tell them your background as it relates to fitness, nutrition, et cetera. [00:01:00] Yeah, absolutely. So. Always a pleasure to be here with you. My friend. So for those of you that may be new to you, to me coach April, I am a health and wellness expert consultant and coach.

[00:01:15] And I also do some investing in the space as well. So I basically spend a number of years in corporate America. Prior to having my position eliminated and then transitioning into the wellness space after really taking a look at my own self and realizing how I was not taking care and really stewarding my body in the external situations and circumstances that I was going through in that particular time was not helping me.

[00:01:44] So I knew that something needed to change and something needed to shift in me. First and after I began that journey, I started to look around and noticed that there were others in my community, in my church in my circle that [00:02:00] also were not stewarding their bodies as well. And so it really set me on a mission to, really create healthier individuals, businesses, and communities. And so that's the goal. Now, just one temple at a time, one body at a time to really shift the narrative and really create healthier environments is the ultimate goal. Wow. I don't think I knew that you were not a good steward of your own body.

[00:02:28] At some point, I guess I kind of always saw you as this person who was always kind of doing the right things as it relates to fitness and nutrition. So actually, so fun fact, right? I talk about it in my book. There was actually an experience that I had as a teenager that was pretty traumatizing to me and it impacted the way that I saw myself, right?

[00:02:50] And so go grab the book. You can do that at my website, kingdom power living.com if you want to. That is a shame plug, but I do talk about that [00:03:00] that. Experience and how it impacted me in my life. And I really didn't realize it until I started unpacking some things that I realized, oh, like. You're, it's kind of like one of those things, like, you know, you're good enough or healthy enough, or you are, I think we think about this sometimes, right?

[00:03:19] We're not on medication, right? And so we are healthy. We our doctor is not like giving us any warnings perhaps to say mm-hmm. Like, come off, you know, you have to be on this particular diet or this strict diet, or something like that. And so we think that we're like healthy enough, however. What is our body really saying on the inside?

[00:03:40] And what are some of the other manifestations of not like living a healthy lifestyle? So is it being lethargic? Is it being, you know, tired all the time? It may be those clothes, like not feeling fitting as well as they used to before, but it's not necessarily an alarm, you know, from, from the doctor.

[00:03:59] Can you [00:04:00] play with the, the children, you know, outside runaround? So there are other measures. That needed to be like, looked at to say like, okay, perhaps the budget gourmet meals in the freezer is not the best choice that I could get for my body, even though I didn't necessarily see a immediate manifestation of it at that particular time.

[00:04:24] So, yes, no, it was not always like this, but always kind of on this thing of like, you know. I'm okay or just kind of good enough or, you know, there aren't any like major things going on. So this isn't something that I really have to deal with. And I know this is a, a long answer to a response to your question, but I hear people even say that all the time.

[00:04:48] Like, man, when I was in my twenties and I was in my thirties, I could eat whatever. And I'm like, no, you couldn't. Your man, the manifestation of those things that you were doing to your [00:05:00] body, to your temple, like back then are actually coming to fruition right now. So just because again, you didn't see the immediate like or you didn't see the immediate manifestation of it at that particular time, the outcome, it doesn't mean that we can do whatever and we are our most healthiest whole self.

[00:05:16] Such a great point because of like two things that stood out to me about that one. Yeah, it's not always expressly stated that, Hey, you're not doing well. Right. The doctor might not really have anything to say. Your body's not yelling at you. But then the other point that you made that I like is, yeah, this stuff is building up over time.

[00:05:36] And so you're doing this in your twenties and you get to 40 and 50 and you wonder, why can I stop eating this meat? Why can't I stop eating all this sugar? But it's a manifestation, like you said, of what you were doing when you were in your teens, your twenties. Yes. Absolutely think about a, a septic system, right?

[00:05:53] Which I liken to the lymphatic system. So one of the things that I did not mention is I, I am a, a coach in [00:06:00] health and wellness from a fitness standpoint by group fitness, but also from, you know, a nutrition hormones and metabolism standpoint too. So think about the, a septic system, right? Think about your.

[00:06:12] Your drainage in your in, in your home or whatever. We have a lymphatic system, which is kind of similar to that. So think about you never like cleaning it out or think about when it gets backed up and when it gets clogged. Like so It may take years, you know, for that particular thing to happen before it gets backed up or before it gets clogged and it's like, you know, not working.

[00:06:31] So again, just because we don't see an immediate. Like effect of it, like cause and effect. There is always cause and effect, right? Yes. That doesn't mean that it's not something that we should not take care of because again it will happen like eventually, right? It's kind of maintenance on the car.

[00:06:48] It's like maintenance with anything, right? We maintain so many things. Within our homes, within our cars, even, you know, our kids like regular, like checkups and you know, things like that. We'll make sure our [00:07:00] kids like do that, but Right. Are we like doing the maintenance ourself even outside of going to the doctor and getting like a physical or checkup even outside of like, we're talking about wellbeing within the workplace, even outside of that annual.

[00:07:15] Like wellbeing check that maybe some organizations do offer, not organiz, all organizations do, which I think they should, but again, that's only one piece to the puzzle. Definitely. Yeah. So you all we're in, we're in the right place talking to the right expert today, and we're gonna get deeper into this. So I'm thinking back as you're speaking about when I was in corporate.

[00:07:42] What my daily lifestyle was once I got downtown, and I know I, we had this little loose outline that we were gonna talk about, but it's like being very sedentary. So you're sitting at your desk all day feeling like you don't have enough time. And then also as you've been describing, like just knowing [00:08:00] you're not in the right mindset.

[00:08:02] So I was hoping you could give us some tools and strategies to address like, okay, I'm at my desk. What can I do to be healthy at my desk while I'm working? Yeah. So I mean, I love that and I al I'll start off with saying this, the first thing you need to do is to be intentional, right? Because nothing is really just going to happen, right?

[00:08:26] Unless you just kind of like do nothing. There's like something that's going to happen, right? But you have to be intentional about it. So. You can just sit at your desk and get lost all the time. So like you we work with organizations, but we also work with entrepreneurs, right? And, and people that sit at their desk.

[00:08:43] So you might have like tech neck, you know, you might just like don't take breaks and, you know, you, there's stiffness and like all of these things in your body, your, your, your joints, your limbs, like all of these particular things. So one, I say like, be intentional that you are going to do things. [00:09:00] Two, be healthier.

[00:09:01] Throughout the workday. That's the first thing you have to make a decision. And then the second thing is you have to like set up systems to really like put in place for you to do those particular things. Right? And that's really the intentionality. So the same way you schedule meetings on your calendar, right?

[00:09:20] Schedule some. To get up mm-hmm. And take a lap around the floor schedule, like actual lunch break, like be intentional about even, and I know that I was the worst at this when I was in corporate eating at your desk, right? Yeah. Especially if you live in a cold climate, you know, like we do. You don't wanna go outside, especially in those rainy days or those winter days or whatever, but still be intentional.

[00:09:45] Do things like not eat at your desk if you don't have a break room, you know, find some kind of way where you can get away. Maybe it might be a lobby, maybe it might be a lounge, maybe it might be whatever it is, you know, to like actually get away from your desk. I mean, [00:10:00] there's like certain exercises that you can do.

[00:10:01] You can do crunches, you know, at your desk and like work on that. I mean, one of my favorite is you can do like, you know, glute squeeze. I mean, there's like a number of things that you can do from an exercise perspective, but it is going to depend upon like what your goals are. But the main thing that I would say is to be intentional about it and to actually like.

[00:10:23] Schedule these things, whatever that system is that you have, the same way you're scheduling meetings the same way that you're scheduling with your dentist, the same way that you're scheduling your kids like soccer games, the same way that you're scheduling your one-on-one with your manager. Schedule breaks and schedule times for you to actually like pull away and actually do some.

[00:10:46] You know, like miniatures, like self-care, some miniature wellness things for youth to really be impactful even when you come back, because there are studies that show like what breaks do, like for our body and even for our minds and [00:11:00] different things like that. And you can come back to whatever that task is.

[00:11:03] It will still be there, I promise you until you like knock it out. But there will always be things there. And so taking even small breaks is so beneficial. Again, a very long answer to your question, but it's just so, no, it's good. It's, it's, there's so much into it and there's so many layers to it, but those are a few things that you can do, but it really does depend upon like what your goals are.

[00:11:29] So what I hear you saying, and I learned this strategist thing, I hear you saying, but, but what I hear you saying is that that's cool that you have the goal of I'm gonna go to work and be healthy. But it's more about being intentional about what that looks like for you. So it's like, okay, I can sit in my chair and do shoulder shrugs, but like, what is that based on?

[00:11:53] You know, is something wrong with my back? Am I gonna do glute squeeze? Like why am I doing those? Is something wrong with my tailbone? Like [00:12:00] the why? And then being very clear about, you said, having a plan. So not just once you know why. Then having a, maybe a written plan. We always talk about as entrepreneurs having a business plan, but you use the word miniature.

[00:12:15] I like that. Miniature self care or miniature wellness plan. I like that. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because it really is like your responsibility, again, when we think about in the workplace. So I think it's like dual responsibilities even, right? But you do have a responsibility in it. Now we want, and we work with organizations like you and myself to make.

[00:12:38] Make sure that there's like supplemental things that the organization could be doing to help benefit the employee. But at the end of the day, this is really your body and you have to do like what's necessary in order to really take care of it because you're only gonna get one. And I just wrote a post recently if you guys like check [00:13:00] it out on LinkedIn about like.

[00:13:03] Really like tangibly going into different work environments with my stomach and knots, or just like really not feeling good, not being my like most healthy whole self. That wasn't beneficial for me and that wasn't beneficial for the organization. Now, while there are things that the organization can, and I believe.

[00:13:22] Should do. It should be a part of, like we said, their business plan, right? But it really is up to us to really like take the responsibility for the things that we can control, and these are some of the tips and some of the tools that we can do in order to take like mental and physical breaks within the workplace to be healthier and whole.

[00:13:44] Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me because we're, you know, we could say, oh yeah, you know, I'm kind of gonna, we're looking at this from the perspective of the person who's at work, but then like you said, there's a perspective of the person you're working [00:14:00] for, so they have a vested interest, or they should have a vested interest in you being as healthy as possible.

[00:14:06] Absolutely. The other thing is, I gotta ask you a question, but I'm gonna make this comment first. You use the word. Term tech neck. I want to know what that is. But before we do that, I wanna make sure it is clear like the reason why we are doing this work, April and I is because even though we know that there are some people that are going into organizations doing similar work is far too few.

[00:14:31] It's not enough because we have people suffering from so many mental illnesses and so many physical problems. I don't think we can have enough practitioners going in and doing this work. And so we just want to continue to have these conversations around different ways. Not to just say you should do it, but like April has given, coach April has given us strategies on how to do it and how to get in the right mindset.

[00:14:55] Right. So tell me about this tech net. Yeah. So to, [00:15:00] to your point though, I mean, really it's like, it is not necessarily a one size fits all right, too. So it's like about like customizing for what works for you and the organization and that's like one of the, the things that we like specialize in and, and customization for.

[00:15:16] What each particular organization needs. So getting, and I'm linking that to the tech, right? So we have a lot of organizations that have, are very strong in, let's say, you know, software companies or whatever, or very strong in like, coding. And so what is, you know, a, a developer doing, they're at the computer like.

[00:15:36] Pretty much most of the day, like just coding away or just typing. And there are things that in the technology space, right? So technology, injuries, industry, and there are things like that could stiffen up like in your neck. Mm-hmm. You mentioned like, you know, the shoulders, the things like that. Tensions and stressors and things like that that can be in your body based upon the industry [00:16:00] that you're in.

[00:16:00] And that's one of the big ones that people that are in the technology industry or that are, you know, kind of in that kind of focus zone, that don't take like many breaks or that has like, you know, stressors that come in their bodies in particular areas because of the type of work that they're doing.

[00:16:18] And so there's their, their goal. For that release is gonna be different than the person that is perhaps like going into a work environment where they're standing on their feet all day, or the person that goes into an environment where they're doing presentations or, you know, meetings per like all day.

[00:16:37] And so there's different, you know, wellness activities and different tips and tools that you can do based upon your particular industry and the particular work that you do. Didn't know that. Never thought about it. That makes complete sense though, right? So yeah, definitely not a one size fits all. But yeah, if you're in tech, it might be different than if you are [00:17:00] a person that's out in the field most of the day and you come back for two or three hours and sit in the office, two different sets of needs.

[00:17:08] Mm-hmm. Yeah, I like that. Or person that's in the field to that point. That's like on the run and on the go all the time, right? Mm-hmm. So either not eating. Or maybe eating particular things that are not, you know, necessarily good for them. Right. Or, I mean, it is just like lots of things. Again, sitting and being in a stationary place.

[00:17:25] I was talking to one of my students recently, and I mean, we were just, she was just saying like, you know, I know I need to do this. Like, I know I need to, but I'm gonna sit at the computer and just like, crank this thing out until it's done. As we're talking through this and I'm, I'm sharing with her and she's sharing with me like, I know that this isn't good for me, but this is what I like, feel like I have to do, or this is what I'm going to continue to do.

[00:17:55] That's putting stressors again on my body. But I'm not gonna do anything about it. [00:18:00] And that's why I said it's you, our personal responsibility as well as like the organizations that we work for to encourage these types of things. Because if I'm in this role where I feel like I just have to sit here and crank it out like all day because I am dependent upon this particular job and because I believe that there is a particular expectation on me.

[00:18:26] Then I'm not necessarily at a place where I'm thinking about my health first. Right. Yeah, definitely. That's where that responsibility comes really from both sides. And you'll see it since we're talking about the tech industry, right? You'll see it where some organizations have tried to address that, like, you know, having games and like having like break room, having things to make it like a, a funner environment.

[00:18:51] Or to say like, Hey, come and take a break and, you know, blah, blah, blah. The same way that we need to look at the statistics for, you know, how [00:19:00] many people are using their EAP program, how many people are, you know, utilizing their, like financial resources. How many people are really utilizing those things?

[00:19:08] Because if, again, if it's an environment that's not like really, really encouraging that. Kind of just in Word, but not indeed. Then me as an employee, I'm not really going to pursue that as the first all option, right? For me, because I gotta get this work done. I definitely can relate to that. So I'm just having flashbacks now.

[00:19:36] When I was doing real estate, we both are having flashbacks, right? Yeah. I'm like, all this stuff is racing through my head, but I remember, so I can't sit here and be like, they didn't have anything. This particular firm had lunches. They had people coming in to give different talks. They had games, but I did not feel like.

[00:19:58] I could get up and [00:20:00] participate many times. Mm-hmm. I didn't feel that way, and that's why I like what you said, because it's like you have to make a decision. It's like the work is the work, and I know there's timeframes and all that, but sometimes the employer actually is doing stuff, but you in your mind are thinking, nah, I can't get up and go do that.

[00:20:19] But you and I don't want to tell people what they can and can't do. I, I guess what we're doing is just suggesting take a step back and think, can you, can you go do it? Or can you really not do it? Which one is, and it is probably you could do it, maybe you can't do it for the whole hour, but maybe you can go in there for 10 minutes and come back.

[00:20:40] Mm-hmm. You know, maybe you could do something. It's situational too, right? Because at at that particular point, if that's something that you feel like is, you know, you can't do one, that could also be putting a stressor on on your body as well as we're talking about mental and physical wellbeing within the workplace.

[00:20:58] But it also may be worth like [00:21:00] having a conversation too, right? With your manager or your superior, whatever. Right? I know we have all of these things, but I don't feel like I can participate in them because like. The work is still like the work and it still needs to get done. And I got like all of these deadlines and so sometimes there is an imbalance and I mean one of the organizations in particular that I'm thinking about, there's lots of things and resources that were available, but not to a particular group because of the type of work that they were doing.

[00:21:30] So it's great that we bring in speakers and it's great that we are bringing in lunch. Depends on the kind of lunch because like we will not do our employees as good service by bringing in like pizza and like all of the things that I go. But anyway, that's a different topic. But but it didn't work for all of the different roles that were in the organization and so that's something that employers and employees need to look at both, and that's why it's the responsibility of [00:22:00] both, right?

[00:22:01] Yeah, I totally agree with that, and I feel like that's a recurring theme in, in the work that we're doing. It's like there has to be a thoughtfulness here. So I'll use an example. So I think about these firms I was at that always went to the Cubs games and the Sox games, for example, if I knew that the Cubs game was on Friday and I got a bunch of work going on.

[00:22:27] Maybe there was a way that I could do a little bit more on other days so that I could go to the game, right? Mm-hmm. Not in a way that it's gonna hurt me, but maybe I could do 15 minutes more here, 15 minutes more there so that I can get the entire day off to go with the firm to the game. But just being thoughtful instead of our initial reaction being, no, I can't go.

[00:22:49] I can't go to that. And I've been that person. I went to most of the stuff, but I've been that person that for some events where I'm like, I can't go. And I've heard it from people where they're like, nah, I can't go. And you're looking [00:23:00] at 'em like, we're on the same deal. Like you can go, you know what I mean?

[00:23:04] But you can't make 'em go. But you're thinking like you could go, but you just don't want to for whatever reason. And so I like this because it's like thinking, do I want to even be healthy at work? I think that's number one, right? Mm-hmm. Do I wanna be healthy at work? Or do I want to be the person that's unhealthy at work and complain about it?

[00:23:24] Hmm. That part now that, that is, that's a real thing. That really is a real thing. And that's why I started out saying, you have to be intentional and you have to make a decision and really like it, it again, there's, it is so situational, right? Because I mean, there's like so many factors that we can, you know, put in this, right.

[00:23:44] You know, if you don't want to go, I think it's okay with being honest to say like, Hey, okay, I, I don't want to go. But if it's, you know, a real reason why you can't. Can't go. This is an opportunity [00:24:00] for, you know, the organization to say like, you know, hey, this we feel like is going to be like really good for, you know, the company, for the team from team building.

[00:24:10] Yes. To get away, to relax, to say like, okay. Even like looking at the list and say, okay, why is, you know, John, Jane and Kim. Not going to the game. Right. And then maybe that's, perhaps in looking at the workload to say, okay, well can you have these meetings like after the call, or can you do 'em like, you know, so again, it really, it comes from both sides, but it takes.

[00:24:37] Personal responsibility. It takes an honesty. We have to be honest with this thing. The way that I started out saying like I had to be honest and really look within myself and say like, Hey, like really? Are you your most healthy whole self? Like really? I know that we throw the terms and I even used it earlier, self-care out a lot, [00:25:00] and self-care is it, it goes beyond just like looking good on the outside.

[00:25:05] Sure. Right. It goes beyond looking good, you know, just the appearance on the outside, like self-care is. There is, is so many things the same way that mental wellness and like physical wellness and all of these wellbeing things that we're talking about, it's so many things. There's a lot of layers to this thing, but unless we begin to peel the onion, then it's just gonna be there.

[00:25:29] Right? Absolutely. Definitely. And I, that honesty piece is so critical, you know? 'cause I'm thinking back again. It's like in some situations. I just didn't want to go. But the question I should have been asking myself is, even though I don't wanna go, should I go? Mm. Should I go to the club? That's good.

[00:25:48] Should I go to the south? Right. For my own mental health. And I like what you said about the self-care. I read, I read a book recently called, it was a hundred Self-Care [00:26:00] Activities for Black Men. Something, some type similar to that, but it just helped me to understand. How many self-care activities there are.

[00:26:09] Like sometimes I didn't even realize. I didn't even feel that's not even the full thing. Even like some of the things I didn't even realize was an act of selfcare. It could be something like just brushing your teeth or keeping your hygiene together. The author is saying that's part of your self-care.

[00:26:26] 'cause think about it, when you get busy in corporate, you might start dropping off on your hygiene a little bit. That's self care that you're missing. Yikes. That's wellness. Part of being well is your hygiene. So yeah, I wanted to bring that up. Absolutely. But even, I mean, self-care is like what we talked about, being honest with yourself.

[00:26:45] Mm-hmm. And not like putting on a facade that's self care. Yes. Right. Like going deep in like that is all of those things that, that that's self care. And we think about it kind of one [00:27:00] dimensional, I think, and especially like, you know, for the sisters, and now I know I get in probably for the brothers too, you know, the haircuts, the nails, the spa, the facials, the massages, and like all of those things.

[00:27:10] Those are great. I mean, especially because massaging does like other things too, you know, like. Help risk stressors and, you know, talk like all of the things too, right? So massage does have like good benefits, but that's not enough, especially if. You know, the other things that we're not like taking care of like, you know, the constant busyness of, you know, taking care of everybody, or we're not really like looking at our, our foods and what we are like eating and we're not intentionally like moving our bodies and.

[00:27:43] And things like that. So self-care, it like, it spans the gamut. Right? And like you said, that was great. I mean a hundred like tips, but that's just like scratching the surface. Yeah. But we gotta look at this from a multidimensional perspective and, and know that it's not just [00:28:00] this or that, or even what I would say society or what's commercialized.

[00:28:06] As Right. You know, self-care. Self care. It's, it's that inner work as well too. It's that mental thing that we need to do as well. That's self-care too. Absolutely. I, I want to see you and I put together, I think we started this, but like a self-care scoring thing where it's like mm-hmm. You can kind of see where you are right now and have like a score and then based on your score, give people some things to kind of look at to get your score up.

[00:28:35] Yeah, this that be interesting. That would be interesting. I love that. Yeah, let's try to figure that out. So, okay, so let's get to, I wanna make sure we get to this while we have you. So we're gonna talk, we talked about more moving things, but what about the nutritional aspects? So you're at work, they're feeding you all this pizza every five minutes, they, I know corporate, they love to order pizza.

[00:28:58] How can you get in some healthy [00:29:00] snack options? Yeah. So I mean that, you know what, that's true. And again, I have been on the giving and receiving end of that. And I mean, I get it. And y'all, this isn't like, don't ever eat pizza again. This is not like we're like in like locks and chains, but at the same time, this is like what's important to us and what's not important to us, right?

[00:29:25] And so. The best advice that I can give is thinking about food in the most holistic way as possible, right? So the less processing that any type of food that you have goes through, the better it's going to be for your body. Right? Okay. Now I'm getting stuck here 'cause I, I know what the audience might be thinking.

[00:29:50] How do they know how much processing has been involved? Okay. So just, okay, so let's think about this and think [00:30:00] about a mushroom, right? Mm-hmm. Its most natural form, or like, I mean, a fruit or ve even like a piece of meat, right? So think about it from raw to when it's on your plate. How many steps do you think that it has gone through?

[00:30:15] Right? Is it fried? Is it battered? Is it whatever, you know, kind of. The things are sides, right? You know, we, we like to dress up vegetables because we don't think that they like taste good or whatever. So if we have to put like, go gobs of condiments on something to like, make it better, that's still, although it's not like a manufactured process, we're still taking it through like a process, right?

[00:30:43] Mm. Wow. Never thought about that. It doesn't. Okay. It doesn't have to be just fruits and vegetables. I'm not a vegan. I, you know, I'm not even a vegetarian because I believe in good like protein and like all of the things. But that's what I like to have people think about. Like, you know what, [00:31:00] what's the original state and how many like steps do you think it's been through?

[00:31:03] Right. We may not know, but we got the FDA out here approving lab created meat, so it's like, yeah. We gotta think about these things. We need to be careful about these things. And I know that there's some people that it's easy for them to bring their lunch to work and there's some people that it's not just because of their schedule.

[00:31:21] Sure. Getting back to that intentionality, knowing like, what works for you? And so when I help my clients with meal prepping and meal planning, that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to do the prepping and the planning, but to know what you're putting in your body is, I think one of the best ways to.

[00:31:39] Be healthier even at work. Know what you're putting in your body. So thinking about that, like I said, that whole life processing thing, and think about what it is that you are putting in your body and getting back to the employer piece, right? We as employees, if we want our our people to be healthy and whole, we need to be considerate about the [00:32:00] types of thing.

[00:32:00] When we have lunches coming in, what are we bringing in for them? Is it pizza? Because that's the cheapest thing. Or are we thinking about like other healthier alternatives, you know, for them, right? Are we just getting like the powdered creamer in the coffee room because that's the cheapest? Or are we thinking about like a whole process of like whether it's gonna be like.

[00:32:25] Full dairy milk or whether it's gonna be a dairy alternative or, you know, whatever. But like, what are we, are we really trying to add like bonuses and benefits that's gonna help our employees? Or are we just doing something that's gonna be the most economical, the cheapest, the like the whatever. So thinking about those things too.

[00:32:47] Is part of being healthy at work. Just because the organization offers it doesn't mean that you have to have it, but it could also mean that you could make some recommendations about some other like things and [00:33:00] alternative. So that again, is that give and take as we're talking about being healthy at work, is that give and take from the employer side responsibility, but also from, you know, the.

[00:33:11] People side. Right. And I know we have different thoughts about what it means to be healthy, right? And that's why you bring someone in like, you know, you or myself, and we work through this process to talk about, you know, like healthy doesn't just mean salad. Right? Definitely. And, and that's there, there's an opportunity there.

[00:33:31] To your point, it's like. There are a lot of firms that have wellness committees as far as like the pizza, for example. I've been told by the people who order the food at numerous firms. It's not about that. It's so cheap. It's just the easiest thing to order when nobody's gonna complain. And that's why I like your comment about.

[00:33:50] The company saying, Hey, we're trying to get you all healthier. Like this is, you know what I mean? So, yeah, we're not gonna order the pizza today, but this is [00:34:00] why, let's kind of go through that process of finding something healthy that everybody likes, just like they like the pizza. Mm-hmm. I think that's super important.

[00:34:07] And I, I, and that to me too, like cheapest and easiest. Those to me, kind of like go hand in hand because it's like, not that we necessarily wanna make things difficult, but at the same time, how much more you know, appreciative are, are we, or like we could be like to know that this was thoughtful and that like we took time to say like, Hey, this was important to us because you are important to us.

[00:34:34] And so we're not just, and I get it because we're in a busy environment, we're in the like all of the things, but it's like. We're not gonna cut corners because we care about you. And that's why I'm saying like when we have our most healthiest whole employees in environment, then we're more profitable and we're more productive because after you done fed them the pizza that they really like when they need like.

[00:34:59] A Diet [00:35:00] Coke or coffee or whatever, some caffeine like after that to, because now they sleepy and they like sluggish and all that and they still have to stay to work. Right. So it's like thinking about those things as well. It may seem like easy, but there's opportunities for you to even introduce like, other things perhaps throughout, you know, the quarter, the year, the whatever that are healthier alternatives either to kind of like help them.

[00:35:25] Engage in some health alternatives so that when the big party thing or whatever comes on it either really is a celebration where we're having some things that are not like maybe normal or we've kind of like helped introduce them to some things where it's like, oh, well we order this right now. It's not gonna be like, oh, like we don't like it, kind of thing.

[00:35:44] Right. It's not the easiest thing, but we've built up perhaps to that, you know? Definitely. I love that and I. I wanna make sure we make this point. And I'm thinking about Jay-Z, [00:36:00] how he used to talk about, you know, he's not a businessman, he's a business man, and all that stuff. It's like, think about, huh?

[00:36:10] Don't quiz me on Jay-Z, I wanna pass the test all. I hear you. But like he, he was basically trying to get across this point, like. I think this carries over for a lot of different stuff. It's like, okay, you're at work, they're running a business, but are you considering yourself as an employee, a business as well?

[00:36:30] That part, right. So you're, and that could take on a lot of different forms. It could be, I'm a business in the sense that I have my own brand. I'm starting my own business. But what about the business of your family? So we ruin ourselves at work by. Sitting improperly and doing all this work and eating all this bad food, you've messed up your business outside of your job.

[00:36:53] And I just wanna encourage people to think about it in those terms. I think it's easier to make some different [00:37:00] decisions. Hmm. That's so good. That's so true. So, I mean, is it, I mean, we really do have some people that are running themselves down for an organization, and I'm not saying that the organization doesn't care, but I'm saying at the end of the day, the organization will be there, but will you.

[00:37:21] Right, exactly. And you have other responsibilities, like you just said, even outside of that organization.

[00:37:30] Yeah, definitely. So you went out for a second there, but I think you were saying like you have other things that you want to do in life. Yeah. You have other responsibilities outside of that organization and it's kind of like, okay, the organization perhaps is gonna be there, but are you, are you still gonna be there?

[00:37:50] Right. Exactly. And then the things that are outside of your other responsibilities, how are you leaving those particular things? That [00:38:00] be, like you said, that can go in a whole bunch of areas, especially your area where we're talking about like, you know, financial legacy and we're talking about like all of these other things like how about a health legacy?

[00:38:11] How about we pass those things down to our children and our children's children as well, right? Yes. More sustainable. More sustainable. Exactly. Yeah. Yes. So let's talk really quickly about this tie bow. So this has been a great conversation. April, coach April is dropping some jewels. Let's talk to the audience a little bit about what we can offer.

[00:38:37] So we're, we're part of this movement. We're trying to get into as many organizations as we can. We've done a lot in our careers individually. We've joined together in this project. What can we offer if we come into an organization April, say they got. 500 employees, what can we offer them based on this topic?

[00:38:56] Yeah, so one of the things that I think we talked about [00:39:00] earlier is like customization. So what we can is what's going to work for them because it's not a one size fits all because it's not a cookie cutter, you know, thing. Like we are not just templating things out. Now we have those things, those resources, but that's what we could really like offer them so that they can really see a move.

[00:39:23] In the needle, in their like organization, you know? And, and there's like things that we can measure out, right? To understand like, you know, the effectiveness of what the work that we are doing. So that's one of the biggest things, like really understanding what the organization needs based upon the current, like temperature, right?

[00:39:44] And. The goals, right? So we're like gauging this, like where we are right now to where we wanna be, and then we can kind of customize something to get us, like where we be, to measure out, to make sure that we really [00:40:00] see the, the results that, you know, we're looking for or that the organization, no. Right.

[00:40:08] That's right. No cookie cutter solutions. No cookie cutter here. No. All. We don't believe in cookies over here. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No cookies and no cutters. Straight up. No cookies and no cutter. Well, yes, so the customization's a big deal. And then also we have a network of a lot of different wellness professionals.

[00:40:30] So April has talked about her expertise, fitness and nutrition minds is. Financial. The financial piece. We know therapists, we have a lot of, we have a broad group of people that we can draw from depending on what your needs are, and we can bring those people in as needed to create those experiences, like April said, to move your people and your company forward.

[00:40:53] Yeah. I, I love that and I'm so glad that you used that word like experience because it really [00:41:00] isn't just about like coming in and checking off the box. Right? Right. That's not what we do. We're not here to just check the same way. We're not here to like just provide a cookie cutter solution. We're not here just to check off the box, right.

[00:41:12] We really are here for experience and we're here to see like tangible change and tangible difference. Right. Absolutely. We really believe in moving the needle for sure. Alright, now we have an email that people can use to reach out to us for discovery call or just have a conversation. Is that correct?

[00:41:32] That's right, yes. Okay. That's right. And so we'll drop it either in the comments or, okay. We, I don't know if we could put it in the, is it in the, can we put drop it on the, the screen or do we need to, put it in the, the comments after. Yeah, I think we have to put it in the comments. We, we'll drop it in the chat after we're done.

[00:41:52] Yeah. Okay. Cool. So we'll get the email in there schedule some time to talk, let's figure out what's needed for your organization. [00:42:00] And then I just want to ask you April, you know, do you have any final thoughts on this being healthy at work conversation as we wrap up? Yeah. So I would like to end with this.

[00:42:12] Make it a priority to be healthy at work, right? Make that your priority to be healthy at work the same way that you wanna be healthy, even outside of work. Because if the work piece. Is not really taken care of. It's gonna spill over into other areas of your life the same way. The opposite is true. If you're not healthy outside, those things are gonna spill over into the work environment as well, and you're not gonna be as healthy there.

[00:42:42] So one, I would say make this one a priority because the responsibility really is on you. And if your organization. Is not taking on responsibility that you would like for them to do. Consider what you can do to help those. You might talk to your [00:43:00] organization about bringing arrogant myself in.

[00:43:02] You might make some recommendations on some things, right? You might consider, okay, is this the best environment for me? Like, whatever the thing is. Once it's a priority for you, then you will begin to make decisions and changes and things like that that are necessary for you to. Maintain what your goal is in your health.

[00:43:24] So yes, yes, yes and yes. I couldn't agree more and I would just add this on there. Get started. Just get started. So you might be looking at us like, you know what? They seem like they're cool. Just get the conversation started. You might be like, I don't want to send a long email. Send us the short DM. Like a post and comment, just do something to get it going.

[00:43:49] It'll, if, like April said, if the intention is there, it will continue to progress and get to where it needs to go and watch our content. So April and I [00:44:00] are po. April and I are both on LinkedIn, we're on Facebook, Instagram, all this different stuff. We're really about this life. So we're talking about the subjects within our expertise on a regular basis.

[00:44:10] It'll give you a chance to know us, like us, and trust us. As we continue to talk about these subjects and then, hey, you may gradually progress to getting on a discovery call and talking about your organization. All of that is fine. Yes. I love that. I love that. I love that. We would love to engage with you in any way possible.

[00:44:29] So. Everything that Eric said, everything. I'm co-signing everything. All right. I love it. I love it. All right, well, we're gonna sign off and hey, here's the last thing I'll ask you all to do. Give us some topics that you want us to speak about. Yes. We'll put together a custom, so since we're not doing cookie cutter stuff in your organization, we're not gonna do cookie cutter.

[00:44:52] Live events either give us a topic, we'll figure it out, and we can even customize it to issues you're having at your [00:45:00] organization. Just let us know. We'll be happy to do that. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Also, tell us like some areas where you feel like you are either like super, well, you have a super, super healthy work environment, or perhaps some things that you might like to see.

[00:45:13] Change for you to be either healthier at work or maybe for your organi organization to maybe provide some healthier topics, so, or alternatives for you. So yeah, just let us know. Let us know where you are. Let us know your goals even for being healthy at work. Even outside of work all of the things that we've been talking about, if we missed anything, say like, Hey, I think this will be great, or maybe this is something that I'm dealing with.

[00:45:38] So help us like, help you as well. And just like you said, just chat with us. We, we, we cool people. We love the, the interaction and the engagement. We, we do. We do, we do. All right. Well, we are, April and I are signing off until the next conversation. We will talk to you all soon. In the [00:46:00] meantime.