Episode 6 of my collaborative project with Rory Linehan of The Paleo PI and Petra Chambers-Sinclair of BiohackU – two of my favourite peeps in this corner of the health caper world – is up and running!
The three of us all hail from different corners of the globe and have very different life experiences, but we share both friendship and passion for seeking health through an holistic approach. The intention behind our podcast is to seek out and interview others who share the same goal – and hopefully impart what we learn and have a little fun along the way. We hope you’ll join us!
[su_divider divider_color=”#009999″ margin=”0″]I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here. And, if you want to know why I’m on the sugar-free version of the Autoimmune Protocol, you can read about that here.[/su_divider]
This month, we interview V Capaldi, aka The Paleo Boss Lady. Self-love, food and re-imagining cultural norms helped V to transform her life from almost complete disability to become the most healed person with Multiple Sclerosis currently known. The Paleo Boss Lady is a Wahls Warrior who is dedicating her life to helping people ‘tap into their miracle’.
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Show Notes
0.00 Introduction to the Healing Protocols: the global edition
1.20 Rory: Welcome to Episode 6: Interview with V Capaldi
2.16 Petra: Tell us about you & your history: what approaches you’ve tried and how you started this process
- 2.36: Diagnosed with MS at age 23, had it more than half my life. The MS became progressive in 2011, which involved bi-lateral loss of both hands, trouble swallowing, and no feeling on the left side of my body. Had full-time help, caregivers living with me and was going bankrupt. Out of desperation, I gave up gluten. Within 21 days my body started to change. A year later I saw Dr Terry Wahls TEDx talk and started being a Wahls Warrior. All of my symptoms are gone.
- 5.32: As far as we know, I am the most healed person with MS.
- Rory: Could you explain what your healing looks like?
- 5.36: Before, I couldn’t drive. Three years ago I had just started driving again and was able to drive 5-10 miles a week. Three years ago I still needed people living with me because I couldn’t take care of myself. Now I live alone, and I drove 17,000 miles in 4 months alone with my dog. There was a time when I couldn’t brush my teeth, lift a glass, couldn’t do laundry, couldn’t go to the grocery store.
9.43 Jo: Do you have any idea why your health issues occurred?
- 10.15: I had a very dysfunctional childhood. My mum was a prescription drug addict and an alcoholic. My father was a veteran with undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was the type A overachiever honour student and my body just blew up. I never learned relaxation skills. It was the perfect storm.
12.19 Rory: We all watched your TEDx talk. Could you tell us what inspired the talk?
- 13:01: I identify strongly with my culture. I’m so proud to be Italian. On Sundays, we always ate as a family: lots of us. Being together & eating food made everything feel okay. Then I realized that food was the ticket to my healing & I didn’t know what to do: I couldn’t imagine a kitchen that didn’t include pasta and pizza. Gluten and nightshades contribute to inflammation and that’s all Italians eat – gluten, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Culture is a stumbling block for a lot of people: cultural norms can hold us back from tapping our miracle.
15.50 Petra: It sounds like what you have been doing throughout this process has been counter-cultural.
- 17:06: I follow the rules. I was on the board of the National MS Society: a fundraiser and guest lecturer. I did everything the doctors told me, but it wasn’t working. So I had to do the opposite. I don’t mean to be counter-cultural, but I’m not afraid of jumping to the other side.
17.15 Jo: You’ve got a strong cultural identity and you’re a rule follower. Trying something new creates dissonance. You come up against resistance in yourself and other people.
- 17:51: I went to Burning Man at my sickest. I was going to the temple every day to find out if I could kill myself. What I learned in the temple was that my life was toxic in every way. The only way that I was going to be able to get in touch with myself was to lock myself in my house for a year. It was my last hope. I was scared to death. Before that my life was the expression of a dictated culture. I didn’t know who I was. I never had introduced myself to me.
21.50 Petra: You’ve just spent a large part of the last year on the Taking It to the Streets tour. Can you tell us about that?
- 22.22: I’m blessed to have a friendship with Dr Terry Wahls, and through working with her I learned that the biggest missing link for people is community. I realized that to help people I needed to go meet them. I sold my possessions, put 30 items in my red Fiat and went to live with strangers to teach them how to tap their miracle. My goal is to build a grassroots movement. My health care is 100% accessible.
25.44 Rory: Could you tell us about your spirituality?
- 26.03: I had high anxiety. Started doing yoga: my yoga is not only a physical but a spiritual modality. I incorporate breath work and self-love practices. Introducing my body to myself. I started working on meditation, which was hard. Studied Buddhism. All of these things allowed me to see the anxiety dissipate. I have life skills now. I have accessible tools now. For me, mindfulness is even more powerful than food.
29.41 Rory: Stress is the biggest factor for me in managing my symptoms.
- 30.34: Most of us start with food and then realize it’s a lifestyle.
31.03 Jo: Committing to a healing protocol takes work. If you have one piece of advice for someone who hasn’t started yet, what would it be?
- 31.32: Look at it as your self-love journey. Once I started loving myself, I became a miracle.
33.06 Rory: Who has been the most influential person for you as you have pursued this healing protocol self-love journey?
- 33.49: Of course it has to be Dr. Terry Wahls. Without Dr Wahls protocol I don’t think I would be here. The magic happens in those 9 cups of fruits and vegetables. And Michel Foucault, the French philosopher He taught me how to question the status quo.
34.52 Where to find V online
36.16 Closing
To learn more about V Capaldi, check out her website at Paleo Boss Lady where you can learn more about her story, her charter and her live radio show.
