Women In Wellness: Casey Czuj On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Start each day with a warm glass of water: This is a great way to hydrate the body and help keep the digestive system moving. Every morning before breakfast, I drink an 8oz glass of warm water to help flush out toxins and produce a bowel movement. Maintaining this habit keeps me feeling lighter and allows for better digestion and clearer looking skin.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Casey Czuj.
Casey has been in the Natural Industry since 2008 specializing in Ayurveda, herbal remedies, vibrational exercise, yoga, and meditation. As a successful entrepreneur, Casey coached aspiring business owners in the natural and organic industry and educated students about benefits of herbal and vibrational therapies.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
As a professional in the industry, I often relied on Natural Industry Jobs to keep up with what was happening in the job market and for hiring. Natural Industry Jobs (NIJ) is the leading online job center for the Natural and Organic Industry. Simply stated, ‘NIJ is a better way to connect great people with natural and organic companies.’
When the possibility of joining Natural Industry Jobs came about, I was so excited! I love everything about holistic health and was thrilled to help employers, and companies whose mission is to bring balance to mind and body and overall better health.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
For me, it is incredibly interesting to learn about different companies in our industry. I have always had an interest in learning about products and services. Now I am gaining perspective on the internal workings of these organizations and their cultures. I recently talked with a CEO about adding a VP of Sales and Marketing to help grow her food and beverage business. She said one of her biggest struggles was finding someone with the qualifications and cultural fit for her unique company. Other hiring platforms did not cater to her specific industry. I can offer her something different — the right audience!
I explained how we could market her listing and that we are not just a hiring platform. We are also an online job center for the natural and organic industry. After receiving several resumes from experienced applicants, she was able to hire her ideal candidate. This was fulfilling for me. What we do means something. We truly help people.
Since joining Natural Industry Jobs, I have had the pleasure of having several of these conversations. As the natural and organic industries continue to grow, more and more people are educating themselves and adapting to this lifestyle allowing for more qualified job seekers to be placed within these organizations.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I started with NIJ, I assumed companies would be racing to post a job. I am someone who, when tasked with an assignment, tries to complete it successfully as soon as possible. CEOs, HR Professionals, and other hiring managers have multiple priorities. Hiring can be a lot of work and finding the right people is half the battle. It is easy to put that off when you have a lot on your plate. I quickly learned never to assume anything without fully understanding the needs and wants of the customer.
Even though I see the benefits of hiring a new employee, i.e., business development, company growth, redistribution of tasks, I learned that I need to have patience, and to follow up with each company individually to let them know that we are here when they need us. When they are ready it is important that I fully utilize the time they give me to understand what they need.
I must remember to put myself in their shoes. When I owned a business, I was afraid to relinquish control. I thought that no one could do the job better than me. Building trust is key in any business, whether it’s trusting yourself as the owner to make the right decisions, trusting your employees to be successful in their positions, or trusting the relationships that you have built with your customers.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
Start each day with a warm glass of water: This is a great way to hydrate the body and help keep the digestive system moving. Every morning before breakfast, I drink an 8oz glass of warm water to help flush out toxins and produce a bowel movement. Maintaining this habit keeps me feeling lighter and allows for better digestion and clearer looking skin.
Eat Healthy: As an Ayurvedic Practitioner, I eat for my constitution choosing foods that are compatible with my digestive fire (agni). One of the main principles of Ayurveda is that like increases like and that opposites balance. On a hot humid day, I will choose foods that are light, drying and cooling such as cherries, berries and sprouts which will help stimulate digestion and utilize excess fluid. Understanding tastes, choosing compatible qualities to favor, and looking at the seasons can help strengthen your digestive fire allowing for better digestion and elimination.
Meditate: While I can sit in lotus pose with my fingers in Gyan mudra, I did not start here! I first learned to meditate by taking a walk around my block and disconnecting from all technologies. Just having those few moments to breathe in fresh air and listen to the sounds of nature helped quiet the mind. From there, I started adding affirmations, and then would sit in silence for just a few minutes after my walk and listen to my heartbeat. There are so many types of meditation and finding the mediation that works best for you to calm you emotionally and bring you to a stable state will be the most beneficial.
Breathe: I once had someone laugh at me and say, I breathe all the time, but do you breathe consciously or unconsciously? Conscious breathing activates your body’s relaxation response which can help you navigate difficult situations with intention. While there are numerous studies about the benefits of yogic breath and pranayama, the next time you are faced with a difficult situation, stop, and take a deep breath exhaling through the mouth and embrace the relaxation sensation flowing throughout your body.
Move your Body: I specifically listed this after meditation and breathing since moving your body can be meditative and requires you to focus on your breath. I love asana (yoga)!! I do it daily to help stretch, strengthen, and tone my body. My husband enjoys weightlifting and cardio. Both require us to focus on moving the body which strengthens our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems and deep breathing increases dopamine. Finding a way to move your body that best suits you can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and keep you looking younger and feeling livelier.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I feel that we need more ‘why’ education on the benefits of natural remedies.
People always ask, “Why should I use this? Why is it effective? Why is it beneficial?”
As I previously stated, breathing is something we do every day unconsciously. If we all spent 5 minutes consciously breathing, we would have less stress. Less stress leads to better sleep habits, better sleep habits lead to mindful decision making, and mindful decision making helps us live a healthier and happier life.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
How Far the Industry Would Grow: In 2008, the natural and organic industries brought in $24.6 billion in sales with products being offered mostly in health food stores. In 2021, sales grew to $187 billion with natural and organic products being offered in grocery stores, health food stores, and the online marketplace.
Businesses Evolving: Companies are now embracing the holistic trend offering products without chemicals, hormones, and artificial agents. This is not only beneficial for the consumer, but also for the environment.
Natural Living: More and more people are living naturally and making conscious decisions to use non-toxic, natural, and organic products that are safe for the environment and help protect the planet. They are also choosing natural foods and beverages that are made with minimal processing, and do not contain preservatives.
Abundance of Information: Numerous studies have shown that eating organic fruits and vegetables reduce health risks.
How good I’d look at 40! No diet pill or antiaging cream can replace healthy eating, meditation, and yoga (mic drop).
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Have you ever read an ingredient label? How do you feel about words that you cannot pronounce? Do you even know what they are?
Certain processed foods are known to cause mental health problems. Studies have shown that the more organic fruits and vegetables incorporated into one’s diet can reduce the symptoms related to anxiety and depression. Leafy greens can also counter symptoms related to fatigue and have also shown to reduce symptoms related to inflammation. Fruits such as berries are rich in antioxidants which can help reduce symptoms related to mood disorders and when combined with yoga and meditation can help one de-stress and improve their mood.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-c-abba5921b/recent-activity/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/naturalindustryjobs/
https://www.instagram.com/naturalindustryjobs/
https://www.facebook.com/naturalindustryjobs/
https://twitter.com/naturaljobs
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Casey Czuj On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.