Women In Wellness: Dr Crystal M Gossard on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Every morning, wake up and step outside. Take in the morning dew and while you’re outside, think of one reason to be thankful. If it’s cold, even better! The cool fresh air can wake you up, invigorate your morning, and the natural light will help to bring you in sync with the world around you.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Crystal M. Gossard.
Dr. Crystal M. Gossard is a board-certified nutrition specialist, licensed dietitian-nutritionist, researcher, educator, lecturer, spokesperson and author. She has more than 15 years of experience in the fields of nutrition, fitness, dietary supplements and integrative and functional medicine. Dr. Gossard holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Nutrition and has lectured extensively on various health topics. Dr. Gossard is a member of the American College of Nutrition and American Society of Nutrition. Dr. Gossard is an Education Specialist for Life Extension®, and in this role, she educates health care professionals on the latest scientific and medical advances in integrative medicine and longevity.
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?
The focus of my backstory is how I was raised and the influence my childhood had on the person I am today. I grew up in Savannah, GA and was raised by parents who were first-generation college graduates. Both parents were educators who taught me to embrace life-long learning and spread my knowledge to those around me. My mother’s undergraduate degree was in health and physical education, and she led by example. I have fond memories of me and my siblings hanging out in the back of her aerobics classes, watching her “move and grove” or spending time at the playground while she walked laps around the neighborhood park. Many of my healthy eating habits are due to my father’s influence. He was diagnosed with hypertension at a young age and less than enthusiastic about taking medicine for the rest of his life. Therefore, our home was practically free of salt, fried foods, or any other foods deemed unhealthy at the time. Our home, known as the “healthy home,” was full of herbs for cooking and tonics to keep the entire family well. I admit that I dreaded it at times and longed for visits to grandmas to indulge in all things “fried” or her famous “greasy greens.” But even at a young age, I understood the importance of eating for wellness, the benefits of physical activity, and the need to create healthy habits to last a lifetime. We were a faith focused family and daily prayer was routine. As a minister, my father taught me the importance of feeding my mind, body, and soul through prayer and meditation, and to listen to my inner voice for direction.
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?
One moment that stands out relates to an interaction I had with an executive at the organization where I was employed. This person’s opinion mattered to me, and I longed to be seen in a positive light. During a conversation, I shared my desire to grow with the company and where I envisioned myself in the future. At the time, I was not qualified for my desired role, but I also shared steps I planned to take to become qualified. With a reprimanding tone, I was told that I would never be in that role, and it was foolish to even consider it. As you can imagine, this left me deflated. I felt like my dreams were shattered. Hearing those words from someone I looked up to and had influence over my career path was devastating. After gathering my thoughts, I mustered up the courage to responded, as respectfully as I could, “no one knows the future and if the position is meant for me, I will have it”. Fortunately, that person left the organization, the replacement recognized my value, and eventually I was able to move into the position. The experience taught me that anything worth having, is worth fighting for. I also learned that not everyone will see my potential or embrace my goals and that’s okay. What is most important is that I understand my potential and self-worth. No one can crush my dreams or dim my light but me. It is important not to give anyone that kind of power over my life.
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?
I don’t have a specific scenario, but generally, when I first started, I would overcommit/over volunteer to take on projects. I just couldn’t say no. I thought it would lead to the perception that I was a slacker and didn’t want to let anyone down. I call it the “people pleasing” mentality. In my case, it was a combination of wanting to be a pleaser as well as not trusting the abilities of collaborative partners. Over the years I have found that this mentality only leads to frustration, resentment because you feel like you are doing all the work, and burnout. A better approach is to have a prioritized list of projects, tasks, etc. Instead of saying no, identify the priority and set reasonable expectations on if/when you can deliver. In addition, being a team player involves allowing others to play their part. As cheesy as the saying “teamwork, makes the dream work” may sound, it is true.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
My number one focus is to bring a better understanding to what it means to be well. The first step is prevention. We live in a world where “sick care” is masked under the phrase “health care”. True “health care” starts with making sure the body receives high-quality fuel through adequate nutrition. It involves making sure the nutritional fuel is processed efficiently, recognizing the role of nutritional supplementation to fill in the gaps, and understanding that a one size fits all approach does not work. “Well-care” is an individualized process. The second step is supporting wellness despite disease. We should focus on being the healthiest version of ourselves, defects and all. This includes identifying drug/nutrient interactions, nutrients to increase due to having a disease, and phytonutrients that are restorative. All roads start and end with a licensed nutrition professional. Since nutrition is not a core focus in the medical school curriculum and physicians rarely have the time to give patients a mini med school course during a check-up, my educational efforts are designed to bridge the knowledge gap. My goal is to deconstruct complex topics, dispel myths, and remove confusion. Live Foreverish and LE Live, shows that I cohost, with Michael A. Smith, MD have a global impact and bring a deeper level of understanding to very complex topics. All of our education events and materials, including eBooks, webinars, and YouTube videos are free. Everyone deserves to have equitable access to simplified, science-based health information.
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.
1. Make sleep a priority. When I was a new mom, I felt my sanity slipping away and I quickly learned that I needed to sleep when my daughter slept. Sleep rejuvenates the body and mind. I remember returning to work after maternity leave and people were shocked at how refreshed I looked and continued to look even with a newborn. Now, my children are 4 and 7 years old and I continue to align my bedtime with their bedtime. When I am well rested, I am happy, mentally sharp, experience less colds, and have an overall sense of wellbeing. I know I am not alone in needing sleep, a recent survey from Life Extension found that nearly 60% of Americans reported being tired most of the time. While this is likely due to multiple factors, a lack of quality rest can drastically impact people physically and mentally.
2. Practice the pause. It is similar concept of counting to 10 to suppress a rise in anger. I believe it is a good best practice to incorporate in many situations. As an example, if you are craving something sweet, pause and reflect on why you are having that craving. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Maybe you are stressed or bored. Regardless of the situation, taking a pause will prevent you from making impulsive decisions.
3. Never go grocery store shopping hungry. Shopping hungry will increase the temptation to by unhealthy foods.
4. Turn off the noise and embrace silence. As an example, I often drive without listening to anything on the radio. The silence can be used as a time of reflection and can be extremely healing.
5. Every morning, wake up and step outside. Take in the morning dew and while you’re outside, think of one reason to be thankful. If it’s cold, even better! The cool fresh air can wake you up, invigorate your morning, and the natural light will help to bring you in sync with the world around you.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
From a global perspective, there is a stark contrast between what it takes or means to be well in developing areas of the world versus developed countries. Adding to this health inequities also exist within countries. I believe a movement designed to shine a light on the prevalence of health inequities due to income, gender, ethnicity, education, or disability will be a step in the right direction.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Change is going to happen. The sooner you accept and adapt to it, the better equipped you will be at making the change work in your favor.
2. Self-care is healthcare. Remember to carve out time to do the things you love. Make a placeholder on your calendar to ensure it gets done and when you feel enjoyment, don’t feel guilty.
3. Do not expect stakeholders to inherently know your accomplishments. There are times when you must make others aware of how hard you worked and what is involved to maintain good work product. This is not bragging. It is bringing your contributions to the forefront and will help you stay ahead of the pack.
4. Start saving early. Set up your 401K as soon as possible and meet the company’s match.
5. Create a naming convention and filing system right away. This is key to efficiently managing time. With an organized system, 10 years from now, you will be able to quickly locate information.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health, especially in children. As a mother of two small children, I am keenly aware of their mental development. I have also counseled parents of small children on nutritional considerations when dealing with ADHD and anxiety disorders. I encourage parents to make sure their child receives adequate sleep and proper nutrition through fresh fruit and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids. It is also important to limit sugary drinks, processed carbs, pastries, and candy. Adequate nutrition is the foundation to brain development and the production of brain chemicals that control mood. Research has uncovered that the nutritional status of the mother and grandmother, as well as past traumas, also have an influence on a child’s genes expression as it relates to mental health. This all translates to the importance of taking care of yourself, not just for yourself, but for generations to come.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
· Instagram: @drcrystalgossard
· Podcast: liveforeverish.com
· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/LifeExtensionWellness(LE Live Shows, Ask the Doctor, Webinars
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Women In Wellness: Dr Crystal M Gossard on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.