Tony skinner
Hi, welcome to the podcast channel for podcastmybusiness.com.au and also contentmadeeasy.com.au. And we’re doing videos as podcasts these days. And let’s uh welcome Jessica Clancy from www.jessicaclancyperseveres.com And my first thing is for everybody to think, guess where Jessica’s accent is from.
Hi, Jessica, how you doing?
Jessica
Hi, my name is Jessica Clancy, nice to meet you, Tony. And I’m so glad to be on your podcast your business podcasts. I’m really grateful for this opportunity. And I don’t know if y’all can. I don’t know if y’all can guess where I’m from. But I am from Houston, Texas. So my pleasure.
Tony skinner
So I can do a yeehahh
Jessica
The Rodeo will be coming soon.
Tony skinner
But Jessica is joining us today because as we head into Christmas, one of the hidden, not hidden things. But one of the things that people don’t like talking about is mental health and family relationships at Christmas time, with people who don’t see each other that much during the year because they don’t like each other that much during the year are forced together and forced to like each other, whether they like it or not.
Tony skinner
And so that puts lots of stress and pressure on people and also businesses. So, you know, businesses might have business events and things that you’re forced to go to as well. So I want to cover some aspects of that.
Jessica
Sounds great.
Tony skinner
Okay, so Jessica, you’ve got a new book out. And it’s based on your background. So let us know a little bit more about your background.
Jessica
I have written the book, The Quest for family. And it basically covers my endeavor of finding family when there was none. And how many people have stepped in, and we’re family to me.
Jessica
And what I model is how we can also be family for each other, whether it’s in the workplace or in our communities, and how we can support and help each other important to each other’s lives. My background was very dysfunctional, there were three or four dads by the time i was six, including a biological one, we moved several places, I left my mom at 12, to live with my grandma and come to Texas and was out on my own at 17.
Jessica
So I’ve been blessed and fortunate to have good companies that I have worked with and been able to overcome the difficulties of my past and be successful and lead a successful life as a dietitian helping people.
Tony skinner
Well, it’s interesting because I left home when I was 16. So there you go.
Jessica
wow, we have another thing in common.
Tony skinner
It’s interesting what you say about family because my family wasn’t great, although back in touch with one of my brothers and nephews, which is nice. And I’m creating a little family at the moment with someone who has become my daughter, which is nice. So it is possible to do that. But you’ve also got your business family. So the people that you work with is part of your family as well.
Jessica
Yes, it is. And our company really teaches us and one of our core values is developing teamwork and collaboration. And they give us tools like how to discuss we escalate problems, and we work closely with our managers and with each other to help patients I work in a patient setting.
Jessica
So no matter where you are, like building teamwork and collaboration, and helping, you know, whatever your business is, I think that helps businesses become more successful.
Tony skinner
Yeah, absolutely. And it is becoming a big issue for businesses these days to offer their staff with a big or small business, some mental health and mental support because it’s pretty important.
Jessica
Yes, it is very, very important. And with my company in America, they do have an EAP program, employee assistance program that offers counseling. So we are able to have access to that for free.
Jessica
But of course, it depends on what company worked with in the insurance. I’m not sure if it’s across all levels. But whether you’re a big company or a small company, there are simple things that you can do to support your team. I, for example, I was a hairdresser and I worked with the salon the family was wonderful in helping us grow as individuals pouring into us building our confidence, but also teaching us about business and how to be successful.
Jessica
And we were able to do a personality test there as well just to help us understand ourselves and our teammates and be able to work better together. So I’ve been very fortunate to have those opportunities and simple small things, you know, more elaborate things, all of them can be used to better people and help them
Tony skinner
Yeah, and I’d like to what you touched on with the word simple, we’re discussing just before that. Mental health and mental health resources can be really, really difficult for people to find and access.
Tony skinner
And using the example of, you know, the cereal aisle at the supermarket, and you stand there, and you try and pick a cereal, I know low sugar, wherever, under 10%. But we stand there, we look at all the multiple choices that are put in front of us, and we go, which one do I pick?
Tony skinner
And again, we feel a bit like it with mental health, where do I go? How do I get started? What do I do, and you’ve got a list, which I really like, you’ve got a list of 20 tips for healing and redemption. And I like number four, don’t be afraid to dream, set big goals, and work hard. So how does that help?
Jessica
I love that you have to have confidence in who you are. And it can be very intimidating. For me, it was very intimidating, working in the mall, you know, in a salon and then walking into a hospital in a clinical setting. But you have to believe in yourself and set small goals.
Jessica
And God will grow you different things will happen in your life that will lead you on a path that will prepare you as long as you’re doing the work and the steps that it takes. You can’t just dream and not take active steps, you have to take baby steps to work towards those goals. And each little goal that you can achieve will help build on the other and it helps build your confidence in doing that as well and believing in yourself.
Tony skinner
Well, that’s true. And one of the things that I also like is about exercise and healthy eating, because you do need to feed your body and your brain with good stuff. Because that will help you as well.
Jessica
Yes and the reason why I also wanted to touch on that we were also foster parents in my book, and we worked with foster kids. A lot of them come into the system already having behavior problems and are malnourished.
Jessica
So one of the things that I’ve experienced not with not just with patients, but also seeing it through the eyes of these children, that that can intensify the trauma, if you’re living on a non-nutritive diet, you’re not eating fruits and vegetables and fiber and protein and then balanced meals, then you’re having sugar in a bottle, I mean, I’m referring to babies, but still, you know, simple like sodas, then you’re not going to be as strong mentally and physically.
Jessica
And it’s going to be harder to face obstacles and to have the endurance to really to have a healthy mind, you know, the way you look at things and how you can cope and handle, you know, handle things.
Tony skinner
Or, you know, making choices for your mental health and your overall health affects other choices that you make. So in a business, when you’re making business decisions, if you can’t make good decisions for your life, how can you make good decisions for your business.
Jessica
And it’s interesting because I’ve seen a lot of vending machines and businesses that have like the snacky stuff. And people tend to work through their lunches and you know, refer to the sodas and the Gatorade and the chips and the crackers for their meals or even skip breakfast and just get coffee all day.
Jessica
And you know if they can incorporate simple things at home to meal plan and bring leftovers and have healthy snacks like fruit and nuts, even just to get them through the day. Those things can help them to manage the stress. Does that work better? Yeah,
Tony skinner
That’s true. And that’s why a lot of bigger companies. I mean, Google is well known. I’ve been to Google plex here in Sydney, and they supply food, good food all day.
Tony skinner
We know why they do that because it keeps you in the office for longer. So you work. Yeah, they do provide nice, healthy options. And I don’t think I’ve seen any vending machines and I get restricted access. So I don’t know what else I’ve got behind the curtain. Yeah, just as an employer, provide people with healthier options.
Jessica
Yes exactly. And unfortunately, in America, as people are eating these less healthy things and more fast food, because I work in the clinical setting, we’re seeing younger and younger people that are having kidney disease and diabetes, which is going to really impact their longevity with being able to work you know, long term their health, you know, shortening lives, adding more comorbidities, mortalities.
Jessica
It affects the industry, too. It’s a ripple effect. So, we want to keep people healthy, longer and productive, so that the country itself and our families can be more healthy.
Tony skinner
You have that’s true. I mean, people don’t realize the impact on health, health systems, the impact on family relationships and everything else. And it really does start in the home, what you eat and how you approach life.
Jessica
It’s very true. And eating a breakfast. You know, if you train your kids eat a breakfast, some people will say, Well, I just never ate breakfast or I don’t eat breakfast.
Jessica
But if you train them, it doesn’t have to be something elaborate. It doesn’t have to be a pop-tart. You know, it can be toasted peanut butter in the morning. I know you like your pop tarts, it’s okay, you know, balance with milk and a banana or something they can balance but
Tony skinner
we’re here in Sydney, I don’t think I’ve seen Pop-Tarts in a long time.
Jessica
That’s good news for me.
Tony skinner
I’ve never understood a pop tart is bread or pretends to be bread with. Why don’t you just put toast in the toaster? Instead of something that’s mass-produced any look, I’ll give everybody a tip.
Tony skinner
If it comes in a packet from a factory, don’t eat it.
Jessica
And read it. That’s very good advice. Because just recently in America, they are starting to acknowledge that there are additives in the food that we eat that other countries already claim as cancer-causing.
Jessica
Yeah, so but we are so used to eating these foods and adapt to them as our food choice our food rather than real food. And yeah, it’s not it’s not good.
Tony skinner
Yeah. It’s interesting. I was in New York a few years ago, going back to America next year. Good old. That was BC before COVID, of course. And, of course, one of the things I know about over there is the concert, which you don’t see anywhere else in the world is just hidden, in ascending. Yeah.
Jessica
And I do have a license as a dietitian, so I can’t like demonize any foods. But I, I really think it’s driving a sugar addiction-driven population. And what happens is you can get immune to the sweetness of food. And then you will start to crave more and more sugar in your foods. And there’s so many foods that shouldn’t taste sweet.
Jessica
That tastes sweet. And yeah, it’s harder, it’s harder to find just food. That’s not sweet. That shouldn’t be sweet.
Jessica
I was fortunate to backpack in Europe in the 90s, the late 90s. And their vending machines had real food in it like soups that could be heated up and sandwiches and their breads didn’t taste sweet or bread were whole grains and nutty and seedy and their cheeses.
Jessica
And it was it’s just, I guess, if that’s all you know, and what you see, and the lifestyle that’s taught to you and adapted, then it’s hard to know the difference. And it does take a little work, you know, going into eating healthy, it takes a little work, I think our society makes it a little bit harder to really know how to eat right. I always try to go back to basics with the American plate model. If you can include half your plate, vegetables, or vegetables and fruit with the starch and protein you can’t go wrong. It’s that simple.
Tony skinner
So what would be some tips on how you could simply eat healthier.
Jessica
So absolutely, like definitely including more fruits and vegetables, right? Fresh fruits and vegetables are best if possible. But if you do can definitely do them in their own natural water, not corn syrup, or sugar added.
Jessica
Same with the apple sauces, make sure you you have to read the labels. And there are actually some new applesauce blends that have some fruit, other fruits and vegetables and on that have fiber. So I like the fact that you said that you read labels, if you read the labels for fiber, then you know that there’s going to be less refined process and not food because natural food naturally has fiber in it. So I think that’s a very easy, basic thing to look for as well.
Tony skinner
And if sugar is in the top three ingredients. Don’t buy it.
Jessica
If you’re gonna eat your sugar, I mean, if you’re gonna have your sugar first of all, I think it’s better than to eat it, then drink it. Okay, if you’re gonna eat it, I recommend like what happened to the old-fashioned home-cooked goods with real sugar in them, not corn syrup.
Jessica
Right? Like if your mom or somebody the neighbor next door makes cookies, I mean to have some cookies, right? But make sure you incorporate that into a balanced meal.
Tony skinner
Yeah, exactly.
Jessica
Go ahead fine, because eating the simple carbs are only going to give you quick energy. And by the end of the day, when you’re sitting at the desk, your boss is probably going to find you asleep or you’re going to keep drinking those sodas to keep going.
Tony skinner
The way i explain it to people is that if you have a packet of corn chips.
Tony skinner
And you have a block of cheese and they’re both 200 grams or whatever the equivalent weight is in America. And you can how many how many corn chips can we can eat the whole bag in one go?
Tony skinner
Or you can eat a block of cheese in one go? No, you can’t. Because the cheese is better for you.
Tony skinner
It fills you up. Fats have been demonized as a studied many years ago. They’ve proven that the study was completely wrong. It was fabricated. Yeah.
Tony skinner
And it’s had a massive influence. eating cheese and dairy and natural things like that. It fills you up corn chips and things like that don’t fill you up.
Jessica
And it leaves you craving more of the empty calories and it just becomes a vicious cycle. Yeah, absolutely. All right. So knowledgeable. Have you worked with the dietician before?
Tony skinner
I have not, but I’ve done many, many interviews around different topics and health and healthy choices is not that hard. Okay, I’m gonna say I’m not perfect, but I know about the balance and I do go to the gym but I don’t know about the balance and things like that.
Join us on part 2
