Author Archives: rawgirl

We mourn deeply for an epic life well lived…but thank God legends never die #RestInPower #CicelyTyson

I’ve joked with friends for a while now that when I grow up, I’d love to be the Cicely Tyson of wellness. This means I’ll be ninety-something, determined to never retire, and still unabashedly fabulous making memorable fashionable cameos everywhere somebody is talking about health.

The one and only time I had the pleasure of meeting Cicely was at a raw food restaurant in New York City. I was eating with a friend midday and we looked over into a private area of the restaurant and saw Miss Cicely Tyson. Our jaws dropped and we ventured over to say hello. 

I went over and introduced myself and I noticed and complimented her amazing hat! Her and company were feasting on a seven course raw vegan meal. She was reserved but super sweet and mentioned she just returned from filming a Tyler Perry film. I left that chance meeting walking on clouds. From well before meeting her until today, Queen Cicely has been a source of #AgelessInspiration.

Why? She lived a full graceful life, inspired so many, used up all her glorious talent for the world to see, and never had the desire to retire instead she showed up and slayed every time in amazing fashion well into her nineties. I salute you Queen. Your legacy will forever live on. -XO

PS Tonight I am going LIVE on the Slave Food Project Facebook page with some doc friends to talk about stress and its effect on #ageless living, hormonal balance, creating healthy habits, and more. Come all the way through!!!! You can find more details in my IG stories.

Did you know that 70% of your immune system is located in the digestive system?

The digestive system (AKA the gut or the gastrointestinal system) is made up of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (AKA the colon). 

The basic function of our digestive system is to turn food into molecules that our cells can use for energy, maintenance, growth, repair, and waste. But our digestive system affects our health in many ways! 

For one: most of your immune system is in your digestive system. The entire digestive system is tubelike and lined with a thin, sticky mucous. Here you can find millions of both beneficial and harmful bacteria that live, grow, and metabolize (digesting and absorbing). But research has shown that it is the predominance of the beneficial (referred to as probiotic) bacteria that ensures good health and prevents diseases.

The most basic function of the beneficial bacteria is to fight harmful foreign substances that enter the body by detoxifying them and easing their elimination. So perhaps now more than ever, getting our digestion right should be something we all prioritize. If you are having gut health issues you may also end up with food sensitivities, fatigue, skin rashes, migraines, malabsorption issues, or constipation. 

Listen to my two-part podcast episodes with Dr. Liz Lipski for more information about the importance of our gut health. 

If you feel like your immune system needs additional support, don’t miss my Immune Boosting Protocol. As an added bonus, you can upgrade your protocol to include instructions for how to incorporate essential oils in your daily wellness rituals and we’ll priority-ship a specially formulated 5ml immune boosting essential oil blend directly to you. -XO

Anyone else get a burning desire for sweets and chocolate around your period? Drop an AMEN in the comments if you feel me…

Ladies, I know these sweet cravings can be so frustrating, so let’s chat about where they come from. During your cycle you have an insufficient supply of the B vitamins and magnesium, which you guessed it –  causes you to crave sugar. 

This is when most women run to get chocolate. But if we consume chocolate with added dairy, processed sugar, and other fillers, we actually set ourselves up to worsen our PMS symptoms. 

The best way to combat this is to consume chocolate in its natural form! Raw cacao has 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries, is a good plant-based source of iron, is full of magnesium, potassium and calcium, and is a natural mood elevator. I often have my clients make a raw avocado chocolate mousse around their cycle, which will naturally give them what the body needs! If that doesn’t do the trick I always have a long list of absolutely delicious dairy-free chocolate brands that have my clients wondering why they ate regular chocolate ever. It’s important to work WITH not against your cravings, but in order to do so you need to understand what your body really is asking for to get back in balance. 

There are many natural ways to cope and even triumph over Aunt Flow, and you can learn about them in my Hormone Balancing Academy. If you, or a woman you know, is ready to have pain-free and mood swing-free cycles, sign up for a free call with our team via this link. -XO

I take my nature baths regularly. You may be imagining me in a bathing suit jumping into a lake, but that’s not exactly what I mean. 

One of my staple rituals is to take a weekly walk or go for a run on forested trails. Even if I start my walk sad, stressed, or sifting through a host of other emotions, I always feel like I leave whole and at peace. There’s something about the sounds of nature, the fresh air, and the trees that just brings me back to life. 

Well it turns out, there is science behind it that suggests that exposure to nature can have remarkable benefits on human health. Not only can regular time in natural environments promote positive emotions, lower stress levels, improve working memory and increase feeling of being alive it also has been associated with increasing physical and mental energy, and accelerating the healing process when disease is present in the body. 

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture jumped on nature bathing full force in the 1990s when they coined the term Shinrin-yoku, which literally means forest bathing! Some researchers say that the health benefits of forest bathing may be attributed to organic compounds called phytoncides that are given off by plants and allow those who breathe them in to achieve a more relaxed state. Others say benefits may come from the pure wonder and awe one feels when immersed in nature. 

Although the reasons are not necessarily definitive, we do know that taking a bath in nature is a good thing. So leave your bath salts and swimming trunks at home, grab your trail sneakers and a jacket, and try to find some time to hit a trail. Your health, mind, body and spirit will say thank you. –XO

Wednesday words from a past hormone balancing client: 

“I sought Esosa’s help because I had horrible pain from endometriosis. Esosa introduced me to a completely different lifestyle and the combination of her advice, supplements, and check-ins has completely changed my life. I don’t have pain from endometriosis anymore, I sleep through the night, and I’m feeling so much better. I could not recommend her more!” – Jasmin Savoy Brown

This is why I do what I do! I am so grateful for the opportunity to help women like Jasmin. I know the power of holistic interventions is real and more people need to know about them. 

Over the past two years I’ve helped my clients normalize their periods, get rid of menopausal symptoms, reduce their fibroid size and symptoms, and be free from endometriosis pain. And I am so excited to help you do the same in my Hormone Balancing Academy!

If you’re ready to do the work to transform your health, sign up for a free 20 minute call with our team HERE. -XO

Happy #mlk day! This is my fav quote which can also apply to your #2021 health goals.

FYI January is also #veganuary 🙂  The benefits of eating a whole foods plant-based diet are numerous, but one of my favorites is that it can contribute to slowing the aging process.

Chile, let me break this down. A diet high in plant foods is high in phytonutrients, which have been proven to turn on anti-cancer, anti-aging, and anti-inflammation genes. In addition, a plant-based diet has been proven to slow the aging process due to high consumption of antioxidants, which are found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants fight free radicals in the body, which can wreak havoc and accelerate aging.  

Free radicals are essentially oxygen molecules that have lost an electron. They bounce around cells and tissues grabbing electrons from otherwise healthy cells causing deterioration and creating more free radicals in the process. One of the proteins in our bodies most vulnerable to free radical damage is collagen, which is what keeps our skin supple and youthful. Lack of high antioxidant foods can lead to accelerated aging, wrinkles, and scarring. 

Within the levels of the plant-based lifestyle, the raw food diet is the highest in antioxidants and avoids free radicals the most. This helps to explain why there have been so many living examples of youthfulness who adhere to a raw food diet and are well over their sixties. If you need a dose of inspiration, look up Bernando La Pallo, Annette Larkins, Mimi Kirk, Karyn Calebrese, and countless others who have found a vitality that is unparalleled by eating raw foods. I break down different levels of the plant-based diet and ways to increase your plant intake no matter what your diet in my book Got Veg? How to Thrive on a Plant-Based Diet. 

Speaking of slowing the aging process, my signature course Staying Ageless 30+ is launching again next month! If you are a woman over the age of 30 who wants to stay fly until you’re 99, or close to it, send me a DM on Instagram with your email and we’ll put you on the waitlist so you can be the first to know when doors open! -XO

Happy Friday! Looking for something to do this long weekend? 

Catch me on Behind the Brilliance, an amazing, inspiring podcast by Lisa Nicole Bell! If you don’t follow her podcast please go get your whole life and do so ASAP. It was an honor to be in such good company with her past guests, and I loved our convo! Lisa is whip-smart and asks the best questions 🙂 

In this episode, I deep dive into the design of modern wellness and how to create health habits that work. 

Listen to the full episode HERE and learn more about these topics:

• The complexities of nutritional behavior change
• My take on immunity and wellness during COVID-19
• Why I am obsessed with sleep (and why you should be too)
• My advice for kicking sugar addictions
• My secrets to aging well and looking your best
• Why you can’t take a magic pill for wellness (and what to do instead)
• My insight on hormone balance and women’s health
• And much, much more! -XO