October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Mo Marshall

Interview with Dr. Michelle Robin

Listen to the audio of this interview below.

Michelle: Good Morning, Mo!

Mo: Good morning! I thought if I could give my readers tools, it would provide another reference to put intuition at the forefront. So Michelle, tell me: what is it that you do, and how did you get onto this path of wellness?

I happened to go to the chiropractor after I hurt my pelvis playing basketball, and while I don’t remember much about the chiropractic experience, I do remember they way they made me feel. I really fell in love with helping people feel better holistically.

When I went to college, I wanted to be a chiropractor but I wasn’t very good at science. As a senior, I finally told myself I could figure it out.

Now, I help people write a wellness plan for their life. People have plans for their finances, and they have plans for their vacation, and they have plans for their career, but they don’t have a plan for their most important asset, which is their well being. I look at the person form the whole perspective— mechanical health, chemical, psychological, and spiritual.

My mini-book has ways and tools to think about your body holistically, with some tools.

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How do you define wellness and self-care?

I think about wellness, or “well-being”— I like to use that word more, because I like the being-“ness” of it, and “well-being” in the dictionary means “happiness” — and I have tried to figure how I could be more happy through my life.

I have a sprained ankle right now, and I don’t know about you, but it is hard to be happy when you are dealing with a sprained ankle, or a broken pelvis, or a broken heart, or a digestion problem, or depression-anxiety.

So, for me, well-being is being able to move through life without your body, mind, or spirit getting in the way. So, self care or well being is self-love.

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How do you create your own self-care routine?

I’ve amped it up, that’s for sure. For years, I did things like chiropractic care or massage care. I’d move, whether it’s walking with my friends, or biking or swimming, or taking time to be more present.

Typically, before I leave for the office, I’ve done more self-care than most people do in probably a week. My routine is I’ll get up and drink a glass of lemon water, then maybe taking a few supplements based on my genetic profile, and then I’ll do an affirmation. Then I will go and do some exercises for my posture. I may do a bio-mat, a swinging machine I use for my lymphatic system, or I’ll go for a walk or a swim. I’ll have a glass of bone broth, or some juice.

That’s kind of my rockstar morning. I probably start my morning that way 4 or 5 times a week. I intentionally try to not have meetings every single morning at 7:30. Then I go about my day and take care of my clients, have a lunch meeting with a friend, walk my dogs.

Yeah, this is all part of my self-care.

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How does taking care of yourself like that tie into your intuition?

Oh gosh, I think it’s such a big deal to really listen. I just went through the 23andMe genetic counseling. What they do is look where you may have some hiccups in your genes, but I had intuitively known that because I’ve listened! If I eat this food, and I don’t feel great from it, I am tuning in— to how I feel when I am around people, to the food I am eating, to how I feel with a song I am listening to.

So I use my intuition so much and I don’t think I realized how much I used it until I looked at my genetic results. I knew I didn’t respond well to alcohol. I knew I didn’t respond well to taking NSAIDs. Not because I had a bad reaction, but I just knew it intuitively.

So, I think people should really just quit listening to everybody else about their body. Take that as guidance, but don’t take that as fact for your body. Use your health practitioners as guides. I don’t know what is best for you, but I can definitely nudge you and guide you, and encourage you to tune in and listen.

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You define wellness as the “approach of mind, body and spirit.” What have you learned most about the power of energy and belief?

That your body-mind-spirit is the most amazing tool, machine, car, computer— whatever you want to call it– people take it for granted.

They value sometimes more their vehicle, Mac computer, or iPhone than they value themselves. I think we have to put ourselves in the equation more.

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What about your injury? When you broke your pelvis, what’s the biggest lesson you learned about your body and the power of belief?

Showing up. Showing up for yourself, and taking that time. It’s easy for me to show up for somebody else. But I had to really turn that on myself, and then allow other people to show up for me.

And taking time. I learned so much. I think I had the odds in my favor, because I was moving, I was grateful, I was fueling my body right. I was tuned in.

I learned to really show up for myself.

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Do you believe that abundance and wellness are connected, and if so, how?

God, I’ve never been asked that, Mo. That’s a great question.

I do believe they are connected because I think it is hard to feel abundant without feeling happy in your mind-body-spirit. And once again, when I see the word “well-being” and “happiness,” they mean the same thing to me.

Without a doubt. I don’t think you can feel abundant without feeling healthy.

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What are some small changes anyone can make that will put them on a path to wellness and make a noticeable difference in their quality of life.

This is so simple, but it’s probably in the top 5 that people pick when I travel across the country.

Drink water! It is so stinkin’ simple, but people don’t do it. Drinking water is huge.

I think checking in with your body. Ask yourself, “You know what, I had that broccoli. How do I feel? I had that coffee. How do I feel?” I think that is a big-small change. Just really, really trust yourself.

Also, having food before you have alcohol or caffeine.

Here’s another big one: chew your food! Think about how you chew food and absorb life. Are you just surfacing through it; are you just really not even tapping in and not really tasting it?

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What’s the message you wish people would hear. What is the most important thing you wish people knew?

Well, let me ask you: do you have a budget for your wellness?

I don’t!

I would say where you invest your time and energy is what’s important to you. My second budget item is my well-being, right there by my groceries. My groceries are probably number 3.

I want people to know that you either invest as you go or your body sends you a big bill later.

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Mo: Well, that’s all my questions.

Michelle: Oh, Gosh you are amazing, Mo!

Mo: I think you are amazing! I love this, because I think it’s so important. You are doing so much for people. You are really a healer.

Michelle: I am just trying to encourage people to love themselves enough to care of themselves.