Julie Freeman 0:00
Know your internal power. stay committed to your purpose, your passion. We need your gifts you need your gifts the world needs your gifts. So embracing the power and the spirit within.


Claudia von Boeselager 0:16
Are you ready to boost your longevity and unlock peak performance? Welcome to the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast. I'm your host Claudia von Boeselager, longevity and peak performance coach. Each week we'll explore groundbreaking science unravel longevity secrets share strategies to grow younger and stay up to date with world-class health and peak performance pioneers. Everything you need to live longer, live better, and reach your fullest potential ready to defy aging, optimize health, and promote peak performance? Visit llinsider.com for more.

My guest today is Julie Freeman with over 40 years of experience, Julie has worked in health care mental health care in both traditional hospital and clinical environments, as well as integrative centers that use a more holistic approach to care. Julie is the co-founder of Intrinsic Wellness which was born out of a shared vision to bridge the best of physical medicine and energy medicine, both Western and Eastern, ancient and modern. It's such a pleasure, Julie to welcome you on today particularly because today is your birthday as we're recording. So happy birthday and welcome to the Longevity and Lifestyle podcast.


Julie Freeman 1:33
Thank you so much, Claudia. I am so pumped to be here today. Thank you.


Claudia von Boeselager 1:38
My pleasure. So Julie, can you share more about your incredible personal journey? And what were some of the pivotal moments that led you to explore the connection between food addiction, obesity, immune dysregulation, cancer, and much more?


Julie Freeman 1:53
Yes, yes, I oftentimes joke and say that I'm the perfect poster child for functional medicine. So I started my journey very early in life, very sugar-addicted, very obese, and bullied a name called you know, back in as early as the second grade, I had morphed over 50 pounds and was pretty well out of my weight range by that time, and started dieting with my parents who were also you know, kind of food junkies, food addicted and obese as well. And our doc at the time handed us the 1000-calorie meal plan, you know, which we would be on and off. But what was interesting is there wasn't a shut-off for me. If I had one cookie, I wanted to eat the whole batch. And then I started to actually get very interested in food preparation, cooking, and baking. And now I've written three cookbooks. Of course, they're all healthier versions of delicious food. But I would cook and bake, and my mother and I would sit there and eat the whole batch of doughnuts or the whole batch of cookies. And so move on forward. I had a lot of hormonal issues, lots of allergies, lots of gut issues, and things like that at a very young age.

By the time I was 17, all of my nails had come off my fingers, my skin was bleeding. And I was wrapped up in about 10 different band-aids. And at that time, you know, our good old general practitioner said, we'll just put nail polish on it. Which is a terrible thing to do, we now know and then he's fine. He's got me off to a dermatologist who had me on antifungals. So that whole world of Candida and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and all of that was groomed very early in life. And both my parents actually had those skin disorders as well.

So move on ahead. Lots of hormonal issues, infertility, things of that nature, on and off shots, pills, hormones, and things like that, and had a real challenge with the traditional hormones from way back when and really responded negatively. But it wasn't until later in my journey when I started to feel really unwell that my oncologist who was a colleague of mine, became my oncologist. He was a hematologist at the time. And he said, You know what, it sounds like Lyme. But you know, in this traditional world, we don't accept Lyme as a diagnosis. But that's kind of what it looks like, and then I wasn't getting any better. So, finally, he did a bone marrow biopsy and found out that I had a rare leukemia, less than 2% of the Leukemia population, called hairy cell leukemia. I just posted about it this weekend because I was at a cancer retreat that I'll be presenting at next year. And he said, you know, the good news is it's a slow-growing cancer. The bad news is we don't know a lot about it. So he said, I know you're gonna want to do your alternative, you know, work he said, but I'm gonna keep an eye on you. I said, that's fine. And I actually went to Germany. I went to Stuttgart in order to embrace a holistic approach to cancer care, and at that time, I totally revamped my healthcare website and my model of care and I really did a deep dive into functional and integrative medicine.

I had always envisioned that early on in my career as a registered dietician, knowing that there was a lot more than being, you know, the dietician with the hairnet in the basement of the hospital. When I went to Germany, that's when I really embraced all of that. And even came back to concepts that I had been intrigued with back in college, quantum physics, quantum science, and was introduced to Bruce Lipton and Gregg Braden and then got to read, you know, German, and Dutch subtitles in English. And I said, Oh, my God, this is my world. So, you know, going through the journey of cancer care and whatnot, it really opened up a whole new world of practice for me. And so I've been pioneering since that time.

It was also my first introduction to plant medicine. So you know, I'm a child of the late 50s/early 60s, but I ran the other way when it came to drugs. I was actually part of the D.A.R.E. population, which was really very anti, any kind of drugs. And so I was very afraid of that world and just kind of kept that aside. It was a client of mine said, Have you ever heard of shamanism and ayahuasca and I said, Neither. And, and I should have known about shamanism because I have American Indian heritage on both sides of my family, both of my mom's and my dad's. And so I started to do the deep dive in the research arena. And for me, I combined the best of science, spirituality, and intuition. So it's really about sort of bridging all of those worlds together. And I said, you know, what, this is really calling to make. So I began to work with a shaman and had an Ayahuasca experience that was profound, I would have to say, it did not cure the cancer. But it really set I would call it forward vision in terms of the challenges and the trials in what I was going to encompass over the next number of years. But there was a little bright light at the end, that knew that let me know that I was going to come out the other end. Okay. So, you know, I've opened up so many different worlds, since back in the days of my dieting, and compulsive overeating, my cancer journey, my hormonal interventions, and things of that nature.


Claudia von Boeselager 7:19
Such a beautiful journey. And thank you so much for sharing that as well. And I'd love to hear from you Julie, like what were some of the biggest Aha’s when you went to Germany, in terms of a different approach. And I mean, this also bearing in mind, we talk about, you know, the Western and Eastern medicine, obviously, Germany is considered Western, but they have a lot of holistic approaches, homeopathy, etc. So would love from your perspective, if you could share with my audience some of the things that you found most fascinating in terms of philosophy or way of treating patients.


Julie Freeman 7:54
So there was a real deep dive into your family lineage, you know, and even like Family Constellation therapy, which I have embraced also here in the States, and with Family Constellation, you really are looking at your parents, your grandparents, you know, the lineage of your family, and what are some of the physical as well as the emotional and spiritual challenges that you have brought into your own life. And so one of the things that had opened up for me was to really do a deep dive specifically into the kind of leukemia that I have, which was the hairy cell. So lots of toxin exposure that I can identify, I am huge on, you know, non-toxic skin cleaning products, you know, household fabrics, things of that nature. But what it also allowed me to look at was, how I felt about myself. And a lot of that came down to that self-loathing, that self-hatred, growing up as a child who had learning challenges and felt sort of disconnected in terms of being able to learn adequately and also having obesity and things of that nature. So I had to really start down that path of learning how to reparent and love myself. And there was a wonderful woman I know her name was Hana Laurie, that did some of that energy work with us when I was in Stuttgart.


Claudia von Boeselager 9:14
So I'd love to touch on that also, as well, in terms of that self-love journey. I know for me myself, like, that's been also a journey for me, and I'm sure for people listening as well. You know, we want to make sure everyone else around us is okay. And everyone else is happy. And we tend to forget ourselves, or we put ourselves last or we end up beating ourselves up all the time, right? I mean, some of the stuff I teach is around you need to be your biggest cheerleader and not your biggest bully. What was that self-love process for you? And maybe what are some tools and strategies that you use along the way that were really profound that you teach also today, so people listening can start applying some of them.


Julie Freeman 9:53
I think one of the things that we need to do in our society these days is to really quiet ourselves and go within. So it's you know, it's part of that meditative process but it's that it's the process with also setting an intention for wanting to embrace the God within or the spirit within, the energy within in terms of what are my areas of light? What are the gifts that I bring forth in this world? I now work a lot with women going through perimenopause, menopause, you know, that change of life, that pivotal time in life where we are called, once again as women to really look at am I on my path? What are my unique passions, gifts, and purpose? And I think that when we can tap into making that list of our gifts, our purposes, and our intentions, we can begin that process of coming back to the self and beginning that self-love process. I also use Reiki as another way of really kind of focusing on areas of the body that may feel tension or dis-ease, a challenge. And then again, send some of that white light, some of that warm healing light into those areas.

Claudia von Boeselager 11:04
Yeah, I'm actually a trained Reiki master myself. By chance, I did my first level one in Madrid. And then when I lived in Buenos Aires, I ended up doing level two and level the mastery one as well. But I don't practice enough. So I love the fact that you know, energetic medicine, as well as also spreading and awareness and how beneficial it is, in knowledge, different modalities, I'd love to understand how you in, a sort of, let's say a typical, or what would be like a typical patient that comes to you, just for people listening so that they can relate and like what is that healing journey that you bring them on.


Julie Freeman 11:39
So I tend to attract people with chronic complex challenges. Sometimes they don't even fit neatly into any one box called a disease. And these are the clients who have been everywhere and have seen everyone and they still don't have anything definitive, but they're feeling really poorly. And oftentimes, they're the ones who really feel unheard, unhealed, and not listened to. And I really try to make a safe space. So you know, the first thing that I like to do is although I will be looking at the last couple of years of labs and tests and office visits, and all the medical records and things like that, the very first question that I will ask someone is, how can I help you today? What is it that you would like to gain from our time together? I oftentimes begin with a grounding exercise. So I want to bring people back into themselves, and also into that energetic space that we're about to meet in.

Claudia von Boeselager 12:41
Beautiful, and what does the journey, if you will, look like into healing, especially if you said that these are a little bit more challenging? So some people go to their doctor and they say, Well, you know, you as you're yourself like, Okay, we know what it is it's a but it's so rare, we don't have much research on it. So obviously, hearing even a diagnosis like that, for a lot of people is very challenging. Or if somebody hears, you know, you have a very complex case, medicine can't really help you. Western medicine, I should say. What is that process like? And what would you encourage people to know in terms of hope, and what can be done?

Julie Freeman 13:16
I also will address the fact that you know, science and medicine have finite knowledge, and it's always changing. And even when I began, you know, again, as a dietitian many years ago is my startup career. That area has changed. And one of my friends used to say to me, well, nutrition really isn't a science, you know, he said because it's changing all the time. And I said, Well, you know, all of our medical arenas are constantly evolving and changing and we will never keep up with what that intuitive senses. So again, I ask people to really kind of go inside and ask them a little bit about you know, you're the expert on yourself, what do you feel that you need at this time? We need to rest so I think one of the biggest things and I listened to one of your other podcasts, you know, sleep is a huge one. And if we cannot rest then we cannot digest, we cannot detoxify, and we cannot absorb nutrition. And so I really started to work on what I call the ADLs: the activities of daily living.

So I used to do some moonlight moonlighting at nursing homes years ago. We need to focus on all of those areas that sound so insignificant. Oh, how is getting out in nature going to make any difference for me? How is it being out with the trees in the nature and the grass going to make any difference for me? It will and I will provide articles and things like that. I also asked my clients not to do a lot of Doctor Googling because that can really send them down the rabbit hole of self-diagnosis, more anxiety, more fear. As we start to look at all the complex pieces, we will prioritize the areas so that it's not so overwhelming, like this is the most important thing that we need to work on right now. I would say that with most of my clients, as much as they say they're eating healthfully, diets are oftentimes really a mess. And so getting back to a whole foods diet, where people are really eating lots of vegetables and adequate amounts of protein and quality starches and good quality oils and fats. Sounds simple, but it's not so easy to really put into action. So I really help people with kitchen skills, or even if it's just assembly skills because they don't have the desire or the knowledge to prepare for themselves.

So those are some of the areas that we will begin. I also use a wonderful genetics program. I’ve been using genetics since it came out about 20 years ago. I’ve tried a number of different programs, but the one that I use in my practice really utilizes a food-first, lifestyle-medicine approach first to epigenetically override a gene that's not functioning properly. So I love using that in my practice because that gives us a little bit of a roadmap and a blueprint. And it's not deterministic, because we can epigenetically support systems that aren't functioning to their, you know, their optimal level.


Claudia von Boeselager 16:13
I think that's also really exciting a functional genomics. And what's possible, I've had Kashif Khan from The DNA Company also on as well. And it's so empowering. And that's why I love the work that you're doing to is like, empowering people to trust themselves again, to not give their power away, like, oh, somebody else will know better. It's like, no, you actually do, you just need to re-tap into that unbelievable wisdom that the body has as well.

I want to talk about intuition. But before we do, I know a lot of people struggle with sugar addiction, and things like that as well. And you've obviously gone through this can really wreak havoc on many areas of our health. For people really struggling with sugar addiction, what would be some steps that you would recommend to start with to really try to shift away from sugar addiction, know that it is a controlling factor and similar to cocaine in the brain, right? So it's, it's a really terrible, powerful influencer, what are some steps people can take?


Julie Freeman 17:12
So the first thing is that I really educate people that our taste is learned. So the good news is, you can learn to like a new food, and you can learn to expand your tastebuds to really prefer sour and bitter to sweet. But that's going to take time. And so I oftentimes will start with a little bit of something along with the food that they enjoy. And it's the same way that we train children, like, here's a food that I really like, and I'm going to add a little bit of something else that's going to be healthier for you together, and then you gradually kind of work away from the very sugary food. I also do label information education, and we can start so even cereals, you know, the Environmental Working Group, which is a wonderful organization, it's a nonprofit here in the States, I don't know if it's around the world. But ew G does a lot of work in terms of again, just education. So we could take a sugary cereal like Cocoa Puffs, and then maybe mix that with, you know, an organic Cheerios, so to speak. Then you gradually increase the Cheerios and decrease the Cocoa Puffs. And then now all of a sudden, your taste buds are saying, hey, you know what, I know that food. I like that food. One of my second cookbooks was called Sweets and Treats. And what I do is I took you know, brownies and different kinds of cakes and cookies and quick breads and things like that, and I gradually increased the fiber, decreased the sugar. Two of the little hacks are more vanilla extract and more cinnamon, which will actually sweeten things up, and you can actually cut back on sugar.

And another key area is to make sure that there's adequate protein. So when your brain and your body has adequate protein, you crave less, because your blood sugars aren't going all over the place. So that can be really helpful.

Claudia von Boeselager 19:06
Beautiful. I'd love to shift over to intuition, right? And what you were saying. Some people might be like, well, what does intuition have to do with all of this? But it is so powerful, obviously in so many regards. So why should people be paying attention to intuition and relearning it, right? Because little kids are very intuitive we train them not to be and then we try to tap back into it again as we grow. So why is it important? And what are some modalities for helping people to re-tap into intuition?

Julie Freeman 19:40
I love this topic. And there's a wide variety depending on the person who was sitting in front of you, you need to kind of meet them where they're at and what they're open to because intuition can sound like woo-woo science spirituality like oh my god, I'm not sure I really want to go there. But we've been trained to really trust Can someone outside of ourselves, trust the physician, the physician knows that physician will heal you. But actually, now what we're doing is we're at a point in time, where we are creating partnerships, our doctor may know the best about the medical science and the, you know, the mechanics that go into testing. But we know ourselves. And so the first thing is re-educating both physician and client or patient around the fact that we're no partners. Being a partner also means you have more responsibility for yourself, but tapping into your intuition. So I oftentimes use a phrase for many, many years because I used to work in diabetes I also worked in eating disorders many years ago. Get out of your head and into your gut. But, you know, how do we get into our gut? Reiki is a wonderful way of doing that.

So we oftentimes will teach people just take your hands and place them on your abdomen, you know, just allow yourself to connect with your body so that you can actually feel and feel the different sensations that are going on inside. Now breathe deeply into that. So it's almost like doing the relaxation response, which I was trained at back in Boston, with Herb Benson is really kind of relaxing oneself in feeling into your body. Once you begin to feel into your body, you can begin to do a body scan and feel we're there areas of tension or distress or disease, you know, discomfort. I love using dowsing as a technique. So for those who are interested in, you know, crystals in those kinds of areas, I have a beautiful rose quartz crystal that I use for dowsing in terms of my supplements. And you know, dowsing is a great way to be able to let your body know, you can also, you know, just allow your body to move forward or backward and ask it which is yes. And which is no. And there's lots of you know, online tools and resources, books and things like that, to really help you get into your body for understanding what it's telling you intuitively, applied kinesiology, I studied that many years ago. So there's so many different modalities of people just kind of open up to Yeah, I can actually regain that which I lost when I went into training in order to go through school. I mean, basically, our education, unfortunately, needs to go through a big revamp as well, because we are trained to trust the outside rather than the inside.


Claudia von Boeselager 22:30
Yeah, I mean, it's a 200-year-old education system, based around the industrial revolution. So I definitely think it's ready for an upgrade, as well. I agree. So, Judy, for my guests who are not that familiar with the connection between the material world and sort of unseen spiritual realm. Can you explain how this spiritual perspective influenced also, your approach to healing and well-being and maybe some success stories that you have seen? Amongst I know, no, obviously no name, but just sort of a generalized thing to make it a little bit more granular for people listening.


Julie Freeman 23:03
Sure. So there's an exercise that I do with my clients that I love because most of us are behind the computers these days. I know, I know, most of my work is telehealth, you know, with Massachusetts, and here in Texas, California. It's called wide-angle vision. A wide-angle vision is basically using a technique where ideally you would walk outside or even go into a window, and you start to see the expanse. And even when you can see your hands at the side, you're not focused on any one thing. You're focused on the expanse, and then you experience what does that feel like? Generally, when I do that with my clients, or in a group situation, all of a sudden there's a deceleration, there's like, ah, and from a neurological standpoint, that hyper-focus, and I also see that in my clients as they get hyper-focused. I had a client this afternoon who was very anxious, and hyper-focused on the illness, the DIS-ease, the label. When you do this wide-angle vision, all of a sudden you start to see the big picture. So you know, I start with a connection exercise. During COVID I had a lot of anxious people that wouldn't leave out wouldn't leave the house, I would say go to their window and look at the trees and look at the green and the nature, and then once they get people outside and say what does that feel like and start to tap into the feeling.

I grew up like many with a dysfunctional family alcoholism, you know, things like that. So you know, I'm continuing to do that deep dive into some of those areas for myself. But we oftentimes become disconnected from our feelings as a way of self-preservation way of just surviving, and we need to kind of reconnect with those feelings. So getting out in nature and again, I think for me trees, I love trees. Trees are amazing, and the energetic connection between trees is great. But those colors the colors of green and the browns and the blue skies are all amazing even in the areas of AI, where they're starting to use, you know, artificial intelligence and in virtual reality, to help people get into that relaxation response, they're having some amazing, amazing responses to that.

Claudia von Boeselager 25:17
Yeah, I mean, as a biohacker as well, right? So I have like the brain tap, I don't know if you've come across it as well which is amazing for accessing different brainwave states as well as theta alpha, etc. And just training these beautiful things and many other devices as well that are personalized to you. So it's, it's exciting when you can find that beautiful combination of technology, but also well-being and spiritual wellness as well. Yes. So where did the original idea how have you brought it together with intrinsic wellness your company that you co-founded combining physical medicine, energetic medicine, and Western and Eastern traditions, which I think is just absolutely phenomenal? How did that come to pass? I feel like this is the model that everyone should be doing. But can you expand a little bit on like, how does this work? It just sounds for people, I think, maybe a little bit mind-blowing that is combining so many different modalities. So how do you combine them? You were sharing some of them as well? And you know, can you talk a little bit more about how it works?


Julie Freeman 26:23

Absolutely. So it's funny because I do not fit into a box even when I try to describe like, Well, what do you do? Ah, this, this, and this. It's what I call my eclectic toolbox. Definitely an alchemist for sure. So I've been a visionary since as I mentioned, you know when I was in undergraduate school, I knew that I wanted to create the healing center of the future. So my vision has always been there. But a lot of you know, detours along the way, I actually wrote one of my books, it's called Sunflowers, Sapphires and Seraphim, which is about my own personal journey of transformation so that others can be aware of the fact that you can have so many roadblocks in the way but if you have that passion, that vision to keep moving forward, it provides the energy to do so. So started out as I said, registered dietician, but always had the vision of expansiveness and so always connected with other departments to create a more holistic approach. When I worked at Joslin Diabetes Center many years ago, which is, you know, one of the premier diabetes centers in Boston. I went to the President, and I said, Dr. Quickl, can I go next door and train with Herb Benson on the mindfulness you know, relaxation response, bring that back to the diabetic population, and create a program? So I've always been in that arena. I was one of the first dieticians back in the Boston area to go into private practice, that was kind of an unheard thing. Everybody else was, again, still in their hairnet and the basement of the hospital. And, you know, continue to pioneer forward and started to work with Jeff Bland’s concepts, love Jeff Bland, you know, he's also known as the father of functional medicine and started to bring some of that toolbox into the work that I did. And a lot of these Docs knew me, these are the conventional Docs, but they said, You know what she's getting results, I really trust her, not sure exactly what she's doing. And I really started to develop a network of physicians, and I still am very close with the docs back in Boston. And so that started to grow. And that started to grow. And then I wanted to create more of a concierge model. And started to do that on my own. Over this past year, my office manager has started integrative clinics, and she knows the technical side of life, and the startup side of life and all of that, but her passion actually is in coaching and soul development. And so I said, You know what, Denise, I would love to have you come with me, because as much as I do some of that I can't spend all the time when I'm also reviewing two years of labs and tests and office visits, I can touch upon it. So we are now together, you know, birthing and we'll be rebirthing a new website within the next two months called Intrinsic Wholeness. And that will be our full program of bringing together the mind-body, the spirit, and we're using genetics as part of what we call our secret sauce. So I have the epigenetic program that I told you I use, and Denise is going to be bringing in some of the astrological aspects from the gene keys. And so we'll be looking at genetics from the spiritual emotional birth aspects as well as the physical biochemical world.

Claudia von Boeselager 29:37
Very exciting and very futuristic. A little bit and, and super important as well, because I think if you go to traditional medicine doctrine that like Well, I'm just just right, but I may, you know, I don't know a shoulder specialist and we're trying to figure out what's wrong with your shoulder let's you know, injected with cortisone and you know, off you go instead of actually looking at the fundamental root cause and how holistic or ideas and that it's completely connected. And it might even be a liver issue or a gut health issue, you know, and trying to get to the root cause of it as well. So it's so beautiful how you really combine the body, mind and spirit into that as well, because a lot of health issues are also emotional, as I think people are beginning to realize more and more as well. Today, I'd like to touch on plant medicine. You discussed it a little bit before. So how do you incorporate this in your practice, but also what excites you about what's being published and research being done and the effect that plant medicine can have to help people?


Julie Freeman 30:35
I am totally in love with this world only because I see the benefits across the board, and I'm focusing more than on psilocybin. In my private practice, I feel comfortable with micro-dosing, education, and support with people who choose to do that. I have a cohort of providers that I would potentially refer to for more, you know, high-dose/macro dose type things. But psilocybin I love it because it is great for addiction. It is great for eating disorders and disordered eating. And it's wonderful for women's health as they're going through perimenopause. Because many of the attributes can far supersede what's going on with using traditional SSRIs. So I've been on a couple of international panels actually discussing the differences between SSRIs and micro-dosing with psilocybin. And I've had some wonderful results with women who feel so much better using that approach, as opposed to the traditional medications.


Claudia von Boeselager 31:34
So I'd love to dig into that because this is a really big thing. And I think the awareness of actual perimenopause and the existence of perimenopause is becoming more and more awakening for people because I think, traditionally, people heard about menopause and thought it was sort of this cliff, you hit when you get 52 and 50, or 52. But before then you're fine. And thereafter, well, it is what it is, right? So thankfully, as we know, women have been completely left out of research for so many years. But obviously, it's so important to talk about it. One important point that you touched on there that I really want to highlight is that a lot of doctors are not trained in menopause or addressing what symptoms are or alternative therapies what can actually be done and are sticking women on antidepressants, and obviously, there are health implications of being on antidepressants, let alone the difficulty getting off them again, etc. And so it's a knowing that approximately from the age of 35, women can be perimenopausal and that it's normal. And obviously, you know, if they've had kids hormones are all over the place, lack of sleep, it's hard to pinpoint, you know, what is really going on. But it's again, that trusting yourself looking into yourself and thinking, you know, what could this be? Where are my hormones, Are you having those checked as well? But I'd love to hear from your experience and your work. How micro-dosing psilocybin and just as a side note for people who are like psilo..what? Psilocybin is a compound known as magic mushrooms, it's plant-based medicine, from mushrooms, certain mushrooms, that can be used in a microdose. So again, the definition is right, so is that point one gram, point two grams, I don't know how you would officially describe microdose. But can you share how micro-dosing small dosages of psilocybin can be beneficial for peri peri menopausal women to avoid them having to go down that antidepressant route?


Julie Freeman 33:34
So part of it is again, the education around you know what it is, it isn't a serotonergic family. But the the benefits are that it allows the brain to be more flexible, and more plastic, and one of the things that ends up happening oftentimes during menopause is increased anxiety, increased hyperfocus on symptoms and management, and all of that. So there's a little bit more of flexibility, there's a little bit of that uplifting, you know, very ever so slightly so that you're it's almost imperceptible, but you just notice, like, you know, my day actually doesn't feel so bad. So instead of having these real highs and these real lows, I also like to touch upon the health benefits in terms of bone density, brain wellness, cardiovascular health, you know, there are so many things that can be offered from micro-dosing, that can target other systems in the body that are impacted by women going through menopause. The other thing is that we can actually stall menopause by being healthier. So by being less anxious and eating more plant foods and getting lots of those leafy greens and detoxifying properly, we can actually push that menopause button even a little bit further, you no later into life, so that's a wonderful thing.

So I also love to use my pendulum. I use this with myself. I use my pendulum for micro-dosing myself. You know, I started out with the I think it was the Stamey stack or the, I forget which other there's a couple of different protocols out there. One day on two days off one day on, it's just started that way just in terms of getting introduced to it. But now I use my pendulum. And I let my pendulum sort of say, you know, yesterday, you're no today, that can be really beneficial.


Claudia von Boeselager 35:17
So for some people who might be unfamiliar, what do you mean by using your pendulum?


Julie Freeman 35:21
So my pendulum is, is again, called Dowsing, D O W, S, I N G. So if you look up what dowsing is, it's, again, it's using your intuition to help you to determine what you need on that day, some people even use it at the grocery store to go. So I have never brought my pendulum to the grocery store. Some people will actually use that in terms of choosing foods, but I oftentimes use it in terms of my supplement days. And I as with my clients that are open to that, I will say, Let's take back some of that power in terms of what I need and what I don't need today. So that can be really beneficial.


Claudia von Boeselager 35:59
Yeah, so it's a modality as well, which is beautiful for checking in with intuition. I think that's funny with the grocery store. But I think that's very good, particularly with people with food addictions, or who have become so disconnected from their bodies in terms of understanding what the body actually wants, versus what the mind ones, and those cravings as well. So that's really beautiful, too. Could you share more about how your organization is dedicated to helping people reach their highest potential? Right, so in terms of health, passion, and purpose, and empowering them, to really offer their unique gift to the world?


Julie Freeman 36:36
Yes. And again, this is a great question to ask women around that time of life when, when transitions are occurring, you know, caring for elderly people, children are leaving the nest work changes may be happening, relationship changes may be happening. But for anybody taking that quiet time to really do some intentional work, like what's my intention for this quiet time, journaling? Looking back at things that you loved as a child, you know, what is it that really drew me in as a child was I you know, was drawn to nature was drawn to art, music, you know, things of that nature? And then begin to list those things and then see, what is it that I would like to bring forth in my next chapter in life, you know, we're all living longer. So what used to be considered old age is now middle age. And so I really like to have people talk about some of those areas that they like, we use some very dedicated handouts on not handouts, but actually intake forms to get an idea of like, where people's passions are, and then helping them to really hone in on okay, what would that look like if you took steps towards changing your career or changing what it is you're doing or bringing this into your life? Or for people who are retired, you know, how would you like to volunteer that time in an organization? So again, it's really bringing those passions, and then bringing them out into the world.


Claudia von Boeselager 38:06
Which is so beautiful as well to really reconnect with what you'd love. And also I love the idea of the next chapter, right? So some people like okay, this is the I'm retiring can't do anything anymore. It's like, no, you've got more time. Like that's, that's a gift in itself. Plus, how do you want to really make an impact with that time as well? So that's really, really great journey for people to be on and to share as well. Julie, if you could live to 150 years old, with excellent health, how would you spend it?


Julie Freeman 38:37
Ah, yes, well, I have no, first of all, I have no intentions of retiring. So again, just turned 66 today, but I have so many, so many things on the agenda that need to be continued. I am very interested in creating a nonprofit retreat that also is a place of gathering community collaboration, and the incubation of ideas that are going to bring our world forward in terms of sustainability, livability, health, health hacks, and spirituality. And to make that almost like the blue zones, I don't know if anybody saw the recent Blue Zones docuseries, but love that that's on my list of of taking these prototypes. So I would like to incubate and create my prototype, and then bring that forth to other communities. Because we are a world that desperately needs healing. And we desperately need to break down the walls of divisiveness and polarization. There was a wonderful documentary done a number of years ago, called The Peacemaker, and it was filmed partly in Boston. And the fellow was Patrick O'Malley. He was born in Ireland, settled in Boston and you know many of the different places that he that he showed there, but one of his lifelong options was to bring leaders from around the world who were fighting at war together to sit at the table. I've also been a cantor in my church for many years, I actually embrace all spiritual traditions, but I love spiritual music. And there's a beautiful song called The Table of Plenty. We're saints and sinners, our friends. And so again, we all are saints, we all are sinners, however, we want to define that. But it's the idea of bringing people together all at the table to be able to communicate, collaborate, and share a meal, I love to cook, and I'm always feeding people. So that's why.


Claudia von Boeselager 40:38
It's so beautiful in that sense of building a community and communication as well, I think a lot of fear is out of ignorance of the unknown. And so when we familiarize ourselves with it, my mother was involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, actually, for many years, and just taking away the anxiety of the unknown and realizing, hey, we're all people, we all have likes and dislikes, and the rest of it as well. So, so beautiful.


Julie Freeman 41:04
I have actually a commentary to make on that, excuse me. Good. I was doing a program many years ago, I've done a lot of these different, you know, transformation programs, but one of them was with a group of 200 people. And we were all together. And we had to spend a minute going next to the next person. And just looking into their eyes, I actually did a post one time and I just took a picture of my eyes. And when you are looking into someone's eyes for a minute, and not looking elsewhere, what happens is the body dissolves, and you see the soul.


Claudia von Boeselager 41:39
Wow. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing that as well. I was privy to a cacao ceremony thing where you look into a stranger’s eyes as well and tell them I love you, which is also a very interesting experience. And it really breaks down that thing where you actually see the person and it's less about, you know, they're in a room of strangers or people you might know. And just really reconnecting with the person as well also energetically so yeah, very, very beautiful. Thank you for sharing that, Julie, what excites you most about the future of health and functional medicine and well-being in longevity over the coming years and beyond?


Julie Freeman 42:16
I see that in the future, we will walk in, and we'll do a little cheek swab, and put it into the computer. And within five minutes, we will have sort of what needs to happen on a biochemical level. But I'm thinking that we can also kind of gather some of that even from an energetic perspective as well, I don't exactly know what that technology would look like, although HeartMath. And some of these other places are really tapping into those areas where you can actually kind of read the energetic exchange. But that's one of the things that I see is that we will have the plan available. And you know, and again, part of it is getting people geared up so you can be at your optimal, you know, the potential is not climbing up this big mountain, that seems like that's impossible, it will be possible. So I see that as part of what's going to be in the future.


Claudia von Boeselager 41:39
That's really beautiful as well, because I think from an energetic point of view, and you know, people who follow yoga chakras and things like that as well, you know, you have these sort of energetic auras around you. It would be so interesting if this kind of AI could pick up on any energetic blocks you may have or previous trauma that's still unresolved and unhealed as well and just kind of a top-to-bottom detox and cleanse you so that you're ready to embrace the day a fresh and anew.

Julie Freeman 43:38
Absolutely well Kirlian photography, if anyone's familiar with Kirlian photography, it will actually look at your aura and it will, it will ascribe you know, different colors and all of that. So, I've been yoga certified twice, I use yoga in my work all the time in terms of the breath work and some of the twists and things like that for digestion. But that's definitely on the top of my list of things. That's amazing. Yes.


Claudia von Boeselager 42:02
That's so exciting. Judy, for people listening at listening or watching looking to find out more about what you're doing and what you're up to where can they find you via it on social media or your websites? And we'll link everything in the show notes.


Julie Freeman 43:38
Yes, yes. So the website is like I said it's under development at this point. But you're at the point at the present time. It is intrinsicwellness.net. We're also on Instagram and Facebook, but that's going to be transitioning as well as we move over to intrinsic wholeness over the next few months. But I still continue to post different ideas, recipes, and things that are going on in just Holistic Health type things.


Claudia von Boeselager 44:45
Beautiful. Julie, do you have a final ask or recommendation or any parting thoughts or message for my audience today?


Julie Freeman 44:53
Know your internal power. stay committed to your purpose. Your passion. We need your gifts you need your gifts, and the world needs your gifts. And I think that that's probably the important thing. So you know, embracing the power and the spirit within.

Claudia von Boeselager 45:14
Beautiful. Thank you so much, Julie, for coming on today and sharing your beautiful wisdom and futuristic way of helping people thrive in life, resolve trauma, and work past things. So it's been such a pleasure seeing you here.


Julie Freeman 45:29
Thank you, Claudia.


Claudia von Boeselager 45:30
Thank you, Julie.