Kami Redd on Overcoming Emotional Eating and Finding Balance in Life
Kami Redd, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and sustainable nutrition coach, joins us to discuss her transformative journey from chef to health advocate, emphasizing the importance of holistic wellness. Known for her innovative 30 pounds in 30 days weight management program, Kami combines her culinary expertise with a focus on emotional and mental well-being, challenging traditional views on diet and health. Throughout the conversation, she shares her personal experience as a breast cancer survivor and how it inspired her to pursue nutritional science, ultimately leading her to empower others in their health journeys. Kami also highlights the impact of societal pressures and stereotypes on Black women, advocating for self-acceptance and mental wellness. As she prepares for an exciting new chapter in Da Nang, Vietnam, Kami encourages listeners to embrace their authentic selves and find balance in all dimensions of wellness.
Kami Redd joins the podcast with an inspiring narrative shaped by her experiences as a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and breast cancer survivor. Her journey began in the culinary world, where she honed her skills as a chef for over 20 years. However, it was her diagnosis at 34 that prompted a profound shift in her career and personal philosophy. Cami shares how the emotional turmoil of her illness led her to explore the healing potential of nutrition, ultimately motivating her to pursue a degree in nutritional science. This transformative experience equipped her with the knowledge and passion to guide others in their health journeys, emphasizing the intertwined nature of physical health and emotional well-being.
Throughout the episode, Kami highlights the importance of understanding and addressing the emotional triggers that contribute to unhealthy eating patterns. She reflects on the societal stereotypes that often pigeonhole women into restrictive roles, advocating for a more holistic approach to wellness. Kami's '30 Pounds in 30 Days' program is not just about physical weight loss; it is a comprehensive guide to emotional healing and self-acceptance. She aims to help individuals recognize and break free from unhealthy cycles instilled by family and societal pressures, promoting a lifestyle that honors their true selves.
Listeners will appreciate Kami's practical tips for cultivating a mindful and sustainable lifestyle. She encourages a balanced approach to wellness, where emotional, mental, and physical health are equally prioritized. Kami's insights on meal preparation, seasonal eating, and the importance of self-care resonate deeply, urging her audience to create a nurturing environment for themselves. As she prepares for her move to Vietnam, Kami reflects on her desire to immerse herself in new cultures and continue her mission of empowering Black women globally. Her story serves as a powerful reminder that true wellness encompasses acceptance, balance, and community support.
Takeaways:
- Kami Redd emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself, a lesson learned over decades.
- Her journey into nutrition was influenced by personal health challenges, particularly breast cancer.
- Kami advocates for a holistic approach to wellness, integrating emotional and physical health.
- She encourages individuals to find balance in all areas of wellness for a fulfilled life.
- Kami highlights the impact of dietary habits on overall health and emotional well-being.
- The importance of addressing emotional eating behaviors is crucial for long-term health success.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
My guest today is Cami Red.
Host:She's a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and sustainable nutrition coach.
Host:Known for her 30 pounds in 30 days weight management program.
Host:As an accomplished author, her recent books include Dear Black Woman and Unveiling the Tangled Path, Battered Lives and Broken Systems.
Host:She's also written 30 days of spiritual growth and 21 days of gratitude.
Host:Nurturing a heart of appreciation.
Host:Cammie combines her expertise in nutrition, culinary science, and sustainable living to provide holistic wellness coaching.
Host:Passionate about empowering individuals, she promotes mindful living and personal growth through her work.
Host:We welcome her to the podcast.
Host:Well, Cami, how you doing?
Host:Welcome to the podcast today.
Cami Red:I'm good.
Cami Red:Thank you for having me.
Cami Red:It's an honor, so I appreciate it.
Host:Yeah.
Host:And.
Host:And I love how you spell your last name.
Host:Reminds me of the famous Red Fox.
Host:Were you lured to Red Fox?
Cami Red:No, I'm not related to him.
Cami Red:I believe that was his first name.
Cami Red:This one is my last.
Host:That would make a difference, too.
Host:I don't know what I was thinking, but, you know, it's early in the morning and my brain hasn't really totally kicked in yet.
Host:I just saw red and thought red Fox, though.
Host:So now that we got that off to a great and swimming start, let me ask you my favorite question.
Host:What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Cami Red:To be myself.
Host:I like that.
Cami Red:Yeah, to be myself.
Cami Red:And it took me almost.
Cami Red:I'll be 45 next year.
Cami Red:It took me 45 years to literally accept and understand what that meant.
Host:It is hard because we're.
Host:We're not told or taught to be ourselves.
Host:We're taught to put on airs or try to impress people.
Host:So sometimes you got to pick through all the different pieces of layers of who we think we are to get to the real us.
Host:And then as you get older, you just care less and you tell people honestly who you are.
Cami Red:Yeah, that's what my.
Cami Red:A few of my friends and I were talking about.
Cami Red:They were like, you know, after you reach a certain age, it just doesn't matter.
Cami Red:And you're like, hey, you know, this is who I am.
Cami Red:Accept me as I am, or don't accept me at all.
Cami Red:Either way, I don't really care.
Host:Life goes on, whether you like me or not.
Host:So I'm curious.
Host:You.
Host:You have a lot going on in your life.
Host:You've written several books.
Host:You're an accomplished author.
Host:Who are some people in your life who serve to inspire you or maybe be a mentor for you along your journey?
Cami Red:Okay, so let me.
Cami Red:Let me just Say that this list is long, so if anybody is listening and I leave out your name, just charge it to my head, not my heart.
Cami Red:I'm getting older, and I forget sometimes because, you know, people touch you in your teens, they touch in your 20s, they touch in your 30s.
Cami Red:And I've.
Cami Red:I've been inspired even in my 40s.
Cami Red:But I'm going to say some mainstays that have touched every aspect or every area of my life would probably be my grandmothers.
Cami Red:Both of them.
Cami Red:Both of my grandmothers were hardworking women.
Cami Red:One had 11 children, the other one had 10.
Cami Red:So I come from very big families.
Cami Red:Both of my grandmothers are college educated.
Cami Red:They worked.
Cami Red:They.
Cami Red:One of them owned her own bakery and business.
Cami Red:So everything I do and learned have come from them.
Cami Red:I.
Cami Red:Even when I talk about me being a chef for 20 years, I usually tell people that my grandmothers were my first culinary instructors.
Cami Red:So, yeah, my grandmother's taught me everything.
Cami Red:How to sew, how to garden, how to do just about any and everything.
Host:So, yeah, that's amazing.
Host:So being someone who was a culinary expert, what is your favorite?
Host:This is one question that you did not get ahead of time.
Host:What is your favorite dish to make?
Cami Red:Okay, so listen, I'm a nutritionist.
Cami Red:Okay, so this not fair, because now you about to expose me to everybody.
Cami Red:But I always tell people I'm a nutritionist, but I'm human, too, so I have my.
Cami Red:My own little crumbs.
Cami Red:My grandmother's cheesecake.
Cami Red:That's actually my favorite dish to make and to make renditions of, but that's also my favorite thing to eat.
Cami Red:So every year for my birthday, my grandmother's 96 years old, but she still makes all of us birthday cakes.
Cami Red:So every year, she actually makes a cheesecake for me.
Host:Wow.
Host:So we are on the eve of Thanksgiving.
Host:What are you bringing as a Thanksgiving dinner?
Host:What's that Thanksgiving dinner look like at your house?
Cami Red:Okay, so it.
Cami Red:Each year is a different thing.
Cami Red:Okay, just gonna keep it 100 with you.
Cami Red:It just depends on the mood that I'm in and what I want to cook.
Cami Red:So this year we're doing some stuffed chickens, some stuffed Cornish hens.
Cami Red:Of course, we're gonna have a deep fried turkey.
Cami Red:Because we're Southern.
Cami Red:We are also going to have all of the regular trimmings, Green beans, sweet potatoes.
Cami Red:I'm making homemade mash potatoes.
Cami Red:I'm also doing stuffing or dressing in our culture dressing.
Cami Red:I'm making some collard greens.
Cami Red:Well, actually, mixed greens.
Cami Red:I'm doing collard mustard and kale.
Cami Red:All Together.
Cami Red:So, yeah, everything you can think of.
Host:All right, see, now I gotta ask is, I heard this question asked of another famous black woman.
Host:How do you make your collard greens?
Cami Red:So let me just.
Cami Red:First, we start with the cleaning process.
Cami Red:Okay, we start with the cleaning process.
Cami Red:And I'm gonna be honest with you.
Cami Red:It depends on who I'm cooking for.
Cami Red:Because when I cook for my grandmama, I'm not allowed to use smoked turkey or chicken broth or any of that stuff.
Cami Red:When I cook for my grandmama, my grandma made me throw a ham hock over in my collard greens.
Cami Red:So again, it depends on who I'm cooking for, because she 95 years old, and I'm gonna do everything she tells me to do when she tells me to do it.
Cami Red:So in her greens, I will put a ham hock, a serrano pepper, a little bit of vinegar, and all the seasonings that you like.
Cami Red:I do garlic, I do onion, I do paprika.
Cami Red:I do all of that in.
Cami Red:In her greens.
Cami Red:In other people's grains who are living more of a healthier lifestyle, I will do not.
Cami Red:I will do smoked turkey sometimes, but most of the time, I start my base with a chicken broth, which is one of the things I often teach in nutrition, is if you cook with flavor, you don't have to add as much salt.
Cami Red:So I start my base with the chicken broth, and if I'm doing smoked turkey, I throw that over in there.
Cami Red:I season my base, of course, again, onion, garlic, and in.
Cami Red:In other people's greens, I don't put serrano peppers.
Cami Red:I may put a little small.
Cami Red:Couple of small chilies, because my grandmama likes some spicy greens.
Cami Red:Okay.
Cami Red:So, you know, like, I can't take her greens sometimes because she like it spices, she like it with vinegar, and she like it with ham hocks.
Cami Red:So if I'm cooking for my grandmama, that's different.
Cami Red:But if I'm cooking for other people, it's more on the healthier side, especially when I'm doing mixed greens, like with kale, mustard greens, collard greens.
Cami Red:All of that I definitely throw over in some red onion, and I might jazz it up a little bit sometimes and put some red pepper in it.
Cami Red:It just depends on who I'm cooking for.
Cami Red:Once again.
Host:So, yeah, there you go.
Host:Now ask all those questions.
Host:Get around to this question, which was tell us about your journey of becoming a registered dietitian and nutritionist.
Host:What made you pursue that path?
Cami Red:I'm a breast cancer survivor, and I have been a chef for 20 something years.
Cami Red:When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34, one of the things, I'm a nerd and I'm a researcher, so I'm always trying to find out new things, new information.
Cami Red:And when I was going through that, one of the things that terrified me was finding out that women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at that age rarely survive.
Cami Red:And it's for several reasons.
Cami Red:It's due to health care, and it's also due to the type of medications and the type of services or the types of healing services that they go through.
Cami Red:Which is why you'll find nowadays a lot more people tend to lean more towards nutrition and holistic things versus going straight to chemo.
Cami Red:Chemo can be very damaging for your body and for your system.
Cami Red:And I'm not, I'm not an advocate against it or for it.
Cami Red:I actually had chemo.
Cami Red:But in my particular case, because I'd done so much research, I challenged my doctors with a lot of things.
Cami Red:And when I finished my chemo and radiation treatments, my doctors actually wrote my recommendation letters for me to become.
Cami Red:To go to school for nutritional science.
Host:Wow.
Cami Red:And I again, I'd already been a chef for 20 something years, so now it wasn't about what I was feeding people, it was about what I was feeding people and how it would help their health journey as well.
Host:That's awesome.
Host:So you have a book, 30 pounds in 30 days Weight management program.
Host:Tell us about that.
Cami Red:Okay, so listen, it's funny that you ask about that because this is my last year of doing nutrition one on one.
Cami Red:And even the book, it goes along with an online program and it's a journal that talks about how to manage your weight.
Cami Red:But it's not just talking about the physical weight, it's talking about the mental and emotional weight as well.
Cami Red:So now we're taking the online program down from my website and we're going to expand the book and journal so it'll actually be coming out in January, a new edition of it where it will have the meal plans inside of the book.
Cami Red:It'll go a little bit more in depth on day to day things that you should be doing to not only release yourself from physical weight, but release yourself from, from emotional and mental struggles as well.
Cami Red:So a lot of what I, I teach is based off of emotional eating.
Cami Red:And a lot of times emotional eating diseases are derived from emotional eating.
Cami Red:What I often tell people is, listen, you go to the doctor, your doctor tells you that diabetes and high blood pressure and all of that stuff are genetic diseases.
Cami Red:They're not genetic diseases, they're actually genetic behaviors.
Cami Red:And what I mean by that is your grandmother taught your mother how to eat.
Cami Red:And if your grandmother had diabetes, she passed those same eating behaviors and traits down to your mother.
Cami Red:Your mother now has diabetes, and it wasn't like she had type 1 diabetes, something she was born with.
Cami Red:It was developed over time.
Cami Red:So it had to do with her eating habits, her behaviors and things of that nature.
Cami Red:So if your mother had those same habits and your mother taught you how to eat, what is going to happen to you?
Host:Exactly.
Host:Same thing.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Cami Red:So in my book £30 in 30 days, we talk about how to unlearn some of those eating habits, how to look at some of your emotional triggers and trauma, how to overcome some of that so that it'll stop affecting your physical being.
Host:So I hear a lot about emotional eating and those kind of things.
Host:So what are some of the challenges people face when they're trying to deal with that emotional connection, what they're eating.
Cami Red:So a lot of us see emotional eating comes in two ways.
Cami Red:When you think of emotional eating, quite a few of us think of overeating or eating.
Cami Red:So there is no end.
Cami Red:But another form of emotional eating is not eating.
Cami Red:Those of us who have high stress jobs.
Cami Red:You go through your day to day without eating properly throughout the day, not realizing that your choice not to eat a meal is emotionally based.
Cami Red:So what people really face is staying healthy.
Cami Red:One way or another, something from their childhood may trigger an emotion that may cause you to not want to eat.
Cami Red:So maybe you were a chubby child and somebody said something to you that you don't really think about it, but it actually sits in your subconscious.
Cami Red:So as you're eating certain things, you, you may not eat as much or may not eat as healthy as you should.
Cami Red:A lot of people think it's okay to skip a meal.
Cami Red:And if you're practicing intermittent fasting, there is a way to do that and still remain healthy.
Cami Red:But if you're just skipping meals just to skip meals, then that's, that's something that you've got going on internally.
Cami Red:And you've got to look at why you're doing that, because we should all eating at least five to six small meals daily.
Cami Red:So if you're surviving off coffee and sugar and things like that, ask yourself why is that Your go to.
Cami Red:A lot of women my age are now embarking upon menopause, and when you're going through that, your hormones are actually dictating what it is that you crave.
Cami Red:And at my Age.
Cami Red:We crave a lot of sugar.
Cami Red:We crave a lot of salty foods.
Cami Red:So we're eating emotionally without even knowing that it's emotional eating.
Host:So you're telling me it's bad to not eat all day and have one big giant meal at the end of the day?
Host:That's.
Host:That's a bad idea.
Cami Red:That's a very bad idea.
Cami Red:Watch this.
Cami Red:Let.
Cami Red:I'm gonna give it to you in real terms.
Cami Red:Would you drive your car all day without gas and then at the end of the day, fill it up with gas?
Host:Not typically, but it does make life more exciting.
Cami Red:Okay.
Host:Yeah.
Cami Red:All right, let's see.
Cami Red:Let's see how.
Cami Red:How excited you are when that car break down on the side of the road.
Cami Red:Okay.
Cami Red:How excited you're gonna be to get out there and hit like a call or Uber to come take you up the street to the gas station to get some gas that you should have put in your car that morning.
Host:Okay.
Host:Well, you did.
Host:You know, you're ruin all the fun of that now.
Host:See you all these.
Host:All these practical tips are really helpful, no?
Host:So you have another book too, called Dear Black Woman and addresses important issues.
Host:What motivated you to write this book?
Host:And what message do you hope readers take away from that?
Cami Red:So Dear Black Woman is a compilation of love letters that I wrote to initially myself.
Cami Red:I had gone through a really traumatic relationship, and not just one.
Cami Red:I'm going to be honest with you.
Cami Red:After going through therapy, I realized that it was quite a few, but this one really, really did something in me and broke me.
Cami Red:But I think what it did was it brought all of those emotions up to the surface.
Cami Red:My therapist had to really work with me.
Cami Red:So this book was actually a therapy assignment that I wrote.
Cami Red:They were love letters that I initially wrote to myself about who I am, what I am, my worth, my value, things that I deem important aren't.
Cami Red:Aren't really important.
Cami Red:And I had to take stake in that and say, okay, those things that I think are important aren't important.
Cami Red:These are the things that are important.
Cami Red:So from Dear Black Woman, I'm hoping that women will find just a letter within that book that resonates with them, that will help them move forward in life as well.
Cami Red:A lot of what I teach about is thriving after you've been through a traumatic experience, whether that is in an emotional way, in a physical way, in a mental way, any of that.
Cami Red:And this, the book Dear Black Woman, the podcast Dear Black Woman, and now the magazine Dear Black Woman, all just add to what black women face On a regular basis, not just here in the United States, but globally.
Host:What would you say?
Host:Because that's an interesting topic.
Host:What would you say are some of the biggest challenges Black women face today that maybe we scared.
Cami Red:Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, finish your question.
Host:No, because I'm curious that, you know, we, we.
Host:That's kind of like the million dollar question is, you know, what are black women thinking?
Host:What are their struggles?
Host:How do we relate?
Host:You know?
Host:So I'm just kind of curious, kind of some of the things you've discovered from doing this work.
Cami Red:Stereotypes.
Cami Red:It's all the stereotypes that everybody puts on us.
Cami Red:All the labels and masks that we wear, all of the things that we are told we're supposed to do.
Cami Red:The very first lesson in my book, and I hope there's a black woman out here or just a woman or anybody who hears this perfection ain't real.
Cami Red:Like trying to live this perfect life, trying to be the perfect person, trying to show up in a perfect way.
Cami Red:There is no such thing as that.
Cami Red:And you will kill yourself trying to make it happen.
Cami Red:You lose out on opportunities, waiting for the perfect time when if you're smart, you'll just do it, get started, do it.
Cami Red:Don't be shy about it.
Cami Red:Just step out in the world as your authentic self and just be.
Cami Red:A lot of things that we face are mental.
Cami Red:Mental wellness issues.
Cami Red:A lot of black women suppress their feelings.
Cami Red:They suppress, you know, they don't want to show up as the angry black woman.
Cami Red:They don't want to show up as emotional.
Cami Red:We show up as the strong black woman, the nurturer, all of that.
Cami Red:The person that's going to take care of everything, and it's time to do away with that.
Cami Red:Not saying that you.
Cami Red:You can't do that or you can't show up as a strong, nurturing person, but you don't have to take care of everything, and you don't have to do everything.
Cami Red:You just got to make sure you take care of yourself.
Cami Red:Because if you're trying to pour into others, you also can't pour from an empty cup.
Host:That's very true.
Host:As you do this work, especially in this particular area of your life, what are some of the things you've heard back in terms of feedback from black women going on this journey with you?
Cami Red:Yeah, it's.
Cami Red:It's been a little mixed journey, and I'm gonna be honest with you, but that's because I also.
Cami Red:We.
Cami Red:We deal with black women globally.
Cami Red:Here in the United States, we get a warm reception because we.
Cami Red:Oh, of Course.
Cami Red:No, I understand what they mean when they say freedom.
Cami Red:We may not have freedoms, but we have a free state of mind, if that makes sense.
Cami Red:Meaning that you have the ability to think, feel, and say whatever it is that you want without repercussion.
Cami Red:And even though right now, in the climate of today's society, black women are the bottom of the totem pole, we still are last in line for everything, the last thought about when it comes to anything.
Cami Red:So what I get a lot of feedback on is thank you for creating this space for black women.
Cami Red:Thank you for creating a space that focuses on, you know, not just us with fashion and beauty and things of that nature, but focus focuses on global events, focuses on policy change, focuses on mental health.
Cami Red:Because we talk a lot about that.
Cami Red:We talk about career empowerment, education, we talk about politics and policies, not just here in the United States, but all over the world.
Cami Red:I have a project that I'm currently working on with black women.
Cami Red:And when I say I think I have representation from at least one black woman on every continent right now, I have a black lady in Australia, one in Brazil, one in Trinidad, one in the Netherlands.
Cami Red:Of course, I told you earlier about my co host, one being in Paris and the other one being in London.
Cami Red:I have a wealth of black women here in the United States that we work with as well.
Cami Red:So we are not.
Cami Red:And in Africa, now, don't get me twisted, we got a couple of women in Africa that we work with, north, the south and in the middle.
Cami Red:So for us, it's about collaborating, working together to find a common ground.
Cami Red:And we all have commonalities.
Cami Red:We all deal with the same things, no matter where we're located and working to get those issues taken care of for our own benefit and so that we can be a benefit to others as well.
Host:So if I made you queen for a day, that you could solve some of the bigger problems that you're discussing, what would it.
Host:What would be the things you would be tackling?
Cami Red:Oh, let me see.
Cami Red:It would be.
Cami Red:I'm a boy, mom, and I'm actually researching and working on a project right now with young men.
Cami Red:So one of the things that I would tackle is mental health in men, especially black men.
Cami Red:And that's not just black men here in the United States.
Cami Red:It's all over the world.
Cami Red:What I've learned lately and also enjoying my research is that there's been an epidemic of young black men that are committing suicide.
Cami Red:And there's not a lot of research on that, and there are not a lot of places where you know, young men can go talk about their emotional and get emotional support.
Cami Red:So that's one of the things that I would tackle.
Cami Red:Another thing that I would tackle would most likely be the education system.
Cami Red:And I know I sound like a policy, a what you call a politician when I say this stuff, but these are things that, you know, I'm a mom, so I think about stuff like this.
Cami Red:It'll be, it would be what is being taught to kids in school.
Cami Red: as opposed to trying to cram: Cami Red:And another thing, probably nutrition.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Cami Red:Especially here in the United States, it would be to change our food systems, to change what is accepted and what people, you know, what big government says is okay for people, for companies to feed us.
Cami Red:That'd be something that I change as well.
Cami Red:So those are the top three things.
Cami Red:And I know you thought it was gonna have something to do with black women, but believe it or not, everything I named has something to do with black women.
Host:No, I didn't think that.
Host:I don't see, I didn't want to, I didn't want to pigeonhole you.
Host:I don't want to stereotype you that you were going to go there.
Host:I left it open for you to interpret.
Host:See, I had to throw some questions at you that you were not expecting.
Cami Red:So listen, I'm still prepared.
Host:I know I'm definitely impress.
Host:So what is a.
Host:What are some practical tips that you could share with individuals to help them who are looking to adopt a more mindful and sustainable lifestyle?
Host:We talk a little bit about, you know, it's, it's not just the food.
Host:I mean it's not just about a diet.
Host:It's about a whole lifestyle change.
Host:So what are some tips to.
Host:To have a more sustainable, more mindful.
Cami Red:Lifestyle, to create balance in your life.
Cami Red:Think of your life like a table table.
Cami Red:And there are various dimensions of wellness.
Cami Red:You have your financial wellness, your spiritual wellness, your social wellness, your cultural wellness, your physical wellness, your emotional wellness, your mental wellness.
Cami Red:There are various aspects when it comes to wellness.
Cami Red:If one of those, like if you had a four leg table and one of the legs of those tables were shorter than the other, that would create a, a ripple effect and your table wouldn't stand still and it wouldn't be balanced.
Cami Red:So you have to look at your life like it's a table and you have to find balance in all of Those areas, our mental wellness contributes to our financial wellness.
Cami Red:Our financial wellness contributes to our spiritual wellness.
Cami Red:Our spiritual wellness contributes to our emotional wellness.
Cami Red:Our emotional wellness contributes to our physical wellness.
Cami Red:All of those things tie into each other.
Cami Red:So once you come to that understanding and once you acknowledge and look at the places that you really need to create more of a schedule or more of something to do in those areas, then you'll find balance everywhere.
Cami Red:So, like, if you get up in the morning and you pray or meditate or hold Bible study or, you know, whatever you may call it, or whatever your belief system is, do that on a regular basis, every morning, at night, before you go to sleep, journal, write things down, get it out of your head so that you're not toiling over it.
Cami Red:Because rest is very big for all of your areas of wellness.
Cami Red:If you are holding on to different emotions or different things that have traumatized you or have caused a rift in your life, acknowledge those things.
Cami Red:Deal with those things so that you can move forward in life in a positive way.
Cami Red:Those are very easy to do.
Cami Red:Now when it comes to eating, eat more sustainable.
Cami Red:Eat seasonal foods.
Cami Red:Eat foods that are in season.
Cami Red:Eat things that are healthy for your body.
Cami Red:Eat whole foods.
Cami Red:That's not foods that are just.
Cami Red:That's canned, jarred, or in boxes, but real food.
Cami Red:And I know that sounds easier said than done, but if you do like I do, I batch cook every Sunday.
Cami Red:And that's where I cook probably about four different meals.
Cami Red:And I meal prep.
Cami Red:So throughout the week, I'm always having something to eat.
Cami Red:I have snacks where I end.
Cami Red:I put my snacks in individual bags.
Cami Red:You know, just little things.
Cami Red:I pay attention.
Cami Red:And if you're over the age of 40 and you're female, start eating so that you're eating for hormone health.
Cami Red:Eating in a way that is not going to disrupt your hormones, but also help you because your hormones affect your mental status, they affect your emotional status, they affect all of that.
Cami Red:So those are just some really simple things that you can put in place.
Cami Red:I.
Cami Red:I am a firm believer that if you find balance in every dimension of wellness, that your life will be completely.
Host:So this all sounds fabulous.
Host:It really does.
Host:But I.
Host:No, I'm not big sarcastic, it sounds that way.
Host:But I'm curious because, you know, people hear this go, this sounds really good.
Host:Can you share a story of someone you really helped to achieve some of these goals you're talking about?
Cami Red:Yeah, I got clients and I got videos on my YouTube page too of my clients where I've interviewed clients.
Cami Red:I have a Client that lives in South Carolina.
Cami Red:She's been a client of mine off and on for probably about seven years now.
Cami Red:The first, first time she came to me, she came to me because she wanted to lose weight in regards so she could have a breast reduction.
Cami Red:Well, we got there and we got to that point, but this was early in my nutrition years and I wasn't really picking up on the signs of things that happen with emotional eating.
Cami Red:And we got to that point and then she called me back about a year later and she said that it wasn't her or her doctor, it was her pastor who had said something to her about her eating habits and about her gaining all of the weight back and she wanted to work with me again.
Cami Red:And I'm going to be honest with you, I refused her.
Cami Red:I did.
Cami Red:Because what I told her was, I've given you all the tools.
Cami Red:You have the meal plans for six months.
Cami Red:You have all of this.
Cami Red:What you.
Cami Red:I said, what do you need from me?
Cami Red:And she said, I need someone to hold my hand.
Cami Red:And I said, okay, I got it.
Cami Red:I understand what you're saying.
Cami Red:You need somebody to talk to, somebody to bounce some things off of.
Cami Red:That's actually where my 30 pounds in 30 days program was developed from me learning how to communicate and how to talk to my nutrition clients in a way that was effective for them both physically, emotionally and mentally.
Host:See, that was a setup question.
Host:It really wasn't a setup question.
Cami Red:Listen, I told you I'm ready for any question you throw at me.
Cami Red:You know I'm ready.
Cami Red:That's why I was like, let's go.
Cami Red:You can find you the new questions.
Cami Red:They don't have to be the ones you sent me.
Cami Red:I'm gonna, I'm gonna be prepared either way.
Host:Okay, now see, you've given up my secret.
Host:People now know who listen to podcasts that I send out pre recorded questions.
Host:If you really think that all this.
Cami Red:Is not organic, they finding out today that you didn't answer none of them pre recorded questions.
Cami Red:So you can send them out.
Cami Red:They don't necessarily mean that you gonna follow them.
Cami Red:Okay, this is true.
Host:This is very true.
Host:It is a warning.
Host:If you come on the podcast, you may get a set of questions.
Host:We may or may not follow them.
Host:I am curious as you think about where you're, where you are now in your journey.
Host:What are your future goals and projects you're working on?
Cami Red:I'm moving out of the United States in February.
Host:Where you going?
Cami Red:I'm moving to Da Nang.
Cami Red:Vietnam?
Cami Red:Yeah, I am.
Host:You don't look Vietnamese.
Cami Red:I'm not Vietnamese.
Cami Red:I'm black.
Cami Red:Listen, I am a black American, okay?
Cami Red:No, I am actually, I teach about, like I told you earlier, thriving after trauma.
Cami Red:So instead of just teaching about it, I want to be able to show my clients what that looks like.
Cami Red:I am.
Cami Red:I'll be 45 next year.
Cami Red:My son is 25 years old, so I'm not married.
Cami Red:And I.
Cami Red:I have a desire to travel and see the world and immerse myself in.
Cami Red:In other cultures.
Cami Red:I've been a chef, like I told you, for over 30 now, so I've always wanted to go on a foodie tour.
Cami Red:But I've always been enamored with Asian culture.
Cami Red:I did a lot of research about Vietnam.
Cami Red:I did a lot of research about the city that I'm moving to.
Cami Red:So I.
Cami Red:Like I told you, I have my 30 pounds in 30 days program.
Cami Red:It's coming out in book form now, so that'll be out in January.
Cami Red:I have so much going on with the Dear Black Woman brand.
Cami Red:We have a podcast, we now have a magazine, we have a book.
Cami Red:And I'm working on a book anthology for Dear Black Woman as well, where I have about 20 women telling their stories to other women and actually writing a letter to their inner child to heal themselves from some of the wounds that they're dealing with.
Cami Red:But I will be hosting individual and couple retreats, streets in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Cami Red:All of that is already in place and it will be popping up on my website very soon.
Cami Red:But I leave here, America, on February 1st.
Host:Wow.
Host:So are you starting another podcast now, Dear Asian Woman, for.
Host:Because if you're going to be in Vietnam, you got to kind of include.
Cami Red:No, no.
Host:Okay.
Host:I just.
Host:I just give you somebody.
Cami Red:See, you just.
Cami Red:You just want to be difficult right now.
Cami Red:But.
Cami Red:No, I just told you, like my.
Cami Red:My co host for Dear Black Woman.
Cami Red:One is in Paris and one is in London there.
Cami Red:So Dear Black Woman is already a global mag, a global podcast, and a global magazine.
Cami Red:So for me, you know, it just adds to it that now I'mma be in Vietnam.
Cami Red:So now I get to talk about the black woman experience of being in Vietnam.
Host:Yeah, I gotta check out this podcast.
Host:When you get to Vietnam, I'll be really curious to find out what you learned.
Host:Yeah, no, I think.
Host:I think it's fascinating, you know, to learn other cultures.
Host:I do a lot of that in my work now when I work with a lot of congregations, we have a lot of people coming to our.
Host:To our country who are not from our.
Host:Our native America.
Host:And so I've had to learn and adapt to listening a lot, to.
Host:To engage a lot of conversation, ask a lot of questions, to learn about different cultures.
Cami Red:Different cultures.
Host:And it's fascinating things you learn.
Cami Red:It is.
Cami Red:What's crazy is even up under the.
Cami Red:The black culture, and I say black because when.
Cami Red:When I think of it, I.
Cami Red:You could be a black Caribbean, a black African.
Cami Red:You could be any of those things.
Cami Red:So even up under the black culture umbrella, there are so many other subcultures and so many things that we, you know, we don't.
Cami Red:As Americans, we don't even know about.
Cami Red:So it's been a learning experience for me.
Cami Red:That's why I say I am enjoying this.
Cami Red:This path that God has decided to put me on.
Cami Red:Because when I moved back home to Atlanta, I'm gonna be honest with you, I thought I was coming back home as a chef and nutritionist.
Cami Red:I didn't know that I was going to be this major author who's doing all of this major stuff with the publishing company.
Cami Red:I have my own virtual assistant company as well.
Cami Red:So I've just been blossoming in so many ways that I didn't imagine I would be able to be do so.
Cami Red:And it all set me up so that I could go out here and adventure and move around and show people what it's like to literally thrive in life and not just be surviving.
Host:I love that.
Host:So that brings me to my favorite question.
Host:Ask my guests.
Host:What do you want your legacy to be?
Cami Red:You know, I think about that often.
Cami Red:And for me, I know a lot of people think about what it is that they can pass on to the world that's not mine.
Cami Red:Mine is.
Cami Red:Is what I can pass on to my child and to make sure that my son is okay in this world.
Cami Red:So, you know, those are the things that I want.
Cami Red:I.
Cami Red:I sort of want to focus on not so much.
Cami Red:So leave a message for the entire world.
Cami Red:But if I was going to leave a message for the entire world, it'd be, you know, just love each other, be there for each other, and stop being judgmental of others.
Cami Red:Meaning that just because we may not have the same religious, political, or, you know, life beliefs, that doesn't mean I can't find the beauty in you.
Cami Red:But for me, it's literally about making sure my son is good in this world.
Host:I love that.
Host:So what key takeaways you want to leave with the audience?
Host:From our conversation today that kind of ventured off of our typical questions.
Cami Red:You don't have to do everything that you plan no yeah.
Cami Red:Life will still take you on a journey.
Cami Red:Even if you plan it, it's okay not to do everything you plan.
Host:I love that working listeners find your books and connect with you.
Host:On social media, I am everywhere.
Cami Red:And when I mean everywhere, I mean everywhere.
Cami Red:I am on Tick Tock.
Cami Red:I am on Instagram, I am on Facebook, I am on X, I am on threads.
Cami Red:I am on LinkedIn.
Cami Red:I mean, just Google me.
Cami Red:You'll find me.
Cami Red:Trust me.
Cami Red:I had to Google myself for therapy and I was like, what?
Cami Red:Kimmy, you did all of this?
Cami Red:All right, yeah.
Cami Red:But no.
Cami Red:On Tick Tock, I am Kami Red.
Cami Red:On Instagram and Facebook, I am Cami Red.
Cami Red:The number four and the word life.
Cami Red:So Cammy Red for life.
Cami Red:You can go to my website and I have three websites, just so you know.
Cami Red:So I'm gonna give them all to you for wellness.
Cami Red:Service is Cammy red dot com.
Cami Red:If you're interested in publishing a book or working with me as an author coach, or looking for virtual assistant services, you can go to my website, which is Red ladies.
Cami Red:And that's spelled R E D D L, A D Y S.
Cami Red:And that stands for refined, empowered, dedicated and determined to love and desire yourself.
Cami Red:So, boom.
Host:That's a mouthful.
Cami Red:Yes, but it's redladies.com.
Cami Red:and if you're looking for more information on Dear Black Woman, you can to Dear Black Woman Me.
Cami Red:So that's Dear Black Woman Me.
Cami Red:And that is our digital platform.
Cami Red:Like I stated, we also have a print magazine.
Cami Red:Our digital platform for Dear Black Woman is translated into six different languages.
Cami Red:Our print magazine is printed in English, French, and Spanish.
Cami Red:So if you'd like a subscription, you just go to the home tab, do the drop down, and you'll see the information for pricing and plans.
Cami Red:And we have pretty reasonable prices and plans and shop with the US as well.
Cami Red:For Black Friday, you can get our books, our journals, our coloring books, as well as some Dear Black Woman merch.
Host:You mean for Black Woman Friday?
Cami Red:That's right.
Host:So when I get done with my book I'm writing, I can just contact you and publish my book for me.
Cami Red:Absolutely.
Cami Red:That's actually what I do.
Host:Cool.
Cami Red:Majority of the time, actually, I'm writing.
Host:A book, so I'm not just joking on that part.
Cami Red:I know.
Cami Red:And I wasn't joking either when I said yes.
Cami Red:Like, no, I'm not joking now.
Cami Red:I'm gonna put you down on my list.
Cami Red:I'll be following up with you in about two to three weeks, saying, hey, you remember what you said when we was on Your podcast.
Host:That's right.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Host:Kami, thanks so much for coming on and just providing a great conversation.
Host:Blessings on what you do.
Host:Blessings on your move to Vietnam.
Cami Red:Thank you.
Cami Red:I appreciate that.
Cami Red:And you have to bring your congregation over to visit me.
Cami Red:It's not like, is super expensive.
Cami Red:The most expensive part of the trip is the plane ticket, so.
Host:Yeah, well, that's a.
Host:That's a big part of the trip, though, is a plane.
Host:Yeah.
Cami Red:But listen, the pl.
Cami Red:The funny part is the plane just gets you there, and then you don't see the plane again for another six to seven days, and you'll be like, oh, my God, I spent so much on the plane ticket.
Cami Red:But I spent.
Cami Red:I didn't spend hardly as much just on eating and, you know, doing excursions and all of that.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Host:Oh, cool.
Host:I have to keep that in mind.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Cami Red:Vietnam is pretty reasonable.
Cami Red:Very reasonable.
Cami Red:More reasonable than it makes me want to say.
Cami Red:What are we doing here in the United States?
Host:Keep that in mind when I retire and.
Cami Red:Yeah.
Host:In five years.
Host:Well, Kevin, blessings so much on what you.
Host:Thanks again for being on the show.
Cami Red:Thank you for having me.
Cami Red:I appreciate it.
Cami Red:It's been a pleasure.
