[00:00:00] Dr. Sherry Price: Nobody told me it takes time for your body to reach this new homeostasis. So the cravings are normal, natural, and should be there. I'm thinking they shouldn't be here. But it wasn't until somebody said, no, no, they're supposed to be there. Your body's just needing time to hit a new homeostasis and then they go away and having somebody tell me they're gonna go away, that felt magical.

[00:00:21] 'cause I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't even believe that they're gonna go away. You mean I'm not gonna have a five o'clock witching hour the rest of my life? And they're like, no. And I don't. I don't. Now,

[00:00:30] Jenn Trepeck: welcome to Salad with a side of fries. I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck, talking wellness and weight loss for real life.

[00:00:37] We're here to clear up the myth, misinformation, bad science, and marketing to teach you how to eat and how to cheat. Are you ready? I'm having salad with a side of fries. Hey friend. Welcome back to Salad with a side of fries. I'm Jenn Trepeck, your host and health coach here with you every week for wellness without the weirdness, and it's the third week of January.

[00:00:58] So I think [00:01:00] it's possible that your resolution has maybe already followed by the wayside. Statistically, that's pretty likely. It's also possible that kind of, just because of the way the weeks fell this year that maybe you're just finding no, just, but you're getting into the rhythm of the new year and kind of figuring out what your health plan.

[00:01:22] Is going to look like in 2026, and specifically we wanna focus on the plan that's going to carry us through this whole year and beyond. And so no matter which bucket you fall into, I think you're gonna love this conversation. So let me introduce you to our featured guest. She has her pharm d Advanced Practice Pharmacist, MBA Board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, and is an advanced pharmacist practitioner, certified life and weight loss coach and host of the Health Habits and Epic Living Podcast.

[00:01:57] Through her transformative, holistic programs, private coaching [00:02:00] and healing sessions, she has empowered thousands of women to break unhealthy habits, shed stubborn belly fat and reclaim their health. All while creating a life they truly love dedicated to helping women take charge of their health and wellbeing.

[00:02:13] She integrates lifestyle medicine, mindset shifts and sustainable habit change to foster lasting health and vitality. Sound familiar? Right. Prior to becoming a life coach, she co-founded RX Prep Inc. And exam preparation company that helped thousands of students each year become licensed pharmacists. She spent over a decade working as a clinical pharmacist in critical care, cardiology, academia.

[00:02:36] The pharmaceutical industry. She graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and completed residency programs at Duke University and Barnes Jewish Medical Center, a Pennsylvania native. She now lives in beautiful San Diego with her amazing husband and daughter. We now get to call her part of the salad with a side of fries family.

[00:02:53] Please help me welcome Dr. Sherry Price. Woo hoo. So excited to be here, Jen. Likewise, [00:03:00] welcome. And I feel like we should let everybody know this is certainly not our first chat, not even our second. So I've been a guest on Health Habits and Epic Living. We had a couple fantastic conversations over there. So most recently we talked about wellness made simple.

[00:03:16] Which aired December 10th. So for everybody listening, when you finish here, pop over to Health Habits and Epic Living. It's a fantastic podcast. Thank you.

[00:03:26] Dr. Sherry Price: Thank you. And it was so fun to interview you on my podcast and read your book. It's amazing. Oh, thank you.

[00:03:33] Jenn Trepeck: Well done. Thank you. And so I wanna start, we heard some of your story in introducing you, but I wanna start with the parts of your story that kind of lend themselves to the conversation that we're gonna focus on today.

[00:03:43] Really quick though, we have to tell our members what they're getting. So friends, join us in the Happy, healthy Hub. Being a member of the Hub is the next best thing to working with me As your health coach. You get a recipe each week delivered to your inbox. You get curated articles, additional discounts from me [00:04:00] and our partners interview episodes like this one in full video, including behind the scenes content.

[00:04:05] A community with the ability to post and comment on other people's posts, plus access to the 24 7. Ask me anything to target your specific questions or challenges. You can up upload other people's questions, see all the ones from the past, all that stuff. All of this, by the way, is yours for just $12 a month.

[00:04:21] You can prepay the whole year and get two months free. So your recipe this week is for cauliflower, popcorn. Now, full disclosure, it doesn't taste like popcorn still. I think it's delicious. And you're also getting 10% off my group coaching program. This cohort is beginning the beginning of February. So right around the corner in your email, we'll have the details for you to get in on this group cohort.

[00:04:50] If you ready, it's 10% off. So if you want this discount, if you want this recipe, if you want access to the hub. Be sure [00:05:00] you go to a salad with a side of fries.com/membership. From there, you click subscribe. Now, follow the prompts to enter your payment info. Create your login to access the hub and all your benefits.

[00:05:11] Remember, you're going to a salad with a side of fries.com/membership. This supports not only your health, but this show so we can keep doing this with you every week. Okay. Dr. Sherry, you're a pharmacist. Yes. You have extensive background in all of the things and in coaching, and you've helped so many people.

[00:05:30] In addition to pharmaceuticals, you also talk about perimenopause and hormones and habits. So how did all of this come together for you? Because I think you're crossing two lanes that people often choose one or the other.

[00:05:46] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes. Yeah. Personal story, just being around the healthcare environment and practicing as hospital-based pharmacist for a number of years, and just seeing how our habits accumulate over time [00:06:00] and can land us in unhealthy places such as an ICU.

[00:06:04] I'm specifically speaking to my over-drinking, where it all started for me and. Just to give the listener a sense of what I mean by that. I really, truly didn't feel like an addict, meaning I didn't feel like I needed it when I woke up. I wouldn't drink on the job, right? These were just hard nos for me, drinking and driving.

[00:06:26] Generally, not maybe a few times, like maybe I went a little too much and should have called the Uber, but didn't. But really it was just the natural end of my day. Progression, you know, of like transitioning from work life to home life and it's fine. Maybe I thought with a glass, but that glass became two, became three on the weekends.

[00:06:47] Yeah. Let's stretch that a little bit more. So it was this habit, I would call it, it was felt like truly habits. Like five o'clock my body knew like, Hey, where's the alcohol? Or six o'clock, whatever time I got home. And. I'd call that my [00:07:00] witching hour. It's like, okay, I told myself I'm not gonna drink, but why am I feeling so pulled to drink right now?

[00:07:06] And seeing people, you know, in my past career as an ICU pharmacist, like I know where this can lead. I know the liver damage. I know the brain damage. I know it doesn't make me feel good as a person. I'm not mothering. I'm not proud of that, the way I'm showing up as a role model for my child. So for a while there it didn't bother me and then all of a sudden it started to bother me and it really started to bother me more and more, like especially the next day when you're like missing your workouts or you're not getting up on time, or you're needing that extra cup of coffee or two, it's like, I know better, but why aren't I doing better?

[00:07:40] And it was through my process of working through that, getting a coach, understanding, you know, how the brain works, how the mind works, how habits work, and also how to unwind habits. I think a lot of us, like we love James Clear book, atomic Habits. We love tiny habits. We love all the habits, but I found that there wasn't a lot out there on [00:08:00] undoing habits.

[00:08:00] Yeah. And really like that's a bit of a different process. So it's not just the direct opposite. Of instituting a habit. 'cause oftentimes that doesn't work. So it was really through my journey that I'm like, wow, if I am like this, and I honestly didn't feel like I wanted to quit, I didn't feel like I was severe enough for something like a 12 step program.

[00:08:22] I felt like my story would be like laughed at and I'm, I'm sure it wouldn't be. But you know, you have that judgment about yourself and how you're gonna be perceived by others. I also didn't feel safe sharing it. Because it's not necessarily anonymous when you see people face to face and they're like, Hey, there's my local pharmacist with the problem.

[00:08:39] Like that was a lot on the line for my reputation, my career, the degrees I worked so hard for, and I started helping people in the medical profession because I felt like a lot of them are gonna be trapped like me. We can't really talk about it elsewhere. There's too much on the line. Our reputation, our our degrees.

[00:08:56] So I, I wanted to go into this area and really [00:09:00] help others that were suffering in silence like myself.

[00:09:03] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah. There's a couple things that you shared in there that I think resonate with all of us, especially people who tune into podcasts like yours and mine. And one of the things that you said is, I know better.

[00:09:17] Why aren't I doing better? And we have the greatest intentions. We wake up, the plan is to do X, y, or Z, and then that witching hour, whatever time it is for whatever our thing is happens. And as we even think about a year, you know, we're still in January, but we are at that witching hour of January where that motivation wanes.

[00:09:40] Yes. So let's talk about that because I think somebody might be listening and sort of riding high and somebody else might be riding the struggle bus. And so either way, what do you really want people to know or do differently because motivation is so fickle.

[00:09:58] Dr. Sherry Price: Yeah, it [00:10:00] is so fickle, and I think, do I say our society?

[00:10:03] I don't know the books, the people we talk to, I'm not sure who puts it in our head to think that motivation is the answer. Right? I think it's great to use motivation when it shows up, but motivation isn't the answer. It's more like commitment. Like you might not be motivated to go to work, but you're committed.

[00:10:19] So you go to work, right? Like there's some things that you're really not motivated to do, but you do anyway. So I think this Pollyanna, I have to feel good about doing my workout. I have to feel good about drinking less or giving up alcohol or changing my relationship with alcohol. No, it's not about motivation and feeling good, and I think that's where a lot of us may feel that then.

[00:10:39] We go to the opposite, oh, I just have to use willpower. I just have to knock myself down. I just have to knock myself over the head. I just have to beat myself with this bat a couple of times. And then we go into like self-flagellation or, so we tend to go in the opposite direction. And I don't think that's where it's helpful.

[00:10:55] You know, it might do something once or twice, but then willpower is finite, [00:11:00] it runs out. It's more of like the commitment level. And I think it's really the commitment you make to yourself and some people. Have a hard time understanding how to do that for themselves, as did I, and that's why I got a coach, right?

[00:11:14] That's why I reached out to somebody who I'm like, okay. I reached out to somebody who had an overdrinking problem and solved it, and she was my same gender and that was important to me. So she had like the criteria I was looking for, and I'm like, okay, I need somebody like that to show me the way when I run out of motivation, when I want to rely on willpower, when I can't find.

[00:11:37] The commitment that I need. So I think that a lot of us put this toxic independence on ourselves. I talked about this on one of my podcasts, like, yeah, go get the degree. Like I did all these things on my own, right? So I had this toxic independence. I'll just cure this on my own, or I'll get through this on my own.

[00:11:54] But I wasn't, I was stuck for years trying to figure it out. And so it's like, okay, humble myself. Eat [00:12:00] some humble pie, right? Find out whose life I want to emulate and who's done this before, and have them help me if they're willing. And that to me was the magic sauce. And I also loved that my coach was about my same goal.

[00:12:15] The one thing I didn't like about 12 Steps is like they told me no alcohol and I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to hear that. I wasn't ready to go there. That was too scary to me. Like I had a lot of drinks per week to take that to like nothing. I mean, yeah, I did dry Januarys, I did the sober Octobers. I did those things and I proved it to myself.

[00:12:32] I could, but why didn't it stick? That was the problem, so I wanted it to stick and so I needed to learn from somebody who's been there and was supportive of my end goal, which wasn't to cut it out. It was just to drink less, and that's why I created the Drink Less lifestyle is to help others drink less and harm reduction.

[00:12:49] There's a lot of benefit to that and I think it's not served up that way. You know, if you decrease smoking two packs a day to half a pack a day, your lungs are [00:13:00] doing better. Right. Is it optimal? No. But you're doing much better. And so sometimes going smaller steps is easier for people. And that had to be my path because when I tried the other way, I failed every time.

[00:13:12] Jenn Trepeck: Same. I mean, there's so many similarities. My thing was the food versus the alcohol, and it was working with a coach and getting some information of like, what's the missing piece? Yes. 'cause I feel like I know a lot, and yet here I am. The other thing that you're talking about in this idea of going from however many packs a day to none or however many drinks to none.

[00:13:37] There's this perfectionism in there, and I'm certainly recovering perfectionist. I think a lot of us create a plan with this expectation that's maybe not so much based in reality, you know? And it makes me think. So last time you and I spoke, you said to me, never a perfect time, always a great time. And [00:14:00] I can imagine somebody sitting here going, well, we're already at January, whatever.

[00:14:05] Or you know, trying to figure out what is this gonna look like? So that 2026 is different. When you say never a perfect time, always a great time. What does that mean to you?

[00:14:19] Dr. Sherry Price: I'm with you. I had the perfect plans. I followed things to a T and I will say a lot of things came easy to me as a child. So when I struggled with something for, gosh, eight years before I really figured it out and really put the effort in to figure it out, like it's almost like humbling and disappointing, and you're mad at yourself and you're like, if I've done everything else right, why can't I figure this out?

[00:14:45] And so there's that element of perfectionism, like it needs to go the way I have it planned. And so there's. A part of you that's like, okay, if it's not gonna go perfectly right, if it's not the perfect plan, if it's not the perfect time, then there's the great plan [00:15:00] or the great time, right? Like, stop shooting for perfectionism.

[00:15:04] Like, okay, alright, you were supposed to have, what, three drinks a week and you had six. That's still way better than where you were last month, which is, you know, at 20 something or whatever, right? So I, I like to think of it as. A progression that's not perfection. Yeah. Because we tend to get hard on ourselves.

[00:15:23] We're the hardest on ourselves than anybody, especially if you're a high achieving woman. You know, man too. Right. High achieving people. I think we're so high achieving, 'cause many reasons. We're driven. We've got a lot of great qualities of a lot of great talents, a lot of great ideas, but it could be where we don't have enough grace and mercy for ourselves.

[00:15:41] So that's why I don't want perfectionism to be the enemy of great or good. Yeah, that

[00:15:48] Jenn Trepeck: progress. And it's interesting 'cause as you're saying this, I'm thinking about how. We can sit here and still be frustrated, you know? Yes. Or still [00:16:00] think about this. So how do we reconcile that? Like how do we say, okay, intellectually, I understand that progress is there.

[00:16:08] Mm. And especially working with a coach, this is one of the things that I do with people every single week is point out the progress that they're sort of denying. Acknowledging, yeah. How do we help people do that? Because I think that's a difference maker for this year, for making this approach in whatever you do different.

[00:16:30] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes, yes. I think there's two things in that you become motivated by how you feel or you become driven by how you feel, right? So I didn't wanna use the word motivated, but I did. So I changed it to driven. So like if you're, let's just say outta money, you're really driven to find work. And then sometimes the pain needs to get bigger, or the frustration needs to get bigger, or the disappointment needs to get bigger for you to actually now consider more [00:17:00] possibilities, more jobs, different jobs.

[00:17:02] You get out of this tunnel vision of how something has to go, how something has to look. So when one is frustrated, I don't always find that to be a bad thing. I find that to be. Wow, that's, that could be a major driver on why you need to change this behavior. So that's first and foremost because I think a lot of us see frustration as like something we need to avoid and escape and get out of.

[00:17:22] But as a pharmacist, I'll tell you the reason why, like, you know, pain meds are in the top 10 is because you do something with your pain. If you have hypertension, you don't feel it. You're not going to the doctor to look to cure blood pressure problems if you don't feel it, but you look to the doctor if you have heartburn or any kind of pain, you're like, yes, I need to change this.

[00:17:41] 'cause it motivates you or drives you to change behavior. So I love pointing that out because then people are like, oh, I'm gonna make friends with this frustration because it's gonna help me go to where I wanna go. And then the second part, what you were saying is oftentimes yes, when we're in the negative motion, I would say [00:18:00] most people would describe frustration as a negative emotion.

[00:18:02] I don't always find it a negative emotion now because I've changed my relationship to my feelings. I just find it now more information. But really when you get in that space is like, oh, your brain will automatically want to tell and crap all over you, and you will only want to see where you haven't been rather than, like you said, all the little things.

[00:18:22] That you've changed along the way and you know, it might be change the groceries you bring into the house or the stuff you fill up in the pantry and then you're frustrated 'cause there's like no sugar in the house or nothing to eat or whatever. You know, your favorite things are gone. But you can reframe that and say, but this is why.

[00:18:37] Now your body, just give it some time to adjust. Like nobody told me, it takes time for your body to reach this new homeostasis. So the cravings are normal, natural, and should be there. I'm thinking they shouldn't be here, but it wasn't until somebody said, no, no, they're supposed to be there. Your body's just needing time to hit a new homeostasis and then they go away and having somebody tell me [00:19:00] they're gonna go away, that felt magical.

[00:19:02] Because I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't even believe that they're gonna go away. You mean I'm not gonna have a five o'clock witching hour the rest of my life? And they're like, no. And I don't. I don't now like it's true. At first I was like, are you sure? Is that smoke and mirrors? You're selling me? But it's true.

[00:19:15] Jenn Trepeck: I remember saying to somebody over time, the craving tilt disappeared. And she just looked at me and she goes, you're wrong. And I was like, yeah, okay.

[00:19:25] Dr. Sherry Price: Okay. Yeah. Right, right. And I would tell my coach that too. Are you sure? Are you sure? Sure. I'm like feeling like I'm hanging on by nails here and you know, and it is true.

[00:19:36] Yeah, it is true. And that's also to give yourself that, I call it the messy middle. When you get started, everything feels romanticized beautiful. You've got this glimmering perfectionistic plan and how it's gonna go. You think you're gonna be motivated every day, or driven every day to do it. You're totally committed and you really don't think in a week or a month you're gonna feel differently, but.

[00:19:56] Life happens and you do. So then there's the messy middle [00:20:00] and having somebody to walk with you in that messy middle so you get to the other side. Wow. Game changer in how fast you get to the other side. Game changer in what you learn about yourself getting to the other side. 'cause there's gold in that messy middle too.

[00:20:14] I think people just wanna, that's where we

[00:20:16] Jenn Trepeck: learn.

[00:20:17] Dr. Sherry Price: Yeah. People would just wanna white knuckle it, put blinders on and just start running. Exactly. Can't be

[00:20:22] Jenn Trepeck: outta here like a bad dream. Right. I'm always more concerned about the person who gets from A to B in a straight line. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And doesn't how many steps exactly.

[00:20:32] That person hasn't learned. The things that allow us to keep going when life shows up.

[00:20:38] Dr. Sherry Price: Like going into a bar or a restaurant and always ordering a nice fancy cocktail with my food. And then not having to do that and not having to like berate the waiter who says, would you like a drink with that? And I'm like wanting to.

[00:20:53] Cut out his tongue, like, okay, I need a different response here. And ha wait, wait. My brain doesn't know how to respond [00:21:00] to the, no. So yeah, I'm over exaggerating slightly, but just to make a point that you just have to relearn certain behaviors and certain patterns and it just takes a bit of time and it just feels a bit wonky in the middle.

[00:21:11] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah. So taking this idea of the messy middle. Yeah. And the other thing that I wanna go back to that you said was you talked about, you found someone whose objective was the same as yours. Hmm. And I think that's critical. We've talked about this in a few episodes, but this idea that like we sort of assume that everybody has the same goal as us and then we're following their recommendations, but actually they're training for a marathon and I have no desire to run a marathon.

[00:21:36] Like yes. Yeah. So I wanna go through thinking through a handful. Of concepts or things that people might focus on this year, and then take this idea of the messy middle. What can we, for each of those help people maybe do more of or less of in each of those categories and so people can find their focus in this episode?

[00:21:58] Sound good? [00:22:00] Yes. Awesome. So we'll do that after we highlight our partner for this episode. It's a new year, and with it we're hearing from everyone about what we should in air quotes be doing. Every headline says something different. Every influencer has a new rule. Every friend has a thing they're doing or not doing, and somehow you're left wondering if you are the problem.

[00:22:22] Well, you are not. You've simply been given broken tools, and that's why I wrote Uncomplicated Wellness. Ditch the Rules. Quiet The Noise Reclaim Your Life. It's not another plan to follow. It's a guide to finally filter the noise and trust yourself again. The book is Science, sanity, and the Real Foundations of Feeling Your Best Without obsession, without guilt, and without burnout.

[00:22:44] If you've ever wished wellness could feel simple, this book is for you. Find Uncomplicating Wellness wherever books are sold, or text the word book BOOK to 8 3 3 8 0 1 0 5 0 0. To learn more with a clickable link, again, [00:23:00] text the word book, BOOK to 8 3 3 8 0 1 0 5, 0 0. Let's move from exhaustion to clarity, from fear to discernment, and from chasing healthy to truly feeling well on your own terms.

[00:23:14] Okay, Dr. Sherry, so like high level, a few things people might want to focus on or think about. Maybe we just list them and then go into each one. What are some of the top ones that come to you? The alcohol, I guess, from your story. For sure.

[00:23:29] Dr. Sherry Price: Yeah, and I think clarifying what, it doesn't have to be your end goal, but what is something you want to achieve along the way?

[00:23:37] Right? For me, saying zero drinks at the time I was looking to cut back just didn't even seem like fun, like I'd rather just die an alcoholic, or if that's where my life is headed, you know? But really just getting honest with yourself, radical honesty with yourself, and I think that's really helpful when you share it with somebody.

[00:23:57] It could be just privately with a coach. Especially if you [00:24:00] don't have a supportive home environment, you know you don't wanna share it and you know somebody throw mud at it, right? That's not gonna help your self-esteem. Plus, plus, this might feel like a time of vulnerability. It's vulnerable 'cause maybe you haven't been able to achieve it in the past.

[00:24:14] Maybe you've tried achieving it on your own and you haven't. So there could be some fear around that. There could be mixed emotions around it makes you happy, but makes you like scared 'cause you're now pushing yourself or stretching yourself. But I think it's really important to define for you what the next phase looks like.

[00:24:31] Maybe it's not the final phase, but just getting to that next phase is really gonna help anchor your commitment. And I think that's important is to start anchoring your commitment for you.

[00:24:41] Jenn Trepeck: I love that. And again, like that next phase might be a focus on sleep. Yeah. And might be a focus on hydration stress.

[00:24:51] Movement, the alcohol, whatever it is. And like I love the idea of also sharing it and being selective about who we share it with [00:25:00] because I also think there may be moments where we wanna do less of the sharing. Like not everybody has to know every single thing.

[00:25:08] Dr. Sherry Price: Yeah. Right. And people get really, I mean, I'm sure it's around food, but I have just a lot of experience of shame or like I'm gonna disappoint people if I cut back on drinking.

[00:25:20] 'cause I hung around with a bunch of people who drank. I mean, that was my. Seen. And so if they're expecting me to show up a certain way, 'cause I've been showing up a certain way for the past decade or more, and now I start showing up differently, you know, you wonder if you're gonna fit in, you're gonna belong if you're gonna bring up something in them, if you're gonna start to feel some heat or some judgment, or they're drink pushers somehow.

[00:25:43] You know, there's just all these thought processes that come up in your mind and I just think it's so helpful to talk through them with somebody. It's not like role playing. I'm not saying that. I think when people hear, talk through something like that, they think, oh, we're gonna say, how are you gonna explain this and you say this, [00:26:00] and no, it's not that.

[00:26:01] It's really getting out and getting clear with what's holding you back, what your fears might be, and how to look at those so they stop being barriers to your growth and your progression. A

[00:26:15] Jenn Trepeck: thousand

[00:26:15] Dr. Sherry Price: percent. Yeah. And not everybody's a great sounding board. Let's just say that A lot of people have their own opinions that they're gonna throw at you like, oh, I like this job.

[00:26:25] You shouldn't do that. You're not gonna be good at that. Right? You know, like, you, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Right? So you wanna get the right partner, right? Sounding board, right therapist, coach, somebody who can really allow you to explore that without judgment,

[00:26:40] Jenn Trepeck: for sure. And so let's say somebody, I'll start with the alcohol.

[00:26:44] Let's say somebody says, I'm doing dry January. I just had a client message me. I'm doing dry January. Well, what about after? Or maybe somebody's like, I'm not doing dry January. That sounds miserable and would not work for my life, or whatever. What could [00:27:00] we do more of and do less of to move in the direction of maybe less drinking, if that's the goal?

[00:27:07] Dr. Sherry Price: Yeah. Yes. I love this question so much so. Honoring your desire. I think a lot of people think, I have to look at what I'm giving up, and when you give up some alcohol, you're getting so much more right, and that's why you're attracted to it. So what are the pieces you're attracted to? For me speaking, I'm excited about how I'm gonna feel the next day.

[00:27:30] I'm not saying, you know, remember that in the moment, like people take this conversation and then their brains are off to the races, right? But just slow down. Stay with me because if your body is telling you. It's too much. There's a reason your body is accurately assessing the situation and it's wanting a change for a reason.

[00:27:50] And so just really saying what's the desire on the other side, I wanna feel good. I wanna feel healthy. I wanna start going to the gym instead of like. Conking out on myself, or I really wanna [00:28:00] remember conversations with my girlfriends, and I really want to not go to bed blacking out in my clothes without my teeth brushed, right?

[00:28:08] Like, I would really like to do my nightly routine. So there's gonna be aspects that you're adding in. When you're making these changes, and I think a lot of people look at what they're giving up rather than looking at all the things that their body or their mind is desiring and just allow it to bathe in that.

[00:28:25] Write it down even so you can come back to that because that feels really good when you start taking care of yourself in a way that you fuel your own desire. Not desire for the alcohol, but desire for what you're. Missing because you have so much alcohol. And maybe it could be connection. Connection with yourself, connection with your feelings.

[00:28:44] I know a lot of women, I have to kind of get them to meet their feelings again 'cause they've numbed from them for so long. And I'm sure this is with food, right? Oh yeah. You just numb out how you feel. And so these sad feelings or disappointment feelings can feel so big. They [00:29:00] haven't felt them in years.

[00:29:01] And yeah, they do feel like the boogey man's coming outta the closet. Right? And, and so it's like, okay, let's start meeting these feelings that they don't feel like they consume you, where you feel like you have to numb again.

[00:29:13] Jenn Trepeck: I also think it can feel lonely. Mm-hmm. When we're making that choice. And so this actually reminds me of our episode with Sarah Raggy, where we talked about how she started networking with a workout class instead of a happy hour.

[00:29:25] Nice. Wow. And so maybe it's more activity plans. Yeah. Yes. And less food, dinner meal, happy hour plans. Yes.

[00:29:37] Dr. Sherry Price: I'll do dates on Zoom if it's too cold outside, although it doesn't really happen here much where I'm at. But hikes are big. Morning walks are big walks with our dogs, a workout class, coffee, tea, just sitting outside.

[00:29:51] Some of the Starbucks in our area just have an outdoor side and you don't really even have to order from them. You don't get kicked out. So just meeting up there. So many ideas to get [00:30:00] creative. Love it. I know a guy in our neighborhood does these man walks every Thursday. It's so healthy to see like a group of men walking together.

[00:30:07] And I see stroller strides like so many different ways. No matter what age group you are in, that iwi can be a little more active and a little more creative and getting together. I was just talking to somebody actually today, remind me. She's like, oh, I'm going to my Bunko group tonight. But we've been meeting for 17 years and we've never played a game of Bunco, so they call it the Bunko Group without the Bunko, but they just go and support each other and they're like, we're just lifelong friends.

[00:30:34] And we found that we just didn't need the bunko. We just wanted to talk. Oh my

[00:30:39] Jenn Trepeck: God. By the way, my only reference of Bunko is Real Housewives of Orange County. And so I can't, anybody who knows. Anyway, so the other thing you started to mention in there is how some of those same feelings can show up with the food part.

[00:30:56] And so thinking about if nutrition or that food [00:31:00] piece and that fuel is where you're focused, I think a more of less of thing, if we could say more veggies.

[00:31:08] Dr. Sherry Price: Mm-hmm.

[00:31:09] Jenn Trepeck: Less processed food, more protein, more protein. Another thing I love Sarah Raggy said was more at each meal, less often.

[00:31:17] Dr. Sherry Price: Mm. Yeah. Yes. Trying to build up to three meals, no snacking.

[00:31:22] Yeah.

[00:31:23] Jenn Trepeck: You know, provided that those are sufficient meals and the timing of our day makes sense for, you know, like sometimes the snack is needed. But the way we're talking about these things really doubles down on what you were saying before of progress over perfection. Never a perfect time, always a great time.

[00:31:43] The things that we can do and recognizing those. Yeah. And what we're willing to do.

[00:31:49] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes. I'm even thinking like more fasting, less feasting, you know? I mean, not to say you can't feast, but getting a good amount of time that your body is detoxing and in that rest state, in [00:32:00] that parasympathetic state, I think a lot of us are just go, go, go, go, go.

[00:32:03] And if you look at the people who are go, go, go. Not only do you hit burnout, but you become less productive. I would challenge any woman, particularly to put in her schedule an hour of rest into her day and she will find that there is no compromise in productivity. And even as you increase that to two hours and sometimes up, some of the women I give that challenge to, they become more productive because they truly need the rest.

[00:32:30] And your mind gets to declutter in that space that when you do come back to a project or whatever you're working on, you're just like barreling through. Yes,

[00:32:39] Jenn Trepeck: for sure. Yeah, and that kind of reminds me, let's go to the stress piece because more quiet time is a thousand percent helpful with the stress.

[00:32:51] Yeah. I also think less sensory overload is connected to that less autopilot.

[00:32:58] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes, [00:33:00] yes. Right. This is just what I do. Like let's really sit with that. Like what's your intention, right? Yeah. Yes. I love the stress piece so much because I don't, it's not a measure that's, it's not something that's a marker that's easy to measure, right?

[00:33:15] Of course, we have the fancy cortisol, but that's even time consuming to get, and it's only a snapshot of that day if you do it right, you know, the four or five measurements throughout the day, so that gives you a snapshot for that day or that week, or what you're. Time period is, but it's one that's like harder to measure.

[00:33:32] And I think because we are such in this fast-paced phones all the time, all the things, I think our baseline is stress. Yes. So I don't think we know what non-stress or less stress feels like, and I will find that some people when they get to that less stress state or on the way to that, they'll say things like, I'm bored, I'm lazy, and it's this like, since I'm not productive, quote in their mind, or I'm just sitting on the [00:34:00] couch that somehow this is.

[00:34:02] Bad, and I think it's because their stress is starting to lower, but they're not down at the, I'm not stress level to really feel what that can feel like. Because when you get there, I tell you, I've been there like, just go to a vacation, you've taken. For about a little bit more than seven days if you've ever had that, because by week two you're like, oh, this is a different level of decompression, right?

[00:34:26] Like I used to start thinking about work on that third day and fourth day it popped into my mind and all those emails I left behind. But on day eight, nine. What emails like There's another level and unfortunately because we're so overstimulated, I think it does take a lot longer to get there, but that's not to say, you know, the hour or the two or whatever you can do throughout your day doesn't help and doesn't stack up over time.

[00:34:50] I really think our systems are too wired and then we need the coffee and the go-Go juice and all of that, and the Red Bull and Celsius and all these, whatever these. [00:35:00] Elixirs that we're now sucking down by the millions and we're not even understanding all the natural flavors in them. I mean, that's a bit scary.

[00:35:07] And then at night, of course you need the drink because like the alcohol has to bring down all those, right. We need the downer for the upper. Yeah, that's what I was doing, like a pot of coffee just to get out the door to handle my day and the up, up, up, up. Because I didn't feel rested enough. Because I was only relying on sleep to give me rest and downtime, right?

[00:35:25] I otherwise gotta keep going, gotta keep going. So there are ways you can do it and plan it throughout your day that it doesn't have to take huge chunks. And honestly, you know, like exercise snacks, we might find that it's gonna be like just like exercise snacks. Exercise snacks are these small chunks where you're doing exercise throughout the day.

[00:35:43] Turns out to be more beneficial for the body than a 50 minute workout. Studies are showing us this now, so Yeah. 'cause you're sitting 23 hours working out one hour, right? Like that. Yeah. But if you get it in periodically throughout the day, your body does better, responds better, has [00:36:00] better outcomes. And I think we might find that even with little stress reduction practices or mini meditations or things we can do to put into the day so that we have less stress by the end of the day, a

[00:36:12] Jenn Trepeck: thousand percent.

[00:36:14] It's interesting 'cause as you were saying that too, the thing that occurred to me was also for so many of us, 'cause I mean, I used to work in hedge funds, used to work in hospitals. Mm-hmm. We operated from a baseline level of stress. That was just the air you breathe, you know? Yes. And I see it too, especially with my clients after they retire, they don't know what to do because.

[00:36:39] Again, it feels unproductive. It feels totally different. Like this is how I function. Is this identity around that stress level?

[00:36:49] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes, yes. It's almost like the stress gave me an identity. Yes. Like I am important. I am here to save lives. I'm here to make people money. I'm here to whatever the [00:37:00] calling was, and shifting away from that can be very jarring for the nervous system.

[00:37:04] For sure. So if we

[00:37:06] Jenn Trepeck: think about this identity piece. And the more of and less of in order to shift that. Yeah. What would you say?

[00:37:13] Dr. Sherry Price: For me, I'll tell you what's been helpful is we wear different roles and looking at those as different hats, different roles, and not necessarily saying it's my full identity. So I'm a mom, I'm a pharmacist, right?

[00:37:29] I play these roles. I'm a health coach, right? I'm a podcaster, right? Like the things that we say about ourselves, I think people. For me, I used to say that as my identity, but now I'm just looking at them as they're my roles. I have certain responsibilities in roles, but then I get to disconnect from those roles.

[00:37:49] Yes, I get to disconnect as a mom. I owe that to myself to have sanctity and peace and not be like on all the time. Right. Just like at your job, you [00:38:00] get to step back and say, okay, I don't have to do that role right now and just sit with the I am. I am human. I am in human need of rest, and sometimes that's my identity.

[00:38:10] A human that deserves and needs rest. So I'd like the identity piece to be like, who are you? When they say tell you about yourself, I feel a lot of us are like, wanna throw out all these things? I'm this, I'm this, I'm this. But I think that's just all the roles we play, but when it comes down to it, we're just all humans on this planet having a spiritual purpose and a human form, and that's who we are.

[00:38:32] Yeah.

[00:38:33] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah. And the rest are just roles. I love it. I think that's a really nice place to sort of put a pin in it for this moment in this conversation. And the piece that I'm really coming away with is this gentleness to our experience and even the things that we want to do and most desire for 2026, we can do that and not in a way that [00:39:00] requires a hundred percent or zero.

[00:39:02] Dr. Sherry Price: Yes, yes. And a lot of times we'll fill up that to-do list thinking. When I do all these things, then I will feel X. And what a lot of people find out is they do all those things and they still feel the same, and that is heartbreaking. That's when you feel like, oh my gosh, I bought into this lie that when I do all this I will have magical health and la la la and feel amazing.

[00:39:27] And it's, that's not the point, right? And to do these things with the mindset of these are benefiting me. And I also get to rest at the end of this list, not just keep adding to the list. For sure.

[00:39:40] Jenn Trepeck: Alright, it's time for a rapid fire off topic questions. Are you ready? I'm ready. Alright. What's the best thing you've done for your health this week?

[00:39:49] What's the naughtiest thing you've done related to your health this week? Not that anything's really naughty, but you know the salad and fries of your week, if you will.

[00:39:56] Dr. Sherry Price: Oh. The best thing I did for my help this week, I rocked it [00:40:00] outta the park with my sleep. Nice. So good. I'm such a great sleeper right now.

[00:40:04] I'm loving it. Worst thing I did, I had some peppermint bark that was left over. Sounds delicious.

[00:40:11] Jenn Trepeck: It's

[00:40:11] Dr. Sherry Price: what

[00:40:12] Jenn Trepeck: it so was. Yeah. If you weren't a pharmacist and coach, what would you do?

[00:40:15] Dr. Sherry Price: Right now I'm very interested in hormones, uh, and hormone replacement BHRT for women. And it's getting all the rage, uh, the black box warnings coming off.

[00:40:24] So I think I'd be a hormone doctor. Yeah.

[00:40:27] Jenn Trepeck: Favorite book on any topic other than your area of expertise Or you could give us a fiction book.

[00:40:34] Dr. Sherry Price: Okay. I have to say the one I'm listening to on Audible right now, because it's top of mind, it's called Radical Wholeness, finding your Peace and Space within Yourself.

[00:40:44] It's an excellent read. Ooh. Alright. I'm adding that to my

[00:40:47] Jenn Trepeck: list. If you could cure one ailment, disease or sickness, what would it be?

[00:40:51] Dr. Sherry Price: Perfectionism. That's a good one. Yep. Maybe it's 'cause we talked about it so much or 'cause I've suffered with it for so long, but I find that the people [00:41:00] who embrace their imperfections, they're so much more fun to be around.

[00:41:03] They're joyful. Right. It's the perfectionism thing is really gotta go. For sure.

[00:41:08] Jenn Trepeck: If you were a super hero, what would be your super.

[00:41:11] Dr. Sherry Price: I know this sounds corny, but I'll say it anyway. I wanna get better at this. And I think that's why I wanna love people. I want people to feel my love when I'm with them. Ooh, that's a good one.

[00:41:21] Yeah.

[00:41:22] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah. Now it makes this next question feel silly, but what's your biggest pet peeve?

[00:41:29] Dr. Sherry Price: Oh, biggest pet peeve. I think it's when people get too loud and I feel like noise pollution, maybe I'm super sensitive as a soul, but like super, super loud. People who are feel obnoxious to me when they're eating next to me or doing something. It's just like I need my little bubble.

[00:41:45] Jenn Trepeck: Yes. Alright. Last one.

[00:41:47] In your opinion, what's the next frontier in wellness?

[00:41:51] Dr. Sherry Price: Well, I think we're doing more of the wearables. I think we might have some wearables with AI bots that talk back to us even more than the watch that says you should [00:42:00] be standing now. Right. I think there's gonna be more wrist coaches and wearables telling us what to do, and I'm not sure as a species how we're gonna like that.

[00:42:08] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah, for sure. We tend to be, you know, some of us tend to be, uh, we,

[00:42:12] Dr. Sherry Price: yeah. Yes. You could tell me a little bit what to do, but when you take it to the next level, I'm gonna stop purchasing you. Right. Well, and turn off

[00:42:20] Jenn Trepeck: that notification. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, Dr. Sherry Price, thank you for being here. Tell everybody how to connect with you, where to learn more about everything you offer and a reminder of your podcast too.

[00:42:32] Dr. Sherry Price: Awesome. Well, it's been a pleasure to spend time with you, Jen. Just I hope you feel my love. That's my superpower. I do. Thank you. Sense it over the screen today. Everything I do is on epic u.com, so that's my website, ep ic y u.com. I just love helping people feel more amazing in their bodies. I do have a podcast called Health Habits and Epic Living, which you've been a two time guest on, and hopefully three in the future.

[00:42:57] Uh, I love sharing all the women's [00:43:00] health information there. And I'm on Instagram as well at Dr. Sherry Price. Perfect. We'll put links to

[00:43:05] Jenn Trepeck: everything below to keep it easy for everybody. But thank you, thank you for being here. I just, I truly appreciate your approach and your energy and yes, we feel your love, so thank you.

[00:43:15] Thank you, Jen. Absolutely. Alright, friends, on Friday in this week's bite-sized bonus episode, we're talking about NE Foods. Have you heard of this?

[00:43:25] Dr. Sherry Price: No,

[00:43:25] Jenn Trepeck: I know. So, okay, Dawn, who's on my podcast post production team, sent this one to me. She said she saw this protein gel and it sounded interesting, so we're gonna look at it together on Friday and this week's bite-sized bonus episode.

[00:43:38] Be sure wherever you're listening, click the plus sign or the follow button, and then your app will alert you when it goes live on Friday morning. Well, as always, everybody, I'm Gen Trebeck. Connect with me on Instagram or all social media. I am at Jenn Trepeck. J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Website is a salad with the side of fries.com.

[00:43:57] Pick your platform, send a message, [00:44:00] send your takeaways, your ideas, your questions. Hearing from you is the highlight of my day. And Dr. Sherry Price. Thank you again for being here. Thank you, Jen. Love you. Love you and friends. If you're not already become a member of the Happy Healthy Hub, you'll go to a salad with the sat fries.com/membership.

[00:44:19] This shows your support for this podcast, this community. Most importantly, it supports your health. On top of this week's episode, in full video with Behind the Scenes pieces, your 24 7, ask Me Anything. Our community chat and all the things you will get this week's recipe for the cauliflower popcorn plus 10% off my next group coaching cohort that begins early February.

[00:44:38] So until next week, remember the time is always now. Well friends. That's it for today's episode of Salad for the Side of Fries. Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform. Share us with a friend and we'll be back next week.[00:45:00] Always remember you deserve it and you are worth it. Happy, healthy.