A Day in the Life of the Z’s: How We Get it All Done! – Podcast Episode 32

Natural Living Family Podcast, Episode 32 Transcript: A Day in the Life of the Z’s: How we Get it All Done

The contents of this presentation are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This presentation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

[0:00 – 1:00] Prelude

Mama Z: It’s important to make sure that you make lists and then stick to those lists. That’s why if Eric goes shopping, if I ever, ever, ever have him go shopping, I don’t even allow him to go to Costco, because he will buy the first seven or eight things that are right by the door. They literally geared all the marketing just for him. I’m almost positive

Dr. Z: I love that stuff. I don’t know what it is about it. It’s like they know me. It’s like these featured items. Hey, I brought you a bracelet or a watch because of them.

Mama Z: That was very good.

Dr. Z: Thank Costco. Thank me for shopping. That wasn’t on the list, by the way.

Mama Z: But I tell him, listen, because he’ll call me.

Dr. Z: Unless it suits her, though, Chris. Chris is laughing. Unless it suits her.

Mama Z: He’ll call me and he’ll go, “I’ve got surprises.” And I’m like, “Oh man.”

Dr. Z: Well, you’re wearing some of them, babe. Right now, literally, you’re wearing some of them.

Mama Z: I agree. But the thing is—

Dr. Z: I picked that jewelry.

Mama Z: No, I made this.

Dr. Z: Not the ring.

Mama Z: Oh, I don’t remember.

Dr. Z: You’re welcome.

Mama Z: Thank you.

 

[1:01 – 1:441] Intro for How we Get it All Done

Dr. Z: Hi! This is Dr. Z.

Mama Z: And Mama Z. And welcome to episode 32 of the Natural Living Family podcast.

Dr. Z: Each week we invite you into our home so we can help you master the art and science of natural living. And we share the same tips our family uses each and every day to experience an abundant life. And you are going to love today’s talk.

Mama Z: So, come on in and get comfortable. After all, you’re one of the family, our natural living family.

Dr. Z: But before we dive into all the fun today, we’re excited to share a special note about today’s sponsor.

 

[1:42 – 2:04] Sponsor Spotlight

Mama Z: As a special gift to our Natural Living Family podcast listeners, Thrive Market is giving you twenty-five percent off your first order.

Dr. Z: Plus a free thirty-day trial. Simply go to NaturalLivingFamilypodcast.com to find the special link so you could redeem this deal on the show notes from today’s episode.

 

 

[2:05 – 6:09] A Day in the Life: a Backstory

Dr. Z: Yay, I’m so excited about this one! Why am I excited about this one? It’s because this topic was birthed by Chris. Chris we’re going to put you on the spot a little bit. Chris is our audio/video extraordinaire. And for those of you who don’t know, we put these podcasts up on You Tube and Facebook. And Chris is an awesome sound master.

And I was like, “What should we be talking about?” It was like towards the end of the summer. And Chris, I would love to give you a mic, but shout something out if you want to. But Chris was like, “How do you guys get everything done that you get done?” Chris, you just talk. Anything you want to share?

Chris: Yea. I thought it would be great for the listeners to hear what a day in the life of the Z’s looks like. Like practically, what do you guys do to plan things so you get it all done?

Dr. Z: You know what? We should give you a mic. Hold on a second. How about you say something in the camera? We’re putting him on the spot.

Mama Z: Well, he’s not allowed to get in the camera, camera; but he can get in the mic.

Dr. Z: Yea, and maybe tell why you can’t get in the camera.

Chris: Well, I can’t get in the camera, because I’m like Wilson, right? So, you can’t see my face. However, I guess this came from a conversation that I had with Eric after a podcast. And I asked him, “How do you guys get everything done that you get done?” It’s literally amazing. I mean there’s always something going on. But you guys always have everything well in hand and well in control. And I thought it would be very interesting for the listeners to actually hear what a typical day in the life of the Z’s looks like and how you get it all done. It just amazes me.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, Chris, thank you! I put him on the spot. Chris just took off his headphones, and he’s like, “Okay.” But Chris, and shout it out, because it’s kind of funny. Chris, what time were we supposed to start recording today?”

Chris: 12 o’clock.

Dr. Z: And what time is it now?

Chris: 2:40.

Dr. Z: Yea, okay. So, first of all, how do we get stuff done? Sometimes it doesn’t happen in the time frame that we wanted to. And we’re going to talk about that in a minute.

Mama Z: And we’re also going to talk about what time I get up and what time you get up.

Dr. Z: That’s huge. But, you know, who do we blame? Do we blame anybody? No, we’re kind of past blame. But when I asked you, because Chris knows now. Like whenever we schedule something, Chris always checks a couple of hours before. He’s like, “Hey, are we still on track to start at so and so time.”

We were supposed to start at 11. And then Sabrina called, and she pulled an audible. And she’s like, “Okay, let’s start at noon.” And we ended up here two-and-a-half, almost two hours and forty-five minutes later. There’s a lesson to be learned with that. So, if you could relate. But you know what? We’re still getting it done. And we’re going to talk about today, because today out of all the days, we’ve got a lot going on.

Mama Z: It’s a busy day. And you know, it’s kind of like a dress rehearsal, too, for our next weekend, because we’ve got a lot going on there, too. And the fact that when we film or when we do other things and then have other stuff going on in our regular life, there’s just a lot of extra stuff. And we each take care of different aspects of the business and our personal life and the family life and the kids and all that other stuff.

Dr. Z: Yep.

Mama Z: But it all goes in together. And it makes a crazy, fun life of having six people in the family and a business and all kinds of things. A lot of people can relate.

Dr. Z: Yea, we have usually around nine to ten people in this house, when we include the kids, because we have college interns here. We have household staff. We have Chris coming in and out doing video and podcasts and things. So, it’s fun. But before we talk about all of this, Mama Z.

 

[6:10 – 6:29] Diffuser Reveal: Zesty

Mama Z: What’s in our diffuser? We’re calling it “zesty” today. We’re talking about getting her done. We’re talking zesty here. It is orange, tangerine, eucalyptus, grapefruit, and peppermint.

Dr. Z: Ooh!

Mama Z: So, we’ve got to spice it up, open those airwaves up, keep it positive, and get her done.

Dr. Z: We’re getting it done.

Mama Z: Yep.

Dr. Z: All right.

Mama Z: Zesty.

 

[6:30 – 8:01] Testimonial Time!

Dr. Z: How about you get done the review, testimonial. We’re getting some really, really fun reviews from y’all.

Mama Z: Yes, thank you so much, for sure! Okay, so.

Dr. Z: I like this one.   

Mama Z: This is “A Must Listen for Every Parent,” five stars. Thank you!

Dr. Z: Oh!

Mama Z: “This is my new favorite podcast, with so many practical and helpful strategies to live a truly healthy life. I love Dr. Z and Mama Z’s communication and interaction with each other. I’m so inspired by their conviction, integrity, and transparency.” -Dr. Ryan Wohlfert.

Dr. Z: And you know the coolest thing about that? A couple of things. First of all, Dr. Ryan, thank you my friend. Dr. Ryan is a brother in Christ. I actually know Dr. Ryan personally.

Mama Z: Oh, you do?

Dr. Z: Well, yea. It really blessed me. Like we quoted Chantel Ray, who has the “Waist Away” podcast.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: You know what? This blesses me so much to know that other podcasters are listening to our podcast.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: How fun! How exciting! Like Dr. Ryan, he hosted an online tele-summit/master class on brain health. He’s got tens of thousands of people that he reaches every single week through newsletters and his website. And he listens to our podcast.

Mama Z: That’s so cool!

Dr. Z: Yea, and I don’t take that for granted. And so, Doc, I love you man, and I appreciate you. And he’s actually part of our online Health Influencer Network Group. And we just got back from that trip a couple of weeks ago. Well, we’re going on it.

 

[8:02 – 14:42] News and Announcements

Dr. Z: By the way, this a unique time that I’m trying to talk in the future, because we’re filming this on actually baby Bella’s birthday. We’re recording this July 26. And I’m saying that because it’s airing August 26, exactly a month from now. The reason I’m stressing that

Mama Z: Two days after the Mrs. America pageant.

Dr. Z: Exactly! So, here’s what it is. If you’ve been following us along, and you’ve been following Mama Z, then you can go to Mrs.Georgia.org, to find out all about Sabrina and the pageant and all kinds of great stuff. What you’ll know is that the pageant happened two days ago from when you’re listening. But it hasn’t happened yet in real life, because real life is now, July 26.

Mama Z: And see, we’re recording ahead of time, just to make sure that we’re all set through the pageant as well. So, it was really important that we did that that way, that I would have some extra time to get all the things done I need to get done for the pageant.

Dr. Z: So, if you’ve been following along, I wish I had the ability… We just couldn’t. We just on this day, August 26, got home from Vegas. So, go to Mama Z’s Facebook page. Go just to Facebook and type up Mama Z. And then you’ll know. You’ll get updates and pictures. And I’m pretty sure we’ve got a lot of live-streaming videos. We always do Facebook live with the stuff. And you’ll know what happened, because I will say, maybe because I’m very much biased, because I love my beautiful wife; but she is the favorite to win.

Mama Z: Oh, you’re so sweet! I love you!

Dr. Z: Hey! They had that fabulous face competition. It was like you can actually vote for the most photogenic. And no one can compare. You are by far the most photogenic person ever.

Mama Z: Oh, you’re so sweet!

Dr. Z: And you’re just wonderfully beautiful inside and out!

Mama Z: Does that have anything to do with you are my husband?

Dr. Z: Well, we mentioned this. Again, for those of you who have been listening and watching since episode 1, you kind of get the chance to know us a little bit. I’ve said this before, but I don’t nearly get enough credit for choosing you. Like I have impeccable taste. Like, I’m the man, you know? Hah, hah, hah!

Mama Z: You’re the man.

Dr. Z: I chose you! So, when someone is all about, I’m Mama Z’s husband.

Mama Z: That was really funny. We were somewhere, and they saw me. “Oh, hi Mama Z!” And then they’re like, “Are you Mama Z’s husband?”

Dr. Z: I’m like, “Yea, I’m the man, because I chose her.” Hallelujah. Anyway.

Mama Z: I’m like, “Yea, this is Dr. Z.”

Dr. Z: I take credit. So, you know what, take credit in your spouse’s accomplishments, because you chose that person. You could have easily chosen somebody else, but you didn’t. I chose you.

Mama Z: And I chose you.

Dr. Z: So, I take forty-nine percent.

Mama Z: I mean I picked you out of that church, and I said, “Who is that?”

Dr. Z: Oh!

Mama Z: He’s hot!

Dr. Z: You’ve got to watch or listen to episode, what was that?

Mama Z: One of our origin stories, yea.

Dr. Z: So, I love it. So, Doc, I really appreciate you. Dr. Ryan, check him out. Again, an awesome man of God. Okay. So, we have to begin with this. We started this podcast two hours and forty-five minutes past what we wanted to. And a lesson to be learned here. How do we get stuff done? You have to be flexible. You have to roll with the punches. And more importantly, Chris, thank you!

Mama Z: Yes! He’s learned to pack a lunch and bring his work with him.

Dr. Z: We actually talked about that. Chris brings his computer here. And the first time, Chris was super patient. And he’s on his phone. He’s trying to keep up on work and doing stuff. And I’m like, my thought was, “Bring your computer here.” And you just own up, sometimes it might start later.

Mama Z: It’s like if you need to.

Dr. Z: But guess what Chris was doing? Chris was being very productive, because we have a documentary coming up.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: And by the way, you can go check it out. You go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. Go to HopeforBreastCancer.com. Chris is one of the main players in this behind the scenes film, as our director and audio sweetening guy.

Chris has the insurmountable task of figuring out what to do about film festivals, because we’re submitting this to film festivals—Sundance, Trifecta, Nashville, Atlanta. Like this is one of my most—I don’t know what to say—other than this has been one of the most empowering experiences of my life personally.

Mama Z: Yea, because you got to be the producer.

Dr. Z: The executive producer.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: And I never had the opportunity to do any film before in my life. So, to be an executive producer and to be part of this story, to be able to fund, to pay for.

Mama Z: Yea, and you interviewed me, and you made me cry.

Dr. Z: I did a good job. So, we’ve got a lot coming up. And again, I’m kind of planting the seed here. We’re in the middle right now. It’s July 26. Sabrina is preparing for the pageant. Tonight, we have a group of people coming over.

Mama Z: Our fit family.

Dr. Z: Our fit family.

Mama Z: Yes, we call them our fit fans. And we’re celebrating one of our sister’s birthday.

Dr. Z: Yea, Loren.

Mama Z: Yep.

Dr. Z: Loren Carver.

Mama Z: Yep.   

Dr. Z: How old is she, thirty?

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: Soon to be a future Mrs. Georgia.

Mama Z: Absolutely.

Dr. Z: We’re shooting for 2021.

Mama Z: She was a Miss South Dakota.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Mama Z: So, anyway, our friends, we get together with them. We do lots of fitness-related things. We hang out. We do life with them. And it’s our Christian group of friends. And it’s a lot of fun. And so, every so often we do nights at the house, pizza nights, or just gathering.

Dr. Z: Yea.

Mama Z: And once we eat, then the girls get together. The guys get together. Usually we put the guys in the basement.

Dr. Z: Well, today is a beautiful day. And as long as it’s not too mosquito-ey outside, we’re going to go to the deck.

Mama Z: We’ve got Tiki Torches that have cedar essential oil, citronella essential oil, and I think it’s pine. Anyway, it’s there to repel the bugs. So, we lit up our deck with lots of Christmas lights and all kinds of fun stuff. And we’ve been cooking for days. So, it will be a lot of fun. Anyway, we’ve got lots going on.

Dr. Z: Let me paint the quick picture. I think this would help. How do you approach a day in the life of the Z’s? So, here’s my proposal. Let me give people a quick snapshot of what’s happened in our life. And then you start, because you’re really the keeper of the schedule.

Mama Z: Yes.

 

[14:43 – 20:59] Getting Things Done: Prioritizing Time for Fellowship with God

Dr. Z: So, let me just paint the picture, because it’s somewhat overwhelming. And the tip—I’ll keep on dropping tips—be flexible, roll with the punches, don’t let it be overwhelming.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: And most importantly—here’s a great tip—always fit, and you have to fit and force spending time with God in your schedule.

Mama Z: Yes, you have to.

Dr. Z: You have to be very intentional. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do what you need to do, and you get overwhelmed. And I’ll never forget when Dr. Matt McCoy, my research advisor in school asked me to do yet another project, yet another grant, yet another paper. And he said, “What do you say?”

I’m trying to tell him. Like, “Doc, I’ve just got another baby.” We just had another baby. I’m writing this other paper. I’m going through clinicals. He goes, “Well, Eric, you know what they say. You want to get something. Give it to a busy person.” And you know what? I did it, and I crushed it, with your help and with your support. And I was able to do. You remember what he said.

Mama Z: It was like you published twenty-eight journals. And you only really needed to do one.

Dr. Z: And he basically said—

Mama Z: And you were like the cleanup hitter for a few of them. And then they were like, “Man, he can take it. So, let’s just pile them on.”

Dr. Z: That’s another tip. Dr. Matt McCoy is one of the most accomplished chiropractors in the world, accomplished in the realm of research and malpractice. He’s like an expert at trials all around the country. And for him to say that, it really opened my eyes to something. If you want to get something done, give it to a busy person. If you know what it’s like to juggle three balls, four really isn’t a big deal. If you’ve got five kids, another one isn’t a big deal.

Mama Z: Yea, I was told really after the third one, it’s like adding one more potato to the pot.

Dr. Z: Just get a bigger pot.

Mama Z: Yea, it’s going to boil anyway. You know what I’m saying?

Dr. Z: Seriously.

Mama Z: While you’ve got the potatoes in there, you cook them.

Dr. Z: But here’s the key, though. This is the other golden tip. And I’m going to paint the picture of why. Chris was, and it was legit. And Chris, thanks so much. I put you on the spot. We’re going through an unbelievable amount of stuff right now. And there are certain things I could share with you openly. Other things I can’t. We’re kind of like non-disclosure agreements on some really cool things in the future happening with us.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: But Chris was like, “How do you guys do this?” I mean just like legit. The cameras were off. We’re just talking. He’s wrapping up his stuff.

And I took for granted all that we do, because here’s the thing. Once you learn how to juggle, and juggling is, for the sake of definition, three balls. Once you learn to juggle three balls into the air, that is the biggest, most challenging hump to get over. Then it literally is just adding another ball, adding another ball, adding another ball.

Mama Z: And when you hit your threshold, each time you’re pushing it. It’s just like the four-minute mile. Like nobody did it forever. And then when they did it, then other people were starting to do it. And so, when you get something done and you get to a certain point, you keep stepping it up. You keep pushing it. You keep pushing that line. And then you’re able to create even more and do even more in other things like that as well.

Dr. Z: So, when it comes to three—this is a key—what are the three balls that we all have to juggle in the air. Once you can truly balance-this is key—once you get balance first. And make it always a priority, (1) your walk with God; (2), then your relationships with the people closest to you, children, parents, wife, spouse, husband; (3) and then your career.

Once you’ve got those three things, that’s the foundation. I mean that is the foundation of everything. If a man doesn’t work, a man doesn’t eat. Like you’ve got to work, and you need thriving relationships. You need to balance it. And you need your walk with God. Those are the three.

Once you have a good healthy balance where you’re not neglecting your wife, you’re not phubbing them—a famous word, p-h-u-b-b-i-n-g, which is basically you’re on your phone. And you’re screwing around on Facebook and social media, and you don’t spend time with the person next to you. That’s actually a known term because of social media and your phone. Don’t phub somebody. When was the last time you’ve been on a date with your honey, and you’re on your phone the whole time? Don’t do it.

So, once you’re not phubbing, once God is a priority and you have your daily devotionals. Even if it’s just reading a Scripture and just falling on your knees for fifteen seconds just to pray, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. You cannot let that time get squeezed out. And you’re building your career, your ministry, whatever it is that actually pays the bills.

Once you get those three, that’s the hardest thing. That’s the hardest thing to find that balance, to find that place. And then it’s like, “Okay, let’s add on health. Let’s add on this. Let’s add on that. Let’s add on whatever. So, with that said, anything left, just a quick little tip? Because we’ve got to give them a big picture.

Mama Z: Yea, so, in one of the Bible studies I was a part of, this one lady, I can’t remember how many kids they had. It was like six or eight or whatever. But the mom wore an apron. And sometimes she would throw her apron over her head.

Dr. Z: That’s funny.

Mama Z: And they said, “What are you doing” She goes, “I’m spending time with Jesus, and I’ve got to do it whenever I can.” And the kids don’t ever want to go into the bathroom or wash their hands or any of that kind of stuff unless you’re in the bathroom. And then it’s like the most popular place on earth. Or you’re on the phone, or whatever. And sometimes your prayer closet might be the bathroom, if you’re in that season. But I thought that was really good, because she was obviously knee deep in babies and still found time for God.

So, it’s important to make sure that in your schedule that you’re always leaving the door open for God, not just for Him to speak to you, for you to speak to other people, and for you to connect with God in a relationship type of way. Because it’s important, and that’s going to be the foundation of what you do for every day.

 

[21:00 – 28:11] Get it All Done: Mama Z’s Current Schedule

Dr. Z: So, today is July 26. And we understand that we’re airing this August 26. So, right now as a family, here’s what we’ve got going on. Sabrina is actively training for Mrs. America. And she already gave you a sneak peek at what looks like when you’re training. But just think a ton of stuff. I mean everything from interview training to paperwork, she’s wrapping up as we speak.

By the way, you’ve got to get paperwork notarized. I had to like sign a form that said we’re officially married, notarized.

Mama Z: Yes, you have to have your marriage license and your birth certificate.

And the craziest thing actually happened to my computer. We had gone to Michigan. It was all done, so I sent my paperwork over for the last look. And my computer reverted to a time when it was safer. And believe me, my computer, if it was a three-legged dog, we might be losing that third leg. It’s time to get a new computer. But it’s so hard when you have to move out of your computer.

Dr. Z: Yea, I know, I’ve lost. I have no compassion on this, because I have offered for the last no less than five years to buy you a new computer.  And you’re answer is always, “No.”

Mama Z: I’m ready.

Dr. Z: Put a bullet in this thing. Burn it. I’m saying, don’t even, no sympathy. Listen. Don’t give her sympathy. She totally gets what she deserves on this thing. This computer

Mama Z: I have gone every mile. But listen.

Dr. Z: This computer needs to be condemned. It’s done.

Mama Z: No, it does not need to be condemned.

Dr. Z: It does!

Mama Z: I blow it regularly.

Dr. Z: Done!

Mama Z: But listen. So, Isaiah was reading while he was walking. And then he tripped over my cord and then flung the computer yesterday. It did a loop and then it landed, and it broke the corner off. And I opened it.

Dr. Z: I wish everything would have broken.

Mama Z: It didn’t turn on. I had like a flash, like “This is not going to work again.” It didn’t turn on.

Dr. Z: Hallelujah! Good! It’s God telling you to get another computer.

Mama Z: So, then I closed it. And we prayed over it. And we opened it, and it worked. And it worked again today. So, I’m like, “Lord, just let me get through Mrs. America, and I promise I will get some kind of an Apple computer.

Dr. Z: She’s repenting. You don’t need Apple, just something post 2005. I’m done.

Mama Z: No, no. This is Windows 7. Windows 8 decided to try to be like Apple after that. And that was not good anymore, because it was so confusing.

Dr. Z: I don’t even know what the operating system is. Anyway, let me get back to our list. Where we are at, Sabrina is actively training. And she’ll talk about this, waking up at ungodly hours, to work out, exercise.

Mama Z: I always get up early, though.

Dr. Z: She’s the early riser. So, she’s training for Mrs. America, which is a huge deal. Included in that, because it’s not free, by the way, not free. So, we’re getting sponsors. She’s doing appearances all over.

She is very actively engaged with her platform, which is essentially helping women, empowering them, to live a natural, healthy lifestyle all around the globe, because we have a global reach. In the meantime, we have a major global streaming service. Read between the lines. I can’t say anything there. We have a major global streaming service coming to our home next week for two days solid. Two days solid on Saturday and Sunday, of all days.

Mama Z: To really film a day in our life.

Dr. Z: Yes, to film us. By the grace of God, I’ve been chosen to be a featured expert and the main character in a documentary all about essential oils. And so, when you have that happening. By the way, which is kind of cool, they are filming us at church. They want to film us praying. They want to film a true day in our life. But also, they want to film us teach and educate.

So, again, preparing for that. And I have ungodly amounts—ungodly seems to be the term here—ungodly amounts of paperwork. They’re doing a straight-up background check on me. By the way, that’s pretty cool. I was talking to Chris about this. It’s pretty cool that they just don’t want any main character. I mean what if I were a sex offender? What if I had some criminal charges against me?

Mama Z: Well, thank God, you’re not!

Dr. Z: Well, that’s cool, though. Isn’t it neat?

Mama Z: And also, the cool thing was

Dr. Z: I’m glad they vet people.

Mama Z: Well, I’m grateful that they didn’t even want to do mine, because I saw the paperwork you had to. And paperwork is not my favorite.

Dr. Z: So, we’re preparing for Mrs. America. We’re preparing to have this global streaming service film production company at our home next week. We’re doing a sendoff party for Sabrina for Mrs. America next week. Our “Hope for Breast Cancer” documentary, we are about to wrap up. Chris and I are actively engaged with that, just the whole piece. We’re submitting it to film festivals around the world. And in the meantime, Chris is also finalizing

Mama Z: And we’ve got exercise.

Dr. Z: Well, we’re finalizing Sabrina’s upcoming exercise class, coming up in January. Her new gardening master class, which is going to blow everyone’s mind, is coming out in October. And we have a subscription.

People have asked us over and over again—and this is just business, by the way. They have asked us over and over again, “Can I get a discount for buying three or four or your classes?” And we don’t have that set up. But we are soon. So, people are going to get unlimited access to all of our classes for a very reasonable yearly subscription. And that takes a lot of development. And so, we’re doing that. That’s just business.

And we’re negotiating with our publisher, because book number three is coming out soon. Ah, that’s just business, let alone managing a team of fifteen people that work around the country, and some around the globe, and trying to be healthy parents. And this is just professional.

Mama Z: And what about our household? And what about this?

Dr. Z: What just happened the other day? We needed new windows because we had dry rot.

Mama Z: So, we had—and this is so crazy—but our house last summer, we had a third of the back of our house that was eaten by termites. And it was crazy. But it was all covered, because we have a green protection over the home that has been here since they started. So, it’s a non-chemical-based green program. And so, it was all covered. However, you still have to arrange for all of that, and get all of that squared away. And you’re dealing with contractors and this and that and getting all of that. And that’s what I do.

And so, anyhow, we had to get windows. But we had to do one project at a time. And it was kind of in those same areas. So, we got that taken care of. But when you have that things like that done, you’re opening everything up. And the guys are great.

But they open everything up. They open all the doors. It’s a lot of work in the middle of that. And then there’s stuff that happens to the drywall and the other things. So, that needs to be repaired. And thank God, we have the best handyman on the planet, Mr. Mike. And so, you’ve got to coordinate that amongst all the different appointments and things that you have going on.

Dr. Z: So, we had to squeeze in these podcasts, because we don’t want to get behind on podcasts. We have to update our website. We have to create new content, because we’re always trying to give people just great updates on things that we do, and also good resources. Our weekly newsletters. I mean professionally, we love and appreciate the team that we have. And there are so many people that work for us. And that’s number one key. We couldn’t do this without the help of others.

Mama Z: No.

 

[28:12 – 30:39] Get it All Done: The Zielinski Family

Dr. Z: But when it comes to the household, the kids are going to camp every day right now. It’s still summer. We’re getting ready for school. That happens actually next week. In Georgia, schools start August 1. Bella’s birthday is today. We’re having a little make-shift birthday party with some folks.

And we still want to be a family. And so, we make time for movie time. We’re going to go see The Lion King tomorrow. Sabrina is like, “Hey, get the kids out of the house. I’ve got to do some stuff.” I’m going to be taking the kids out for daddy fun day. We’re going to do Lion King.

We’re maintaining–not me, but Sabrina and our household employees and our interns are maintaining a garden. It looks immaculate, by the way. And all the things.

Mama Z: And Natalie has been doing a great job learning about the different plants. So, it’s great to educate people.

Dr. Z: Isn’t it fun? Still shopping.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: We’re still getting good healthy food.

Mama Z: Oh, yes!

Dr. Z: We’re not eating fast food.

Mama Z: No.

Dr. Z: That’s what I mean. What’s happening there?

Mama Z: Yea, it’s so funny. One of my sponsors, Nature’s Corner Market, they’re going to be part of my sendoff party. And they’re sponsoring it. Of course, Natural Living Family is. And I said, “Well, your food is going to another place.” She goes, “Me and my food have vicariously lived through you the last year.” And we’ve gone lots of places. And it’s so true, because their food has gone a lot of places.

Dr. Z: Yea, we love Jill and Doug.

Mama Z: We are blessed by all that they offer. And obviously fifteen years ago the things that are available weren’t. And they make everything happen. Like if we see something cool in a different city, by golly they’ll get it in and get her done for us. And so, we’re blessed because we can take all of our staples on the road with us wherever we go.

Dr. Z: We were just invited back to do Tampa daytime TV.

Mama Z: Yes!

Dr. Z: So, guess what? By God’s grace, we were able to schedule it in so that it’s in during the kids’ break. We’re taking the kids. We’re going to do Disney. I’ve already got the Airbnb at the favorite places we like to stay at. And we’re set for that.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: So, the thing is that

Mama Z: There have only been four times that our kids haven’t traveled with us.

Dr. Z: So, I really hope to paint the picture. And there are a lot of other things that are escaping my mind. But there’s a ton of stuff happening in the house, with the kids, with the family. Your sister is involved in a relationship with someone. That causes extra conversations, right? Extra phone calls. There’s extra ministry. Our friends and family still reach out to us, and we reach out to them. And it’s not like our lives are put on hold.

 

 

 

 

[30:40 – 35:52] Getting Things Done: Self-Care Even When You’re Busy

Dr. Z: And by the way, I got a great eight hours sleep last night.

Mama Z: Oh, yes, you did.

Dr. Z: And this is one thing, too. I need eight hours. Like it’s not negotiable for me. Seven is about as low I can get. I could do a healthy nine.

Mama Z: Oh, man. The dog and pony show. I don’t know about that.

Dr. Z: Yesterday, we were still exercising. Yesterday, I was training with Jason. Actually, Loren, we mentioned her. Jason Carver from Dream Body and Twisted Cycle, he is my personal trainer and good friend. And he kicked my butt. And I just needed to recoup.

Mama Z: Yea, I walked by.

Dr. Z: I’m not sacrificing sleep.

Mama Z: He was drooling on his pillow. I went by, and I was like, “Man, I better just lock this door and let him sleep.”

Dr. Z: You know what I did? I actually fell asleep after reading to Isaiah in his bed.

Mama Z: If I ever have–see I had to go do some work. And so, I said, “You’re putting the kids to bed.” If I ever do, like I either go find him on the floor in somebody’s room, half hanging off of somebody’s bed. Or he finally will have made it to his bed. But he’s so tired, he can’t even take my pillows off the bed. But he just takes his off. He’s so tired.

Dr. Z: There’s something that happens when I read the kids a story, and I pray with them, when I put the kids to bed.

Mama Z: So, when you were in school, did you just put your books under your pillow and expect to absorb that knowledge?

Dr. Z: No, it was wonderful. Like doing that time with the kids is so special. It’s like everything stops. I can decompress. And one thing I noticed, and this is another little tip. And then Sabrina is going to give you the schedule, because it’s the schedule, it’s maintaining, it’s organization. That’s how you do it. But for me, from really the time that I wake up, it’s nonstop.

Mama Z: Oh, yes.

Dr. Z: And this is the key. I’m never bored. I can’t remember the last time. You know, the last time I was bored was when I was strung up on drugs. And for those of you who don’t know about me, listen to the first couple of podcasts. You’ll hear my story. When I was strung up on drugs, when I had no purpose, this is the other key. Even if it’s watching a movie, which we do to “decompress,” that’s productive. It’s not like I’m wasting time.

Mama Z: We aren’t just sitting there watching a movie. He and I are side by side. We’re doing some quality time together.

Dr. Z: No, but we still do nothing, though, and sometimes watch a movie with the kids.

Mama Z: Right, oh yea.

Dr. Z: That’s like productive, though.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: That’s productive quality time. It’s productive decompression. It’s not like, “Oh, I’ve got to get on my computer.” You’ve got to get away. And that’s the one thing that I’ve learned. There is no boredom. Everything I do has a purpose. And I have a to do list that I’ll never catch up with. And I’m okay with that.

Mama Z: Right. Like my dad, he always has a to-do list going on, twenty-five to thirty things. And we were reminded that when we had our ten items on our list, or whatever, ten to fifteen things that we had to do, we would always get a quick win from my mom or dad. And it would say, “Give your mom a hug. Tell your dad you love him unconditionally.” They would put that in there. So, literally, my mom would write these things on my dad’s list. And then my dad would go, “I love you unconditionally,” as he is crossing it off. And you’re like, “He just did that to cross it off.”

Dr. Z: Just no emotion.

Mama Z: Yea, it was like so funny. So, we would sometimes go in there and write stuff on his list. But both of our lists are like we have pages of different departmentalizing things that we do.

Like, for instance, if I didn’t keep a log of everything that I’m serving tonight in all the different areas, from our herbal infused water to appetizers to beverages to all these desserts and stuff like that, then come tomorrow. I will go down to get the kids’ lunchboxes, and there will be an appetizer. And so, we have to keep lists for each and everything. So, first I make a list of who’s coming. And with Facebook, it can make the list forming, which is kind of nice.

Dr. Z: Facebook events.

Mama Z: Facebook events, I love it.

Dr. Z: Thank you, it’s free.

Mama Z: But in my notes in my phone, then I’ve got what we’re serving in all of those areas, so that we lay it out, so that we don’t forget anything. And if we do, oh well, we’ll eat it as a family anyway.

Dr. Z: I love leftovers after get-togethers, a favorite.

Mama Z: Oh, yes, absolutely.

Dr. Z: I mean really, that’s it.

Mama Z: Yep.

Dr. Z: Because we usually just eat mac and cheese and Chef Boyardee all the time.

Mama Z: Oh, whatever! Stop that.

Dr. Z: That’s what I tell people every time we have a group. I’m like, “Guys, thank you so much for coming because you have no idea. We normally just eat out of a box.”

Mama Z: I remember when I went to college, and people were talking about ramen noodles. But I didn’t know what it was.

Dr. Z: I didn’t know either, yea.

Mama Z: And they said, “Rice-A-Roni.” And then what was another one, where you add like hamburger or something to it?

Dr. Z: Hamburger Helper.

Mama Z: Okay. See, we didn’t do that kind of stuff.

Dr. Z: I didn’t either.

Mama Z: Everything was made at home. So, when I went to college and people were talking about all this stuff, I had no idea of what any of this stuff was.

Dr. Z: It was brand new stuff.

Mama Z: Like my mom, I asked her, “What is that?” She goes, “Junk.”

 

[35:53 – 39:34] The Secret to Productivity

Dr. Z: So, one thing is, to keep yourself busy, is—

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: To have a never ending to do list. Chris, I’m going to put you on the spot here. Do you remember when we were talking a couple of months ago about this to do list? And you’re just like, essentially, “How are we going to get this done? And what are we going to do? How do we prioritize?” Do you remember what I said in response to that list, like what I see this list as? I put you on the spot. You probably don’t know. Job security!

Chris: Oh!

Dr. Z: Remember that?

Mama Z: Right!

Dr. Z: Job security. Chris is like looking at this. I’m like, “Let’s look at this is as job security, Chris.” I mean you’re never going to catch up, ever. Everyone on my team, they know there is an unlimited amount of work.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: And then when we finish, maybe, guess what? Let us create more stuff.

Mama Z: Well, even on my side, with our handyman, he’s there, and Eric will say, “This needs to be taken care of.” So, immediately I go to the book. I have the next list going. Get a handyman. And I will write it down.

That’s the other thing. You’ve got to seize the moment. You have to do it in real time because when things are brought up, you have to do that at that time, or else you might not know until next time. How many times have you gone down stairs and have been like, “Oh my gosh! What did I come down here for?” And as my dad says, “It doesn’t get much better later.”

Dr. Z: Yea, senior amnesia.

Mama Z: Yes. Or even grocery store amnesia. You get to the grocery store and you’re like, “Oh my gosh! What did we need?” And then not everybody can dial into their refrigerator, like some of the ones I’ve seen on the shows where you can actually see what’s in your refrigerator from your iPhone or whatever.

Anyway, it’s important to make sure that you make lists and then stick to those lists. That’s why if Eric goes shopping, if I ever, ever, ever have him go shopping, I don’t even allow him to go to Costco because he will buy the first seven or eight things that are right by the door. They literally geared all the marketing just for him. I’m almost positive.

Dr. Z: I love that stuff. I don’t know what it is about it. It’s like they know me. It’s like these featured items. Hey, I brought you a bracelet or a watch because of them.

Mama Z: That was very good.

Dr. Z: Thank Costco. Thank me for shopping. That wasn’t on the list, by the way.

Mama Z: But I tell him, listen, because he’ll call me.

Dr. Z: Unless it suits her, though, Chris. Chris is laughing. Unless it suits her.

Mama Z: He’ll go, “I’ve got surprises.” And I’m like, “Oh man.”

Dr. Z: Well, you’re wearing some of them, babe. Yea, literally, you’re wearing some of them.

Mama Z: I agree. But the thing is

Dr. Z: I picked that jewelry.

Mama Z: No, I made this jewelry.

Dr. Z: Not the ring.

Mama Z: Oh, I don’t remember.

Dr. Z: You’re welcome.

Mama Z: Thank you.

 

Dr. Z: Anyway, we’ve got to take a break. Finish?

Mama Z: Okay.

Dr. Z: We have to take a break. We’re good, unless you want to make this a five-parter.

Mama Z: Oh, stop. So, anyway, what I tell him is stick to the list, stick to the list. We don’t need anything extra. We don’t have room for anything extra. We’re having this happen or this happen or this happen. If you get anything extra, you’re going to have to store it in your car. And believe me, I’m sure that unsweetened almond milk does not taste good from your car tomorrow.

So, you’ve got to stick to the list, too. And be disciplined on your list, and stick to your list.

Dr. Z: So, one thing I can already hear from people, because we mentioned things like employees. We’ve mentioned interns. We’ve mentioned handymen.  We’ve mentioned new windows and stuff. And I can already hear it: “I ain’t got not money for that. I do everything myself.” Well, guess what? We did, too. And I’m going to talk about that after the break. But before we do, a word from our sponsor.

 

[39:35 – 40:14] Sponsor Spotlight: Thrive Market

Dr. Z: There’s nothing like hearing the doorbell of the delivery person, letting me know that a Thrive Market package has landed on our doorstep. It’s like Christmas time every time we get a package.

Mama Z: Yes, from ingredients to snacks, it’s so awesome. And the kids go nuts.

Dr. Z: We love Thrive Market, the convenience, the price, and just the movement, because we know that every dollar spent goes towards a more sustainable, healthy, natural world. So, if you haven’t joined, then what are you waiting for? You’re going to absolutely love it.

 

[40:15 – 47:30] Maximizing Productivity: What Is Your Time Worth?

Dr. Z: So, before Sabrina…I’m kind of dangling, y’all. This should probably be your natural living family tip, like how to schedule stuff. That’s a good natural living family tip at the end. But before Sabrina walks you through the schedule, which is so key, this does not require money.

When we were at our dirt-brokest—is that even a word? When we were on food stamps, government assistance, when I was a full-time student, getting my doctorate, when we had three kids, this is when it all started. And we learned this. And so, there’s an element where we understand. For those of you like myself and Sabrina included, if you have a job, you’re limited in income from that job. It’s not like your boss is going to say, “Hey, here’s a thousand dollar raise.” It typically doesn’t happen.

I want to plant the seed in you, like we’re talking to somebody, who will remain unnamed, about someone who is flipping RVs—not RVs, those little motor bikes. They call it flipping. Have you ever heard of someone flipping homes? Well, who’s going to be a realtor?

Mama Z: You’ve got motorcycles.

Dr. Z: Facebook.

Mama Z: Facebook, four-wheelers.

Dr. Z: So, he’s buying four-wheelers for a couple of hundred bucks, selling them for a few hundred extra dollars, and he’s making two, three, four, five, six-hundred bucks extra a month from doing that on the side.

Mama Z: And sometimes it’s just him doing an oil change on it, and shining it up, and it’s good to go.

Dr. Z: Yea, we’re talking dirt bikes, four-wheelers, like mopeds, something that you hopefully—

Mama Z: I had a moped. Seriously, I had a moped.

Dr. Z: Moped Mary. So, something that you could afford. Again, I get it. Who can afford to flip a home or whatever? That’s not what I’m talking about. Creative ways, and this is something I’m going to tell you. I believe this is a gift from God. I believe that God is here and wanting to give us creative ways to make money.

And that’s what happened to me. So, when I was a student, broke, God opened up the door. And I was praying, “God, how can I make a little extra money? We’re sinking here.” And that’s how I started. And that’s how I became a researcher, to pay the bills. And I started going from different grants to different studies. The next thing you know, lo and behold, I start a business as a medical writer. And boom, here we are today. I mean who would have thought?

So, you have no idea what God wants to do. But there are a million ways to supplement money, and then you can start. And even if it’s an extra four-hundred bucks a month, guess what? Now you’ve got the fifty-bucks extra that you could pay someone to cut your grass. That saves you two hours now. And that two hours can be towards something productive that makes you more money. That’s what I’ve found. As quick as I could outsource everything, like the handyman.

I can do some stuff. Other stuff I’m not trained to do. But you know what? The bottom line is why would I do it myself when I could pay someone to do it? And if I’m making more money per hour, here’s a tip for business people. If I’m earning more money per hour than I’m giving someone, paying someone to do a task, it makes sense. So, that’s why we started to hire a cleaning company. So, for two-hundred dollars a week, or one-hundred and eighty bucks, we get Molly Maids to come by to clean the house, to give the house a good, nice clean every week.

Mama Z: Well, I want to say, when I got pregnant, and I learned this many—

Dr. Z: But it happened in stages, though. That’s what I want people to know.

Mama Z: And so, what happened was, after we had the third baby, we had a babysitter that we wanted to see if she could work a couple of half days a week, just to help out with some of the household stuff and the baby and stuff like that. And I remember my dad saying many, many years ago, I would say, “Can you do this?” And he’s like, “It’s not worth my time. I get paid x-amount of dollars per hour, and it’s not worth my time.” And then other things, it was worth his time.

And bless my mom’s heart, she would take those darned Christmas lights, and she would replace all of the bad ones and just about break her fingernails and her fingers off just to stick those in there. And then a couple of years ago, it got to the point where she was like, “You know what? I just picked them up and threw them away.” It was like freeing her.

She was like, “I said forget it. I’m not doing that anymore.” See, I was there. I helped her with those things. My fingers used to bleed October or November at our house. Remember when I used to do that? It would be like you take the kids out for like a day, and I would be like sorting through.

Dr. Z: And they could totally afford it.

Mama Z: Oh, totally. But that’s why mom was featured on The Millionaire Next Door. Seriously.

Dr. Z: You’re making a point. It’s a good point.

Mama Z: He said, “That’s not worth my time, because my time I figured out at work was worth this amount when he was working.” And that’s not worth my time. And later on, when I was trying to make some side cash in college, I remember a lady saying, “If you can’t afford that, then you’re looking at the expenses end. And you need to be looking at the income end.”

Because if you’re able to have somebody clean your house for you, and this was not at a time that could happen, nor did I want to give up the control of cleaning the house at that time. But it’s worth your time to be able to work your extra hours doing the things that you’re doing in order to make a lot more money than you would paying somebody to clean the house.

And so, I remember when I got pregnant with Bella, and you said, “You’re going to need to let something go. If you’re going to get stuff done, you’re going to need to let something go. What are you willing to let go?” And so, at that time, and we had moved from two half days a week with our helper to three half days to two full days. And then eventually she came on full-time with us.

But when I said, “All right, I’ll be willing to let go of the cleaning if I can have complete control over what they do.” Because I anally cleaned the house every week and always have. And I would scrub the floors on my hands and knees, because that’s obviously the only way to do a good four-corner cleaning. Get all four corners of the house. Get her clean top to bottom.

So, I liked the fact that they would work with me, and they would ask me how things went. And I could, because it’s a company, give them my suggestions, talk to the ladies, and make sure everything was cleaned to my standards. Because it’s all about expectations. And that’s what the handyman said the other day, because he had painters come in to help with a project. And he said, “It’s all about expectations. That’s why I let them know that they needed to come in and do everything perfect.”

Dr. Z: So, the thing is maximizing time.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: And when I was working for a job that I had a set salary, I wasn’t taking a lunch break just to eat and watch TV or be on my phone or computer or something.

Mama Z: You don’t get paid for listening to the top 40.

 

[47:31 – 52:22] What Drives You to Be Productive?

Dr. Z: Well, the thing is, how do you spend your lunch breaks? How do you spend your time off? How do you spend your evenings? How do you spend your mornings? Here’s the thing, though. This is the underlying thing. Like what drives us? That’s the key.

I think, Chris, the question that really you’re asking is not like, “How do you get stuff done?” The question really is “What drives you to do what you do?” To me that’s the underlying suspicion. It’s like, “Why would you want this life?” To me, it’s so natural. And you know. And you, too, because Chris loves the Lord. And he and his wife have a wonderful ministry. It’s because of Jesus. Like there is a ton, an unlimited amount of work to do in Christ.

And like Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, why bother me? I’m busy about my Father’s business.” Remember when they lost Him? That’s a funny story. Like, “Hey, where’s Jesus? It’s been a couple of days.” They’re traveling back home from the temple. “Oh, let’s go back to the temple two days.”

Mama Z: That’s like leaving your kid at the rest stop. “Hey, we’ve got six in here. Where’s the seventh one?”

Dr. Z: Did Mary get arrested for abandoning? No. That’s how culture was back then. He was like, “Woman, why are you worried? What’s up? I have to be busy about my Father’s business.” So, here’s the thing. You, me, everyone who calls ourselves Christians, we need to find that. We need to get ourselves to a position where our life becomes ministry.

And yesterday, you might not have noticed this yesterday. I don’t do a lot of yardwork. We pay people to do yardwork. I wanted to get outside. It has been a super productive day behind my computer. I needed to get up. I needed to move. I went outside and took off my shirt to get a little bit of vitamin D. I opened up her she shed. For those of you who have been to MamaZGardening.com, you know about her gardening she shed. And I got the leaf blower, and I cleaned up a little bit. Why? I didn’t have to. We could have paid someone to do it. We actually had someone come today for it. I just needed to get out and be productive and do something. And I enjoyed it.

Mama Z: Then he comes in and goes, “I the man.”

Dr. Z: I the man. Something inside, “Get outside and move.” And I could have gone outside. But you know what? I cleaned up the little trampoline, so the kids didn’t have debris on the trampoline. Everything has changed. Everything I do is productive. Everything I do has a purpose. And it’s wonderful. I enjoyed it. But it wasn’t a chore. It was like I wanted to do it, because I wanted to bless the kids. I wanted to go on the trampoline with them. Hey, let’s make it work.

And so, when you have a mission-driven, purpose-driven life in Christ Jesus, you will look at life in a completely different way. Money is not an issue anymore because you will work within the limits of your time and your money.

Mama Z: Well, and I think even for me, even before Christ, that was my natural mindset, to maximize everything. And then God just changed the direction once I had the relationship with Him. Because I remember working for, I worked in the Register of Deeds Department for Midland County Government.

And I was down in the basement microfilming documents, like all of the mortgages, all of the deeds to houses, all kinds of stuff. And all I had was a microfilm machine and a boom box and a broom. And so, every day I tried to like microfilm more documents. I knew exactly how many I could get done in a day. And every day I would try to beat my record.

And during the time I would be listening to The Power of Positive Thinking and How to Argue and Win Every Time by Gerry Spence. Every book on tape from the self-help department, back when it was still on tapes, because that’s all they had down there was a tape recorder, for those of you that know what a tape recorder is. But we had one. And I would listen to everything they had in the library and the books on tape department.

Dr. Z: You can thank your dad for this, though. I mean, see you’re a product of well-disciplined, super-successful, driven parents. Where for me, I’m a product of a transformation by Christ, to bring us to that same place.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: I love that. That’s what I love about why we do what we do in this podcast now. Because Sabrina and I are like this, our kids are not only getting what Sabrina got, but they’re getting just the mission and the purpose, because that was never really part of the discussion with Sabrina and I when she was a kid.

Mama Z: I went into the lunchroom, and one of Esther’s former teachers, who has taught our kids, she says, “Wow! Esther can shape up everybody in line like nobody’s business. She just asked me for the footboard, and she straightens them up. She tells me who deserves a sticker, who doesn’t, who is not lining up. She’s got them all ducks in a row. And she’s got it all organized.” And—

Dr. Z: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Mama Z: I’m so serious.

 

 

[52:23 – 58:39] Living Your Day with Purpose

Dr. Z: So, whether you can relate to Sabrina, if you have wonderful parents and you had an upbringing of discipline and lists and productivity, or you can relate to me, and you’re like, “You know what? I didn’t have that as an upbringing, but Christ came into my life, God is my Father.” And we know God is the author of all, the finisher of our faith. And He created everything.

And whether you can relate to my story, where this has been birthed through a spiritual birth, or you can relate to Sabrina’s story, who had this birthed in her through being alive as a child of Nile Frawley and Donna Frawley, that’s the thing. It doesn’t matter. And I’m so excited to be able to pass this down to people. But now that you have Christ in your life in a very real, special way.

Mama Z: And you’re very purposeful about everything in you do. And you’re mindful about His business.

Dr. Z: Your mom follows the Lord. Your dad is on his journey still. We’ll call it that. Your dad is on his journey, your mom loves Christ. But it wasn’t like the spiritually rooted household we have. Like you prayed and you did things. But when you have a family, a husband and a wife together, equally yoked in Christ

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: That first is key. And if not, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get through, and hopefully continue to pray your husband into the kingdom or your wife into the kingdom.

Mama Z: And you know what? There’s a note about that. And God spoke this many years ago. Just like we talked about preparing your field for rain. If you are believing for that spouse and you are praying for that spouse, you also have to pray about that transition of really handing down the guard of that head of the household spiritual position to that person. Because that is a transition when that husband, if you’re praying for a husband and he comes on board. And they’re going to then take the helm of that spiritual relationship. You have to be ready to really transfer that.

It’s just like a single man and single woman. We didn’t get married until I was in my late twenties and you were not as late of the late twenties. So, I had been by myself for a long time, and you get set in your ways. And it’s very similar to that, but even more structured, because a husband and wife have lived together for a while, and you’ve been believing for your spouse for a while. Like in some relationships where I’ve talked to people, at the time when they got married, their Christianity wasn’t important to them. It became important to one of them first.

So, being able to really pray for that person continually to be in that place, you really have to start seeing that person in that place in order for that to happen, that transition to happen. And you have to be ready to kind of take that step down and let that husband take the role that he’s supposed to take.

Dr. Z: There’s nothing in our life, our physical life—I’m talking like in the natural realm. I’m not talking in the supernatural. But there is an element of blessing to this. So, I don’t want to discount that.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: There’s nothing in life that is more satisfying than to do your best all day, and go to bed and realize, “I did my best.” And you just fall asleep, no regrets. And I say, “I did my best. I had a great day. I had a productive day.” Yea, the server is broke, or the window is broke, or the kids got stitches. Things happen. I’m talking about the last couple of months, broken collarbones, broken issues at the workplace, and homeplace, and kid place. Things break. But in this world, as we talked about last episode, “You will have trouble, but take heart,” Jesus says, “I have overcome.”

But to go to bed realizing that you had a super-productive day, to actually fall asleep because you were so productive you’re exhausted, that’s a good thing to go to bed at night. You don’t need to take, like I couldn’t imagine having to have a sleeping pill. I am so ready for bed when it’s time for bed. And typically for me, it’s usually around 11 to 11:30, sometimes up to 12, because I’m pushing it.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: And that’s the other thing. We’re on different schedules. I’ve been on a midnight to 8 o’clock schedule.

Mama Z: And I’ve been working later lately. But our good friend back home in Michigan, you remember Matt Hershenberger. He said, “I’ve noticed something about you. You go like a hundred percent and hard all day long until you shut the systems down.”

Dr. Z: Yep.

Mama Z: And they had like a papasan chair at their house. And they go, “As soon as you go up on that papasan chair, whether it was a movie and all of our friends were there, or whatever, you pull that blanket on there and you are out like a light.” And you can attest to that, because like on the couch or whatever

Dr. Z: Yea. At 9 o’clock you’re done.

Mama Z: But, you know, there have been times, especially lately, and I wake up very early, too, that I’ve been up later than you. And normally, especially while I’m training, I’m usually going to bed, like you said, about 9 o’clock, and then waking up at 4:00. And that’s been key, because I can get a lot of stuff done when nobody else is awake yet.

Dr. Z: And I get a lot of stuff done when everyone is sleeping.

Mama Z: Yea.

Dr. Z: You see, we’re different. And that’s something we have to embrace.

Mama Z: We embrace the difference.

Dr. Z: Because you wake up earlier than me, you’ve essentially assumed responsibility of getting the kids ready. But it’s also your special time with them. So, you have your special time with them. It’s like, mommy, you’re in the kitchen. And you don’t want me in the kitchen anyway. You don’t want me messing with your stuff.

Mama Z: We have a system, and we rock that system.

Dr. Z: She does. And like if I’m down there, I’m going to be making up pancakes. And she’s like, “No!” It’s not on the schedule.”

Mama Z: No, no, no!

Dr. Z: So, it really works, because I know she’s got the kids. And then I’ve got the later shift, which typically, sometimes, Bella, who has just turned three today, she’s not wanting to get to bed. So, maybe I take her to the park. Or maybe we do something special. Or I’ll read the kids a story.

Mama Z: When she’s jumping and flipping on the couch, that actually means she’s tired and it’s time to go to bed.

Dr. Z: It is.

Mama Z: And she will go to bed within a couple of minutes.

Dr. Z: It is.

Mama Z: And he’s like, “Books, she’s not settling down.” I’m like, “No. This means she has to settle down, because she’s ready for bed.”

So, the schedule.

 

[58:40 – 1:04:42] What Is the Point of All This?

Dr. Z: Well, hold on. That will be our natural living family tip, is your scheduling tips.  

Mama Z: But you told them that we were going to tell them a little bit about our schedule.

Dr. Z: We are. So, we’re going to give them the natural living family tip, because I think we’re about done.

Mama Z: Okay.

Dr. Z: I hope this helped. I really do. I hope this inspired y’all. I hope this gives you hope. And we talked about a lot of little different things. But the underlying theme of this is to live a life that matters, to live a life of purpose.

Mama Z: Yes.

Dr. Z: Because what you draw. Like Paul mentions this. And I don’t have the verse in front of me. Paul mentions that it’s the power that works within me.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: It’s not Paul. It wasn’t Paul.

Mama Z: Right.

Dr. Z: It wasn’t Christ in the flesh. It was Christ in the Spirit so he was able to do what he did.

Mama Z: That’s right. Because we have the Holy Spirit that’s in us.

Dr. Z: You channel that.   

Mama Z: And the Holy Spirit is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. So, He lives within us. And it’s really important to see that there’s a lot of untapped power in there.

Dr. Z: We’re made in God’s image.

Mama Z: We are. And potential energy is something that is, but it isn’t yet. And there is so much potential in each and every one of us that we aren’t even harnessing. Even as a coach, I know that my students, and I think it’s ten to fifteen percent. But we can always do ten to fifteen percent more than we think we can.

And that’s why it’s important to have a coach in different areas of our life, someone who is actually going to push you to do it. Because without that, if we’re doing our own thing, we’re going to go at our own pace and our own stuff. So, we need someone to push us in different areas. So, sometimes that’s me pushing you in areas that you need. And sometimes it’s you pushing me in areas that I need. But it’s important to allow yourself to have the ability to push you into some of those zones where you can actually do more than you think you can.

Dr. Z: So, before we dive into the natural living tip, and it’s going to be a longer one. I mean this may be a few minutes. So, your scheduling tips and the discipline tips, which are key to all of this. I want to go back to what I said early on. I kind of glossed over it, and it warrants more attention. You have to, and I hate to use the word “fit,” but you have to put time with God, time for your health in your schedule, or it’s not going to happen.

And so, the reason why we do what we do, and it’s become abundantly clear now that I’ve done this for five years, and I’ve been a Christian for sixteen, I know why our ministry is so important to the world. I know why more now, even as we talk, why millions and millions of people follow us online. It’s because all these things we’re talking about, you can’t do physically. You physically can’t do it if you’re sick, if you have chronic fatigue, if you have chronic pain, or if you’re dealing with mental or emotional issues. You just can’t. You can’t keep up.

And that’s the one thing I already can hear it. I could see the emails coming in. I can see the chats on our Facebook. It’s that “I have depression. I have anxiety. I have PTSD. I’m sick. I’m this, I’m that. And I can’t do these things. It’s just enough for me to get out of bed.” I know what that’s like. I had depression. I battled suicidal thoughts.

So, why we do what we do, helping people eat better, use essential oils, the books, the classes, everything that we do at Natural Living Family makes more sense to me now. Because the reason—and this is so key—the reason I have so much energy now–like right now, it’s about 4 o’clock, close to 4 o’clock. The reason I have so much energy is because yesterday I had a great workout. I slept a good amount of time. I ate good food today. And now my body is not going to weigh down.

Like Jesus says, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Remember when he said that to the disciples who couldn’t stay up with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. What if the body wasn’t weak? Your spirit is willing, your body is strong. You could do it.

And that’s why it’s so important as you’re balancing those three balls I mentioned earlier, your relationship time with God, and the relationships you have with your closest people in your life, and your career, which are the foundation. You have to get that on target, so you’re not sacrificing your prayer time, your fasting time, your Bible reading. You’re not sacrificing spouse dates. You’re not sacrificing time with your kids. You’re not sacrificing the work you need to do to make sure your money comes in from your job.

As long as those basics are done, now you can really start pouring more and more time into your health, into accumulating more money so you can do other things like not have to do all the yard work, or whatever it might be. Start doing whatever it is, because you will have the foundation set. It’s so key, so important. But you’ve got to know your why. You have to be deeply rooted in that.

And enjoy it. Enjoy every second. Enjoy every day, knowing that everything you do in the Lord is unto the Lord. And you do it with a good heart unto Him, and there’s nothing to regret. There’s nothing to look back. I hope you’ve enjoyed this talk. And Chris, thank you again for asking us the question. I hope we answered the question. If we didn’t, maybe we should do a part two.

But I want to get feedback. Please, go to NaturalLivingFamilypodcast.com. Subscribe to our newsletter. Give us feedback. Like let us know. Put a comment up on wherever you’re listening to this podcast, iTunes or whatever. Put a comment. Let us know what you think about this episode. We read the comments, by the way. And that help us. It helps us know what to do and how to continue this work.

Mama Z: Absolutely.

Dr. Z: All right.

Mama Z: Are you ready for the natural living family tip?

Dr. Z: Well, before we wrap up today’s show, I’m going to pass it back to Mama Z, who is going to give her natural living family tip of the day.

 

[1:04:43 – 1:09:44] Natural Living Family Tip: Mama Z’s Productivity Hacks

Mama Z: Hey! So, number one, waking up early. It’s so important to wake up early. And at least, if you’ve figured out what your schedule is. Like he said, he’s the later riser. He’s the later bed-der, if that’s a word. But waking up early is so important, because if you are the caretaker of the children and the manager of the household, over the kids and getting stuff done in there, then that may be the only time that you have.

Also, it’s important to spend time with God and in prayer. You need to have that developed as a relationship, just like you have physical relationships with your kids and your spouse. And you need to take care of your personal fitness. And so, that’s one of the reasons why I like to do that first thing in the morning. I wake up at 4 but don’t work out until 5 or 5:30. So, I have time with God. And then I take time personally for my personal fitness.

You can get every excuse under the sun by 5 o’clock in the afternoon. And all of these things will come up. If you haven’t put that as a priority, then, “Oh, I will get to it tomorrow.” There’s a reason why there are tons of cars in the gym parking lot on Monday and almost nobody there on Saturday or Friday night. You know what I’m saying? So, get it done.

Also, balance, balance, balance. We know that health is a balance between the physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, occupational, social, and financial areas of your life. And that is the goal and the purpose and the dream, to make sure that you are getting balanced in every area, because if you’re all focused with something that’s going on in your body, then some of these other areas are going to go out of focus. So, really make sure that you take time to balance all of those areas.

I know I have mentioned this before, but color coding your calendar to make sure you have your personal family time in, the time you spend exercising, the time you spend on these other things. And now a days, you can do it right in your phone and have your own colors for your own sections of life. So, definitely do that.

Spend time with your most important people. Your MVPs. And, of course, it’s going to be your family. So, make sure you spend time with your MVPs. And make sure that you schedule date nights with your spouse, because if you don’t schedule them, they’re not going to happen on accident. No excuses! If was texting, speak texting, I would say exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point.

The enemy of great is good. I know one of my friends that owns car companies in Michigan, Dick Garber, he always used to say that. And that is so the truth, because we can be fine and complacent with what’s going on. But that might be just good. And God has called us according to a purpose, and we are great. And we need to make sure that we are striving to be better all the time, whether it’s in our health, in our fitness, in our relationships, in our walk with God, in every area. And as we learn things, another window opens. And we need to make sure that we catch all that’s in that picture window before we open the next one.

Sleep and eat right, not just for you, but know what can cause you to have better sleep and better health. Of course, our book, The Essential Oils Diet, we go through a lot of the things that are bogging our bodies down. And if we are being bogged by everything that is surrounding us and all the toxins and all the other things, we can’t get through to the health that we really can have in Christ Jesus. So, we want you to be healthy. And in order to do that, in order to be the way that you are supposed to, you need to have the right sleep for your body, and, of course, the right foods.

And, of course, we have to talk about the five Ps. Proper planning prevents poor performance. Make sure you plan out your day and definitely do your lists. And make sure you prioritize what you need to do each day. And if that’s having your health journal, or just your regular life journal, or a balance of both of those, then it’s really, really, really important.

And when you look back at your schedule, and if you’re deciding on whether you need to do something or not, then you need to decide is this important? Will this still be important in ten years if I get this done? Because I guarantee that you’re going to want to spend even more time with your family and more time prioritizing them. Like we talked about before, especially with kids, the days are long, but the years are short, and then they’re gone. And so, it’s important to maximize the time and really seize the time you have right now. And make sure that that is a priority.

 

[1:09:45 – 1:10:24] Sponsor Spotlight:

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Mama Z: If you’re like me, you will definitely be making a grocery run this week. So, why not give Thrive Market a try and shop from your home?

Dr. Z: Simply go to NaturalLivingFamilypodcast.com to find the special link so you can redeem this deal on the show notes from today’s episode.

 

[1:10:25 – end] Episode WrapUp

Dr. Z: Amen, Mama Z! You crushed it. Fist bump. Thank you for listening. And we hope you enjoyed the show. As a reminder, you can find all of Natural Living Family podcast episodes, show notes, transcripts, on NaturalLivingFamilypodcast.com. While on our website, please don’t forget to sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter, which includes a personal invite to join our private Facebook group, so we can connect one on one and you can meet thousands of other natural living lovers just like you.

And don’t forget, please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review. We love hearing what you have to say about our show. And chances are we’ll end up reading your review in the future. Well, that’s a wrap.

Mama Z: That’s a wrap.

Dr. Z: I’m excited about the next episode. We are scheduled to talk about the power of words. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Mama Z: “And they that love it eat the fruit thereof.”

Dr. Z: Well folks, this is Dr. Z.

Mama Z: And Mama Z.

Dr. Z: And our hope and prayer are that you and your family can really experience the abundant life.

Mama Z: God bless!

Dr. Z: Bye, bye!