Ep. 71: Interview with Diane Sanfilippo

On today’s episode, my friend and mentor Diane Sanfilippo joins me to talk about her NEW & expanded Practical Paleo 2^nd Edition, the greatest benefits of a Paleo lifestyle, tips for handling stress, and budget best practices.

We’re back with our 71st episode of the Fed+Fit Podcast! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!

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Episode 71 Links

• www.dianesanfilippo.com
• Book: Practical Paleo 2nd Edition
• Book: 21-Day Sugar Detox
• Book: 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook
• Book: Mediterranean Paleo

Episode 71 Transcription

On today’s episode, my friend and mentor, Diane Sanfilippo joins me to talk about her new and expanded Practical Paleo second edition; the greatest benefits of a paleo lifestyle, tips for handling stress, and budget best practices.

Cassy Joy: Today I’m joined by an absolutely wonderful woman who has made an incredible impact on the world with her numerous successful paleo-friendly books, such as the runaway New York Times’ bestseller Practical Paleo; her blog, podcasts, always fresh social media outlets, and healing nutrition focus program such as the 21-Day Sugar Detox. She’s constantly producing top notch content, and has been a leader in our industry for the last several years. She’s got an enormous heart, and I’m beyond honored to call her a friend and mentor. Today we’re going to talk about her Practical Paleo second edition, and we’ll cover some of the questions you submitted; welcome to the show Diane Sanfilippo!

Diane Sanfilippo: Hello! {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: Thanks for having me. I like that I can see you, because you’re giving a little “ole dance” to my welcome.

Cassy Joy: {laughing} I do, it’s Oprah style and nobody can ever really see it.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} That’s awesome. Yeah, I’m excited to chat with you.

Cassy Joy: Me too! I know that readers; listeners are going to be really excited to hear from you. Just in general, but especially about this new project, this new book that’s coming out. Practical Paleo is really one of the most acclaimed books in paleo, gluten free, etc. I’m going there. I’m giving it all the titles!

Diane Sanfilippo: They should see the faces I make; like “oh no!”

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Oh, it really has been. But with all things, content evolves, and you’re getting ready to release the new and expanded version of Practical Paleo. I would love to hear from you; what differences are you most excited about to really share with the world?

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok, so I’m going to start with the superficial stuff, just because I’m holding my first copy right now, and first and foremost because this is what everyone will see when they first look at the book, is that we’re releasing it in a hard cover as well as a soft cover. So, for the people who’ve had the book for a long time, they’re like, “Yes! Finally!”

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: And I’m like, yes! But you know, a lot of people use it as a reference. As you know, only about a third or a little more than a third of the book is recipes, which is still a ton of recipes. It’s over 150 recipes now, which is a lot more than I had before. But you’re flipping through it constantly, it kind of reads and works like a textbook, so the soft cover is fine, there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s a new soft cover edition as well and it’s $10 less on the cover price, so that’s definitely accessible for a lot of people. But the hardcover just feels really special to me. So that, first and foremost.

And then second, the photography in the book; I’ve reshot almost all of the recipes; Bill Staley reshot about 15 of the recipes that; I can’t even talk. They were originally all shot by him. I worked with him, stayed at their house for a while, working on all of the recipes. So I had made and styled all the food originally but he shot the photos. So now it almost; as you know, you shot your own book. It feels even more my own since I did everything with all of these photos. So that’s really different.

So even people who have the original edition, even the recipes that are in here that were in the first one, they look totally different. So it just feels like; it feels like a brand new book. I don’t think anybody who has the first one is going to be at all disappointed if they get the new one, because it’s mostly not even the same! {laughs} It’s so different. So that’s just visually speaking.

The whole book has been restructured content-wise. I restructured how all of the chapters flowed together, I added two new chapters. I added a separate chapter on clearing up carb confusion; you know, that’s such a hot crazy topic; everyone’s really confused about carbs. So I have a whole separate chapter on that, a chapter on living a paleo lifestyle, so how we go from the diet mentality to a lifestyle incorporating stuff into your everyday life, and maybe even reintroducing certain non-paleo foods. I also have tips and tricks for dealing with family and friends, whether they want to make the change or not or if they’re unsupportive.

A lot of the new content is actually geared at people who already have the first book, because it’s kind of either a deeper dive into some stuff or it’s stuff that I didn’t cover the first time around. Most of what’s new is not really targeted at people who never read the first one. It’s really targeted at those of you who have the first one, and you’re like; why do I need the next one? There’s just so much more in it that I think you’re really going to love, honestly. Lots of new FAQs, over 40 new recipes, it’s; my heart is racing right now, I’m so excited. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Oh my gosh. I’m so excited; I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Something that I really admire about Diane’s business is she does an amazing job of asking what information do people want? You know, what questions do they have. She’s constantly asking that. And I have to imagine that a lot of this new content was inspired by the questions you get regularly.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, part of it is me asking, but honestly one of the things I really pride myself on and I try and instill in other people like you, and like all of our friends and colleagues who want to ask me for advice {laughs} not everybody does. But I think it’s important to listen, pay attention, and read between the lines of what people are saying. And also what they say without saying anything.

One of the things that people say, in air quotes, is what types of recipes they love the most. Now, we know that everybody loves treat recipes, and what you and I are both really not all about is treat recipes. It’s not like we don’t ever make them, because we eat treats too. But what I pay attention to is; do people love soup recipes; meatballs; anything with ground meat, things that are quick and easy. I know people love my salads. So instead of just saying; “What do you want?” I actually watch what people respond to the most, and that’s how I listen to what people want.

Because, you know to me; if I ask somebody what they want, what they might say is really different from what they mean. So that’s just something about me and the way I like to move through the world; I try and listen to what’s not being said, if that makes sense.

Cassy Joy: That makes a lot of sense; yeah, gauging interest by that kind of interaction. That’s interesting. I have a paleo diner breakfast plate in my book, and the only reason it’s in there is because whenever I post photos of my breakfast on Instagram, people love it! {laughs} So it’s in there.

Diane Sanfilippo: Mm-hmm. Yeah, so things like egg-free breakfast; and some of it is people do say the words “I want this” but egg-free breakfasts were something that I wanted to add more of to the book. Recipes that use ground meat and chicken breast, even. There was literally no chicken breast in the first book. Because I wasn’t eating any chicken breast. You’ll find there’s still not really any parsley, because I don’t eat parsley. {laughing} Maybe a little bit. But really paying attention to those things; instead of just thinking, you know, what’s quick and easy, whatever. Instead of asking people, I just know; ground meat is something everybody has on hand. Or chicken breast is something that’s really easy or we tend to buy and just keep on hand. So those are the types of things; spaghetti squash, tomato sauce, things like that, that I know people will be able to use really easily.

And the other thing that I did with the recipes that I added was I tried to do a lot of; not necessarily just one pot, some of them are one pot, but more like meal in one dishes, which I think is something that you tend to do, as well, where it’s like cauliflower and chicken baked in the same pan and that’s your whole meal. If you want it to be, or you can add something else to it instead of just a protein by itself. So most of the recipes that are added, there are dressings and there are sides, things like that, little dips; but the bulk of them are entrees and they’re all in one meals, so really easy.

Cassy Joy: Awesome! And those are great for leftovers, especially.

Diane Sanfilippo: Totally.

Cassy Joy: People who are trying to maximize their meal prep days. That’s awesome; that’s so exciting! Oh man, I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Diane Sanfilippo: I can’t wait for people to see it, because I’ve mentioned this before, I think I did an interview last week; Instagram wasn’t a thing when Practical Paleo came out. So I think it was brand new, so nobody was really on it. I remember the first picture I ever posted to Instagram, I was in Atlantic City for the weekend with some friends from the gym, and I think the book, I don’t think I even had my first copy of the book yet. We weren’t even there yet. But yeah, Instagram wasn’t a thing. So I can’t wait for people to get it, and start cooking, and almost like fall in love with Practical Paleo all over again, you know?

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: Because some people have had it for 4 years, and maybe loved it for a year and maybe put it on the shelf for a while. I’m just really excited to see people get excited about it again.

Cassy Joy: Oh man, that’s so great. And the hardcover, I think, is going to go a really long way. Because it is; it’s a resource book. And it’s one that you don’t just read once and you have it memorized. If you are that kind of person, I envy you! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} I know a lot of people, they’ll have it on their coffee table or their ottoman. I have friends who are always sending me pictures; like, “Oh my gosh, I just came into my friend’s house, and your book is in their kitchen!” I just think it’s so funny. Anyway.

Cassy Joy: That’s awesome. That’s so great. And you put in new recipe tags, I think, is that right.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah. So this is; I think from the beginning I always had notes on allergens in the book, or commonly, you know, irritating foods like eggs, nuts, and seeds, nightshades and FODMAPs; which I don’t think anybody knew what I was talking about 4 years ago, but now everybody knows what a FODMAP is. But, I added, so I have those. Now it’s done a little differently where it’s these colored icons, but I also have called out any recipes that are 21-Day Sugar Detox friendly; duh. I don’t know why I didn’t do that in the first one! {laughs} I called out any that used one of my signature spice blends, because I know a lot of people like to make them or have those available to them ahead of time. If it’s quick and easy, if it’s party friendly, family friendly, etc. I think I have one for; I don’t think, I know; for freezer friendly; it says “freeze me”. All kinds of little notes like that, and then an index in the back. So if somebody wants to see which recipes are good for which group.

Cassy Joy: Oh that’s so great!

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Cassy Joy: That’s great. It’s such a neat way to navigate a book.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, it just makes it easier. Honestly, most of the recipes are 21-Day Sugar Detox friendly; but let’s just say you’re avoiding eggs. You can quickly see; ok, avoid this recipe, or if I want to make that one there’s a quick modification I have to make. And all the modifications are noted on the page. So I think that’s something that I started when I wrote Practical Paleo the first time, and then a lot of people kind of followed suit, because we know that folks who follow a paleo diet, a lot of them do it because they have food allergies and intolerances. It’s not really just a choice. So, you know, giving that extra bit of information, especially for people like you and I who are nutrition consultants; I mean, that’s part of our job is to help people, not just cook the food but really make it work for them physiologically, as well

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Yep, I’m part of your protégé team there. {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: With all of those modification tabs. That’s so great!

Diane Sanfilippo: Aren’t they fun to write? {laughs}

Cassy Joy: Oh man! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: And edit? I don’t think people understand the pain that goes into it. But it’s worth it, it’s all worth it to make it really user friendly for people.

Cassy Joy: It is. You memorize that low FODMAP list really quickly.

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Yeah.

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Oh man, that’s wonderful. Ok, well let’s jump into a couple of these questions, and some of them are about the book, some are about you. And then I would like, before we go today, I want to talk about our tour that’s coming up.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yay!

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Ok, so first question that came in for the lovely Diane, this one lady wrote in, she said being the only one who is following paleo in her circle of friends. She has roommates; she says “how do you stick to it, even though the people around you aren’t necessarily on board. And do you have any tricks for staying the course?” Which sounds like this might be a topic you cover in the new edition.

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t think I cover specifically; I don’t know if I did this one. You might be experiencing this, once you finish it you block out everything you wrote.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s like, what did I say? Also, you know I’ve been putting content out for more than 6 years, so sometimes I forget where I said something. I know Liz and I have covered this on our podcast a million times, so I definitely want to recommend that she checks out our podcast archives by topic. I think we have one that’s categorized as unsupportive friends and family, basically.

Cassy Joy: Ok.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or like non-paleo friends and family, something like that. So here’s what I recommend for somebody who is sharing living space with somebody who doesn’t eat paleo and doesn’t really care about it. And this is basically what I used to do as a kid, not even dividing paleo; just being like, “Don’t eat my food.”

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} So, basically, have a shelf in the pantry; have a shelf in your fridge and maybe one of the drawers depending on how many roommates you have, and you label it with your name. I mean, we used to do this in college, anyway, we just didn’t eat all the same food, and just separate your food. I think that’s first and foremost.

Second, you know I think when it comes to temptation, it’s really variable between different people how you’re going to deal with that, what becomes tempting and what doesn’t. And I often talk about how something like a Twinkie, at some point in your life a Twinkie is no longer food. Like, you look at it and you know that there are people who eat it, but this is not an option of food for you anymore. So you either get to a point with foods that other people are eating and you know that that’s just not something that you eat. It doesn’t become tempting anymore.

But outside of that, you know, as crazy as it might sound, let’s just say your roommates are getting wings, and they’re ordering these fried wings and you know they’re fried in vegetable oil; make some wings at home. There are recipes probably in all of our books for wings. Make some wings, do something where you’re having a healthier version of the same food. You want to enjoy the social aspect of it; just because you’re not eating the same wings out of the box as your friends, doesn’t mean you’re not going to be able to enjoy that social gathering.

And I don’t like for people to; you know, as often as possible, I want you to be engaged socially with your friends and your peers. But sometimes it becomes a bit of a sticking point, and I think honestly just heading off that issue beforehand as much as you can. If you’re going to a party, bring something that you know you can eat. Every single time people bring a paleo or a really healthy recipe that’s super yummy to a party, it’s always gone first. You bring the bacon-wrapped dates, they are gone first.

So those are little tips and tricks. I think outside of that you have to find your why, and be very connected to why you’re doing what you’re doing. And I think it honestly gets easier day by day. If I go to a party, and some of my old friends; let’s just say, maybe from high school. They don’t eat at all the way that I do, but they know how I eat, and the stronger you are with what you don and the less, I guess, I don’t know, but you just have to be confident with your choices. My friends don’t question what I’m doing, and that’s not a product of, they wouldn’t question somebody; it’s, they’re not going to question me because they know that I stand confident in what I do. And if I want to make a different decision, they’re also not going to question that. If I decide to dip my carrot into the buffalo chicken cheese dip with who knows what is all in there, then I just make my decisions.

And part of it is also not kind of getting on a high horse or a pedestal about your decisions; just doing your thing. Because the more you kind of talk in a way that puts others down and makes your decisions seem like the right one or the better one, and theirs the worse one, now you create a divide that you really didn’t need to create. Just do your thing and eat your food, and try and divert the topic of it keeps coming back to that and you’ll be fine.

Cassy Joy: Killer answer. I think that’s great. It kind of goes to the “keep your eyes on your own plate” sort of mentality. I’ll be at family gatherings, and people will jokingly say, “Oh, Cassy don’t look at what’s on my plate!” {laughs} Just, “oh it looks delicious!” You do what you do.

Diane Sanfilippo: Exactly. And most of the time it’s more that people are; you know, they’re more self conscious about what they’re choosing than they really care about what you’re choosing. So just kind of like don’t pay attention to it. Just don’t judge it and move on.

Cassy Joy: That’s great. Good answer! Man, that was killer.

Diane Sanfilippo: Did I get an A? I see that you’re making a note.

Cassy Joy: I’m making notes! I’m going to link to your podcast in the show notes so folks can find it.

Diane Sanfilippo: Ok; great.

Cassy Joy: Ok, someone else wants to know. “What type of supplements, if any, do you use with your fitness routine?”

Diane Sanfilippo: So I don’t currently take anything that’s fitness oriented. There were times in my life when I took both creatine and glutamine, and just something I might add back at some point. I just did, it was something I was taking with a trainer; and I remember thinking, is this crazy? And I look back and I was pretty shredded. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: But I was also 30; I’m 38 now. Things are different. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: Things are different. But right now the only things I’m taking are some adrenal support. I am working with a naturopath, and within the next few weeks I may end up with a new supplement protocol. I think I’ve got some stuff going on with my hormones, just as a result of stress. Which, I’ve done my absolute best to deal with the stress of writing the book in every way possible, but there’s an emotional element that you just can’t subtract from the equation that I think takes its toll, and that seems to be the thing that takes the most toll on me, is just that emotional stress.

But yeah, I don’t take any specific workout supplements. Lately I’m not even doing a shake or some kind of drink with my workout because I found that for me first thing in the morning doing a carb a protein shake, I was doing it with my workout for probably about a week; it just did not work for my blood sugar at all. I do much better working out fasted first thing in the morning.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm. I’m the same way, actually. Interesting. Yeah, I actually don’t take; somebody asked if I do, as well, and I don’t take any supplements with my fitness routine. That’s just; it just works for me.

Ok, what’s the best way to stick to a budget when going paleo?

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs} Has anyone seen the way I buy food?

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m like a food hoarder. So I can give you tips, but I’ll tell you what to do, but don’t do as I do if you want to stick to a budget.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: Because I’m not a food budget person at all. Food shopping for me is like shopping without the guilt. Not that I really feel guilty when I shop, but at least I can buy things, and hopefully I don’t let them go bad. So, I have a whole section on eating paleo on a budget and how to shop in the grocery store in Practical Paleo; so it’s tips throughout the grocery store. Like what to do looking for; I actually separate it by protein, carbohydrates, and fat, because that’s the way that you’re sourcing your food.

Number one, if you have a Trader Joe’s near you, shop at Trader Joe’s. I mean, the prices are just great. They do have a ton of organic produce; we buy a lot of groceries at Trader Joe’s. Yeah, it’s in packaging. Here in California, we recycle most plastic, so it is what it is. But if you have a farmer’s market near you, go at the end of the day because they’re basically trying to unload as much as possible. Like the last hour to 30 minutes of the farmer’s market. But farmer’s markets are great, as much as you can buy that’s in season. So don’t try and buy strawberries in January. Buy strawberries in the summer, it’s when they’re in season instead of $8.99 for whatever, a pint, it’s going to be like $3.99 or $2.99. It’s going to be a lot cheaper.

In terms of when to buy organic and when not, you can use, I guess it’s; what’s it called now? The Dirty 15? It used to be the Dirty Dozen. Oh, maybe it’s still the Dirty Dozen, and then the Clean 15. It used to be the Clean 13. So, whatever; I’ve been doing this too long.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: You can find the Clean 15, which are the cleanest fruits and veggies that you can buy that are not organic. So when you’re looking to buy conventional produce, those are the ones you want to buy. And generally the easiest way to remember if you don’t have that chart handy is anything with a really thin skin that the fruit is exposed as it stands. So something like strawberries, or blueberries, or raspberries. Those are better to get organic, where as an avocado, maybe a banana, something with a thick skin that you’re going to peel off would be better or not as bad to get conventional. So those are definitely things to look out for.

When it comes to protein source, obviously sourcing from a local farm and buying a part of a share. So this is where really planning ahead; spending more money up front so you can spend less per pound. We were getting pork for probably not even $5 a pound; maybe it was $4.75, and we were getting mostly chops. You can’t buy pork chops, pastured pork chops at Whole Foods for less than like $20 a pound.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: Something like that. I mean, we were eating; it was #porkchopseveryday at our house for a while, and people were like; oh, lucky you. I’m like; listen, if you think I’m buying these at Whole Foods, you’ve got another thing coming. Because I’m not crazy with things like that. I will say lately we’ve been spending a little more on some flank steaks just because I haven’t made it to the farmer’s market as much because I am traveling so much. But that’s a great tip for anyone.

And then using the recipes in all of our cookbooks when you don’t know what to do with a certain cut of meat, most of us have recipes that can be used for any type of stew meat, like a roast or something with a bone and all of that kind of stuff. So those are some basic tips.

And I think, you know just as a general rule, a lot of us as bloggers and authors, we post about a lot of products. Right? We have our paleo mayos that we love and the cold-brew coffee; all kinds of different products that are basically pre-made. Those are essentially like a luxury item. I don’t have time, but I have the money right now. And there was a time when I didn’t have the money, and I had the time. And so I would have made my own mayo. I would have cared to try; maybe, make my own cold brew; things like that. But I was definitely making my own sauerkraut. I mean you can have a huge jar of sauerkraut for like 25 or 50 cents, instead of $7 or 8 or dollars for a jar.

So those are the things where when you don’t have the money, you have to put in the time and that’s what you have to be willing to do, and you just can’t complain about it. Bottom line; either you’re going to spend your time doing something with your food, or go get another job. When I didn’t have money, you think I was working; do you think I’ve ever worked one job in my life? No.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: So I think those are all the times. That’s basically what I would recommend.

Cassy Joy: That’s great. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. There are so many people who think paleo is so not approachable just because of the perceived expenses.

Diane Sanfilippo: I do cover that, too in the new book, where I talk about the paleo perfectionism, and how even if you; let’s say you’re doing this for a few years, and this person who is asking about budget, eventually they might be buying organic and grass fed because they found a way that works for them, they’ve cut expenses other places, maybe they got rid of an expensive car or a more expensive car than they needed, and there are a lot of ways to save a few hundred bucks a month if you change some of your habits. But then often what happens is we try and preach this way that we evolved to as to where people should start, and it’s not realistic. So I think it’s important to remember that; you know, we can start with the basics.

Cassy Joy: That’s great. That’s awesome. Another killer answer!

Diane Sanfilippo: {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: You’d think I talk or something for a living.

Cassy Joy: I know, wow! You’re just so good at it. You really have a career here. Someone wants to know, what would you say. I think this is a good question for people who may be brand new to this conversation, but what would say is the greatest benefit of following or pursuing a paleo lifestyle?

Diane Sanfilippo: Hmm, the greatest benefit? Probably that you realize that {laughs} that you were eating a lot of processed, not real food before. And I think even if you don’t remain strict paleo; inevitably 70-80% of what you eat will always remain as whole foods because you get to this place where what you buy at the grocery store, the habits that you’ve created, you know you buy tons of veggies and fruit, you buy meat, you buy eggs, you buy some seafood. You create a whole new lifestyle, so even when you perhaps reintroduce something or perhaps “go off the rails” as people say, you have a new base from which to start. You have a new perception of what breakfast, lunch, and dinner can look like instead of always a bowl of cereal and a sandwich and some pasta. We know that breakfast can be so different.

And I think that outside of all of the health benefits, I think just that new awareness of what food can and should be, I think that’s probably the greatest benefit.

Cassy Joy: Awesome. I love it. Definitely shifts the context from where we make a lot of decisions.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, and for some people they didn’t grow up with cooking or real food, and I think that when you get your hands dirty, literally, you know, with cooking, that’s something that’s so empowering that it just changes so much about your life.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Ok so you definitely have a lot of balls in the air, and a lot of things that you juggle. Someone wants to know, what are your tips for handling stress? If you could narrow them down {laughs}.

Diane Sanfilippo: Well I guess it depends on who that person is, you know. So for me, as a business owner and an entrepreneur the things that I do all the time to manage stress; number one, I keep my, this is also part of my personality anyway, but I keep my fitness and nutrition as my priority. I don’t; if I need to push a meeting back or I need to cancel; we had to cancel this recording because I had a migraine out of nowhere. I don’t know what it was, I don’t get migraines, but I had a migraine, and I was, I canceled the call. I take care of myself because I can’t help anyone if I’m not taking care of myself. If I have a health collapse or a health crash and I can’t be there to support people, then I’m no good to anyone.

I’m not a parent, so let’s just put that out there because I know a lot of people feel like they don’t have the time because of that. But I do think that I see a ton of parents who are in the same position and take the same approach, and I honestly think that if that were my life I would still take the same approach. I’m pretty unapologetic about needing to take care of myself.

I get my workout in when I need to, and I will cancel or push things back if I need to. And I don’t need to tell somebody why. I don’t feel badly if I need to cancel on something because I don’t feel well or I’m tired or it’s just not the right time for it. Because I also think I’m not going to bring my best self to the call. I could have done a call with you with a migraine; I could have turned it on, and I would have felt even worse after, because I actually had a call that morning that I didn’t realize how bad I felt until after that call. I was like; wow, I feel really terrible. So there’s that.

You know, part of it is delegating out responsibilities, and I think that applies as a business owner or not. If you have people in your life who are willing to help you with things, let them help you. There’s no reason why you need to do everything, and I think the more you do it the better you get at letting people help you because when we think we’re the only ones who know how to do something, not only is that so damaging to ourselves, we’re not empowering people around us.

A great example of this is, of course I have a team. A lot of women who work with me, and more recently, probably in the last several months, I assigned out a task to two of the women on my team who, on is an NTP and one is an NTC; so nutritional therapy practitioner and they’re highly qualified to do this part of a project that I felt like I needed to do and I was putting all this pressure on myself to do it. And the minute I released that, I released so much stress and pressure from myself, but I also empowered them and showed them that I believe in them enough to handle the work and let them prove to me that they can do that work. They feel great about it because they’ve contributed something that’s to the level that they’re capable of.

So whether that’s even something as small as {laughs} my mom asking, when I was living closer to them, “Do you want me to pick anything up at the store?” It feeds to run an errand.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: And she feels so good when she brings the coconut aminos over and saves the day, you know? It sounds crazy, but I’m not asking her to go out of her way. She’s asking me, “Do you want some help?” And I’m like, ok yeah, I want help. And that does so much to help my stress, and really just bottom line saying no to things. Literally, I don’t respond to my own business emails so if you put an email through the website, my assistant checks all of those and she sends me an email once or twice a week with a collection of requests, and 90% of them are no’s. I say no to almost everything that comes in. So I think that’s something we can all apply, whether that’s in business or in life.

I don’t think everyone gets there day one, when you’re starting out. You need to say yes to a lot of things, and slowly you’ll figure out the ones that were not right to say yes to, and just being very, very judicious about how you give your energy away.

Cassy Joy: I think that’s so smart. One of the things that I do, to your point as far as handling. Because I could work all day long, every day. I love it! I love this work, but I have to, the same way, I have to set myself apart, go do my work out, I have to go eat my meals. I almost have to set, when I was working on the book, little alarms on my phone that say, “Go eat lunch.” And at the end of the day, those are the things that made me feel the best. Because the work would get done regardless; I was going to make sure of that. But I needed to break.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Cassy Joy: And sometimes you don’t think that you can.

Diane Sanfilippo: 100%. And that was something I learned, too. You know, this is the 5th time I’ve written a book. Even though Mediterranean I was a co-author; my name is on that book. I edited that book as if it were my own. So I don’t think any other time; I think when I wrote Practical Paleo the first time I was doing this as much as I could, but your first time through is just really different. It’s mostly the same, but different. But this time I knew that by the end of the day, like you said; you’d get the work done but the way that I would feel physically at the end of a day of book work, it feels like I’ve been jogging all day. Like, my anxiety level is so high.

I tend to be an anxious person more than a depressed person, let’s put it that way. {laughs} so I’m guessing you’re the same.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: So if I know about myself, that by the end of the day of that kind of work I feel really kind of depleted and tired, why don’t I get the workout done first thing after I’ve slept, get the workout done I don’t even have to think about it anymore. That’s done; I’ve taken care of myself, I’m calmer, I can go through the day without that hanging over my head. And for me that works so well, and the last 6 months of working on the book, I think that that, you know I was in bed at reasonable times almost every night, and I think that that really, it just helps so much; make it a nonnegotiable.

Cassy Joy: That’s great. And this kind of leads into another question somebody had. “What would you say is your most effective go-to tip for relaxing at the end of a fast-paced week?” So, us, you know, I could work every day but sometimes I do take a day off. What are the things you do?

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, there is no “this day is the end of the week.” It’s just the day that happens; it kind of happens to me whenever it happens, I guess. What day is today? Today is…

Cassy Joy: Monday.

Diane Sanfilippo: We’re recording this on Monday. I think Friday and Saturday I did a lot of nothing. So that was kind of my weekend. For me, honestly, unwinding is putting on a robe, because I can’t bother with clothes, you know.

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: Maybe a tank top and some underwear and then a robe, you know really fancy, and then binge watching Bravo on Demand. That is, for me, it’s totally mindless, if I’m watching it I’m not doing something else at the same time, it’s taking up my whole screen. For me, literally, physically lying in bed and just not feeling stressed at all.

I would love to say “it’s going for a walk outside” or whatever. But that is not the truth; the truth is that is what I did to just relax and unwind and kind of; honestly, if I’m walking outside, my brain can still be on. Where as if I’m watching something, I’m paying attention to the story it turns my brain off because I’m trying to pay attention to the story.

Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.

Diane Sanfilippo: So for me, that’s what works. That’s it.

Cassy Joy: I love it. That’s great. Every once in a while, I’ll take my weekend on a Wednesday, and you know same thing. If I need to just sit down and decompress in front of the TV.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, binge watch Netflix or whatever.

Cassy Joy: Binge watch something. It feels very against my nature, but always feel like a million bucks the next day.

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh, I was so relaxed. It was great. I love it.

Cassy Joy: That’s awesome. Ok, well we had some more questions, but what I can do because we’re getting short on time; I can run these by possibly, and maybe we’ll include some quick notes in the show notes.

But I want to talk before we go about the book tour!

Diane Sanfilippo: Oh yeah! {laughs} Minor detail.

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Just minor! So Diane and I are hitting the road. We’re going to start off in San Francisco on September 6th, and then we have, gosh, I don’t know, a dozen stops?

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah.

Cassy Joy: Across the nation. We wish we could go everywhere, but you know, they haven’t invented the time machine yet.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or the money machine either {laughs}.

Cassy Joy: Or the money machine! {laughs} If they could just make those go hand in hand, that would be awesome.

Diane Sanfilippo: Or a makeup gun so I don’t have to do my makeup every day; just {pshew}. Anyway.

Cassy Joy: Oh, that’s such a cool idea. You know my favorite invention idea is I wish I had a little beeper on my keys and my phone and my headphones. I always lose these things, so it would beep.

Diane Sanfilippo: I think they make, they make something like that. I’m pretty sure that exists.

Cassy Joy: Oh. Well achievable inventions! {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’m sending you an Amazon link.

Cassy Joy: Thanks Diane. She helps me with so much {laughs}. So we’re going on this tour and we’re really excited about it. We’re going to be all over the place, but starting in California like I said. And we would love for you guys to come out! It’s going to be a blast, but it will be the two of us together. And then Liz Wolfe and Juli Bauer will be joining us for a few stops, as well.

Diane Sanfilippo: Yeah, it’s going to be fun. One of the things we always do, or I always do, I don’t know if you always do this at your book signings Cassy.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ve done so many events at this point, but it’s not like you come to the book signing and you just line up and get your book signed. It’s not like that. It’s really more of about an hour of talk and Q&A, and then kind of the second hour, just depending on how many people are there. The more people that are there, unfortunately, the less time we can really spend with that because we need to let people get home at a reasonable hour.

But yeah we’re going to talk about our books and we’re going to answer questions for a while, and I think that’s kind of the most fun part. So it’s really almost like a mini-workshop or a mini-seminar, which is super fun, and just really excited about that.

Cassy Joy: It’s going to be so much fun! And we’ve both got the list on our websites, so whether you go to DianeSanfilippo.com or https://fedandfit.com you can find links to all the events. It doesn’t matter which one you go to. And be sure to RSVP so we know to expect you.

Diane Sanfilippo: yes!

Cassy Joy: {laughs} Ok, awesome. Well Diane, do you have anything else you want to add to these lovely people listening today?

Diane Sanfilippo: I don’t think so. I think if anybody has questions or they want to come follow along what I’m doing, just make sure you’re following me over on probably Instagram but also you guys know all of these social media outlets basically are limiting what you’re seeing, so if you really want to make sure that you are hearing from me and you know what’s going on and you get in on, I do have some book extras, so recipes that are getting cut from the second edition that were in the first edition, all kinds of stuff, you really have to be on the emailing list to be able to get that information; and then you have to also make sure you open the emails.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: But we just email once a week, and make sure you guys have everything that’s going on that week and any special fun stuff, giveaways, all that fun stuff, really email is the best way. And I will tell people, in an effort to keep your sanity; I have a folder in my email box for all my newsletters, and I check them every few days when I’m ready to just kind of flip through and see what’s going on with the people that I like to follow. So it doesn’t have to be pinging in your inbox. You can have it filtered to a little newsletter folder, and make sure you sit down with your cup of tea and you want to read through if you want that to be how you decompress, read through your newsletters.

Cassy Joy: {laughs}

Diane Sanfilippo: That’s really the best way to make sure you know what’s going on.

Cassy Joy: I love it, that’s so smart. So definitely sign up for Diane’s newsletter, that would be great, and you can definitely find her on social media, as well, for regular inspiration and more of this direct, no-fuss, heartwarming inspiration and encouragement.

Thank you so much for coming on the show, it’s been so fun!

Diane Sanfilippo: Thank you! I’m excited for our tour!

Cassy Joy: I am too! It’s going to be the best. You’re going to; there’s a chance you’re going to be tired of me, {laughs} but I’m going to keep showing up.

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ll have my own room, don’t worry. {laughs}

Cassy Joy: {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: I’ll be like, “Bye Cassy, I’m showing you the door now!”

Cassy Joy: “Ok Cassy, you go to bed now!” {laughing}

Diane Sanfilippo: It’s going to be awesome.

Cassy Joy: It’s going to be great. Well thanks again for coming on. Remember you guys, you can find Practical Paleo second edition hardcover, I highly recommend. She also has the paperback as well, as an option, because she’s thought of it all. And so you can grab those on Amazon, be sure to grab one. If you’re coming to see us at the book tour, support the stores that are hosting us, grab a copy there. We can’t wait to meet you; Diane I’m so excited for you. I’m proud of you; I’m just so excited of everything that’s coming up, and for the world to have another gem of a resource. So thanks for all you do, and thanks for coming on the show.

Diane Sanfilippo: Thank you!

Cassy Joy: Yeah girl. Talk to you soon.