Leading with Pleasure with Alina Z | EP.04

This show is about freedom. Freedom from your constant struggle with food and letting the size of your thighs determine your worth. Join me weekly for no whole fat, unfiltered girlfriend kind of conversations that will inspire, teach and empower you. As we tune into our own body's wisdom and tune out of the diet industry lives, we can live our most radiant, pleasurable and fulfilled lives. My name is Chanci Dawn. I'm a non diet nutritionist embodiment and mindset coach. But most importantly, I'm a woman on a mission to grow a deeply connected and conscious relationship with food and my body. And I'm here inviting you to do the same. Let's go.

Hello, and welcome to It tastes Like Freedom. Oh my goodness, you are going to love the interview. Today. I asked Alina Z to be the very first guest on the show. And the reason why I did is because of pleasure. When I think of pleasure, I think of Alina, her social media account radiates pleasure. And then when you meet her in person, oh, I just didn't want to leave her presence. It just felt so good to be around her. She truly is an embodiment of pleasurable living. So I really am so pumped for you to meet her to listen into this and to get involved in the conversation. So Alena is an award winning board certified coach, detox specialist, chef and author of single and hungry. She has launched two food lines, one in Boca Raton, Florida and one in Moscow, Russia, as well as CO created to juice lines in Florida, and one in Kazakhstan. Alina is passion is in bridging the gap between healthy and tasty food. Her unique approach to food begins with first finding self love, and then creating a healthy diet using sustainable foods that reflect your unique personality and lifestyle. Alina teaches that finding foods that fit you is a lot like choosing the fashions that will fill your closet. It's a philosophy she calls couture nutrition and sharing it with others is her passion. She shared a lot about this in this interview, she even had me pulling some clothes down to as a little fun exercise in embodiment, and really, really had fun with that. Now, please take note, this is an adult conversation and Lina and I do not hold back. There's some swears dropped, we have some sexy talk going on. And just you know at your discretion if you have little ears around, you might want to throw in some earbuds. But that is totally up to you super pumped that you are here. Let's listen in.

Thank you everyone for tuning in. And I am I'm so excited for my guest today. Alena Z and Alina and I met on Instagram years ago, I actually was trying to remember and I couldn't actually remember who approached who first or whatever. But I remember looking at your page and seeing beauty, like flowers and just pleasure was like oozing from it. And I'm like, this girl is a kindred. And we started connecting, but little did I know how special you would be become to me in my life. Because you are you are the number one person that I actually think of when I think of pleasure. And when I think of Yes, when I think of pleasurable living and like deep self love and authenticity in it as well. You know, when you and I, this was so neat, we actually got to meet when I went down to LA and in person and went for lunch. And that was the best. And I remember just sitting there and going this girl is so real, like our conversation got so real so fast. That it just it lit me up. And that's another reason I really want to have you as my very first interview because our conversation was so fun that day at lunch. I'm like, you know, that is what I want to bring into this. So thank you so much for coming on my podcast and why don't you just start by letting whoever's listening the beautiful women listening, letting them know what brought you to the place you are right now. I did read your bio Yo, they've heard who you are. But I want to hear your heart, your heart story of what brought you to the place right now. Where self love, pleasure, food, fashion, all of that is so important to you that you're making it your career.

Wow, thank you. Yeah, and by the way, that lunch was also life changing for me in some ways, because I went home after we talked, I was like, Okay, I have to break through this blog that I found in myself. And it did produce a lot of pleasurable, very pleasurable experience. But what brought me here, you know, I was very, like, as a child, I was at home a lot. I was always lonely. I was very lonely. And I was watching a lot of movies, and they were my friends. And I didn't really I had friends, but I, where I lived, I couldn't see them. So like, I didn't have enough of things that I wanted to do. And then when I broke free, I came to America. And I was doing things like I had to do, you know, like, following the career path, I went to college, I got a job, I went to grad school degree, I got masters, then I got a job as a VP of Marketing for a catering company. And I'm just doing all these things got married, got divorced. And it's like, when you keep running the race, you just get exhausted. And so I went on vacation. And it was a cruise with Wayne Dyer and the Hay House. And he said, long story short, don't die with your music in you. And that was like, I was 29. I was thinking, what am I doing? You know, like, What is this for? Like you keep doing and doing and doing and doing. But you are not be not happy? You don't take time to pause and literally don't pause to smell the flowers, right? You just keep doing things that others expect from you. And I'm sure a lot of women can relate because it's like we are told, this is what we need to do. Right? When you come home from school. Your parents go, how'd you do today? They don't go How did you feel today? Right? Nobody asks you what brought you joy today? Number he says why don't you go take a break for joy. They go go, you know, take a break. So you can study more, work more. So there's always a goal in mind. And I think that cruise and the pivotal moment. And also just the you know, when you're like 27 to 29 you have the astrology so it's like a Saturn Return. So you figure out like, who am I as a person. And so I decided to quit my job and move to Florida because I'm like, that brings me pleasure. Like I didn't know when I realized I wanted to live in Florida and be at the beach when I still can look good in a bikini, and not when I'm 80 years old. And then like I retire and then what if I die like, you know, you're not guaranteed to live, right? So that was a wake up moment for me. But it wasn't easy. It wasn't like, all of a sudden, you're like, I'm gonna go and have pleasure in life and love myself. Then you start finding all these roadblocks. I'm not good enough. I'm not skinny enough. I'm not pretty enough. I'm not this enough. And then you peel those layers, and you do a lot of work. And you're like, oh my god, I'm great. Everything's sunshine and flowers. And then you find more roadblocks, more things to peel. Because we're such complex individuals. And if you really find this in you in your late 20s, let's say if you're lucky, you have to unpack only those 20 something years of bullshit that you were told, but if you unpack and when you're 40, that's like 40 years of bullshit. And it's a lot and it's just it just hurts, you know, women, we have so much pain in our shoulders, because we carry the weight of the world. And then we put it in our bellies. So we have the weight in the belly. And then we gain weight. And then we have like physical way. And then like there is no time for pleasure. Because you know, pleasure is only for beautiful people who are skinny. And they're worthy was until you lose weight. And you look perfect. Like you don't deserve the pleasure. So that was like another story that I had. So it's like peeling all of that stuff and realizing like there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way right, there's no way to pleasure. Pleasure is the way and it's now it's you have to that you have to like I was getting ready for those of you who can see me wearing this little 90, whatever, like this little silk Cami, and it just makes me happy. And you know what? Nobody's gonna see it here. There's no guys here right now. Who knows about tonight? Now? You know what?

I bring your mic for your sexy voice we're talking

about tonight. But the thing is like I wear sexy clothes for me now I wear I eat foods that make me happy now like not for anybody not for a goal, but just for the pleasure of being. And so yeah, somehow somehow I got there over the last, I don't know 15 years. And now I teach women how to do that same thing because I kind of paved the road I'm like okay, I can help other people not making the same mistake. So you save time because I had to take that I had to pay the path but now the path is paved. So all you have to do is just follow it so

Oh, so good. Ah Ah, so many things I want to ask you from that intro. I remember, it was actually maybe a month ago, I posted a meme. And it was funny. But it it brings me back to, you know, wear what you want to wear for yourself, right? And I posted a meme and it said something along the lines of I choose my underwear, depending on the chances of me having sex that night. And today I'm wearing there was like a plastic bag I found lying down the street.

I remember that name.

So hard when I read that, and you know, and I posted it and you're like, sweetheart, no, you need to wear sexy underwear for you. You know, independent. And yeah, as funny as that mean was and I actually wasn't wearing that grade of underwear that day. And then you because I was just feeling kind of low. It was a kind of a rainy low day. And then when you and I thought, oh, that relates haha, right. And then when you wrote that, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, thank you for the reminder. And I went into my closet, and I pulled out like matching beautiful lingerie, bra and underwear. And it instantly lifted my spirits. And so thank you for that. Right like that was that's you paving the way you living you doing the do and reminding me in it too, which is so neat, because this is also what I do. I teach women this also. And then here I am relating to some frickin meme about a bag flying down the street. You know, so. So I think that was really special. And this actually, yeah, thank you. And this brings me to this one paragraph that stood stood out to me in your book, I've read your book twice, and I love it. And this one paragraph, I had it highlighted and I started again, when I was looking at things to talk about on this podcast and read it. Imagine what it would feel like if we accepted and loved ourselves as we are without feeling guilty for not fitting into someone else's standards for for our beauty. What would we choose to eat them? How would we treat ourselves if we accepted the fact that we weren't perfect, according to some theory weren't perfect by our or anyone else's criteria, yet, we were still good enough to be loved. And it's funny, I'm actually getting teary with this. Like when I read this. So many of my clients come to me just feeling so unlovable. So unworthy. Right, just really deep in that not enough. And it shows up in how they're dressing how they're moving throughout their lives, how they're feeding themselves. Even how they're taking a shower, right? Like instead of like, beauty today, I loved it, I was getting ready. And I took like this beautiful shower gel that I have. And it's rose scented, and I was like feeling so much gratitude that I had that and I was able to nourish myself with that, you know, and when we don't feel like we deserve it, because we're not according to society's standard, or our own standard. Mind ever. It just brings me so much sadness, yet so much hope, knowing that there's women like you doing the work you're doing and influencing me to go on and put sexy underwear on.

You know, it's so funny your read, read this quote because I, at one point, I was feeling low, and I couldn't find any solutions. And I was like, Honey, you wrote the book, go reread it. It was before I published that. Now, after I read, I was like, I gotta publish it. But it's so true. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. And so women don't feel worthy. And you have to start, you know, if you want to, like share one exercise that really helped me. Absolutely. If you know, person who's listening right now is feeling that way. And I totally get it. You don't have to you don't have to love yourself honestly, like you're down. But you can start with appreciation. Right? You can appreciate and say you know, I appreciate my legs for getting me from point A to point B appreciate my arms for carrying my kids or the groceries I appreciate my eyes for see seeing whatever beauty that I get to see or movies I get to watch. So you start appreciating and then appreciation grows into love eventually, like if you just kind of place that seed, like I feel you know, once I dropped this whole big jewelry thing on the floor, and all of these necklaces got tangled. Like they were maybe like 50 And I was like oh my god I'm never gonna untangle. All them. And I just left them when they were on the floor for like three days. And I was like, Okay, I gotta start somewhere. And I was really feeling overwhelmed. But I thought, You know what, I don't need to commit to the whole thing. I'll just commit to picking out like one necklace out of the 50. And like one thing and led to another, and I started really thinking about it. And then I did half of it. I was like, Wow, that's amazing. And then a half later. So with the same thing was self love. Like, don't feel like you need to untangle all of it. But, you know, I think also working it was pretend and appreciation. Like, let's say, you appreciate your butt for being able to sit. So why don't you dress up that but in a cute underwear, not for anybody else's standards sexy, but for your standards. Like, what if you loved your butt? You know, what if just pretend, right? What would you wear, and I throw out all of the underwear that doesn't bring me joy. Like I don't have any non sexy underwear. I really don't like sexy underwear brings me joy. And now those are not either or mostly songs, but I have like some briefs or whatever, but they're pretty and they make me happy, and nobody's gonna see them. But I'm gonna know and I'm gonna feel and someone says something mean to you, and they made you believe that you don't deserve love. And you believe that? Right? You can do the same thing. Now you can literally say something to yourself that you don't think is true. You don't think you deserve love, but you say I'm worthy of love. And you just pretend and you just keep saying it. And eventually it will stick. Because your mind is so smart and will be like hell yeah. Like, in my book, I talk about how I looked at myself in a mirror once and I was like, God, you're so ugly. And my heart was hurting for like half an hour, I couldn't breathe. And it was like, Wow, that's so powerful. And now like I look at myself in the mirror every night I say goodnight, honey. And I say to myself as if things don't look pretty. And I'm like, Oh, I don't look so good. And I'm like, Go apologize. Go apologize. Yeah, yeah, no, because like, it's all habits. And in the beginning, when you just try it on, just like clothes. You know, I also tell women that sometimes we wear shoes that someone gave us when we were five, and they're in our mind, their mind shoe the potential, like somebody told you a thing, and it fit back then but it doesn't fit anymore, but you keep wearing it, right? Like you did something stupid, and somebody called you stupid, but keep wearing the thought that you are stupid. So you just if it was the actual shoes, like you would look at your five year old feet, and your feet now like you would not wear them they obviously don't fit. So why would it fit that somebody called you stupid when you were five when you did something five year olds do. But now you're grown woman like you don't do that stuff anymore. You know, like it just like have to take it off, you have to try on new things, new clothes, new thoughts, same thing, you know, new beliefs, you just try them on. And you know, of course, sometimes they like, like a leather jacket that might not fit right away, but you just keep like stretching it in and stretching in that self love. And, you know, causing up to the belief that I can maybe I don't love myself yet, but I appreciate myself, I'll appreciate whatever and that in my book, I talk about some different exercises. But it's like if somebody has lost just like one thing at a time and appreciation and pretend.

Oh, so good. Yeah, I remember reading in your book, and you're saying how you started with your fingernails. I have strong fingernails. And I appreciate those fingernails. And I really love that you pointed out, you know, you don't have to love yourself, right? Like, that is beautiful to have that goal and to reach that but the appreciation start is it's such a attainable thing. Especially when you it's with that with that intention of respect. Right? So I love that thought of like, okay, I don't love my body, but I respect my body. And how do I treat someone I respect and that hurt about apologizing? That something that I did too. And that changed everything. If I walked past a mirror and my brain went Oh, Baba blah, right? It's like, Oh, I'm sorry, body. I don't speak to you like that anymore. And then moving forward. So it's I have goosebumps, I just I knew it like you're so in alignment with everything. And that word appreciation, I think is really it's really powerful because a lot of women our cat that I talked to they're like, even the word respect is hard right now. But you know, being able to go well what can you appreciate? What can you appreciate and, and I think about women who have had children, right and their their stretch marks and all of these things and it's like, you might not love it. Most likely not love it, right? Maybe respect might be a hard thing or it doesn't even it doesn't feel nourishing enough but appreciating it. And then I love how you take it a step further. What that part you appreciate, how can you show it love, right, like, put on some sexy underwear. So I'm thinking about stretch marks. How can I appreciate these? Thank you for carrying this baby. And now I'm going to go and put some beautiful lotion and rub. Right? So it's like taking action to solidify that belief to really imprint that embodied emotion. That appreciation for really, isn't

it? And you know, it comes to food tours, like how do you appreciate your body with food? If you have stretch marks and you feel like you're a fat person, you know, some women call themselves horrible names, and they're like, I don't deserve good food. Because I'm fat. And obviously, fat people don't deserve anything good. You really have to come through that and just be like, Okay, well, this is my stomach. And this is the size of it. Which by the way, if a woman is asked to show where her stomach ends, like physically, she will literally put like a few inches in front of it. Like she thinks her stomach is literally bigger than it is. Because it's bizarre. But feeding yourself for appreciation, right? Not like to numb I'm in this whole different conversation, like how we numb our pain, but it's not really doing anything right now. Meaning just takes away your attention for a few minutes. But afterwards, you feel even worse, because now you still have the pain. Emotionally now you have a stomach that's full and it's already been full. So but appreciating yourself with food. And, you know, I people laugh at me, but I call myself I used to call myself now it's like, I guess it's a habit. I used to make myself call myself, honey, darling. And I'm like, Honey, darling, what do you want, you know what will make you feel good, what will give you energy. And again, you know, me, like I'm not at all into like, this is healthy, you should be eating this, like I'm into this is healthy, and it tastes delicious and so nourishing, and it's so pleasurable, then I'm going to eat it like, I will never eat anything that's less than all of it. And there are ways to eat things that are healthy and yummy and nourishing, and fit you and make you feel amazing afterwards. Like there are there is a way I found if I could do it, who was like the laziest person that I know. And then God I went to a raw food Academy because I didn't want to cook. I was like, I'm just gonna learn how to make this stuff. So I don't have to. Oh my god. Yeah, I mean, literally like and then like, I got hired as a chef and now like a cook for a living. But it's a different approach that I have for cooking now. But if I'm marketing executive who did not know that you need to peel shallots before you put them in a soup and blend them. If somebody like that can can figure it out, you know, so can you

Oh, that's so good. And you posted recently, it was a couple of days ago sometime last week, you holding carrots, I think? And it was like I'm not gonna eat vegetables unless it's pleasurable. Exactly right. And so talk more about that I would love please, to just discuss a little bit more about how you infuse pleasure into your cooking on purpose. Like, do you have any tips for the listeners?

So my biggest tip as dating men, but my biggest tip is dating is that, you know, when you're dating a person, you're like, you have the pros and cons and you have your ideal, right? You say like, these are the things that I like. And these are the things that this person has. And you usually date somebody who has things that are close to your list, which actually I say don't have too many things because then you're single, but with food. I think it's the same thing like write out a list of all the things that you love to eat and then write a lot a list of things that are healthy, and then see what crosses over. Because, like I personally love carrots if you don't love carrots, don't eat carrots. But if you like cook carrots or carrots to something then eat that. And I think it's getting to know ourselves better. We have to really ask yourself like what is it that I love eating like my client called me she said I want to ask your wife PMS I have I want ice cream. I said okay great, but she doesn't want to eat it because she knows that for her. And I said why do you want ice cream? Is it the cold? Is it the creamy Is it the dairy? Is it the sugar? Is that the fat? What is it? And she's like sweet so on Swedish sugar I said Okay, how about an apple? Because she likes Apple she's like oh my god great idea. I'm gonna get fruit but if you wanted the creamy like there's other crazy things are there if you want to call there's other things that are cold that can also be healthy. I mean for goodness sake, this healthy ice cream as well. But again, like the biggest thing to do when you take those things it's not like oh shit Aleena told me I have to eat this way. So I'll be skinny and everybody will love me. Like no i Lena told you to find things that you already love to eat for the body. You're pretty You shade right now. So you can feel like be feeling loved right now, by the way you're eating, you're gonna feel love that it's not about later it later might never come. But you deserve so much more than settling for junk food and settling for healthy food that tastes like garbage. Like, it has to be all of it. And there are things like that. But again, I don't know who is listening, right. I don't know what her mood is like, I don't know what she's in the mood for. So I want to do a little exercise with you, since you're in the closet. And so for those of you who are watching, like I'm gonna lie somewhere in this little skimpy sanctum. And Chanci it is in cold Canada where it's snowing. So if you are coming into your closet, like if you even go with your hand, you don't have to shower stuff, like touch different fabrics, like some of them are soft, some of them are smooth. Some say that some, some might be furry, some might be fuzzy, right? There's different textures. So that makes very one so the nice part one and fill out that for that silky skirt or whatever. Yeah, that's the right color. That thing? Yeah, this thing? Yes. What is that? Yeah, well,

that's just like, Hey, would you call it those? Oh my gosh, I can't even think of like a scar. It's here. I'll pull it down. Alright, cool. It's just you just put it over. It's like a nice too. Is it tune in?

Okay, yeah, yeah. Okay. So you see how it's like really light. But the right now if I asked you to wear it to walk around your house, you're probably not gonna because you'd be cold. Or if I tell you to go outside, you know, I'm gonna, but that warm sweater you will wear because it's fuzzy, and it's thick, and it will keep you warm. So, and also the body constitution, like some of us have more heat in the body, some of us always feel cold. So the same way you intuitively know if it's cold outside, I'm going to wear a sweater. If it's hot outside, I'm going to wear a tank top and want you to think about food the same way. So in my book, I talk about foods and fabrics. And I think of like protein that's organic, like animal protein is like a cashmere sweater. But process GMO meat that is bad quality, and you don't know what's in it, like a processed acrylic sweater that feels really itchy on your body and makes you sweat. You will probably wear the cashmere sweater with more joy. And you would only wear it when it's cold, right. So the same with me. It means when it's cold outside because it will actually give you more warmth. Or I'd compare like light silks to raw foods. Because if it's hot outside, you want to eat something that's cooling and soothing and feel silky and smooth, like fruit. So there's a lot of different ways to that I talk about in my book. I don't want to take the whole podcast to compare the fabrics. But if you haven't think about it that way. Like what's pleasurable. And where are you going? Where How you feeling? And then intuitively start thinking does this food make me feel hot or cold? Does it food this food make me feel soothed or hyper? Like if you feeling hyper, like your energy is in your head, finding foods that grow inwards that are grounding like potatoes, so balancing energy, you'll always want to find balance we always want peace. Right? And if you're feeling like a couch potato already, then finding foods that are uplifting that defy gravity that actually grow upwards from the earth like greens, asparagus or broccoli or whatever. But finding that within yourself like what it is that you actually want because a lot of times we think okay, I feel sad I'm gonna eat ice cream, but we never question it whenever question of why the dog wants ice cream. What does it do for me? How does it bring me joy? How does it mean with pleasure? So like doing a little bit more of that analysis with like touching the clothes you're wearing like I'm wearing something silky I should probably eat something just as light can give you an insight into your own bio individuality and like I call it couture nutrition where you find the best quality ingredients and create your own customized lifestyle not even a diet like I hate the word diet because it was die in it exactly where I live in LA Live in it's a lifestyle you know, like I had ice cream for breakfast the other day like but I had my way the way I like and then what brings me pleasure and makes me feel good afterwards because I don't want to settle for one night by like no it's a one night stand one meal stand like you don't want to settle for one meal. Yeah, then I feel shitty afterwards. You want to have a relationship material food.

Oh my gosh. Right. Like I think about Yes, like sitting down and having something that feels good for about two seconds. It totally is. It's like the one night stand where after you're like what the fuck was that for? Right? Exactly. Now? Yeah, now I feel like fall I feel kind of empty. Maybe I have a sugar high and now I'm Like, Oh, it's exactly the same thing. Like now I need to go like, have a shower like sage.

Right, exactly. But it's like, we think sex is the most intimate thing but really eating is because, you know, sex like, you know, penises can only go like, I don't know how many inches into your body, but food goes into your body like throughout the whole body, right? The whole body becomes your cells and becomes your organs that becomes your blood and becomes your thoughts. Like, it's so much more powerful than anything can penetrate you that the food that you're eating, and the way it affects your body affects you. And I know that some women and I in particular, can feel guilty about certain things in our lives. And that's why we feel like we're not good enough and we're not good enough. We're gonna punish ourselves. And what do bad girls do that punish themselves with food, but then you also feel bad about punishing yourself so you need a treat. And then and then you need to also punish yourself for having the treat because you're bad girls it's like silliest little thing that goes in your head. But yeah, we just need to like okay, well, I did something bad you know, whatever I you have to drone on through it and whatever you need to do. But like you're not a bad person. When when you were little baby like you were good little baby. Just things happen and you deal with them the best way you know how, but now that you don't need to punish yourself with a one night stand. You don't need to punish yourself. And I'm not one meal, Stan. I know. Some women don't think they deserve pleasure. They don't deserve joy. But I questioned it like, Well, how do you know who does my Mother Teresa deserve joy? Because she's a good person. How do you know who does the celebrities? How do you know they deserve joy. And again, it comes back to the baby when you were a baby, you deserve joy. So like you were born deserving your mother's milk, you don't have to work for it. Right? I know a lot of parents leave their kids as kids who are adopted, there's kids who are not loved. So they're being taught that they're not worthy. But if they were switched with another baby in the hospital, they will be taught that they are worthy. So it's again it is like somebody telling you worthy, you're not worthy, but it's a person who just made that up. Because they had a bad day sometime a long time ago and they became angry. And that also may be caused because someone else told them something bad because they had a bad day. It's like generation after generation after generation of really hard lives that are affecting you right now thinking you are not good enough to eat a really really good piece of cake that can be organic and yummy and with the best ingredients and you can eat it with savoring every bite or whatever it is, you know, but wearing

the most beautiful lingerie, you know, I really Alina I love how you're bringing fashion and food together right the nutrition couture. I love that and one of the things that I find a lot of women struggle with is what actually do I want right when they start giving them themselves permission to eat with pleasure and to nourish themselves and to love themselves this way. They're like I am so disconnected all i all i think i think i want ice cream but what do I actually want? Right? So this one thing you had me do this to this activity is it's such a really it's such a powerful way to to show okay, how does this feel on the outside of your body because we're quite often so much more in tune with the external sensation than that in those internal sensations right? So it's like how does this feel on you and that when you look at like do you run hot do you run cold all of these different things that's a really neat way to pave that way to help bridge to be able to go Okay, now let's tune into this internal felt sense. Let's go into your thoughts. What are you actually wanting? What do you what do you need right now to love yourself the most right what feels most like love and that is such a brilliant way to do it. I have ups that

you now have another one is reached for my glass and it's a very cool way to trick that subconscious mind. So what you can do is you go to a store that you like you know what you like you like the storage I don't like that store you go to stores like that have beautiful glassware and I love gold and like this really pretty glass makes me so happy and just buy things for me I have gold silverware, not Salawat gold where whatever but I have gold cutlery and really pretty plays and you just buy them because you know what feels good. The the things you know colors that feel good to you. And then when you eat from beautiful plates and beautiful cutlery and beautiful glasses, you will see you will see a shift subconsciously like ooh, this piece of whatever does I fit in this beautiful plate. Because it's beautiful played, believe it or not, as an extension of view, the beauty that you bring into your life as an extension of you because your choice, like you connect with it on this vibrational level, this glass vibrates somehow on the same level as me, and it makes me so happy. So like, I'm not gonna put junk in it. And then you know, and then you eat. Because, like you mentioned, like touching the things and feeling of actual physical things is much more intuitive for women. So it started there with a closet with clothes and migrate into your pant, not pantry, but um, the closet in the kitchen where you store the dishes in the pantry, where you store glasses and like buy beautiful glassware beaut beautiful plates, and just eat from that. And you will see how that will make you feel better already about just eating about yourself, it will bring joy to the plate, not guilt or punishment, but like you literally cannot feel guilty or they feel like you're punishing yourself when you drink from a beautiful glass.

And that really goes back to I can really relate that to when you were saying about appreciating different parts of your body. Right? You see your butt, like I appreciate you and you dress it accordingly. It's the same thing. It's like buying clothes for your food. Right? A beautiful Yeah, exactly. I love that clothes. Oh my god, gorgeous glass and you're appreciating what you're putting in. And it's like full circle. Oh, God, I love it.

Fun I was I was taking this course in dating. And that really cool distinction that I found. Like instead of saying to a man, like as a woman, you don't say I want this, I need this. Because I love this or I like this and then let the man come to do things for you, or woman, whoever you're dating, but I think as a feminine energy, if you're a feminine person who is listening, it's easy for us to know what we like. So start there, you know, start liking things, bringing things that you like into your life, whether you think you deserve it, or you don't deserve it, like just appreciating your bodies enough. And then liking things. And the more it's like crowding out, the more you bring things that you like, and the more you appreciate things, it will expand you know what you focus on expands right. So you start finding things like you make it as a game. What do I like what I like what I like what I appreciate, and then it's like a snowball. It's so fun to it's a beautiful snowball.

It is such a beautiful, it's like a sparkly snowball, you know, and I

know that's smart colonial I buy flowers for myself, like, I don't know, am I worthy of enough flowers or not? I saw them at one point I liked flowers, I want flowers and buying flowers that make me happy. And then when I surround myself with things that make me happy, and these are from Trader Joe's for like $7 and they're there for two weeks, you know, yeah. You start filling your soul with joy. It just becomes like it's just one thing after another but literally you don't have to. It's like autopilot. But if you think is what are you like, and appreciate some things in your body, even just like one or two things. It will continue that way. It really well.

Yeah. And starting with that discovery, right starting with that. I'm choosing to appreciate myself moving towards love. I'm apologizing to my beautiful body. If I my brain thinks thoughts because our brain will always think thoughts and we get to choose what to do with them. Right. And I love that then moving forward to getting to know yourself, because a lot of women, I remember I had one client, I'm like, go buy yourself flowers. And she said I stood in front of the flowers. And I was like, oh my goodness, I don't even know what I like because I've always purchased them for someone else. Or I'm having company over right like with someone else in mind. So starting small and getting curious, right getting to know yourself again. I think that it is so fun. So it's like Alina and I are just giving you permission. Here's your permission slip. You don't need one. But if you think you need one here it is. Fine pleasure. Get to know yourself. What do you like what lights you up? What makes you feel this brings me back to the ice cream. Discussion. What makes you feel pleasure? Now? an hour from now? A week from now? Right? Yeah, instead of looking for that one nightstand? What do you really desire and start there and move forward in there?

And you know, beautiful. And you know, I'm sure I can I mean I can hear somebody's voice in my head right now. Maybe my old voice but I don't have those anymore. But I hear someone's listening and they're saying a lien I don't have time, I have a family, I have kids, I have a husband, this is selfish, I don't have time to do this. And I want to tell you, the one who is thinking that is that is selfish not to because your husband deserves a wife, who is so radiant, and so beautiful and so loving, and your kids deserve a mother, who is so happy. And so loving is who is there with them. Because if you're stressed out and you're running around making everybody happy, it just annoys people, because they want you to be happy, they care about you, they love you so much. They want you to be happy too. And they want selfishly, they want your energy to be happy, so that they can have a happy mother and happy wife, right? They want their mommy to be playing with them and not be tired. And the only way to not be tired is to take care of yourself. So if you think it's selfish, it's selfish not to take care of your body. It's selfish not to take care of your heart. Because there's so many people depend on you. And thinking sexy and attractive, like, men love it, right? Or women, like whoever you're in relationship with, right? Your spouse, your partner, they want that sexy vibe. And a lot of people get divorced because they forget who they are as, as sexual beings, right? And sex is all about pleasure. And you have to bring pleasure before the sex into your life. So you can have sad sex, so you can have your marriage so you can have happy marriage, so you can keep your kids can see how to take care of themselves. Because if you tell your kids, well eat junk, and don't care about yourself, like you're never gonna say that to your kids, right? But if you show it in your example, your kids are watching, right? Do it for your kids to show them how to take care of yourself so that they can take care of themselves and their kids. Because now it's your turn to pave a new path for your kids to see what it's like, you know, so it's not selfish at all. And if you can take five minutes to put pretty underwear, go on Amazon by Hanky Panky, and it fit one size fits all, you know, whatever. Yeah, I have so many colors. And you know what I was wearing an outfit. And I my friend was joking. Oh, I was trying something on she goes, Wait a minute, your underwear, and your bra match your dress. And I'm like, draw. Like it literally takes the same amount of time for me to pick underwear that match to the bra to the dress like it's the same drawer of underwear. But because I have them in different colors that make me happy. And they're super comfortable. They're not underwear that like right up your ass. Because you want to be happy, right? You want to be comfortable. But those things take a minute to pick the right underwear. But when you do and to shop on Amazon, right? When you do, it sets your tone for the day, it snowballs into you picking the food and makes you happy. And it gives you energy so you can be happy and energetic with your kids with your husband have sexy time, sexy time for I'm not gonna sit here because it's like sexy time. I can not make sexy for them, and I think is hilarious. But Sacha Baron Cohen is really hot. And actually, you know, like watching movies and things that make you happy. Like that also brings you pleasure and joy, right? And then you're happy and you're smiling and your kids come in and then they play with you. And it just creates like this little thing. I people don't think that underwear makes such a big difference, but it really does, you know, and so does green juice, or at least like chlorella pills, but it's like a whole different story. But you know, there's so many little things you can do by just knowing that you you. I don't know if you deserve pleasure, of course you deserve pleasure, but I don't know if it will really ring to you. But I will say your family, your loved ones deserve a person who is happy and who has pleasure in her life.

Mm hmm. That's actually a beautiful way to approach when women are in that that this is selfish Should I really spend the time the money right the resources on myself blah, blah blah. It's like apps of fucking loot.

Your you cannot afford not to listen, you're gonna buy underwear anyway, by instead of buying cheap underwear you buy a lot of it, buy expensive that's gonna last you a long time. And it's gonna make you happy if you're buying food, like buy less quantity, but better quality and buy clothes you know, buy clothes that make you so happy and makes you feel sexy and luxurious and whatever however you want to feel but happy even everybody wants to be happy. We're born happy. And so it's our birthright birthright to be fed to be fed the right things and to feel good.

I like that word you know deserve sometimes I find can kind of trigger a little right and I mean I love to get to the place where it doesn't write for women for sure. That's a goal. But birthright that feels really powerful. And yeah. Oh, yes. Oh my goodness, this has just been so good. I could talk to you

for I know, I know. But there's so much more and I'm always available I love people reaching out and when kids get a condition about foods that love them and how to find the perfect fit, so and so do you coach for that? So

yeah, so please tell the audience how they can find you and connect with you what's the very best way

um, social media like you and I connect that Chef Alina Z on facebook and instagram or my website is Alina z.com. But the best way is really chef Alina Z, li na Z, just to reach out to me either through directly or slide into my DMs or, or just messy you know, I've, I've met so many amazing people through social media. So I'm always happy to help. And I actually am in the process of creating a new online program called feeding your lonely heart. Oh, beautiful Nevada domain feeding your lonely hearts. That calm because I find so many women are hungry. And my book is called single and hungry. But I now think I should have said lonely and hungry because you can be married and freaking lonely and hungry. But I want to have women because I've spent days being so lonely years being so lonely, even being in relationships being lonely, because I was lonely inside. And now. I'm so like, I'm genuinely happy inside. And so I feel like finally, like it's my duty. It's not selfish of me not to share, you know. So

thank you for doing so. So when are you launching that? And if someone wants to be a part of that, how do they go about doing this?

Message me so I can put you in a waitlist. I'm in the process like I saw, I've done my online. I've done my private practice for 11 years now. And now I want to take it online. So people all over the world can use this material to help themselves. So I already have the materials, I just need to upload everything and record the new online sessions, the modules. So when I'm launching God knows when literally God knows what I'm doing it only when I feel pleasure, but it feels pleasurable. I only want to record when I'm in the energy of happy giving. And I have clients right now that I'm working with some I'm okay. I'm happy with the advent, I just want to do more. So I'm always available for privates now, but the feeling alone, the Heart program is going to be available, you know, soonish and a month or two. Yeah, because nobody needs a summer body. You just want like a happy body. And when a Happy Body is available now you know how to get a bikini body by the

way, but a bikini

body for a bikini bikini body. But how to have a happy body. That's what I'm happy to teach how not to have a lonely heart. I'm happy to teach.

Oh sweetie, I just love that. And I just love you. And I'm really wanting you to come back on and talk about all the other all the things because there's so many different ways we could have taken this and so much. I did have rapid fire questions. But you know, I think that ending it on this is perfect because I've gotten to know you better, you know through through this time together. And I'm not feeling like the rapid fire questions are necessary. But what I would love is for you to share your maybe it won't even be your most favorite right but a pleasurable recipe that will help to incorporate nourishing you know, Soul nourishing body nourishing food. Do you have a favorite one that you would like to share with the audience?

Yes, so it actually has a stain on my book because I use my own book and my kitchen. Yes from my book, there's a stain because I make it quite a bit and I well now I remember what it's what the recipe is but it's it's a chocolate mousse. It's a chunk of your

book, your web page is 143 Okay,

I'm 43 and it's very simple. It only has five ingredients which is either almond milk or coconut water, maple syrup, cacao powder, avocados, vanilla and sea salt and sea salt is important here because it will actually bring out the sweetness and balance but all you do is literally like you just take these ingredients and you can post it in the description of this podcast. But you just dump all of these ingredients into the blender and blender. Like is easiest thing ever. And what I love about it is but first chalk Bledsoe dot right Second of all, it's a creamy so as women because we feel get so stressed like creamy food. That's why we crave ice cream is soothing, it just very soothing texture. And then it has avocados which help produce potassium and lower blood pressure. And it has a little bit of caffeine from the cacao and magnesium that also helps us relax. And it has a little bit of sugar, so it gives us a little bit of energy, but because of the fat and the fiber from avocado, it doesn't go right into our system. So don't have a huge sugar spike. And then it's so simple to make and then you can put toppings if you want crunchy, like on the picture here I have coconut strips and I have berries, you can add whatever accessories you want with it, but I just love it because it takes literally like two minutes to use get everything and dump it in the blender and blend. So super easy, right? And so, so satisfying. And you can use it as fudge for like cakes. You can use it as frosting, frosting for cakes too. It's like super versatile, but it is so soothing and so nourishing and so naughty. Like I'm all about naughty foods. Yeah, and being a badass and like, you know, like I do, like Brown was the guy with a goody goody two shoes, we have like our alter ego. And in my program we actually like work with that, which I love doing. But it's like a naughty food and a nice food. And it's like perfect just makes you feel so good. Yeah, you can lick the ball with your finger. And it feels so good when you like lick your fingers.

Oh, that's so fun.

I'm 41 I love that. I love being a kid. I think I'm more of a kid at 41 than I was at 27.

Well, it's because you're bringing play, you know, play is pleasure. Right? Exactly. You brought so much of that into your life and you're radiating with that which is so fun. And I'm going to make this and I'm going to serve it in my most beautiful dish for myself have to bring beautiful dish. Yes. So appreciate it. And yeah, accessorize it and all of that. So really good. I'm going to make that I'm actually going to post this on on Instagram. picture on Instagram of me enjoying it. So, so yummy.

Well, thank