The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast Episode #241 - Aggie Lal

TRANSCRIPT

(Note: This is generated by AI with 98% accuracy. However, any errors may cause unintended changes in meaning.)

Melanie Avalon:
Friends, welcome back to the show. I am so incredibly excited about the conversation that I am about to have. So this is about something, friends, that I obviously love that you guys all love, which is biohacking and not just any approach to biohacking. We're going to talk today about how to biohack like a woman. So I've been seeing the content of this fabulous, stunning human being, Aggie, for quite a while now. She definitely was popping up all over my Instagram, my social media, and I was like, what is this? Like, who is this biohacker? And realized we had a lot of mutual friends, which is really, really exciting. And then when I saw that she had a book coming out called Biohack Like a Woman, which is appropriately enough the title, I was just so excited to hopefully have her on the show. And then friends, I was so excited to actually dive into the book because approaching it, I wasn't sure because biohacking is such a big, you know, big world, so many different directions that you can go. And I was like, what approach is she going to take? Oh my goodness, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is so empowering for women, all women everywhere should buy this book. She touches on so many things. So diet, fitness, our infreidian rhythm, our menstrual cycles and periods and how that affects everything, our mindset. It's really an empowering journey to take in your health and wellness and your life in general. And it was really exciting. We were talking before this, but we have so many mutual friends. So Dave Asprey has been on this show, I think like four times he wrote the forward for the book. So that was amazing. Aggie also developed supplements with Sean Wells, who by the way, I love Sean. So that's absolutely amazing as well. I love Sean as well. I love that. We love the same people. I know. I know. It's so amazing. So friends, reading the book, you'll learn so much about biohacking and approaching it as a female. And I think you'll feel like you're in the company of great friends, especially if you've been hanging out with us on this show for a while. So Aggie, thank you so much for being here.

Aggie Lal:
Thank you for having me and thank you for such a kind intro. Like I definitely have come across your page and always see you crash and glow from afar. So it's really nice to connect finally.

Melanie Avalon:
Thank you. I echo all of that right back to you. So I have so many questions for you. I definitely want to hear about your personal story. I just have a random question to start. So I noticed the book originally was called something different. It was called when they were like pitching it, it was biohack-her. I think the reason I'm asking about that is I know that so much, at least for me, like so much thought goes into the title. So what was your journey like? Like how did you decide what to call it and what happened with the change there?

Aggie Lal:
There were so many different instances. So the gist of it, what is the message, was number one question. I was like, well, we want to get people to biohack. So definitely the word biohack had to be there. And it had to refer to being a woman. So we had two options, was the biohacker and then biohack like a woman. And obviously, I'm a big, big fan of Dr. Mindy Pelton. I have a girl question, how she has a book, Fast Like a Girl. So I was like, asking her, do you think it's too similar? I mean, I was like, no, no, you're being tired. I know there are millions of books called Like a Woman or Like a Girl. So I went on Amazon, OK, sure enough. But then obviously I liked biohacker better. And then my friend, Masha, and we're like already good to go. And like, I would say the title to people and they were like, oh, biohacker. And I'm like, no, it's biohacker. And my friend Masha, who I love, and she said, Aggie, there's one rule. If you have a choice between clever and being clear, always choose clear. And so we decided that even though biohacker is quite clever, isn't exactly clear to a lot of people. And the last thing I want is for people to think that it's a book for men because all the other books on biohacking were for men. So I was like, no, no, no, this one's for women. And so that's how it started, biohack like a woman. It's kind of like my journey into also embracing the word woman because I definitely resonate more with girl. And then I realized I have an issue with the word woman because I was like, oh, you know, woman sounds old, you know? Like that was my first impression. And I was just like, and it was like a big healing journey on me, realizing that that's just like in my head and how we've been brainwashed that even adult women are uncomfortable with the word woman.

Melanie Avalon:
You know, and they're uncomfortable. I mean, you even go so far as to use the word 'pussy' in your book and talk about that. So, oh my God.

Aggie Lal:
Oh my goodness. Yeah, and I love Dr. So for those of you who just like out of context, I, you know, I grew up in Poland, very Catholic upbringing. And so obviously super conservative. I would get very triggered with the word 'pussy'. And then I read this incredible book called Pussy: the Reclamation by Mama Gina. And she basically said that one of the ways of keeping women small is coming up with these really inappropriate names or inappropriate, not in a sense of the word or like vulgar, but in a proper way of like, not exactly describing the power of your genitals. And she said that part of embracing and breaking free from patriarchy is to embracing the word 'pussy'. And so that's how it started. And as much as I was just, I still get like a little triggered. And it's part of my healing journey to just get comfortable with that word and just like claim her power back.

Melanie Avalon:
No, I love that so much. And I'm so similar to you. I was raised like super conservative, like Bible Belt Christian, South, like sex was like a bad thing. I have a similar experience with you with that word and then like even reading it in the book and like still feeling a little triggered but not. But so it's just, it's really, really empowering.

Aggie Lal:
Yeah, I mean, I was figured writing this book, I was like, okay, I really want to come from a place of like, really like celebration, I think men don't really have an issue with the word for the, you know, for their genitals, so to say, I don't want to XXX rate your podcast, that's like, start dropping words. And so I just realized, it's like, I would love for me to say that word, and really embrace the pride and embrace the like the energy of like, yeah, I, like, you know, like, the only way we say it's like, oh, he's such a 'pussy' or she's such a 'pussy'. And like, 'pussy' is the most powerful energy can potentially tap into as a woman. So like, there's nothing to do with being not brave enough.

Melanie Avalon:
No, I love it. We have to reclaim it. 'pussy'.

Aggie Lal:
Yeah, if you're listening to it and you're like, oh my god, what are they talking about? This is it. Like, I know.

Melanie Avalon:
Actually related to that something else I loved in your book is you have a part on stress Well, you have a lot on stress and you talk about how we can actually get rid of stress by being a bitch so I would like to expand on that

Aggie Lal:
I love it. I love it. We ask very different questions than everyone else. I think it's really good. It's definitely a very different unique angle of the book. But we all go through stress. We have two options. We can either learn to manage stress after it happens, which would be great. There are a lot of biohacks you can do, whether you supplement or do cold plant or whatever it is. Or you can also just adopt a mindset that makes you stressless. And we are extreme people, pleasers as women. And we always want to make sure hyper vigilant about what other people are feeling and thinking about us and their needs. And we put their needs in front of our own when we celebrate a selfless woman. Oh, wow, she puts other people and her kids and her husband in front of their own. I'm like, that's just not something you should be celebrating. Right? Like that's time to change the narrative. And so what do we call a woman in a society that like speaks her mind or like is true to herself? Isn't afraid to say now lives on her own terms, like usually a bitch, right? Because like, was just such a bitch, right? Essentially, it's like, oh, she didn't want to do what I wanted her to do. So she's a bitch. Or she spoke her mind. And so I realized that part of your healing journey is like, whatever you don't express will express itself as a disease in your body, like all the unexpressed emotions. And so maybe for some of us being a bitch would be the best medicine instead of grabbing another supplement.

Melanie Avalon:
I love it. It's such a reframe to just, you know, reclaim these words and, you know, bring our own power to them and make them our own. It's incredible.

Aggie Lal:
I 100% agree. It's just like, whatever you define, like, we have that like idea. I really love the book, The Power of Now, and it talks about how our perception of the world is based on the words you use. So, you know, I speak both two languages, Polish and English. And so my word is, the world is very different based on the language that I speak. You know, when I speak to my mom, sometimes I really struggle to explain something to her in Polish. And sometimes I struggle to explain something in English. And it's like this conundrum of like, well, the words that we use have a massive impact of how we see the world. And sometimes we don't use powerful words. Like, you know, we have a problem with the word God, right? Because we're brought up religious and we think that, oh, dang, like every time I heard the word God was used to manipulate me or make me feel guilty. And there are people that have no problem with that word because they didn't grow up religious. So it's all about like reclaiming everything in your life, right? Like stepping into your power. And I'm like, will I just give up from spirituality altogether just because I don't like the word God? Or will I just make my own rules? Like that's what my journey has been. Like, I'm not going to limit my experience on this planet because someone, you know, gave me a wrong idea of what spirituality is or universe or God or whatever it might be. I just will, yeah, I want to like make my own definitions of those words.

Melanie Avalon:
Was there ever any like a big concept that was in Polish that doesn't translate to English or English that doesn't translate to Polish that like comes to mind?

Aggie Lal:
I'm good at question. I feel like it's my English is better than my Polish. I left 17 years ago. Oh, really? Yeah. So when I do speak Polish, it's quite basic. So sometimes when I'm like, because I just speak to my mom or a couple of my friends, so it's just like, I'm trying to get away with the English words. But I think just like, in general, like the science, my brain thinks in English, when it comes to biohackings, I actually had to pay someone to translate the book into Polish because I was just like, I don't even know how to say these words. I would spend so much time like having to like look up all of it in a dictionary. So

Melanie Avalon:
Okay, so I will tell you how you hardcore inspire me. So I, my whole audience knows this. This is it. So my whole audience knows this about me. Traveling is not my skill set. Like I just, I need my biohacking, but I need my sleep and my foundation. And so I'm always quote, working on my travel skills. And so you, I mean, you're like definition, you know, you've been a travel influencer. I mean, you still are, I guess.

Aggie Lal:
I don't travel not as much as I used to. Obviously, we travel 300 days a year, which is like... extreme.

Melanie Avalon:
That's crazy. See, I'm like, I travel, okay, if I travel like one day, I'm like super proud of myself. I'm like, okay. So I'm really curious your journey as a travel influencer and then also your journey coming to biohacking, which you talk about all the books. So friends, definitely get the book so you can hear her whole story, which is really incredible and beautiful. Through all of that, how did you come to biohacking and with the like the travel influencer stuff specifically, how did it affect your travel? Because I'm always on the struggle bus there.

Aggie Lal:
I always was into self growth. I absolutely loved it. So even when I couldn't travel, I would jump on treadmill and listen to inspiring interviews. Usually it was Tony Robbins or, you know, all the motivational speakers. And one of those times actually came across Dave Asprey and I thought it was like, oh, like he's kind of like good kind of crazy about what he's preaching, but completely radical ideas. Right. So it was like that was even way before Old Smoke was around or Kale smoothies, but he was just like the first person that like was sharing a lot of alternative point of view. Those 2016 was like eight years ago. And so I was like, okay, cool. Like I still was vegan. I was still eating, you know, all of the fake vegan cheeses and stuff. And I thought I was biohacking, but I was just curious what that means and started reading books. And, and it was really unique perspective because every one and everything eight years ago was all about how to be vegan and how to be even more vegan than the person next to you. Like I can be even more raw vegan. I can even do this and that. And so when he went against it, I was like, oh, this is really curious. But also I was vegan. So I was not really exactly resonating, but he kept like popping up. And as I got sicker and sicker from traveling, you know, 300 days a year, the radiation that you're exposed on the seven hour flight is equal to an X -ray. And so imagine like if you're flying, if you're absolutely disrupting your circadian rhythm as your audience knows, if you're listening to this, you know, circadian rhythm is basically that regulates our sleeps, but asleep, but also hormones are hunger, like everything. So it was always out of whack and I was constantly tired. So I was like, okay, surely it's from traveling. But it ended up being, you know, a massive like problem with the gut and heavy metals, hormones and balances. Because what do you do when you travel? Like you eat out, you eat seed oils you drink from plastic bottles. And yeah, it's not exactly super healthy for you.

Melanie Avalon:
So with that, when you did discover what was actually affecting your health, like things that you mentioned with the heavy metals and the diet and all of that, like did you make changes into things immediately start getting better? Was it a journey?

Aggie Lal:
Super long journey and that's the thing. It's like the more the sticker you are, the harder it's going to be for you. And I think it's just like, it's great to know that everything is healable, so to say, but like, depending what your baseline is, mine wasn't great, unfortunately, it took me a couple of years.

Melanie Avalon:
And then with the dietary change, with that time being vegan, what was your first meat -related meal that you tried?

Aggie Lal:
Beef liver. Oh, wow.

Melanie Avalon:
Whoa, you went hardcore.

Aggie Lal:
Well, I got very much into Western price. And I was like, wow, this is really interesting because he was a dentist from the 1920s. And he said, like, wow, a lot of women that were losing fertility back in 1920. So over a hundred years ago, he realized I'm like, dang, they were actually eating a lot of organ meat. And we used to all do that. And so why have we changed and what has happened? And then, and so I got really hooked. Like if you Google Western price on YouTube, it's a beautiful rabbit hole. You will get sucked into it. And it's really, really inspiring. I think he's like, I call him in the book, the OG biohacker, because he really was. That was like the biggest thing. And I didn't even treat this beef liver as something that I really wanted to eat. I just realized that I'm very sick and that meat will be my medicine and help me heal. So I decided to just treat it as medicine. I hated it. And then I had a bite of the steak and I also hated it. But I was like, OK, I just need a little bit of it. And then slowly, but surely I ended up actually just having a feeling stronger and better. So I associated with meat. I was like, oh, wow, like even today, right before our interview, I just had a steak, which was my first steak in two weeks. I just I said, with a plant medicine called ayahuasca. So I was on a diet, which is basically eliminates all the meat for two weeks. Oh, my God, just having a piece of steak right now. I feel like a superhuman. I feel so strong. It's such a it's a superfood, right? Like it's not something that you can abuse. Like it has to be good quality. It has to be grass fed. But when it is, it can really make you feel incredible.

Melanie Avalon:
That's so amazing. How do you cook your steak?

Aggie Lal:
I don't actually. That's the funny thing. I just ask my fiance. So when he's traveling, I don't even eat my steak. Wait, so you eat it raw? No, no, no. My fiance does it for me.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, okay, okay, never mind. I wasn't sure if you were saying you ate it raw or your fiancé makes it.

Aggie Lal:
I'm just waiting for him to make it for me.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, it's so funny. I'm like, oh, that's funny. Hear him in the background. Yeah. No, I love Western Price and I haven't read though his actual book. I've just read a lot about him. So something you pointed out in your book that I had no idea about was he talks about how the women that he saw, they had easy births and he thought it was probably because how their diet was affecting their pelvic bones, which was so cool. I was like, whoa. Super interesting. Yeah. Super, super amazing. And then so ayahuasca, you touched on that in the book as well. I've actually never done any sort of plant medicine, which it's on my to do list, but how many times have you done ayahuasca?

Aggie Lal:
Seven I think at this point. I did enough for both

Melanie Avalon:
I know, I know. It all just looks like osmosis seeping to me. Were they all beneficial, good experiences? Like I've just heard how some people have, like some people it's like life changing and amazing and then some people are like, oh, I would never do that again. Did you find something beneficial from every time you did it?

Aggie Lal:
I mean, I wouldn't keep coming back. I think it really, really depends on the person. And some people get called to her more often than not. And for me, personally, I finally get to see what it's like to live without an ego. And ego is healthy. We need ego to survive in this world. We wouldn't even have this conversation, perhaps if it wasn't for that ego. It's this concept of self that is helping us survive. And when you get rid of that veil of survival and drop into your heart, you can actually see things from a very different perspective. And so for me, it's just like a guidepost of how to navigate my life later, moving forward.

Melanie Avalon:
Wow, did you have any epiphanies in it with your book writing process?

Aggie Lal:
Oh my god, so many. Like some of them are quite private, but some of them are just like helping me step into my power. And as I tell people time to step into your power, I realize that I myself have been putting, you know, some sort of limitations on myself. And we all do to an extend. And yeah, that was like a really helpful journey for me to realize that I'm still keeping myself small.

Melanie Avalon:
I loved that part of the book about keeping yourself small. And I think, I mean, something I definitely struggle with as well. And also something I found really interesting because you, you're so, you know, beautiful and kind and supportive. And that really comes across in the book. And also I feel like you say that a lot in the book. Like I feel like you say a lot to the audience, like I'm your friends, like I'm here to support you. And I find it really interesting that we as women, like there's this assumption that we're in competition with each other. Like the fact that we even have to just like say that, like, that we have to, you know, make it so obvious that we're being supportive. I thought it was really interesting. And do you find, well, a, what are your thoughts on that? And then also do you find, I mean, because you're like stunning and you have Instagram and, you know, all this influencer stuff, do you find that women are intimidated by that? I'm sure.

Aggie Lal:
sure a little bit, right? Like it's like, it's, I used to be kind of like in a pity party about it. I was like, oh, women are not supportive, want to be friends from all these women and then and now I'm kind of just like seeing like way more empathy, because I also get intimidated by other women. But at the same time, I just like, it's such a good reminder for myself that it's like, actually, we're all in it together, you know, we're all just doing our best. And, and yeah, like that's just kind of like a reminder like, I no longer even if someone gets competitive, or someone gets not as supportive as I would have liked sometimes, or are taking my intentions out of context, I realized, like, I'm honestly, they're just trying to do their best. And the only reason they're competitive is because they probably, that's all they know from their past experience. And I can just like, I have only empathy towards that, you know,

Melanie Avalon:
And something else I love, so this really resonated with me is you have a section on the importance of play in our life. So two things you said that really resonated with me. One was you talked about how for the longest time you thought that you enjoyed your work so much that you didn't really meet play because your work was so enjoyable. And that's the way I feel too. I'm like, I just love what I do anyways. But you know, you talk about having this realization that, you know, a structured form of play is actually still really important. And then you also talk about having to let go of making every single moment productive, which is something I struggle with. Like, I think you literally, literally say something about how like, oh, I can, I don't know if you were saying like going on a walk or like driving or something, but you don't actually have to listen to a podcast during that. Like every moment doesn't have to be.

Aggie Lal:
Oh yeah, because that's like the whole thing about self growth. It's like, wait, you have 30 minute commute to work. You should be learning a new language or listening to podcasts. And you suck if you're not like focusing on constantly improving. And that pressure for women just does the exact opposite, right? And so you don't really have to like do anything. I literally just had a six month podcast hiatus where I just did not listen to anything. Oh wow. How was that? I mean, it's great. I'm still going through it because I'm like, there's just too much information in my brain. And I just don't want to be constantly processing learning and putting myself in that energy. I just want to like just be. And so I, when I drive, I sit in silence and just think and I'm like, wow, I can come up with so many unique ideas for myself, the book connects with my feelings and emotions and step into my feminine when I'm not really obsessing about that. What's the next thing I need to learn and how to stay relevant? And as you know, in the biohacking space, it's like, oh, new science. Ta -da -da. Like I need to keep on going, you know?

Melanie Avalon:
You know 100% you would probably actually like I had on the show the book was called Golden the power of silence and a world of noise It was by Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz. They were it's a beautiful book Here I am throwing stuff at you to read after we just talked about like not but it was basically all about the power of silence and It actually helped me. I feel like it's kind of a cop out But it helped me reframe not doing anything as okay because it just talks about the importance of Silence and so in my head I was like, okay, so actually having silence is productive. So I am I kind of reframe it that way That's amazing some biohacky related questions. Do you want to live to be 180 you talk about that?

Aggie Lal:
I don't. I wish I got I want a good quality live. I think 120 is good enough. But I think I just want yeah, like quality and focusing on like being surrounded by my loved ones. So that would be my goal.

Melanie Avalon:
So interestingly, and like I talked about in the beginning, I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to read the book. Like I was like, is it going to be like all intense biohacking like red light and cryotherapy and all the stuff or, you know, what is it going to be when you're approaching the book? What was that development process like? Like were you on the fence about how much quote biohacking technology to include or did you have a clear sense of that from the beginning? Like how did you decide what to include in this book? Because ultimately what you have, you have a ton, but you came up with these four levels that people can do. So how did you come up with that?

Aggie Lal:
I basically realized, I'm like, okay, what was it like for me when I was starting out? I'm lucky to work with multiple women. I ran my biohacking courses, so I've worked with over 20,000 women at this point, and I see how overwhelm leads them to not starting at all. And I was like, well, you don't need to do it all. Dave Asprey didn't start with doing 500 things. You stag them, and they become super easy that you don't even think about them. But at the beginning is way too overwhelming. So I was just trying to figure out a way of what would be actually implementable for people.

Melanie Avalon:
And I love your, you have a great Mario Kart analogy for the different levels, which I- Did you like it? Yes, I loved it. I loved playing Mario Kart when I was little.

Aggie Lal:
I loved it. I was trying to come up with a metaphor and I'm like, well, I just remember playing a game and just like you really like, you know, you can't go to level four. You know, you have to go to level one to level two to level three, level four. You can't just like start from level four and a lot of people try to start all the levels at the same time. And if you're overwhelmed, I'm like, it doesn't work like this, you know.

Melanie Avalon:
So the first level does involve diet, but it involves a lot of diet timing, which so I'm also the co -host of the intermittent fasting podcast. So I have a massive, oh no way. Yeah. So I have a massive audience in the intermittent fasting world. So it's something I talk about all the time. So I was really excited and curious to see how you were going to approach it. So what are your thoughts on eating timing? What is the magic there?

Aggie Lal:
When it comes to fasting for women, I think it's very individual. Unfortunately, we are exposed to so much diet advice and there's so many women with eating disorders that it's not enough for them to just say, hey, like fasting is great, you know, because a lot of them kick back into not eating, you know, at all. And so I say in the book that fasting without feasting is starvation. And you want to make sure that if you are fasting, you want to make sure that you're actually eating as well. And that's tough. And a lot of women can't like mentally get over that. And that's okay. That's not fasting isn't exactly for you. And if it is, you also have a big fun of fasting according to your cycle.

Melanie Avalon:
So briefly before that. So again, friends, get the book because there's just so much information. We can't even remotely touch on all of it. But some fun little things, little takeaways I liked that you had about that the eating timing, you have a really cool perspective on dessert timing. What are your thoughts on dessert timing?

Aggie Lal:
I think dessert should be dessert 100%.

Melanie Avalon:
So yeah. Bring on the dessert. You talked about having it sometimes before your meal? Well, I'm not going to do that.

Aggie Lal:
I know I fitness experts that have been thinking that it's the time to do it before a meal because it's like this weird theory. I'm like, no, it was dessert meant to be a dessert. You don't want to have a glucose spike. So yeah, that has been like a big, big thing.

Melanie Avalon:
Speaking of glucose spikes, do you wear continuous glucose monitors much?

Aggie Lal:
Once a year for two weeks, just to test different foods, but otherwise it turns me into an Orthorexic which I don't really love.

Melanie Avalon:
How about wearables like Oir Ring or things like that?

Aggie Lal:
I do wear a ring, but I'm like, this is just like, it's at the end of the day, it's how you feel on your body. And I don't think you need to invest too much money to feel incredible.

Melanie Avalon:
Yeah, that was something I loved as well on the book is that it's all like, anybody can do it, it's all approachable. And there's no really financial barrier to, you know, the levels that you present.

Aggie Lal:
That was my biggest goal, like you don't need to spend a ton of money. You can if you want to and you can take me as a shopping buddy, but that's not the goal. The goal is to actually just make the most out of what you have. you

Melanie Avalon:
And so for that infraridian rhythm piece, so that's a huge, huge part of the buck. So what did you find with hacking or the implications of a woman's cycle and the different rhythms?

Aggie Lal:
Well, that's that's such a such a big question. Where do I start? I think it's just like even understanding that like, what your cycle is and where you are in your cycle and how you feel, even without like learning and outsourcing that power to even me or the book or any other book, because at the end of the day, it's just like, what do you watch? What do you observe when you're going through your cycle? You know, and how it impacts your mood and how you feel. And I think that's extremely, extremely important to just like know that. And then you can read up about what's happening in your body and have a better understanding like, okay, is this what's happening? That's cool. And like, take it on board and just match it to that so that you feel absolutely incredible on your body.

Melanie Avalon:
And so in the book, you talk about, you know, the four different stages of a woman's cycle and how, like what's happening with the hormones and how you can best eat and sleep and exercise. And you have really cool mantras for each cycle, which I really, really appreciated.

Aggie Lal:
Oh, I'm so glad that they resonated because that was like that was my favorite part and no one actually noticed. So I appreciate that.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, no, no, I loved the mantras. So I was like, this is great. I need to like write these down. So I'm curious, approaching all of that, how can we, because on the one hand, it's amazing to optimize your cycle and live according to it and, you know, do the best diet and exercise and sleep and everything and sex that would be best for that point in time versus versus what if we feel like we have to do those things during that time. So basically, how intuitive is all of this living according to your cycle versus knowing what you should be doing?

Aggie Lal:
It's a great question. I'm a big fan of like, intuitive living and eating and just like, it doesn't matter what the books are saying and the experts are saying, see how you feel and honor that, you know, like we need to stop outsourcing power to experts. That's the new feminine energy that's entering the scene and just like no more doing something because, you know, Aghi or Dave Asperger of Melanie told you, it's like, no, like what, how do you feel in your body? What makes you feel good? You know, and follow that. Like for me, vegan diet absolutely sucked and was making me super sick. For some people it was amazing and good for them. I am impressed that there are still people that can thrive on a vegan diet, but if they do, I'm super happy for them. There's so many other things that they could be doing to improve their health on top of diet.

Melanie Avalon:
People will often ask me, like, the one to know exactly what I do or like diet wise. I'm like, I was like, do not do not do what I'm doing. Like you need to find what works best for you. Cause I think people, they just think there's like this one, one size fits all solution or, or that if it's working for one person that it would work for them. So yeah, I definitely love that different perspective. When you approach something new to you in the quote biohacking world, how do you approach it? Do you just go in with an open mind and try things and how often do things, you know, really work for you and resonate and then versus not. And what I'm thinking of, for example, I know we were both at the biohacking conference, for example, and there was, you know, there's like so many things like technology and supplements and it can be overwhelming. How do you approach it? These things.

Aggie Lal:
I obviously I've been doing it for a while, so it's a very different energy than for someone who's just starting and feeling like, oh my god, like, what is it that really moves the needle? And yes, it is overwhelming. So for those of you who are listening to this and you feel like, okay, by a Huckin' conference, like, what does it look like? We basically enter the room of about, what, 100 to 200 products and devices and treatments and bringing supplements and every single one of them feels like it's going to change your life and save you. And it makes you feel like, oh my god, I need to have a million dollars to have that. But like, no, there are a couple of things that definitely move the needle. There are a couple of things that are super expensive that move the needle that I would like to have, you know, like a PEMF machine, like amazing. I think it's super, super powerful. But at the same time, like, it's not the end of the world. And I think as long as you spend enough time in the sun and nature, walking up, move your body, eat organic food, doesn't have to be exactly, you know, super, people like organic, like you can have pasta, you can have bread, and just see how you feel.

Melanie Avalon:
It was actually my first time going to the conference last year and I was just like, whoa, there is so much here, so much. Speaking of the supplements and your supplement line, so I have a supplement line as well. And it was so, I don't know how you feel about this, but it was so exciting to create it because I wanted to create what I personally was taking, make my own version of it. So how did you decide to launch that line and what was your first product and how did that feel creating it? Did you work with Sean from the beginning?

Aggie Lal:
Not from the beginning, but definitely Sean has been super helpful in my journey. I basically wanted to find a... I'm a big fan of supplements first and foremost, because I was just like, cool. I use them every day. I wanted to have a healthy alternative. I worked with a naturopathic doctor that helped me heal the gut, and she was all about using natural ingredients, but she burst my bubble when I realized that not everything on the market is exactly super healthy for me. That was a reality check. I was like, what would you put in? She was like, if I was to do a bloating supplement, I would help regulate sugar and support your microbiome and do this and do that. I was like, oh, dang, that's actually kind of cool that all of these amazing things. Basically, I always surround myself with smarter people than myself and just kind of help me understand what we can do to bring a healthy alternative for people that want to feel better in their bodies. We started with Unbloat Me because bloating has been my biggest thing, and it's up until this day, our number one product.

Melanie Avalon:
Yeah, you talked about in the book, this is getting personal, but you talk about how like you had a bout of constipation, for example, and it actually related to, you know, your personal journey that you're going through emotionally.

Aggie Lal:
Yeah, yet 100%. And it's like how me not being able to go to the bathroom is just really connected to my sense of safety.

Melanie Avalon:
Yeah, which is, I as well have struggled historically a lot with bloating and constipation. So that really resonated. And then you also have your big fan of apple cider vinegar.

Aggie Lal:
Yes.

Melanie Avalon:
You have a supplement with just that? I

Aggie Lal:
just have apple cider vinegar in a pill form because it like, oh, okay, just in a pill. Yeah. And just because it's like, I love apple cider vinegar and I was doing so much of it because I'm obsessed and then sure enough, my dentist was like, Aggie, your enamel is like absolutely destroyed. And I was like, what can I do? It's like, well, can you have it in a pill form? And I was like, go to the formulator. We need a very strong apple cider vinegar. And sure enough, we have one that's like an equivalent of a tablespoon. So it's been working really great.

Melanie Avalon:
Okay, this is so funny. So I similar not apple cider vinegar, but I eat a lot of lemon on my food because it really helps my digestion. Like it's like a game changer. And every time I go to the dentist, he's like, you can't keep eating all this lemon. I'm like, I'm sorry. I don't know what to do though. I like the way it tastes and it really helps my digestion. So my enamel is suffering. So that's really clever of you to put the apple cider vinegar in supplement form. Are you constantly innovating with new products? Like are you making a new supplement right now?

Aggie Lal:
Yes, actually we're working on a supplement that will help women regulate their cycle. And so they, this is the biggest thing of women getting not wanting to get off the pill because they don't feel like, well, I don't know how my cycle is super regular and my hormones are out of whack. And so that was really, yeah, that was basically my go.

Melanie Avalon:
I love that whole creation process. It feels like the world is your oyster and you can do whatever you want. For people who really want to start this whole biohacking journey, obviously, they can get your book. What is the number one first thing you think people should do if they want to explore this more?

Aggie Lal:
Started with level one, right? So start at the beginning and, you know, you can see in the book that it's basically just changing the timing of your meals and that would make a massive difference. So yeah. I don't think you need spoiler alerts.

Melanie Avalon:
I know, I know. I loved that you had the order too of the macronutrients that you can eat, which ironically is pretty much the order that I personally eat in just intuitively. So I found that... Oh, no way. Yeah. I've always found that really telling. You start with the fibrous type veggies and then the protein and then having the carbs at the end. And just historically, that's what really works for me as well. Okay. To sort of bring things full circle, going back to the travel just because like I said, it is my Achilles heel. So when you travel now, do you implement any biohacking related things now? Okay. Like the radiation, for example. Like, do you go through the X -rays at the area?

Aggie Lal:
I do, obviously, because sometimes it's really hard not to, but I take a lot of color where I love to help me cleanse my body through it. Like sometimes when I'm like doing too much of it, I was like, oh, sorry, I'm pregnant. And they let me like get away with it with just like being, you know, pat it down. So that works as well.

Melanie Avalon:
I always do the path down in the US. They're totally fine about it. But I recently went to the UK and they were not having it. They were like, that's not, I was like, I want to opt out. They're like, why do you want to opt out? I was like, because, and they were like, that's not a reason. So, uh, yeah, I did not go so well. One of my, my favorite travel hacks that I'll, I'll actually share that I just found. So do you ever use a cooling mattress to sleep?

Aggie Lal:
I don't, but I get really cold, so I've built in cooling mattress.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, I'm so jealous. Okay. I get hot. And that's when I travel, that's like the one thing that is most stressful to me, I think, is not having the cooling mattress. But what I figured out that I can do is I usually go to Whole Foods or whatever, and I get lots of bottles of water to drink and the glass bottle. And then if there's a mini fridge in the room, I keep them in there. And then I, at night when I'm sleeping in the hotel bed, I get out the water bottles and they're cold and I cuddle them like they're a teddy bear. And that's why I like, I like cuddle the cold water and it keeps me cold. So that's my,

Aggie Lal:
that's a great biohack, by the way.

Melanie Avalon:
It's my little, my little travel biohack. Do you have any others you'd like to, to share? Just because I need to learn from you.

Aggie Lal:
I mean, I basically want to make sure that my bedroom is super dark and that's not enough just to like put the eye covers. I feel like I definitely can drop in much deeper sleep to make sure that the bedroom is super dark. So I think that's the one hack that we can all do. You know, not everyone can get air conditioning or make your bedroom super cold, but we definitely can figure out the way to make the bedroom pitch black.

Melanie Avalon:
Do you sleep at home with like blackout curtains?

Aggie Lal:
Yes, 100%.

Melanie Avalon:
Keep it all really cold and dark. It's the way to go. Well, this has been absolutely amazing. I so, so appreciate what you're doing for the world of biohacking for women. It's just absolutely incredible. How can people best get your book? Oh, and by the way, so I read it. Who does the audiobook? Do you?

Aggie Lal:
I do.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, you do?

Aggie Lal:
But honestly, I'm glad I did it. And so I don't know when this post is coming out, but the book is coming out. The audio book's coming out March 1st. So that's where I would love for people to check it out. Cause it's like, I read it and I had so much fun like reading it. Cause as you know, thank you so much for reading the book, but you know, it's very, it's written as if it, if I'm talking to you, it doesn't feel like a book. It was just like spoken. That was like one of the big things I wanted to include. So you will notice that as you're navigating the book. Yeah. you

Melanie Avalon:
Did they let you adlib a little? Like, yep. Oh, super exciting. It is a journey. Recording all of that. Awesome. So yeah, when this comes out, that audiobook will be coming out around the same time. So we'll put links to all of that in the show notes. And are you gonna write another book?

Aggie Lal:
Oh, definitely. I think I need to like first like honor my rest, you know, so I can really just practice what I preach, which would be super helpful. And then why not? Why not?

Melanie Avalon:
I remember when I wrote my book, I felt I've never had a baby, but I was like, I feel like I just had a baby. Like, I have to like, oh yeah, recover.

Aggie Lal:
Yeah. Oh my god. It's so true. I can so relate.

Melanie Avalon:
Speaking of, do you want to be a mom someday?

Aggie Lal:
I would love to. I would love to have that opportunity, but we'll see. It's a great goal to have, but you know, it's not up to us. I think whether I'm going to be blessed with the giving of birth or whether I'm going to adopt, that's also like, you know, up to the universe side.

Melanie Avalon:
I'm really excited because I feel like the quote biohacking movement is so new. It'll be exciting to see the next generation of biohackers that were raised by parents that have this health and wellness mindset in mind that I just think is so important.

Aggie Lal:
I'm totally worthy on this and I think I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that my child is as biohacked as possible.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh my goodness. I love it. Are they a biohacker or they are a bio-slacker?

Aggie Lal:
That's a great question. Yeah, we'll have to see. But no, I would love to just like, you know, I think it's such a beautiful gift to be able to pass it forward, you know, to your children.

Melanie Avalon:
I agree. Well, in that mindset, the last question that I ask every single guest on this show, and it's just because I realize more and more each day, just how important mindset is, which again is something that you so beautifully discuss all throughout the book, but what is something that you're grateful for?

Aggie Lal:
For being healthy and being alive and just being able to drop in with like beautiful women like yourself on you know on different conversations that makes me super super happy. That makes me feel alive.

Melanie Avalon:
Oh, I love it. Well, Aggie, thank you so much. It was so nice to meet you. Again, like I, I feel like I already know you just from all of our mutual friends and watching all of your fabulous content and just from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your own journey for, you know, being so vulnerable and courageous and kind and sharing all of it in the book and empowering women everywhere to really, you know, take charge of their health and their mindset and all the things. So I will continue watching you shine and hopefully we can meet some time in person, maybe at the next biohacking conference.

Aggie Lal:
Yes, please, that would be great. That sounds awesome. Thank you so much. So lovely to finally meet you.

Melanie Avalon:
You too. Thank you. Bye. Bye.