For many high achievers, stress has quietly become a status symbol. Long hours, packed calendars, and relentless productivity are worn like a badge of honor – especially in high-powered careers. But as nervous system coach and TEDx Temecula speaker Beth Bishop explains, this mindset often traps people in survival mode, slowly eroding their health, clarity, and joy.
In the second half of her conversation on the ANEW Insight Podcast, Beth dives deeper into the hidden beliefs that fuel burnout – and shares practical, realistic ways to regulate stress while still excelling professionally.
The Productivity Trap: When Worth Becomes Output
One of the most common misconceptions Beth sees in her work is the idea that productivity equals value.
High achievers often believe that if they slow down, they’ll fall behind – or worse, become “less than.” This belief is especially prevalent in demanding professions where long hours are normalized and even celebrated.
But pushing harder doesn’t lead to resilience. It leads to chronic dysregulation.
When the nervous system is constantly under pressure, the body stays in fight-or-flight mode. Over time, this affects everything – sleep, digestion, emotional regulation, focus, and even decision-making.
Beth emphasizes a truth many resist hearing: stress and burnout are not inevitable side effects of success – they are patterns that can be changed.
Awareness Comes Before Change
Breaking free from survival mode starts with awareness.
One powerful exercise Beth uses with clients is a simple but revealing time-mapping practice. By visually mapping how time is actually spent – not how we think it’s spent – people often have a wake-up call.
The next question is even more important:
Does this life reflect the experiences you want to have?
Not goals. Not achievements. Experiences.
When people see the disconnect between what they value and how they live, it creates a moment of choice. You may not know how to change yet – but recognizing that something needs to shift is the first step toward regulation.
You Can Have a High-Powered Career and a Life
Beth challenges the belief that success requires constant sacrifice.
You don’t need to abandon ambition to reclaim balance. What you do need is intentionality. Prioritizing health, relationships, rest, and joy isn’t a luxury – it’s what makes sustained performance possible.
As Beth puts it bluntly: if you don’t have a body, you don’t have a career.
When people stop equating exhaustion with excellence, they often discover they’re more effective, focused, and fulfilled – not less.
From Perfectionism to Progress
Perfectionism is another survival strategy that keeps people stuck. Many high achievers feel compelled to do everything – and do it flawlessly.
Beth offers a refreshing filter for decision-making:
If I don’t do this, will it actually harm me?
If the answer is no, it may not need to be done at all.
Shifting from perfection to progress allows space for rest, creativity, and self-trust. It also reduces the constant mental load that fuels anxiety.
Progress doesn’t mean doing everything. It means doing what matters – and letting the rest go.
Regulation Changes How We Relate to Food and the Body
A powerful theme in Part Two is how nervous system regulation transforms our relationship with food.
Instead of restriction, rules, or punishment, Beth encourages a body-led approach rooted in curiosity and care. When people learn to tune into how food actually makes them feel – physically and emotionally – choices become intuitive rather than forced.
Food shifts from control to nourishment.
From anxiety to enjoyment.
From “good and bad” to what supports my energy today.
Many people describe this shift as liberating – not just from diet culture, but from the perfectionism driving it.
Small Habits, Big Nervous System Wins
Beth shares insights from a recent leadership program she facilitated, where participants reduced their stress levels by nearly half in just 28 days – not through drastic changes, but through small, consistent habits.
Some of the most impactful practices included:
- Hydration, light exposure, and movement in the morning
- Avoiding immediate phone use upon waking
- Creating intentional morning routines that allow the brain to “boot up”
- Delaying caffeine to support natural cortisol rhythms
These habits take minutes – but they set the nervous system up for stability throughout the day.
The Power of a Shutdown Ritual
One of the most overlooked regulatory tools is the workday shutdown ritual.
Beth recommends ending each workday with intention:
- Writing down lingering thoughts so the brain can rest
- Acknowledging wins, even partial ones
- Tidying your workspace to signal completion
- Taking a conscious breath and mentally closing the workday
This simple ritual helps the nervous system transition from productivity to restoration – preventing stress from bleeding into the evening.
Evening Regulation and Sleep Support
Nervous system regulation doesn’t stop at bedtime – it’s built throughout the day.
Gentle stretching, reduced screen exposure, warm showers or baths, and consistent sleep timing all help the body downshift. These practices signal safety, allowing deeper rest and recovery.
When the nervous system is supported, sleep improves naturally – without forcing it.
Sustainable Success Is Regulated Success
The core message of Part Two is clear: regulated people move forward; dysregulated people stay stuck.
When stress is no longer driving behavior, people become more aligned, intuitive, and purposeful. They make choices from self-respect instead of survival.
High achievement doesn’t disappear – it evolves.
From pressure-driven to purpose-driven.
From exhaustion to sustainability.
From survival to fulfillment.
And that’s where real resilience lives.
FAQs
1. Can you really reduce stress without working fewer hours?
Yes. Stress isn’t only about workload – it’s about how the nervous system experiences that workload. Small, intentional habits like movement breaks, morning routines, and workday shutdown rituals help the body exit survival mode, even in demanding careers.
2. Why does perfectionism increase burnout in high achievers?
Perfectionism keeps the nervous system in a constant state of pressure. When everything feels urgent or “has to be done,” the body never gets a signal that it’s safe to rest. Shifting toward progress over perfection reduces stress while improving focus, clarity, and sustainability.
3. How does nervous system regulation affect sleep and recovery?
Regulation throughout the day — not just at bedtime — supports better sleep. Practices like reducing stimulation in the evening, gentle stretching, consistent sleep timing, and mentally closing the workday help the nervous system downshift, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Want to Learn More from Beth Bishop?
For deeper insights into nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and practical tools for managing stress and burnout, follow Beth Bishop on social media and stay connected with her latest work.
Links:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoenixeffectbethbishop , https://www.instagram.com/theebethbishop/?hl=en. https://www.beth-bishop.com/ , https://www.facebook.com/BethBishopCoaching/
Continue Your Journey
- 🌿 Rebuild body trust and nervous-system regulation inside my step-by-step program: Deprogram Diet Culture course
- 📘 Go deeper on mindset, cravings, and sustainable health: Deprogram Diet Culture book (paperback, Kindle, and audio) find it via the book page on my site
- 🎧 Listen to the full ANEW Insight episode featuring these practices and Dr. Lavretsky’s research
View here the full podcast Transcript:
Beth Bishop Part TWO
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:[00:00:00] Welcome back to the ANEW Insight podcast. We’re back for the second half of our interview with TEDx Temecula, speaker, founder of the Phoenix Effect and nervous system coach Beth Bishop. Beth gave us some really amazing insight into her highly effective and very simple method for tackling stress and anxiety.
I cannot wait to pick her brain some more. Beth, welcome back.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Thanks for having me back.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: So excited. I love talking about this stuff because this is all like practical tools for people, ways to increase their awareness and to optimize their health in so many ways. So let’s ask this question first. Um, what misconceptions do you frequently encounter about stress, productivity or emotional resilience that actually keep people trapped in survival [00:01:00] mode?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I think the biggest one I see in high achievers is like this badge of honor. I have a lot of clients who are high powered attorneys and they talk about their bill billable hours and how much they work,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh yeah.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: and like, yeah. It’s just the opposite of that.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Say more.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Yeah. I’m trying to think like, gosh, uh hmm. I have to cut this.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:No, that’s okay. No, I I, I would say with the billable hours,The billable hours thing, I see that in a lot of my clients, my lawyer clients especially,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yep.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: and I think that they, you know, I driving through and pushing through.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yep.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: I think that’s what keeps them in survival mode.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: The other thing too,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm. Go, go ahead.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I was gonna say, the other thing that the biggest misconception that I see around stress is that we think it’s something that we can think our way out of,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: we can
that can push through.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes. Absolutely. And I think a lot of people too tend to equate their worth with productivity.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: What do you [00:02:00] see in that realm?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my God, that used to be my whole life. It’s like if I don’t do enough billable hours, if I don’t get this project, if I don’t get the next promotion, the next thing, then like all of a sudden I’m less than,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:And they’re willing to sacrifice their health to do that.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes. So how does one break out of that survival mode? Even if they have a job, they have to do these billable hours. They don’t have much of a choice. What what can help them create some balance?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I think the first exercise to do is just really realize how you are using your time and what your priorities are in life.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: So a really interesting exercise that one of my coaches first gave me and I love to use with with my clients, is you take a sheet of paper and you write down all the ways that you spend your time, whether it’s work or with family or friends, [00:03:00] or going to the gym or going to the grocery store, whatever it is, and you make each piece as big as you think the time takes.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: And then you take a look at that and you go, okay, is that really true? Am I spending this much time, oh, actually no, I’m gonna, I’m kind of underestimating what I’m doing for work. It’s more, and then you take a look at that whole thing and you go, wow, this is your life. Do you like it? Do
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm. Wow.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: you like it? And then the other thing, that helps people really see like, this is how I’m spending my time. Then the other thing I ask is, what kind of experiences do you wanna have in your life? Truly.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Not what goals you wanna hit, but what kinds of experiences do you wanna have?
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:They take a look at that map of their life and I say, okay, looking at your life right now, those experiences that you wanna have, does that life equal that?
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:And usually they’re like, no.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:It’s like, no, it doesn’t. And then that’s where that awareness comes in and [00:04:00] that’s where you can make that change and say, okay, I don’t know how yet, but I know that I want something different for myself. That’s very, very important. It’s a choice. It’s a
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Stress is a choice. Burnout is a choice. You can be in a high-powered career and you can still have time for your interests, your family, your friends.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: And your health because the, the fact of the matter is if you don’t have a body, you don’t have a career.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm. Well, I think too, we’re coming out of an age. See this in with women more than men, and we have been conditioned to think that we not only can do it all, but have to do it all, meaning we have to have a career. And then you’re not a real person if you don’t have kids. And you, you, um. You need to be the one who carries the entire mental load of the household, meaning [00:05:00] you know exactly when the kids need to get picked up and you are the one coordinating it all the while you might have a partner who’s just like, you know, I’m not doing anything, and those are a lot of the people that come into my office, you know, completely, you know, jacked up, burned out, stretched as thin as possible.
And I like to also do the same kind of a similar kind of exercise. Really looking at, you know, what exactly is your role in all of these situations? What exactly is it? Are you the one who is supposed to do all of these things, or is the family supposed to also come in and help you? So really clearly defining somebody’s role is so powerful for them.
And then, you know, making that priority list like you’re talking about is, is this fueling your life or is that something that you can let go of?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Is that something that you can delegate out? Is that [00:06:00] something that you can just completely eliminate, really looking at the why of what you’re doing? Say it’s like, you know, the, the mom was doing it all.
You know, what is driving you to be the head of the PTA? On top of that is that that perfectionist, people pleasing mode, does that come from a deeper place? And if it does, maybe we can reformulate that into something that brings you joy, very similar to your, you know, are you enjoying any of this? And if you’re not, then you would really rethink that.
Then I think it’s really. Kind of reframing perfection. I had a, a woman on my podcast, um, who talked about progress over perfection. Understanding and accepting that you can never really, truly get it all done. But if you’re heading in that direction, maybe that’s good enough for today.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:So that, that running [00:07:00] to-do list.
Okay. So if you don’t get it all done, all right, well. Try to get it done tomorrow, or maybe I delegate it out, or maybe I cross it off the list and I let it be and I let go,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: You
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: so,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: you know what I do with my to-do list?
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I look at it and I go, if, if I don’t do this thing, is it going to hurt me? And if the answer is no, it’s, I don’t do it.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yep.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Because I have that perfectionist person inside
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Me too.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Wwe all do.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Right? It’s kind of what we were conditioned to be like. There’s a really amazing book called The Confidence Code that talks about the gap between men and women in confidence, where women will over prepare, they will underestimate their abilities by about 30%, and men will overestimate their abilities by 30% and under prepare,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: And so some of that just conditioning is really important.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Recognize that that’s there.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:[00:08:00] Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I think, you know, going back to what you were saying before about tuning into your body and that knowing, you know, if something’s not in alignment, if you don’t feel good.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yep.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yep. Basically there’s like two states of being, you’re regulated or you’re dysregulated. When you’re regulated, you move forward. When you’re dysregulated, your not. When you’re regulated, you’re more likely to be in alignment. When you’re dysregulated, way likely to not be more likely than not.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Exactly. I think that having all of that awareness, especially if you are a high achiever and you really want to do these things, having the awareness. Of what doesn’t serve you and what does serve you. Also doing what you love no matter what and envisioning yourself being able to do this, helps you to transition from that people pleaser survival mode, uh, per high achiever, perfectionist to the one that is purpose driven.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Powered by what they wanna do. [00:09:00] And that purpose-driven person is also going to prioritize their self-care. They’re going to prioritize their mental health, their wellbeing, time with family and friends, and realizing that
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: pursuing the job alone without any of those things does not bring any happiness
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Nope.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: and keeps them in that survival mode.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Can I
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: So
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: tell you a story
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: yeah, please go ahead.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:After I listened to your talk? You know, I was, I was really like reflecting a lot about my own relationship with like food and diet culture I was like, oh, you know, when you were talking about your journey, I was like, this sounds a lot like my journey. You actually inspired me and I, I decided to start cooking more and I decided to go to the farmer’s market every weekend
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:Wow.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: just buy the things that bring me joy. So I call it high vibe fridge. You inspired this and, [00:10:00] and now it’s not about like restriction. I’m like looking at all these rainbows of food and, and amazing things that may bring me joy. And now food and cooking is about, it’s about joy. It’s not about I need to get in these vegetables because health,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my gosh, babe.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah, you inspired that.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: That is beautiful.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:But like, yeah, I was like, man, I’m feeling like kind of yuck. I’ve been so, I’ve been stressed, I’ve been, you know, I’ve been doing all my things, but like there’s always room for improvement, so.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my gosh, and I think this is a difficulty with so many high achieving women as well, is that they really believe that they have to have this perfect body. So they will try to do it at all costs despite, you know, complete stress and burnout, and I like to help people find their way back to their energy.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: And help them reformulate their idea of, of the good and bad foods, [00:11:00] reducing that and seeing food as nourishment.
Fuel for energy. And when you really tap into the body, and this is why I love you going to the farmer’s market ’cause it’s like the happiest place on earth and cooking especially. When you are actually really tuning into your body and you don’t have any, any restrictions, right? You say anything’s on the table.
Anything. It could be from the, you know, most highly, highly ultra processed food to the, the, the, you know, straight out of the ground farmer’s market, vegetable. Let it all be on the table and, tune in to your body. How does your body feel when you’ve had, you know, a bag of Cheetos, sorry, Cheetos or bag of whatever, highly processed thing.
If you’ve had an entire, like giant bag, how does your body feel after like the first couple bites? You have a first couple bites, you’re like, Ugh, this is all good, [00:12:00] right?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: After a few more and a few more, and a few more, and then you really, really check in with your body. Your body’s like, hello, lady, please no more what are you doing?
You feel horrible, right? Then you gauge how you feel after you’ve made your own delicious meal from the farmer’s market. Everything is close to the ground, and I’m not saying that that’s what you have to eat. I’m saying put it all on the table, but ask your body how it feels after you’ve had that.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I think, yeah.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: And
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: and I both teach people to do is to respond from this place of like, I’m doing this ’cause like I care about myself and I love myself,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Not, I’m punishing myself to get to some other person’s expected level.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Exactly. And I think on top of that, it’s you becoming your own best expert on your body.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Right, because there are some days you’re gonna want that farmer’s market. You know, your, your [00:13:00] body’s gonna be like, I need all of the vitamins. Gimme the, I need the vitamins. I need the fiber. And then there’s some days where your body’s like, but I would love to haveve some mashed potatoes.
And you go and you have mashed potatoes and you feel how that feels in your body and you trust when your body says. Hey, that’s just the right amount of mashed potatoes. Let’s stop there. And when you do that, I, I tell you, every client that I have helped to find food freedom with has described it as liberation.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: It is.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Liberation. And the liberation is from disordered eating or eating disorders. It can be from that relentless restrictive pursuit of perfection. And what I find for most of them is that they naturally find their way back to whatever their best body is, whatever’s right for them. They just naturally do [00:14:00] that.
And they’re not dieting, they’re not restricting, they’re not punishing themselves. That’s like to me, you, if just by listening to your body, you can achieve that.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah, it’s this, it’s using more of this feminine energy,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Just listening, allowing, tuning into what like brings you joy. Instead of the, I have to do this. If I don’t do this, then X, Y, Z. It allows for so much more to come in and it allows for like more growth and open-mindedness. So I
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: to thank you for that gift because it’s, it’s been really wonderful, just enjoying my food in a new way.
And I’m 41.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Love. I’m so happy to hear that, that like you, you have no idea how that fills my heart to hear something like that. Well, let’s, let’s, let’s talk about a breakthrough story. From anybody that you’ve worked with, what [00:15:00] give me like your most inspirational client or workshop or something that really continues to inspire you and reminds you of the impact of your work.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Honestly, the project that I just wrapped up with SoCal Gas was so inspiring. It like it lit my heart on fire. I want to just take this everywhere.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: We did a uh, a 28 day stress reset. It was all about leadership, right? So these, all these people are coming in because they wanna be better leaders. They wanna have an edge, they wanna, they wanna be the best. And it was so amazing working with all of these leaders, going through how to build better habits in the morning, how to deal with acute stress in the moment, right? How to set yourself up to have great restful evenings and like, have, uh, disconnect from work. And the really cool thing about that that was just so inspiring is that people, we did a, a stress [00:16:00] assessment at the beginning and then we did a stress assessment at the end, and the average score went down by a 50%.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my goodness.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: That’s so exciting because it was the, the tools that we did took maybe an extra 15 minutes a day. That’s it. So 1% of your day changing, 99% of your day.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Wow. Give us some of those tools. What are some of them?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah, so the, the first set of tools is slaying your AM vampires. You are gonna drink some water in the morning, gonna have some movement, you wanna get into some light. If you wake up before the sun comes up, you wanna have a, some kind of sun lamp,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:You’re gonna put your phone down.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: And you’re gonna have intentionality in the morning, some kind of
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: routine, something that allows you to like, you know, like old school computers when they boot up, they take like a minute or so.
That’s kind of your brain. Your brain needs that time to wake up.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:Absolutely.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: So some, so much of that stuff is like, [00:17:00] what not to do, just use your time in a different way. And that makes such an impact,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: right?
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Do you suggest people try to align a little bit better with their circadian rhythms? Maybe getting up earlier in the day? Just following what their natural wake up time is. What do you suggest with that?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Well, that’s not always possible for some people, right? But having sleep consistency is really important.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Going to bed at the same time and waking up around the same time.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I think is more important than what time of day you’re getting up.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Just realizing that, you know, in the morning you have your cortisol awakening response,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: right.
It wakes you up. Your cortisol naturally gets high in the morning. So another, another one of the things that we do in the morning is not have coffee within the first hour. ’cause you don’t need extra cortisol and it actually
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Right.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: hurts your cortisol awakening response. So you don’t wake up, your brain doesn’t boot up.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Right. Right.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: I had, [00:18:00] um, one of the lead researchers in circadian rhythm come on the podcast, and I’m really interested in that on, you know, kind of from an evolutionary perspective. That’s why I kind of asked about time and about the circadian rhythm and, um. A, he did say the most important thing is the consistency.
Figuring out what your sleep time is and being really consistent with that. And if you add in the circadian part, what’s so interesting to me is that, you know, if you look at evolution of the human species over time, we were, basically getting up at for sunlight and going to bed at, uh, you know, when the, when the sun would go down.
And those for obvious reasons, we, we didn’t have electric lights, you know, we had to hunt and gather. We eventually had to farm in the morning. And so when [00:19:00] you look at that from a physiological perspective, we’ve kind of gotten outside of that. You can see the health detriments of that
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Mm.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: If people are, you know, staying up super late and getting up really late in the day.
You see a lot of the physiological effects, um, difficulties with like, you know, insulin resistance, weight gain. You see a lot of sluggishness. You see a lot of, um. You know, uh, lack of mental clarity, uh, difficulties with falling asleep later in the night, and so trying to get a little bit more aligned with circadian rhythms, whatever that time is, as long as it’s kind of in the morning, earlier in the morning.
Right. And then also realizing that we have better, uh, facility of our energy stores in the morning to the early afternoon. So a lot of people, what they’ll do, and this is, uh, you know, just kind of a, um. A little [00:20:00] free tip out there if you’re really struggling with your weight. A lot of people will hold off on breakfast as long as possible.
They’ll wait until like, you know, noon and they’ve heard like, oh, it’s, it’s, um, intermittent fasting. Well, I had the guy who’s the guy who, you know, basically talks, you know, introduced time restricted eating on this podcast. Yes, we have to be mindful of when we’re hungry, but what, we’ll, what we are seeing is that if you have your bigger meals earlier in the day to the middle of the day
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: reduce the, the size of your meal, towards the end of the day, you are going with your body’s natural insulin production,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: and you also do not have to restrict carbs at all.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: No, that’s cool..
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Especially in the morning. I mean, we’re talking better use of carbs or whole foods, you know, like whole grains and, uh, plants and, and fruits and things like that. But having [00:21:00] that earlier in the day can really power you through the day.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: And it’s gonna help you reset your nervous system, right? Because if you
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: late in the day, you are taking all of all of that, all that food has to get to digestion. You
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: yes, yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: it can, and you’re taking away valuable resources that will help restore your body.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Exactly
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: So backwards. We have sugared cereal in the morning, and then a giant meal like two hours before bed.
What are we doing?
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Exactly. So if you think about it, and you think about it in terms of like GLP one and your GIP production and everything, starchy carbohydrates are one of the, the things that help create these hormones the most. So if you’re having, you know, big, hearty breakfast in the morning with it’s like oatmeal with like lots of berries and blah, blah, blah.
You’re creating that and you stay less hungry throughout the day, you’re creating more of this GLP one naturally.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:[00:22:00] Wow.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831:Naturally you will lose weight. So I love tips like these that you’ve given at, uh, you know, your workshop on how to really kind of maximize the morning. How do people then minimize at the end of the day, how do they slow down?
How do they get into that restful digestive state in the evening?
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Oh, that’s such a good question. So I think it kind of starts at the end of your, well, it starts in the workday too, right? So nervous system regulation happens all throughout the day.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: We’re like a pressure cooker, and the steam builds and builds and builds, so we have to let it out. Having those regular movement breaks where you’re stop, dropping, and regulating, checking in with yourself throughout the day, help a lot.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Everybody needs to have a workday shutdown ritual. Period.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: So mine has three parts. One is I do a brain dump of all the things that I’m thinking [00:23:00] about. There’s been so much research around just writing things down and how it allows you to be less stressed and anxious later on. So you just write.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: That’s for tomorrow you to deal with. That’s step one. Then I take a look at the wins. Like, what have I done today that has moved me forward? At the beginning of each day, I set my top three things I wanna do, and then at the end of the day, I will say, if I did them, I’ll give myself partial credit. I’ll reflect, helps me get better at time management.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I’ll clean up my desk because clean’s easy.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: That’s great.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Make you less anxious, make you more productive.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Okay.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: I love it.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Then I take a big breath and I go, whew, work is done today. I’m leaving it.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Wonderful. I love that.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Yeah. And then at nighttime, we start the process of really winding down like three to four hours before.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.[00:24:00]
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: So I have a, like, I don’t do it every day, I’ll be honest, but ideally you’re cutting your screens off. You know,
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Totally.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:As early as possible, so you avoid that blue light. You’re doing things like stretching.
Stretching helps to lower, lower your cortisol, and helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep faster. So just instead of just, you know, while I’m laying down relaxing, I can do some yen yoga stretches. I
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Mm-hmm.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: I can do a little stretch laying down on the floor. It doesn’t have to be active. I’m not doing a power yoga set.
I’m just being chill.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Then the other, there’s a couple other, I mean, there’s so much we can talk about about sleep hygiene, but one thing I really love too is to take a hot shower or a hot bath. So there’s something about elevating your, your internal core temperature, that once you get out of it, you actually allows yourself to cool down faster
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831:Your body temperature raises as you wake up, wake up, and then it lowers as you go to sleep.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh, great. These are great ideas. [00:25:00] Absolutely. And I think you’re, you’re totally right, you have to have some whatever it is in the middle of the day. Like I have like back to back clients often, and so I have 10 minutes in between and you can bet, well, of course I used to run and pee and all of that stuff, but there’s gonna be stretching, there’s gonna be moving.
I also tend to dance in between because I’m hearing some heavy stuff and I’m like, oh my God, and I gotta get it on my body. So I’ll just do some goofy dance from my dogs or dance with them and they’re like, yay. And, or, you know, get down on the ground with them and I roll around with them and, you know, have fuzzy fur time.
Um, that is so key. And then the end of the day, you’re so right. There is the most satisfying feeling for me is when I shut my laptop. I’m like, we’re done. We’re done and that physical act, uh, and I try like, do not take that thing with me into wherever I’m going. Absolutely. Screen stuff, you’re totally right.
Is really hard. [00:26:00] But here’s some tips for people, and this is coming from that, uh, circadian rhythm, Dr. Panda who was on the podcast. We are pretty bad about that, but there are also filters that you can put on your devices. There’s a color filter that, a red color filter that you can put on there, and I tend to keep my, my devices on night shift all the time,
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Oh, cool.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: I’m not, I’m in front of a computer almost all day every day.
I’m not absorbing so much of that blue light if I have it on night shift. All day. Also, you can get little fancy glasses this wanna wear when I’m with my clients. You get fancy glasses, uh, that are blue light blocking, and that has helped my sleep tremendously. So if you are that person that’s always in front of a screen like I am, there are ways that you can do this.
And even at night, you know, if you are on your screens, it’s not gonna be that big of a [00:27:00] deal if you’ve got those filters. Beth, there’s so much more I wanna ask you when we’re out of time. I would love for you to tell people how they can get ahold of you, how they can work with you, how they can go to your gym.
Like give, give all the info.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my goodness. Well, you can find me on LinkedIn. Just search for Beth Bishop. Uh, you can find me on Instagram, theebethbishop with two Es like Megan Thee Stallion because she’s my hero. And um, and also you can go to beth-bishop.com and if you wanna learn more about the Phoenix Effect, you can go to Phoenixeffectla.com.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yes. And she is in LA just so you all know, uh, but I am sure if you are just really itching to have one of those SoCal type workshops, Beth will come to you. I betcha.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Oh, a hundred percent. I love to travel.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Oh my gosh, Beth you’re the best. I am so grateful to know you and I know we’re [00:28:00] gonna be lifelong friends. I have this feeling that we are gonna be hanging out a lot since we are both LA ladies and we will. I know. It’s so awesome. So thank you so much for coming on my podcast, Beth.
squadcaster-g6ij_2_12-10-2025_112831: Thank you so much for having me. It’s an honor.
dr–supatra-tovar_4_12-10-2025_112831: Yay. And thank you everyone for tuning in.
I am looking forward to the next exciting interview, and I really hope you join me next time.
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