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A
So that's the beautiful part of principle as it's been passed down in my lineage. One of the things I love the most in this time, where we're seeing a lot of division and calling things out, and there's good and bad to all of this, right? But the beautiful thing about principle. Principles is they're universal truth. They apply to every single human being. And guess what? Every one of us is a human being. And ever since I was little, I truly, even to this day, and probably to the day I leave this earth, one thing I genuinely don't understand, David, is how in any situation, people can immediately jump first to the difference. Right? Just by nature. And me, I always just naturally. And I'm so grateful. I tell the universe and all good things all the time. So grateful. Thank you for allowing me to be this way in my life. I always jumped first to the similarity. It doesn't matter what religion you are, what gender you are, what ethnicity you are, what age you are, what your beliefs and your thoughts. At the end of the day, we're all human. And that's what principle is. And that's been. That's. That is what has been passed down. And if we can focus on that, we can imagine how much different our world would be. Right? So,
B
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Living the Next Chapter. I have. Well, I don't do this often. I have a superstar with me today, and I'm excited to talk to our guest today. There's so much things that I would like to talk about. There's a little bit of culture that I'd like to bring into the podcast, which I'm excited to talk about as well. But Dr. Janelle Kim is with us today, and Dr. Janelle has a great teaching, and she comes from an amazing background, which we'll get into, and she has some great things, some learnings to share with us today that I think are going to help the audience that are listening and inspire you as well at the same time. So, Dr. Janelle Kibb, thank you so much. Thank you for your time, and I'm so happy to have you with us.
A
Thank you so much, David. That means so much, and I'm so honored and grateful to be here with you.
B
Great. So before we head record, I would just mention to you briefly that my son went through Taekwondo training when he was young. And besides the physical and the mental and all the great things that he learned as a child in that environment, so, so grateful for that experience was one of the things that stuck out to me as a parent. Was the respect for adults. And when an adult would enter the room and enter the space, Master Zhang, the leader, would stop. The children would rise and acknowledge the adult that had entered the room, whether they were part of the program or not, or a parent, anyone. They would come out at the end of the class, and they would bow to each of the adults in the waiting room. As a parent, I sat back and thought, I think we're missing something in Western culture where adults are valued and appreciated and acknowledged. And I really resonated with that. And it's never left me. It's never left me. And I actually saw the Master Zhang, the taekwondo teacher, pumping gas one day, and I pulled up in the next spot beside him in the gas pumps. I got out. He didn't know who I was by my face, but he looked at me and I bowed to him. And his face. He just looked at me, like, with his joy. And then he realized who I was and my son was in his program. But just the acknowledgment and how meaningful that is. I wish we could have that. A little bit of that today. I really do.
A
I do as well, David. I do as well. And I love. Go ahead. I'm sorry.
B
Yeah. No. So from your perspective and how you've grown up in your culture and you're looking back at your family, is that something that's meaningful to you as well?
A
It's probably one of the most meaningful things in my life that I can possibly think of, because, you know, I love hearing this. I really appreciate you sharing this. It means a lot to me, and I imagine it's going to mean a lot to anyone who's watching or listening. You know, it's one thing to bow. It's one thing to do things because you're told to when you're a child, or it's the right thing to do. But when you really. Especially when you're young, and this was my experience when I was young, it added so much that I still carry to this day. You know, that. That understanding of respect for one another, of appreciation for one another. I think one way to describe it is that it immediately connects us. Right. We're connected.
B
Yes.
A
We can come up with so many other. And I'm sure we will in this conversation. But if I had to, in this moment, really think of the word that, it. That or the feeling that it gives me the most, it's that feeling of connectedness.
B
I feel you right now, listening.
A
Right?
B
Yeah, I feel.
A
Right. You want to just sit here for a second? And acknowledge, because we don't hear these things all the time. We don't talk about these things all the time. And I love, actually that our world is shifting right now. I don't love all the things that are happening, to be completely honest, I don't think many of us do. But I love that when. When extremes happen, the shift, the shift happens just by nature, right of the universe. But going back, yes, that feeling of that respect mean so much to me. Growing up is something that I instill in my children from the time they were. I don't even know, from the time they're born, as far as I'm concerned, David. And it is. It's just a part of life. You had said one of the things, you said it beautifully just now, but the way you said it earlier was that, you know, you loved that your son learned taekwondo and that form and that technique, but also that culture. And culture is one way of saying it, but it is a lifestyle, and we all have a choice of how we wish to live our life. And definitely I would go so far as to say, and I was starting that a couple minutes ago, that when we're young, it starts. Starts with our parents. Our parents are everything we came from, our parents. And some level, I firmly believe, you know, family is number one, I think pretty much all over the world, everyone would agree in some way, shape or form, right? And you, you come from your parents. And so if you cannot have that respect, that appreciation, that gratitude, all of those things, and it kind of teaches you from the beginning of how you. How you have that respect for one another, how you have that appreciation, you know, this person came before you, and I very much feel this. I suppose I should have maybe said this a little bit, but I come from a long lineage of medical doctors, practitioners of movement and philosophy, and that lineage means is beyond sacred to me. Everything I do stems from that. And everything I do is my wish to continue to share all that. My ancestors before me gave their lives to us, to understand and then to hand that down to us. And it's our choice what we want to do with that. And that same feeling of generational, because we all come from it. We all have a lineage. And what we're going to do for those who come after us now, this opens up a whole other conversation. And so that's kind of almost like the macrocosm of this feeling, this idea, this philosophy of living that we're speaking of, but one microcosm way of doing that is in your own home. And that Is in my humble opinion, it is so incredibly important. My son just turned 9. My other son turned 5. Every age, I love every age, I want them to slow down. Right. But it's an interesting thing because I have ways to go. I'm sure you have a lot that you could teach me. But at nine years old, this is where you start to see kids wanting to have that independence which is so important. But don't forget your root. Never forget your root. And I think that's probably one of the most important things. I plant that seed in my, my little ones heads all the time.
B
So powerful. So powerful. And in our western culture, I just, I just, I see a void there. And yes, you see, you see adults that are unacknowledged by youth. We see people self absorbed, we see people focused on themselves. It's just, it's called a selfie for a reason. Right. So people are just so focused on themselves. And when, when you have adults enter the room or enter your life, there's just this token appreciation and sometimes no appreciation for the value and the wisdom that comes with that. So again, that was probably one of the biggest learnings as an adult, as a parent, listening and watching my son develop under, under this teaching that just. I will never forget it entire, my entire life. So I appreciate it so much. So you've, you've alluded to or mentioned your family lineage.
A
Yes.
B
Can you share a little bit about some of the history of your family? Because I find it. I love history. So I'm fascinated by how we got to this point in time and a little taste of what that was like.
A
Yes. No, thank you for that, David. As with any individual, any human being, we have different lineages that come into who we are. From my mother, from my father, of course, I want to acknowledge all of that. Interestingly, my father was Korean, my mother is American. And even to this day that's not really common. Part of which, which we don't have to get into too much detail for today's purpose, but part of why that's so uncommon, certainly. However many 40 some years ago, 41, 42, however many years ago, my father and my mother met and came. My family came from a lineage. One of my lineages was from basically like royalty, right. Nobility, which I don't always share, but I think it's important to understand how different that was. And so there's certain, you're right, there's certain very kind of almost strict cultures that exist in our ancient cultures. Right. In Asia, for sure. I've even Seen it when I'm in Europe, you know, in the West. You're right again, a whole other conversation. But we're a young. We're a young society. We haven't been around for that long in comparison. Thousands of years of the other cultures. And anyways, we can get into that later. But there is much to learn from all of those cultures that have lived for thousands of years. Right. Going back, it was not so easy for my mother or my father. But that's one thing that I'm very grateful for and I think a huge part of what I can share about my lineage and why it means so much, why I wrote this book, why I wish, why I commit myself to sharing the medicine that's been passed down in the movement. And that is, of course, so much of it stems from my mentor, who was my father. He passed away six years ago. And on that same conversation, I mean, he's my everything we talk about love, respect. I can't even come up with words to this day, to be honest, David, I still, every morning and my son see me. I don't usually share this kind of thing, but there's a picture of me, you know, every morning I still say good morning to him. And every night I still say goodnight. And that's that same understanding of that hierarchy, you know, I'm getting overwhelmed with feeling. I didn't. You did something to me today.
B
Sorry. Yes. But it's beautiful. It's beautiful. It's beautiful, and I really appreciate it.
A
I want people that I want to be very. You know, anyways, this is how I feel. So. One of the things that made him so special, one of the reasons why I've devoted my life, because it's always a choice what we wish to do with this, you know. Yes, I'm part of this lineage, but ultimately it was my choice of what I want to do with that, if I want to be a part of it, if I don't, how much I want to be a part of that. And the beautiful thing about my father is he truly was a man of principle, you know, and what I mean by that. He used to say this to me. I grew up pretty traditional. I was the oldest daughter, you know, things are a little different for my little sister. We laugh about it together. But he. On one hand, you could think he was pretty strict with me, this is true. But he used to say to me, I'm not strict, I'm on principle. And I think that's important in our conversation today, because especially now, when I look back I have my own children. I've walked through life. And some, you know, in some extent, I have much more to go. He was right. Because if he was just strict, if he just only followed culture and, you know, I'm a huge proponent, but understand what I'm saying here, he would have never married my mother. Absolutely not. He would have never given his oldest daughter, because that's what I was, a daughter in all of the opportunities that I have right now to kind of overlook and be the first female in my lineage to share the formulas in this way and the philosophy, share them with the world. And so that, to me, is where I come from. That's my lineage. And that shaped every single part of my life. You know, I have walked through ups and downs like each one of us. And those. Through those ups and downs, those challenges, those beautiful moments, having experienced loss in great ways, having my own children, all of. All of the things of life, you know, it's the principles that have been handed down in my lineage that have. I know, is why I'm sitting here today. Always grateful, always looking for more. Doesn't mean I don't have hard days. And that is what I so much want to share and to the best of my ability, with as many people as possible. So. So that's amazing.
B
Amazing. Thank you for sharing. So this leads us to the book. So tell us about the book and maybe a little bit of the I love the why. I always love talking to authors and hearing the why that this book even exists that I find. So I'm so curious about that process and, you know, the audience and I guess the overall purpose. I'm really curious to hear that from you today.
A
Yes, I love that question as well. The why. And the why coming straight from my heart is that kind of already touched on it because I know how much human beings need it. You know, the interesting thing is this book is not. It's not my words. You know, it is my words, but it's not. It's my way of communicating it. And the truth of matter is, David, I was almost paralyzed to write it. I have to tell you, you know, for years, this process is probably my whole life in the making. People ask me that question, and sometimes I don't know how to answer because it truly is my whole life in the making. And I think you see that when you read me Young Son. But for the last maybe 10 years, did I really start just because, to be honest, David, I think my father, probably deep down in his mind, knew one day I would write A book. In fact, I remember him telling me when I was like, 14, you should write a book. And I was like, okay, I'm 14. I never talked back. I just said, yes, Daddy. And here I am, however many years later. I don't know how old I am, and it's come to fruition, but I was paralyzed. And what I mean by that is the principles are not so. They mean so much. And actually even part of the eight keys, which are as kind of the breakdown of the principles, right? So each chapter of eight chapters, I call the eight keys. And those are the tools to help us live this life of living meditation, being aware, being mindful, being in our moment, changing our perspective, putting ourselves in other people's shoes, being connected. All of the things that we just talked about.
B
Wow.
A
And so when I lost my father six years ago, I had compiled so many notes and stories just because, David, you know, that's the truth. Like I said, maybe my father knew, but for me, I just. It was something I did. And now I look back and I know why. And when he first passed away, literally, anyone who's walked through grief, it's true. There's no rhyme or reason. There's no particular way about it. Everyone has their own experience. But for some reason, for me, the first thing I wanted to do was to put everything in the book. It was really kind of strange. And someone I knew very well, said to me, janelle, I think it's a little bit. I don't know if this is the right timing. And in the moment, I couldn't even hear, but they were correct. It was a little bit too raw. But six years later, kind of moving forward quickly here, I realized, you know what? This world needs it. This world needs. I know these principles that have been passed down for so many thousands of years, really, I can say centuries. But how long this hasn't been in existence, I couldn't even answer you. How beautiful. It's connected to myself through my lineage. And when. When. One thing you said to me before we got on, and it means the absolute most, is that. I hope I'm saying this correctly, but it's practical, you know, you can utilize it right away. I see that. So my. Why is. The world needs it right now. And it's. It depends on whoever opens it, whoever feels that it is useful to them, because that's my wish, you know, that it does something during this moment in time that we're all in, which is an extreme time to bring positivity, to bring connectedness, to bring that Respect for each other back all of the things. So that's beautiful.
B
Okay, so, Dr. Janelle. So the name of the book, Byeong Song is what is the English translation of Myungsung?
A
So Myungsung is translated as meditation.
B
Okay.
A
And the book is, for many people, what I've started to just say is living meditation. That's ultimately what it means. What it means to me. So it's Myungsung, the Korean Art of Living Meditation. A beautiful title that my publisher actually help me to get to. But to me, just remember living meditation.
B
Excellent.
A
Sometimes.
B
So again, you're focused on the practical side of this as well. This is not head knowledge and not easily applied. It's something that you can live throughout the book and then ongoing from that point on.
A
Yes, it's a constant. It truly beautiful way of putting it. I appreciate that, David. It is. It's a lifestyle. It's a commitment to creating good habits or not. But at least being aware that we have the choice, you know, it's the most empowering way of living. It can also be one of the most frightening ways of living to know that in every single moment, we truly have that choice. We truly have the power of how we want our lives to go. And it doesn't mean we can control what happens to us, not at all. But it means that in every single moment, even the most challenging, we can decide how we want it to affect us, how we want it to affect our family. And we can decide what we want to root ourselves in, the fear or something greater than us to have that faith. And faith can mean many things. That's the beautiful part of principle as it's been passed down in my lineage. One of the things I love the most in this time, where we're seeing a lot of division and calling things out. And there's good and bad to all of this, right? But the beautiful thing about principle, principles is their universal truth. They apply to every single human being. And guess what? Every one of us is a human being. And ever since I was little, I truly, even to this day, and probably to the day I leave this earth. One thing I genuinely don't understand, David, is how in any situation, people can immediately jump first to the difference, right? Just by nature. And me, I always just naturally. And I'm so grateful. I tell the universe and all good things all the time. So grateful. Thank you for allowing me to be this way in my life. I always jumped first to the similarity. It doesn't matter what religion you are, what gender you are. What ethnicity you are, what age you are, what your beliefs and your thoughts. At the end of the day, we're all human. And that's what principle is, and that is what has been passed down. And if we can focus on that, we can imagine how much different our world would be.
B
Right. And I think the speed of life right now.
A
Yes.
B
I think one thing that the global pandemic has taught many people is to slow down.
A
Yes.
B
And we've all retreated to our homes and to our safe space and disconnected from each other.
A
Yes.
B
And we have to rebuild and kind of recreate our community again.
A
Yes.
B
We took for granted, to be quite honest, before all of this. So I just. The speed of life, pre and now, I see, post pandemic, things are getting back into speed again. Is that time for yourself, and that time for connecting with yourself is not built into our schedule and the way that we live our lives here.
A
Yes.
B
So how can we create the space to apply Myungsung to our life?
A
Yes. And again, David, very well together. I appreciate it because you said it. You said it very well. And that's why it's called living meditation now. Yes. I came up with those words because I had to think, okay, in one phrase, what do I call this? What do I call these principles? And that's certainly what resonated with me. And I hope it resonates with everyone. And it is exactly what it sounds. You're right. It's living. There are so many incredible thought leaders that exist, philosophers, people that we look to, teachers that exist always, but especially right now, more and more people are coming out and sharing so many wonderful, positive things. One thing, if I may say is that as a mom of two young boys, a working mom, my life never stops. Let me make this very clear. It does not stop. It is my choice. But I believe that this moment in my life, this is what I need to be doing. I have a very, very important mission of getting formulas out through my lab, JBK Wellness Labs, helping as many people as possible through the formulation, End now, through sharing movement, and of course, with the book, through sharing philosophy. So as far as I'm concerned, my life has to keep moving right now. That is my purpose in this moment, and that's my experience. And I do want to share that, because I don't always. What I saw is that a lot of times the thought leaders out there gave such beautiful ways of living, tips, suggestions, teachings, whatever you want to call them. But oftentimes, when I would watch people, it was almost difficult to Apply. Right. Especially when we are in these challenging times. This is not everyone by any means, and certainly I am not pointing any fingers, but it made me step back for a second. Maybe there's a way that through these principles we can just do just that. Step back one more step. Where. Yes, meditation. I am a huge proponent, seated meditation, having quiet time, calm moments. Let me make myself very clear. It is all so incredibly important and practice these things. But if we don't have that moment in time, and yes, of course, we can all say, find a moment. This is true. Find a moment. That's silly. Each one of us can find five minutes, right? Yes. That's a very. I don't even know what to say about that. We can, but my point is it doesn't even have to stop there. What I was seeing was even talking about meditation stressed people out. Right. And how easy for someone to say to another human being, well, I just step aside and I do my meditation for an hour. I go to these retreats. Well, here I was. And I take this very seriously. Putting yourselves in other people's shoes, understanding the moms, the dads, especially those who are. Who do not have. Who are single, and they have to do this all on their own. You know, I really started thinking through this and started to understand how even though it sounds amazing and we should. We should completely understand these ways of living and these practices, sometimes it's not that easy for people. And I think that's really important to at least acknowledge. So that doesn't mean don't do it, but it shouldn't stop. Here comes living meditation. All of the principles, all of the things that we wish when we do all of these practices and mindfulness and being in these moments, it doesn't have to stop. It doesn't just get achieved in those moments that you find quiet or find time just for yourself. Because it's not always so simple. Every single moment we can find that. It's a really interesting thing. And when we pay attention, it becomes a serious reality for us. Definitely for me, every single moment I'm in, I have a moment where I kind of go through these principles in my mind. Now. Yes, I've had this since the time I was born into this earth. So it's more instilled in me. But every single one of us can have this. And it's that every moment we come into, whether it is owning a business, working for a business, being a parent, being in a relationship and family and community, every moment that we're in, we have a Choice going back to what I said, where it's like constantly, it's a discipline, it's a self discipline. That's really what it is, right? When we look back to the ancient martial artists or the samurai, really what it all comes down to, if you really see them, is discipline. So I should have probably said before my father, one of the ways this has been passed down is My father spent seven years of his life from the age of seven to 14, which is another very challenging thing or a difficult thing for the western, you know, society to understand. But he spent that time in the mountains of East Asia with his master. It's different, you know, and, and that's part of the decision I had to make about six years ago when I started thinking through this book after losing him. Am I going to share that? It's different, but it's so important, you know, but you can live in the mountains of East Asia. You can do all of these things. You can commit yourself to be a monk, for example, but once again, you have a choice. I can stay there. And he used to share this. You know, sometimes he would say, I wish I could go back to the mountains. But it was his destiny and he, he chose to move with that, to take these principles and bring them into the world because people needed it and understand that you can sit in the mountain for seven years doing meditation, doing movement, studying medicine. And if that is your, your destiny in your life, what you're, what, what is meant for you, then so be it. But there's also how many people around on this earth? And does that mean all of us can't have that same mentality day in, day out. It doesn't matter if you're on the mountain by yourself or if you're in a room filled with people all the time, balancing with life. We always have that ability to ground ourselves, to change our perspective, to create good habits for ourselves or create bad habits. So that's living meditation.
B
It's amazing. And just to think, like you mentioned your children and their ages. Could you imagine your children experiencing what your father experienced at that, at this age?
A
Oh, so funny. David, when my son turned seven, I can't tell you how many times I would watch him and just think, I can't believe it. You know, it's hard for me to believe too. That's the truth, 100%. Unless you do it, it's hard to understand. But then, actually I just found a picture. I should have just brought it because it would be neat to see. But I'll put It on Instagram or something at some point. Right. The way we can communicate to each other in a big way. But I just found. Actually when I was. One of the last times I was in Korea and we went to a temple and you see all the little monk children, you know, and it almost. I know I want to share that with everyone because it's one thing for me to say, of course, it's a perfect thing for you to go there and see that. And then after, at least I have this photo, it's. It's just a little different. It almost seems impossible. Certainly the way my father, his path of life was a little bit more extreme than most, you know, but it's not so uncommon for children at certain ages to go to the mountains and study for some time. Sometimes they choose to stay there, sometimes they choose to come back. There are people who I met here in San Diego who through different, I don't know, communities we are met in passing and they studied in the temple and now they're attorneys. It's a different way of thinking. But that's what I love, meditation. It should be natural. All of this should just be natural. We don't have to try to be this guru. We don't have to try to be what we want to put in a box, you know, this picture of this perfect meditative person. Because that's not the way it actually works, in my humble opinion.
B
So Young Song is not a book that's meant to sit on your shelf with all your other books.
A
No, you're right.
B
It's a book that's meant to be lived. It's a book that's supposed to be inspiring and leading you somewhere. So my question for you as a mother is, how are you demonstrating myeong sewing to your children?
A
Yes. Well, I'm demonstrating it in the sense that, as I kind of already mentioned, it is truly instilled in me throughout my entire life. And for all of us, it's a constant choice. But then it becomes that much easier and it becomes habit to practice these tools, to practice these ways of living. And my kids, I. You know, it comes so natural. It's such a good question, David. And the few times or the many times, however many times I've been asked this, I think I give a different answer every time I raise my children according to living meditation. Every single moment, you know, there's time. They're kids, they do their thing, you know, I think I definitely discipline them, that's for sure. My friends would certainly let you know that. But I let them live. And they goof around sometimes and sometimes they may make mistakes and that, and that is part of life. But at the end of the day, you better believe that every single day that we wake up together, at least five times do I remind them, you be kind, you be a good person in this life, no matter what. I also expect you to do well in school. Another thing that is really important to me, especially when they're young, is exactly how we started. Stephen, have respect for your elders. It's an interesting thing. And now we're going right back. But it is a really interesting thing that really starts to create that discipline for them. When a parent walks into the room, you stop, you look them in the eye and you say, hello. When mommy comes into the room, you stop, you say hello to me. That's just the way. And it's those little habits that create that self discipline, as my father used to call it. He called it self guard. Self discipline. You carry around your own self guard. And I think as parents, if I really had to break it down, I think that's the most important thing we can teach our children, being your own self guard. We can't follow them around their entire life. It's actually impossible. One day we're going to have to leave, right? Or one day we're not going to be able to be with them and when we're not there, what choices they're going to make. And my father, my mentor, very much taught me that as well. You know, when I'm not there, you're still there. You see yourself. Can you face yourself? Because there's nothing more, nothing really more important at the end of the day, you know, so well.
B
Okay, so I could probably do a podcast episode with you for the next four to five hours.
A
I would love that.
B
But we also. You also have other things going on, which I again, appreciate your time. So, Dr. Janelle Kim, how do we find the book? How do we connect with you? How do we do life with this book? How do we do that?
A
Absolutely. So you can find me at my website. It's janellekim.com that's j e n e l l e kim.com. i'm on Instagram, doctorjanellekim, Facebook, but now I'm on TikTok.
B
Nice.
A
I'm not doing any funny dances.
B
No.
A
But I do. I appreciate all these ways of, you know, communicating and connecting with everyone and being able to share everything in such a huge way, you know, so it's exciting again.
B
Like, again, I wish I had, like, Hours and hours and hours. But that's. That's selfish of me. But I do appreciate the fact that you have time today to talk about the book, to meet you in person. Love following you on Instagram. I know that you have a beautiful community that you're building there as well. So, again, the idea of respecting people and honoring their time and honoring them. I respect you. I thank you so much for being here with me today and talking. And I hope that maybe we in the future can meet again and talk again.
A
Absolutely. I would absolutely love that. Thank you so much for having me, truly.
B
Now, I'm going to try saying this. I hope I say it right, but.
A
Oh, good job.
B
Close. Sort of close.
A
I got it.
B
Very good, too. I tried. I tried. My friend is from South Korea, so she tried to teach me, but I do my best.
A
So, anyway,
B
thank you so much, everyone. This is Dr. Janelle Kim. Really appreciate you. And like I said, if we get you back, I think we're going to talk about biohacking, because we didn't get on that today, but I think it was something we should probably talk about in the future.
A
Absolutely. And I can even just break it down real quick.
B
Let's go.
A
Right. Like, in one minute. Because it's such a huge thing happening right now. And I've been a part of a lot of huge, like, kind of revolutionary or new. I don't want to say trends, but they're out there. Right. One of my favorite things to do, when applicable, of course, is to root it in what has existed for so long. So biohacking, although it is a new way of doing things, looking at your biology, looking at yourself kind of every moment in time, knowing that your condition is constantly changing. In each one, one of us is different. We have to remember that this comes from our ancient principles of medicine, that is East Asian medicine, that is meditation, that is forms of movement such as qigong, tai chi. Those are like the ultimate and the principles and the foundations of what we know today as biohacking. And so that is something that was kind of important because you see it everywhere right now. And I have a feeling some people will think, what in the world is that? And they'll hear and they'll hear a lot of different details which can be really important in our life. And. But I find that it's really important to understand the root of what it means. And ultimately, it means being aware of your body, being able to check your condition in a certain moment in time. You can do that so very well through meditation, being aware, calming yourself, feeling where you might have imbalances. You can do that through movement. Your son did taekwondo, internal martial arts or qigong, tai chi, that is Myungsan moving meditation that I teach. And certainly through the Eastern medicine or different ancient medicines that are coming so much to fruition. In short, biohacking is rooted in these ancient medicinals and practices as a way to understand that each one of us is different and each one of our bodies is changing all of the time. So long as we're aware of that and we are educated on how we eat, how we live, how we move, then we can live a life that is optimized to our highest potential. That is a life of longevity, where your chronological age is not necessarily what you should go by, but rather it's your age of how your longevity age. There we go. Let's get back on and we'll have it again.
B
Wow, that was blowing my mind. This is so great, Dr. Dill. I really, really appreciate it. Yes, we'll have to do a round two, obviously. Again, thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate you. Yeah, thank you so much.
A
I'll talk to you soon, Dave. Excellent.
B
Hi guys, this is Dave from Living the Next Chapter, a podcast designed to connect authors and audiences. We're always on the lookout for our next interview. If you're an author, a publisher, and you have a book, whether you're just starting, whether you're halfway through writing or it's all done and you want to tell the world, that's why we're here at Living the Next Chapter. Get in touch with us through livingthenextchapter.com contact us and let's set up some time together to discuss your book, discuss your project, and how we can get you on the show. My name is Dave and I would love to speak to you. So go to living the next chapter.com and let's get over there together and discuss all the great things that you're up to as an author, as a publisher, and let's grow your audience together. Join us on livingthenextchapter.com for great authors and an audience that's eager to hear about what you're up to as an author and a publisher. Contact us today and let's get your book out in front of others. Thanks for listening. If you we'll see you on the next one.
Guest: Dr. Jenelle Kim
Host: Dave Campbell
Episode Title: Myung Sung – The Korean Art of Living Meditation
Date: March 2, 2026
In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Dave Campbell welcomes Dr. Jenelle Kim, author, physician, and lineage holder of East Asian medical tradition, to discuss her book, Myung Sung: The Korean Art of Living Meditation. The conversation centers on the deep roots of cultural respect, the importance of universal principles, and practical ways to incorporate living meditation into daily life. Dr. Kim shares personal stories from her unique multicultural background and family lineage, offering listeners inspiration and actionable wisdom for integrating Eastern practices and mindfulness into their own routines.
“Principles are universal truths. They apply to every single human being. And guess what? Every one of us is a human being.…”
(00:00)
“…I always just naturally… jumped first to the similarity. It doesn’t matter… what your beliefs and your thoughts. At the end of the day, we’re all human.”
(00:19)
“I think we’re missing something in Western culture where adults are valued and appreciated and acknowledged. And I really resonated with that. And it’s never left me.”
(02:31)
“…That understanding of respect for one another… it immediately connects us. Right? We’re connected.”
(04:10)
“…My family came from a lineage… like royalty, right. Nobility… [it] means is beyond sacred to me. Everything I do stems from that…”
(08:44-09:30)
“He truly was a man of principle… if he was just strict, if he just only followed culture… he would have never married my mother… never given his oldest daughter… the opportunities that I have right now.”
(10:43)
“This process is probably my whole life in the making… these principles… are the tools to help us live this life of living meditation, being aware, being mindful, being in our moment…”
(12:59-14:22)
“It’s a lifestyle. It’s a commitment to creating good habits or not. But at least being aware that we have the choice… we truly have that choice…. It doesn’t mean we can control what happens to us… but… we can decide how we want it to affect us…”
(16:34)
“My life never stops… but maybe there’s a way that through these principles we can… step back one more step… living meditation… doesn’t just get achieved in those moments that you find quiet… every single moment we can find that.”
(19:11)
“When a parent walks into the room, you stop, you look them in the eye and you say, hello… it’s those little habits that create that self discipline, as my father used to call it. He called it self guard. Self discipline.”
(26:26)
“…Biohacking… is rooted in these ancient medicinals and practices as a way to understand that each one of us is different and each one of our bodies is changing all of the time…. We can live a life that is optimized to our highest potential.”
(30:36-32:36)
Dr. Janelle Kim:
"If we can focus on that [similarity], we can imagine how much different our world would be." (00:52)
Dave Campbell:
“It’s called a selfie for a reason. Right? So people are just so focused on themselves… there’s just this token appreciation and sometimes no appreciation for the value and the wisdom that comes with that.” (07:43)
Dr. Janelle Kim:
“When I lost my father six years ago… anyone who’s walked through grief, it’s true. There’s no rhyme or reason… but for some reason, for me, the first thing I wanted to do was to put everything in the book.” (14:22)
Dr. Janelle Kim:
“Living meditation… all of the things that we wish when we do all of these practices and mindfulness… it doesn’t have to stop. It doesn’t just get achieved in those moments that you find quiet… every single moment we can find that.” (19:11)
Dr. Janelle Kim:
“As parents… the most important thing we can teach our children… being your own self guard.… when we’re not there, what choices are they going to make?… when I’m not there, you’re still there. You see yourself. Can you face yourself?” (28:26)
This episode delivers a powerful cross-cultural perspective on respect, legacy, and the practical steps of “living meditation.” Dr. Jenelle Kim’s experiences illustrate that timeless Eastern philosophies can empower people from any background to cultivate mindfulness, groundedness, and purposeful living—moment by moment, generation to generation.
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