← The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show
Danica Patrick Opens Up About Breast Implant Illness, Inflammation, and Starting Over
01:04:56
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- [00:00]
Danica Patrick
Racing is a competition. It doesn't always work and it can't work all the time. I learned so many of them so young. I'm glad I didn't learn what it was like to learn how to deal with pressure in my 30s. I learned it when I was 10.
- [00:13]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Right now, we hear a lot about burnout, even the most mentally tough people. When you put a health problem in the mix, it's so difficult.
- [00:25]
Danica Patrick
I'm trying harder than ever, and you can't see it like I'm trying harder than ever. That part of my personality is so important to me. The results are the evidence.
- [00:38]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Fear is automatic. There is an automaticity to fear, fight or flight. But that regulation is something trained.
- [00:47]
Danica Patrick
The body knows how to heal. You have to just give it the right environment. I was like, okay, so you have to practice patience and rest.
- [00:56]
Dr. Paul Saladino
The reality is, in order for people to really embody and get to the position that they want to get to physically, it requires work. There is no magic.
- [01:04]
Danica Patrick
Now, the one thing I'd say about that, and this is something that I recommend to people, too, is that.
- [01:18]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Danica Patrick, you are one of the most accomplished and recognizable figures in race car driving. You have broken barriers beyond and just pioneered for women a path that never existed. You're the first, the first through the gate. You've competed for over 10 years at the highest level. You've grown up in the public eye and really under pressure. The only way that people do that and do it well is if they reinterpret the idea of pressure and stress. Now, you've been at the highest level of both IndyCar and NASCAR, and again, you've built this career defined by pressure
- [02:06]
Danica Patrick
through a passion, right? I mean, you can relate to that, right? Where something that you feel a calling to or really passionate about and, like, so much drive for that. Like, everything is just the way. It's not an obstacle. It's kind of like just the way, like, it's, you know, it's not going to be easy, but you love it so much, you keep doing it. That's why I always tell people, like, you have to find something that you love, because if you don't love it enough, you're not going to put in the right amount of effort to be successful, and you're going to eventually quit. And that's the biggest difference between someone that's really successful and that isn't, is that they just don't quit. And you've probably learned that a million times, not only from yourself, but also from people that You've interviewed too, as I have as well. Is that like, you know, having that vision and holding it and having what I would call when I was young and in go karting and coming up through, through motorsports was blind faith. Unless you kind of just know it. Like, you know it's gonna happen somewhere deep inside you. You don't really know how or how it's gonna look, but you just know. And so, yeah, I had that my whole life.
- [03:10]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And I've watched videos of you very young. I mean, you were very young going through this racing and you know, I think about my kids, my 4 and 6 year old. I couldn't even imagine them being able to cognitively understand the idea of pressure and challenge. But do you feel like you had to talk yourself into it?
- [03:35]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, I don't think you do know. Like that is something that you learn. I think when you're a kid, you just feel something uncomfortable. Right? You don't really know what that stuff is. You have to learn all those emotions. Just like you have to learn discipline and learn discretion and what's appropriate and when all these things are all just stuff that you learn. And I think that I learned so many of them so young. Right. Like my dad was pretty hard on me and obviously racing is a competition, so it's, you know, it's competitive. It's hoobie too. It's pretty, it's pretty obvious. So all of those things I learned really young. And I'm glad, man, I'm glad I didn't learn what it was like to learn how to deal with pressure in my 30s. I learned it when I was 10.
- [04:23]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I'm not sure we learn well in our 30s.
- [04:26]
Danica Patrick
I agree, I agree. I mean like neuroplasticity and like subconscious programming is real set. Real set, kind of like concrete right now.
- [04:34]
Dr. Paul Saladino
They give participation trophies.
- [04:36]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [04:37]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I mean, and everyone and anyone is a winner. And we've taken a step back from my perspective in terms of, let's just say good hard competition. We all know how to win. I would agree that we know what it feels like to win. Even my kids, when they race each other, they know what it feels like to win. But how do you become good at losing?
- [05:01]
Danica Patrick
I don't think that you have to be great at losing. I think you just have to know how to not give up. Like, I wasn't a great loser. My biggest fear was failing. Right. Other than, of course, you know, throwing the first pitch at a Cubs game
- [05:14]
Dr. Paul Saladino
kind of thing, or doing cardio in
- [05:16]
Danica Patrick
the morning or doing cardio in the morning, I was like, I quit that stuff years ago. But I don't, I don't think being a good, good loser, like, as in accepting it is necessarily exactly the, the narrative. I think it's a matter of being completely unsatisfied. And there's two different kinds of fueling, right? There's the fueling because you're more afraid to lose, and then there's the fuel of like the love of the win. And it's super common that a lot of people that are very successful really fear losing. And I did more than I. Very much more than I enjoyed the win. The win was like meant to happen, right? That was kind of just like what was supposed to happen. So wins always kind of felt like relief more than anything. That is.
- [06:01]
Dr. Paul Saladino
That would be a heavy burden, I think. A heavy burden because how at the height of your racing career and God
- [06:07]
Danica Patrick
only made me 5:1, so I was
- [06:09]
Dr. Paul Saladino
like, the world, listen, the world couldn't handle anymore. I'm telling you, 5:1 is plenty. Yeah, the world couldn't handle anymore. This is true. But it's a heavy burden. You know, you think a lot about burnout right now. We hear a lot about burnout and those that continue on for the legacy, for the long haul. How at the height of your racing career, how many times were you up against that feeling and that fear of
- [06:34]
Danica Patrick
loss or of burnout or.
- [06:37]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I mean, just putting myself in your perspective and then thinking for the listener or someone who's watching this, well, you know, maybe I'm never going to be a first female racer, but being 10, being 20, being in a position where the world is watching and also you're done at this moment of. It's, it's kind of like when I was in medical school, it wasn't that I went into every test going, I'm an aces. I'm gonna, you know, I look at my husband and he's like, I'm gonna dominate this test, you know, because that's the only way. Failure is not an option. But for me, I was like, oh my God, I just hope I don't fail. And that. Yeah, same from a nervous system perspective. Took me years and years to unwind and made me highly amped up everything,
- [07:26]
Danica Patrick
you know, and successful, huh?
- [07:28]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yes.
- [07:28]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [07:29]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But if the outcome is success regardless the path.
- [07:34]
Danica Patrick
But isn't.
- [07:35]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I don't know.
- [07:35]
Danica Patrick
Do you think it is? Because I don't think it is. I think complacency doesn't lead to nearly as much success. I mean, I think really successful People have an edge. You know, they're like, they're not satisfied and they don't want to lose. And I mean there's, there's, I mean, geez, you know, you look at even like our president right now and some of the things that he'll say on stage based on like, oh, you know, I just something about like, oh, I don't want them to win. Like he'll like, this is the president, like he's won all the as high as you can get. Right? So I think that when you achieve great things, I just don't, I don't think that you have, I don't think that you're normal. I don't think that you have like a normal rational level of sort of understanding or complacency or acceptance even within. It's like when I was a kid, when I was in lower level cars, like it was called Formula Atlantic. I walk around the track and I would look angry all the time. I was very unapproachable looking. And I really ended up realizing that the way I had this sort of death look on my face was because I never wanted them to think that fourth place was okay with me. Like it was good but like I wanted them to know that I was still not satisfied. And so even I think internally I had to have like little mini goals. I learned that once I finally got, once I got all the way to nascar, it's like, how long did that take? I mean that was in NASCAR I was 30, so that would have been like 2013 ish. I remember the season started and it was not going well and it was like the third race of the year and we had come to Phoenix and it was like the local race for my sponsor Godaddy as well. And I had like just stormed off afterwards and I realized that there was so much negative attention and there was so much. It was the weekend before and the weekend before had all sort of like rolled into each other and they made everything continue to get worse from an attitude and a presentation standpoint. And then that took away from my performance as well. So I started learning, not until then, in my early 30s, the increasingly important value of yes, there's this overarching goal of this, but having the little wins along the way, the having the okay, if I just, maybe I don't tell anyone that top 20 would be good for me this weekend, but that's my personal goal for this weekend. Knowing that it's going to take that to then set top 15 to top 10 to win. Right so, you know, you have to have some little goals along the way so that you can keep yourself in the game. Because if you are a big enough dreamer, they can. And I always tell people, like, dream as big as you possibly can. Like as big as you possibly can to the point where you even don't even know if it's possible. But the more times you tell yourself that's your dream, the more realistic it becomes. And if you shoot for that and you fall short, then you've probably achieved a heck of a lot as opposed to, like, you know, that's all right for this weekend. It's like you need something to pull you harder. And so, yeah, I think that I was not a great loser. I didn't wear it that well. I was definitely known for being fiery. But I also think that that's what kept, like, that's what created the success to some degree as well. You just can't take yourself out of the game.
- [10:50]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You can't take yourself, right?
- [10:51]
Danica Patrick
So, like, another example would be like in the race, if I would let something make me mad and I'd come on the radio and I'd be yelling and screaming about something. It was sort of pointed out that it would slow me down or I would lose positions or it would. I wouldn't be as good on track in those moments. And it taught me to, like, keep that inside and stop and stop letting these little moments take me out of the game. Right? You still have to have some level of focus, right? And if you're way too upset or fired up or anything, you go into the red mist and you're just like you, you know, you go into that panic mod nearly with the body, right? And you just, you can't do. You can't have the, the appropriate amount of focus to be truly great at something.
- [11:34]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Fear is automatic. There is an automaticity to fear, fight or flight. But that regulation is something trained. Regulation is trained. And maybe there's nature versus nurture. But were there moments that, that you had because you're working in split second?
- [11:57]
Danica Patrick
Oh, yeah, hundreds of a second.
- [11:59]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I mean, I can't even count that high. What did you do to bring yourself back? How did you. Again, I'm sure you got more skilled and that probably translates to, I think, conditioning, right?
- [12:14]
Danica Patrick
I mean, I don't know, there's probably a technical word for it, but like exposure, right? There's like a certain amount of sort of exposure that you get that sort of desensitizes you a little bit. Like the more times you go on stage it might be scary at first, but then the more you kind of know, it doesn't mean you don't care. And you're like, not nervous, but you get sort of like the exposure training. And I think that because obviously, starting when I was 10 years old and coming up through the ranks, it's not zero to hero in the split second that someone on TV is like, oh, there she is. It's like, yeah, and the 20 years that came before it. So I think the exposure is something too, that plays a really big part. And I think that's also when we're talking about, like, that young conditioning to the difficult things that help later in life. It's that exposure conditioning that happens that gets you into it. And this is, I think, the danger zone that we are in with kids. I think that kids are now living at home until they're almost 30 now. I think 29 is maybe even almost the average age for some people, some kids to move out.
- [13:21]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I never leave. I never leave right now.
- [13:24]
Danica Patrick
But, like, that. We don't live in the era where, like, as soon as you are old enough to get out of the house, you go do that. And part of that is culture and cost of living and the ability for people to do that. But, like, if we're just looking at it from more of, like, a global way, like, there's just so much more helicopter parents and so much more coddling and so much more, like, we don't let them fall. And I mean, back in the day, you know, when I, you know, decades ago growing up, you. You truly got on your bike and you, like, went. I mean, I remember this, like, I lived in the middle of nowhere, but you go on your bike and you. We literally weren't told where we couldn't ride our bike right now, what if I fall off and skin my knee or get lost or like, you're like, learning how to deal with life and challenges and pain and, you know, stress in ways that now it's like, no, the yard is the. Got a fence around it and you can't get out of it. And like, you know, there's so much more, I think, coddling and less. Less sort of character building and confidence building stuff that happens. So, you know, I do feel grateful for the time that I grew up. But of course, then add on that layer of competition and being pushed and achieving things and having that goal like that just kept adding. So, like, I became a very, like, I grew up really fast.
- [14:42]
Dr. Paul Saladino
No pun intended, of course. Did you.
- [14:45]
Danica Patrick
I do everything fast.
- [14:46]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yes, you do. Yes, you do. I mean, I took me until I
- [14:49]
Danica Patrick
was in my 30s to realize that though. Like, I just thought I drove, but then I was like, oh, I walk fast, I think fast, I talk fast, I. I move fast, I make decisions fast, I cook fast, eat fast.
- [15:03]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I mean, there's all kinds of things I do.
- [15:06]
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- [15:27]
Dr. Paul Saladino
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- [15:28]
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- [16:20]
Dr. Paul Saladino
When it comes to your nervous system, there were probably moments where you felt that it was just so heightened that it's unproductive. I mean, I guess I'm putting words into your mouth. Maybe you didn't, and maybe the interpretation of the environment was different. But let's say, for example, and I just bring this back to pressurized situations in medical school and in college, if you don't make the grade, if you don't pass organic chemistry, you're out. You get one test. Maybe there's two tests a semester, depending on where you go to school, you're done. There's very little room for error, I would say. And there were times where it's totally unproductive. So I used to have just terrible testing. And again, this is seems so minuscule compared to going, I don't know how fast you go 200 miles or something.
- [17:12]
Danica Patrick
Like, yeah, but if I crashed, I was die, I suppose. But also, it didn't mean like I lost my ride, you know, it wasn't like, you know, you do enough of it. Sure, but. But yeah, I mean, to some degree,
- [17:24]
Dr. Paul Saladino
were you like, okay, My nervous system is too. I'm too aroused. My autonomic nerve. If I don't bring this down a notch, I am basically seeing in this kind of tunnel vision.
- [17:34]
Danica Patrick
Not for me, because I'm pretty low on neuroticism, too. Like, I'm not a fixator. I don't. Like, I don't. Like. I don't. I don't spiral. That's not my nature. It's not in my genetics, in my pathways, in my hormones, hormones in my brain chemistry. Like, it's just not in me. And actually, if I'm being honest, the more pressure and stress I had, the better I did. I always had great performances at the big ones. Like, it's something fortunately came out of me. So, no, the more pressure and stress I had, the better it was for me.
- [18:13]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Was there less thinking or more thinking leading up to these events, the more stressful ones?
- [18:20]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, I think there was. There tend to be more thought and effort or thought and time around them. But. But once you. You get in the car, it's not about thinking. It's about. That's why a race car driver can have a long career, because having experience is really something that pays off. Because you can't. You're not running a play out there. You're. You have no idea what the other 20 or 30 or 40 cars are going to do. So the experience pays off. But I'd say there's something. I'll use this. I don't know if it's totally applicable, but I think that when you're doing something really high performance, and maybe you notice it sometimes in here, maybe you notice it sometimes on stage, but sometimes you go into one of these flow states that feel. Feels like almost like you're not there, but it's flowing. And there's like, there's an. There's a frequency that you're. You're tapped into that is out of body almost or beyond. And it's. As a race car driver, you know, you notice this when there'd be like, something that happened that really fired you up or you maybe lost pit stops, lots of spots on a pit stop, or maybe got a penalty, had to start from the back, something like that. And all of a sudden you just went into another mode. You're already in another mode. But the ones that could get that next level, which is so, it's. So it's like there's. There's like a. There's an aggression, but there's like a very present flow state to it. Those are the ones Those are the people that do the best they can really get into that state. And that's why I'm saying, like, certain things, like, you know, you can be mad that something happened that made you, like, lose positions that got you fired up, right? And you can take yourself out of the game and spiral and freak out, or hopefully it dials you in and helps you focus even more, right? And helps you take an elevated state to a focused place.
- [20:21]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Did you practice any pre performance rituals?
- [20:24]
Danica Patrick
The only thing I ever did, and I. I mean, I started doing this when I was in go karts when I was a kid without anyone telling me that I needed to do it. But I did visualization. Like, I would just sit there, like, on the cooler or in a chair, and I would just. Or I'd be sitting in my go kart ready to go out when I first started doing this. And I just sit there, and I close my eyes, and I would drive the track perfect. And so, you know, as most people know that are into psychology and performance is that. And methods of learning visualization, even if you visualize your muscle flexing can add benefit, which is wild. You're like, wait a minute. How does this thing, being human, really work?
- [21:10]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You're like, I'm never going to the gym again. I'm just gonna visualize bigger biceps.
- [21:15]
Danica Patrick
But there is a measurable effect.
- [21:19]
Dr. Paul Saladino
What happens when the performance becomes your identity?
- [21:23]
Danica Patrick
I mean, that happened to some degree, right? I think the. Maybe not the job was never my identity necessarily, but, like, the. I learned this actually through health stuff too. So that can help us get into some of that if we want, is that my identity was having results that were proof of effort. So if I didn't get results that proved the effort, like, I knew that, like, things would just happen if there was the right amount of commitment, the right amount of effort, all of these things like this good things happen. And so I think that something that's integral to my being and who I want to be, how I want to be seen, is I never want anyone to think that I didn't. That I'm lazy or that I didn't try hard enough or that I didn't put in the effort. And. And so that was very much like, my evil face at the track. Like, I'm trying to be better than fourth. Don't you know that? Or like, when health stuff slipped for me, like, I ended up realizing that a core thing that was really, really uncomfortable within me was I was like, I'm trying harder than ever, and you can't see it like, I'm trying harder than ever. And so I realized that it's like that part of my personality is so important to me that the results are the evidence.
- [22:50]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And that's because they should happen. Because they should happen. You should have control and full disclosure. You've been a patient of mine for, I don't know, almost three years.
- [23:00]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, three or four years.
- [23:01]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yeah. Going on four years, actually. And the story of how we met, which is pretty funny. We did an interview together, and I
- [23:11]
Danica Patrick
interviewed you for my podcast. Yep, Yep.
- [23:13]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And I.
- [23:14]
Danica Patrick
Because I had been watching your stuff for so long, and, you know, I made the. I made the, like, fatal, like, ego mistake of being like. You know, I saw you very early on when you and Don would do these. Like, you were at a desk, or maybe he was too. I can't. I'm like, all these videos, and I thought they were. I feel like they were, like, 20 minutes ish. And they were so informational, and I've always been so into health stuff. Stuff anyway. But then, of course, as I was needing more information, finding more of it as well, and it was just so early on, I was like, well, just not. There's not a lot of views yet. There's not. And I like. And then as soon as it hit, like, as soon as you started going on truth, I'm like, all right, I'm gonna ask the interviewer now. And I shouldn't have been a jerk. And I should have just, like, interviewed you immediately. Ten years. When I saw that, it was probably a few years, though, if it was a few years, because, like, I think I interviewed in maybe 22. Maybe. Yeah, 22. And I had already been watching for a few years, for sure.
- [24:08]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It takes time.
- [24:09]
Danica Patrick
When did you and Don start putting, I mean, videos out again?
- [24:12]
Dr. Paul Saladino
We've been doing this for easily 10 years. I don't know when the video started.
- [24:16]
Danica Patrick
Right. And that was. Yeah, so that. That. Yeah, early on. They were very early on. Yeah. And then. So I already known your stuff. And then I was like. And I'm so into health. So I was like, I need to talk to you.
- [24:27]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And it takes time to mature. Just like, it takes time to mature into a really exceptional race car driver. It takes time to mature into a good scientist, a good clinician, and a good science communicator. We did an interview, and this is. And for the physicians listening, I think they'll understand. You just have a knowing. And maybe it's the unconscious competence of the people that you can really help. And I basically Twisted your arm and said, listen, Danica, I'm going to take over your medical care, and you give me six months and I will give you freedom.
- [25:01]
Danica Patrick
And you're like, that's it?
- [25:02]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yeah, no, I'm good.
- [25:06]
Danica Patrick
I was like, all right. And I'd been so many doctors. I'd been through so many doctors. I'm like, all right. It had been a while since I tried a new one because I went through this phase of like, basically I got breast implants in and 2000. 13ish or. No, 14. No, it was 14 or 15. Anyway, I'd had him in for about five or six years at that point. Six years at that point, maybe. Anyway, it was after three years that I started to notice stuff. And then another three few years later, more cascade effect had happened and I couldn't get a grip on anything. And so I started just doing every protocol. I didn't care. I would stack a million things in a day. I would have multiple doctors, action oriented. Oh, man. I didn't care what worked as long as if I did everything, I'd just keep doing everything. I just was looking for something that worked. And then I got to the point where I started just working with one and then I'd work with another. And then I was just like, you know what? Whatever. I'm just, I don't know. I don't know what's going on anymore. And so then when we met and, you know, I was like, kind of like, all right, it's been a little while since I tried another doctor. Let's do it. Let's try. And I think I signed up for the shorter distance time. I was like, you know what, let's just do this and see how it goes. It was kind of like, review labs, try something and then review them again. Kind of a setup. And I was like, all right, let's do it.
- [26:27]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And I delivered on my promise.
- [26:29]
Danica Patrick
Oh, my God. I mean, yeah, it was very quick.
- [26:33]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And the reality is I knew because you moved so fast that I needed to give you an early win. And for us, you know, we started working on your inflammation and you were training twice a day. You were in the room doing push ups and in.
- [26:48]
Danica Patrick
I mean, just, you know, I do like an. Like a. Like a car. I did CrossFit for a long time, which, you know, I don't know if you've talked to any of those kinds of people or worked on any. Worked on those people. I mean, probably because there, it's kind of a military base. Like, there's a very Much a. That sort of culture to it. And I just killed myself. I absolutely killed myself.
- [27:08]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But you expected hormonally.
- [27:10]
Danica Patrick
Oh, yeah. Oh, they worked at first. And like, you just can't keep pulling that lever, right? So. And then age happens. And. And also, like, age is something. I don't think it's that as big of a deal. I think it's more about, like, you can only handle something for so long if it's. If it's not good for you. Right. And then the body does a pretty good job. But then. And then ends up just starting, like, systems start to shut down and adapting and protecting. Protecting the most vital things about you. And so, yeah, I mean, I gained weight, like, lost my hair, like, full inflammation. You were exhausted. I don't know if I remember. You were exhausted, exhausted. I had no recovery. Like, at one point in time, during all of this, I was also. I ran the Boston Marathon, so I had like, trained for that. And I was training either at altitude and Telluride, or I was in Arizona where it was summer and it was basically 100 degrees. As soon as the sun came up, like overnight lows of 90 degrees, you know, like, I mean, I. I don't know why I didn't decide to just run it, like during the dark. I was like, okay, I'll start as soon as it starts to get light. And then I'd finish and It'd be like 106 degrees. And I'm like. And I'd like, horrible. So I had no recovery. It was just a disaster.
- [28:19]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You know, when you think about someone who's been able to put in effort and get outcome in your whole life, right? Because that's what you did how mentally. And there's a lot of people that listen to this, this podcast that go through health challenges and they don't have answers. Things are still really nebulous. There's nothing that even, even the most mentally tough people, when you put a health problem in the mix, it's.
- [28:45]
Danica Patrick
It's so difficult because you need a different, different discipline. Like, the discipline that got you there is not going to get you out. So, like, the discipline of like, work ethic and trying harder and pushing and pushing and more is. Is exactly the opposite of what the recovery is. It's like there was something someone said along the way where, like, the body knows how to heal. You have to just give it the right environment. I was like, okay, so you have to practice patience and rest and all the things that didn't work for a long time, you know, that didn't work. And they were also not part of your benefit of whether it's performance at work or performance with your body or performance with your mind. Right. So it's a different discipline. And so I just. But I am grateful because it gave me, gave me this ability to talk, to speak to it. You know, to come from a professional athlete, from someone that's been successful, to be able to tell people like, it doesn't always work and it can't work all the time. So, yeah, it took a different discipline.
- [29:50]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I really like that statement, the idea of a different kind of discipline. Because when we think of discipline, at least I do, I think of one way.
- [29:58]
Danica Patrick
Sure.
- [29:58]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And discipline is discernment. Do the right, the next right thought into the next right action. And, and it's just driving. It's not motivation. What would you tell someone who is.
- [30:11]
Danica Patrick
Well, it doesn't feel very disciplinary to sit on the couch. Couch. That doesn't feel like discipline. Discipline feels like an iron fist or a, you know, the wooden spoon. You know, it's like discipline is like difficult.
- [30:23]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Get after it, get after it.
- [30:25]
Danica Patrick
But for the go getter who got in trouble by doing too much, that is actually hard. The amount of re. We were talking at very beginning and so I'm kind of feeling my way into it here. Like the amount of reprogramming of that nervous system to allow myself to rest. Like, it's like skin crawling at first. You're like, oh my God, you're like ants. You feel so lazy. Your mind's telling you a million things and you, you have to, you have to reprogram.
- [30:52]
Dr. Paul Saladino
What would you tell someone who is listening and they're in the same position? Maybe they've been getting after their whole life and they've been successful and they were in the spot you were in.
- [31:01]
Danica Patrick
I'd tell them that if you want, if you want to achieve like the highest amount of health, that you'll get it by allowing your body to rest and recover and be ready to go for the next thing. Right. So you have to tell them that they're going to get what they want by doing this. It's not like, just enjoy the couch.
- [31:18]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Feel like I had to convince you.
- [31:20]
Danica Patrick
I just feel like I had to convince you. Yeah, yeah, just enjoy the couch. Just watch a movie, Just rest. Don't, you know, whatever.
- [31:28]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I'm just kidding.
- [31:28]
Danica Patrick
Although I have been trying to get you to talk you into drinking more. But I mean, other than I will
- [31:34]
Dr. Paul Saladino
tell, I did, I did challenge you to push ups and it Was literally the worst idea I've ever had. And I'm pro. You are.
- [31:42]
Danica Patrick
And I'd say you beat me in the gym today, and you're a powerhouse.
- [31:49]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I paid her to say that. Guys, you know that feeling after a really hard training session where the last thing you want to do is sit down and eat a full meal? Yeah, I get it. And I'm not about forcing down a stake when my body just isn't ready for it. But here's the thing. Intense exercise and really all exercise is catabolic, meaning it increases muscle breakdown. So to protect my muscle and build new muscle and recover, I consume essential amino acids around my workout. This helps with the recovery. Body health. Perfect amino helps me hit the protein threshold. I need to stimulate muscle with minimal calories and not a huge digestive burden
- [32:33]
Danica Patrick
like a large sink.
- [32:35]
Dr. Paul Saladino
The workout was the hard part, but
- [32:38]
Sponsor/Host Voice
the recovery doesn't have to be.
- [32:39]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Head to bodyhealth.com and use the code lion20 to get 20% off your first order. That's@bodyhealth.com and use the code Lion20.
- [32:52]
Danica Patrick
But my upper body strength is pretty good.
- [32:55]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I know you're pretty jacked, but what would you.
- [32:57]
Danica Patrick
I did. I did live in this position for a long time.
- [33:01]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I mean, people have to recalibrate and reorient to the push. But I would also say one of the other things that I want to acknowledge that you did really well is you tuned out the noise. You're someone who has access to everything and everybody, and those people actually, from a health perspective, do the worst.
- [33:19]
Danica Patrick
What kind of noise do you always feel. Do you feel like. Are we talking about, like, friends, family, social media? Like, what are you talking about?
- [33:25]
Dr. Paul Saladino
The health and wellness noise, which is something that we.
- [33:28]
Danica Patrick
We.
- [33:29]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You and I talked privately about.
- [33:31]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [33:31]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yesterday, you know, with the new dietary guidelines. But there's so much noise, and everybody is an expert.
- [33:36]
Danica Patrick
Oh. And everything can kill you or save your life. It's.
- [33:39]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It's too much.
- [33:40]
Danica Patrick
Just ask Paul Saladino. Everything could kill you, and it's.
- [33:44]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It's too much. And those that are following multiple people, or let's say they're impatient, and they jump from doctor to doctor to provider to program because they're so action oriented. Can you imagine if you had done that in. In driving? Yeah.
- [34:01]
Danica Patrick
Now, the one thing I'd say about that, and this is something that I recommend to people, too, is that I did go through the doctors and I needed to because I had to get to you. And so every doctor's kind of got, you know, there's definitely levels, right? You know, you don't wear your grade on your sleeve, but like, you know, and you don't wear your special, more intuitive skill like skill sets and ability to read situations like on a name tag or like on your. Under your name and a header. But in general, I do think that you kind of have to take your time and give dedication to a doctor at a time and go through a protocol and do what's recommended and you give it some time and if it doesn't work, it's okay to move on because I found that a doctor tends to do what they've been doing and I think there's levels to that. Like I said, like, if a doctor has good enough intuition and understanding and scope and knowledge, they're more adaptable and able to help better. But generally the doctor kind of had their thing. And so if that thing didn't work for you, it's okay to go to the next doctor. But I do believe that I made the mistake early on of compounding it all and having many of them and many protocols. And so I would say that because I'm so glad that I didn't stick with any one of them because I needed to get to you. And then once it works, it works. And it should. This is an analogy within racing that I'd say, say is that you'd put a. You. You change the setup on the car. You're trying to like, fix a handling issue. One of the rookie mistakes that can be made by drivers is that they go and they just kind of like, they're like, oh, it kind of helped. It kind of did. No, if it works, it's obvious. That's all you need to know. And if it didn't work, if it wasn't obvious, positive, go back. Like, you have to go back to reset. You have to go back to baseline constantly. Otherwise you're going to end up with just a very out of balance sort of setup on your car. So you had to kind of go back to what the computer says is like the right thing and then go from there. And just one at a time, you try things. There were so many times that we would, I mean, shoot. Sometimes we'd have to back to back something like going out a time of day versus another time of day with the same setup. Make sure that you know where you're at. You can't just go in there with another one. So you really have to, like, you have to go easy and you have to give the doctor the right amount of time. But, but I think that, I think that, I think that it's okay to try a new one if they're not working.
- [36:37]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You said something to me yesterday. We were talking about hiring and you said, and also firing and you said you got to move on really fast and that maybe that there's a gut knowing if you think that this. And again, this is not, not just for providers, it's for anyone who's hiring. And again, any position, if you don't think there, if you just have a gut feeling that it's not going to work. I mean, how many times do we try over long periods of time to keep or just want that to work because we don't want to. I don't know if it's make someone feel bad or just give them the benefit of the doubt.
- [37:13]
Danica Patrick
Right. Well, it's hurt their feelings. It's maybe not really knowing the full scope, especially as like a boss boss or something like that. You might not really see every last detail and in and out and like daily activity that someone does. So you're kind of like maybe not sure too. But like an employee should stand out and until. And there are definitely jobs for jobs that don't need to be so standout. But like when you're looking for someone to be on your team to do great things for you, it should be obvious. Just like the change on the setup. Just like the doctor that works just like a protocol. It should work. It should be obvious. It shouldn't just be invisible. Like, it shouldn't. It's not business as usual. It should be like, oh my God, I couldn't live without this person. You know, this, this is like, wow, they're impressive. So what is that? It's like higher slow and fire fast. Yeah. And I, and I haven't always fired fast, but probably all of us. Yeah, I mean. Right, Exactly. And, but, but in the end, everyone that I ended up thinking needed to be or like a position that needed to change, it was 100% like such a relief and like so obvious that it was the right thing. And so, yeah, you do have to. You know, I think our intuition is something that, and I'm not and I believe that this, it's a little stronger in women. I don't know, maybe it's because we're a portal for humans or something. But, but like our. But intuition. And this is where I think even as an esoteric topic kind of gets into. Is that this sort of like patriarch matriarch, like gender struggle, it's not, it's about everyone doing, contributing what they are uniquely skilled at, being able to understand and see. And I think that women are really good at that intuition thing, but the discipline of trusting it is the hard one.
- [39:05]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You started a women's group and I think that your motivation to do that was to really bring, bring out the best as a collective unit. There's a group of 10 of us and to really bring out the best. I thought that was wise because right now when I look out into the landscape and I think about this idea of stoicism and there's a level of neutrality and it's being detached from your thoughts and the conversations are. They're very male dominated and I think you and I are very similar and many of our friends are very similar that we don't think is this said male female, is racing male female? We're not really thinking even along those lines. But what I do think is missing in the conversation is that the stoicism talk, for the most part it's men's stories.
- [39:53]
Danica Patrick
Yeah. You know, yeah, there's, there's, there's not a lot of stoics out there that you hear are women. And I think that there's been. And if you want to get into conspiracy, like, you know, whether it's conspiracy or just truth or, or an idea that like women have been more erased from history than, than men. Like even when you think way back to like Greek times and like ancient times in Egypt and even places like that, like there were women rulers, there was. Women were in charge and, and, and I, and I don't feel like that's. You don't really, you don't really see them as being prevalent figures for that. But I think that women and I, and maybe, maybe we don't deliver the one liner, I have no idea. But I do believe that we're very intuitive and that like the, the we're good at creating whether it's humans or company or a vision or, or a blend of a group or whatever. It's like women are very creative and maybe that's a little harder to pen in over time.
- [40:58]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Do you think when you were racing and again even now there probably wasn't. I'm sure there were trainers and I mean they, they, it's unlikely that they had other female.
- [41:09]
Danica Patrick
Not really. There wasn't a lot of. In racing. I mean I worked out and I trained, but I wouldn't say there's a lot of trainers or even like coaches. It's a weird sport.
- [41:17]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But was there one, you know, was the biology and was the way of thinking about it more male? And when I say that is if you think about, say, special operations,
- [41:29]
Danica Patrick
the
- [41:29]
Dr. Paul Saladino
training protocol, I mean, they're thinking. And again, for example, they don't have. There's not a female seal. The training would be focused in one way. Again, it's not gender specific.
- [41:42]
Danica Patrick
It just doesn't fit.
- [41:44]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It doesn't exist.
- [41:45]
Danica Patrick
For a hundred pounder like us to throw a hundred pounds, you know, sandbag over a wall as part of our training is going to be infinitely harder than for a 200 pound man to do that. Right. And so I think there's like suitable jobs for people too.
- [41:59]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And it just makes me think about the adaptation, physical adaptation. If it would, if you feel like it would be different, you know, if you could go back, would you have done it differently in a way to
- [42:12]
Danica Patrick
evolve you as an athlete, like training and all that stuff? Yeah, I mean, I definitely had a lot more salt in my water.
- [42:20]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And full disclosure, you had a bottle
- [42:22]
Danica Patrick
of salt with you.
- [42:22]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I was like, what is that? She brings seasoning to the gym.
- [42:25]
Danica Patrick
Oh, well, I had a packet and I also travel with salt. I have a little salt in my. Yeah, because table salt's garbage and salt's very important. I literally feel like I would die without salt. So I think there are certain things like, that I would do. I mean, I think I'm in a best, best like body composition and strength of my life, hands down. So I'm.
- [42:48]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I did see you in like the. It was the. Was it the New York Post or. It was something. And they were. There was the headline. It was Danica Patrick in a red bikini.
- [42:56]
Danica Patrick
Oh, God.
- [42:57]
Sponsor/Host Voice
Somewhere.
- [42:58]
Danica Patrick
Somewhere showing my ass. Well, thanks to my doctor, you know, she dialed in.
- [43:05]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But also hard training, there's no shortcut. And you hear a lot of this. The, the conversation about medications and people go, oh, well, you know, it's available to anyone and everything. So is weights, but it's. But it's not. The reality is in order for people to really embody and get to the position that they want to get to physically, it requires work. There is no. There is no magic pill.
- [43:30]
Danica Patrick
That's right.
- [43:30]
Dr. Paul Saladino
There is no.
- [43:31]
Danica Patrick
For anything.
- [43:32]
Dr. Paul Saladino
No.
- [43:32]
Danica Patrick
I mean, probably one of the greatest gifts I was ever told, told also from a mental standpoint, back in the day with a, with a therapist, was that no one's coming to save you. I was like, I broke down and cried. I was like, oh my God, I have to do this all myself. And it's like, no, you have help, but like you have to you have to rectify this within you. You have to forgive or accept or change or shift. Whatever it takes to like, it's up to you. No one, no, I'm sorry, no, no forgiveness, no, no conversation is ever going to solve the problem within you. The problem everywhere you go, the problem will be there. If you don't figure it out, doesn't matter where you go. So, yeah, I mean from a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint, emotional standpoint, it's on you. I like the saying, I'm sure somebody else has said it, but I like to say your life is your fault and the immediate thought is like oh. But then it's like oh. Because like, it also implies all the good stuff. So every bit of success that you've been able to accrue, like every positive experience, all of those things are you. Every good relationship, every friendship, every experience, every joy and laugh like you in racing.
- [44:51]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It seems again, I've never been in a race car.
- [44:55]
Danica Patrick
We're going to change that someday.
- [44:56]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Well, I'll go, go karting. I've done that.
- [44:58]
Danica Patrick
No, I need to get you in a two seat. You need to sit next to me so I can.
- [45:02]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I'd be terrified.
- [45:02]
Danica Patrick
But I was just going to say I can tell that this is not something you're like, listen, I'll do it.
- [45:09]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But those situations are so high pressure and you've said that you perform better under this high pressure situation. I would agree with that. They're black and white. This is the outcome or this isn't. It's a right turn, it's a left turn. But in life, in relationships, in entrepreneurship, it is not like that. And it might not be at the height of, you know, anxiety or at the height of this ultimate decision. It's a low level buzz and a low level hum.
- [45:38]
Danica Patrick
It is, it's subtle, it's subtle, it's nuanced and it's subtle.
- [45:43]
Dr. Paul Saladino
That's much more difficult to deal with on a daily basis, which is essentially real life than those big overwhelming tasks.
- [45:52]
Danica Patrick
I think in that nuanced subtleness that we're talking about, about what you should be doing, shouldn't be doing, where your focus should be. Any. Or like you just even like a this is for me, this is not for me kind of way, whatever that is. Any could be work, could be people, friends, anything. I don't think that is gray. I think that is kind of black and white. I think what's gray is seeing it. That's like hard to see. It's hard to really know. Like, there's no concrete evidence of, like, first or last. Right? It's. It's like, I don't know, should I change jobs?
- [46:31]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Should I move here?
- [46:32]
Danica Patrick
Should I do that? Should we break up? Is that friend hurt? Like, is like, you can look at a million scenarios. You're like, I don't know. And it's just kind of all. But like. Like the subtle, nuanced energy of it and the little signs and stuff that come through in your life through people or scenarios or intuition or. Or like the. Or like, signs, like a bird could fly by and it might mean something kind of in your head, you're like, yeah, whatever, it's a bird. Like, it could be kind of stupid. I don't think it's that great. I think it's kind of black and white, and it's just really hard to tell. It's really, really hard to tell. And that is something that I've only been able to cultivate more, I would say, in my 30s. On.
- [47:14]
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- [48:30]
Danica Patrick
subscription@timeline.com DrLion is like, getting more in touch with that because. And it's probably harder than ever nowadays with social media, with constant streaming everything, with every television show available. Like, you wouldn't even go to the bathroom alone now, right?
- [48:48]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I do. And I lock the door and there's no kids coming in.
- [48:51]
Danica Patrick
Right. But do you bring your phone? Nope. Oh, good for you. I do.
- [48:54]
Dr. Paul Saladino
In fact, half the time, I don't
- [48:55]
Danica Patrick
know where it is. I mean, it's either it's me and it's my phone. And Ella, my dog Ella, is always just right there. She's a Malinois. So I think that we don't really get a break to really know where we're at. So I would always tell people, too, that, like, the best way to know
- [49:09]
Dr. Paul Saladino
who you are, which is not the
- [49:10]
Danica Patrick
easiest thing in the world to do, to know who you are, because it also evolves. But to know who you are and even know your set point, what I would call, like, your home energy, that requires being alone. Like, you really can't. How else are you gonna find it? Like, how? I mean, the way that I discovered it was when I was racing NASCAR and I was living in North Carolina. There was, like, a lot of time alone. And so, like, it would be simple things, like, you know, okay, well, what am I gonna do? I don't have anything to do. You kind of figure out what foods, when you like to eat, like, what your hobbies are, what you. Your interests, what your home energy is. Like, like, you start developing even more hobbies that are. You, like, you kind of start figuring yourself out. But it's really hard to do when you're people pleasing, when you're socializing, when you're adapting, when you're distracted, like, when you're in a routine, like, you have to be alone a little bit. Have you ever experienced that? Was there ever, like, a time where you, like, learned what. Learned who you were more about yourself? Does that hit home or.
- [50:12]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It does. And I would say not so much in the quiet times. I think that scholarly activity and, you know, school was not easy for me. I would study 12 hours a day. I would really. I knew that I had to compensate.
- [50:30]
Danica Patrick
Was it the stress that made it hard on you that kind of took you out of the game, like we were talking about? Or was it more like you just weren't someone that. Like, there are people that have, like, insane recall. Like, they can learn it once and it's in them. Like, and I have. Don't really have that. I'm like, a firsthand learner. So, like, if I have experiential or visual, like, sort of, I have to really, like, ingrain it into me, and then it's in. But was that. Yes.
- [50:55]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I'd have to think about it. I'd have to draw it out.
- [50:57]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [50:57]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And then I'd have to think about a creative way that it would be applied.
- [51:00]
Danica Patrick
Sure.
- [51:01]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And as opposed to just kind of passive learning. And that took a lot of time and a Lot of energy. And those moments that it was quiet and I didn't know if I could do it, I would say that was a home energy. I'm curious as to how you would describe your home energy.
- [51:20]
Danica Patrick
Fun. Let's play some music, let's dance, let's get it going. Like it's light hearted, it's very funny. But I mean that's just like being obvious about like what my home energy feels like to me. Goofy, not serious. That feels home energy to me. But I would just like for, for anybody it would just be when you feel like a high frequency. Like when you feel like, when you feel like. I would say I associate it to a frequency. So like when your frequency is higher, when your vibes are higher, your energies higher, when you're able to sort of see the best in scenarios more often, when you're less negatively affected, when you're less easily triggered. And also I think a really good sign that you are in your home energy and you're doing things that are meant for you is like, is that you like things. Synchronicities constantly happen. Constantly. Like you'll just be like day after day or week after week. You'd just be like, there's certain things you're having to be like, oh wow, I couldn't have, I couldn't have even planned that. Or like everything's working out in ways that I could never even arrange or imagine. I think that's also a really good sign that you're like in your home frequency and energy. Because I think about the universe in an energetic way and so.
- [52:36]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Which is unusual for someone who has been very calculating your whole career.
- [52:40]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, probably.
- [52:41]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And I think that we have to pause there because let's say someone was sitting here and you know, I don't know, I did this one post where I'm wearing crystals and maybe you're like wearing crystals and patchouli and. But that's not how you've really gone through life. And I say that jokingly, but the reality is we are similar in that way. That it's, you know, here's the data, here's the configuration, here's the science. What is the trajectory of X, Y and Z? But what you're saying is the. There is something beyond the cut dry right, left that is perhaps even a universal language of frequency.
- [53:19]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, it's like in, it's in the field. You know, it's like in the field and it would be, I think, you know, from a, like a especially creative people they would talk about like it Something came through them. Like the song came through them. The book, the idea, whatever it is, like the create, like the idea for a company or a product. Like, they're like. You've heard plenty of people I think say, like, I don't know, it just came through me. It wasn't really me. And maybe that even happens from a doctor perspective. Like. Right. It comes through. Like you. I don't know where that you can tell the difference that you're like, I didn't think of that. I don't really know where it came from, but I have a knowing. And like that, I think is what we're talking about is like being. And that's subtle and nuanced, man. That's because there's no concrete evidence of that. There's no concrete evidence of like the coming through me. Right. I mean, there can be a song that gets produced or a certain thing, but like. But you can't sort of like push the button on that all the time. It just requires you to be in tune. It requires you to be present. It requires you to trust yourself.
- [54:25]
Dr. Paul Saladino
It is not something. And personally, maybe you know how to bring it in. It is not something that I can turn on and turn off.
- [54:33]
Danica Patrick
Right.
- [54:33]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Maybe if I meditated more, perhaps, or
- [54:37]
Danica Patrick
maybe if I meditated ever.
- [54:39]
Dr. Paul Saladino
We have a solution.
- [54:40]
Danica Patrick
I mean, the best thing I do is pray. I do pray. I feel like I'm a very spiritual person, not religious. I think all religions have some value for sure and great values and. And then just get messed up by man. But. But I pray. I don't know. There's something to it. It's always worked.
- [54:59]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And you know what, you were talking about that. And we frankly. And you know, we pray with the family.
- [55:05]
Danica Patrick
We prayed last night. Both the kids prayed last night with very sweet little.
- [55:08]
Dr. Paul Saladino
With their sweet little prayers. The only. Yeah, I mean, I don't know how to tap into that to be, you know, knowing that you are operating in the correct domain in. Again, it's very subtle and perhaps I
- [55:24]
Danica Patrick
don't think we're meant to. In this reality, in this human experience the way that it is right now. I don't think that we're always meant to be in that state. I don't think we'd be able to be here. I don't think that's the frequency we're meant to be at. We're supposed to access it. But I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't know. Yeah, I think when people get more and more and more like that it's not that easy to be human. I had no idea. You have too much human work to do.
- [55:52]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I will tell you, I had a moment where I was in D.C. i was on stage when RFK and Marty Makary and the group were addressing the nation about the dietary guidelines. This has been something behind the scenes that I've been working on for 10, 25 years. But 10 years of something that I. I didn't think would ever happen for our country.
- [56:22]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [56:23]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And it was, you know, and I was just sitting there.
- [56:25]
Danica Patrick
Hadn't been a crazy experience.
- [56:27]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And for surreal almost, I was trying to hold back tears where I'm on stage, people are holding. Eat real foods with a beef side and. And people were very excited. But for me, it was very personal because of my mentor who. Whose sciences. Who wrote the protein aspect of these guidelines. And again, he's a scientist. Nobody knows his name. I mean, you do if you.
- [56:49]
Danica Patrick
I know because I started watching your videos together.
- [56:51]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But it was. It's fascinating to dedicate your life to someone and something and their science because, you know, it can drive humanity.
- [57:00]
Danica Patrick
Yeah.
- [57:01]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And to just. To just be there. It was. It was a moment where just time stopped. And I don't know if I can ever.
- [57:11]
Danica Patrick
Probably felt very light, like. It probably felt like a floating sort of sense almost.
- [57:16]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Yeah, it was.
- [57:17]
Danica Patrick
How did it feel?
- [57:17]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Well, I was like, am I. Are my armpits sweating through this white coat that I'm wearing. And one of my best friends was night hot men.
- [57:24]
Danica Patrick
Feel you can't take the jacket off then.
- [57:26]
Dr. Paul Saladino
But it felt very right. It felt like it was a moment of. And I don't know the words. Completing a Dharma. It was Completing a mission. It was.
- [57:37]
Danica Patrick
Oh, shoot, now what? It was.
- [57:39]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Oh, I mean, that's just getting started. Okay, good. We gotta have better foods in schools. I have this playbook coming out.
- [57:45]
Danica Patrick
Like, we can't find you on the beach in Costa Rica.
- [57:47]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Just surfing. That's not going to happen for you. My next venture is, you know, I'm writing a book on strong women and. But it was this moment that, you know, you never. It's probably like when you see this Halley's comet or shooting star that maybe as an astronaut you've been wanting to
- [58:03]
Danica Patrick
see your whole life.
- [58:04]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And it was. Yeah, it was something profound. And I say all of that because I don't know if I could ever recreate that moment or those moments. That feeling. I couldn't seek it out. I can only do the next best thing in front of me to Be able to be in. Aligned with.
- [58:22]
Danica Patrick
They can happen more often, I'm hoping. And I think that, I think that, I think from again like a little bit of a woo standpoint, it does seem like time has sped up in a way that like karma comes quick. Like things happen really fast. Like I do feel like there's something to that. It doesn't feel like we're like 1950 speed anymore. We are at warp speed. And maybe it's a technology thing, you know, but like it even just feels like from a personal perspective like just things in life just happen really fast. Fast. And like things are coming to completion and lessons are coming around and, and being learned quicker. And so, so what I guess what I would say is it's like something that made, you know, somebody that made their life's work to try and figure something out might not ever do, but maybe the next person does. Now. I think that there's a, there's. That we're in this interesting sort of like place in the universe where I think that there's an opportunity to do that many times now. I think that, I think that this is. And the momentum of one success can lead to the next for sure too.
- [59:22]
Dr. Paul Saladino
That is credibility, something that is very important. Credibility. And the velocity at which information now spreads and the velocity at which we can make impact.
- [59:33]
Danica Patrick
I mean, shoot, AI coming like I know, I don't know. Does that scare you? From a doctor's perspective, like I mean from a materialistic sort of of like hands on or hands off robot and also even just from like a human perspective, from a sentient being perspective, like it, it. It concerns me greatly.
- [59:53]
Dr. Paul Saladino
I have a few comments. I love the idea of becoming better at diagnoses. This is amazing. I love the idea of a digital twin where we could say we recreate Danica Patrick. And here's the protocols that are work based on her gentle genetics and her physiology and our data set. Here's the outcome of what we'd expect in what way. The other aspect is. Have you ever gotten those foot massages from the machine?
- [60:17]
Danica Patrick
Yeah, they're not that good.
- [60:18]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Exactly. Versus having a foot massage from another
- [60:22]
Danica Patrick
human being that intuitively can feel like. And also has sensory. And you know, the robots can develop better ones but like they'll never be able to. I don't, I don't believe they'll ever be. They're not Consciousness. Consciousness. Consciousness is born into you. Yes.
- [60:39]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And there's a nervous system that happens when two people, friends, relationships, patient, physician. It's not two nervous systems.
- [60:49]
Danica Patrick
It's one, it's one biology is affected
- [60:53]
Dr. Paul Saladino
nervous system and that will never be replaced. Yeah, by technology.
- [60:58]
Danica Patrick
Right, right, exactly, exactly. Like, I mean that intuition to like. No, don't do that. I just have, you know that, that doesn't exist with the robot. You know, it's just a linear pro. It's a linear pathway for them. Right.
- [61:12]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And to care for someone. To care for someone. Caring for an individual is not a construct that will ever be developed by a machine. Caring for your fellow human is something that is an aid to the human. So with that on a lighter note, I'm going to ask you just a few rapid fire questions and we will close this out. What mattered more in your career, winning or losing?
- [61:40]
Danica Patrick
Losing. I mean like, that hurt a lot more, but also like winning was the evidence of the effort. Right. So maybe it's a hard question to answer. What mattered more? What did I think about more?
- [61:56]
Dr. Paul Saladino
You choose.
- [61:57]
Danica Patrick
I mean, I thought about winning and success more, but I feared failure more. Yeah, I feared failure more than I enjoyed winning.
- [62:06]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Was there one belief about yourself that you had to dismantle? I said rapid fire.
- [62:13]
Danica Patrick
Sometimes it's terrible. Sometimes. Yeah. These are, these are very few questions. I would say I like the color red. No, I would say that, you know, learning that the fact that it's just because someone's job doesn't mean they do it well, like realizing that your destiny was, was contingent on your. On you. Right. Like just. And just because someone did something doesn't mean they do. Did it well. So maybe that's not like the most humble answer, but like, not everyone's great at what they do. So sometimes you have to do it yourself.
- [62:46]
Dr. Paul Saladino
If someone wanted to increase mental toughness, what is the one uncomfortable habit that you would have them develop?
- [62:55]
Danica Patrick
I think the simplest and easiest thing to do is work out. That's it. I think that, I think you are creating discipline. Sometimes it creates discipline. At night you're like, oh, I can't go out partying, I have to go to the gym. Right. So it's discipline from a. Some from a practical standpoint of lifestyle, it's discipline from getting up when you don't always want to get up. It's discipline to get out and go do it and be on. Like, maybe you're not in the mood, maybe you're tired. And then within the practice itself, you find new limits. So you really, you gain confidence. And when I wrote my second book called Pretty Intense and had a workout program in it, I did a trial group with the workout program as well and fed it out the whole thing and finalized sort of like the exact protocol by going through a whole trial group. And what was so beautiful is how much confidence spilled out from just doing the workout program into all areas of their life. So, like, I think mental toughness, that takes a lot of mental toughness to do that. And then you get a lot of confidence and scope as well. Well, and range really helps your range as a human.
- [64:02]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Leveraging the body as a tool in is the ultimate self. Mastery is the ultimate self.
- [64:08]
Danica Patrick
And it reminds you that you have to prioritize yourself. I think that some people can be a real martyr for the whole, like, oh, it's selfish to go really, really, it's not.
- [64:17]
Dr. Paul Saladino
Or is it that your way out? Is it Cheetos on the sofa just
- [64:20]
Danica Patrick
asking for exact or an excuse or you're looking for an excuse. Make it work. Make it work. And teach the people around you, whether it's your family or your kids or your partner, what it means to take care of yourself and have a little bit of self love and self respect.
- [64:35]
Dr. Paul Saladino
The best way to teach is to be an example.
- [64:37]
Danica Patrick
Exactly.
- [64:37]
Dr. Paul Saladino
And Danica Patrick, my sister and my friend, it is a privilege. It is a deep privilege to know you. Thank you so much for your time.
- [64:46]
Danica Patrick
Same same S.