← The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show
Dominique Sachse on Aging Well, HRT, and Building Muscle After 50
01:21:09
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- [00:00]
Dominique Saxa
Beauty and aging can look this way to one person and this way to another. And here's the word that I want to remove from everybody's vocabulary, and that is the word should. What aging should look like, because your should isn't my should. And it could evolve and it could change just like we do over time.
- [00:23]
Gabrielle
Now the women are exposed to a lot more online. A lot of unrealistic images. It's pervasive.
- [00:32]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, it's great to look good. Yeah, it's great to have abs. Yeah, it's great to have cuts in the shoulders. All wonderful things. But you have to know the why of what you're doing right now. I can't show up for myself in a way in the gym or physically that I want to because I might hurt myself. I might cause more damage than benefit because I'm not in a good place.
- [00:58]
Gabrielle
And you said embrace change. I would say that is very difficult for people.
- [01:04]
Dominique Saxa
It is.
- [01:06]
Gabrielle
It's scary. What has changed over the last decade for you in terms of your training and nutrition?
- [01:12]
Dominique Saxa
Here's the part that really scares me about it all.
- [01:25]
Gabrielle
Dominique Saxa, welcome to the show.
- [01:28]
Dominique Saxa
Thank you for having me. What an honor. And can I also say how joyful to come back to Houston. Yes. And to be able to spend some time in my hometown and see familiar faces, and it's a joy to be here.
- [01:41]
Gabrielle
You know, we were chatting before we started recording this idea that typically the podcast is MDS or PhDs, and really,
- [01:51]
Dominique Saxa
I have no initials after my name.
- [01:53]
Gabrielle
Yeah. We were joking about how sometimes that can be difficult. And one thing, though, that unifies the guests is there is this thread of they are the best at what they do. And you have been in local TV news before you started this. Now pretty large YouTube of over a million and a half followers as a TV personality living a very public life. Now here we are, 2026. Cannot believe it. There has been. There's just been so many transitions. You've lived your life very publicly in front of the camera and as women. I do believe that this is the era of women.
- [02:35]
Dominique Saxa
Wholeheartedly agree with you. I feel like, in a way, and as you describe it, and sometimes even as I think about it in my quiet moments, I feel like I have lived so many different lives, but yet the same life, because there's sort of a common thread that runs through everything, which is a desire to execute my passion. So my passion has always been to communicate. I love being a communicator. I love being a storyteller. I love getting messages Across. I like having impact and whatever I do or say for it to matter to somebody. Right. I mean, we all are here with a purpose to have impact and effect change. So my feeling is, well, what does that look like? And when I was in the news business, you know, like you said, for forever, I feel like I started when I was 12, but I mean, it's total 30 years in a local market like this or even on a national level. Your job is to take information and convey it and relay it in a way that is not only digestible but relatable because there are news presenters on every channel. So why would you tune into my channel or the other channel? It's because you have a sense of connection with that person. It boils down to personality and relationship and then the ability to be able to take a story and make it like I'm talking directly to you and not thinking about a hundred thousand or a million people out there, but it's between me and you. That intimacy has always mattered to me. So even though I did that for so long and then shifted into YouTube and then shifted into podcasting, it's still that same commonality of I want to affect change, I want to have an impact. I want to present information that is meaningful to somebody that might spark a thought or inspire them to do something differently or see themselves differently. And I want it to feel like just like I'm talking to you right now, I want her to feel that way too. So that's what I mean when I say there's a common thread.
- [04:44]
Gabrielle
It's almost like you've reinvented yourself. And one of the things that I love on your channel, again, I believe that this is the era of women for women. And with that being said, there's a lot of aging that's been, I think, dictated to us as opposed to, hey, what does it look like to age in your 40s and then in your 50s from a very kind of visible perspective?
- [05:13]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, it's an interesting double edged sword, Gabrielle, because while there is this sort of acceptance of let's talk about what aging looks like. And when I say aging, I don't mean just on a physical level. And you talk about this too. I talk about what's going on internally as our bodies are changing, our hormones are changing, our lifestyles, everything has impact. And what's going on in here is going to affect what's going on out here. So it's all speaking. And I'm so, so glad that we're having these conversations that women are getting Empowered. They're for instance, with a practice like yours, you know, there is a place and are places now for women to go to be able to say instead of I'm anxious and I'm not sleeping and I don't know why, they may be coming to you now and saying I'm anxious and I'm not sleeping and maybe I'm going into perimenopause. They now have a name to it as opposed to I don't know what's happening to me. So I love this level of education that's happening out there and it's making women emboldened to be the best advocates for themselves. So we're dealing with that. And then there are also people like me. I'll be 59 this year. So.
- [06:25]
Gabrielle
Wait, can we just pause there?
- [06:27]
Dominique Saxa
No, do we have to? Do we have to.
- [06:30]
Gabrielle
But it also redefines what is possible. And again, you know, I remember in my 20s I was always terrified of aging. It was, I mean, I probably was terrified of aging when I time I was 22.
- [06:43]
Dominique Saxa
When you thought of this age, what did you imagine? I imagine golden girls. Okay, that's what I imagine. A moo moo and short curls. Brutal.
- [06:50]
Gabrielle
But it's not that way anymore.
- [06:53]
Dominique Saxa
No, it's not, it's not. And so, okay, so herein lies this double edged sword, right? So you've got people who are investing in themselves and beauty and aging can look this way to one person and this way to another. There is such a broad swath of what that is. Some of us may elect some cosmetic procedures and to do Botox or sculptra or what, whatever that may be, color the hair, embrace makeup, embrace hair, color all that. And then some women may say, well, my aging looks like I'm gonna let my gray come in and I'm not going to do any treatments. And this is how I wanna grow old in life. I wanna sort of release myself from what I perceive to be these chains. But it's all in how a particular woman looks at it. And it's her way. Where I'm finding now this interesting dialogue and debate, and especially now in a public forum, is that people are becoming highly opinionated about what it. And here's the word that I want to remove from everybody's vocabulary. And that is the word should. What aging should look like. Because your should isn't my should and there are no shoulds. And it could evolve and it could change just like we do over time. I mean, I know the way I used to do things in the past very different from how I do things now. So I want to give myself some room and fluidity and grace to be able to shift and pivot. But when you start putting these shoulds in here, you're already telling somebody what it is that they should be doing, and you're not offering any room for flexibility, for growth, for change, for an epiphany, maybe I want to do it a different way. So it's so interesting. And I. I catch so much flack for the things that I do from women who don't do these things. And they're like, why won't you just let it go? Why are you. What are you trying to do? Do you want to be forever 20? No, I actually don't. I love my age. I love where I am. I love the wisdom. But do I wanna do the things that make me feel pretty? Yeah. And that's my journey. And I'm not gonna tell anybody to walk this walk. This is my walk. You do your walk. How.
- [09:17]
Gabrielle
What do you think the defining moment has been? And maybe I'll ask this slightly different. God willing, we all age.
- [09:25]
Dominique Saxa
Absolutely. It's a gift.
- [09:26]
Gabrielle
Most people will say, like, I was watching Jumanji with my kids on weekends. We do a movie, and they're just obsessed with Jumanji right now. And Danny DeVito was on there, and he's like, aging sucks. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You know, really overweight with his CPAP that's off the side of his face. You know, you've really defined it differently. And especially as women public facing the landscape that used to exist doesn't exist anymore. The velocity at which information spreads.
- [10:04]
Dominique Saxa
Yes.
- [10:04]
Gabrielle
The velocity at which judgment spreads.
- [10:07]
Dominique Saxa
Or misinformation.
- [10:08]
Gabrielle
Or misinformation. And the opinions of. I mean, we do live here in Texas. I mean, I would say people would not express that in real life, but maybe in Texas they would. But all kidding aside, it's more and more aggressive.
- [10:26]
Dominique Saxa
Very, very. It's keyboard courage. It's what social media and online content has provided people, and that is access to people that they normally wouldn't have had access to. I remember back in the day, so funn, when I worked in news, and this was before there was social media, before we had an online presence. People would reach out via email. They would find your email address because it was usually on the station's website. And so somebody would send an email and they would say, oh, you know, I really like that blouse on you, or who does your hair or what kind of Makeup, and I kid you not, I would type out verbatim how to do this particular makeup look or how to do, you know, who does my hair or whatever. I mean, it was, it was like that, but it was one on one. It was intimate. And nobody else saw that except for me and the person who took the time to email me, or they would email the station directly if they had a complaint, you know, they'd reach out to the general manager. And I was known for changing my hair every six months.
- [11:27]
Gabrielle
I know, right?
- [11:28]
Dominique Saxa
So I'm sure that's gonna come up.
- [11:30]
Gabrielle
I was looking at the team, I was like, wait a second, we gotta
- [11:32]
Dominique Saxa
talk about all the hair changes.
- [11:33]
Gabrielle
Blonde hair here.
- [11:35]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, I know.
- [11:35]
Gabrielle
And it's a, it's a thing.
- [11:37]
Dominique Saxa
So. So the GMs would eventually kind of laugh it off and they would say, just stick with it. I can guarantee you in six months it'll be different. So that's where the complaints win. But now you have these forums where, okay, you've got opportunities to put yourself out there, to encourage, to educate, to inspire. All coming from a place of good, all coming from the heart, all coming from, I think what God downloads in you. If you have something to give and share in your particular lane and you want to put it out there, I mean, we could sit there and say, well, yeah, I've got all these things, but you know what, maybe I'll just save it for my girlfriend friends and play it safe. No, we are electing to get outside of our comfort zones, opening ourselves up to public criticism and ridicule. And it's not for the faint of heart. And neither is aging, by the way. And that's something that my dad used to tell me as well. So I think you have to approach this with that same perspective. Aging isn't for the faint of heart. Yes, we're going to be hit with things in the future. There are potential health issues that can come along, loss, all of that. And we can talk about that at greater length too. But the same thing goes for an online presence. So you have to. And I'm sure you know, and I'm sure you get hits as well, but when you put yourself out there and when you present something, there are people who will take it in, absorb it, love it, love you, and the way you deliver. And then maybe there's something about you they don't like. Maybe they don't like, you know, you're hair or changes or the way you present or who knows what. And they'll fixate in that and they now have a place and a platform to spew it. Without consequence, right? Without consequence. And because so many people are doing it and I think it's. I personally believe it's deeply psychological. I think it's because people have a very low sense of self worth and self esteem, number one. Number two, I think it's because people don't feel heard and this is a place for them to put it out there and I'm heard. And then of course, you know, others will chime in and it becomes, you know, this sparring match and they feel validated. And it just makes me realize that there are probably a lot of people that have a lot of thoughts and a lot of things to say and nobody's there listening to them. And there's anger.
- [14:00]
Gabrielle
I actually hadn't quite thought about it that way. As someone who's been in media for so long, do you see it swinging so on one end of the spectrum? So for example, in news there really isn't that direct feedback. People can email you or email the station. And now it's swung the other way. Oh yeah, everybody has an opinion.
- [14:23]
Dominique Saxa
Instantly.
- [14:28]
Gabrielle
Hateful in ways where you're right. There's very limited consequence.
- [14:32]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, there's limited consequence. And here's the part that really scares me about it all. There is also limited opportunity for intellectual stimulation. And I remember this because I grew up in the 70s and 80s and I used to love. My parents were intellects. I mean they were really a part of.
- [14:51]
Gabrielle
What did they do? Tell me about that.
- [14:53]
Dominique Saxa
My dad was a naval architect, my mother was in sales. Just deep thinkers. And they were really into the philosophical works of the day. And they would have dinner parties and I remembered sitting there as a child, just kind of, you know, a step back and I would listen to the conversations and it was never about, well, where did you go this summer and what trips have you gone on? No, I mean, it was like really, really deep sort of ways of living life type stuff or politics. And I would hear conversations and. And two people could be not aligned in their ideology. But what was fascinating is not only was there a safe space to be able to express the difference of opinion, but both of those differences were rooted in fact logic and deductive thinking, which meant there was reading and research done as to the why behind things. And I loved that because I think it's great to be stimulated by somebody else's why and their reasoning and logic behind it. Now maybe it'll move the needle in your life, maybe it'll get you to Think about something another way. Or maybe you'll just be, you know, double down in your belief system. But if we can't freely articulate these ideas and opinions without this emotional reactionary response, because that's what it's become. It's become. I'm triggered. You're offending me. Well, okay, okay. But why? Where's the why? And where's your logic behind all of this? Let's have some really intellectual conversation, steeped in fact. And if we can't come to a, you know, place of agreement and there's an impasse, well, then we can agree to disagree civilly and still like and respect one another. That's what I miss because I see that getting completely lost. I see through presidential elections, through Covid, I've seen French relationships end over opposing belief systems. And what's interesting is that so much has changed and so much new information has come out that maybe has dispelled some of the things that were put out years ago. And people are kind of doing 180s on their beliefs. And I think about. Wow. A lot of relationships took a hit because we were so dug in, in what we thought. And it was fear based fear and emotion. And now that we've had time and separation and thought we may have a different opinion. What if we handled those relationships differently at the time? Yeah.
- [17:33]
Gabrielle
I mean, this highlights something that I think is important. You are not a, quote, influencer. You are a trained journalist.
- [17:39]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [17:39]
Gabrielle
And I mean, if we want to just really lay it out there. And again, you talk a lot about aging and just the things that you are doing and your experiences. But what I love about it is the way in which you talk about it and the way in which you present it. It's very intelligent.
- [17:56]
Dominique Saxa
Thank you.
- [17:57]
Gabrielle
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 steak 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 like a large sink. The workout was the hard part, but the recovery doesn't have to be. Head to bodyhealth.com and use the code Lion20 to get 20% off your first order. That's a bodyhealth.com and use the Code Lion20. You also. You've written a book. And how. Tell me about a little bit about that book.
- [19:05]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, it was. It was a calling. It was. It was so funny. It had been placed in my heart, but it was also during a time when I was anchoring the evening news. I was married. I have my son who was in, you know, middle school, high school at the time. I was also a stepmom at the time. I mean, the plate was full, full. But I just kept feeling that there was something more in me. And again, to the point of being a journalist, I love to write. I just do. There is something about getting thought down that is very satisfying for me, and it's very creative and beautiful. And I was in church one Sunday, and I was sitting there listening to the sermon, and out of nowhere, no particular thing was said to prompt it, but I got a tap on my shoulder from behind, and a woman leaned in and she said, you should write a book. Okay. I mean, just random. I'm like, is it, though? Is it really? Because I don't believe things are random. And I think, you know, God uses people, places, and situations all the time to speak to us. And it was stirring in my heart, and I knew he was speaking to me. And now it's like, okay, that was tap on the shoulder I apparently needed. So in October of 2018, I'll never forget, it was a beautiful, beautiful, crisp, clear day. A little cool front had moved in, and I took my laptop, sat in the backyard, and I started. And I started putting it out. And I got some. Got some pages done, reached out to some friends who had published, sent it off to a literary agent who had ironically been following me on social media. And it just. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. And so it clicked, and it was basically a deeper dive. It was an opportunity for me to go deeper from the YouTube content, which initially started beauty makeup, hair tutorials. You know, my whole model, as you can clearly see, is that I embrace change. You know, I love change. And I think that so many times women get stuck in seeing themselves a certain way, and they're afraid. They're afraid of doing something. And I talk about the importance of taking that leap off the high dive, getting all the butterflies in the stomach, and you know how it is. You do it and you think you're going to die.
- [21:22]
Gabrielle
Yeah. Armpits are sweating.
- [21:24]
Dominique Saxa
Oh, it's just. It's awful.
- [21:25]
Gabrielle
Post It. I can't.
- [21:26]
Dominique Saxa
I can't, I can't. And then you do it, and two things happen. First of all, there's that incredible sense of, oh, my gosh, I did it. And then you get up to the top of the water, and you look up, and the perspective. The high dive isn't as high when you're in the water looking up as it is when you're on the diving board looking down. So now you got perspective, and now you did something. And so I believe that all of these things, whether it's a change in makeup, a change in hair, a change in wardrobe, moving, embracing, an exercise or a meal plan, whatever, these are leaps that you need to take. Because the whole model of the book is something that I call beauty from the outside in. And the reason why I start on the outside.
- [22:11]
Gabrielle
And the name of the book is Life Makeover. Life Makeover.
- [22:14]
Dominique Saxa
Embrace the bold, beautiful, and blessed You. That's right. And my whole model has been, okay, we all know the inner work is deeply important, and it is the sustaining, satisfying, spiritual. It's the root system. It's the dirt and the roots, and it is the stability of the tree. But the first thing that we notice when we look at a tree is we notice the leaves, we notice the colors, we notice the shapes, Right? We're aesthetically driven. So I thought, all right, let's use the outside and use these changes and use seeing ourselves differently, using getting over imagined fear. Cause a lot of it is imagined. There's a big difference between real fear and imagined fear. And let's get in and let's start changing a little bit, seeing ourselves differently, seeing how that feels, that expression. And then once you do that, I find it has this cascading effect that one bold move leads to another one and leads to another one. And it's like, well, wait a second. You know, I did this, and I love this. And really feeling great about this. Well, why not try this? And okay, so, you know, I probably should be eating better and moving more. So now I want to do this. And. Oh, okay. So now, you know, my body's changing and my clothes aren't fitting right now it's an opportunity to start dread. Do you see what I'm saying? It is this incredible cascading effect that has an opportunity for incredibly powerful transformation in a woman's life. And I'm just flipping the script on it because I know that internal work takes time. Character change takes time. Behavioral change can take time. Spiritual change can take time. But what's quick new Makeup application, haircut, extensions, new out. Do you know what I'm saying? I do. So that's been my different approach to the whole thing.
- [24:13]
Gabrielle
It's also very positive. And you said, embrace change. I would say that is very difficult for people.
- [24:23]
Dominique Saxa
It is.
- [24:25]
Gabrielle
It's scary. Is it nature? Is it nurture? How can someone learn to do that? Again, what I thought and think is so unique about you is that let's say someone is in TV for 30 years.
- [24:41]
Dominique Saxa
Sure.
- [24:42]
Gabrielle
Well, TV that existed for the last 30 years has now exploded and is totally different. The velocity, the way in which everything is done. And you could have just been like, all right, peace out, see you later. And instead you didn't. You actually jumped very early into contribution. Your YouTube started in 2014.
- [25:08]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [25:10]
Gabrielle
And that takes a certain framework of thinking to be able to evolve, keep up, and be ready to move on to the next thing.
- [25:19]
Dominique Saxa
Yes, I agree with that. I agree. I think you. Again, it's letting go of fear. And most fear is imagined.
- [25:26]
Gabrielle
But how did you know that?
- [25:28]
Dominique Saxa
Because I would just do things. I would push myself and I would do things. And it was in the doing that I always realized, well, wow, you know, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. So why did I make up this story? Why did I make up such a scary story about something when it turned out not to be such a scary story? So that was number one. I was finding out a majority of the time it was negative and wrong self talk in my head, number one. Number two, and I think this is where faith plays a huge role. When you realize that you're not doing life alone, when you realize that the creator of the universe and the God who made you is right by your side, and through him all things are possible, then you are way more willing and likely to trust him. But you also have to trust his voice in you. You have to trust the Holy Spirit in you. And I will tell you, my faith has evolved with me. You know, I was a nonbeliever up until 38. I had a major life event trying to have a child that led me into my faith.
- [26:35]
Gabrielle
And then you also lost your mom. I don't know how close we were in a timeframe that was.
- [26:40]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, very, very close. I lost her in 23, July of 23. So I was already deeply rooted spiritually. And I am so glad for that because that saw me through an incredibly difficult season. But I will say that when you have that and when you realize that it's this wonderful, harmonious walk between I think what God plants in you to do you listening, discerning, and then moving on it, because you have to, if you just sit on it, then you're not activating your faith right. Then you're still in fear mode. But then at the same time, you also have to realize, I believe that you are not in control of your life. And if you think you are in control of your life, well, newsflash, you're not.
- [27:26]
Gabrielle
I might have something that's very humbling. Coming soon.
- [27:29]
Dominique Saxa
Yes, yes. God will humble you in an incredibly profound way to remind you that you're not in control of your life. And he will show you at the right time. So I was one of those people who up to a point thought that she was driving that wheel and all the things were happening because of my choices and my discipline and my work ethic and how steadfast I was. And, you know, I was doing everything right and I had to be broken in order to learn that you're not on the wheel. It's not you, you know, and you don't want that burden, you don't want that pressure of thinking this is all about you. You know, I'm here with you. So I think that that development of the faith walk in my life also enabled me to trust. It enabled me to step away from things that were steady, lucrative, had a pension, a 401k, a health insurance, you know, this, this, this, that provided for that, that, that to be able to say, you know what, I am going to take this leap of faith into entrepreneurship because I believe that this is where I'm being led. And he wouldn't lead me into a place where there wasn't provision and care if it's his way. And I just had to trust that. And I did. And there were times and seasons. I mean, it was lean and it was scary and I had no health insurance. And I'm like, the bank account's dwindling and I'm watching all of this happen.
- [29:04]
Gabrielle
Was this when you left?
- [29:06]
Dominique Saxa
It's when I left Channel two and the book was launching. I left in October of 21. The book was launching in April of 22. You have to, as you know. Cause with your playbook, you know what it's like, the first book. Yeah, and you're the first second one. You know what it's like. I mean, it's not only the work as an author, it is the investment of the time and the energy and the funds to go out there and effectively market it and to show up. I mean, It's. You're all in. So it was this season of, okay, I'm investing, I'm doing, I'm putting in. And I wasn't.
- [29:43]
Gabrielle
Was there a moment where you were like, I know that I'm. I'm done with news.
- [29:47]
Dominique Saxa
Oh, absolutely.
- [29:49]
Gabrielle
And also, you know, also, you hear about these stories in news where it's these gatekeepers and women are never going to be able to have that. You know, I think about Ron Burgundy for sure. Like that lead position.
- [30:03]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [30:05]
Gabrielle
Was there a reason why you left?
- [30:07]
Dominique Saxa
I was blessed in that I had achieved the highest level where I was. I was at the top of the game. You know, I was considered an equal to my male co anchor, Bill Baesa, who's a dear friend of mine. There was no kind of role. We were a team, and we were both at the top of our game. I did not feel that glass ceiling in any way. So I think I was in the business at the right time. You never felt that? Never, never. And, in fact, I felt like I was really pushed through and accelerated because I was coming through the business during a time when they were really wanting more women out there. I mean, the viewers, the majority of them are women. The ad spenders are women. So you need to have women. And I just. Honestly, the timing was perfect, So I was able to rise and rise and rise. And I stayed at Channel 2 because I was rewarded for staying. I was building again. We go back to relationship building, relationship with community. And the community was beginning to trust me and to respond to me. And so that enabled me to secure better contracts, longer contracts, more lucrative contracts. So it just meant it was smart for me to stay put. Why I left the news business. The news business was changing, and it wasn't what I entered and what I entered and what I wanted and what I was so drawn to was truth and balance and compelling storytelling.
- [31:32]
Gabrielle
When you say balance, meaning both sides were hearing.
- [31:34]
Dominique Saxa
Both sides, both sides were presented. It was nonpartisan local news, especially now, this was prior to cable outlets even being established. But local news at the time and even at the network level, for the most part, you get your facts and you present it down the middle, and you let the audience, especially if it's any kind of political story, you let the audience decide where they align with certain things based on the facts and the truth that they're hearing.
- [32:00]
Gabrielle
Where does that come from?
- [32:02]
Dominique Saxa
It's traditional journalists. I mean, it's how the business was founded. It was founded on truth. It was founded on sourcing. It was founded on getting both Sides,
- [32:11]
Gabrielle
like when I asked that question, I spent a year overseas and the news that I saw overseas was totally different than the news when I would come back. I'm like, well, they're not even covering that.
- [32:23]
Dominique Saxa
I know.
- [32:24]
Gabrielle
How is that the story that they're hearing?
- [32:28]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, it's shocking. And I noticed that too. And don't you find when you travel you get more of a global perspective of what's happening in the world as opposed to when you get home? It's very hyperlocal. And I think a part of that is, and it's interesting because there's research into it. A lot of it is fear based and a lot of it is to
- [32:46]
Gabrielle
keep people engaged in that. Absolutely.
- [32:49]
Dominique Saxa
Network? Yes.
- [32:50]
Gabrielle
To make them keep coming back.
- [32:51]
Dominique Saxa
Yes. And here's another fascinating psychological study. People will always say when they come to you, why is the news so negative? Why isn't there any positive news? You know, blah, blah. We want more positive.
- [33:03]
Gabrielle
25 puppies were born.
- [33:04]
Dominique Saxa
Exactly. Yay. We're going to leave with that. Aren't they pretty?
- [33:08]
Gabrielle
Yeah, I feel like tuning in. I'm just saying I would totally be into it.
- [33:13]
Dominique Saxa
You and I would tune in and the rest of the world would be like, not so much. So here's the thing. People will say they want happy, positive news, but it's been proven time and time again. And where do you think the expression if it bleeds at least comes from? Yeah, because look at true crime, look at the fascination with true crime. People are just fascinated with that. So they'll say that they want happy, positive news in their community, but they don't tune in for it. And, and there's been a ton of research that proves that. So it's, you know, it is unfortunate. And local news is just very hyper local because that's where it excels. And especially when you look at the landlord landscape. Now national news is on every outlet and every phone. So you're still serving your community locally by providing that kind of content. But. And here's where you're going to see changes industry wide. Do you need three English speaking and two Spanish speaking networks to do that? And it's been said among higher ups in the business that the advertising dollars won't sustain that model. So you're going to see fewer and fewer on air broadcast entities, more of them moving to digital if they can sustain. So those will be the changes.
- [34:26]
Gabrielle
Meaning people won't go into morning TV anymore. Or they will, but if there's an outlet, there's an outlet.
- [34:36]
Dominique Saxa
If there's A broadcasting entity.
- [34:39]
Gabrielle
So, for example, when I was in New York for the week of book launch, I went to all the stations. We did Good Morning America, we did Fox. That will still exist if they're.
- [34:51]
Dominique Saxa
If the advertising dollars can sustain it. But the pool is dwindling. And now look at us. We're in the podcasting realm. And advertisers are spending a lot of money in the podcasting realm because where's the audience going? So what's the consumption looking like? What are people consuming and where's the audience? They sure are consuming a lot of online content. They sure are consuming a lot of YouTube, a lot of podcasting. Look at some of the top players in the news industry who've left traditional media and have gone on to host podcasts and are doing extraordinarily well.
- [35:23]
Gabrielle
Yeah, that is true. I thought for some reason maybe they just got a better offer and that's why they went into Cirrus or iheart.
- [35:31]
Dominique Saxa
But they.
- [35:32]
Gabrielle
You're absolutely right. They've left the network.
- [35:34]
Dominique Saxa
They did.
- [35:35]
Gabrielle
And curated their own audience, and they
- [35:37]
Dominique Saxa
left the chains that come with that network because. And a lot of them have said, and I don't want the network to tell me what I can and can't say or who I can and can't interview. Do we have freedom of speech here? Are we going to be open to debate and dialogue? And now you get back into agenda and politics allegiance. And a lot of that stems from advertising dollars and who the advertisers are.
- [36:02]
Gabrielle
Can you give me an example for someone who is not necessarily in news or.
- [36:07]
Dominique Saxa
Well, I mean, I think that the argument was presented that pharmaceuticals are the biggest advertisers on television. And during the time when we were going through Covid and you had a lot of talk about pharmaceuticals and especially vaccines, there were people who were questioning, well, are we really getting the truth out there? Because if we tell the truth or if we show that maybe there are other things that could help with COVID opposed to just a vaccine, what if our advertiser's Pfizer? How are they going to feel about that? Do you see what I'm saying? So there's a conflict of interest there, or a potential conflict of interest. And that's when I think a lot of the people in the news industry started to grow frustrated. Not just through the coverage of COVID and the fear and the hysteria that took place during that time, but also just during presidential campaigns and elections and just how crazy. And it doesn't matter what side you're on. That's not what this is about. But what it's about is are we going to be truthful in what we present and are we going to present both sides or are we even going to slant the language that we use? Because it can be done even in the tonality. So, you know, I was just seeing a big shift and I'm like, this isn't what I signed up for. And I've been doing it a long time and I really love this and I really love kind of talking about the things that matter to me and what my audience is expressing interest in. And that's when I knew it was, it was time.
- [37:36]
Gabrielle
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- [39:15]
Dominique Saxa
By having people like you on my podcast. By having people and different thought leaders in different spaces have full on conversations based on practice and research and knowledge and proof. That's how I do it. And I will. You know, I may talk to a more traditional medical practitioner about something. I may talk to a more holistic medical practitioner about something. And let's talk about the same subject approach two different ways and what are the outcomes that you're seeing? What are the benefits? What are the risks? Let's have both conversations and let the woman decide when it comes to hormone replacement therapy, does she want to go more a pharmaceutical route? Does she want to go more a homeopathic or a biohrt route? I mean, that's her choice. It's her body. And the only way you can make an informed decision is by having intelligent people on having conversations and the pros and cons about each. That's what I like to do that are really unrestricted, completely. And not only unrestricted in content, but I could sit there and talk for an hour or two like you and I are doing. I don't have. I'm not working now within the confines of a news director saying, you've got three minutes for this segment. And I'm like, how can I even get anything across in three minutes? You know, but you did.
- [40:33]
Gabrielle
Do you think that that skill. I was talking to Maria Shriver's been extremely supportive and we were talking and she's like, media as we know it. Journalism, as you noted, is like, anyone can, quote, be journalist.
- [40:48]
Dominique Saxa
It's true.
- [40:49]
Gabrielle
Are there certain skills that you think are necessary or skills that you've really been trained to have that have now transited over?
- [40:57]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, well, first research. Not just kind of skimming through something, but really doing some research and trying to find both angles on something. Or, you know, let's say you're going to ask somebody one question about what they do and let's say there's another approach to it. Well, I would certainly want to get their take on that other approach, but I need to know what that is. So I need to kind of know both sides of the story and kind of research pros and cons and let's flush that out. So instead of just, you know, looking at, let's say your bio and what you do and simply formulating questions based on that, you know, I may look at, well, what other forms are out there and I want to get your opinion on that and is there any relevance to it or validity or, you know, you're like, well, no, actually I see more health consequences in this area, which is why we're in this area. So it's asking the questions to help somebody understand the way why. And if you can get to that,
- [41:57]
Gabrielle
then you help people ask questions to understand the why.
- [42:00]
Dominique Saxa
The why is everything, you know, and the journalistic questions, who, what, when, where, why, how. So those are your, like your tick in the boxes. Then I think to be able to do it in a relatable way. And it's, it's like you said, you know, you bring in some of the greatest. I joke. I'm probably the only person on her podcast that doesn't have initials, any of her name. But I feel you, because you can bring in the greatest thought leaders on something who have spent years in research and labs and, I mean, they know their stuff, but maybe this is so uncomfortable that the effective communicating of that falls short. And what a pity, because they have so much to share and the only way they know how to do that is to write a journal or to
- [42:47]
Gabrielle
which most people are never going to read, right?
- [42:50]
Dominique Saxa
So now you've got to be able to kind of humanize the genius is what you're trying to do, right? And it's hard. And people could use coaching in how to effectively communicate what it is that they know, because now we're getting into that ability to convey a message in a relatable and understandable, and let's even take it further, a likable way.
- [43:12]
Gabrielle
How do you do it?
- [43:13]
Dominique Saxa
I don't know.
- [43:15]
Gabrielle
I mean, only five people listen to this podcast. My mom included in that.
- [43:20]
Dominique Saxa
I love that. Okay, so here's what I was trained to do. Stop. I think the hardest thing for people in this kind of a format is they get really, really nervous. So when I'm looking out, right, I see my camera, I see your camera, I see lights everywhere and microphones. And I think people get so locked in and caught up in the set and feeling kind of overwhelmed and intimidated by it. And I've learned, and I think this is just part of my training, is that you just have to block it. You have to pretend like none of this is here, as weird and awkward as that is. But don't look at the elephant in the room, okay? So pay no attention to it and just converse, Talk to a friend. And if you can, even take it a step further. And let's say you're doing solo broadcasting or podcasting, and the hardest thing to learn to do is this. But to pretend that camera is you, that camera is a friend, that camera is a face, that camera is somebody I know. I can almost visualize her. I can see her. I could almost see her grin in response to something or kind of cock an eyebrow, like, never thought of that. You have to humanize a situation. And when you can do that, then you can effectively be human in the situation.
- [44:42]
Gabrielle
That's good advice. Probably just in all areas, I think,
- [44:45]
Dominique Saxa
with anything, even like with a doctor, with a patient, right?
- [44:50]
Gabrielle
Oh, for sure.
- [44:51]
Dominique Saxa
I mean, doctors can sometimes get so caught up in the medical that they have forgotten that they are Standing next to a human who's incredibly vulnerable in that moment. So humanize her. Take what you know, but make her feel heard. I mean, that's what it's about.
- [45:05]
Gabrielle
What about conflict? Have you been on set where all of a sudden conflict. You're on tv, it's live, and this was completely unanticipated.
- [45:17]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, I can't really say I've had any, like, on air conflict. I've been so fortunate to work in my career with amazing people. So none of the conflict ever happened on air. Sometimes it would happen behind the scenes and it generally in the control room, because we wear ifbs so that you can hear the producer and sometimes the director will pop in. And the control room is honestly the meltdown center because all the people are in there and last minute decisions are being made, or sometimes they're blowing out segments because guests aren't there in time or the satellite feed breaks or there's breaking news. And so that kind of craziness and that meltdown is happening. And at the same time they're trying to cue you and direct you sometimes while you're live. And then you've got to pretend like you're not hearing the meltdown and not let that affect you as you're speaking on camera. So it's sort of a weird, subliminal, I've got voices in my head, but you can't know I have voices in my head and they're all angry and they're yelling right now. So that's kind of wild. I would say that's sort of the only conflict. I'm even trying to think, maybe, maybe in some live interviews, some people haven't liked the lines of questioning or didn't like where it was going. And some people pulled out IFBs or mics and they're like, I'm out of here type thing. But hey, I mean, again, if you're doing your job and you're asking questions that are fair and down the middle or challenging somebody's viewpoint, that can happen.
- [46:47]
Gabrielle
But I suppose part of that is expected.
- [46:49]
Dominique Saxa
Sure, sure. And you can't take it personally either. You can't take any of it personally. That's the other thing too, you know?
- [46:56]
Gabrielle
Yeah, it's not. There's a great book, the Four Agreements.
- [46:59]
Dominique Saxa
Have you read it? Yes, it's a great book.
- [47:01]
Gabrielle
It is a great book. And one of the agreements is it's don't take it.
- [47:04]
Dominique Saxa
It's not personal.
- [47:05]
Gabrielle
Always your best. Don't take it personal. What about aging in front of people? Was There a moment where you're like, God, again. When I was 20, it was all about. It was just very superficial. Even if I was really interested in nutrition and it was unavoidable. And I think that when you. After each decade, if there is that transition that, you know, it's definitely not about how you look. Yes, it is about who you are and what you have to offer. Was there a transition point for you? Because, you know, for me, there was a moment where I'm like, God, this kind of sucks.
- [47:46]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah. In what way? I'm curious.
- [47:49]
Gabrielle
Yeah. I was just like, God, I don't know. I woke up one day and I got wrinkles under my eyes.
- [47:53]
Dominique Saxa
Oh. Just the aging process.
- [47:55]
Gabrielle
I just maybe wasn't. And you know, or after my second baby, I'm like, why am I. Why can I stretch this skin from here to there? Six inches? I'm not Elastigirl.
- [48:06]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, exactly.
- [48:07]
Gabrielle
You're just like, man, I quote, heard about that. Wasn't ready for it. Wasn't ready for that. Again, I think now largely move past a lot of that. You know, if there's a great laser, sign me up at that point.
- [48:20]
Dominique Saxa
I'm with you too, but. Right.
- [48:22]
Gabrielle
But there was definitely a moment where now the women are exposed to a lot more online. A lot of unrealistic images. You know, there was the images in the magazine where people would be like, oh, well, that's just totally unrealistic.
- [48:38]
Dominique Saxa
Sure.
- [48:38]
Gabrielle
And now it's no longer in a magazine.
- [48:40]
Dominique Saxa
I know. It's everywhere.
- [48:41]
Gabrielle
It's pervasive.
- [48:42]
Dominique Saxa
Everywhere. It's everywhere. You know, it's. Grace is the first word that comes to my mind that you have to allow yourself some grace. It's like my dad said, aging isn't for the faint of heart. You are gonna see things and feel things that are gonna bother you and frustrate you because you aren't who you were. But I think. And here's the other thing. And you and I are so very aligned in this way. And you to, like, next level, because this is who you are and this is what you write about. But I learned, I would say, in my mid to late 20s and I had hired a trainer because I was doing the morning show at the time, and I was living such an unhealthy life. You know, I was up at 2:30 in the morning, blowing and going, living on, like, muffins and bagels and any kind of starchy carb to get me through. Right. Sugar in my coffee. I was a hot mess. I'll be the first to tell you. And a friend of mine had. A friend of mine from college had been working out with a trainer.
- [49:42]
Gabrielle
Where'd you go to college?
- [49:43]
Dominique Saxa
U of H. I did communications at U of H. And a friend of mine was working out with a trainer. He's like, you need to work out with a trainer. You are not living a healthy life and you're, you know, up too early and you're eating the wrong foods and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, fine. So. And you're in your 20s and I'm in my 20s. So I hire a trainer and start learning. I need to lift heavy. And at this point, you know, I'm like, I'm the Jane Fonda girl with leg warmers.
- [50:09]
Gabrielle
You're.
- [50:09]
Dominique Saxa
I mean, you're tall. I'm five' eight. Yeah, yeah, I'm tall. So I, you know, I'm Jane Fonda with the leg warmers, you know, barely breaking a sweat, whatnot. I get into, like a real gym, you know, like Worlds Golds, you know, back in the day, you hear, Houston, Yes.
- [50:22]
Gabrielle
I mean, tank top, spray tan, the whole thing.
- [50:25]
Dominique Saxa
The whole thing.
- [50:26]
Gabrielle
Body oil.
- [50:26]
Dominique Saxa
Body oil. And all of the, all of the trainers are also fitness competitors. And so this was sort of my entree into that world too. I didn't do it, but I used to emcee a lot of those contests. And so I was learning what it meant to lift heavy. I was learning how sore I was supposed to feel. I was also getting an incredible education on what I was supposed to eat because my trainer, who happens to be my son's father. Wait, wait, wait. And it's a rewind. Yes, I know. Yes. We were trainer and client for quite a while, and then he moved away. And then we reconnected and became trainer and client again. And then we married. And so that's my son's dad. I am incredibly grateful to him. First of all, not only that we have a child, but he did change my life in how I saw food and movement. And I got to watch these trainers. Do you remember one to one fitness? Is it still here? Maybe.
- [51:31]
Gabrielle
We're pretty new. We've only been to Houston three years.
- [51:33]
Dominique Saxa
Okay, okay. So this was a personal training gym that was set up by a bodybuilder, a bunch of them. And it was a gym for the bodybuilders to work out in, but also train their clients in. And I saw these men and women get ready for competition and I saw what it took to train. And I also saw phenomenal transformation with lifestyle movement and Food and they all came with their little Tupperware and they had their chicken or their beef and their rice and the broccoli and it was all portioned out and they were eating every three to four hours. And I mean, it was a science. And the way they worked out was a science and the way they slept was a science. And I would see over weeks and months, you know, they would bulk up off season and then all of a sudden on season they're dialing in and I'm like, oh my gosh. And these veins are. It was phenomenal to watch. And then I would see their clients and the clients who came in motivated and dedicated and they were like, I'm tired of feeling this way, I'm tired of looking this way. And these trainers would do the same thing with these clients. I saw clients who went from 80 to 100 pounds overweight to one who entered a fitness competition after training for a year, was so jacked and so sharp and so lean that it just showed me the power of the proper nutrition and the proper lifting and movement. And from that moment on, my viewpoint completely changed about that, which I'm now going to circle back to your question about aging. Yeah, it's great to look good. Yeah, it's great to have abs. Yeah, it's great to have cuts in the shoulders, all wonderful things. But you have to know what you're doing. And again, you have to know the why of what you're doing. And at this age and stage, for any woman, for a younger woman, for somebody like me, it's about muscle and bone. Muscle to support the bone, bone to support the life. Because we break bones and then we fall. We don't fall and then break bones, you know that. So you've got to keep your bones intact. You have to do what you can do to prevent osteoporosis and to be strong. So if the added bonus of that happens to be some abs that are showing through or some popping shoulders, amazing. But for me it's about what is this 80 year old body gonna do? How is it gonna move? Am I gonna be able to take my luggage and stick it in the overhead compartment by myself or am I gonna need help? Am I gonna be able to get in and out of low cars? I wanna be able to move when I'm 80, like I'm moving today.
- [54:13]
Gabrielle
This episode is sponsored by Branch Basics. One thing I've become much more aware of over the years is the impact of the environmental chemicals on our inside our home. If you're a Frequent listener. You know, we spend a lot of time talking about nutrition and muscle health. But beyond that, we should be thinking about what we're exposed to every day through things like cleaning products. Now, I started using Branch Basics when I was pregnant to of course limit my exposure to harsh chemicals. Their products are made with plant and mineral based ingredients and their premium starter kit uses a single powerful concentrate that can replace almost everything in your home from laundry detergent to bathroom cleaner and even get this produce wash. I like that it simplifies my cleaning routine and removes any concern of exposure for myself and my little ones. If you're also worried about the chemicals you are using in your home, I suggest you try Branch Basics. You can get 15% off the premium starter kit@branchbasics.com with the code DRLION. Again, that's 15% off branch basics.com with the code DRSION. What has changed over the last decade for you in terms of your training and nutrition?
- [55:37]
Dominique Saxa
Well, certainly being more protein minded and getting enough protein. I was a little. I know that I needed it. I would say I wasn't as consistent with it. So now I'm consistent with protein and making sure that I'm hitting certain goals. The other most important thing, and this really hit me when I went through perimenopause because I lost sleep terribly, terribly. It was a horrible battle until I got the right hormone balance. For me, sleep, rest and recovery is equally as important. And you write to this in your
- [56:06]
Gabrielle
book, but it's my least favorite part.
- [56:07]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [56:07]
Gabrielle
And I was really reading about how you're really good with sleep diligence. You stopped drinking. Me.
- [56:11]
Dominique Saxa
I did.
- [56:12]
Gabrielle
I'm getting texts. My husband's on call. I'm getting texts. You know. Are you asleep? I'm watching you on the camera.
- [56:18]
Dominique Saxa
Like, ah, shoot, I better go to sleep. No, I have and I'm also. And here's the other thing too. Alcohol wasn't serving me. And I love. I'm not. I was never a big drinker. Nice glass of wine with dinner. Good skinny margarita out with the girls. Rights to is fun. Anytime I would have alcohol. I slept horribly. Horribly. So why. And then I get up the next morning and my skin is ruddy and I've got these bags. Okay, great. So now I'm having to depuff and put. Why? Why do I need this? It's a toxin. My body doesn't need this toxin. It's not responding well to it. Cleaned it out. The other thing too. We get our best quality sleep earlier in the night.
- [56:58]
Gabrielle
So I hate hearing that.
- [57:00]
Dominique Saxa
I'm sorry. But it's the truth. That's what they say. The ambiguity. They. I've read, I've put it to practice and tell you what I'm telling you, though. If I go to bed at 10, 10:30 at night, that sleep from 10 to 10:30 to midnight or 12:30, I get the deepest, most restorative sleep during that time. I fall asleep after midnight. I may get the same hours. I do not wake up feeling the same. So I know I have missed this sweet spot window where my body's going into deep sleep. So it's like, okay, I know these things. Am I now going to honor and execute these things? Am I? And you talk about this, it's like you have to dial in what's your motivation and then your discernment, your wisdom and then the do right. What are you going to do about it? So these are the things I know I have to do.
- [57:47]
Gabrielle
But you also have uncommon discipline. I speak to a lot of people.
- [57:51]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [57:51]
Gabrielle
And was your. So your dad, was he Navy or. He was contracted by the Navy.
- [57:57]
Dominique Saxa
My dad was actually a naval architect. So he was from Hamburg, Germany, and he wasn't in the Navy per se, but he was actually drafted by the German side of the war back in World War II and was on a U boat and was captured by the Russians during that time. It was kind of a wild, crazy story. And he was rescued by his dad on a motorcycle, got out, never aligned with the ideology over there. Was kind of a natural born capitalist at heart. So when he met my mother and he came over to the States, he was one of those incredibly proud Americans, but always in the naval aspect, was always into ship design, always on fishing expeditions and out and about doing work with boats and would design boats, but always discipline. Oh, my God. German. Yeah.
- [58:49]
Gabrielle
I mean, the reason I asked, the reason that I asked this question is selfishly is I was asked. I was on probably one of the largest podcasts in the world and the host asked me, well, it was something about discipline. Well, what do you tell people? Who, you know, what if you couldn't do it? Or what do you tell people? And I didn't really have a good answer. I didn't. And I think that it made me somewhat of an unpopular guest. And as you are talking, I'm listening to you talk in a way where you haven't necessarily approached the discipline conversation, but the ability to be discerning and execute. There's not all this narrative. And so selfishly, I'm just Curious as to what your answer would be if someone was watching it and they were like, well, what if you can't? Or what if you can't get yourself to do it? Something along those lines.
- [59:40]
Dominique Saxa
Well, then I kind of get back to the why. Why can't you? What's the why here? Now I understand if you have a physical disability or something that is preventing you from doing a certain thing. Okay, that's your why. What are you going to do about it? How are you going to work around it? What else are you going to do? What's that going to look like? We all can do something. You know, God gave us free will. We all can do something. God willing. Okay, so there's that expression, God willing. How important is it to you? Is feeling good the next day important enough to you to give up that drink?
- [60:27]
Gabrielle
But you are able to collapse the times. And I feel like I definitely do that. And I think it's.
- [60:33]
Dominique Saxa
But I want to speak to that too, because this is important. And I know the season of life you're in right now, you're in. And I was there. You're in an incredibly busy, hectic, crazy season. And I, when I was in your season and journeying that I would scratch my head because I was exhausted and time was just getting away from me and there were all the shoulds that had to be done, things that children, home, work, this, that. And I would think, okay, where's the time for the rest that needs to get done? Where's the time? And I struggled with it too. For me, sleep was everything. And the minute I started losing sleep, I realized that was my starting point. If I can right the ship there, then the other things that need to happen are going to start falling into place. But I can't force myself to work out. If I've had four to five hours of really poor quality sleep. I can't force myself to go meditate in a corner when I may fall asleep because I'm so exhausted. You know what I'm saying? Sleep had to be number one. And giving myself grace that right now I can't show up for myself in a way in the gym or physically that I want to because I might hurt myself, I might cause more damage than benefit because I'm not in a good place. So what's the most important thing that will enable me to tackle all the other things? For me, it was getting that rest locked in. What did that do? It enabled my body to be able to move better and actually have the desire to be able to Move better. It enabled my mood to be a kinder person, to be nicer. You know, I was. I would, like, want to bite people's head off. That's not my nature. You know, I'm like, I couldn't hurt a fly. But I was in such a space where I was like, I can't take it because my cortisol levels, my nervous system was frayed. It was also learning to say no to things because I was a consummate people pleaser. And when you're in the news business, you get really, really plugged into the community. And I was one of those people who was asked to mc luncheons and events all the time. So I'd be up at 7:00 in the morning, getting kids off, you know, carpool, getting home, rushing, getting ready to emcee a luncheon, Go MC a luncheon, go to work, go do the news, come home to a big family, have dinner, go back to work, go do the news, get back home by 11 o' clock at night and rinse and repeat.
- [63:05]
Gabrielle
How long did you do that before you were like, yep, nope, I'm out,
- [63:10]
Dominique Saxa
probably for too long. I fell on my sword for too long and just lost my mind. And I eventually just had to start saying no. And it can be a very unpopular word to say. And it can also really show you a lot of things about other people in your life.
- [63:27]
Gabrielle
I actually really like that part because it's better to know than to guess, right? So that grief's great. Do you have a framework for making decisions?
- [63:38]
Dominique Saxa
Yes. I spend time, first of all, in deep thought and deep prayer. I don't make a decision without God involved.
- [63:47]
Gabrielle
How long do you pray for?
- [63:49]
Dominique Saxa
I pray every day. I pray every day. I have morning. My husband and I have morning devotional time. We'll read pages from the Bible, we will read devotionals, we will read works like. Charles Stanley is one of our favorite authors. He's written a book about listening to God, how to listen to God, what that looks like. That's important to me because that, first of all, not only roots me, it roots us as a couple. This is our time together rooted in His Word. And when we married, we both agreed that this marriage was going to be rooted on the foundation of God. And I can tell you this marriage operates completely differently than anything I have ever known or been involved in. So that right there tells me everything. So that I have to know if a decision needs to be made. Is this my. Am I trying to force something? Am I trying to Will Something. Or is this something that God is aligning in my life that needs to be done? And then I don't want to have a rash, reactive decision. I want it to be steeped in thought. So sometimes it can mean actually writing it down, you know, writing down the decision, writing down the pros, the cons, thinking it through, talking it through, you know, especially if it has impact or effect on my husband or somebody in my life, sitting with it, with God. And then sometimes just the right answers present. The right answers present. Here's. Here's a great example of that. We had a housekeeper, just lovely here. I mean, a good person, but was just kind of problematic in a certain way. Just changing things up or asking for money in advance all the time. All the time. And just. I don't know, it was just not going well to the point where I thought, I just don't know. But I don't know anybody here. And I had asked some people, and I was just feeling like something's not right about this at all. And I was walking my dog in the neighborhood, and I saw a gal walk out of a house, and she was carrying cleaning equipment. And I just stopped her and I said, hey. I said, would you happen to know of any cleaning people in the neighborhood? And she said, oh. She goes, we are. She says, my mom right here has a cleaning business, and I work with her and this other lady. And we do actually quite a few houses in the neighborhood. And started talking to them, and, you know, they're all believers and strong women of faith. And I said, would you mind? Not that that matters, but it kind
- [66:18]
Gabrielle
of does because it unifies a value system.
- [66:21]
Dominique Saxa
A value system. And I said, you know, would you mind coming over? And they came over and I mean, can I tell you, they are the most lovely people. The daughter babysits our dog whenever we travel. They feel like family. And it was just having this one problem talking about it, praying about it, and then all of a sudden acting on it. Something presented and something just made me ask. So, you know, pay attention to. I think so many times we overlook those things or we let them pass by. And I'm like, no, this situation is here for a reason. This person presented for a reason. Act on it. If you feel that compulsion, what is
- [67:01]
Gabrielle
your goal with your content and your position right now? Your contribution, I should say, rather than.
- [67:08]
Dominique Saxa
I would say, and you just landed on the magic word contribution. How can I continue to contribute? What can I continue to do? What can I present? You know, sometimes I feel like, because I'VE been out there since 2014. And I'm like, you know, I look at Courtney, I'm like, how many more Courtney's here? I'm like, how many more makeup tutorials can I do? And she's like, oh, you can do another. You know, you could do another. There are other brands or other things. But here's the thing. The makeup tutorials that I did back in 2014, my skin was different, my needs were different, the way I wore makeup was a little different than it is now. And as I'm aging and embracing that and changing that and showing that whatever that looks like, my applications may change, my formulas may change, my why behind things may change and I want to share that. And maybe there's a woman who could say, you know what, I used to be like an all matte girl too, and now I need a little bit more glow. Or now I need a lighter application to let my skin breathe. Or, oh, my husband said I look so much better this way without all that makeup. So I'm learning too. I'm learning about me and I'm willing to share that journey with my audience. Because if I can affect one person, and that has always been my mantra, it's not about the numbers, it's not about the followers. But if one person can take what I have and grab it and use it in her life in a way that benefits her, makes her feel good about herself, makes her think differently about herself, gives her a sense of value and self care and love that has a ripple effect in her life, then I've done what I've been put out to do.
- [68:54]
Gabrielle
And arguably you've been doing it for decades now, thanks to one of the sponsors of the show, amp because I can walk two doors down and get a great workout. And if you've ever walked into a workout and thought, am I lifting too heavy? Am I not lifting enough? Where is the weight? I can't find anything. And is this even working? You are not alone. Seriously. The unsuccessful uncertainty is one of the biggest reasons why people do not see results and they stop. Strength training is an essential daily routine, and AMP was founded to introduce it into everyone's life, home and ambition. That's exactly why I've been using amp. What makes it different is it removes the mental noise. AMP AI uses your resistance to adjust sets and reps in real time. So you are always training at the level that your body needs. No second guessing, no wasted time. And by the way, it has everything that you need. Your body responds to progressive stimulus and you need to do that correctly. You don't want just random workouts that you find out online or you find online. It mounts to your wall, takes up almost no space and gives me access to how hundreds of movements from strength training to high intensity work. I am telling you, I love this technology. It is beautiful. It is on my wall and it is a system that meets me where I'm at regardless of the day. If I need some recovery, it's there. If your goal is to build muscle, get stronger, no more guesswork and be consistent, go to amp AI. Check it out. That's amp.AI. aI training should be effective and it doesn't have to be complicated. Do you have any words of advice for individuals who are thinking of also sharing? And again, the online space, there is criticism that it's not the same as it used to be.
- [70:58]
Dominique Saxa
I know, I know. It's. It's not for the faint of heart.
- [71:03]
Gabrielle
How about this? Don't read your comments.
- [71:05]
Dominique Saxa
Well, yes, and here's a. Yeah, don't read your comments because you can't shut them off. Because then you're saying your voice doesn't matter. And then you also. Here's the catch 22 with that. Because then you miss out on all the beautiful comments. You miss out on the women who are like, oh, my gosh, thank you for this, or have questions. You miss out on that opportunity of engagement. So here's what I'm gonna say to that.
- [71:30]
Gabrielle
Do you go and engage with your community all the time.
- [71:34]
Dominique Saxa
So that's you. Who?
- [71:35]
Gabrielle
You and Courtney. Just.
- [71:36]
Dominique Saxa
All the time. Okay. All. It's always. And I check through everything. I heart everything. If somebody has a question, I'll respond or she'll get in there and respond. We are always, always responsive. And I've always been that way. So here's the thing. I am not going to let a few bad apples change how I operate.
- [71:55]
Gabrielle
I mean, I'm not. I appreciate that.
- [71:58]
Dominique Saxa
I'm not and I will. People call me Dom as a nickname. So I'm like Teflon Dom. You know, I'm gonna let it roll off my back. I don't care. I don't care. And that's the other beautiful thing about this age, is that your BS meter is just like, you know what? Think what you think. Say what you say. You're not. You're. You like my hair short? Fine. You like it long? Fine. Nobody's gonna change what I do to me. Nobody. Nobody's going to have that kind of, say, power or impact. This is my Journey and my walk. I understand you've got your preferences. You can articulate them in a very kind way. If you don't do it kindly or if you're rude or you make a personal attack against, you know, me or somebody I love, you're probably going to get blocked. But that's my choice because it's my platform and I don't want those people to take me away from the 98 of lovely humans who are out there who deserve to be seen, heard and responded to. So that would be my encouragement, is be prepared for the ugly. It's probably going to shock you, the level to which it's out there. But get a thick skin. Do not let other people's word shape or define or permeate or have any impact or even make you second guess who you are and what you're doing. Do not let it do that because that's the enemy at work and that's. He will work through people and he will try to slip you up and he will try to derail you and get you off your track and your trajectory. So don't let it happen.
- [73:31]
Gabrielle
Don't fall for it.
- [73:32]
Dominique Saxa
Don't fall for it.
- [73:34]
Gabrielle
What about midlife wellness specifics?
- [73:37]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah.
- [73:38]
Gabrielle
Have you tried hot yoga? I have a whole list of.
- [73:40]
Dominique Saxa
Girl, I've done everything.
- [73:41]
Gabrielle
Okay, tell me what's worked, tell me what hasn't. Well, okay, start with what you haven't learned. Okay, well, like, oh my, I cannot believe they said to do the grapefruit diet.
- [73:49]
Dominique Saxa
Yeah, yeah. I don't believe in any specific diets. I just do protein and as many colorful greens as I can possibly do. Healthy starches. I stay away from the middle aisles of the grocery store. I shot. You know, I do all the stuff that you're supposed to do. Whole food plant based, intermittent fasting. Intermittent fast, yes. Intermittent fasting has been really big for me. I was never a huge breakfast person anyway, so I like to have my last meal. And here's the other thing too. Oh my gosh, the early bird special. I have like become one of those people who loves to eat at 5, 30, 6 o' clock at night. I'm over the moon. If someone says, can we eat early? I'm like, yes, please. I love that window between eating my meal and having a good, good four hours of new food in my belly before I go to sleep. I also sleep better that way too. So that's been something wonderful. And then I won't eat until. So let's say that meal was at 6, 7 o' clock at night, I won't eat until probably noon the next day. So I like to give myself a good 16 to 18 hour window. It's just what works for me. What also works, I would say, well first it begins and ends with proper HRT if you can take it for your body. I mean that's. Many women have zero sum game right there. Absolutely. You have got to get your hormones at optimal levels. We're not going into menopause and then dying. Once upon a time, people didn't live past a certain age. Now we are living so, so many years past reproductive time in life and we need that to be optimal. And people always think, think about. You may hear this too in your practice. You know, HRT isn't just for mitigating night sweats. Okay. This, this is for the long haul. This is for my 80 year old brain that's still going to be able to solve a wordle puzzle. You know, this is for the me who's going to be able, like I said, lift luggage and put it in the overhead bin. I'm doing this for the long haul. Yeah, I want to be able to sleep at night. Yeah. I don't want to sweat, you know. Absolutely. I want to have, you know, plumper skin and sex drive and all the things that come with it. I want to live great now, I want to live great later. So what does that look like? And that definitely requires medical intervention. Period. Period. Now how you choose to do that and what that looks like for you is your journey and your expression. Just explore it.
- [76:17]
Gabrielle
I do appreciate the candor on that and I agree there's been a lot of information out there that's really done a disservice. What would you you say has for aging? HRT is huge. It's huge. And it is a body autonomy, personal choice. We might not be able to say that estrogen protects and solves the dementia, but what we can say is that perhaps we know what deprivation therapy looks like. And could we safely say that this potentially could impact the brain? I don't need to wait until a study says this is going to protect against dementia. To as a clinician to say I feel comfortable prescribing this from a cognitive standpoint, from a bone standpoint, from cardiovascular. So totally agree. Hormone replacement therapy and then lifting, you cannot, you cannot. There's no replacement. Walking is great. Not going to have the same impact?
- [77:16]
Dominique Saxa
No, not at all.
- [77:17]
Gabrielle
Cardiovascular stuff is great, fine. But if you really want to maintain a certain body composition, bone mineral density, there are some non Negotiables.
- [77:26]
Dominique Saxa
I agree. You know, and I'm going to talk to you about this too, because. And I've hired somebody I know myself. I won't push myself as hard by myself unless I have somebody standing over me and telling me what to do. So I got wise to that. And I even joke. It's like, girl, these are press on nails. Okay? So I'm willing to give up the nail salon and make changes elsewhere. And I do that intentionally because the first argument people will put up is, I, I can't afford that. Right. And I understand, you know, not everybody can. But I think it's really, really important to look at your spending because I bet you anything you can whittle and you can find ways to carve out whether it's nail money, coffee money, whatever it may be. We are so unaware of how wasteful we are in certain areas and a little bit dedicated to an area of such great importance. Your health, your wellness.
- [78:24]
Gabrielle
Yeah. And what you said is really important. I have been training for years.
- [78:29]
Dominique Saxa
Yes.
- [78:29]
Gabrielle
I do not push myself as hard. And so I train with someone. I'd much rather allocate resources to that.
- [78:37]
Dominique Saxa
Me too.
- [78:38]
Gabrielle
Than to.
- [78:39]
Dominique Saxa
Not Me too. It's everything. It's everything. And here's. And you'll. And I know you'll agree with this too, even just safety wise, and especially at this age, you could get in there and you hear people like me and you, and you got to lift heavier. Well, what does that look like? And for somebody who hasn't lifted heavy and somebody who's just been, you know, having fun with five and ten pound, you know, little hand weights, getting in there and lifting heavy without the proper form and core and stability can mean knee injury, hip injury, and then you're really sidelined. So don't you want someone watching over you who's got that skill set? I do.
- [79:14]
Gabrielle
I do as well. Thanks, Carlos. You're a g. I have one final question, and really, what is next for you? You've been an anchor journalist, written a book, have a podcast, have a YouTube. I mean, I think we've got some
- [79:31]
Dominique Saxa
exciting things coming up this year. I don't know how specific I can get, but I think that things that people have been asking for in me might be coming to fruition, which is really, really exciting. It's another. If we think of what we do is like a rose and it starts off kind of closed and all you see are the outside petals. And then as it's getting watered, it opens and you see more and more petals. You see kind of the more of this unraveling of what it is all about. I think there are more petals to the rose that'll be coming out this year, which is so fun and. And just also creative outlets for me that I've been wanting to explore and things that I think women will enjoy and appreciate from me that are kind of brand centric and.
- [80:23]
Gabrielle
Yeah, I cannot wait.
- [80:25]
Dominique Saxa
I. Me, too. I can't wait to share with you.
- [80:27]
Gabrielle
Dominique, thank you so much for coming on the show.
- [80:29]
Dominique Saxa
Really, thank you for having me. Such a pleasure. Oh, my gosh. The pleasure has been all mine. You are such a joy. And can I also just take the time to thank you for your contribution to women's wellness and health and what you're doing. You're a pioneer in your own right, and it's an honor to be sitting with you.
- [80:46]
Gabrielle
I appreciate that. We really are in this together. And again, I said this at the top of the show. This is now. We are entering the era for women.
- [80:56]
Dominique Saxa
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That's all I have to say.
- [81:00]
Gabrielle
Thank you.
- [81:00]
Dominique Saxa
Thank you.