Sandy Kruse | Rising from the Ashes: A Journey of Health and Healing - Mick Unplugged [EP 38]

Episode Transcription

• Sandy Kruse | Rising from the Ashes: A Journey of Health and Healing - Mick Unplugged [EP 38]

  Intro: Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mick Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary.

  So let's unleash your potential. Now, here's Mick.

  Mick Unplugged: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick'd Unplugged where we go deeper than your why to find out the because. Those things that really fuel you to become the person or leader that you are. And today, we have an extraordinary guest. Her journey through overcoming illness and transforming her life is a powerful testament to resilience, health, and holistic living. Be prepared to be inspired and enlightened as we uncover the because behind her incredible journey and impactful work.

  It is my distinct honor and pleasure to welcome the incomparable, the amazing, the dynamic, Sandy Cruz. Sandy, how are you doing today, dear?

  Sandy Cruz: Hi, Mick. Thank you. That was such a nice introduction. Thank you.

  Mick Unplugged: It's all about you, Sandy. It is all about you. So, you know, we've been talking offline, and I told you I'm such a huge fan of your podcast. But what I'm more impressed with and what I'm more of a fan of is your journey and how you got to where you are today and the spirit that you have to keep going no matter what. So for the listeners that don't know Sandy Cruz, why don't you take us through a little bit of your journey and your because?

  Like, what keeps Sandy going today?

  Sandy Cruz: My journey started a long time ago, Mick. And it's interesting because I'm so used to being on the other side of the mic, so I'm not used to talking about myself. But it all began when my daughter was 5, she was diagnosed with cancer. And at that time, I was 40. It was a really difficult time.

  And at the exact same time, I broke my foot. My son had what was the beginnings of flesh-eating disease. And then 1 year later, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My daughter and I actually had surgeries almost exactly 1 year apart. Her second surgery, my first to remove my thyroid gland and 2 lymph nodes.

  And then the year after, my husband coded in hospital from bacterial pneumonia. So it was 3 years of what I call a snowball effect. What was going on? What is the meaning in all this? Are we doomed?

  Is there something evil going on? I didn't understand it, Mick. And that was what set me on this trajectory to try and figure out what I can figure out and change and get on a path that was not filled with that victim consciousness of why me? Why my family? Why my child?

  She's fine, by the way, and she's 19 now. So that's what began everything. And through that journey, there were so many times that I was like, woah, the universe is trying to make things really hard for me. And I decided I was going to try and change my mindset, but I needed help. I grew up Catholic.

  That was my upbringing. I didn't feel at that time it was really helping me figure out my journey. So I actually saw a shaman, and that's how it all began. She actually kind of took me on this journey. It was really interesting.

  And I'm not talking about journey as everyone's talking about psychedelics and all that. This is not what I'm referring to. It was very much about going inward and trying to figure out what is going to help me get through this to get to the next step in my life. There were a series of things that I explored, such as energy. I started to feng shui my home, and I would do other people's health.

  Like, I mean, this began so long ago. So I'm 54 now. I feel like I'm aging better, and I feel like I'm younger now than I was in my forties because there were other hurdles that came across my path. I was like, wait a second. Western medicine told me and this is not a slam on Western medicine.

  They did their part. They removed my thyroid. They gave me a pill and said, With this pill, you will be normal and you will feel normal and live a normal life forever. I wasn't. So my children were watching their mother on the couch like I was fading away as a person.

  So for those of you who don't know, the thyroid gland is the master gland. It is everything. It gauges whether you're happy, whether you're sad, whether you're hot, whether you're cold, whether you're depressed, whether you're anxious. It is so important. It is like that thermostat for everything in your body.

  So when they removed my thyroid gland, I was like, why? Why am I not well? So that was when I started on more of a holistic path. And I started to see alternative medicine practitioners, alternative naturopath doctors, and I started to do different things, then I'm like, All right, I'm starting to come back. I'm starting to feel better.

  So I went back to college at age 46, and it took me 3 years to get my diploma. Supposed to be 2, but whatever. I was raising kids, right? It's my excuse. And I got my diploma to become a registered holistic nutritionist.

  Then I started my podcast. That's how it all began. But I would say when you hit rock bottom, some people call it the dark night of the soul, you have to go there. The only way is from there.

  Mick Unplugged: Yep. My mentor, Les Brown, says if you can look up, you can get up. Right? So as long as you keep looking up, then you gotta be able to go there. I wanna unpack and unplug a couple of things, Sandy.

  Hearing that story from you just puts me in a place where there were 4 specific times that you had to change your outlook. So your daughter gets her diagnosis, changes your outlook on life. Cool. You do that. Your son goes through what he goes through.

  Makes you rechange your outlook on life. Cool. You do that. Then you go through your pain and your issues and your challenges. You have a new outlook on life.

  Boom. You do that and then your husband. How did you go through those different outlooks? Right? Because we're all human.

  We all have to change and accept. If we're human, we accept, okay, this is what it is. But I don't know many people who decide to do that 4 times.

  Sandy Cruz: So and this is where it gets really difficult because my husband and I are very different people. Mhmm. And my daughter and I everything. When my daughter was diagnosed, it was a soft tissue sarcoma. When she was diagnosed, that was probably where I felt the most like, I lacked control.

  I felt helpless. And in order for me to kinda get through that, which was probably the worst out of all of it, I needed a creative outlet. And, you know, some people say journaling. I know it sounds so cliche. Right?

  Oh, journal every day. I actually built a website, and it's still there after all these years. And with this website, because there was such a lack, you know, you can go on the internet and find everything you need to know about breast cancer. But when it comes to what she had, I actually found other mothers whose children had the same sarcoma. So I connected with these individuals from all over the world.

  And there was a mom who was living in Hawaii at the time. She sent my daughter a Barbie from Hawaii. See, I'm gonna get teary-eyed. But it was like this community that I needed. And then I built my own website, and it's pfht.weebly.com.

  And PFHT is plexiform fibrohisteocytic tumor. I know it's hard. But I built that website because my husband and I dealt with things very differently. He was, you know, you're a masculine male, A lot of masculine males kind of close off. Well, I needed an outlet. So that is where my creativity began. I built it myself. I can't even tell you how many people, because I had a contact form there, contacted me and said, my child was diagnosed with this same tumor.

  I can't find anything. What did you do? And so it was my way of giving back to say, here's something that's helping me, but it's also helping so many other people because there's so little information about it. So that, to me, is the biggest way that I was able to kinda do something and act and give back.

  Mick Unplugged: Totally amazing. You know, Sandy, for the listeners, because I know that right now, there's someone listening that's going through life. Right? And I'm just gonna say that. They're going through life right now.

  What's 2 or 3 things that you tell someone right now that they can do if they're going through life?

  Sandy Cruz: So the biggest thing is, of anything, is to get quiet. We live in this world where we're constantly getting pinged with information. You know, somebody's watching this right now. And, you know, somebody's texting us. You're scrolling on TikTok.

  Right? We live in this world. And unless you get quiet, you will never be able to hear the messages, whatever they are. So that's, like, number 1. Number 2, and it kinda ties into that, ground yourself.

  However you're going to do it, ground yourself. I have a dog. So every day, I walk in the pathways close to my house. There's ravines, forests. I'm fortunate that I have that within walking distance.

  Whatever. Even if you have a park where there's trees, sit down on a bench ground. Because unless you do that, you're never going to be able to get over that hurdle. And then the third thing I would say is find a creative outlet. You know, everybody always says, Oh, I'm not creative.

  Well, I can't write. I'm like, Nobody's reading your journal. It's okay. And when you put thoughts down on paper, somehow it's like you're able to put it there. I'm gonna leave my problems there for the day so that I can go on.

  And whether you have problems and you have to go to work for 8 hours a day or 12 hours a day or whatever, it will just help you to be able to go on.

  Mick Unplugged: Love it. You know, listening to your podcast and following you on social, you talk a lot about purpose. So what role does purpose play in your day-to-day, like, decision-making, goal-setting, and some of your health initiatives as well? Because I think purpose is a big thing that people forget about. Like, I think a lot of times we assume we've got purpose or we don't really go deep into our purpose, but I know that purpose is the center of who you are.

  So what role does purpose play?

  Sandy Cruz: You know, it's interesting because I just kind of I'm big into my intuition. I listen to what my heart says. And so I'm not Mick, I'm not 1 of those multimedia moguls that writes all of my that's not who I am. I run on soul. What puts that fire in my belly?

  And I'm a big believer that when you do that, the money will come. You know what I mean? Like, when you put money as, like and I'm not saying people don't need to put food on the table. You need to put food on the table. There's tons of different things that you could do online, outwork, whatever, for that purpose because we all need to eat.

  We all need to support our families. But when you get something and do something that gives you that fire in your belly, you kind of know that you're on a path that's supporting your purpose. And that's what I do every single day, even as it relates to social media. I mean, Mick, you know, you're there. And I'm not knocking people who do really curated videos, but I'm like, it doesn't support my purpose.

  Mick Unplugged: Correct.

  Sandy Cruz: I'm very raw and real. And sometimes I may, you know, do a little dance. Sometimes I may do a little rant. But it's all supporting my purpose, which is to age better, to live healthier, to be proactive and preventative with issues that might come down the road, but it's through everything. It's through body.

  It's through mind. It's through spirit. It's through soul. It's never just 1 silver bullet. Like, oh, I'm gonna take this vitamin or I'm gonna take this medication, and I'll be fine.

  So I hope that answers your question.

  Mick Unplugged: You totally knocked it out of the park. Now I wanna go somewhere that you just started. So aging better, being healthier. How does 1 age better? What's some Sandy k Nutrition tips and tricks for folks to age better?

  Sandy Cruz: I have a lot. Okay. So I'm 54. I'm a woman that's going through menopause, and I'm gonna say this. Men go through menopause.

  Mick Unplugged: The secret is out, fellas. Guys, the secret is out. Sandy's letting everybody know.

  Sandy Cruz: Yeah. You do. You do. You go through it too. It's just that it's more subtle for men.

  And this is the thing. I am a big believer that as a woman, I you know, and most women want to support the health of their family, not just themselves. And so my husband, he's great because he kinda listens to everything I tell him what to do, only as it relates to health, though. That's it. But when you see a symptom that does not go away, you need to address it.

  And the majority of us at midlife start to have expressions of genes that may be a little more ominous. I'm sure you've heard of many people who get diagnosed with cancer or heart disease or any autoimmune disease. All of these things often start in midlife. And what I say is start by listening to your body and what symptoms you have. If you have aches and pains every single day, that may be a sign that there's something going on nutritionally.

  I'm not saying come see me. I'm saying see somebody who's a functional medicine physician, or even a functional nutritionist like myself, a naturopathic doctor, Because our general physicians, that's not what they're trained in. They're not trained in therapeutic grade supplementation. They're not trained in being proactive. You go to the doctor.

  Let's say you have strep throat. You get antibiotics. That's what they're trained in. So see the right person for the right thing. I have a team, Mick.

  I have an osteopath. I have a naturopath doctor. I have an endocrinologist because I don't have a thyroid. I have my general physician. I have a team, and it's important to build your team with their expertise to pull from because 1 doctor cannot be an expert in everything.

  So that's how I say to begin. 2nd is to always look at what's out of balance in your life. And that's actually, I think, a big key to aging better. When we start to do things out of balance, what are you eating? Are you moving your body?

  You don't have to go and lift 100 of pounds of of gym. Like, you don't have to do that, but you need to move your body. So what's out of balance? And when you sit down and identify that, you can go, okay. Maybe I need to cut down on the beer.

  Maybe I need to cut down on the smokes. Maybe I need you know what I'm saying? And I'm not judging. My husband's a smoker. I used to be a smoker, Mick Okay.

  In my thirties. So it was a long time ago. But but, you know, I'm saying that's the key. But you know what? It takes accountability

  Mick Unplugged: True.

  Sandy Cruz: Self-reflection. And sometimes when you turn that around on yourself, it's tough. It's tough.

  Mick Unplugged: Amazing. So what else is going on with Sandy k Nutrition? What are a couple of other tips? It doesn't have to be about aging. What are some other tips that you have for folks just in general wellness and nutrition in general?

  Sandy Cruz: I think that in our day and age, we cannot go without supplements. We can't. Because when we look at our food sources, and that's a big thing. People, you know, it's interesting. And I'm not gonna say, you know, take all these supplements and don't worry about what you eat.

  Go and eat at McDonald's every day. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it takes looking at your diet, cooking, and I always say 80 20, 80% of the time, cook at home. Because at least you know what are the oils that are being used, what are the foods that are being used. And I'm always like, there's always a good, better, best option for foods.

  And unfortunately, we're both in North America. Our food sources are a little bit ominous these days. Correct. Don't fall for agendas. You know, there are often these agendas that are big pushes that you can see.

  I would love for everybody to critically look at what's coming at them. Even here's a great example. I just saw this, and it was sent to me about obesity. It was clickbait, Mick. It was 1 small clip, and it was Oprah talking about an obesity gene and saying, It's not my fault.

  It's not my fault. I have this obesity gene. I'm like, Woah, woah, woah. So that may be the fact, but you're not getting the whole story because we all know how hard Oprah works to try and maintain her weight. They happen to carry 4 obesity genes that I know of.

  There's many. And so what I'm saying is when you see that, take accountability and critically assess what's coming at you and go, wait a minute. Is that right? Like, is there 1 obesity gene? Or is that you see what I'm saying?

  Mhmm. As it relates to your health and everybody is bio individual, what you see on social media is not necessarily applicable to you. So these, I think, are really important things to know.

  Mick Unplugged: That's amazing. Sandy, we could talk forever.

  Sandy Cruz: So I think so.

  Mick Unplugged: We should make this a regular recurrence on the podcast and TV show that's coming out soon. So I'm gonna make sure you're 1 of the first folks lined up, and we'll do something special. Where can people follow you, find you, anything you wanna talk about upcoming? The floor is yours.

  Sandy Cruz: So right behind me, that is The Essential Thyroid Guide. I released that in the spring. It is a very, very easy to understand, 53-page, nonclinical book, just in how to optimize thyroid function. A lot of people don't wanna read a 200-page book. Most people don't.

  I mean, I did, but that's my jam. Right? So that's why I created that. It's on Amazon everywhere. I am writing a book.

  My background, I'm an English literature graduate, so I love to write. So I'm writing a book called Bridging the Gap Between Science and Soul. Because I come from such a world of science. And then, you know, again, back to this critical thinking, I'm like, science is not the be all and end all, And we can't optimize our wellness just based on science. So I'm writing this book, but it connects with my substack, which is just sandycruz.

  Substack.com. And that will also connect with my new podcast. It's a sister podcast to Sandy Kaye Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle Queen, which is mostly health-based. Sandy Kaye Gen X Unplugged is coming. We're gonna talk more about balance, and that could be balance in everything, health, politics, all kinds of things where a lot of us are seeing a real imbalance in the world.

  And when we bring balance back, we can optimize our health in all ways.

  Mick Unplugged: Absolutely.

  Sandy Cruz: Nutrition everywhere. There you go.

  Mick Unplugged: We totally do. And I'll make sure that in the show notes and on the podcast website that I give links to everything Sandy Cruz so that everyone can go purchase the workbook for sure, get insights onto the new book that's coming out that you can follow and subscribe to her podcast like I do because it is 1 of my favorites. Sandy, thank you so much for blessing us with your time today. I know how busy you are, so just to spend a few minutes with you is awesome. And I would love to do this again if you're open to it.

  Sandy Cruz: Absolutely. Likewise. I love your energy, Mick. I'm a big energy girl, and you've got great energy. Thank you so much for having me.

  Mick Unplugged: Absolutely. And to all the listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

  Intro: Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast and be sure to check us out on YouTube at Mick Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.