Robin Shirley: Jessa Greenfield's Morning Routine, Unschooling, & More.

April 7, 2022

Listen on:

07 April 2022

Our kids need us now more than ever.

As someone interested in health and wellbeing, I want to give my children the healthiest start to life possible, and I know you do, too. But raising a healthy family is a little more complicated than it used to be. Chronic disease rates are skyrocketing among young adults, technology is encroaching on precious childhoods, and many parents find themselves too busy and stressed out to sit down to a family dinner.

In fact, the more I talk to other parents, the more I hear the following questions:

-Why are our children more sick, unfocused, and depressed than any generation before them?

-Is a shift in childhood education happening, and what will it look like?

-Why are more people homeschooling and “unschooling,” and could it work for a busy family?

-What is authoritarian parenting and schooling, and how will it hurt my child in their adult life?

-If discipline doesn't feel right, what is the alternative?

-How can we reverse autism and chronic disease and what role do vaccines really play?

These questions and more were all addressed in the recent Raising Free Range Kids conference, at which I was invited to give a presentation on parenting, along with 20+ other health experts and parents. This event explored how as parents, we can gently shift our children’s health, and even the trajectory of the world, through our everyday interactions with our children. It covers every single question you've ever had as a parent raising a child or children in this crazy world, including how to prepare your body and home for a healthy pregnancy and birth, to exploring the values you want to pass on to your children, to what you should feed your children for meals, and much more.

Now, the live event for Raising Free Range Kids has passed, but you can still buy tickets to get lifetime virtual access here.

So, what does Raising Free Range Kids have to do with this podcast episode?

Well, my “guest” just so happened to be Robin Shirley, the founding president of Take Back Your Health Int’l, a company that hosts health conferences and retreats across the U.S, including Raising Free Range Kids. She speaks, consults, and writes about The Take Back Your Health Lifestyle and how to reduce the symptoms of chronic illness, especially in children.

Robin is a mother of two beautiful babies, a passionate cook, a Medical Intuitive, a Reiki Master Practitioner, an Energy Healer, a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and a member of the American Board of Drugless Practitioners. She has helped thousands of people overcome the symptoms of chronic Lyme disease, autoimmune disease, and depression through her energy healing sessions, intuitive readings, nutrition, detoxification, and healing protocols.

Robin grew up with chronic pain, headaches, rashes, depression, digestive discomfort, and out-of-control systemic inflammation, and was diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at 11 years old. She tried everything to heal naturally. Food overhauls helped a little, supplements helped a little, but nothing truly took the pain away. At 23 years old, Robin was on track to file for disability and give up on her dream to run her own hospitality company.

Robin has personally experienced the power of a natural approach to reducing pain and inflammation. Fast forward and Robin is now 32 years old, a mother of two, a fiancé to the love of her life, and running the business of her dreams. She is in the process of writing her first book and launching online healing programs for chronically ill patients to get healthy from home.

You can check out this interview with Robin Shirley and Joel Salatin, where they discuss the collapse in health, community, and family values, or this interview where Robin talks about how to make events and retreats part of your practice, among many other topics, to get a feel for what Robin is all about.

This podcast episode is unique, however, in that Robin interviewed me and my family! Consider it a bonus sneak peek of what you'll experience from Raising Free Range Kids—it'll be just like sharing dinner with The Greenfields or being a “fly on the wall,” so to speak, as we eat (gross!).

Finally, please forgive the cow tongue meat occasionally stuck in my teeth… We did the call while we were having dinner. ;)

During this episode, you'll discover:

-The Greenfield family eating traditions…05:00

Tongue is the best meat for tacos (use code GREENFIELD to save 15%)
Eat as close to nature as possible; buy local
Organ meats (use code GREENFIELD to save 15%)
Organic wine
Bone broth
Boundless Cookbook

-The core message of Ben's upcoming parenting book…09:05

Boundless Parenting
Expected release is September 2022

-Ben's morning routines…11:53

Ben is up between 4:30-5:30
Ayurvedic practices like oil pulling, tongue scraping
Kion Coffee
Mineralized water
Rebounder
5 Tibetan longevity exercises
Foam rolling
Spiritual Disciplines Journal
Got to the office to “Eat the frog”
Sauna
Meditation, breathwork

-Jessa's and the boys' morning routines…15:15

Jessa's morning routines:
- Sleep 'til the body says to wake up
- Make the bed when you wake up
- Prayer sets the mind to be in service to others, not to self
- Taking care of the soul s\to be able to take care of others
The twins':
- Sunrise alarm clock
- Morning devotions
- Make breakfast
- Take care of the animals on the property
- School

-How two new children affected Ben and Jessa's lifestyle…19:52

Ben was traveling a lot, but mostly working from home by the time River and Terran were born
Ben had to reinvent his life; started podcasting
Biggest life crisis for Jessa; had to quit her job to become a stay-at-home mom
No “measuring stick” to define your value as a person that you get from a job

-Solidifying values and purpose-specific to a family…24:42

You're not raising your children, you're raising your grandchildren
Family mission statement and crest

Podcast with Rich Christiansen:
- How To Build Your Legacy, Bond Your Family With Traditions, Rituals & Routines, Rites Of Passage & Much More With Rich Christiansen of Legado Family Founder.
The Official Greenfield Family Q&A Podcast: Parenting, Cooking, Traditions, Legacy-Building, Family Game Nights & More!
Podcast on rites of passage with Tim Corcoran:
- How To Go On A Vision Quest & Embark Upon A Rite Of Passage, with Tim Corcoran.
“How we live our days is how we live our lives”
Think of it as a team or tribe; make everyone feel needed
Hard to function without the other team members
Attach value to household tasks; teaching life skills
GoGreenfields podcast

-How River and Terran spend their days…39:00

Podcast on unschooling; other education podcasts
Twin Eagles Wilderness School
Currently reading old books like:
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Painting murals on walls that have been created into NFTs
GoGreenfields podcast
Kamana Wilderness Awareness School
Having animals on the property teaches responsibility, obligation, etc.

-Silver linings discovered among the capricious clouds of Covid-19…44:26

Ben gets to stay home more
Stronger ties with the community

-And much more!

Upcoming Events:

PaleoFX – (April 29 -May 2, 2022).
RUNGA – The Gathering (May 12-14, 2022). Register for the event now by clicking here
Health Optimization Summit! Use code BEN for 20% off (May 22-29, 2022).
Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldlife.com/calendar

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

– Robin Shirley:

Raising Free Range Kids

– Podcasts And Articles:

– Books:

Boundless Cookbook by Ben Greenfield
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

– Other Resources:

GoGreenfields
River Greenfield's NFT
Spiritual Disciplines Journal
US Wellness Meats (use code GREENFIELD to save 15%)
Dry Farm Wines
Kettle And Fire Bone Broth
Kion Coffee
Quinton Hypertonic
Oil Pulling
Tongue Scraper
Rebounder
5 Tibetan Longevity Exercises
Foam Rolling
Clearlight Sauna
Twin Eagles Wilderness School
Kamana Wilderness Awareness School

Episode sponsors:

–My new book, Endure: Now available for pre-order! I’ll gift you the first three chapters of Endure as an instantly downloadable e-book and I'll give you a sweet discount on the exact journal my family and I developed and use each day, The Spiritual Disciplines Journal.

–Qualia Mind by Neurohacker: To try Qualia Mind, go to neurohacker.com who’s offering Qualia Mind up to 50% off right now, and use code BGF at checkout for an extra 15% off your first purchase.

–Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code BEN2020.

–Ben Greenfield Coaching: Personally vetted and trained by Ben Greenfield, these coaches will personalize your diet and lifestyle, and get you looking and feeling your best.

–Organifi Apple Green Juice: The new green juice crisp apple is made with organic, wholesome, hand-picked apples. And tastes like a fresh juicy slice in every sip. If mint just isn’t for you, this refreshing new recipe certainly is. Making it the first of its kind the whole family will love. Go to organifi.com/Ben for 20% off your order.

–Kion Sleep: Contains only natural ingredients with long clinical research history behind them that are safe to take every night. There’s no grogginess: You’ll wake up feeling refreshed, recovered, and energized!

-Ice Barrel: With its sleek design and compact footprint, Ice Barrel, allows you to experience the benefits of cold therapy from the convenience of your home.