Take Charge with Dreena Burton
Oct 30, 2019
Welcome to Take Charge!, a series of interviews with some of our favorite health and wellness thought leaders. Each post features advice on topics like longevity, nutrition, exercise, and physical optimization. You'll also receive guidance on how to follow through with your goals and work through feelings of fear and doubt. Plus, we compiled the best tips in this free ebook - click here to download it.
Today we're featuring Dreena Burton, a pioneering plant-based cookbook author known for trusted whole food recipes. Vegan for 25 years and mother to three "weegans", Dreena is reputed for having reliable, delicious, wholesome recipes. She has five solo cookbooks, including the popular Plant-Powered Families (one of Whitney's favorites), and two titles co-authored with Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM. Find Dreena's recipes at dreenaburton.com.
Whitney met Dreena at Vida Vegan Con in 2014 and they've kept in touch ever since. As we approach the end of 2019, it felt like the perfect time to reconnect with Dreena to hear her perspective on topics like longevity, mental wellness, stress management, goal setting, motherhood, and business monetization. We gave her a few prompts and she provided some truly valuable responses.
Dreena's Tips on How To Take Charge Of Your Life:
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Self-care is key to longevity. "Eating a wholesome vegan diet is an obvious part of this, however health is far more than diet alone. It's also about stress management, mental wellness, having community, moving every day, and environment. Self-care in a sense that you do your best to take care of the aspects you can, and have grace with yourself for those that you cannot (or unable to at any given time). It's not as easy to do as it is to write, but awareness starts the process."
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"Keep your head down as much as possible with your own work and goals. With all the social noise, It's easy to get distracted by too much nonsense. Or worse, get discouraged comparing yourself to others in your field. I don't surf much on social or blogs for this reason. I remember the quote 'comparison is the thief of joy.'"
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"I have worked through very serious times of anxiety in my life. It's been more challenging as a mother of busy, growing kids. It helps to remember other times that you have worked through, and remember to take things one day at a time. Sometimes one hour at a time. Breathe. Find trusted support, and be gentle with yourself."
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Do something every day to stay on track with physical health, even if it's only 10 minutes. "If you're sore from the day before, do some yin yoga or other restorative exercise. Other days, challenge yourself when you have the stamina and energy. But, find that window every day. It doesn't have to be an hour! You can have effective fitness routines in 20 minutes. Our bodies are all different and ever-changing, so those routines will evolve with time."
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Knowing what makes your work special is the key to business monetization. "Know that in your core, and build working relationships on those strengths. Then, have pride in that work and deliver a little more than they expect!"
Want more tips to help you take charge of your life?
Click here to receive a free ebook with advice from health and wellness thought leaders who want to help you thrive. Uplevel and get more consistent with a balanced diet, impactful fitness routine, and positive mental health practices. Find the motivation to achieve your goals and release feelings of doubt, fear, stress, and anxiety. Gain clarity, a sense of purpose and the drive to follow through so you can take charge of your life like never before!
Get more from Dreena on her website, Instagram, Facebook page, Twitter, and YouTube channel. Speaking of YouTube, check out this interview Whitney did with her in 2015:
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