Female Biohacking with Lauren Berlingeri, Co-Founder of Higher Dose
Today I am chatting with my friend, female Biohacker and Co-Founder of Higher Dose, Lauren Berlingeri. We talk about all things beauty and female biohacking.
I also love and use her products from Higher Dose. You can save with the code KAYLA.
Shop Here
https://higherdose.com
Total Tox Burden Test That We Discuss on The Show
https://www.vibrant-wellness.com/tests/environmental-toxins/
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
Kayla Barnes (00:00)
Lauren, it is such a pleasure to have you here. We were talking all sorts of kind of beauty biohacking things before we hit record, but we're definitely going to dive into that today. So thank you for being here.
LAUREN (00:11)
Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to chat with you today.
Kayla Barnes (00:14)
Yeah, me too. I've been using your products. I love them. The PMF Matt is amazing. The sauna blanket is amazing. But I want to talk a little bit about how did you get into this? I know you had some clinics in New York. Just all the details.
LAUREN (00:29)
Yeah. So fast forward. Oh, sorry, rewind. Ten years back, I used to be a TV presenter. I had my own show around fitness called Woman Versus Workout, which was a really cool show where I did all sorts of crazy next level sports activities and jobs like mass car driving, motocross, firefighter training. I did 24 hours hall night with the Navy Seals. It was like a very intense fitness show. And that led me to be a host for other extreme sports brands like EA Sports and USC. And I really love the fitness side of things, but I've always been really passionate about nutrition. So about ten years ago, I went to nutrition school. I just went to Iin, which was such a great school because it kind of, like, gets you a little bit on all sorts of different diet, philosophies and ways of eating. And I got to trial all sorts of different things from macrobiotics to trying to be like vegetarian or vegan and down to supplements. And it really taught you a lot about health coaching and starting your own business. And I really knew that deep down, my true passion was more around, like nutrition and eating.
LAUREN (01:41)
So about eight years ago, I got a job at a wellness startup called Aloha, and my job is the brand ambassador program as well as product development. So I got to spend hours in a boardroom with the most influential people in the wellness space, doctors, naturopaths, fitness experts, and just pick their brains on what it is that they're doing. What are they telling their clients to do? What are the best technologies and ingredients so that it could inform us on what products we should create? Because unlike higher dose, Aloha started with a brand without a product. So we had to quickly try to figure out what our product is versus higher dose. We started with a product and built a brand around it. Very different ways of starting businesses. But during that time, I was introduced to the infrared sauna by Dr. Frank Litman. He told me he pretty much tells all of his clients to do it. It's good for everyone. It's so gentle, it's so safe, it's so effective. There's all these amazing benefits and science and research, and I was like, infrared. I've never heard of that. And I've lived all around the world through Turkey all through Europe, Canadian, but lived in Australia.
LAUREN (02:53)
So I've forgotten there was always such a strong, chronic culture where I went.
Mine is when I lived in North America.
LAUREN (03:00)
I couldn't find a good sauna here if I tried, not even at the high end gyms, like, nothing. So I went and tried the only infrared sauna that existed at the time, which was in a colonic center in the basement behind a curtain. I went and tried it and just couldn't believe how amazing I felt afterwards. And over my years of just being obsessed with nutrition and fitness, I've never had anything that made me that immediately feel so good afterwards. It's usually things that take four or five sessions to really see the benefits. But with the infrared, it was immediate. Like, my skin was glowing. I felt calm, connected, which in New York is almost impossible. I slept through the night for the first time, like, deep asleep I've ever slept before, and I was just like, Hold on. This is the magic blue pill that we're trying to discover in the boardroom at Aloha. It detoxes your weight loss. It gives you amazing skin. It helps with sleep. I just knew right then and there that I wanted to learn so much more about infrared, but also that I wanted to start my own business around this.
LAUREN (04:06)
So I was actually introduced to Katie, my business partner, through a colleague of mine, and Aloha, because he was pitching her on some probiotic dumb idea. And I kind of crashed the meeting and told her about infrared sauna. I showed her my really shitty deck that I put together, and she went and tried the sauna and felt the exact same way. And she was like, we're always trying to find things that are addictive, and this is, like, such a healthy addiction, and I love it. So we pretty much started higher dose the very next day. Just, like, with my background in nutrition and fitness and just searching for amazing health and wellness products, I just knew that this was going to be the next biggest thing.
Kayla Barnes (04:52)
I love it. And I also agree on sauna. I usually do sauna, like, four times a week. I usually do after my workout. What's your opinion on that protocol? What would you say?
LAUREN (05:03)
I think you can't go wrong. Like, for me personally, there are times when I really want it to use it as a recovery tool. There's times when I really want to use it as a warm up tool. Like, I want my muscles to be nice and relaxed because I may be going into yoga or Pilates or something that I want to be more open for. I use it sometimes in the morning to start my day. Unlike traditional saunas, you don't feel tired after an infrared sauna. You feel, like, energized and balanced sometimes. I use it before I go to bed and I have the deepest sleep. I really use it up all different times of the day and feel like you cannot mess it up.
Kayla Barnes (05:37)
Yeah, absolutely. I agree with that.
LAUREN (05:39)
Can you talk a little bit about.
Kayla Barnes (05:40)
The mechanisms of why it makes you feel so good?
LAUREN (05:43)
Yeah. So traditional saunas heat the air and not objects, and infrared heats objects through light therapy. So there's so many benefits that you're getting other than just heating the body and getting a detoxifying sweat. You're also releasing happy chemicals because your eye picks up on the light spectrum and releases serotonin, much like the sun. And your body speeds up your heart rate to the pace of a light jog. So you're releasing endorphins and you're just feeling so good because you're releasing all these poppy chemicals. And also it downs Cortisol levels because much like the sun, it's very calming and relaxing for the body, not like traditional songs, which can be really aggressive and very hard, which are superficially heating the body. So it actually downs Cortisol levels and puts your body into a state of breast and digest and relaxation. Whereas with traditional saunas, sometimes I feel like if anything could stress me out a little bit more, or I just feel tired and exhausted afterwards. It also vibrates your water molecules and pulls out heavy metals, radiation, and environmental food instead of your fat cells. So it's the most detoxifying sweat that you've ever felt in your life before.
LAUREN (06:56)
It's not like a traditional sweat that you get when you work out, which is like salty. And sometimes you have armpits smell because you're releasing Cortisol. It's very different. It's like this oily sweat because it's pulling from the fat cells and because you're releasing all these toxins. It's so purifying and cleansing and yeah, it's just like one of my favorite, pretty much like, wellness hacks. And I'm really into light therapy in general, so infrared is one form of that. But I really love red light in general, too, as well. I'm just a really big fan of what light therapy can do for you, and that's the biggest point of difference is that it is a light therapy.
Kayla Barnes (07:36)
Wow. Yeah. That makes so much sense. Like the exercise sweat versus the infrared sweat. And I also agree the benefits of sleep for me, I really love in addition to just we're facing such an incredible toxic burden daily from our food, water, air. So I love doing it for a good detox and sweat. Do you take any binders before you do the sauna?
LAUREN (08:00)
You know what? I was on all sorts of different things. I've been doing this on religiously for the last seven years of my life. So I did at some point. I was taking charcoal tablets, but I really like deep dives into the niacin slushes and chlorophyll. Those are the two probably most popular detox forms that go with infrared saunas, where there's protocols and communities around detoxing with those two things. So I found that to be really interesting and super effective. And we are launching a detox drop that goes with the Sauna. Mind you, we wanted it to be more like an everyday detox so that if you don't have an inside Sauna, you could totally get all the benefits of detoxing. So that's why we decided to not put any binders in there, especially things like charcoal, which can be a little bit more aggressive. But I do suggest that if you are using the infread because you want to detox, having metal mold, whatever it is that you do, take some binders when you go in there. But if you want something that's more of like gentle everyday detox core feels really great. And so is niacin.
LAUREN (09:11)
Niacin can be a little aggressive. You definitely want to follow the protocols because there's like stress things around, like taking facts after. And I'm not an expert on the knives and plushes, but there's all sorts of really cool information on the Internet of people that literally have been doing these for years and have had such amazing healing benefits from them.
Kayla Barnes (09:33)
Yeah. I don't always take a binder. Sometimes I do either. Chlorophyll water. I've done both charcoal and niacin, but I don't always take one. So good to know.
LAUREN (09:44)
What binder do you take if you do?
Kayla Barnes (09:46)
Sometimes I do charcoal and also sometimes I do niacin as well, for the most part when I go into Finder well, actually, no. Yes, you're right. But I take niacin just to kind of increase the detoxification benefit. So I would rather do it while I'm in the Sauna because otherwise you're just like getting all red and kind of flush for no reason. So I would rather just do those together.
LAUREN (10:08)
Yeah, it's really cool because what we've been working on for the last year and a half is our CCG line up top of both and adjustable that are magnesium based. But we have, like I said, our detox drops that we're going to be launching. We have recovery powders that we're going to be launching. But I really love our healing oil, which is a Castor oil base with broccoli seed in it. And then we have the magnesium in there and warming essentials, and you put that on different parts of your organ. And it's kind of like the Sauna. It acts like a Castor pack where if you heat the Castor oil, you can pull toxins that are stored within your fat cells and organs. Even I am absolutely obsessed with that. I know so many women that have healed, like POS or any sort of hormone imbalances or things that are going on in your ovaries just from Castor oil. So I'm all about increasing anyway that you can detox even more while you're using the Sauna blanket in the Sauna. Yeah.
Kayla Barnes (11:05)
I love that. That's really unique, too. I haven't thought about that. I've heard about, of course, the Castro packs. I haven't done it myself, but that's a really unique way to kind of just double up on getting benefits while in the sauna.
LAUREN (11:18)
Yeah, that's how we're thinking about our topicals and adjustables it's just like, how do you enhance the benefits of the reason why you're using our wellness tech in the first place and then create at home spa rituals for people? Like, self care has kind of become the newest trendiest thing. I feel like people are talking more about self care than they are about factor these days, which is really awesome to see just the shift in what people are prioritizing. And maybe it's just my community, I don't know. But I just feel like health and wellness is like all of a sudden kind of become really cool overnight, which I'm Super excited to see.
Kayla Barnes (11:58)
Yeah, I agree. I don't know, maybe the people that we surround ourselves with because I'm pretty sure I haven't heard anyone talk about fashion in, like, I don't know, eight years or more.
LAUREN (12:08)
I would just rather spend myself on feeling good.
Kayla Barnes (12:12)
Absolutely. I mean, health is an investment, not an expense. And I know that sometimes even when I make posts online, people say, I mean, I completely understand not everyone can afford it. I hope that changes in the future. But if you do have any disposable income, I mean, that's the place I like to put it personally.
LAUREN (12:29)
Yeah, I agree.
Kayla Barnes (12:31)
So let's talk about the face mask. So I love red light therapy. I've been doing like, red light panels for many years. But let's talk about some of the topical skin benefits and what the protocols are for your masks.
LAUREN (12:43)
Yeah, I really love red light. And traditionally red light has been used with infrared. So we, of course, are obsessed with infrared technology. And then there's red light on top of that, too. And paired together are amazing for anti aging. And it does all sorts of amazing things for the skin. Boost collagen production, downs inflammation within the phase, increased blood pressure, circulation, oxygenates the skin, oxygenates and really feeds the cell, increases something called ATP, which is energy. So you're really just like optimizing every cell so that it does what it's supposed to be doing, which is pretty amazing. You can't really go wrong with it, which is another thing I love about red light and red is it's so safe and so gentle and you can't really mess it up. Like, as long as you stick with how close you're supposed to be away from the light and the time period that the product suggests, that's all you need to know. You can use it twice a day. You can use it every day if you want to. What we really focused on too, is that we did not create nor red light. But what we really are focused on is our design around the red light face mask so that you can use it the way it should be, which is three, four times a week, even twice a day.
LAUREN (14:04)
We want to make this easy for you. So our face mask is medical grade silicone. It's really flexible and fits to the base of the forms to anyone's face shape, which we love. It has three straps so it goes onto your head and it doesn't fall off. So you could be walking around the house doing chores, watching TV, doing your yoga, whatever it stays on your face, it's cordless so you don't have to stay plugged into a wall. And then we have the eye holes too as well, so that if you wanted to continue to work or watch TV, you could totally do that, which is really awesome. I know that there's a lot of benefits of actually letting your eyes see the red light too. So if you want a double dose of that, you can always take the face mask off and hold it like a little bit further away or even put it on different parts of your body. So, yeah, I love our red light face mask because it's actually so easy to use. It allows me to use the red light five times a week.
Kayla Barnes (15:03)
I agree with that. With the panels, I try to do it right after I get out of the shower. So while I'm brushing my hair. But with your mask, anything that you can kind of habit stack, people are going to do a lot more frequently. And B, it just makes the process more enjoyable. And the other thing that I really like is because your application is directly on the skin, you don't have to be so worried about in my standing six to twelve inches away. Exactly. And so on and so forth. What about when it comes to skin care products, do you recommend putting skincare products on before or after?
LAUREN (15:38)
Yeah. So skincare products, the only thing you really have to be careful of is to not use like a thick coil or a sunscreen, like sunscreen, for sure. Not I always like to do ten minutes of it with no product and then ten minutes with product. We are launching a glosterone that is heat and light activated. So the ingredients in the standalone are amazing for your skin, like hospital choline and human greed. Collagen and copper peptides, copper, ghkcu peptide. Those are all amazing for skin, but they also have been scientifically studied to be accelerated or amplified with red light specifically. So I really love using a glow serum or a serum that specifically has been designed to be used with light therapy. But I think traditionally, if you are worried, you might want to just wash your face and have a clean face before using your red light face mask and then put on your skincare line afterwards.
Kayla Barnes (16:37)
That's so exciting. I can't wait for that for you. And I would love to try it once you guys release those products because it makes so much sense to me if it's going to be activated by light. Definitely. Kind of combining those two is so smart.
LAUREN (16:49)
Yeah. You know what? There's so much skincare out there right now, but specifically the ones that are like glow serum or light activated, they're full. So much crap. It's crazy. Like, I just can't even get on board with it. And ours is the first one that's extremely clean. There's no ingredients that aren't like an active ingredient in the preservatives. It's an aloe gel base, so it's like very cooling and nourishing and hydrating for the skin regardless. So it's just like that was always like a focus for us. It's like, have a product that you would find in a health food store that you love and trust that the products and the ingredients but kind of create more of like a spa experience around it, whether that be with, like, essential oils or just the packaging. But keep it clean. I don't want any other crap in there.
Kayla Barnes (17:42)
Completely agree. And I'm glad that chemicals and cosmetics are kind of becoming more spoken about. There's actually an HBO documentary on haircare, skincare and makeup that I highly recommend everyone watch because it's just scary. And to be honest, it should be illegal what they're able to put into products. So anyone doing it the right way, like you are, I'm very grateful for.
LAUREN (18:07)
Yeah, it's kind of wild. I feel like a lot of women wake up to that kind of stuff when they start to have kids. Like when you get pregnant or you think about choosing products for your baby, and then you're like, constantly looking at the back of the labels and starting to educate yourself. And then you look at what you've been using the last ten years and you're just like, why would I not hold myself to the same standard? And I think women are really starting to think about that. I need to take care of myself the way that I put my kids first or my husband first. And I need to start doing that for myself, too, as well. So that was always like a big wake up call for me. Do I really want to be putting these chemicals in my bodies that are hormone disruptors that could potentially be making me sick? No ways.
Kayla Barnes (19:00)
Absolutely. There's actually tests. If you're listening to this and you're wondering your chemical burden, there are tests that you can see just like the levels of endocrine disruptors things of that nature in your body. So really important to go back to the sauna.
LAUREN (19:16)
What are those tests? Do you know which ones they are?
Kayla Barnes (19:18)
They literally can just test the levels. I'll pull what the name is and I'll put it in the show notes or I'll send it to you. But yeah, a lot of fertility doctors use these tests because if there are struggles getting pregnant, sometimes it can be based on the fact that the chemical or the toxin burden is so high, and it will literally just test for a whole variety of different endocrine disruptors. So I'll pull the exact test out and put it in the show notes and send it to you, too.
LAUREN (19:47)
Yes, it's actually funny that you say that, because when I was thinking around getting pregnant, it was really important for me to do, like, a really big detox before. And I did, like, a whole intensive six month protocol. That's where I was doing a lot of the Niacin and infrared saunas and just, like, being very careful with my diet and just trying to get my hormones right and just try to create my foundation and baseline. It'd be really great because it's one thing to try and get pregnant then when you are pregnant, if you're not in a good place hormonally or your body is not seen, your pregnancy becomes so much harder than it needs to be. And that was always really important to me, and that's when it really made me realize women are the original biohackers. We always had to be biohackers, and.
That'S because we're on a 24 hours cycle like men.
LAUREN (20:41)
But then we also have a 20 AC cycle and that you get when you're in your teens where you have to manage your hormones and how you feel totally different in different times in the month. And then you start to get older and you think, oh, I want to get pregnant now. I need to clean up my body, and I need to take care of myself, and then you get pregnant, and then you have a kid, and it's just, like constantly going through these cycles of your body being totally different and totally different lack of issues that you've had before and just really trying to work on your hormones and balancing your hormones. And it's just like it's been our job. My husband's always like, you're always working on something to do with you. And I'm like that's so much harder to be a woman than it is to be a man. Like, you guys thrive off of cortisol and can push your body to all sorts of limits. And it's like a healthy thing where women can't do that as much because we have to create life inside of us. So, yeah, it was just like this whole revolution for me where I was like, I really just want to focus on females and female biohacking and the goals that they have and really deep dive into all the science and research and treatments and experiences that are out there to see how it can enhance and make me feel better and reach the goals of what I'm working on at the moment.
Kayla Barnes (22:04)
Absolutely no, I love all that, and I think I've had a couple of other women on my show, but I told you, it's such an important thing for me this year to increase that. And it's so fun because I think this is one of a very small amount of female to female biohacker conversations I've gotten past. So, again, I really appreciate that from you. And yeah, you're right. Which is a lot more we have to pay really close attention to things that we're doing, whether it be fasting, whether it be how we're recovering and kind of going back to the chemical burden. I mean, infertility rates are just skyrocketed right now from even men having really low testosterone and sperm count. And my belief is and there's many people that agree with me and science backs as well is that we are just exposed to so many toxins and women more than men because we wear all these hair products and then we add makeup, and then we had a lot of fragrance, and some men wear fragrance and obviously skincare, but we just have a lot more going on in that realm. And what they're allowed to put in these products, like I said, I feel is criminal, but at least we're talking about it more so people can be more aware that's step one.
LAUREN (23:20)
Yeah. And then there's light solution on top of it. Right. We're in front of our devices all day long and blue light and under floor sunlighting in our offices. And then we're not getting sun exposure or red light therapy or infrared. And that's awful to hormones, too, as well, which is another reason why I love red light and infrared so much is because those are two regenerative light spectrum. And for women, they balance hormones. And for men, they boost testosterone, which is huge. Just adding those two things and can be so beneficial and then trying to put, like a little bit more boundaries and rules around when you're exposing yourself to your device, like, just so much for people.
Kayla Barnes (24:01)
Absolutely. I agree. Really, the biggest part of biohacking is just going back to what we used to do, where instead of eating these chemical filled food products and all this and constantly being connected and stressed, it's just going back to the basics, getting light, nature, grounding walking light spectrum like we used to be exposed to, but are not really anymore. We're only really exposed to what I would call junk light, like you said. Yes, I absolutely agree with this. And what I really love to go back to your sauna real quick. Low or zero EMF, because of course, we don't want to be doing something good for ourselves and then also be exposing ourselves to dirty electricity or electromagnetic fields at the same time. And your guys'devices is super low EMF.
LAUREN (24:48)
Right.
Kayla Barnes (24:48)
The sauna blanket.
LAUREN (24:49)
Yeah. That was really important to us. We were really lucky, Katie and I, when we started seven years ago, we started as infrared spa locations. So we just partnered with the number one infrared sauna company, Clearlight, who are like the best people on the planet. And they've been doing infrared for the last 30 years. They're the experts. They have tons of patents. They have the lowest EMF units on the market, plus they have the most powerful full spectrum heaters. So we created our customs on it with them. So I can't take credit for the low EMF for the technology that we have been given access to. But also Raleigh Duncan, who is an advisor of ours, also helped us create our Sauna market, which was really important for us to create a more portable version because not everyone can afford a Sono or press space for it or even wants to take care of one. But most people love the benefits of infrared and just want something quick and easy and something that you can store very easy in your house too as well, and also not too expensive. So we created this with Raleigh.
LAUREN (25:55)
He really helped advise us and point us to the right people to help us get it done and just the right guidelines around it. So actually, our Sauna blankets have even lower EMS than the Saunas. The Saunas are already super low. They are zero. 3 miles off, which is like nothing like your phone or AirPods can surge up to like 50 ML. It's insane. And we don't even think about it. And we put that in our ear, whereas the Saunas are like virtually nothing. And then our Sauna legs are even less. But that's an obvious because our Sonic legs are much less technology than a big, massive unit is. But there are virtually no EMS. Like, there's obviously a tiny bit we have to say that there are some, but nothing to be concerned about. And definitely when you're choosing a product that is supposed to be good for your health, you really need to choose quality and like the best technology that you possibly can, because the last thing that you want to do is expose yourself to harmful energy, EMS and Elf, and then also be choosing products that are made with clean ingredients like clean glue, sauna, or clean materials like our Sauna blanket.
LAUREN (27:05)
So we have been working on our Sauna blanket for the last three years on our fourth version. Right now, our fourth version that we launched, the materials are so clean that they pass the OC standards of California, which are extremely high standards. And it was a really hard thing to do because our salon blanks are also waterproof too as well. So they're really easy to clean, really easy to store. They last forever and you don't really have to worry about it. So that was also something that we were really passionate about on top of clean energy.
Kayla Barnes (27:37)
You're speaking my language. I appreciate it all and love it and I know that the audience will as well. So let's talk about the PMF. Matt, I'm a big fan of PMF for everything from recovery to boosting HRV, but I would love for you to talk a little bit about it and what makes it special and why you guys wanted to add it to your lineup of products.
LAUREN (27:57)
Yeah. So again, another technology that we were obsessed with. So Katie and I are really into the biohacking world for many reasons, mainly because of the exposure to amazing technologies and products and theories and things that you can do that no one's talking about. So during that time, just being in the community, like PMS kept coming up and it's one of the best technologies and we love that it's grounding and it increases blood flow and circulation. It puts your body into sympathetic state. A lot of the same benefits of infrared. So with our sauna blanket, it's quite a commitment because you sweat like you've never sweat before. It's like a workout without working out. But we wanted to create something that was not such a commitment where you have to sweat intensely, but you can get all the amazing healing recovery benefits of infrared. So we've seen some amazing units on the market for pet therapy mind too. They go to all sorts of crazy different frequencies that can literally heal bone that are awesome, super expensive, like the price of a new car. But we knew that we wanted to just add in some of the frequencies that are more calming and relaxing versus some of the more intense ones that are used to heal muscle and tendon.
LAUREN (29:17)
So we use lower level frequency of PMS with infrared. And we also paired that with £25 of Crystal therapy, which is even more calming and grounding and emit negative ions, because we keep those two stones, they emit negative ions and they also produce natural infread. Because infrared is something that you experience in nature, you can also get infrared from person to person. It's just that feeling of, like, that warmth that's coming out of them, that's a natural infread. So our hemp mat with infrared and Crystal therapy literally feels like you're laying on a warm stone in Arizona that's been naturally heated by the sun. That was the whole idea behind the pen, because we wanted to have something that was relaxing, that could be something that you use before you go to bed, that could relax you, could be something that you use all day long and get all of those calming healing benefits of those amazing technologies. So again, it was just a matter of stacking amazing things that we loved that ultimately did the same thing.
Kayla Barnes (30:22)
Definitely. And it's super easy just to put on your chair. I actually usually have it on this one. It's right next to me right now, but it's so easy. I have, like my nanovie here. I have a little grounding map that I put my arms on typically, but I made a post yesterday about biohacking, your office space, just whatever you can do to make your space more healing and beneficial to your biology and energy levels and all that, I think is really great. And it's kind of like the face mask. You can do it while doing anything else. So those are always my favorite biohacks, because I like to stay productive while getting the benefits of something else.
LAUREN (30:59)
Yeah.
Kayla Barnes (31:01)
So you have this incredible series called Biohacker, and I've been watching some of your videos. A lot of things. I've tried some of them I have not, though. So first I want to ask you, what's been your favorite experience?
LAUREN (31:17)
That's actually really hard. I looked at probably the Ketamine therapy because it was such a life changing thing for me, and it was like something that worked on such deep rooted fears in my life that were controlling me. And I didn't even realize how much they were controlling me until I started to look at it. And I've never really been one to do a ton of therapy, even though I knew I probably should have. But it felt like for me, ten years of therapy in two sessions in one week, and it also just really helped me reprogram my brain in a way that I didn't even think was possible. I just thought I was always going to have to live with the fact that I'm a little bit more fearful and going to worry about my kids in a way that I couldn't control because my mom would like that, too. And doing the Kevin and feeling the benefits almost immediately. I felt so good, so high afterwards, like, so connected to people. But to watch these deep rooted fears of my kids getting injured or hurt just slip away. It was the most freeing thing I've ever experienced in my life.
LAUREN (32:33)
Like, say, if I used to worry about my kids getting hurt, I don't know, like, 80% of the time when I wasn't with them, literally now it's like 5%. Whereas if the thought comes up, I realize what it is, and then I just kind of let it go and I go back to what it is that I was doing. Whereas, like, before, I had no control, like, zero control. It was just going to consume me until I got a hold of the babysitter and found out that my kids were okay. So Ketamine is pretty wild, especially if you go in there with a specific thing and intention that you're looking to heal and you go with the right people that are the right facilitators of it. I think it could be one of the most profound things that people do.
Kayla Barnes (33:18)
Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. That was intravenous, I'm guessing. Right.
LAUREN (33:24)
So that was a needle, like an IV. It wasn't an IV. It was just a needle in the arm injection.
Kayla Barnes (33:32)
Okay.
LAUREN (33:32)
There's an injection. It's with a company called Field Trip. I think they're the leading brand. And Ketaby Therapy. And you work with a psychotherapist before you do, like, a therapy session. You pretty much diagnose me with PTSD since delivering my twins. And then they assign you a therapist. You do, like, therapy sessions they hand hold you through the whole experience and guide you to allow you to let it be the experience that it should be without going in there with fear or, like, blockages or resistance. And then your first session, they do, like, one shot in the arm that's like, a standard dose that they use as a baseline. And then they ask you about 30 minutes into the experience if you want more, which I was already, like, on another planet, which is the baseline that they gave me because it was still a lot for me. And then they do suggest that you come back in a short period of time, and then they'll double the dose, or they'll triple it and start building more and more until you get to the point where they literally say you're on a field trip where you feel like you've left the room, like you're on a different planet.
Kayla Barnes (34:41)
Yeah, ketamine is a disassociative. So I actually have, like, a spray that's a ketamine. But I've never done more of this really intensive treatment like you're talking about. So how long was this ride that you were on? Kind of like, how long was the experience?
LAUREN (35:00)
It was just an hour. And I've done a lot of psychedelics before, like, ayahuasca where I felt ungrounded for weeks afterwards, whereas with Ketamine, I was in New York City. I thought, oh, man, that's the worst place to do this. Within, like, an hour after the session felt totally back in my body, like, I could drive a car, even though we don't suggest that you do that. But I went to this restaurant by myself, and literally my energy was so magnetic. I was, like, attracting all these people that wanted to talk, which in New York, you don't get the wrong time to paint conversations like, I don't know where it came from. And then my second session that I did two days later, it went even deeper and totally left the room, experienced death and everything. And the next day, I had investor meetings, like, six of them back to back, and I was, like, on fire. My energy was so intoxicating for people and my passion for life, it really came through, and I felt like, oh, man, that's the total reset that I need. If I'm ever, like, feeling, like, stressed or just, like, low energy or can't get out of my own way, I'm just going to do, like, heading kind of, like, hit that reset button, because it just put everything in perspective for me.
Kayla Barnes (36:18)
Super cool. So do you think you'll do it again sometime soon?
LAUREN (36:22)
Yes. So I live in Austin right now. I heard there's some good Kenny places. It's just a matter of researching, so I really love the old trip. I really suggest that with everyone, I can't tell you how much I just loved every moment of it, so I would love to do it. I want to do it with my husband because it's kind of funny. Like, do all this work on yourself, and then you kind of want the person that you're with to also be doing it as well because you feel like you've reached different States. And he's always been into psychedelics to himself. So I would love to do six close sessions with him next.
Kayla Barnes (36:59)
That sounds amazing. You'll have to keep me updated on how that goes.
LAUREN (37:03)
I will.
Kayla Barnes (37:05)
So there's another one I'm interested in. You did the frog? Is it Kambu?
LAUREN (37:12)
Yeah.
Kayla Barnes (37:12)
Yeah. Would you do that again?
LAUREN (37:16)
So Biohacker Todd is incredible. The first nine episodes of the show I produced myself, but we brought on this amazing producer who used to work for a Refinery 29. She's the one that found Biohacker Todd. So I knew nothing about him, and I was like, oh, man, combo. Like, I've done this before, had kind of like a shitty experience. I didn't even throw up. It was the last thing I wanted to do. So she brings on this guy, Biohacker Tony. She, like, researched, and he comes up when it comes to Combo's hair monies. And he educated us on the benefits of Combo in a way that no one else has. Talking about the different peptides that you get from the Combo and how they use it. It's amazing for longevity and the ceremony behind it and how the traditions were. But he's also working with different research labs to back all these claims in science, which I really love. So he's totally next level. And I don't know if it was his combo or what he did, but we had the most amazing experience with him. First of all, I vomited. Like, I've never vomited before.
LAUREN (38:25)
And it was interesting to see what came up for me versus what came up for Katie. It was so on point. Like, I know my whole thing in life is, like, liver detoxification of the liver anger. And my vomit was, like, bright yellow, and that's like pure liver channel. Whereas my business partners was Brown. She had, like, whatever came up in her, I can't fully remember, but it was just, like, so different. So you end up purging crowd that's in you, whether it's emotional or physical, even spiritual, and you get rid of that. And I just think that makes so much sense, like that act of purchase. So if you can get a good practitioner, if you don't bomb it, I would say I'd be a little concerned that you didn't get the full experience from Combo.
Kayla Barnes (39:18)
Yeah, I've never done that one either. I have done ayahuasca which I also did it in New York City and also decided that probably should have done it somewhere more in nature. Definitely.
LAUREN (39:30)
Yeah. Okay.
Kayla Barnes (39:32)
Any other favorite episodes that we should touch on? Those were two really interesting ones and things, you know, of course, we're not recommending that everyone do them, but definitely things to look into and explore and see if it's a good fit for you.
LAUREN (39:46)
Yeah. The thing is, this show has been the most fun thing to film ever. For my own selfish reasons, I'm like, I'm glad. It's like helping other women, too, showing them that there's solutions and therapies and products out there that could really change their lives that they didn't know existed. And on that note, one of the most amazing things that I didn't know existed was radio frequency for the vagina for all the women out there that have babies. I had twins, so I had a whole different experience where I literally tried to push them for 6 hours. So I pretty much technically had a vaginal birth and then end up in emergency C section. So I had the worst delivery experience. But things are just so different down there. After you have kids and then you have multiple, and it's just different. And, you know, there's things like, oh, you should do key goals. Meanwhile, no one really knows how to do a kegall, and you have to do, like, thousands and thousands and thousands of them to really get the benefits. But there's an amazing wand, and it's a radio frequency that tightens the vagina but also strengthens the muscles that hold your urine in, help you with inconstance, but then also works on the outside of the vagina.
LAUREN (41:05)
So it kind of pulls everything back in. So you feel like you've been revitalized, and it's something that women never really talk about. But we go through so much with delivering babies, and things are totally different down there, and there's no resources. It's just like, your doctor's like, okay, you're fine. Good luck. That's it. And women have only started talking about their experiences and being more honest about delivery and pregnancy in ways that they've never been before. And then to be able to discover something that can actually help you with such a mind blowing thing. To me, I think radio frequency for the vagina should be included in your health care for every woman that has kids out there, because it just does so much for not only your anatomy and your physical body, but just your confidence. It doesn't have to be a shallow thing. When some people think about revitalizing their vagina, you're like, oh, wow, who needs that? But after kiss, it's such an important thing for you just to feel confident about that area. So anyways, that was one of my favorite episodes, and the woman that did it there, she was so sweet and just told me how much she's changing woman's lives, not only for women that have had kids, but some women who never even orgasm in their life before that come into her clinic at the age of 50 and use this radio frequency and ignite that again.
LAUREN (42:42)
So that was, like, a really cool episode, because I didn't think that existed.
Kayla Barnes (42:46)
Yeah, that's amazing. What was it? Was it the pshot or what is that called?
LAUREN (42:50)
No. The Oshot is something different. The Oshot was also really good, too, but it was aggressive. It kind of hurt. Obviously, surgery is a much more intense procedure, but this was pretty intense where they take your blood, take the plasma, and then inject it back into your clitoris was like a massive needle. And then inject you also into your G spot. Inside, it was still a lot of pressure, still really uncomfortable. Whereas I felt like I got the same benefits of radio frequency that I got with the Oshaw was like a gentle warm wand that she literally just penetrates you with for 30 minutes. And you see the before and after within one session because she takes photos and video and asks you to cough. And then after you had the procedure done, it's not even a procedure. It's like a therapy. She asked you to cough again, and it's like the muscles are so strengthened, your vagina looks like a totally different vagina from the outside. It was, like, mind blowing what it could do in one session.
Kayla Barnes (43:55)
Wow. Yeah. That's incredible. And I agree with you, too. We need to be talking about women's sexual health and sexual health in general more. And so I'm so glad you guys are taking the time to do that and explore all these really cool spaces that women can have this done.
LAUREN (44:15)
Yeah. There's all these amazing biohackers that are kind of dominating the biohacking space, and it's mainly male. Like, when you think about biohacking, you think of Ben Greenfield or Hook Story or Dave Ashbury, and there's also, like, a bunch of different male doctors, but they're always talking about faster, stronger, like living forever. And it's just like women have different goals than men do. And some of these amazing technologies can contribute to some of these goals that women have, too, as well. So I think there needs to be just, like, more female voices within the space that are open and willing to try these things and report back on their experience and what works and what works for them and just getting that information out there. We really just want to be, like, thought leaders and educating women that there are things out there, which is also why I love talking to you so much, because you're doing that exact same thing. And it's just, like, such an important message. And just sitting here talking to you for ten minutes, like, I learned something that could totally change my life.
Kayla Barnes (45:24)
Yeah. It's so important to share knowledge because there's, of course, things that you guys are doing that I have not done yet. I'm super interested in this. I haven't had kids, but it's good to know about these things anyways. And of course, like you said, spread the word so other people that it could really benefit as well. So, yeah, that's wonderful. I want to talk about. So what are your than, like, top three female biohacks 3510 how many ever you want to give me? But outside of like infrared on and PMF since we've covered those, yeah, it.
LAUREN (45:57)
Goes back to nature and our roots again, which kind of is a little bit boring. Besides Ketamine, I think ketamine is an amazing biohack. I think radio frequency is really great too. But just walking barefoot was a big one for me and especially with my kids. So I'm like making sure that my kids are barefoot most of the time. I'm that crazy lady that shows up somewhere. My kids have no shoes on. But it's such an important thing for me to connect back to nature and just down inflammation within the body and put my body back into parasympathetic state. And it's such a free thing and I'll always end my day after a busy workday, just like outside barefoot, just like decompressing that way. Because that's another thing I'm Super interested in as a female boss. I'm always in my masculine all day long and then I come home and try to be in a relationship with my husband and then offering him around. Why did you do this? And not really in my feminine? So I have these amazing practices that just help me let go of everything that I've done during my work day and put myself back into my feminine, which is ultimately just in space of not fear and receiving and feeling calm and appreciating.
LAUREN (47:20)
And it's like such an amazing thing for me. So another thing is just like also putting on music and moving and dancing. That also helps me put me back in my feminine too. It also makes me more playful with my kids, which is really important. And I think really something that women should be thinking about too as well because I think men and women are craving more women to be in their feminine. And I think that there's such a nice space for both masculine and feminine energies. So I do that. And then I would say another thing that I really love that I think is probably the most powerful thing is just breath work. And it's such simple. Like there's so many quick breath work things that I know that I can just immediately do, whether it's Breath of Fire or doing the square exercise where you breathe in for 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, out for 4 seconds and then do that again. But then I also just like go on YouTube and I'll Google like ten minute Kundalini to give me energy or like ten minute breath work. And my brother's an amazing breath work in yoga meditation teacher.
LAUREN (48:33)
I just find that reset my nervous system. There's also this amazing woman too that talks about resetting their nervous system by doing these eye exercises where you kind of look really far left for 30 seconds and then you look really far right for 30 seconds and that resets the nervous system which is such a big thing because if your nervous system is out of whack and that means that your mental health is, that's what gives you anxiety. So there's this really awesome quick biohack that you could do. Just kind of put your body back into that rest and digest, like calm state puts you in the present moment that is like so beneficial for not only you, but for everyone around you.
Kayla Barnes (49:16)
Yeah, I love that. And you also made a great point. And it's actually something that I've struggled with probably for most of my life because I started my first business when I was 17. So being able to switch from being the boss or having this masculine energy to having a feminine energy is a really interesting topic and I don't think about it much, but I can completely relate. So I think play is so important. I for many years was very just like strict in focus, and I wasn't doing that a lot. And then once I understood the scientific backing of it, I was like, okay, I have to incorporate more of this into my life. So just being silly, laughing, being silly, having fun, music. And you don't have to be so serious all the time because that is such an important part of overall health is having fun and letting go and enjoying the moment too.
LAUREN (50:09)
And it's free.
Kayla Barnes (50:11)
And it's free.
LAUREN (50:11)
Yeah, it's free. I love focusing on things that are quick and free because I do think that the bio hacking world is like an alienate. Some people because they think, oh, you need to have a lot of money to do it or access to the best doctors. Some of the best biohacks are the ones that are the free ones. You just kind of need to know what they are and educate yourself a little bit on them and be open enough to try them and make it a part of your routine because it's a lifestyle. It's not a quick fix.
Kayla Barnes (50:40)
Absolutely. Healing is a marathon, not a sprint.
LAUREN (50:44)
100%. I cannot agree more like it will never stop for me. I just love it.
Kayla Barnes (50:50)
Yes, I know. I always have a new goal and I totally agree. I want to go back to your products really quick. So you have this really cool copper brush. I know that our Lymphatic system is so important and I do try to do some brushing. Not as much as I probably should. I think I should just do it when I'm standing in front of the panel. The red light panel.
LAUREN (51:09)
Yeah.
Kayla Barnes (51:10)
But let's talk a little bit about that. Do you use it every day and what are some of the benefits?
LAUREN (51:15)
Yeah, we're really focused on Lymphatic drainage at higher dose and mainly because infrared saunas are so perfect to pair with treatments that are Lymphatic drainage and the sauna is so detoxifying. But some people need some extra assistance just to get that flowing because their limbs so clogged so we love tools and things that you can do to get that Lymph moving. There's lots of things you can jump on a trampoline or just like workout. You can drink hot water that helps the Lymph system start moving. There's some paddles and tools out there and fascist scrapers. But dry brushing is one of my favorites because it not only drains the Lymphatic system, but it also increases blood flow circulation, which is the opposite of stagnation, which helps with oxygenating the blood and not having inflammation within the body. It exfoliates the skin. I don't know if I said that one leaves your skin super glowy and dewy. It purifies the skin too, as well. And it also recharges the body. Like, I feel charged afterwards. And that's the main reason why we added our copper bristles is because when you do dry brush with copper bristles, they emit negative ions into the air, which is what you experience in nature, which is very calming and grounding.
LAUREN (52:32)
And it's like a perfect thing to add to the dry brush is just like knitting the negative ions out there because there's so many things in nature that naturally exfoliate you too as well. But we just really love tools and things that you can do that add on to our wellness tech that amplify the benefits. And that higher dose if you ever go to a higher dose. In New York City, we do Lymphatic drainage treatments and we dry brush before and we use our healing oil and magnesium sprays and just anything we can do to get that one moving, that's great.
Kayla Barnes (53:06)
When would be the best time to do it before a shower? Is there any key for this, Anna?
LAUREN (53:13)
Yes. If you look into Ayurvedic technique and tradition, they would suggest doing, first of all, you open your limb system and then you rush towards the heart. Some people like to do it in a circular movement and you brush your whole entire body and then you're supposed to immediately put on oil afterwards. That's like very calming and nourishing, like, there's a lot of Ayurvedic oils that are like sesame based or Moringa, where you put that onto your skin and then you go into the shower afterwards. You do not need to do those steps in that order. I actually find it quite annoying because then there's oil in my shower and I need to clean it and it doesn't make sense to me. So I always do dry brushing, then go into the shower, then put a light oil on afterwards while my skin is still wet. So it kind of sends the oil and goes a lot further. Doesn't leave me super oily and greasy. I love to do it before I go into my sauna to assign the sauna at home, and I dry brush while I'm in the sauna. I dry brush before I go in.
LAUREN (54:13)
I also jump on a trampoline before I go in. Some people like to do it before they do a meditation in the morning because they haven't had coffee yet. And it's very energizing and it wakes them a little bit. So many ways to do it. The thing is, again, try to do it as much as you can, but just use your intuition on what works for you.
Kayla Barnes (54:31)
Yeah, I agree with that, definitely. And incorporating it in where we can. That's why I think if I start doing it with the red light panel, I'll be able to just have it stack and make sure that I do it every day. Yeah. I mean, this has been an incredible conversation. We're going to have to do just like a part two, just female biohacking kind of conversation between you and I.
LAUREN (54:53)
Feel like I would love that. Yeah. I feel like I can learn so much from you. So I just want to pick your brain, too, as well. But, yeah, the female biohacking, there needs to be more women like us in the space talking about it. And there are some, but we were talking about getting them all together, and that would be like the most amazing event ever.
Kayla Barnes (55:12)
Definitely. Yeah. If anyone's interested in a female biohacking retreat with Lauren and I drop a comment on our Instagram or let us know in some way, I just want to gauge the interest. But yeah, I was thinking like a beautiful resort or something, or maybe we do it in Austin where you are, or maybe up where I am at my clinic. We'll see.
LAUREN (55:33)
And we'll bring technologies, but we'll also bring all these amazing healers, too, as well. So it'll just be like a whole kind of healing wellness, connecting biohacking retreat.
Kayla Barnes (55:45)
Absolutely. I love it. And I have a code with you guys, and it's Kayla. So if you guys are interested in exploring, which I highly recommend that you do the higher dose products. And before we go, what is dose stand for?
LAUREN (56:01)
Yeah, we don't explain this enough. And whenever I tell people about this, they're like, oh, that's so cool. So docients for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. And those are forming healthy chemicals. And we feel like we're talking about wellness and health in a very different way, which is all around feeling good and getting high naturally.
Kayla Barnes (56:22)
Yeah. When you told me that I was so happy, obviously, me specializing in brain health, the happy neurotransmitters and chemicals are my favorite. So a lot of the things I talk about, from food to exercise movement, all that is about improving our balance and improving the levels of these happy chemicals. So, yes, I highly recommend everyone check out Higher Dose, the Sauna blanket, the PMF mat, the face mask, all of it. And you guys, it sounds like you have so much more coming in the next coming months or a year.
LAUREN (56:54)
Yes. So we're going to be launching the glow serum the second week in May, which is coming up and then we're launching the ingestibles which is our detox tincture our hydration powder and our chill cheese that will be launching in the summertime and then our topicals will come out September, October.
Kayla Barnes (57:11)
That's so exciting. Well, definitely keep me in the loop and always happy to spread the message about those.
LAUREN (57:18)
Thanks you so much, Kayla. This has been really great and yeah, we definitely have to get together and meet in person next time.