Episode 1616: Interview with Dr. Laurette Willis About Taking Care of Your Body as a Temple

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Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining us on episode 1,616 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

Dr. Laurette Willis: I'm Dr. Laurette Willis. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to put your confidence in the Lord is key and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

By the way you think you can actually change that. Research has shown that you can physically grow new neurons through positive, positive words, positive thoughts, and that's in the prefrontal cortex in the, uh, front of your, where your [00:01:00] forehead is.

Scott Maderer: Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the inspired Stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself.

Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

In this podcast episode I interview Dr. Loret Willis. I asked Dr. Loret about how faith and scripture connect to weight and health. I also asked Dr. Lord about how important it is to recognize that taking care of your temple. Is key, and Dr. Loret also shares a little bit about some of the things we do to lose weight that [00:02:00] really aren't good for us.

I have a great book that's been out for a while now called Inspired Living. Assemble the puzzle of your calling by mastering your time, your talent, and your treasures. You can find out more about that book over@inspiredlivingbook.com. It'll take you to a page where there's information and you can sign up to get some mailings about it, as well as purchase a copy there.

I'd love to see you get a copy and share with me how it impacted your world. Dr. Loret Willis is the founder of Weight Loss Without Willpower. As someone who battled emotional eating from the age of six, she is now a cognitive behavioral therapist and Christian weight loss coach who is passionate about helping women be healthy fit.

Free. Dr. Loret empowers women to drop excess weight without dieting, without deprivation, and without delay. By renewing the mind on God's word and retraining the brain using neuroscience techniques based on scripture. She [00:03:00] is also the founder of Praise Moves Fitness Ministry, the C Christian Alternative to Yoga.

It's not so-called Christian yoga, but a word-based Christ focused alternative with hundreds of certified praise moves instructors worldwide. Originally from New York City, Dr. Loret lives in the Ozark foothills of northeastern Oklahoma with her husband and two dogs and the middle of a 40 acre hayfield.

They called the prayer form surrounded by Woods deer and buddy rabbits. Welcome to the show, Dr. Laurette Willis

Dr. Laurette Willis: Thank you so much, Scott. I'm so glad to be here today.

Scott Maderer: Absolutely. So I talked a little bit in the intro about the work you've done and the founding of the Praise Moves fitness ministry and a lot of other things in there.

But I always think of intros and bios and those sorts of things as sort of showing. They're like Instagram photos. They never show the whole picture, you [00:04:00] know, they just show part of it. So take us back in time a little bit and share a little bit about your journey and, and what has brought you to the point where this is what you feel called to do and this is the message that you're putting out in the world.

Dr. Laurette Willis: Well, Scott, I, I like to say that the only thing that's really qualified me for everything I'm blessed to do is everything I've done wrong. And

Scott Maderer: how did you get so wise? Lack of wisdom

Dr. Laurette Willis: falling down and being lifted up again and again. And I would say that as an encouragement to our listeners also because. You may have thoughts along the lines of, oh, God can't ever use me. I've made so many, many mistakes. I've, I've messed up so many times. But you know what? Those things can be a platform for helping others.

I mean, that's what happened with me. Compulsive overeater, emotional eater from the age of [00:05:00] six, uh, became an alcoholic at the age of 13. Uh, sadly, my mother took her own life when I was 24. When I was seven, I got into new age spirituality through yoga. I was a psychic. I was a channel, you know, for the next 22 years into everything from astrology to Zoroastrianism A to Z, you know, looking for God in all the wrong places.

But you know what? It's given me a big nose for. The false. It's given me a big nose for, well, any of our listeners, if you've ever smoked like I did, you have a big nose for tobacco. You can smell it on someone. It's just like, oh yeah, I remember being there.

Scott Maderer: You don't have to be a smoker. You just have to be a lit raised in the house of a smoker.

I have that nose. Oh, and I

Dr. Laurette Willis: never smoked,

Scott Maderer: ever.

Dr. Laurette Willis: Right, and you're sensitive to it. It's the same sort of thing. By turning our lives then over to the Lord. And that's what, what happened for me. He's been able to use all those negatives in my [00:06:00] life, turn them around, given me beauty for ashes, you could say. And they've become a platform of empowerment and healing for others.

Scott Maderer: Mm-hmm. Talk some more about how the. How your faith is kind of interwoven. You know, you, you talked about kind of getting involved with the new age and then obviously now being more of a Christian and, and follower of Christ, but the, there, there's a lot of steps between those two.

You know, how did your faith journey play out, and then how did that affect your life and what you see showing up in your life and vice versa as your life changed, how did that affect your faith as well?

Dr. Laurette Willis: Mm-hmm. From the time I was really, really little, I was always close to the Lord. And I say this as an encouragement to our listeners also to get a picture Bible for any little child in your life, whether they're your [00:07:00] children, your grandchildren, niece, nephew.

A kid at church, a kid in your community, it will change their lives. I remember having this picture bible even before I could read and. The historical accounts. I don't like calling them stories, Scott. 'cause it sounds like they're make-believe, like they're fairytales. But the historical accounts of the Bible, I would see the pictures and I put all my stuff to animals in a semicircle before me and I started preaching.

I tell you what, even from the time I was three and a half, four years old saying what I saw in the word of God and I felt so. Drawn to the Lord. I would hear his voice. I would tell him jokes during the day because I thought, your job is so hard. You need a good laugh. That's what I used to say. I was also an actor in later years known as the Woman of 101 Voices.

So if Betty Boop or Marilyn Monroe or John Wayne or Flipper comes out, you'll know what's going on. Oh no. It's just let, let's

Scott Maderer: flipper, let's leave Flipper off [00:08:00] the list. That's hard to interpret.

Dr. Laurette Willis: Maybe not. Okay.

But no, nobody

Scott Maderer: will know what you're saying if you talk like Flipper the whole time. Uh, for, for the younger audience, flipper was a TV show about a, a porous mm-hmm. For those, look it up. It's on YouTube. I'm sure you can.

Dr. Laurette Willis: That's true. Well, anyway, because of of that and that close connection to the Lord, when that age of accountability came, I was about six years old and I.

Call it. The wall went up. All of a sudden I felt this separation from the Lord when I was six, and it's that age of accountability. Paul talks of, he says, sin revived and I died. It was that feeling. I had a closeness and then it was gone. And you know the enemy, Satan will. Always rush in whenever there's a spiritual vacuum.

And when I was seven years old, my mother and I found yoga, thinking it was just exercise, not [00:09:00] realizing the strong spiritual component to it. In fact, uh, it's known as the missionary arm of Hinduism and. New age, and I'm not the only one that says that. Swami Siva Palani said in a open letter to Evangelicals in Hinduism today, in 1991, over 30 years ago, he said a small army of yoga missionaries has been set out upon the west.

And he was talking about. Those who are beautifully trained as he put it in Haha Yoga, which is the type done in fitness centers and many churches and Kundalini Sita, there are different types of yoga. And he said that yogis may not call it Hinduism, but he said Hindus know where yoga came from and where it leads.

And so I was drawn into the new age just like my mother was. We were led away from Christ [00:10:00] through. Through yoga and for the next 22 years, I was looking for God in all the wrong places. My parents. You know, we're very very well off, very affluent, very, uh, diligent workers. My father was a lawyer and a judge.

Everything looked wonderful on the outside. My mother was the first woman assistant district attorney on Long Island. She also taught at the university. She was Mensa, you know, the for brilliant people, which she didn't wanna do. But my dad was like, you're brilliant. You're gonna do this. It was like, okay.

So she did, but you know, at the same time, she was an alcoholic. My dad was a compulsive overeater and a rageaholic, and so at six years old I found food to cope, to numb the emotions. Then at 13, when my parents were getting a divorce, I was at my top weight ever from overeating, and it's really not so much an overeating problem, but an under feeling.

Problem [00:11:00] coping and, uh, so found alcohol at 13, uh, smoking at 15, promiscuous lifestyle, death style at 16. And then, uh, when my mother took her life when I was 24 and my dad died two years later from diabetes and heart disease, both of them in their fifties, I became very interested in mental health and in physical health.

But I was still as lost as a goose and a snowstorm. But I started looking for God. More and more and more. I went to Europe. I went to 22 countries in six and a half months, backpacking around to all the so-called sacred sites, looking for God went to Machu Picchu and Peru. Still nothing. I was empty.

I was lost on the inside. And then at the age of 29, I came to the end of my. Of myself and, uh, the day before I did Scott, I heard the audible voice of the Lord, which I hadn't heard since I was about six years old. Over my right [00:12:00] shoulder, I was, I had left New York. I'd been an actor in New York and an improv comedian.

I moved to Northeastern Oklahoma to a new age community. I was on my way home and I heard this voice over my right shoulder. What if. Everything you thought about God was completely wrong. Would you be willing to give it up to know the truth? What if everything I thought about God was completely wrong?

Would I be willing to give it up to know the truth? Yes. Yes. I went and the next day was April Fool's Day, Scott. When I went from being a fool for the world of a fool for Christ, I just, I was lonely. I wanted someone to love me for myself, and so I just cried out. The Lord. I said, I surrender. I give up. You win.

If you can do something with this life, you can have it because I can't live like this anymore. I fell on my knees and on my face. I felt this physical weight lift off me, which I learned later, was the weight of sin. New ages don't believe in sin. They think it's an acronym for [00:13:00] self-inflicted nonsense.

Well, if there's no such thing as sin, why did Jesus go, oh, he was just a good teacher. You know? I said, if you want me to be alone, give me peace. If you want me to be with someone, send him soon. I felt peace descend upon me for the first time in my life, and from the center of that joy, this wonderful joy.

And I realized later, Scott, that God delivered me from alcoholism at that moment. I never had another drink, never had a desire for it, never even asked for it. But God in his infinite mercy delivered me and four days later. I met my husband Paul, who had three years clean and sober. So alcohol, drugs never came into our life.

We were married three months later on interdependence day, 4th of July, and we've been married ever since. The Lord is merciful. So that's my journey, and I'm grateful. Grateful.

Scott Maderer: So why, why Praise moves. Why is that what I, I think people can kind of start putting some pieces together, but I'd like to make it more.

Real forum, you [00:14:00] know, why is this something you feel called to do? And you know what's different about your approach? You know, you call it a Christian alternative to yoga, which obviously means. Nothing's, it's not all bad, you know, there, there's gotta be some good in it or else it wouldn't be an alternative to yoga, if that makes sense.

So what have you drawn, you know, from to, to bring it in and make, make it more scripture based? More the, the work that it less new age and more you know. More scripture based is the, the, the word I can use. Yeah. Instead of, you know, instead of of, of that instead of the philosophy of, of the new age philosophy.

Dr. Laurette Willis: Well, this was the kind of thing where I did not want to do this at all. I remember the moment, it was February 25th, 2001 at 10 35 in the morning. You know, the word says, watch and pray. So I looked at my watch, I prayed. That was

Scott Maderer: just kidding. But anyway,

Dr. Laurette Willis: that [00:15:00] was the time when it happened.

All of a sudden I just knew that I was given this idea for praise moves, I was working out to an OVHS, you know, just working out to one of those all, it was Denise Austin, and I thought, wow, no one could really look like that, can they? What if there was an easier way to, to exercise? And I thought, you know, like stretching, but not yoga.

I didn't wanna have anything to do with yoga and it just fell in my heart. It was like this crystal drop of water into. A pool and just the ripples went out. And I just sense praise moves the Christian alternative to yoga, not Christian yoga. 'cause that's an oxymoron like a Christian Buddhist, you know, Christian Hindu, no such thing, but a Christ-centered alternative.

And I said, uh, no, no, I, I didn't wanna, no, I, I spent most of my life avoiding controversy. I didn't wanna, wanna do that. It took me two years, Scott. I prayed, I fasted, I sought the Lord. And [00:16:00] he was just very strong with me. Yes. I want you to do this and have it word-based, the difference. You see there are stretching, strengthening exercises, but our foundation is the word of God that we meditate upon and speak aloud while doing stretching, strengthening postures.

There are over 160 of them in praise moves. Every single one is assigned a scripture that we speak aloud. What? This way it strengthens a person's. Face. Their prayer life. They're getting the word of God on the inside of them. In this witty way, I like to say that the exercise is the witty invention to get you more into the word of God and more of the word of God into you.

It'll transform you. It'll change your life. So for example, let's take the angel posture and for this, using your sanctified imaginations as you're listening, don't try to do this if you're driving, whatever you do, but just imagine this, that you're, it almost looks like you're taking off like superman and [00:17:00] the front leg.

Leg is bent, and you are reaching out just over your knee and your back leg is straight. With your heel touching the ground, your arms are up around your ears, you're reaching up and forward. You can even balance a little bit, bringing the back leg up, but at the same time, here's the most important part.

You're repeating after your instructor or repeating after me. For he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. Psalm 91, 11. So we're getting the word of God in and what this does when you move to the word of God, when you move. Like that, your whole body is involved. People have said to me, Scott, over the years, I was never able to memorize scripture before, but now it's become a part of me because it's not just in the head, it's through all of you.

Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God, Romans 10 17, and you believe more what you say than what [00:18:00] anyone else says. So it's like your whole, your, your whole body, every part of you, your thoughts are standing up at attention. And when you are speaking the word of God. Whew. It changes your life.

Scott Maderer: So let me ask you a question. 'cause earlier you referenced, you know, you were, you were an actor, you've done the voices and you know, all of these things. How do you think that played into what you do now with praise moves? You know what, in my experience, God doesn't, God gives us seeds that we don't even know are seeds, and then they come up.

Weird later, you know, and looking backwards, you're like, oh, that's why that happened. I, you know, totally missed it when it happened, or at least that's been my experience. So how do you think that part of your life plays into what you do now?

Dr. Laurette Willis: I've heard it called a convergence calling. You know, when you see the different things in your life converging, those things that have [00:19:00] happened, uh, in the, in the past and what they can do.

To to, and for us for today, God wastes nothing. Mm-hmm. You know, and communication was always very, very important to me, communication. And I've often said that the enemy will always attack you in the area of your greatest gift. Mm-hmm. And for someone who was gifted with communication and with a voice, I did a lot of voiceovers, things like that.

I was ruled and riddled by fear. Keep your mouth shut. Don't speak, don't say it. Don't. What do people think? We know The word of God says that the fear of man is a snare. What's a snare? That which captures birds, especially keeping them from flying. The enemy doesn't want you to fly, doesn't want you to soar, doesn't want you to do what the Lord's called you to do, and he will use things like fear.

When you can say, I rebuke that fear. I command it to go in the name of Jesus. [00:20:00] And then you speak the word second Timothy one seven and you claim it personally. God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a power and of love and a sound. Mind gracious. It's a spirit. I thought it was just an emotion. I thought it was me, but it's like, no.

And it didn't come from God. It came from the enemy. I command it to go in the name of Jesus. The beautiful thing is that. Wherever we are. Weak, he is strong. Therefore, I glory in my infirmities as Paul said. And infirmities doesn't mean sicknesses, but weaknesses. You know where I am weak. He is strong, but he will use those things like the fun voices that I do, the communication, the ability to.

Speak love through my voice. Perhaps a gift that someone is listening that they have is they're able to share love through writing the love of God, through creating an amazing meal for your family, where they just [00:21:00] feel that, oh my gracious, she mom really loves us. Or like that friend that you told me who knit those little caps for those, those gifts, and she put all of her love.

In into that the Lord will use you. But I tell you what, because it's such a part of you, the enemy will also come with thoughts like, oh, well that's not important. That's just me. Oh, you are a missing piece in, in the puzzle. And it's part of that P-E-A-C-E as well. The peace of God that he wants to bring into others' lives through your gifts.

Scott Maderer: I, I think I actually tell people that's one of the things I tell people is when you're, when you're starting to think about what your calling is or what your giftings are, more often than not, the things you wanna look at is the things that you have a tendency when other people go, wow, that's really amazing.

You go, oh no, that's really no big deal. Anyone could do that. You know, it's like, if that's your reaction. [00:22:00] You're probably gifted in that more often than not, it seems like true. 'cause we dismiss it when in reality that's something when somebody says that, they mean that and you need to hear it.

But we, we dismiss it and push it away because that's not, uh, that, that's our normal reaction. And I don't think that's, uh, that's what God is calling us to do by any stretch of the imagination.

Dr. Laurette Willis: So, yeah, I think that a great answer is either two words. Or three words. The two words would be, thank you.

Thank

Scott Maderer: you.

Dr. Laurette Willis: Three words would be glory to God.

Scott Maderer: Well, and, and honestly, really and truly, both of those are. Thank you. Um, you're just, who are you thinking, um, if that makes sense. So what, uh, when you think about what folks do wrong when they take their approach to weight loss, to to dieting, you know, there's.

There's a lot of messaging out [00:23:00] there around losing weight getting healthy, diet, this, that, just turn on any TV channel and watch for 30 minutes, and you'll probably see a commercial either about food or about dieting or about appearance or, or something like that. That's easy to find. What do you think folks kind of get wrong when they take their approach to weight loss, to, to all of these different things?

Dr. Laurette Willis: A lot of times it's working from the outside in. And that's not gonna work in the long term. The three worst things a person can do is to go on a diet. That would be number one, going on a diet we like to say in, uh, our ministry. 'cause we have several ministries. We have praise moves fitness ministry.

And then we also have weight loss without willpower and weight loss without willpower. Uh, w three sisterhood we call it for short. And we like to say, don't diet. Live it. It has to be something you can live [00:24:00] every day. Diets have a beginning and an end. So let's say someone wants to drop 10 pounds or a hundred pounds, whatever it is, if they're not working on the reasons why they had the excess weight, when that weight comes off, if the inner has not been worked on, if we've not been renewing the mind and retraining the brain.

We're gonna go around that same mountain again. That's where yo-yo dieting comes in. So the three worst things, number one, I'd say go on a diet. The second would be weighing every day, getting on that scale every single day. And some people, you know, they, they say, that's what I do. That's what I, I found for a lot of the women that I, I work with in, in coaching and weight loss, that when we do that, we make the scale an idle.

And it determines what our day is like. Either it's gonna be up or it's gonna be down, or if it's like I, I like what I see on the scale. Maybe I'm not paying attention to my [00:25:00] hunger and satiety or enough signals, right? Because, oh, I can I can splurge, I can whatever, using food for things other than it's meant to be used for.

That's what happened to me, Scott. You know, when I'd have some something emotional happen or just wanted distraction, or I was bored, or I was happy, or I was angry, or I was sad, whatever, I would go to the comfort food instead of to the comforter. And that's what we wanna learn to do, to go to the Lord instead of to the food.

Remember, Jesus had said, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So those three worst things would be going on a diet. Number two would be weighing every day. And then number three would be waiting until Monday. I'm gonna wait until Monday, then I'm going to then I'm gonna be really good.

Or when the kids get outta school, or when the kids get in school, or when the holidays are over, or when the holidays begin or whatever, it's like, no, today is the day of salvation right [00:26:00] now. Look at now, don't look at what you can't do, but what can you do? Here's one thing that you can do. You can drink some water.

I challenge our listeners. That is one thing you can start doing. You can, I'm going to drink some water before I eat my next meal. Here's another thing you could do. Wait on hunger. Now, I didn't have a satiety signal, a full signal for over 30 years. I so lost it. But what we wanna do is get back in touch with the way the Lord made our bodies.

When you were a toddler, you knew when you were hungry, and you knew when you'd had enough. So if you're like, well, you know what? I'm not going to eat lunch just because it's 12 o'clock or eat dinner just because it's six. I'm gonna wait and see when I'm hungry. Do it as an experiment. Be like a scientist or a detective.

See how the Lord made your body. It's exciting, you know? And you just kind of like, oh, is that hunger? Oh, I think it is. When you do take a glass of water, drink. [00:27:00] Now if after about 10 minutes, if you're still hungry, go ahead and eat. But if you're like. Wow, I had that water. Now I'm not hungry anymore. Oh, you know what?

You were thirsty. Wait a second, Loretta. Are you saying that I don't know the difference between hunger and thirsty? Yeah. That happens. Yeah. But we're learning, we're on this wonderful discovery with the Lord getting back in touch, being good stewards of our bodies for his glory.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. And what always is funny to me, 'cause you know, I talk to people about time, talent, and treasure.

The more I look at habit and belief and behavior and all of these sorts of things that get wrapped up in us, you know, the. A lot of the things that are true in your money are true in how you approach time. And then a lot of the things that are true about how you approach time show up in how your health habits are.

And it's why those [00:28:00] areas so often are keystone habits for us because, you know, I've had people where I'm working with them on money, they start getting their money straight and they're like, I'm losing weight. Why am I losing weight? It's like, well, because you get disciplined in one area, it spills over another.

I've seen people that get. You know, they get healthy and they start having a much healthier approach to food and to, to fitness and exercise. And they, and all of a sudden it's like, wait, now my money's getting better. How am I, how's my money? You know? And it's, and it's because all of these mental approaches actually apply.

In more areas of our life than we see, if that makes sense. We think we're compartmentalized and we're not, you know, we're a whole being that God has made us integrated and so when we start fixing or, or approaching or changing one area, it automatically begins to change others. Have you seen that as well when you're, when you see people?

Kind of beginning to take that approach to health?

Dr. Laurette Willis: Yes, absolutely. 'cause they're [00:29:00] finding bondages are being broken, yolks are being removed and destroyed. They're experiencing freedom in ways that they hadn't before. And suddenly when you. Or gaining confidence in one area and you see that the Lord is giving you confidence and is 'cause our confidence is great in the Lord.

He's, it's not about self-confidence. It's my confidence in him that if he's helping me in this area, I believe he can help me in this area and another area as well, or we're blind to certain things. It has amazed me, the things that I did not see, but then when the veil was lifted in certain areas, and I think sometimes when we're strong enough.

To deal with them. The Lord will open our eyes to it or we'll hear something, not a, not condemnation, but like a conviction of like, I want you to take a look at this. Now, I want you to take a look at this. He never condemns us. That's the enemy uh, Romans eight, one, there's therefore [00:30:00] now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but the Holy Spirit will convict you when.

You are strong enough to yield to him. He will help you fix it. Your strength is in him. It's not the strength in yourself. I guess it's more of a freedom. A freedom to receive help from the Lord. And he uses other people. He uses coaches like, like yourself, Scott, and like, like me, others to come alongside you.

I remember when I had my first coach, life coach. And, uh, her name was Karen, and I just dealt with her over the phone. I'd never had a life coach before. I, I was thought oh, I probably don't need that. I'm strong. I could figure it out. You know, I got this, I got this. But there was just something about her.

And in only six weeks, I only worked with her for six weeks. But I tell you what, I moved ahead, I would say a good two to five years. Mm-hmm. The success curve, just. Shortened that much for me so that instead of going around that mountain, another two to five years, I had breakthrough after [00:31:00] breakthrough we're meant to work together.

It makes a difference. You're not a loner. I like saying you're unique, but you're not terminally unique and that it's gonna work for everybody but you.

Scott Maderer: Yeah. Well, and And I think what you just said is so important because working with others, it's not about, oh, I'm strong. I could figure it out on my own.

You're right, you could. It's just working with others makes the path quicker. You know, it's, it's not that it, it gets rid of it. There's still work you've gotta do. You know, you, I'm quite certain when you were working with a coach, there was a lot of work you had to do. They couldn't do it for you. You had to do it, but it quickens it, it makes the path go faster as opposed to.

Coaches don't have a magic wand, you know, you know, we don't get to go yay, everything's fixed. But, you know, boy, I had be fun if I had that. Yeah.

Dr. Laurette Willis: It's like lining up at the door,

Scott Maderer: but none of us have that. Um, you know, or rather, the only one [00:32:00] that has that as God. And as I've said. Many times, one of the best days of my life was when I realized there was a God and the other one was when I realized it wasn't me.

Right. You know, I don't have that power. So I've got a few questions that I'd like to ask all I like to ask all of my guests, but before I, I go there and ask you those questions. Is there anything else about the work you do with, with praise moves or weight loss without willpower or any of the other things that you'd like to share with the listener?

Dr. Laurette Willis: I would say one of the most important things that we can do, Scott, is renewing the mind on the word of God and then retraining our brain. And what I do is. Help renew the mind on the word of God and then retrain the brain using neuroscience principles and techniques based on scripture. I'm a cognitive behavioral therapist to some of the work I'm blessed to do, and we, we can actually physically [00:33:00] reshape the.

Our brains, it's called neuroplasticity. Our brains are not concrete, but by the way, you think you can actually change that. Research has shown that you can physically grow new neurons through positive positive words, positive thoughts, and that's in the prefrontal cortex in the front of your, where your forehead is.

It's actually on the left hand side. You can tap the left hand side of your forehead over your left eyebrow. And that's where a lot of positive, uh, thoughts are formed and people who think negatively grow more neurons on the right hand side. Now this doesn't have anything to do with right brain, left brain creative or logical.

But what it happens is that when we have more negative. Thoughts more negative approaches to life. It closes off opportunities [00:34:00] for us and ideas that could help us, uh, succeed. And you are also processing information and solutions at a slower rate because your brain has to go through the fight or flight ideas and, and fears and try to figure things out.

But if your self-talk is. Positive you're, you're actually writing new neural pathways that change how you feel and how you look at life and for your potentiality to be even more successful. And the last thing I'll say about this, about the power of self-talk, it's five. Quick little principles. If you wanna change your results, let's go all the way back to what are you saying to yourself?

Because when you change your self-talk, you change what you believe about yourself. When you change what you believe about yourself, you change your attitude. When you change your attitude, you change your feelings. When you change your feelings. It changes your actions. You change your actions and when you [00:35:00] change your actions, you change your results.

So if you wanna change the results that you're getting, go back bubu all the way to what is it that you're saying to yourself. And I tell you, if you are saying what God says about you in his word, it will change your life. Romans 12, two. Do not be conformed to this world. Don't be poured into the world's mold, but be transformed.

Your whole life can be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. He wants you to be healthy, fit, and free.

Scott Maderer: So my brand is inspired stewardship, and I run things through that lens of, of stewardship. And yet I've discovered over the years that word can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

So when you hear the word stewardship, what does that word mean to you?

Dr. Laurette Willis: Well, it used to be something that I felt guilty about. I. [00:36:00] Because I didn't feel I was a good steward of my life, that I was a good steward, especially of my, of my body, and I remember something that, um, the apostle Paul said.

He said, I discipline my flesh and bring it under subjection, lest when I've preached to others, I myself would be a castaway or be disqualified. And I thought, I'm not a good steward. You know? And, and the idea of stewardship, in other words. I'm not my own one. Corinthians six 20 is actually the foundation scripture for praise moves fitness ministry.

You were bought at a price and we know that's the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You were bought at a price therefore glorify, which means give honor, give credit, worship. The Lord in your body and your Spirit. Here's the big takeaway, which are God's GOD apostrophe S. Your body and your spirit are God's property.

So we can look at that [00:37:00] two different ways. Either like, oh no, what have I done? Or let's look on the bright side. Oh wow. The Lord has a vested interest in helping me be healthy, fit, and free, and being the best that I can be. He can help me. So he can help you to be that good steward of his property.

Scott Maderer: So this is my favorite question that I like to ask everybody.

Imagine for a moment that I was able to invent this magic machine, and with this machine I was able to take you from where you are today and transport you into the future, maybe 150, maybe 250 years. And through the power of this machine, you were able to look back and see your entire life, see all of the connections, all of the ripples, all of the impacts you've left.

What impact do you hope you've had in the world?

Dr. Laurette Willis: Wow, Scott, that. That question makes me cry in a good way because my, my desire is that [00:38:00] people get to know the word of God. You know, like that question that the Lord asked me all those years ago when I was 29, what if everything you thought about God was completely wrong?

Would you be willing to give it up to know the truth? Thinking the truth maybe was a philosophy, but I've since learned that the truth is a person, Jesus the way. Truth and the life. And when you know him, when you know his word, if you wanna have answered prayer, that's what I would say, that someone would be able to look back and say, wow.

Through Dr. Loret, through, through Loret Willis, that that what she taught about getting the word of God on the inside of you first John. Five verses 14 and 15. This is the key if you want answered prayer one. John five verses 14 and 15. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, which is in his word, he hears us.

And if we know he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we [00:39:00] have. Amplified says, as our present possession, we know that we have those petitions we've desired of him. So for people to look back after 150 years, whatever it is, Scott, and say, you know what? I have found answered prayer because of what Loret taught me about getting into the word of God.

I started praying prayers in line with God's word, and then I learned how to receive. To believe I receive, not just, oh, help me, help me, help me. But I learned how to receive from the Lord, and that's how I see my family changed. My life changed and the ripple effect has gone out, helping others to learn the truth, to know him personally.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Scott Maderer: So what's on the roadmap? What's coming next as you kick off this year and, and begin to get things moving.

Dr. Laurette Willis: We are growing praise moves, [00:40:00] fitness ministry. The Lord is, I would say, uh, we have hundreds of fitness ministers, certified praise moves, instructors all over the world, women and men, ages 18 to eighties.

And. We love training them. We also have free classes. We have online classes, we have live classes all over the world. We have retreats that we do. Praise moves.com has all the, has the good news about that, but also the weight loss without willpower. That was a total surprise for me, Scott. What really.

Got me going on. That was hearing, like you said in the beginning, a lot of the wacky stuff that was out there. And also some stuff that I think really damaged people emotionally. There were some people that I would listen to, you know, who were influencers, who had used some real filthy language and just the way that they would talk to people or about people and [00:41:00] different things and, and it was like, there's gotta be a better way.

And I just sense the Lord say, well. Why don't do it? And I was like, well, I

not you. That's. Barometer you could say of what the Lord's calling you to do. Either something that moves your compassion or something that, that, that moves your gets your ire, gets your Irish up, as we say in Ireland, you know, gets your Irish up, gets your dander up that righteous indignation.

Those are some things, and I tell you what, you will always have more than enough time to do everything the Lord's called you to do.

Scott Maderer: So you can find out more about Dr. Loret Willis over@drloret.net or@praisemoves.com. And of course, I'll have a link to those in the show notes as well. Dr. Loret, is there anything else you'd like to share with the listener? [00:42:00]

Dr. Laurette Willis: Yes. I would invite you to get a complimentary gift that I have for you. It's the Faith Fueled Weight Loss Blueprint, and you can find it at Christian.

Weight loss kit.com. Also, if you would like to learn how to meditate on the word of God, I have a free resource for you called Christian meditation kit.com.

Scott Maderer: And I'll put those over in the show notes as well for anyone, uh, that, that didn't get that, or if you're driving right now and couldn't write 'em down as well.

So thank you so much for giving those to the listeners as, as well

Dr. Laurette Willis: my pleasure. And as I love to say in praise moves. Remember, praise moves God deeply. So keep praising the Lord.

Scott Maderer: Amen.

Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship [00:43:00] Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode. Please. Please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/itunes.

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