Ep #159: Double Your Energy, Double Your Focus with Tanessa Shears

In this episode, I have an awesome conversation with Tanessa Shears, a health consultant focusing on entrepreneurs. 

Tanessa discusses how vital it is for business owners to prioritize their health, often neglected in the hustle of setting up and running a business. Using wearable tech and personalized health protocols, she works with entrepreneurs to ensure they manage their health effectively to enhance their business productivity. 

She shares her journey from a personal trainer to a health consultant emphasizing the importance of sleep and its impact on productivity, mental clarity, and emotional management. 

Tanessa advocates for setting sleep as a priority in the path of health improvement and offers practical advice on how to start the journey.

00:02 Introduction and Guest Presentation

00:14 Tanessa's Role as a Health Consultant

00:30 The Importance of Health for Entrepreneurs

00:56 The Power of Wearable Tech: Aura Rings

02:56 Tanessa's Entrepreneurial Journey

04:26 The Impact of Sleep on Business and Life

06:10 Personal Experiences with Sleep Apnea

08:00 The Connection Between Sleep and Mental Clarity

08:51 The Role of Sleep in Emotional Regulation

09:00 The Importance of Sleep for Health and Productivity

14:43 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Guest Promotion:
 Entrepreneur's playbook: 12 Ways to Biohack Your Energy for highly focused mornings & productive days in your business.
👉🏽http://tanessashears.com/energy

Where to find Tanessa:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanessashears/
Website: https://tanessashears.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tshears/
Podcast: https://pod.link/1539297601

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back to another episode of the Hello, See, It's Dorsey podcast. I have Tanessa on the show today. How are you doing today? Great, Candice. How's it going? It's going good. I'm really excited about this episode. So tell everyone who you are and what you do. Yeah, my name is Tanessa Shears. First and foremost, I'm a mama. I've got a one and a three year old right now. So we're in the, we're in that phase of life, but for work, I'm a health consultant in my job. I work with entrepreneurs and what I do is I help them make their health a priority. Again, it's so easy being an entrepreneur to like, be like, yes, we're going to get this business up and running. And then, and then. I'll work on and then I'll get my life organized, then I'll work on my health. But we finally get this, you know, these businesses up and running and we're just not taking care of ourselves. We're drained at the end of the day. We're relying on coffee to keep us going. We're experiencing like this really intense brain fog and everything feels like it takes longer. You're distracted. You don't feel the way you thought this, you thought this whole business thing would feel a lot better. So my job is I come in and I use like a really cool combination of wearable tech, like I give my clients aura rings. They manage and measure. Anything we need to make good decisions. And I help them make protocols that fit into their entrepreneurial lifestyle. So like, how can we sleep better? How can we eat better? How can we move? How can we manage our stress so that our business feels as good as it was supposed to feel the whole time. Let's take care of us. So that's, that's me in a nutshell. Oh, this is awesome. Cause you know, so funny. I totally like, it was so weird. I think it was yesterday or the day before yesterday. I actually looked at the aura ring and I was like, huh, I wonder if those things actually really work. Cause I seen another entrepreneur, like on my Instagram, I seen her wear one and I honestly thought those were wedding rings and I'm like, dude, you got the wedding ring on the wrong finger. Like, you got your wedding band on the wrong finger, but I didn't know it was an aura ring. And I'm like, I wonder if those things actually really work. Oh yes, they do. They are like. I always think of like the things we wear on our wrists are good for activity trackers where the aura ring like brings it is. It is a rest and recovery tracker. And I feel like as entrepreneurs, that's what we miss. We miss managing the stress. We miss the presence. We miss the slow down. We miss the sleep. And so this. It really does monitor everything from your body stress levels to your heart rate to how you're sleeping and gives you feedback. And I think that is so important because as entrepreneurs, we're all about return on investment. We're all about knowing our data, making decisions based on numbers and not feelings. And I think that's why I was like. I know how to help entrepreneurs get themselves back on track. I'm going to use data and I'm going to make it return on investment related. And I think that's why we get so much buy in is it's like, yes, I can see the data changing. I see my decisions reflected in that. And I know where to put my energy. I'm not wasting my time. You know, doing some health habit that an influencer on Instagram said to do, like, it's actually based on me. And so, yes, the aura ring lives up to the hype, in my opinion. So let's talk about the inspiration behind you starting your business. What was that like for you? Yeah, originally I started it in 2014, so we're coming up on, on 10 years in February already. And I remember, like, I was worked in a big box gym as a personal trainer for the longest time, and I remember going to these, like, it was, it was some person who sold mutual funds or, like, investments, and I was, they were, had this meeting, and I went to one of them, and she said, you know, why don't you open your own business? And I was, like, I, I, I was, keep in mind, I was 22 at the time, I was like, that's for old people, like, 22 year olds don't open businesses, like, that was my mindset, I didn't know any 20 year olds with a business, anybody I had thought of that owned a company, like, I'm thinking of like, who owns Starbucks, who owns Amazon, like, those guys are like, to a 20 year old, those guys were like, they'd been around a while, and I'm like, 20 year olds don't open businesses, and she goes to me, like, So that's it. You're living at home. You're never gonna have a better time than now to open a business. You, you have a safety net. If you fail, you can fail often hard and fast. And so I was like, okay, let's go. So I opened up a personal training business and it grew to six figures, like within about a year and a half. And it was a ton of fun. But then just, you know, naturally, as things change and you grow up as an entrepreneur and you innovate, I now only work online. I don't do in person personal training anymore, but I work online with entrepreneurs to help them optimize their energy and their focus and stuff. So that's how I started and then big shift to get to where I am now. Oh, this is awesome. It's amazing. Yeah, I thought the same thing. So we're both on the same boat when I was in my 20s. Can you remember a time when your business started out where you had like a hello moment? Like this is supposed to be what I'm doing. You know what? I, I always felt that like fitness was fun. I didn't get that moment until I pivoted into my now business because I was just more like, like, oh, you know, this is fun. I'm, I'm teaching fitness. I have the energy for it. It's great. I got my classes like. It was fun, and I felt good doing it, but I remember specifically the, I remember sitting down typing a newsletter and I had brand new baby on one of those like feeding pillows sitting in front of me and I was sitting there like my brain's not working. And then I was, that's when I began this journey of figuring out sleep and it wasn't until I really start to understand how much sleep affected my business and I was posting it on Instagram being like, you guys. I'm working on my sleep and this is how I'm feeling. This is my exercise. This is how everything's affected. And I started getting such good feedback that I started teaching sleep. And it's now this feedback that I'm getting from clients where it's like, you know, I'm waking up at six 30 without an alarm clock. My mornings don't feel rushed anymore. I get to see my kids off to work in the morning. I am actually exercising. I feel like my day is present now. Like when those moments, like it's so much beyond just being healthy and working out, but it's like. You have the energy to go and hang out with your kids after you get off work now and you don't feel so drained that all you have the energy for is TV. Like, when I saw that, like, this is giving people their lives back. Like, oh, it was so good. It's like, this is like, I'm in the right field for this. This is what I was meant to teach. And I love sleep. I think that's a good thing. I should say that I'm obsessed. I love this. I love this so much because it's so funny. I'm kind of say way in a little bit, but so I did a sleep study, like I had to do a sleep study through my doctor and everything. And I'm going to find out I had sleep apnea and I will stop breathing while I was sleeping and everything. And. It was like, Oh, well, you know, here's our sleep you know, our CPAP machine and everything. I was like, I'm not doing that. I was like, Oh no. Cause I see people who may have like heart problems or older people online. I'm thinking like the breathing machine. Right. I was like, Oh no, I'll just lose weight. And it was like, I'm going to be honest with you. It's going to take a long time for you to lose weight for it to actually, you know, work your sleep pattern and everything. It was like, this is a, you know, treatment and everything. So I was like, Hmm. But it hit me when I was, I felt myself stop breathing for too, too long in my sleep. And I'm like gasping for air. And I was like, maybe I should do it. So I'm fighting with the machine when I first started off. And I was like, I'm not doing this. I kept doing off and on everything. Right. It wasn't until I went to Disneyland. So I'm big, huge Disneyland fan. Right. And I brought the machine. You like Disney too? We did our honeymoon in Disney World. Oh my gosh, you have to tell me about that. I, I sold that slack on my bucket list now. So I went to Disney and I brought the machine and because we drive, I, every time we drive, I like, I, it's hard for me to breathe. I snore and it's loud and keeps my mom up. So I brought the machine with me. I said, maybe this to help. It was the first time I actually had the machine on the whole night. And do you know that when I woke up, I was like, Let's go. Like I wasn't tired and everything. I had my mama running around the park. Let's do this. Let's do that. So much mental clarity. And when you mentioned sleep, I'm like, yes, I'm like a huge fan on getting the proper sleep that you need. Yeah, it makes such a difference to your brain. I think like. It's interesting, getting not enough sleep, whether that be because you're up, because your breathing is waking you up during the night, or you've got kids that are waking you up, or you just in general don't get great sleep, like, your brain can't recover. And the worst thing is, is like, we have this thing called baseline resetting that happens. It's like, you stop noticing the level of sleep deprivation. And you're just like, six hours is fine. I feel great. I feel fine. And then you get a night of really good sleep, like what you had. And you're just like, wait a second. Wait a second. I'm operating over here at 50 percent and you're telling me this is a thing? It's a thing. That is so awesome and so timely that we're talking about this. So let's talk about double your energy and double your focus. We're already talking about it, so let's, let's go ahead and continue on the conversation. Yeah, I think what most, most of us don't really recognize is how much time we lose every day to brain fog, to feeling distracted, to feeling unfocused, to feeling like, you know, and you just can't get in the groove of stuff because your brain is not working the way it should. Like it doesn't feel sharp. It doesn't feel clear. Right, and I think we don't often recognize how much of that is attributed to really good sleep to our what we're eating and also to if we're keeping our stress in check, right? Like that brain fog is something we're really looking at how much inflammation is going on in our body. And I directly think that, like, as entrepreneurs, I know that. We tend to value productivity over a lot of health stuff. Like if I could just get this done, or I'm going to just get through the end of this list and I'll just stay up a little bit tonight, what I don't think we really recognize is how much time we lose to a brain that's not working properly. So like if we stay up late to work. It might take up an extra hour or two to do the same thing tomorrow because like we're distracted. So I always think of like sleep is my ultimate productivity weapon because you're only as productive as you are energized. I've never been productive on a low energy day. And so I always cultivate my energy, whether that be through food or exercise, managing my stress, good sleep. It's like my energy is the most important thing, because if you think of this way, in your business, your brain is the best asset you have. Period. If you don't have your brain, nothing you've built makes a difference. You can't run the business. You can't be in the business. You can't talk to the client. You can't run the team. None of it. Right? And so if my brain isn't working, I can't do my job. So it's, it's even more valuable than my course or my community or my systems. Right? And so I look at it that way and as like, if I, this is the, this is the asset that needs to be working the best. And I treat it that way first and then it pays dividends in the business because you get more done, you feel more effective, you're more creative. You're. in a better mood. And on top of that, you're, you're cool as a cucumber. Like, there's a lot of trolls on Instagram and TikTok these days. Like, I do not want to be set off by one of them and lose a whole day. I want to be like, okay, I see you. I'm monitoring my brain. I have control of my emotions. And a lot of that comes from good sleep. I agree with you 100 percent because I And you're right because I've noticed that since I've been getting good sleep, I've noticed that the negative thoughts or the negative things that I say to myself or anything negative like, Oh, this isn't going to work, you know I'm wasting my time or, or the shiny object keep going from here to here. I've noticed that that has toned down so much since I've gotten. Better sleep and the energy and the positivity has definitely increased. Yeah. Yeah. It's a real thing. It is like, we don't just like, it's interesting. Considering we're spending a third of our lives doing it, we really have no idea what's going on. Like, our brain just doesn't go off and then back on. Like, our brain goes through different phases that nurture our brain. And one of them, for example, is REM sleep. And I think this is going to lend well to what you said. REM sleep, rapid eye movement, is when we dream, right? So here's a fascinating thing. This blew my mind. They had, this research study had two groups of And one of them, they deprived of REM sleep. So dream sleep. And they showed both groups pictures that became more and more negative. The group that had enough dream sleep during the night responded much more neutrally. And the group that had less REM sleep had much more exaggerated, negative, intense, intrusive thoughts. And REM sleep helps you control that short term gratification, that ability to manage your thinking, and the extent of how emotional you are during the day. So I think of REM sleep as entrepreneurial goals. Like, it is what makes me creative. I, it helps me think outside of the box, helps me manage my emotion, and even better, like, it helps you understand facial expressions and body gestures. If you have a team, if you have clients, if you have customers, I want to be knowing when I'm talking to them, I'm like, okay, they're not understanding what I'm saying. Ooh, that hit, that didn't hit so well. Oh, look, they totally are digging this right now. Cause that's giving my brain feedback. I don't want to have to work to be a good coach. I want to be able to absorb that while doing my job. So, like, it's so much more than just, you know, something to get to the other day. It's like, it is the foundation on which we build our businesses. It's a good, sharp brain. I love this so much. This definitely can help so many people. Like, I, oh, I could talk about this. Now, since when you say asleep, I was like, I'm getting sleep. This is my topic. Now. I love it so much. Oh, my goodness. And for everyone out there, it is like knocking the CPAP machine. And I know it looks a little bit weird, but I love it so, so much. I plan to get off of it, you know, eventually, but. It's helping me so much. Like, really. Your brain is getting the oxygen it needs and that's what matters, right? And I've had, I've had clients that have been on the CPAP and there's a resistance to it, right? I totally get it. It's loud. It's can be uncomfortable, but if your brain isn't getting enough oxygen during the night, you're gonna have brain fog. And so the question just becomes, am I willing to be uncomfortable tonight so that I can feel good tomorrow? Cause the other option is just, I don't feel good at all. I'm tired during the day and I don't sleep well at night, right? So I find it's like a really kind of a one of those things, like you said, it's just sometimes it's worth the little extra discomfort to be able to have that brain that works better during the day. 100%. Oh, so good. So any last minute advice you have for our listeners out there? Yeah. A lot of people are like, where do I start? And I think, especially if we're going to just narrow this conversation in on to sleep, I would just consider that bedtime is the front. Okay. in the line of dominoes. Like often, you know, when we think about getting healthy, we're like, Oh, I want to work on my exercise. I want to eat differently. Like that's what we think of as health. But I can tell you, I have never ever been excited to get up and work out if I'm exhausted and tired. And on top of that, not sleeping well. Makes you hungrier. It makes your cravings worse. It makes everything else feel uphill. So if you are like in this place where you're like, I'm ready to start prioritizing my health, start with sleep. And the domino at the front of that stack of changes is always going to bet on time. And it's that skill. I think that's the best one to master. If you're looking at making this change. Awesome. So where can everyone find you? I hang out on Instagram. I'm at Tanessa Shears and I'm pretty active on there. I post all the time. So come say hi. But beyond that I've put these like 12 biohacks that I feel are really the best for helping us be productive and energized in the morning. And I put them in a playbook and I've called it 12 ways to biohack your energy. And the fun thing is, is all the hacks on their own work, and they're also linked to an episode on my podcast, Becoming Limitless, where it's like, ooh, let's talk about caffeine, how to use that to optimize the brain. There's an episode on that, you know what I mean? So you can really dig in there and just layer in a habit at a time, and that's on my website, tanessashears. com. Freebies tab at the top. You tap that and it's in there. Awesome. We're definitely gonna link those up in the show notes. So Tanessa, thank you so much for being on the show. I really, really appreciate it. And this topic that we discussed came at a awesome time and I, I know that my audience is definitely gonna find value in it because I have just in this short, this 20 minutes just now. So it's been awesome for me as well. Oh, I love it. If we can inspire anybody about Sleuth, then we both win, right? Yes.