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What Advice Would You Give Your 20-Year-Old Self? 11 Wellness Leaders Share

Author:

mbg Contributor

Caroline Muggia is a writer, environmental advocate, and registered yoga teacher (E-RYT) with a B.A. in Environmental Studies & Psychology from Middlebury College.

Image by GIC / Stocksy

At the end of each mbg podcast, we ask our guests to answer this question: What advice would you give your 20-something self? It's always one of our favorite parts of the show, as it offers up wisdom guests often didn't even know they had. Their answers are varied, but the themes are common—trust and let go.

Ellen Vora, M.D., on enjoying the ride

"There's always that feeling of like 'oh no this breakup' or 'oh no I didn't get into this.' You think these things are so life-altering, but ultimately you're OK—you're kind of on this ride." —Ellen Vora, M.D., holistic psychiatrist double board certified in psychiatry and integrative & holistic medicine

Michael Taylor, on being less angry

"Just be less angry. Everything I learned from was great but so frustrating and so upsetting. It led me to a lot of flinging myself around. Through some good experiences—but also through a lot of anger—that led me to think that everything I was doing was separate rather than connected and together." —Michael Taylor, co-founder of Strala Yoga

Tata Harper, on inner monologues

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Sometimes I listen to my inner monologues, and I would never speak to anyone like that. I sound like a lunatic—just stop." —Tata Harper, founder and CEO of Tata Harper Skincare

Elle Macpherson, on how energy creates our life

"Focus on what you want because you create your life with your energy. Don't focus on what you don't want or the mistakes you've made." —Elle Macpherson, co-founder of WelleCo

Wim Hof, on forging ahead

"Go for it. Go. Go for it." —Wim Hof, Guinness World Record Holder and founder of the Wim Hof Method

Deborah Hanekamp, on releasing control

"It doesn't have to be so hard. A really big thing in my early life was taking on relationships where I would be the healer. In friendships but also romantic relationships, I was either the person needed—like a mom—or I needed help in my own life. I would want to help them and fix them." —Deborah Hanekamp, aka, Mama Medicine

Lauren Singer, on finding our purpose

"I wouldn't give myself any advice but take my mom's advice: There's nothing in life that's permanent other than death. Do the things that make you feel happy and inspired." —Lauren Singer, founder of Trash Is for Tossers

Taylor Collins, on how to be successful in life

"I would challenge myself and say to be really successful in life and to be really happy it's more important to go experience the world and find the things you're passionate about versus being in school for eight-plus years. You need to interact with the world to find out what resonates with you and your purpose." —Taylor Collins, co-founder of EPIC

LaRayia Gaston, on giving ourselves credit

"Because you have a heart of gold, don't protect it like it's fragile. It's more resilient than you think, so don't withhold it from people because you think it's fragile and it will break. You don't give your heart enough credit. You can take it. You're OK." —LaRayia Gaston, founder of Lunch on Me

Hannah Bronfman, on trusting our guts

"Trust your gut because everything's going to work out the way it's supposed to." —Hannah Bronfman, the founder of HBFIT and the author of the new book Do What Feels Good

Tim Brown, on surrounding ourselves with good people

"Keep going and trust your instincts. Keep on going, and surround yourself with people that you want to hang out with and who inspire you." —Tim Brown, co-founder of Allbirds