Transcription

• Speaker #0

  So 100% of the time I've been using this technique with my pets and the pet sitters always say an hour before I go to pick them up that they are sitting waiting for me. They always say we don't know how they know but they always know when you're coming and I know it's because of this technique.

• Speaker #1

  Welcome to Unleash Curiosity by Vital Pet Life.

• Speaker #2

  I'm Dr. Amber Da Silva, veterinarian and advocate for Integrative Pet Care.

• Speaker #1

  And I'm Donnie Yamamoto. founder and CEO of Vital Pet Life. We're so glad you're here.

• Speaker #2

  This is a space where curiosity, compassion, and science converge, where we explore the powerful mind-body connection that supports your pet's health and your own.

• Speaker #1

  Each week, we'll dive deep into the world of pet wellness, breaking down myths, exploring ingredients,

• Speaker #0

  and learning from expert voices across the industry.

• Speaker #2

  From nutrition and sustainability to transparency and advocacy, We're here to help you feel more confident, connected, and informed in your care choices.

• Speaker #0

  So let's get into it. Because when we know better, we do better. This is Unleash Curiosity.

• Speaker #1

  Hi everyone, it's Donnie and welcome back to Unleash Curiosity. Today's episode is a little different and a little bit personal. Usually, we dive into the science of formulating, sustainability, and the ingredients behind Vital Pet Life's products. But today, I'm coming to you simply as a pet. parent. My dog Tuxedo has faced a few health challenges lately and through that experience, I've been reflecting on how deeply connected we are to our pets. Not just through care routines or nutrition, but emotionally and energetically. How our own state of mind can affect their comfort, their healing, and even their happiness. So to explore this experience, I invited Crystal Heinemann, founder and CEO of The Psychic Soul, to join me. Crystal's work focuses on energy mastery, emotional regulation, and intuitive connection, helping people find balance within themselves and in turn within their relationship, including their pets. We'll talk about how our energy can influence our animal's well-being, what it means to communicate with them beyond words, and how to create calm and trust, especially during times of change or uncertainty. I hope this conversation resonates with everyone. with anyone who's ever loved an animal deeply and wondered if they could somehow feel what you feel.

• Speaker #0

  Hi, Crystal. And I'm super excited to have you in our podcast. I am beyond grateful. Thank you so much for inviting me. This is such a pleasure to be here. And I'm so excited. Yes. Yeah, yeah. So let's just start. Okay. Talking about connection, right? So Crystal, as you know, this topic is close to my heart because of my dog,

• Speaker #1

  Tuxedo. And he has been going through some health challenges that really deepen my desire to understand him on a more emotional and energetic level. Now to start, can you share how you first became aware of the energetic connection between humans and animals?

• Speaker #0

  Oh my gosh, well, let's first start with Sweet Tuxy and what a fabulous job he is doing. And that is exactly a wonderful example of what our pets do and what they're here for us. And. So through him, right, and all of his health challenges, it has really opened you up to so much growth and exploration. And that's really the crux of how what they're here to do with us and for us. I believe they're our greatest teachers. So first off, like, well done, Taxi. And we love you so much. We have to give a shout out to you, Taxi. So honestly, you know, when about thinking about... When I first became aware of that energetic connection between humans and animals, it goes so far back as to, you know, when I was born. And my first memory of this was when I was two years old and I was sitting and I can remember this like it was yesterday. And I was sitting at the table and my mom placed down, she opened up a can and put something in front of me and it just happened to be tuna fish. And I didn't know she opened up a can. And my older sister says to me, you know, that's a fish. And at two years old, I just about like broke in half. And my poor little kid heart was so heartbroken. And I couldn't even fathom the concept that we actually eat animals. It hurt me so deep inside of my soul. And that's my very first memory of really a tangible experience of My goodness, like we have such a connection to animals. How could we dare even eat them? Like this was never even part of like my little two-year-old like mind. Like how is this even possible? And since that day, I have never eaten meat in my entire life. And I don't plan on ever eating an animal in my entire life. And so there's just several stories of that as a child to where, yeah, my parents just had to figure my diet out. Wow.

• Speaker #1

  That's so amazing. Like now, imagine like coming from a culture that's very carnivorous. Like I remember I would really hear like there's like a, I don't know how you call it. It's like a piggery probably by us where I grew up in Cebu. I could hear like in the dawn, wherein like all the pigs will be killed. It never really like, you know, I'm just like in my beauty world, like, okay, it's just pigs gonna be grilled. And, you know, but now thinking about like how I bond with these guys, with Tuxedo and Marton. And then, you know, I've been following accounts on Instagram on like how pigs are also, what do you call this? Like very emotional. Like some people are f***ed. fostering and really taking in like pigs and I'm like I don't want to eat pork or anything like pig related so it's kind of hard it's I'm still learning that balance because I know I need my protein and you know I'm used to eating a lot of meat um wow so amazing so how did you get your protein growing up like that's oh my god well I wasn't raised in Cebu so I was raised in Southern California on the beach.

• Speaker #0

  And so it's pretty easy. And yeah, like my parents were like, all right, that's fine. Like they, they were pretty good about it. I seem to be okay back then. You know, I would do like, they would, they were nice enough to do like little proteins and tofu and beans and legumes. And my mom cooked all of our food fresh. So it wasn't something that was like too far off of like our cultural environment. You know, my parents were living the beach life, you know, instead of, they were like, well, hey, that's cool. It's fine. Oh yeah. Very cool.

• Speaker #1

  That's cool. That's good. And that's good.

• Speaker #0

  You're lucky then. Yeah. She's just following her intuition. That's cool.

• Speaker #1

  You know what? You're lucky. Some people dismisses that and will really like, I remember being forced to eat. Because there are things like, you know, when you're young, you just know you don't want to eat, but you're forced to eat.

• Speaker #0

  Yes.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  And that goes, you know, to so many, so many other. things about energy, about like how we absorb these, these traumatic experiences in life when, you know, our culture, our belief structures, our parental structures, familial structures, really try to impose, you know, their views on us, right? But inside, our energy is saying something else.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, I remember too, like this was an, so I have friends that, that are in like different religion they really only use like halal like meat Because they believe that, you know, the connection between how the meat for the animal to be sort of offered to be like a protein or like their purpose was to feed us or something like that. Yeah. So, I mean, I get that.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. And there's no judgment, right? There's no judgment. And we're all like raised in so many different environments.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. But that's really cool. Anyway, defining energy and... emotional harmony. Like you talk a lot about energy mastery, emotional regulation. For those of us who are new to this idea, what does that really mean? And how does it translate into the way our pets experience us?

• Speaker #0

  Oh my gosh, what a great question. And I do, I'm a little obsessed about energy mastery. So thank you for asking. So if you can imagine, so a lot of people may just So what? What is like, what does that even mean? Like energy and then also a master of it. So in simple terms, if you could just imagine yourself as your own container and not limited to your body, right? Because our energy actually is in constant flux in and around us. But if you can just imagine yourself as this container and within that is our energy. And I feel as humans, our role is to be responsible. for our energy, you know, my energy, my responsibility. And so our energy, like I said, it's constantly moving. It's like a Wi-Fi signal. It's emitting signals and it's also receiving signals, right? So it's a constant input output. And that is just what energy is. Yeah. So we're only made up of two things, energy and information. So it's where this Wi-Fi signal in, out, in, out. And so I believe. being a master of your energy is just being responsible for your input and output of energy. And I think it's our role in humanity to be accountable for what we're inputting and what we're outputting. And that just really means being aware. And none of us are perfect ever. But what I mean by being accountable and being responsible is we may say something, right? That's an output. And maybe we weren't like really happy with what we said. Maybe it was something more of like a trigger. Maybe it was defensive. And that's okay, right? We're all human, but being accountable for your energy and responsible for it is self-evaluation, right? It's really like, you know, taking responsibility. I could have done better, right? I could have done better or even deeper. Why did I react in that way? And so just being responsible for that. And so imagining yourself and a lot of the times I'll just take a deep breath and sort of like reel my energy in, right? if I feel it sort of like... reactivating or maybe someone says something about my dog that I don't like right and then like I could feel myself just kind of like bubbling up right my energy wanting to explode reactive right I can explode and that would be you know I could do that and a lot of the times I'll be like oh my god I was not proud of myself in that moment and then I'll try to self-evaluate gosh like why did I why did that hit me so hard right why did I react in that way and how it is related to our pets is They have something that's called, well, all mammals have mirror neurons. And so essentially that means like whatever, say we're on a walk and someone activates us, right? And so we get in this defense mode or something and we're walking taxi or we're walking, you know, Jean Martin and you get elevated, right? You get like sort of anxious. Well, through those mirror neurons and also through their empathy, because they're sentient beings, they're feeling, they will start to take on that as well. So being an energy master really is the foundation for responsibility of our overall well-being and therefore the foundation of a really great life for our pets, which is really what we do. I mean, that's how like,

• Speaker #1

  you know, all this like dog behavioralists or trainers always tells you like they're just picking up on your energy. You know, like a lot of people know that, but like I think it's just like a circle.

• Speaker #0

  I understand that, right? Because on the outside. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. I'm like, yeah, I get it. Like, yeah, I was calm. But are you really calm? Are you bringing in something that like, maybe you're thinking of something like that? But it's more like a deeper layer. That's what I've been learning lately. Yeah. So I think that's true. Anyway.

• Speaker #0

  Great example. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Another example is that when you go to dog park, like there's so much. everybody this is what i've noticed like when i go to the dog park everybody was just like going in and out and thinking that okay my dogs need like five ten minutes of like fun and then poop let's go and then you're so anxious and then the next thing you saw your dog's already in in a fight and then all the owners that i'm like oh no see i experienced this with tuxedo like he's super excited so i have to really like either me or car like we'll run him in a block you Before going inside the park. Because we need to exert his energy. Like, you know, you have to relax. Because, like, he calls trouble the moment he goes to, like, because he'll be yelling. And I'm like, is it me bringing all this energy for him? So, yeah, we learn to be more, like, calm and relaxed when we're, like, walking in, you know, to a dog park. Or basically in the street. Like, you know, when we see dogs coming up to us. Or, yeah. like really being able to relax. And I think I've noticed that the dogs are reacting to it in a different way.

• Speaker #0

  It's so hard. I mean, it's so hard, right? To be a human and also to be a pet mom sometimes. And I mean, you're doing all the tools and everything and you're amazing. And it's true. Each of them has their own activity level too, right? So just what you're doing is so intuitive. knowing that taxi needs a little run before, right? Like let's make an exertion of this energy before. We're absolutely tapping into him. And also, sure, I mean, we play a part in that. Sometimes I feel like, you know, our energy can inside, it might look like a tidal wave, like a really rough water happening. And then the outside, we're like, hey, I'm chill. I'm okay. But on the inside, right.

• Speaker #1

  Okay, come on. Let's just do the five minutes because I have to work. And I think that's where we're at. So I always like, you know, tell Kyle, like, okay, let's be aware. Like for the past like few months, like, cause you know, when Tuxedo was diagnosed with Addison's, Addison's is pretty much like no surge of like, you know, excitement or anything that doesn't get him like, you know, he needs to, it needs to be in a calm environment. So we're like, okay, no trigger words, nothing like, like. relax like you know do not even give him like a feeling and then now that he feels better like he thinks martan is like invading his space and i'm like oh my gosh there's like alpha and beta issue going on in the household so i have to be the alpha like i speak alone like They've been testing me and I have to like, I'm sorry, taxi. You don't want to do this. You're doing it on your own. I didn't do anything. I had to stop. It's not happening. No, I think it goes to the next question about our energy as medicine. Like, as I said, I've noticed that when I'm stressed out or anxious, Tuxedo seems to pick up on it immediately. And I think, you know, he's been with me for the past like... 11 years. He knows my triggers. He knows like, because you know, he's one of those dogs that are very lucky that we work from home. He's always with us when we travel. And then the moment that we leave him for like 5-10 minutes, like he's like, Oh no, what's going on? How come I'm not involved? Like, you know, the routine and then I can really see how the, you know, the anxiety, like the way he stares at you and pacing around. We have a little camera in our living room and we have to leave them. And Martin here is just enjoying like with all the treats and Tux is like howling, crying the whole time. And I'm like, now I feel bad for leaving him for like even for like 30 minutes. So can you explain how our emotional or energetic state influences our pets well-being both physically and emotionally? If you can like expound on that.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. Well, first I want to say that my life is very similar to your life. And my sweet little Naya Moon is a girl who's like Tuxy. So I don't ever leave her. And I work for Melvin now. And she will scream and cry. And it breaks my heart. But let's talk about that, right? So the concept is that we are already anticipating that separation anxiety, right? And so we... actually, right before, if you're anything like me, which I think that you are, right? If you're thinking about leaving, it's like you are, you start to get more stressed and more anxious because you know that he's going to be uncomfortable and sad, right? So our energy inside actually starts to build. So it does really reflect them as well. And we go back to those mirror neurons to where not only are... Both of us, because those are prevalent, they're inside all mammals. So you and I are mammals, right? Our pets are mammals. So what that is, is that we will mirror the other behavior, right? And so not only are we sentient beings, so you're feeling Tuxy, Tuxy's feeling you, sort of amplifies, right? But then also there's the empathy of that. Like I can feel he's starting to get anxious, right? He's also... feeling that you also, and he also too, is actually feeling that anxiety as if it's his own, right? Because of those mirror neurons. So it's kind of a twofold to where they empathically feel the anxiety and the stress, but also they will take it on as if it's their own and vice versa, right? So that's probably why you and I get super stressed to leave them because we're on their energy. So then you can see how it kind of becomes like a vicious kind of ball, right? Right. How do we stop this?

• Speaker #1

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  And it's true. And so I love that Texie is already being your teacher with all of this because of what you said prior that you and Kyle, you're taking deep breaths right before you walk into the dog park. You're, you know, being really mindful on your walks. You're trying to not get like too excited because of his Addison's. right? He's really being your teacher and like, hey, like he's really being your teacher about calming your energy, balancing your energy, even though we may all seem cool on the outside, right? What really matters is that like inner turmoil that we're feeling, right? And that's what they pick up on. So he's doing an amazing job of being a great teacher for you, right? And just the more I'm... and more that we can do that, being mindful, again, accountable of our own energy, being mindful of like, I know I'm going to lead him. Let me take a few deep breaths. Let me like really, you know, calm our energy, kind of ground it. And you know, that might start to help and vice versa, right? I mean, you are, you know, an amazing, powerful woman running a huge company and have so much on your plate. Of course, by the end of the day, you're going to have stress and anxiety. And if you're anything like me, you've got a million tasks of the day that like you can't get to all of them. And you're trying to take care of your well-being. You're trying to take care of your kids. You're trying to take care of your business, right? And there's so many things that we're all trying to manage during the day. And all of that just sort of builds up. And of course, like our little ones, they feel all of that within the house. So the greatest gift is... how do we move this energy, right? How it's the end of the day. I'm stressed because I didn't get to everything. And I only have X amount of hours left in the day. It's like we have even less time in the day. Also,

• Speaker #1

  like they're also stressed with the daylight saving time because like everything has changed. So he's like wondering, like, why are you not feeding me?

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, it's different, right? I mean, because they don't pay attention to a clock. Their clock is the sun and the moon, Right? Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, it's a deal.

• Speaker #1

  I'm not sure about that. Because you taught me that tool. And I think it goes to the next question about how, as you said, like, how do we move that? And at the same time, like, you know, what are the daily practices that, you know, us pet owners, that we can learn to move that energy? And at the same time, like daily rituals, not even just to like help release the anxiety or calm everything, but more or less like also strengthen the bond, the nonverbal bond between animals. and pet owners.

• Speaker #2

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  And I love that, that these are your questions because it shows me just like you're, you're so invested in the wellbeing of animals. And that is why I admire you so much. And you know, I am too. Like I'm a vet.

• Speaker #1

  I question myself, is this too much? Is the reason why these guys are a little bit over sometimes? Is it me? That's like a little, Because I'm like... I hear stuff like, you know, I've been like, I'm involved with all these other like rescues and, you know, stories. And I mean, I'm not saying they're not bad parents, but like, I feel like I'm just probably a little too aware of them. Or I'm like, am I causing all this? But I just want them to be happy.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, of course, right? Of course you do. Like you love them so much. So you want them to have the best life. Like, of course. Right. And so our job is being that responsible parent, right? And being responsible of our energy and responsible for their overall well-being, right? Because we love them so much and we want them to be here forever, you know, and that is...

• Speaker #1

  Every time.

• Speaker #0

  Right, right. And that's, you know, why you've built such a beautiful company. Yeah. So let's talk about energy movements. So energy movement, I love to actually physically move. So there's a lot of ways to, let's go back to the example of you are a powerful CEO and you have, you know, the day is over and you know, you have some stress from the day, right? And so, you know, you shut the laptop, the day's over and you've got a couple hours left in the day, but your energy is pretty amped. right? From all of the stressors that you have incurred for of that day. And so what most people do, because we do have such limited time and we are just really tired as a society and overworked. So what most people do, they think, oh my gosh, well, I've got two hours. So that's just enough time to like make dinner and then like shower basically, like maybe watch an hour of Netflix or whatever you want to watch and then go to bed, right?

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. And like...

• Speaker #0

  That's what most people do with their time. And there's nothing, of course, like I'm all for, like everyone could do whatever they want to do in this life, right? Our choice, our responsibility. But that energy, right? So you can see that you're already, you're already full, right? Your container is already full with stress and anxiety. That isn't going to go anywhere if, you know, if you're making dinner and then you're sitting on the couch and then going straight to bed, that you're going to wake up. actually less filled with vitality because you're not going to sleep well that night, right? Because your energy is so filled with all of this. So that energy has to move, right? Energy has to move to evolve. We have to release it. We have to let it go. Otherwise it starts actually devolving and it becomes stagnant as well. So I'm a big, big advocate.

• Speaker #2

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  So when we go to bed at night and we are, our energy container is filled with all that stress and anxiety, it doesn't go anywhere that we'll have restless nights, right? Most of us aren't sleeping well because our container is already full. And so energy has to move to evolve. And I think we all came here to evolve somewhat. So the simple practice, it's so easy. And the wonderful thing is that our dogs love it too, is if you can really just muster up enough energy after dinner and just go for a walk, right? Walking, running, hiking, playing, all of that really moves that energy. And here's the thing is that if we walk for 30 minutes, say just after dinner or in the morning, preferably both. Probably both, but say after dinner, right? And you're exhausted, you've had a stressful day. that just 30 minutes of just walking, right? So just neighborhood walking, like you, Kyle, Tuxedo, Jean-Martin, that's it, right? 30 minutes a day actually lowers your cortisol levels by 20%, which is the stress hormone. And get this, it will improve 40% for our dogs. Our dogs, their cortisol levels will decrease by 40% just with a 30-minute walk. And so our stress levels go down. And the reason being is we're releasing that stress, right? We're outside, we're feeling fresh air, we're getting the mother earth medicine, right? Just being outside and how beautiful that you can do it together. And so that research doesn't even include the really beneficial thing of where the real magic happens. And that's when we actually connect with our pets on our walk. So I love walking. I live at a marina. So like we're walking an hour in the morning and an hour at night, but like hiking, even just playing, like when I go and throw like Frisbee for sweet little Naya, I always make sure that in any of these activities, I'm not listening to any podcasts, even though like I do listen to this podcast, just not on my walks, but I won't distract myself, right? I'm not talking on my phone. I'm not listening to my phone. I'm trying not to think about other things. I'm really trying to be in the present moment and connected to Naya, right? And really connected. And it's just that. And what happens is, and this is research backed, is that when we can be in that moment and we are connected with them and we start to have the same gate, that our hearts actually synchronize together. And I'm getting angel bumps when I say that. So our hearts actually synchronize together. And that is the frequency. First off, it's the frequency of magic. But when we're tapping into and synchronizing our hearts, that is Mother Nature's frequency. That's our pet's frequency. That's how they communicate. And that's how they feel safe is that when we are in our heart space, like they feel the safest. And so naturally, all of that, right, our stress is going down. We're releasing the energy. And just by doing all of that and getting into our heart coherence, we're just naturally becoming more balanced, right? And becoming more calm. And we're not even having to do much about it. It's just that movement. And then, right, when we, our hearts are now synchronized, our bodies are now synchronized, and that's when you actually can really tap in to the magic of your connection and your bond. And you know, I know it's, yeah, it's the best. So last night it was, well, last night, like four, but it felt like night, right? Because the nights are getting so dark so early. So we were walking in the Marina and I was thinking about our time together. And I was really just thinking about connecting. And I know we were going to have this conversation about how I'm so passionate about. moving our bodies as a form of connection with our pets. And then you get all of these other benefits, right? So I was thinking about this on our walk and... And, you know, Naya and I are walking together and she keeps looking up at me. And that's a great sign too, right? When you start to make that eye connection, right? They look back at you, they're checking on you. You know that you're in sync. So yeah, you know that you're right. Yeah, you're, you're really, that is, you're in communion with the universe at that moment, right? In that moment, you're present and the universe is communicating to you. You're communicating with Tuxy and Jean-Martin, right? You're communicating with the birds, right? You're communicating with everything. And so I was in this state and we come to the water and family of otters greet us right at the water. I had not seen them in over a year and I had been trying to call them in and because I missed them and I was thinking about how important it is to be present and connect. And right then and there, a whole family of otters were like, hey, we're here. And so, of course, otter medicine, you know, otter spirit is all about tapping into joy, tapping into play. It's also their strong suit is actually the divine feminine, which is go with the flow, right? A river otter flows with the flow, the current of the water. And so it's very divine feminine energy to go with the flow of life when you see an otter. And so I thought I took that as, you know, someone that is into the woo-woo things. I very much took that as my communion with the universe in that moment and affirmation about what we were talking about today.

• Speaker #1

  Amazing. I love that. I love your animal stories, the story that you told me about the eagles on your way to Canada. And I'm like, I'm always looking, I'm like, is that a portal? I'm always looking at like, where? But it gives me, or it made me really be more aware of my surroundings. You know, like I've been, like yesterday before the beaver moon, we stepped out around 6.30-ish, I think. And we're like, I was just like, you know, looking at like how beautiful the... sky was like sunset and it was a different color it's not as the egg gnocchi but it was more of like a pink i feel like i'm looking at the auroras but i'm in la we never get to see but color of like it's just so cosmic and i'm like i love that that's what i feel is magic and it is and nature will respond

• Speaker #0

  When we're in that state of appreciation and gratitude, you went outside and you were in a state, that's your heart coherence. You were in a state of gratitude, like, look how beautiful. And that is our moments of communing with nature. And in response, we do receive that magic back. I'm a firm believer of that.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  Okay,

• Speaker #1

  well, I have another question. This is more about helping pets through transition, changes. So Tuxedo sometimes struggles when... I leave and I think you mentioned that already, that is also my energy. And when routines like shift, like if there's like new people in the house, now he kind of know if like there's new people, are they going to leave? Or if the luggages are out? So I know you mentioned about how to communicate time, travel and transitions with your pet. Like you taught me about the moon and the stars. I mean, the placement of the moon and sun. Can you share how we can help? our animals feel safe and grounded during those changes and probably share that to our audience because I love that it's still playful but I really love it well and this is a passion of mine as well because as you know I was a flight attendant for 22 years and so travel

• Speaker #0

  was my life Nya is my third um my third little pet companion in my adult life and um I and Thankfully, I changed my career to be a stay-at-home mom now. So she's not too hip on traveling. But I have a lot of experience in my past life of when I was a flight attendant. And that's all that my dogs ever knew was actually me traveling. So I became, I'm like you, where I'm like, how do I set them up for success, right? I want them to have the best life ever. we are humans and we are adults. And unfortunately, we have to adult in life. And that means that we have obligations outside of them, which, you know, I'm not so happy about all the time. I would much rather like not have adulting and doing anything like that. But the facts are we do right. And so there is a world outside of them. And so we just want the best for them. So how do we set them up for success. So when I was a flight attendant, I was very passionate about how can I help them thrive while I'm gone, right? I want them to feel safe. I want them to feel loved and supported. not like out of balance because I'm not there, right? I don't really want to be their only world, right? I want them to flourish and other things. But of course, you know, I mean, they are pack animals. And so there's always going to be, you know, we are their pack. So it's going to be very, very stressful. And especially with the holidays coming up, right? We, all of our houses right now are going to be experiencing change. So we're going to have a lot of company coming in and out, right? We're going to be traveling, all of that stuff. So my favorite tool is I do communicate with the sun and the moon. So I do believe that, so I believe in communicating to them and preparing them. So I've spoken to people where they feel, and also trainers who have said, just don't tell them anything and just like grab the bag and just leave and don't look back. And that is just not my style. That may work for others, right? Yeah. Yeah. But... I am constantly like communicating. So I just got back from a week's vacation. And so for two months leading up to that, I was communicating with Naya. I would, one of my most favorite things to do is because we want them to feel safe and loved is I'll get down on the ground with her and I'll put my hand on her little heart. And again, that. brings us into heart coherence, right? And actually there's, I believe it was the Heart Math Institute that studied that when we actually look into the eyes of our pets and we drop into heart coherence, that it releases like massive amounts of oxytocin, which is like the feel good, the feel good, you know, hormone. Yeah. And so, so it's really good to do anyways. So I'll get down on the ground and I'll just put, you know, my little heart, my hand on her heart and just tell her like, you are safe. You are loved. You are always supported. You are always, always safe. And so I had a pet sitter that came into the house. And so I walked with her every single week. So she would get familiar with Naya. And so each time I would just say, I just started preparing her. And... although I believe Naya understands my words, and I'm sure Texi and Jean-Martin understand your words too, but really what they're picking up on, I think they do have that intelligence, but also they're picking up on the energy and the intent that our words have, right? Our words are being delivered with an emotion, right? And so that's really what they're picking up on. And so I just started preparing her the whole time. You're going to be so safe with Debbie. You're going to be so seen. And they also love jobs, right? They love to be needed because they came here to be our greatest teachers. They did not just come here to be, you know, a little fluff ball on the couch, even though they excel at that, right? They came here with deep purpose. Like they have purpose and they want purpose. And so I feel it's very important that I always acknowledge like Naya's role in this world, like her. role is to spread love. Like she is here and like she spreads love. She brings joy. And so that's something that I would communicate, right? That's something I communicate to her too, to prepare her for that change. Like no matter what, you're always safe. And remember, you've got a job. You have love to give. You have, you know, you are, it's so important that you spread joy and that you're calm and you're balanced. So the emotion that they're picking up when we're We're in our heart. We're talking. We're eye to eye. So we're getting all this oxytocin. So there's this really beautiful communion that's happening. And then also they communicate not only by feeling our emotions, they communicate telepathically, which is through like our imagery, right? Some would call it our third eye. It's the same process of our thoughts, our memories. They read all of that. I mean, if you ever notice that if your dogs sleep with you, like mine does, like if you're lying in bed and it's like no one's up yet, but you're up and your thoughts start running, then all of a sudden, there's no sounds that happen, but all of a sudden, like your dogs are like, hey, I'm reading all of your thoughts. Yeah. I know you're up.

• Speaker #1

  I feel that because like, so it's funny because I see this in Instagram a lot, like, you know, pet parents like crying at 2am and my dog's like sleeping. It's a meme. It's a fun meme. But knowing that you won't last for a long time and you're only a one-year-old dog puppy snoring and I'm here crying. I laugh at that. But seriously, I feel that with Tuxedo having all these issues in the past. Sorry, Tuxedo, I'm talking about you. I've been thinking of that. And he will really get up and look at me. And I'm like, I'm sorry, go back to bed. It's okay, go back to bed. So I think they're picking that up. Yeah. So I will do, I'm like, you know, swipe it out of there. Like get it out of there. I got to clear that out. You know, I'm going to do that. I'm going to do a tool to clear that out. And I'm going to promise myself that I'm just going to, you know, have a good night's sleep. I'm going to, cause like he's been waking us up a lot, but I think it's me waking him up. I didn't even know that. Wow.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. I mean, yeah. Well just pay attention next time. Right. When you wake up, what was I thinking about? and you know they're they're in your mind for sure so they it's the only thing i think out at night i'm always like get out of my head come on give me some privacy go to the bathroom with me and you're in my head but through images so my best way to communicate time time for them right because they don't know how to read a clock so when we do travel or maybe like taxi gets a little bit nervous when you leave. So maybe if you're leaving for... four hours or something like that. Communicate time to them. And how you do that is images of the day. So they tell time by the sun and the moon. So for example, I left for a week and what I did with Naya was I showed her and I kept communicating the whole time preparing her. I would close my eyes and I would show her how many suns I was going to be gone. I would do a sun and then I would transition into the moon. So that would, the moon would represent night, right? And the sun would represent day. And I do that cycle about how long I'm going to be gone. And then, and I've done this with, you know, for 22 years with my, with my pets. And when I'm coming home, I even communicate what the sky is going to look like at the time I'm landing or the time I pick them up. So say, for example, I'm going to... I would get home at 5 p.m. I would flash an image as to where the sun and the moon is going to be at 5 p.m. And hands down, so 100% of the time, I've been using this technique with my pets. And the pet sitters always say an hour before I go to pick them up that they are sitting waiting for me. They always say, we don't know how they know, but they always know when you're coming. And I know it's because of this technique. Thank you. And, you know, we spoke about how Naya has some separation anxiety. Do you know the entire week she was so cool? She never screamed. She never was anxious. She was calm the entire time. And same thing. Yeah. And my pet sitter said she somehow just knew. And I was like, yeah, I have this like sun and moon technique.

• Speaker #1

  Wow. I have to practice doing that for next year for it shows.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. It's really helpful. I'm all about giving them as much information as possible. Like we're always in communion with them.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. I often feel like, you know, Tuxedo is my greatest teacher. He mirrors my emotion, reminds me to slow down. Like not just Tuxedo, but also Jean Martin now. Like he's like picking up and like, hey, let's go outside. Like, you know, you've been sitting down for a long time. Again, from your perspective, how do our pets help us grow emotionally? and spiritually as humans.

• Speaker #0

  Oh my gosh,

• Speaker #1

  well, just look at your life and look at my life, right? Would we be the people that we are today without it? Exactly. I was just telling a neighbor the other day in a walk, I'm like, who would have thought that I'll be looking at poops as a work and be enjoying when I see it's really clean and smooth. I'm like, I thought I'll be making dresses and clothes the whole time. But I'm like, look at me now. But I love it. I love doing what I do. Yeah,

• Speaker #0

  you built an entire business and sustain your life because of the love that you feel for your pets. And talk about emotional growth and personal growth, right? You would not have built this life if you did not have and receive the growth from them, right? And it's because you're in communion with them. You are receiving from them and they are receiving from you. Enough to where it just activated your passion to where it's like, I have to advocate for them, right? And I hope, my hopes are, I would not know what the percentage is, that there's more people like us that can start to open up the concept that we are companions, right? We are here in communion. This is a mutual, respectful relationship that needs to be cared for and respected for. And just like any relationship, there is so much growth that is there for us.

• Speaker #1

  I quit an entire career flying for my dog. But you know what? I'm seeing that a lot. Like I'm seeing a lot of people that are pretty much in a very different, you know, not just career, but industry. And they're now in the pet space. So my only hope. So too, because like, I mean, there's like a huge growth with like pet ownership. wellness and all this stuff. Like, I'm really hoping that, you know, like all these companies and people that are building these businesses. see more than that. Like, that's why I'm really, like, I know it is something different. Like, what I'm talking about, energy, how frequency and the bond, like, with animals. Like, I feel like it should be incorporated in your business. And at the same time, like, you know, I feel like this is one of the things that a lot of pet parents should know. Like, as I said, like, I'm learning so much with Tuxedo and taking care of Jean Martin, too. But I feel like this is something that I'm really hoping, hoping that, you know. people just go beyond like, okay, what's the next ingredients that are available in the market? Like, oh, everybody's going through like a plant omegas, you know? But yeah, I'm really hoping that, you know, it will transcend like other than just, you know, functional support or like, I feel like I'm going beyond what I'm, which is great because like it's making me a better person, be a better person, be a better creator for them. Like, you know, it's how to help them. Yeah. Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. You answered your own question. Exactly. You would not be doing this if it wasn't for them. That's their role with us. Right. And all of us have some form of a story like this of how they have impacted us and changed our lives. And I feel that we dismiss that a lot of the times. Look, here you are. And then here I am. I gave up 22 years of flying, you know, because I was. tired of leaving her and no one was going to take care of her the way that I took care of her, right? They make us, but really, really what happened is we were ready for this, right? Yeah. We came here to do what we're doing and our pets can be those catalysts, right? A lot of the times we wouldn't do it for ourself, but we have so much passion for them and they know this. And so then they basically position themselves so that we will do it for them. and it completely changes our lives. And it doesn't have to be so, you know, life-changing like you and I have an experience, but in every single day, think about the emotional growth and the maturity and the awareness that you're receiving when you do take a break and tap into them. And all the compassion that you probably have learned, they teach us so much. They teach us how to love, right? They teach us how to love unconditionally. And oh my gosh, I would not be the person, Just those.

• Speaker #1

  basics of the love and also having to provide the love. That is, I mean, amazing lessons in life and amazing emotional growth. Exactly. Yeah. So talking about lifelong bonds too, like I think this will, I'm tying this up, like you've mentioned about they're here to give us like, or to catalyze what we are here for, like our purpose, right? What about the idea of animal or incarnation and lifelong energetic. bonds? Like for pet parents who have lost a beloved animal, what comfort or insight might or insight might that be? You know, what perspective that you can offer?

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. Oh my gosh. I mean, first, let's just say the grief of losing a pet is immense. And I often feel that it's minimized because society will say, oh, that's just a dog. Oh, it's just a pet. But like you said, who goes to the bathroom with us? Who's in our heads as much as they are? you know, it's our little ones. And so the grief is immense. So also, I mean, with that, right, you have to be open to the concept of reincarnation, the idea that energy is eternal, that our physical bodies can easily, right, it's fact, our physical body will decompose and die, fact, right, for all of us here. But again, we're our container of energy. And our container of energy holds this spirit, right? Holds this energy of ours and energy can't be destroyed. It evolves. And so the concept of reincarnation to me seems super basic where I'm like, well, yeah, duh, of course, right? Energy has to evolve and, you know, and it's up to them if they want to come back, right? Are there lessons, you know, does my human have lessons to still learn? and When we connect in the way that we're talking about connecting, and by the way, Donnie, I just want to say like how very brave you are for bringing these topics to your podcast. It's super brave. And I also feel it's super holistic. The concept that there is more to just, you know, what you are seeing, right? The amazing products that you have and the advocacy that you're offering. There is like the energy and the spirit behind it, right? And so I think that you're very, very brave to bring someone like me on. So thank you.

• Speaker #1

  No, this is something that I always, because like, okay, I've been through a lot of like vet emergency vets. And immense like emotion I've seen talking to. pet owners. I mean, the last one, I mean, previous to this last one that we went to, I mean, I felt so bad. He was telling me about, oh, his pet was there because he wanted to see the internist, I think, or the specialist because his dog really needs to have his tooth pulled out. I'm sorry, this is just an example. But I felt so much empathy when he mentioned about Like this is my last dog. I have like three of them. And he's like, the last one among the three. And, you know, in between my parents passing, like in during the pandemic and two years after I lost the other one, it's so weird because I didn't even cry when my parents left, but I was so affected when my dog died. And I'm like, I don't know what to do when he's going to go. Cause like, he was so worried that he needs his dental, the dog's dental tooth to be taken out, but the other vets doesn't want to do it because he's got a heart murmur. So he has to look for a specialist. So while I was listening to, while we were talking and I'm like, my God, like, I don't know if I'm ready for that. Like, you know what? So that's why, like, I feel like it's not just me who's going through this. It's going to be more people that are loving the animals that are preferring to have an animal companion than having kids. And there's a lot of my customers or listeners out there that are doing that. I mean, you know. I want to be prepared. I want to share that there's more to it. Yeah. And bringing you is beautiful. It's so great because you have experience, you know? Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. Unfortunately, I mean, I do have experience with that. Exactly. Yes, exactly. So the idea that our spirit is eternal and I am intuitive, so I do tap into the energy of this because it is very important. important to me to hold faith that, and also when I have lost a pet, a beloved companion, that I want to hold that space and the invitation for them to come back. And most times they are, they want to come back almost immediately back to us. So, you know, of course, like, oh my gosh, like almost immediately, like they are ready. And the really cool thing about them, and again, how they're our greatest teachers, is they're not attached to their physical bodies whatsoever. They absolutely understand that they are eternal, that they have a spirit, and they are not attached to death like we are. They are not attached to their body. As soon as they leave their body, they're already talking about the next adventure. Like to them, it's an adventure. Thank you. they don't really have that attachment towards it. They understand that that was a chapter. And that was one thing, it's been three years since I lost my little girl, my little bulldog. And I mean, I will say like, I mean, I almost had to walk away from my business for a year. I was just in so much grief. I mean, it was so incredibly painful. And I know I'm not alone in that. I know that a lot of people feel like that. And I would do a lot of... long walks because that's where I feel that I can really connect. And, and I'm talking about connecting with her spirit, you know, since she had transitioned and I heard something really, really beautiful if, if you're open to hear it. And, um, and maybe, maybe some of your listeners would enjoy something like this is what she had said was she was speaking of the non-attachment and that they, the reason why their lifespans are so much less than ours. is because they come to us for chapters. And so if you think about it, that our pets are here for chapters in our life. And so their bodies, they're only here for those chapters and then they're ready to shed their body and then move on. And most likely they'll come back into a higher and better form that's going to suit our next chapter and their next chapter as well, complimentary. So it's actually a really beautiful process of a cycle of life. And it's something really beautiful. And they are always excited to come back if you are open to that experience. And honestly, even if you aren't aware of it, they probably are anyways. So they have their own agenda, as you know. So I think that it's important to, of course, honor the life, honor the passing, but also hold that really sacred space that if you want them to come back to you, then they're going to come back to you and they're going to match you in that next chapter in life. And it's something really, really beautiful. And I believe that they're always here with us. Just like humans. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Like I feel like Tuxedo. and I has been together in my past life. Like there are moments when he had his bladder stone taken out, like when I'm making him broth or whatever, there was just like snippets of like, I remember doing this for him a long time ago, but it was just so weird. Like, you know, I'm doing it again, but I'm like, am I just making this up? But you can, you know, like even if people make fun of you, like, oh, you're just making it up. But I mean, you know, I'm just trying to be honest. Like there are moments that I feel like that we've been together before. And I've known him a little bit like, you know, I've known him for a long time, you know? So I believe in that. Yeah. I believe in that too. And I say lean into it. I say absolutely lean into it because it's a whole other layer to your relationship.

• Speaker #0

  So why would you not want those memories to come forward? Because then you're building even a deeper relationship. And that's what we want.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly. And I feel like sometimes I'm like, you're teaching me to remember. There are things that I'm like, you're telling me to remember what we did before, Yeah. Well, and they love to play with us in our dreams. So, you know, because they get into our mind and they will reveal other lifetimes in our dreams. They will communicate in our dreams.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. Can I tell you a really quick, funny story the other night?

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, yeah.

• Speaker #0

  About how they invade your dream. The other night I was sleeping and I had the awareness that this really soft, sweet little female voice was just chit-chatting with me. I have no idea about, but it was just like, I could just tell she was around. And then all of a sudden in my dream, I hear boop. And in real life, Naya, my dog, takes her paw at the exact same time I hear boop in my dream. Naya punches me in the face and goes boop.

• Speaker #1

  Oh, my God.

• Speaker #0

  So she literally was talking to me in my dreams. And she literally goes,

• Speaker #1

  and her paw hit me in the face. Oh, my God.

• Speaker #0

  They are always active.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. Oh, my God. Anyway, okay. So for our listeners who want to deepen their connection with their pets right now, especially those navigating health challenges or big emotion, what's one simple daily practice that you can recommend to bring more peace and harmony into that relationship? Just one simple, like, other than, like, walking. Yeah. I would say just connect, right?

• Speaker #0

  Just connect and say hello, right? I think that we can often sort of, like, get to the day-to-day and not, like, just, you know, get on that floor and, like, throw a ball or, like,

• Speaker #1

  you know, do something that, you know, what brings them joy, do it for them, right? Like, do that for them. Yeah. That's what I say. I think to me, to me, I will, I will do the. hard thing, like, you know, being in coherence with them. Like, I want to do that more. And I'm really going to focus on that. And the more, you know, the stuff that you told me today, like, I'm gonna, I feel like maybe tonight I'm going to practice it, like sleeping, not waking him up. I'm going to let him like have his, you know, not think about him, not worry about like, whatever it is that, you know, I think that is happening to him. Yeah. Because remember those mirror neurons, right? And so if you're thinking it, right, like he will actually mirror that. And that's hard, right? That is energy mastery. And you are excelling at it.

• Speaker #0

  Like you are a main thing at it. You are a main thing. And it's just not. It's just being aware, right? Like when you wake up in the middle of the night and you're thinking about that, it's like, okay, so how do I not allow that to take over my thoughts, right? Let's shift that and like, let's envision Tuxy like running free at the park and how happy he is, right? Shift the mindset of, I'm not going to think like when you have those thoughts about like, you know, going downhill with, you know, with all the challenges that you, you know, that we all can go down, shift it. you know imagine him running having a good i've been doing that like i was even telling um telling him like okay how good could it get like exactly well you won't be needing this medicine you know i mean i'm really happy too because like he was able to tell me what's really going on and you know we were able to see and help him but i wish like you know he he doesn't have to go through it and because it's funny too because it's the cortisol like he he can't produce cortisol His cortisol is really low.

• Speaker #1

  so there's like a it should be balanced like it can't be too low because you know we think that cortisol is low cortisol is good but i feel like having too low cortisol is not that good yeah i don't i don't know i mean because i'm not a doctor but i feel that everything has to be in balance i would assume but yeah poor little guy and i exactly imagine how good can life get so get down into the heart space right and like really get into it i'm like how good can it get like how amazing is it Because we are creating our reality. I heard someone recently say that, you know, miracles aren't outside of us. Miracles are actually within us. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, it's the frequency that we're tapping into. And that's the love frequency, right? When we tap into our heart, that's their frequency too. And a lot can transcend within that heart space.

• Speaker #0

  I even forgot to mention about the telepathy tapes that I've been like, I got sucked in, like, I think early this year. And they were talking about like how the parrot. understands that the owners are coming in. It's basically they're in tune. They're both in hard coherence.

• Speaker #1

  It's just amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So amazing. To me, those are miracles, right? Those are miracles and it's worth it. And I know it takes a lot of effort. We all want to multitask and be on the phone and do the things. And so it takes effort to clear a schedule to really interact and get in that. heart coherence with them.

• Speaker #0

  But I feel like the reward is just so great. Yeah. But I feel like too, where we're at in this world right now, there's just so much calamities, aggression, pain, like everybody's constricted, right? I'd rather be with my dogs and just like think, I want love and happiness and joy. Yeah. I think I'm going to lean on that.

• Speaker #1

  There's a reason why there are emotional support. It's like literally they are our emotional support.

• Speaker #0

  I know.

• Speaker #1

  We feel good around them. That's their magic, right? That is their magic. They, yeah. I'm with you. I'm with you. I turn down invitations all the time. I'm like,

• Speaker #0

  I'd rather be with them.

• Speaker #1

  My gosh. Like, is it dog friendly? Then probably not. Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  Thank you again, Crystal, for sharing your wisdom and heart with us today. Can you give us a... Like where or if our listeners wanted to connect with you and follow you, like I follow you on your YouTube channel, Psychic Soul. And I'm also a member of your app, the Psychic Soul app, wherein I get my daily meditation, daily resets. And I love that being incorporating, like having your app as my tool for daily. Like, you know, I start my day going through the app and doing...

• Speaker #1

  meditations, resets, and just, you know, starting my day with good intentions. And can you share with us and we will also like put it in our show notes. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm so grateful to, of course, be on today. So thank you so much for having me. And I'm so grateful that you're part of my community too. We can do wonderful things like that. Yeah. It's like so amazing to just hear that. So thank you so much. And oh my gosh, What an honor. So. Yes. So I do meditations. You could go on my YouTube channel, The Psychic Soul, find all of your like really yummy meditations there and visit my website, thepsychicsoul.com and the Psychic Soul app. Yeah, the Psychic Soul app. And you can get just like Donnie, you can get all of your daily resets and some quick energy tips and all the good stuff to live a calm and balanced life, not only for ourselves. but also for our little babies, right? Our little angels, as I like to call them. So if we don't do it for ourselves, do it for them.

• Speaker #0

  Well, thank you, Crystal. Thank you so much. So grateful to have you in our podcast today. I'm so honored. So thank you. Well, thank you so much for your time with us, Crystal. And also to our audience, thank you for listening. And to Crystal for sharing your wisdom and your heart with us today. This conversation reminded me that our pets don't just rely on us for food or care. They tune into our energy, our emotions, and our presence. When we're grounded, calm, and connected, they feel it too. And that awareness can be such a powerful part of their healing journey and ours. So if you're going through something similar with your pet, maybe a health challenge, a transition, or just trying to deepen your bond, I'd like to hear more from you. What's worked for you and how did you help your pets feel safe and supported through change or stress? So email us at podcast at vitalpetlife.com and share your story. Your experience might help inspire or comfort another pet parent who's listening right now. Thanks again for being part of this community and for showing up with so much love and curiosity, both for your pets and for yourself. Until next time, take care, stay grounded, and give love to your furry friend. A little extra love from me and Tuxedo.