Health Hacktivators With Dr Alka Patel – Overcoming Betrayal, Finding Yourself And Positivity

You're listening to Health Hacktivators with me, Dr. Alka Patel, on the Woman's Radio Station. Before we get into today's conversation, please do support today's show sponsor, Youth and Earth. Youth and Earth have a range of products that I love to use myself to supercharge my metabolism, to support my health, and to slow down cellular aging. So just be sure you click the link in the show notes for exclusive offers which Youth and Earth are so generously giving only for for listeners of this show. Welcome to Health Hacktivators with lifestyle medicine doctor, GP, and longevity expert Dr. Alok Patel. This show will help you to discover a hidden health hacking code that unlocks your phenomenal potential for an outstanding healthspan, lifespan, and wealthspan. The show features candid conversations with celebrities, influencers, and industry icons, real-life stories, and cutting-edge health hacktivating advice that other doctors might not tell you. Discover why now is the time to join the strategic self-care revolution and experience the profound effects this will have on your personal and professional success. Now, here is your host, Dr. Alka Patel. Hi, hey, and hello, Health Activators. On today's show, I'm talking to Rodri Giggs. Yes, Rodri Giggs, who also happens to be the brother to Ryan Giggs. Now, Ryan has certainly gained notability on the football field as midfielder for Manchester United, but he's also gained notoriety facing allegations for abusive behavior towards his girlfriend. And when he's not been on the field, he's been playing the field too with this 8-year affair with Rodri's wife, now ex-wife, Natasha Lever. So Rodri and I today talk about sibling rivalry, which for Rodri culminated in the biggest betrayal that you can have from a brother, that affair that was splashed all over the front pages of the tabloid papers. Rodri talks about the effect of this on his own mental health, all of this set against the background of his being estranged from his own mother and his family. And he talks about how grounding himself in his own identity and his values has really been the one thing that has helped him to move on. Now, Rodri has now gained his own fame for the very, very clever Paddy Power advert that he did about loyalty. And his life has certainly moved on with 3 children and a very firm focus on teaching and supporting teenage children who have behavioral and personal and family issues. I'm so delighted to welcome to the show Rodri Giggs. Welcome, Rodri. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really have been Looking forward to chatting with you today. Yeah, you're welcome. Grazie mille. Let's just kick off. I guess I want to start by saying you have had some seriously roller coaster of a life, haven't you? I think that would be an understatement, really. Really? I've got a quiet life, do you think? Depends what your definition of quiet is, right? Or maybe you like the thrill of a roller coaster, who knows? Definitely not. Yeah, but look, I want to, um, maybe kick off our chat with probably what most people aren't expecting. You know, when you get Rodri Giggs on a chat, there's, there's usually a big, big theme to the conversation, isn't there? But I want to talk about the work that you're doing right now, and that's all about teaching teenagers that have got sort of family-induced behavioral issues. I'd love to know more about the work that you're doing with teens at the moment. Well, something I wanted to get into about a year ago, so I joined an agency then Um, I joined a secondary school in September and yeah, it just wasn't what I was looking for. So I ended up going to a different school. It's like 20, 30 pupils with behavioral problems, you know, parent problems, and just don't like school. So it's very good, it's very challenging, but all the kids are really good, but just like, got, like I say, I've got issues and Yeah, it's really good. It's something that I've wanted to get into for a bit and, um, yeah, just been only been like 4 or 5 months now, but yeah, liking it every day. It's really good. And what are you, what are you doing with them in the, in the schools? Schools, basically just English, maths, and PHSE, right? Um, afternoons they can do football, basketball, gym, swimming. Snooker, you go to a farm, you can go horse riding. So that's all in the afternoon. All in the mornings is English, maths, PHSE, and ICT. So yeah, it's like I say, it's really good. The 45-minute lesson, only 4 lessons in the mornings. So yeah, it's really good. So for instance, like one of the kids, you know, one of the kids' dad's died of COVID recently and his mum just got put in prison for 5 years. So that's the kind of stories that the kids have got to deal with and they're like 14, 13, 15. So it's a lot to take on board and they've got learning issues, they've had COVID where they've not done anything for 2 years. So yeah, these are the first probably the COVID kids, they're really challenging these ones, but they're all nice lads, all nice good kids. We'll say lads, there's a couple of girls as well, so they're all nice children. Yeah, and it sounds as you say they've been through sort of a lot of challenges themselves, but you said it's something you've wanted to do. What's the reason that you've been drawn to this? Because I mean, you can do anything and there's a lot of things that you are doing. Do you think this relates to maybe some of your own upbringing, your own challenges? What sort of drawn you into this? What's the why? Yeah, possibly. I just like to help. Uh, I think I just, just think I could help these people and give them good advice and, and try and get them on the right path and Yeah, just something that I've seemed to be got really passionate about over the last couple of years, few years, not a couple years, few years. So, you know, I've always coached football, so I do that in football. So I think you could do it in a, you know, because when I was 14, 15, I was always hanging around the streets, I was hanging around with people robbing cars and doing all kinds of stuff. So, and then that, you know, that kind of, that kind of can progress Um, so yeah, just trying to guide him in the right areas and keep him away in certain places. What do you put that down to? So there you are at 14, 15, stealing cars. Like, where did, where did that— I never steal a car. I never stole a car. I was always with them though. I was, I was a lookout. I would never actually steal a car. I was never brave enough. So, uh, no, I would always be with— I was the stupid one to get in the back. Yeah, yeah, okay, okay. But again, where did that, where did that come from? Like, how were you— how did you find yourself doing that? Just rebelling, really. Just football. Instead of, instead of being playing football where I should have been, I was on the streets being a, being an idiot. So, and yeah, and just, just, just carried on until then. Ended up getting expelled from school, and no, lucky enough I ended up going to Turkey, and then we'll probably talk about later, but yeah. So, okay, okay. So let's talk about football a bit because you're kind of— you grew up around sport, didn't you? Yeah, well, like I said, when I got expelled from the school, Torquay must have seen it in the paper or something because, well, back in them days anything about Ryan Giggs was in the paper. So Ryan Giggs' brother had been expelled from school and they'd seen it and they got in contact with me somehow and ended up going down there for a trial. Have you ever been to Turkey? I haven't, no. Yeah, it's like, you know, like the French Riviera, the English Riviera, they call it. It's beautiful. So I was down there for like a week, and then they offered me to stay for another week, and then in that week they offered me a 2-year contract. So I ended up, yeah, staying there for a bit. Awesome, awesome. So, so then what happened? There you are in the English-French Riviera in Turkey with this club. What went wrong? What did something go wrong? Getting into mischief, getting moved out of houses, and then I get moved into the— with the chairman's daughter and their family. And we used to go to the chairman's house for Sunday dinners, and he used to have a massive, massive wallet. So I took some money out of it. I told one of the teammates, and he got caught doing something, and he grasped me up, and then they ended up sacking me for it. They asked me back after it, but I never got told that. I never ever went back. So, and from then on, it was like 2 or 3 years of just Yeah, just doing all sorts, doing all sorts. Wow. Okay, so, um, where did, where did Ryan fit into all of this? He's just been, he's just playing for United all along, so he was never really part of that, to be honest. No. Okay, but you're both playing football, uh, did you kind of go unnoticed? Did you get less attention at home? Did your, did your mom not notice your football? Was it my mom My dad's never seen me play football. My dad's never— bearing in mind, you know, I was the captain of the rugby team in school, captain of the football team at school. Yeah. My mum's probably only watched me once or twice where, you know, when we was growing up, we'd go and watch Ryan every week. We'd go and watch my dad as a family every week. And when it comes to me, I'd just be going on my own. And at a certain point, I'm like, you know what, instead of going the other way and thinking, you know what, I'll show you, I went the other way. And just tossed it off and got him wrong with the wrong crowd. And then, like what I just said before. Yeah, yeah. God, how did that feel, like pitching up to Ryan's all the time and no one pitching up for you? How did that actually feel? How old were you at that time? Probably 11, 12. Yeah, yeah, about 11, 12. Right, that's a, that's a punch in the teeth, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, it was. Yeah. And then when, when, when in later in life, when, when they would come and watch me, it would actually affect me. You know, it actually affect my game because I wouldn't be thinking about the game. I'd be thinking about too much trying to impress and not concentrating, and it would affect me. Yeah. So in the end, I wish— I, I'm glad I told you if they wanted to go, then I don't bother. You don't want to go because it would actually— it would affect me. So yeah, yeah, you didn't want them there in the end either, did you? So, um, and what about like, you know, Cybrol rivalry. You kind of talked about you went one way, Ryan went the other. I mean, as you were growing up, you know, there's, there's always sibling rivalry. Oh yeah, very much so. Yes, right. Yeah, there is. Was it like that with you boys? Yeah, exactly, exactly. That's why he's so good, because he was playing with me every, every week, every day. Yeah, no, yeah, he's always competitive. We've just been talking about that in the last Zoom meeting. Yeah, it's always been competitive through— my dad used to play rugby, football, and tennis, cricket. He loved cricket. So yeah, big cricket, football. We could have played either, either of us could have played rugby, cricket, football, maybe not tennis, but then 3 we could have, definitely. Yeah, amazing. So you've got that kind of sporty spirit, you've grown up. Yeah, athletics as well. How can I add athletics? We loved athletics as well. Yeah, yeah. So I've got that, it's all that competitive edge, isn't it? And like you say, it sounds as though it started from when you were kids, when your kids were watching my play rugby and constantly watch him home and away for years, and you see him and you try and emulate. You look up to your dad, your dad's your hero, so you try and be like him. So yeah, 100%. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what happened with your dad then? It was just one minute, broke up and he was off, he's off to Wales, and I didn't see him for probably 25 years. Yeah. Wow. Why, why was that? Why did he— just, he was abusive, and the way he got off and You know, I remember they broke up and it was my— it was a birthday of mine and he's picked me up and as he's driving out the street, he's seen my mum going to work and he's parked at the bus stop, got out, him and my mum have an argument. I see a scuffle and then she runs off or— and then he comes over to me, says my mum wants me. 'Give me your birthday money.' Took the birthday money out, then he drove off. I went to my mum. My mum's got a broken nose. And so yeah, I probably didn't see him after that for 25 years. Wow, that is a vivid thing to remember and recall. And it's on my birthday. It's on my birthday. Yeah, on my birthday. Jeez. Okay, so you haven't spoken for how many years did you say? It was probably 25. 25 years. Are you speaking now? Yes. Yeah, speak. How long we speak? You're probably about 7 or 8. Yeah, yeah. So how did that happen? How did that kind of reconnection happen? Through my sister. My sister, probably. Yeah, my sister, because he's obviously to him sister through him, and I'm close to her. Yeah, yeah, okay. But you're not speaking to Ryan? No, no, no. What do you feel about that? No, no, no way at all. It's not happy nor sad, it's just what it is. You know, my phone calls, my phone call's open. Told him not for years, but I'm not going away for a long one anymore. You're not making the first move? I'm just not going away for now. No. Okay, so tell me about that time then, because all of that was, again, a bolt out of the blue, was it? You, your now ex-wife, Ryan. Yeah, it was just, uh, unfortunate. Um, just talking about again there on that Zoom meeting because I had to, but No, finding out with her mum knocking on my door at 6 o'clock in the morning with it in the paper, that's how I found out. So she'd gone to Spain that day before saying she was at a birthday party, but she's not. She was planning to take the kids to Spain to get away because she thought I'd strangle her. But, uh, and he was in Spain and he asked me to come over to Spain and I ended up staying at Will's for a week and Yeah, it was tough, that, the full, probably a year, probably a year, it was just like a daze. But, you know, time after time it's got much better. And as soon as after they did the Paddy Power thing, really, you know, it's really been put to bed in my eyes. So there's this line in that Paddy Power ad, isn't there, with the bitter, and you go, no, I'm on the champagne. I mean, it just, you know, it gets me every time. But genuinely, are you bitter? No, bitter about what? About how things turned out. No, no, it is what it is. Life is what it is. Things happen for a reason. If you know, I'm a lot stronger, a lot better person for it, even though I was a better person when it happened. But no, it's character building. I'm a better person for it, you know. I'm, um, it's like I say, it's unfortunate. I wish it never happened, but it did, so you know, you just got to make the best thing out of the best situation— a best thing out of a bad situation. That's what I've done. Yeah, yeah. And I appreciate it. I appreciate you've done that. I could be— that could be mentally ill and, you know, I played on or whatever, but no, it's moved on pretty quickly. It is what it is, you know, two selfish people not thinking about anyone else themselves. So nothing more, nothing less. And you didn't think that when you originally met Natasha? When was that? Sort of early 2000s? No, no. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So what was going on at that time when you kind of first met? Well, we just got out in town, just going out in town really. Yeah, um, yeah, just going out in town and just, uh, I was kind of seeing her friend but hadn't seen her for a bit and we'd seen them out and then we just got talking and it just went from there. Yeah, she was living like in a council house with her son at the time. Oh no, not a council house, she was living in a 2-up, 2-bed that the mum and dad owned. She was renting that off them in Little Orton. And then after about a year, we got moved into— was it a year or 2 years? A year or 2 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then when did you first start to get an inkling that something was going on with your brother? Um, it was probably about 4 or 5 years in. Then I spoke to my mum and mum said, 'No.' And then she played it down. And because we broke up at the time, I mean, your mum know, do you think? Did she know? Probably, probably. But, um, and then moved back out and then she moved back in, and then within like 6 months we were getting married. And then obviously, yeah, so yeah, yeah, within 6 months she went to see a clairvoyant. Clairvoyant went, you'll be, you'll be divorced within the next 6 months. She only got married 6 months ago. Wow. To the clairvoyant, yeah. Have you been back to the clairvoyant? At the time she told me that, the clairvoyant I went, yeah, or somewhere along the timeline I got told that by— yeah. Wow, crazy. Totally, totally crazy. Okay, so how have you gone through these last few years and rekindled yourself? Because, you know, this is— I mean, there's lots of affairs that go on, there's lots of divorces that happen, but they then all get splashed on the front pages of, of the papers, right? And was everything anything that we were reading true? I don't know what was— I don't read them. What was being, what would be being written? I don't know. I don't know what was being written. I don't read the papers. Okay, okay. So that's a bit— that's a good protective mechanism. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, people are gonna have their own opinion. I don't really care whatever anyone else thinks. I am who I am. It's not going to change who we are. Everyone's got an opinion about everything, especially these days, so You know, I'm, I'm very active on Twitter. If someone's got something to say, that they, they say it. And you know, but if you're gonna be on Twitter, you have to expect them kind of stuff. But same on Facebook, Instagram, um, no, I don't hide. I'm quite open and honest. And like I say, after that Paddy Power stuff, you got pretty much put to bed in my eyes. So I'm still earning money from that now. So shout out to Uncle Pardon. Yeah, oh brilliant, brilliant. So you've got this real mental toughness, haven't you? And, uh, and you've been through the prison system as well. I mean, did that make you mentally tough? Was that where you came out? You know what, people said that when I say this, but I actually loved it. Well, I don't— that's not— shouldn't say loved it, I said I love the experience because, um I've always had an eating problem, always. And it was kind of regimented in there, so, and I kind of liked it. I was healthy, I was fit, and I ended up going to an open prison where I was eating vegetables and halal meat and all kinds of stuff and exercise and freshen up. I was eating 3 meals a day, and so I was, you know, I was healthier, so I was happy. I was eating, I was so Yes, it's prison, but I had a really good experience there. No, it was 20-odd years ago. They haven't been back, so I didn't love it that much. Yeah. So yeah, and like I say, like I said before, you just make the best of the bad situation. And did you come out tougher? Is that where, because you were eating better, sleeping better, had space to think, what was going on in that time? Age refocus. Yeah, refocus and, uh, yeah, um, get your eye on the prize and see what you want to do yourself. Because I was like, what, how old was I? 20— 2000, I was like 24, 23. I was like, you know, where am I going? Yeah. So yeah, yeah. So how do you take care of yourself now? I mean, there's, you know, no prison regimen on you now. So how have you got sort of, uh, routines and rhythms in place that you actually do take care of yourself in a different way now? 3 kids. Yeah, one's 8, one's 16, and one's 22, and they all live here. So yeah, well, not the 8-year-old doesn't actually. The 8-year-old stays Wednesday, Saturdays. So yeah, the 8-year-old, but I'm managing his football team, taking the football Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then he plays Saturday. So then he comes with me football on Saturday. So he's a big footballer, the youngest one. So But youngest has just finished a master's degree and she's got a 1 in religious studies in Liverpool. So, wow, wow, amazing. How do you feel? How do you feel about that? I can just even, you know, see the pride on your face. Yeah, it's brilliant, it's brilliant because, you know, uh, yeah, it's just, yeah, it's just brilliant. Just another, just another heart to me, to my family. There you go. And that's stupid. And that, you know, my daughter's the only person in our family to go to university and graduate with honors. Amazing. That is just, you know, and behind that is a dad, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, she lived in Alphalast. I think I remember taking her there the first year, and then obviously she was on dorms. Then the second year she was in a house, but then COVID hit. So she, instead of staying there, because the, the prices were a joke and she weren't hardly staying there. Yeah. So she ended up getting a car and staying at mine, staying at mine. Just, yes, she's been here ever since. So, and that 2020. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now she just, she just drove there and back. Liverpool's not far, so She did it. So what do you think your kids have, have learned just by watching you? You know, there's a lot of mirroring or role modeling and that we do as parents. What have they learned just by seeing you? I'm not sure, I've never thought about that, you know. You can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. I think that's the main thing. Yeah, and I think they'll listen to this show and you, you speaking. And even though you say, I don't know what I've taught them, you've already said so much on here, like that, exactly that spirit, you know. No, it's just, it's just, just think it's good to, you know, sometimes you get lost in life, don't we? It's just, just planning, um, just sitting down, give yourself time to just plan, plan, uh, instead of just, you know, free balling or free, you know, just go with the flow. Sometimes you gotta sit down and just plan your life. Next minute, you know, you're 50, like, where's that gone? No, job-wise, I've never done a job that I don't like. I'm just not going to sit in a job 9 to 5 that I don't like and be unhappy. I'm just not going to do it. I'd rather be skinned for 2 years, go for a proper course or proper job, and get a job that's gonna pay me a decent wage and be happy with it and suffer for them 2 years. I'm just not gonna do it. A whole lifetime of being a job and then whinge and moan about it. Just don't— just, it doesn't compute to me. But I know some people have to, but you know, some people don't have to. Um, yeah, and there's always choice, isn't there? Even with you, you don't have to be working with these, these teenagers that need that support. You don't have to be doing the football academy. There's lots of other ways that you, you're earning your money. But I could go over to America, go over to Dubai and get 15, 20 grand a month working over there. I could— I mean, I could say I'm a qualified HGV driver, I've done that for 20 years, I could get £50,000-60,000 a year doing that. No, teachers is okay, but it's not great, it's not as good as the numbers I've just said. So yeah, it's not all about money either. Yeah, no, it's such an honorable thing. And just kind of just listening to you talking and knowing that that's the choices that you've made. But it's just— I still do my coaching now because, you know, that's a passion, it's a love, it's not— I'm still Well, again, I'm doing something that I like, I love. I'm not going in thinking, oh God, I've got to do that tomorrow. Because that's what I was doing when I was in this secondary school, and I was thinking, wait a minute, what am I doing? I'm the agent straight away, I said, I'm not doing that anymore, you need to get me another place, and they got me straight away. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's very much about, like you say, your passions or your values or what's important to you. And you spend so much time working. I mean, you know, the whole economy is built around working, and we spend 8, 10, 12 hours a day working. If that's not a place you can express yourself and be yourself. There's probably a lot of reason why there's so much misery. And we don't want to end up like— have you seen the film Falling Down? It's just one of them ways a 9-to-5 guy stuck in the traffic and he flips and just goes on one and just— yeah, just goes on a vigilante. Okay, okay. No, sounds, uh, sounds really, uh, really interesting. Um, but I guess it hasn't always been this way for you, has it? I mean, you, you've hit the papers quite a few times. Tell me about the, um— oh yeah, I mean, early, early life, yeah, it was all over. This is what I'm saying about never planned. But, um, yeah, but when you were there, you— did you think you could turn it around, or were you even thinking about that? Because when you're in that, the down of the roller coaster, is it hard to really— even for you, was it hard to think about the upswing? No, because you're just, you're just in the moment. You're not thinking about that. You just, you're just a whirlwind. So it's when it all settles down, it's impossible to do it when it's just so many things. Just, just gotta make sure you— that's what I mean, making decisions on when your head's just baffled and there's just too many things going on. You just, just one by one, one by one. Yeah, you try and do— try and juggle too many balls, it's just not gonna happen. Do you think there's any opportunity for reconnecting with your family? Yeah, like I said, I'm open. I've moved on from it. I'm just not going out of the way for anyone, you know, for bumping into them. We'll see where we go. But there was so much going on, 3 kids to deal with. Just, just be interested about people who are not interested in me. And does it bother you, you know, the whole, oh, you're Ryan Giggs' brother, you're Ryan Giggs' brother? Does that kind of, you know, get on your nerves sometimes? No. That's that. That started at the age of 14. I'm now 45, so I've been dealing with it for 31 years, so I'll be all right. I think I know how to deal with it by now. You got used to that, haven't you? But, and this is why I was saying— The best one is, even now, 'Are you Ryan Giggs's brother?' 'No.' 'All right,' and they just walk off. That's the best way to deal with it. I love that. It's the best way. You rang it? No. Are you Roger? Yes, I am. Like it. Yes. See, that's, that's a big identity piece, isn't it? Well, this— yeah, anyone who says something like that, I just don't— no, I'm just not. You Roger? Yeah, I'm it. You're right. Brilliant. And, and again, I think, you know, for anyone listening as well, because sometimes you can get caught in people's shadows, can't you? Um, you know, for you it was maybe your brother's shadows, for others it's spouses. You can get caught up in, even in at work, in your colleagues' shadows. But I, I love that kind of standing your own ground in your own identity, knowing what you, what you stand for, is, is so important. 100%. Principles. I'm a stubborn I nearly swallowed them, but I'm stubborn. So yeah. All right, so give me some more of your values then. What are you like? Okay, we've got stubborn, but what is— what are those principles? Um, stubborn, uh, committed, uh, loyal, despite the Paddy Power ads. Oh, you love it, don't you? But yeah, just, just, you know, you, you know, it's like anything. You treat me good, you know, I'll treat you just the same. You treat me bad, and I can be bad too. So it's just anything in life. You want to be treated how you treat others. Yeah, yeah. So was that what Paddy Power was? Was it revenge? No, not revenge, um, more um, what's the word? Not revenge, definitely not revenge. More, uh, what's the word? It's— yeah, it was just once I'd done it, it was, it was over. It was, you know, you made humor of the situation. Now, now we move on. But, you know, this, this— they still, they're still running with it. They're still paying me 5 years on, so done something right. Yeah, yeah. You definitely, definitely have. And I think, you know, coming back full circle to the work that you are doing now with, uh, with teenagers and families who've had kind of, you know, difficulties and, and challenges, um, is a real testament to that as well. It's a testament to your own values and your own beliefs and everything that you've said about sort of being, you know, loyal to, to who you are. And you just got overshadowed as you were being brought up. So any kind of, I guess, teens who might be listening, or families where, you know, children are having difficulties, they're getting called out as troublemakers, or, you know, you've got behavioral problems— I mean, what are you saying to them? I know you, your son has, has been diagnosed with autism, hasn't he? Yeah, yeah, he's, um, yeah, but he's a— it's very mild, so, but But, you know, there's a lot of families out there have got autistic kids now, you know, a lot further up the spectrum, which, you know, I've got a cousin that's high on the spectrum, but, you know, it's still loved the same, still treated the same. I try to ignore it, you know, because he just acts normal, but it doesn't really matter to me. It doesn't matter to me. Still love them the same, still treat them the same. So yes, it sometimes can be an inconvenience for people, but you know, it's your family, it's your blood, it's your love, you're gonna do anything for them. So yeah, yeah, it's, um, but you know, social media takes— have time off social media, it's a killer for young ones at the minute. Just, I know it's hard to take phones off kids, so But it's a constant battle. But yeah, social media is a big one. Yeah. So what— how do you do that? How do you take social media off a 16-year-old? You get— you try and get them into something that does not— doesn't involve a phone. And I love that. Is that— what's that, sport? Is that anything? Sport? You know, they might be readers. Read. I don't know, anything. Films, uh, even games, anything. Just off social media, anything. There's lots of stuff out there these days. There's lots of stuff. Oh, amazing. This has been a kind of really humbling conversation for me, I have to say. Rodri, just, you know, as I started off with the whole roller coaster of your life and, and here you are kind of, you know, full circle talking about karma and values and the person that you are. And I just find that sort of exhaustingly refreshing as well, hearing that from you. So, no, you're welcome. Oh, amazing, amazing. Look, thank you so much. Wonderful chatting to you. Really appreciate it. It's been great to see you. No, you're welcome. Anytime. What a very, very honest conversation that was. Here's someone, Rodri Giggs, whose birthday as a young kid has been marked by his father grabbing his birthday money and leaving him. Can you picture that? Can you imagine how that must have felt as a kid, as a child, at such a young tender age? Here's someone who's been through the prison system and came out saying, 'I enjoyed that,' simply because it was a place that he could eat and sleep and create a routine and have discipline. Here's someone who experienced a huge betrayal in the public eye and came through that with positivity and with that football mantra of one game at a time. We're going to take a short break now for some music, and we'll be back shortly with even more health hacktivations. Bless my heart, bless my soul, didn't think I'd make it. To 22 years old. There must be someone up above. Say come on, Britney, you got to come on now. You got to— So bless my heart and bless yours too. I don't know where I'm gonna go, don't know what I'm gonna do, but must be somebody up above. Say come on, Britney! You got to come on up! You got to— Babe, I'm on the way. Babe, I'm on the way. Babe, I'm on the way. And what I want to do on the back of that conversation today is to focus on positivity. And I'm going to be starting with a scientific lens, looking at what is positivity in terms of what's going on in the brain with positive feelings and thoughts. Because I think once you understand this, you can then use this to your advantage in terms of subsequent interventions. So let's kick off. What is positivity? So you will hear positivity described as a state of mind, a state of mind that is characterized by the sense of happiness and hopefulness and confidence. But the science behind positivity that goes deeper beyond the surface level of emotions and feelings. And what it reveals is a pretty complex network of biological mechanisms that are responsible for generating and sustaining positive thoughts and positive emotions. So let's dive in and explore the science of positivity, really focusing on the different areas of the brain that are involved, neurotransmitters, hormones, and other biological factors as well. And what I'll do then is look at common myths, and common misconceptions around positivity, and then provide some guidance on how to cultivate positivity in your life. So let's start with the brain. Two key brain areas to think about. There's the prefrontal cortex, which is located at the front part of your brain. And it is particularly important because it's the region of your brain that is responsible for your high-level cognitive function. So I'm talking about things like decision-making, planning, and problem-solving. And it is also involved in regulating emotions and motivation. So what functional MRI scans have shown is that when people engage in positive thinking, your prefrontal cortex becomes more active, which in itself then indicates that this is the region of the brain that plays a crucial role in generating positive thoughts and emotions in association with decision-making. And another area of the brain that is involved in positivity is the amygdala. Now this region of the brain is responsible for processing your more negative emotions, should we say, particularly those like fear and anxiety. So when you experience positive emotions, your amygdala becomes less active, which means that it's playing a role in suppressing negative emotions. And what about the key chemicals involved? Well, think of a daily dose of positivity, D-O-S-E. This is dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. So just looking at them individually, dopamine, it's a neurotransmitter and it's associated with pleasure and reward, but more specifically movement. Think of dopamine as your movement molecule. So what do I mean by that? What I mean is that it's dopamine that moves you to seek out pleasurable and rewarding activities. So when you engage in activities that you enjoy or that you find rewarding, so things like eating good food that you love, or someone giving you a compliment, praising you, Dopamine is released. That's what is released at that time. And it's this release of dopamine that is then responsible for that feeling of pleasure, that feeling of reward that you get associated with these sorts of activities, which invariably then means you, well, you want to seek them out again, don't you? Then we've got O, oxytocin. So oxytocin is, you'll have heard this before, it's often called the love hormone because it is involved in social bonding and in attachment. And what studies have shown is that when people experience positive social interactions, so things like hugging or holding hands, oxytocin levels in the brain do increase. And this increase in oxytocin is what is responsible for that feeling of, well, that feeling of warmth and closeness that's associated with these sorts of interactions. So that's D. O-S is serotonin. So serotonin is a neurotransmitter and it is involved in in regulating your mood and your appetite and your sleep as well. And low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and anxiety, and high levels of serotonin are associated with much more positive mood states. And finally, E, endorphins. Endorphins are what we call neuropeptides. They're the chemical signals in your brain that block the perception of pain. And increase your perception of pleasure. So if you want more positivity, think about boosting with a daily dose of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. But why? Why all this fuss about positivity? Why does positivity matter? What are the benefits? Well, there are many, um, there are many that go beyond the way that you feel because is remember that every cell, every tissue, every organ, every system in your body is working in synergy. So what happens at one level then has an effect on another level. What happens in one area has an effect on another area. And what we know is that positivity has a direct link to physical health. Positive people have lower blood pressure, less risk of heart disease, and a much more responsive immune system. Which then in turn creates increased resilience. Positivity increases resilience to stress and resilience to adversity. People who engage in positive thinking, they're better able to cope with difficult situations, and they're much more likely to be able to bounce back from setbacks as well, which then creates better relationships. Positivity improves relationships. People who are positive tend to have more, well, more fulfilling relationships. They're better able to resolve conflicts with others, and in doing so, this then results in better mental well-being. People who engage in positive thinking are less likely to experience depression or anxiety. So you can see the synergy here, that interconnectivity But despite lots of research on the benefits of positivity, there are still many, many misconceptions around this. So here are 3 of the most common ones that I hear. So number 1, what I hear a lot is, "Positivity is about being happy all the time." Now, the problem with believing you have to be positive all the time is that you don't allow yourself to experience the the ebb and flow of life, which is exactly what life is made of. It's made up of ebb and flow, ups and downs, ins and outs. There's a very natural rhythm to life. And the truth is, positivity is not about being happy all the time. What it is about is having a positive outlook on life. It's about being able to see the good in situations even when things are not going well. Which then leads on to the second misconception, which is that positive thinking is a form of denial. Now, I hear that a lot because many people believe that if they are trying to be positive, then they're just hiding from the reality of situations. It's just escapism. But positive thinking is not a form of denial. It's not a form of escapism. It's about acknowledging difficult situations and then choosing to focus on the positive aspects of those situations. And people who engage in positive thinking are not in denial about the difficulties of life, not at all. But what they do is simply choose to focus on the more positive aspects of these difficulties. And then the third misconception, and this is really popular, is that positivity Well, it's unrealistic. After all, we all feel down and sad and angry and upset at times. But positivity is not unrealistic. It's about having a realistic perspective on life. It's about accepting, as I've said, that it has ups and downs. And once you choose to focus on the positive aspects of situations, that's when you experience the benefits of positivity rather than dwelling on the negative. It's you that decides where your focus goes. So what is the problem with all these misconceptions? Well, the problem is that it then results in most people trying to cultivate positivity by ignoring negative emotions and by trying to be happy all the time. But this approach is not effective. So what should you decide to do instead? What decisions should you be making when it comes to positivity? Decide to focus on cultivating a positive mindset by zoning in on gratitude, by zoning in on self-awareness, by zoning in on self-compassion. Decide to surround yourself with positive people and to engage in activities that do bring you joy and fulfillment. And decide to reframe your negative thoughts and focus on the positive aspects of situations rather than dwelling on the negative. Those are the decisions that are important to make when it comes to positive thinking and positive feeling and positive being and positive doing. So what about the data? What data can you use to identify whether you are in a positive state or not? Well, one of my favorite pieces of personalized biodata is your heart rate variability, HRV. And you'll hear me talk about this many, many times on the show. HRV is a measure of the variation in the time between each consecutive heartbeat. So what it is, it's a measure of your autonomic nervous system, and it's your autonomic nervous system that regulates, well, many, many, many of your physiological processes. So things like your heart rate and your blood pressure and your digestion. And your autonomic nervous system, it's got two branches. There's the sympathetic nervous system, which is to prepare the body for your flight and fight responses. And then there's your parasympathetic nervous system, which is what promotes rest and regulation and relaxation. So what your HRV does, your heart rate variability, what it's doing is reflecting that interplay between these two branches, which means that a higher HRV indicates greater parasympathetic nervous activity and a lower HRV indicates greater sympathetic nervous activity. So that's all then related to your stress response, your sympathetic nervous activity. So if you think about stress, another piece of data that you can look at to correlate with positivity is your cortisol levels. This is the level of your stress hormone, and this is very easily measured through a saliva or a blood test and can indicate levels of stress and negativity. What else can you measure? Well, you can measure your brainwave patterns, and that's done through an EEG, electroencephalography. And that also can indicate levels of positive and negative emotions. So if I give you an example here, if you've got higher levels of particular brainwave forms, so specifically alpha and theta waves, they're associated with relaxation and with positive emotions, whereas higher levels of beta and gamma waves, they're associated with much more cognitive engagement and focus. And there's another thing as well that's worthy of measuring and capturing, and that is your respiration rate or your breathing rate. So your breathing rate is, as it says, it's a measure of the number of breaths that you take per minute. And it is very closely linked to both physiological and psychological states. So things like stress and relaxation and positivity. So slow breathing, that's associated with relaxation and positivity. Fast, more shallow breathing is associated with stress and negativity. What else? Well, what about facial expressions? Smiling! Smiling is associated with positive emotions. And what research has shown, very interestingly, is that even faking a smile, mm-hmm, can lead to increased positive mood. So maybe think about how often you smile. But there is, of course, the flip side, which is that you can also experience positive emotions without smiling. So smiling is more of a crude measure, but smiling itself also increases your endorphins. So that's decisions and data. Let's move into devices. There are lots of devices available that can help with positivity. And these include things like mindfulness apps, meditation apps, and biofeedback devices. So mindfulness apps and meditation apps, they can help you to cultivate a more positive mindset, really by teaching you to focus on the present moment. And just let go of negative thoughts. And biofeedback devices, well, they can help you to monitor your more physiological responses to negativity, to stress, and then help you with that feedback to learn how to regulate your responses very much through relaxation techniques, techniques that activate your parasympathetic nervous system. So if we think about more specific devices that I've certainly had a look at in relation to capturing the data that I've mentioned. There's the Muse 2, which is a biofeedback headband. And what it does is it uses the EEG technology that I mentioned to measure your brain activity, and then it provides you feedback on your emotional state during mindfulness and meditation. So it's providing real-time audio feedback so that you then achieve a state of calm and relaxation and positive. And you can develop habits by just practicing this and building this into your day. Another device is HeartMath, and that's also a biofeedback device. And what it does is it measures your heart rate variability, and as I said, HRV, and then it provides feedback to help you regulate your breathing and achieve a state of what's called coherence. So that's this connection between your heart and your brain. And that is associated with, again, relaxation and positive emotions. And then you've got wellness rings. So wellness rings like the Oura Ring, for example, this is my go-to simply because it's so easy to use. And I use these devices regularly with my clients to really dial into Data-driven Health. And the ring measures your HRV, and it's great at looking at your own trends because one thing that most people don't know about HRV is that it is a predictor. It's a predictor of your overall health and wellbeing. So low HRV has been associated with many health conditions, things like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, depression, anxiety. And on the other hand, high HRV has been linked to better emotional regulation, better cognitive performance, and to longevity, which means that monitoring your HRV is a really, really useful tool for assessing your physiological and your psychological state and for making lifestyle changes, which then improve your overall health and wellbeing and tap into your longevity, because studies have found a link between high HRV and lifespan. And one of these, one of these most well-known studies was done by researchers in the University of Helsinki in Finland. And what they did in this study was follow over 5,000 men and they followed them for an average of 19 years and they measured their HRV at rest and during what they call deep deep breathing tests. And what the researchers found was that men with the highest HRV, they had a significant lower risk of what's called all-cause mortality. So that's dying from any causes compared to men with the lowest HRV. So more specifically, men in the highest HRV quartile, they had a 34% lower risk of death from any cause and a 44% lower risk of cardiovascular death. So heart-related death compared to men who had the lowest HRV, whose HRV was in the lowest quartile. So that's a pretty stark difference. And what the researchers also found was that the deep breathing test was also a strong predictor of mortality, which then suggests that your ability to modulate HRV in response to breathing is a really important marker of physiological and psychological health. So yes, this study was done on men, but there have been many, many other studies that have found associations between HRV and longevity in all sorts of other populations, women and older adults, for example. So what this all suggests, what all these scientific findings suggest, is that HRV may well be a useful biomarker for predicting mortality risk and for telling you about what your interventions are doing in terms of improving your health and longevity. So it is a biomarker, it is a marker, it is a piece of data that I use many, many, many times in order to look at health status and look at longevity predictions as well. And I talked about breathing rate. So traditionally, breathing rate's not been typically considered a biomarker of positivity on its own, but it is very, very strongly connected to your nervous system regulation. So when you're in a state of stress or negativity, your sympathetic nervous system is activated, and that leads to much faster, much more shallow breathing and an increase in your heart rate and your blood pressure. And it's this type of breathing pattern that can be pretty counterproductive to positivity. And then leads to feelings of things like tension and just general discomfort. But on the other hand, when you are much more in a state of relaxation or positivity, it's your parasympathetic nervous system that's activated. And that leads to slower, deeper breathing, and then a decrease in your heart rate and a decrease in your blood pressure. And this type of breathing pattern is much more conducive to positivity because it gives you that feeling of calm and wellbeing as well. So just like with HRV, I do also look at breathing rate as a biomarker of positivity in my clients. And I combine that with all sorts of other data as well, because it is a matter, as I said previously, of synergy. It's a matter of putting all this rich information about you together so that you can then think about this beautifully orchestrated symphony that you're playing all the time in terms of how all of your body systems are connected together. So let me wrap it up here. Here are your 3 health activating hacks, which will answer today's question: why does positivity matter? Well, number 1, decision. 1. Decide to lead with positivity for longevity because positivity matters in terms of the length of your life and the health in your life as well. There's a strong correlation between health and longevity and positivity. Number 2, data. Track your heart rate variability, track your breathing rate, and take a look at your brainwaves as well. And number 3, devices. So use a wellness biodata ring or strap. My favorite is the Oura Ring, and look at other things like EEG-based tech as well, like the Muse, to really capture your data to then support those decisions that you're making as well. So if you've had value from this episode, if there's something that you're taking away, please do leave a review a comment below. Don't forget also to take a read of the blog that accompanies the hack episodes on this show, and in those blogs you'll get even more tools and techniques. So to have a look at those, just head over to my website, www.dralcapatel.com, and I wish you a health hacktivating day. Thank you for listening to Health Hacktivators. If you have enjoyed this episode, then please support the show by leaving us a 5-star review wherever you get your podcasts and by sharing this episode with a friend. Don't forget to click the link in the show notes right now to find out more details about what was covered in this episode and to connect with Dr. Alka Patel in order to take your strategic self-care to the next level. Please do support today's show partner, Youth and Earth. Youth and Earth have a range of products that I love to use myself to supercharge my metabolism, to support my health, and to slow down cellular aging. Just be sure you click the link in the show notes for exclusive offers which Youth and Earth are so generously giving for listeners of this show. Thank you for listening to Health Activators with me, Dr. Alka Patel, on the Woman's Radio Station. I'd love you to stay connected through the socials. You can find me at Dr. Alka Patel UK And to learn more about the Women's Radio Station, do give them a follow too on their socials @womensradiostn.