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Each week, Amanda Campbell interviews amazing people, who will share their inspiring stories of resilience. Amanda dives deep into 40-minute DNM’s with guests, exploring their stories of how they have overcome adversity in their lives professionally and personally.
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;35;05
Unknown
Welcome to the Pen like Bamboo Resilience Podcast, where we discover how life's greatest challenges can become our greatest strengths. I'm your host, Amanda Campbell, can physiologist, EMF specialist, resilience coach and author. Get ready to be inspired by these remarkable humans who share their raw, real stories of transformation. The breakthrough moments, the lessons learned in the trenches, and the practical wisdom that turned their greatest challenges into their greatest strengths.
00;00;35;08 - 00;01;01;28
Unknown
These conversations offer hope, tools and proof that resilience isn't just possible. It's your birthright together. Let's discover how flexibility can become your superpower. Turning life storms into stepping stones towards the person you're meant to become. Let's dive straight into our next conversation.
00;01;02;01 - 00;01;28;16
Unknown
Welcome, everybody, to the Identity of Health podcast. I I'm so excited today to have Amanda Campbell with us. Amanda Campbell Not only is she a friend, she is an amazing beacon of light and love on her own healing journey. And we're going to learn a little bit about her journey today. But what I really want to point out to you is that she is the author of Bend Like Bamboo.
00;01;28;18 - 00;02;00;25
Unknown
She wrote this book after her journey of overcoming the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Yes. You know, all the doctors that tell us it's impossible, it's incurable. This is just the way it is. Get ready for being in a wheelchair. All of those things on the side. Amanda said no. Amanda said, I don't believe that. Even though there was a point that she was completely paralyzed on the left side, her face had dropped, her arm couldn't move.
00;02;01;00 - 00;02;27;11
Unknown
She couldn't walk. She was in a wheelchair. She was in a rehab facility. And really everybody was telling her, I'm sorry, honey, you're you're done. That's it. But there was a spark within her. And this is what we're going to hear today, is that spark that fired that that really that spark that created a fire within her to today.
00;02;27;11 - 00;02;54;29
Unknown
She runs. She's the CEO of an amazing company. She has lived in her power. And you're going to get to hear this today. So, Amanda, thank you so much for being on this beautiful podcast with us. Show us. Lead us. Guide us down this beautiful journey. So, Amanda, what was the moment for you where you kind of had that?
00;02;55;06 - 00;03;29;01
Unknown
Helen moment, that that pivotal moment was when I hit rock bottom and I was in a rehabilitation center. Well, I ended up leaving for a couple of months and then faced with never, ever walking again and the possibility that steroids just weren't working. And I realized that I had a choice. The beautiful physio was giving me exercises just to make my fingers to try and open and close again.
00;03;29;03 - 00;03;53;09
Unknown
And I had tears running down my face because it was just so hard. And it was in that moment I knew I had a choice. I could either give up and stick to my old ways of rigidity, of being stressed out more and victim and not believing in myself, not believing in possibility, further exacerbating the stress response which leads to inflammation and more disease.
00;03;53;11 - 00;04;19;25
Unknown
So there was a choice to choose something else. I didn't quite yet know what that was going to be all about, but I did understand that something had to change. But I still sat in my wheelchair behind big black sunglasses, contemplating my life permanently disabled. It wasn't until I saw a little glimmer of hope that I then could find the courage to step up.
00;04;19;27 - 00;04;45;24
Unknown
And that was after my beautiful family and friends grabbed me, put me in my wheelchair across the road, went and had dinner together. And I felt normal just for a couple of hours, which led to a feeling of total joy, laughter and relaxation. And what I know now, not as just the patient, but the practitioner, is that that created a shift in my biochemistry.
00;04;45;27 - 00;05;15;24
Unknown
Instead of being so focused on keeping me in survival, my brain and nervous system relaxed. I felt joy. And we know that that then shifts into growth and repair pathways instead. STEM. And that night my tone moved for the first time. And it was that. I know, I know. And my twin sister had gone to the bathroom. She was getting me ready in my pajamas and I screamed out and the nurse came in as well.
00;05;15;24 - 00;05;33;16
Unknown
That's like my her target. But then I found her and I was able to channel my energy differently. I was able to then focus on what I wanted instead of what I didn't want, which was to get my body and life back. And when we're stressed, we tend to focus on what we don't want. Worst case scenario, we overthink.
00;05;33;16 - 00;05;55;29
Unknown
We get stuck in our heads and our intellect, which is when we're not centered and connected to our intuition. Where we know better, we know we can believe in ourselves and we can shift things in our state. Yeah, okay. So I got to kind of I got to call something out though, that in that moment, did your body say bullshit?
00;05;56;01 - 00;06;21;25
Unknown
Did you like it in the mind Ever go? Yeah, but you know what? It's just my tell. Yeah, it's just this. Aw, man, this is my face. This is what it was. Toing and froing, for sure. It was like, my God, Hang on. my God. Isn't it? Did. But there was something inside of me, thank goodness, that wanted to get better.
00;06;21;25 - 00;06;51;01
Unknown
More than to stay stuck and sick. That's important too. Yeah. Okay. But that's something within you. And as we know and you know, all the older education and research and studies that you have done and then, you know, I've followed as well, is that we are all made of atoms. And when you look at the atom. 99.999999999% of that atom is energy.
00;06;51;04 - 00;07;20;15
Unknown
So when that moment did you gravitate towards the energy and realize or become aware of when your energy was either feeding dis ease or was feeling healing? I think the scale of emotions that can like our lower frequency, emotions of anger, fear, shame, worry, passiveness when you can elevate to courage, which is I think, what happened in that moment.
00;07;20;18 - 00;07;57;26
Unknown
Yeah, evidence that it could happen. Only then did I come out of my shell. I had the courage to put myself out there and try harder. And so I took that moment as hope. And. And then when you elevate your energy, you have access to more elevated emotions of love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, resilience, which are really important. You know, it's an important shift that leads to different thoughts and more flexibility and adaptability in your nervous system, in your body, to relax, open your heart and see things differently.
00;07;57;29 - 00;08;24;17
Unknown
And that shifts how what you're believing about yourself and then what can be possible for you. Okay, this is okay. So then you I've got so many questions. This is so amazing. So really, when you're looking at that from that basis, that hope that started to spark, then did you notice when you were what a ring like? I like to imagine this.
00;08;24;17 - 00;08;55;03
Unknown
It's like you've planted a seed or you've planted a bamboo plant, but they're being built. Plant doesn't grow. Ten seed in the first year may take four years before it grows ten feet. I know the sac goes with bamboo. It grows. Doesn't grow at all. And then all of a sudden it grows feet. Yes, Yes. Baby steps continuously progress to something quite powerful and beautiful, even if you don't see it.
00;08;55;05 - 00;09;40;29
Unknown
Yeah, and often you don't. Okay. So what helped you when you didn't see it? So in rehab, I had to channel my stubbornness in a new way that was more positive, that served me. So in the past I would be a perfectionist, I would overwork, I would disconnect from my body and not listen to what it really needed, which was sometimes to slow down and just to embody being able to sit within myself in the difficult emotions that we all go through, especially when we teenagers growing up and we think some of us have dysfunctional families and, you know, we learn to disconnect from our emotions because they're difficult and it's easier to be disconnected,
00;09;41;04 - 00;10;02;23
Unknown
disassociated. But the problem is when you block difficult emotions, you also block joy. And when you block joy, you know, an internal repressed emotions, an internal battle happens, which leads to those thoughts where you stop believing in yourself and possibility and then that clashes with your goals. And when your goals don't align with what you're really believing, there's a constant stress going on.
00;10;02;23 - 00;10;41;04
Unknown
And this is what I address in in clinic. The power of kinesiology can really help to get into the subconscious brain. Using your energy. We can rewire the circuits and your muscles and your organs and or connected to the nervous system. And that's how on a multi-layered approach, we can change things structurally, biochemically, emotionally and energetically and spiritually, you know, just simply holding some points and moving energy because your energy is connected like a security structure to your fashion, to your tendons and ligaments and muscles and your emotions and your hormones and your digestive systems and all the processes and your amygdala and hippocampus.
00;10;41;04 - 00;11;09;28
Unknown
So and knowing and understanding your energy and your state, it's connected to all of those things. And it's easier to and more malleable to shift energy than it is to sometimes palpate a muscle or to change a hormone. So work on your energy, work on your energy, because it's you can okay because of energy is that over 99% of us are all made of energy and only 0.01% of matter.
00;11;10;00 - 00;11;36;17
Unknown
You're basically pointing to that Moving that energy is easier than trying to move no matter. Yeah. As a practitioner, I use the chief law and understanding of how the chief lies in the body to identify and identify blockages, which, you know, it can be from structural or physical injuries, hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, simply an emotion that stuck like shame or anger or grief.
00;11;36;19 - 00;12;10;25
Unknown
You know, my dad died a couple of weeks ago, and I know that I've got some grief that, you know, I'm working through and and allowing my body to naturally process that and to believe that I'm safe even when I'm feeling sad, is my ability to do it to remain anchored and centered. And that's how we bend, you know, in direct proportion to the wind when the storm comes and how we remain regulated and how we can make better choices for ourselves, but most importantly, how we can fire right and repair pathways instead of survival of stress.
00;12;11;02 - 00;12;44;18
Unknown
But when we're really sick and we've been really unwell and perhaps even disabled for long periods of time, we're more stuck in and another state and it takes time to get that ball rolling. But there will be moments that will come that are opportunities that seem like drastic change or something's going wrong or but nor I know if you can be more connected to your higher self and that wisdom there actually an opportunity to level up and to choose something different.
00;12;44;20 - 00;13;12;10
Unknown
Are you used a word in there allow. So do you think and I love this philosophy of bending like bamboo because do you think you know, like I can just think about on the that the tree doesn't fight back the wind naturally does is in motion. Yeah, it bends, it slows with it. And so with that moment you're talking about healing.
00;13;12;16 - 00;13;52;23
Unknown
Your healing in yourself was your ability just flow through the various moments that come just like you're doing now on I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, but flowing through the grief, the grievance process, flowing through grief in this moment, allowing the tears to flow if they want to flow in that moment, allowing any other emotion to move through you in that moment, being flexible back in because I nervous systems are typically, you know, in rigidity from trauma and stress and difficulty.
00;13;52;25 - 00;14;18;09
Unknown
And so, you know, in the past, yeah, it's that when I was younger I was very, very closed over in protection. So my heart was shut down and it became very normal to feel anxious and stressed every morning throughout the day and therefore living very disconnected. And that allowed me to push harder and work harder. And I thought external was the answer.
00;14;18;11 - 00;14;43;23
Unknown
But it was only when I hit rock bottom and I was in hospital for white walls alone had to go within and yet I felt something greater than me connecting with me, helping me through that. And I love connecting with that energy. Now, every single day on good days and difficult days, it's always there for me. And I didn't realize that before.
00;14;43;26 - 00;15;11;07
Unknown
And I wish I did because it there's always support and, you know, it's something greater than ourselves. It's there and there are things that we can do daily that help us to elevate our state and energy to connect with that. And that's very healing. Absolutely. Yes. How much do you think we get trapped in the old past emotions like those old like especially once we get diagnosed, we sit, we continue to see the same.
00;15;11;07 - 00;15;36;17
Unknown
So whether it's cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or whether it's multiple sclerosis, we see the same symptoms over and over. It's kind of like a joke that it's like the Groundhog Day. It's like, all right, here it comes again. Now, being stuck in that energy, being like a washing machine, just washing us around over and over and over and over again.
00;15;36;19 - 00;16;03;05
Unknown
Is it at that moment that it comes down to a choice either? Yeah, sure. Yeah. Like when I was younger and I often when I was diagnosed, I was already not believing in myself. I didn't think I was enough. I didn't, you know, I really believe in possibility for myself. And when I was diagnosed, it was like, yes, see, another point of evidence that I'm not going to be able to achieve my goals.
00;16;03;08 - 00;16;37;26
Unknown
I'm not enough on a whole new level. And that's how I perceived it initially, which then led to me disconnecting more internally, pushing myself externally, you know, working harder, going out later and not looking after myself. That then led to more degeneration, inflammation and total paralysis. And it was only when I had the ability to reassess and reimagine what you know, when my time and then I found hope and I knew I had to approach things differently.
00;16;37;28 - 00;17;12;19
Unknown
And the experience of overcoming that allowed me to believe in myself again, because I, you know, I achieved something that really was I wasn't supposed to like that rapid recovery when doctors said, you probably won't walk again, and then a shift within me and then, you know, like I said, amazing physios, a neuro physiotherapist, a kinesiology, is both working on me and that attitude shift within me and also experiencing joy with my friends and family, which, you know, further pushed my pathways into growth and repair instead of survival and stress.
00;17;12;21 - 00;17;37;17
Unknown
And just, you know, I right place at the right time, everything sort of working together and private harmony. I walked and then ran and then recovered. And this is my 15th year of total remission since then. my God, this is amazing. So I got to ask you, I want to go back a little bit farther. So do you think NASA came in to get your attention, to find your true, authentic self of why you're here and represent?
00;17;37;19 - 00;18;06;26
Unknown
Okay. Yeah. It was my biggest teacher. Still is. I'm in a maintenance program and whilst I don't have new patients and I'm in total remission, I'm it's still forces me to continually look after myself and to remain as healthy as possible so that that remains well into my nineties, you know. Yeah, absolutely. Well, you'll be doing summits with me until you're, you know, 90 years old and yeah, I'll have sequin tops, thick glasses.
00;18;06;28 - 00;18;30;15
Unknown
This is what I've got to talk about it. my God. So I have to ask the question. Has masks become a gift? yes. And that's when I help my clients with as well to see it that way. That look, one, it's helped you. It's forced you to stop. It's forced you to go within and to discover what you're really made of.
00;18;30;15 - 00;18;51;01
Unknown
And and maybe that is what shifts those beliefs of I don't you know, I'm not loveable, I'm not enough. It was only when I achieved all of that, you know, I simply walking again that simply walking. And what? No. So walking again. Yeah. Made me go, okay. Well if I can do that, what can I do with my career?
00;18;51;01 - 00;19;12;05
Unknown
What can I do with my life? What can I do within my relationships? And then I rebuilt my life to create my dream life. Only after that happened. my God. So yeah, it would be absolutely a gift. Realizing how powerful you really are that we all really are. Yes. I'm glad that you phrased it that way, that we all remain listening to this podcast.
00;19;12;12 - 00;19;43;07
Unknown
Any limitations you may feel right now are not you are not true in that they're an illusion. They're an illusion. And you know, it's a jail. The what we need to break out of. And I know that there's like people out there that are, you know, very ill and things don't seem to be working right now. And all we're doing is we're discussing how to give yourself the best environment to elevate your state so that you can accept what is first of all, right now, because that's the first step, is just accept not wanting things to be different.
00;19;43;10 - 00;20;15;08
Unknown
And I always wanted things to be different when I was younger, which led to more stress and symptoms. But when we can totally accept what is right now, we can only from there create a new reality that's more flexible and more, you know, hopefully a healing well. You talked about something powerful with acceptance. So do you think we push with the like a desire like, I want to walk again or I want to run again, or I want this or I no longer want this.
00;20;15;11 - 00;20;41;02
Unknown
And what's tough is and you brought it out. Really, you're pointing in this point is that when we go through these moments and we're not saying they're not happening, we're not saying these don't exist, but we're I'm hearing from you, Amanda, is that first step of hope which just accept what's going on right now. That's that's on me.
00;20;41;04 - 00;21;04;28
Unknown
And then shifting deep inside of yourself what you're really believing, what you're really believing about yourself and then capturing what that story is and questioning it with flexibility. And if you need to put it in the bin and create a new one, that's more in line with you achieving your goals and you healing with who you really are.
00;21;05;01 - 00;21;44;12
Unknown
Yeah. So do you think that I mean, when I get thinking about this after doing this podcast for years is, you know, it frustrates me that autoimmune conditions are an epidemic levels over 400 people a day just with multiple sclerosis are being diagnosed with it, 100 people a day. Is it now? Wow, it's crazy worldwide. Yeah. So is this us waking up to who we really are, the foods we eat, the stress that we have, the not enough feeling in this moment.
00;21;44;14 - 00;22;11;20
Unknown
It's that wake up moment. The gift you saw in your diagnosis. Is this our moment of absolution? Yeah, it's. It's us, you know, shifting our consciousness and, you know, a sign that you know this, you know, when we're stock, you know, That's the whole point, though, not even not wanting that to happen, to be stock and to be on that journey of awakening.
00;22;11;20 - 00;22;35;22
Unknown
And we're all unique on our journey of when we're ready to do that and not even judging that bit either, just with total love and compassion. Whenever you're ready to do that in a work and to reimagine your story and to shift your beliefs, know that that's the most powerful way of shifting your biochemistry and your opportunity to choose healing instead of illness.
00;22;35;24 - 00;23;10;25
Unknown
Well, in what you talked about there, it's not just accepting the symptoms or whatever you might be going through. It's accepting everything. Yeah, and everything. All your choices in the past, all of your thoughts, all of just learning how to identify the story that you're telling yourself and that inner chatter and and, you know, this is also how we manifest for ourselves is our ability to understand how the brain works when we're in that passiveness and overthinking chatter.
00;23;10;27 - 00;23;35;08
Unknown
It is also often when we're shut down in our hearts because then our nervous system and brain goes, I'm not okay. I need to think through how I'm okay. Michael Singer talks a lot about that. I learned so much from him about his understanding of the heart being shut down and there's so much electricity in the heart, electromagnetically in even in comparison to the brain.
00;23;35;10 - 00;24;05;19
Unknown
It really is a heart conversation of relaxing. Be more flexible, open up. But you know, that doesn't really match. Nothing works out for me. Everybody's against me on that. Doesn't align with that. So when you're ready to let that go and you elevate to, you know, that high perspective where you can see all the streets, you can connect all the dots, you connect to your high self and you get the cosmic joke, You can see things with fresh eyes and you can change all of that.
00;24;05;21 - 00;24;32;13
Unknown
Yeah, but you're talking about, well, Michael Singer's work is surrendering to it. Yeah, it's not just me. Like, Well, it's here for a reason. Yeah. Yeah. And to constantly be in that, that, that perspective because you don't really know what's behind those events that usually you'd be like, I wish this wasn't happening. Yeah, well, life has a very clever way of bringing in some very special things that you don't quite understand yet what they're about.
00;24;32;15 - 00;24;56;09
Unknown
So that's the journey. The journey of healing is really is uncovering those pieces, discovering what it is, seeing the cosmic joke of like all these things and just finding joy within your life. Yeah, we need to be flexible to do that. Yeah. Because if we say rigid in all of it, then when those moments come, we're not going to flex to it, We're going to fight against it.
00;24;56;10 - 00;25;26;00
Unknown
We're going to say, my God, I don't like this window. I don't like this every day. That will mean that will, you know, that can lift you out of that. Exactly. If you're rigid, you will not see those opportunities as miracles. So you're telling me that miracles are around us all the time. All the time. If we're open to seeing them, we want to be relaxed and flexible so that we can.
00;25;26;06 - 00;26;00;16
Unknown
my gosh, Amanda, this is your story is so amazing. I love the journey that you've been on. But this is not just a journey of healing. This is a spiritual awakening. Yes, it is. That you stepped into this moment. Yeah, it really is. And and I it really is a shift in consciousness. I feel like I'm living a whole new life, reborn in a new dimension, and it just keeps getting better and better.
00;26;00;16 - 00;26;25;00
Unknown
If we spoke five years ago, I would be saying that, but little did I know what was about to come next. As long as I keep choosing to be surrounded and to receive miracles and that my body can continue to heal and now thrive, I'm excited to see what even I can do now in my late forties. So watch this space.
00;26;25;02 - 00;26;53;00
Unknown
You've only just begun. Look out. So what advice would you give anybody who's listening today? Flexible as flexibility in your body impacts everything that matters. Your body's ability to repair how happy and resilient you are and how connected you feel. So choose flexibility every single day in your thinking, in how you're feeling and how you show up in your reactions.
00;26;53;02 - 00;27;16;08
Unknown
Amanda, what an amazing opportunity to speak with you today. This amazing opportunity to see your light in the love within your heart. Thank you, man. Thanks, Blake. Well, I love your the way that you interview. It's such a pleasure talking to you. You're so good at what you do. And yeah, to be a part of your summit again, it's.
00;27;16;08 - 00;27;39;09
Unknown
It's a blessing. I'm so excited for you to be a part of the fourth annual symptom Free Mass summit. It is, but you are such a beautiful beacon of light for so many individuals that might be going through struggles. So thank you. My pleasure. Thank you. Thank you for joining us on the Pen like Bamboo Resilience podcast.
00;27;39;11 - 00;28;07;18
Unknown
I hope today's conversation inspired you and if this resonated with you, please write, follow and share it with someone who needs to hear this episode. If you would like to go deeper with me, whether you're leading through burnout, navigating health challenges, or rebuilding after setbacks, I'd be honored to support you. Head to bend like bamboo dot com to explore our programs, check out my new book or book a free discovery chat.
00;28;07;20 - 00;28;14;08
Unknown
Trust your ability to bend and flow with life. I'll catch you with the next episode.