The $170,000 Wellness Bed Wasn't My Biggest Takeaway

Hi friends, 

Last week I told you I was heading to a longevity conference here in Nashville and promised to report back on what fascinated me, what made me skeptical, and what I inevitably wanted to try.

Full disclosure: because of the timing of these emails, you actually received that newsletter a couple of days after we attended the conference.

Apparently The Elevated Frequency Weekly is already bending space and time.

But I digress.

I went. I nerded out. I tried some things. And yes, I found a $170,000 wellness bed, or as the Ammortal company calls it, a chamber....

Today's Lineup:

• I tried a $170,000 bed and unfortunately loved it

• The longevity industry reminded me to do something very unsexy

• I’m headed to a 104-degree black-tie wedding…sober

I Tried a $170,000 Bed and Unfortunately Loved It

The longevity conference was fascinating.

I walked through rows of vendors offering all kinds of testing and technology. DUTCH testing. Microbiome testing. Brain Mapping, Hormones. Mitochondrial health. Red light. PEMF. Recovery technologies. Diagnostics I didn't even know existed.

Basically, a playground for someone like me.

I actually wanted to do one of the mitochondrial tests, but I ran out of time. Probably for the best, because give me enough biological data and I will absolutely turn it into a new personal research project.

But there was one thing I did try.

It's called the Ammortal Bed.

Yes. That's actually the name.

You lie down on this bed surrounded by red light, sound and vibration while it creates this incredibly immersive experience. I was only on it for about 15 minutes, but it felt somewhere between a sound bath, meditation and futuristic nervous-system cocoon.

And I loved it.

I got off feeling deeply relaxed and settled. That feeling stayed with me for another hour or two afterward.

Then I learned it costs approximately $170,000.

So unfortunately, you will not be seeing an Ammortal Bed squeezed between the couch and dining table at our house anytime soon.

But it was cool.

And experiences like that genuinely excite me. I love seeing what's emerging. I love testing things. I love having more ways to understand and support the body.

But walking around the conference also made me notice something.

Nobody seemed particularly excited to talk about walking.

The Most Interesting Longevity Tools Might Be the Most Boring

There I was surrounded by incredibly sophisticated technology designed to tell us more and more about what's happening inside the human body.

And I kept thinking about the information we already have access to every single day.

How many steps did you take?

How much water did you drink?

What did you actually eat?

How much protein did you get?

Did you strength train this week?

How did you sleep?

How consistently did you do any of it?

It's not nearly as sexy as a mitochondrial test.

But I've been reminded of its power in my own body over the last few weeks.

As I told you last week, I'm tracking again. And the more objective data I collect, the more I can see the difference between what I think I'm doing and what I'm actually doing.

Humans are incredible storytellers.

I'm eating pretty well.

I'm definitely getting enough protein.

I'm walking a lot.

I barely eat that much.

Nothing has changed, so why isn't my body responding?

I've told myself versions of these stories too.

Then you look at the data and sometimes go...

Oh.

There's something strangely freeing about getting information out of your head and onto paper, an app, a watch, whatever works for you.

The data doesn't have to mean anything about you. It doesn't need to tell you whether you were “good” or “bad.”

It simply gives you something real to work with.

And you don't have to track everything tomorrow.

Start with steps.

Do that consistently.

Then maybe water.

Then food.

Then strength training.

Maybe progress photos if body composition is one of your goals.

Whatever you're working toward, identify one or two pieces of objective information that would help you understand what you're actually doing.

Because all of those incredible labs, diagnostics and longevity technologies can add another layer of information.

But they can't take your walk for you.

And they can't consistently nourish your body, lift the weights, drink the water, go to bed, or make the thousands of tiny choices that eventually become your health.

Maybe the cutting edge works best when it's sitting on top of a really boring, really solid foundation.

Something Else Is Changing Inside The Green Door

Speaking of foundations, we're only days away from beginning our next Awaken Your Nutrition cohort.

And I'm unusually excited about this one.

For about 12 years, I've been the person leading our Awaken Your Nutrition group calls.

But this cohort, I'm stepping back.

And our coaches are stepping forward.

The closer we get to September 21st, the more right that decision feels.

Since our co-founder Lisa exited the company earlier this summer, I've been thinking a lot about where I want my own energy to go next. I'm increasingly excited about somatic and emotional-release work, deeper facilitation, and some of the broader mind-body-heart-spirit conversations I've started sharing with you here.

At the same time, I looked around at our coaching team and realized how much knowledge and lived experience was sitting there.

We have coaches with backgrounds spanning holistic health, biology, psychology, personal training, aesthetics, chiropractic care, mindset work, cooking, meal prep and so much more.

But there's also the education you don't necessarily get from a certification.

Some know what it's like to recover from emotional eating.

Some know body shame intimately.

Some have navigated their own health challenges.

Some are total foodies.

Some see things completely differently than I do.

And that's precisely why I want them teaching.

I can give you my perspective.

Seven coaches can help you see that there may be seven different ways of looking at the same human experience.

I think there's something beautiful about that.

We learn what's possible partly by witnessing how other people have navigated their own lives.

And that's what I want these group calls to become even more of: a place where individual experience becomes collective wisdom.

Next Stop: 104 Degrees in Black Tie

By the time you read this, I'll likely be in California.

Rafa and I are heading to L.A. and then Palm Springs for a wedding.

An outdoor wedding.

Black tie.

Current forecast: approximately 104 degrees.

What could possibly go wrong?

There's another piece of this trip I'm curious about too.

Neither Rafa nor I drink anymore.

This December will be three years for me and about four for him.

And I have to tell you, I don't miss it.

Which would probably surprise an earlier version of me because I was really good at drinking alcohol.

I was a total mezcal connoisseur. I loved learning where it came from, how the agave was grown, the different producers, the cultivation process, the ritual of it.

And weirdly, that's the part I still miss.

Not being drunk.

Not the next morning.

Not what alcohol did to my sleep.

I miss the ceremony.

There was something intentional about sitting down with a beautiful mezcal and understanding the people, land and process behind what was in the glass.

When I stopped drinking, I also discovered something I hadn't expected.

During that first month, emotions started coming up that I hadn't realized I'd been quieting with alcohol.

That was...interesting.

Nearly three years later, going to a wedding sober isn't something I have to white-knuckle through. I don't really think about drinking anymore.

But I am fascinated by what happens when you remove something that used to be part of how you socialized.

What stays?

What changes?

What do you discover you actually enjoyed about it?

Apparently I'm about to conduct this week's field research in formalwear while sweating profusely in the California desert.

I'll report back.

Nice chat. Let's do it again next week.

Until then, enjoy the shiny things, don't forget the boring things, and if you see a woman melting into a black-tie dress somewhere in Palm Springs...mind your business.

All love,
Shannon

P.S. If the section about getting out of the story and looking at your actual habits hit home, that's a huge part of what we do inside Awaken Your Nutrition.

You don't need another person telling you that you “should eat better.”

You need a way to understand what you're doing now, how your body is responding, and what actually makes sense to adjust.

And this time, you won't just have my perspective. You'll have our team of seven coaches bringing their own education, experience and way of seeing the whole human in front of them.

Our next cohort begins September 21st, which means we're just days away.

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