Episode 138 | She Fasted 27 Days and Found Something Unexpected | Cancer Healing ft. Karen Hannon

Dr. Katie Deming: [00:00:00] Most people think a water fast is about not eating. After 27 days without food, Karen found out it's actually about something completely different Welcome to Born To Heal the podcast, helping people with cancer go beyond the western medicine to heal naturally through the ancient power of prolonged water fasting so you can ditch the toxic protocols.

Take control of your health and let your body do what it's designed to do, heal. I'm your host, Dr. Katie Deming. today I'm joined by Karen Hannon, who recently completed a 27 day water fast. And she originally planned to fast for 21 days, but something shifted along the way and what she discovered wasn't just about fasting, it was something much deeper.

In this episode, you'll discover why the one thing she needed most during her 27 day fast was the one thing she had never even considered. What actually happens when you remove all [00:01:00] distractions and why most people avoid it, and how learning to truly sit with herself changed not just her fast, but how she moves through life.

Now. This is a conversation about what becomes possible when you finally stop your world. Welcome, Karen. Thank you for

being here.

Karen Hannon: Hi, Dr. Katie. Thank you so much for having me. It's, it's a pleasure to be here.

Dr. Katie Deming: Beautiful. So, you know, Karen, I wanna start by look, going back to before you signed up for this, before you found fasting, what was going on in your life? What were you doing? What were you looking for that brought you into doing a prolonged water fast?

Karen Hannon: ~I was, uh, with an ~~integrative oncologist~~. Uh,~ I was diagnosed with breast cancer in. It was in January of 2022 and went through a lumpectomy radiation, and I felt in the western kind of conventional medicine, I felt things were moving very [00:02:00] fast and I was just kind of pushed into the system and I started doing my own research and looking into other forms of therapies, reading books.

Podcasts doing my research on the internet, and I found a fantastic integrative oncologist that I see virtually now. I still go to keeping my foot in the door kind of in the western medicine, but I do meet with my functional integrative oncologist now three to four times a year, and she, she's fantastic.

She listens. And I'm just so blessed that I'm able to do that with her. And I was looking in my research and I found fasting and I was doing more research about fasting and how it can help with cancer. And so I asked my integrative oncologist about it and she, ~I'm so lucky,~ [00:03:00] recommended you and you, I believe you guys had met at a conference as I think.

Dr. Katie Deming: Mm-hmm.

Karen Hannon: Of what it was. Yeah. And she recommended you and did a little research, listened to some of your fantastic podcasts, ~ ~and, uh, signed up ~to~ to do, uh, a one-on-one call with you, kind of the discovery call. And here I am, 27 days of fasting later with you. And it, it was such a fantastic experience. ~I'm, I'm just so pleased to talk about it today with you.~

Dr. Katie Deming: Beautiful. I love that. Well, and this is Chris, Dr. Christie Kesling is your integrative oncologist. She's amazing. I've had her on the show with me and ~um, ~yeah. So I love that. And, you know. I guess one question I wanna ask you, 'cause I'm, I'm thinking about, okay. Those people who are in your shoes, who are like, okay, I've heard about fasting.

I know this can be beneficial for cancer. What were your biggest concerns about coming into a prolonged fast? ~Like, you know, were you worried about certain things as you were~

~coming ~

~in? ~

Karen Hannon: ~Yes, ~I had done, when I was first [00:04:00] researching and, and heard about fasting. I'm like, well, I can, I'll try it. So I did it myself one day not knowing what I was doing properly or how to properly do it, and then I thought, well, okay, I'll try three days. So I tried three days of just water fasting and then I tried five, and I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing.

I am sure I'm not doing it properly, and I know I didn't refeed properly. And so when I was doing more research again and then found Dr. Kesslering, and ~so blessed to have found you ~then to learn the proper way to do it, and it is so involved. ~ ~I did not expect all the things that you need to do. I was like, oh, you just stop eating.

It's easy, and then you just start eating again. But no, there's so much involved. And it's your program took me through all [00:05:00] the steps that I didn't know and learned so much in, I believe it was the thirties, eight days or whatever we were together for my fast with including the refeeding. I just learned such a great deal of how to structure the fast, how important.

The whole, I guess, bubble is, it's not just about the food, it's also about yourself, emotions. ~ ~the trauma, the past trauma, all of that goes into the fast when you are, uh, taking away the food, taking away those stimulants or I think I was.~ Um,~ hiding behind the food or when I, whenever I was anxious, I was going to the refrigerator and, you know, there was a lot of emotional things that came up for me during the [00:06:00] fast, and your program really helped me tune into that and to learn more about myself.

And it's not just, you know, stopping food and drinking water. There's so much more to it. And ~I just,~ I learned,~ um,~ about that. There was, I think I, there was fear in me and I've learned through all of the whole process of going through the fast to learn how to calm myself and not be so anxious and anxiety and worrying about the future when I, like you had just said, when I stopped my world.

And was with myself and present with myself and calm and okay. Being alone and quiet. You find that inner peace that I've learned through your program is so it, [00:07:00] it's so important to healing. That without the supplements and all the conventional treatments and the protocols and all that, if you don't have that peace to calm your, that, that piece of the puzzle to calm yourself, I really think there's something missing.

And for me it absolutely was. I was missing being calm and no anxiety. And now I have specific tools that I can do when things like that come up and it, it's so beneficial. It's just, it's, I've learned such a great deal.~ It's just, it's, I've ~

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Yeah. No, and I,~ I love that you're bringing this up because a lot of people think, okay, it's just, I'm gonna just stop eating and then, you know, eventually you get autophagy where the body starts using the cancer as its fuel. And that's really what prolonged fasting is. But you. So accurately pointed out is that yes, that happens.

And actually that's a [00:08:00] huge benefit of fasting. But in my world and the way that I approach this is that there's so much more opportunity that is available during a fast, where if you can. Allow yourselves to really, not just fast from food, but fast from life and fast from social media, and get off your devices and stop all the distractions where you just really have to be with yourself.

It is going to bring up all of your stuff, which all of our stuff. Is important to see because if we don't deal with our stuff and the emotional patterns that have been created through our life experience, through any trauma that we've had, we will not ever heal those things and, and I truly believe that cancer is.

A messenger, you know, and that all healing is spiritual. It's your body [00:09:00] speaking to you. Your body has a message that's sharing something with you that something needs to change. And so fasting is this beautiful metabolic reset and beautiful metabolic therapy for cancer. But it is so much more, and that's why in my program I stress these things.

And it's funny because everyone comes in pushing back on this, like, really? Do I really need to stop working? Do I really need to get off my phone? Do I really need to, you know, stop.~ I don't know what it is. You know,~ whatever distractions you can fill in the blank. And I am really serious about it because I see that the people who have the transformative, beautiful experience of becoming present and dissolving fear, which you so beautifully described, the people who get those kinds of results from a prolonged fast.

Do stop their world, and by stopping your world and getting outside of the [00:10:00] normal patterns of what we do, and then being so clean when you're fasting, your body's detoxifying. You've just got water on board, your body's not digesting. People, number one, the emotions start to come to the surface, right? So emotion, you know, things start rising and then you need to know how to work through that, right?

And that's where my coaches come in, is that we've got just an incredible team of coaches that helps people work through, okay? As these emotions come up, how do I allow them to flow out? Not. In this crazy traumatic reliving of any traumatic events, but just that we're emotional beings that were designed to allow emotions to flow through us and out and not get stuck.

And so by having that support, you know, you can do that deeper work. And it, for me is, is everything. And so, you know. I think that that's the one piece that most people back on me the most, and I, and I think probably for you too, when you first came in, you [00:11:00] didn't know that really. I was serious about that.

But tell me at what point that you were like, oh wow, okay, this is really a thing and I have to stop everything. When was that and, and, and what was, what kind of brought you to that point where you're like, okay, I'm just gonna surrender to what she's

asking me

to

do.

Karen Hannon: well, I remember in, in the first couple days. Um, still kind of being busy around the house and, but every day we had a call with you and I'm in the eastern time zone, so my call with you was in the afternoon and we got to be with you with our group, our fasting group every day. And from the first day, you were encouraging all of us as you were doing our check-ins and all of that.

To stop our world. We shouldn't be cleaning out closets. I shouldn't be painting my house. I turn off the tv, turn off your phone, and you reminded [00:12:00] us, especially that first week, every day, to stop our world. This is so important for your healing because you're going to learn how to calm your nervous system.

And that for me was my one piece that I was missing. And I, I'm pretty sure, I think it took me like three, three or four days. I, I had a couple people in my group who, once it clicked for me, a couple people in my group, I think like the next week, were still not understanding that piece. But you were very,~ um, you know, uh, ~direct and.

Letting us know how important it is that if we do not calm our nervous system, we're missing that piece to heal. And for me, it was about three or four days and I finally got it and started doing my meditations, TV was off, put the phone away. ~ Um,~ and that for me, [00:13:00] it, it just all of a sudden clicked and I'm like, this is what I need.

This is the piece that I need. To learn how to calm myself,~ um,~ love myself, be okay, being alone with myself. ~ Um,~ my husband was gone for the first two weeks, so I was alone. So the house was quiet and he wasn't cooking or had food or anything like that. So I really could kind of dive into that, that, ~um,~ a alone time and. Journaling and thinking and~ and uh, ~being in nature. I would sit outside and just watch the nature. I, I, I live on a small pond. We have turtles and otters and the birds, and it's almost like you, you, when you're nervous system calms down, you almost become more awake. Like I, I, I saw different things that I, that I hadn't seen before because.

I was still in that [00:14:00] fight or flight mode, trying all the different protocols, trying everything, but not realizing I needed to calm myself. And I I felt just more awake and alive and present and grateful every day. I, I'm grateful I, I see things differently. I wake up in the morning. I'm blessing my water.

I am, I'm, you know, thank you for another day, another beautiful day. This is gonna be a great day, and I can use those techniques now that I learned in your program. ~ Um,~ whether it's meditation or journaling, or all the different little things that we learned that help me be present now and grateful every day, and I have a sense of peace in my heart.

My mind is calm. And I, I just, I, I feel like I'm a different person now. I, I can [00:15:00] feel the calmness in me even when I'm driving or doing different things where I was just run, run, run, eating, dinner over the sink. And now,~ um,~ I'm actually learning how to cook and I am, I'm enjoying kind of that slowing down.

And one of the, ~uh,~ one of my other fasters. In my group, he recommended lighting a candle. And to this day, thank you, Joel. I still will light a candle to remind myself to calm, eat slow, put my fork down, chew my food, enjoy the food that I, that I'm now eating and preparing myself. And I I thank you, Dr. Katie.

I, I, I just have a sense of peace, a, a peace in me now that I didn't have before.

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Yeah. Well, and,~ and that practice is lighting a candle whenever you sit down to eat. To really be present with the meal. And you know, I think [00:16:00] Karen, it's so helpful for people to hear 'cause you're like so many of the people who come to fast with me, it's not, people come to me aren't like, oh, I was just diagnosed and this is the first thing that I've come across.

If it's water fasting, it's like, no. The people who usually find me have done a whole bunch of other things and have been really. Busy, you know, working on their healing and doing all the things and, and I remember you describing, you know, before the fast, it was like that fear was kind of ever present, right?

I think this is common for people where you're like, okay, there's always just that baseline fear kind of anxiety under there, and then you. You know, you didn't like to be alone, like you wanted to have the TV on, right? You, you needed to have the radio on, didn't like to be by yourself. And so this is a real shift for you.

Like the fact now that you don't turn on the news, right? And you don't, when you're in the car, you just, you know, not turning on your radio. When we spoke the other day that these are real fundamental shifts, that it's not [00:17:00] like. People say, oh, you have to become more positive or whatever, and then you're efforting to do that.

You've found something inside yourself that was always there, but until you got quiet enough, you, you really couldn't find it.

Karen Hannon: I think that's a perfect way to put it, that it was there, but my world was chaotic and you know, chaotic. Chaotic. And that was my, that was me, my type A run around, never sit down. And I mean, I, I think that's a beautiful way to say that. my world stopped and I was able to hear and see and be awake and, you know, you had stressed that so much in your program, and it is, it's invaluable.

That is such a huge piece ~that, uh. it changed?~ It changed me. ~So I just cannot thank you enough, Dr. Katie, for your, for your program. It's just fantastic.~

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Mm, you're welcome.~ you know, one thing that for me, I, I like to explain this 'cause I experienced this myself, you know, not in a water fast, but in the work that I do with my mentor, where when I [00:18:00] left Western Medicine in 2022, I didn't know what I was gonna do. Right. I was like, I, I had been getting these messages.

I was like, I knew I was supposed to leave, but I didn't know what I was gonna do. But I was like, I'm gonna figure it out and I'll do something right. You know, I took like three months off and then I was like, okay, I gotta figure out a way to like support myself. 'cause I had, you know, gone through a divorce and given away half my assets and really hadn't planned on taking this like big, you know, left turn in my career.

And so I was like, okay, I'm gonna go make money. And I wasn't sure exactly how I was gonna do that, but my mentor said to me, no, you're not ready. You're not ready to go out and you need more time. And I was like, what? I don't, I've never sat still in my whole life and at that point I had been out of, you know, I had finished, my last day was like July 22nd,~ um,~ of 2022.

This was now like November. So I'd taken like a good three months off and I was like. This is the most time I had ever taken off. And he was like, Nope. [00:19:00] He's like, you're not ready. And I was like, so when will I be ready? And he is like. I don't know. We'll know when we know. And I was, and a lot of this was like now in retrospect, I know is like if I was going to teach people how to heal, healing really requires finding that peace and that calm and and presence inside yourself.

And he always says to me, you can't give something you don't have. Right. And so if I was going to help people heal, I needed to heal myself and I needed to become present with myself and find that peace inside myself. And so he, you know, helped me stop my world back then in November of 2022. And I remember it, it took me like a couple months actually to settle into this to be like.

Okay. I've, my whole life, just like you type A, you know, working, doing all the things, always super [00:20:00] busy, always striving for the next thing, and then just to be doing nothing and watching the world, like I felt like for me, the way it ended up once I really got off and like. Really was stepped outside and, and accepted that I wasn't gonna like, keep going like I was.

And I started to realize, like the world felt like a merry-go-round. And I had been on the merry-go-round for all these years, just going around and around with everyone else. And then that year it was like I had to step off the merry ground and I was watching everyone else. I was watching the world, like everyone in my old life all doing the same things over and over again.

And all of a sudden you realize how absurd it is. Like when you step outside of life as we know it, you start to realize like everyone's going nowhere. They're going around and around and some of them are going really fast and making themselves really crazy, going so fast. And so for me it [00:21:00] was this like moment of stepping off the merry-go-round and seeing, oh my goodness.

Like there, we have a choice as to whether we want to stay in that like craziness or whether we want to step outside and observe and choose how we engage in life. And I think now that I see it in the fast for you guys, you guys go through your own version of that. It's like really, you know, deep Rather than taking you out of your work for a year, we take you out of just absolutely everything for like, you know.

Anywhere from, I guess people are with me, the shortest would be like 15 days for a 10 day fast up to like, you know, 40 days people are fasting with me. And doing that gives you, you see the world and your life from a totally different perspective because you're forced to as you come out.~ ~

Karen Hannon: ~It, it was, yeah, it was completely,~ yeah, you're exactly right. You know, every day I'd learn a little bit more about myself. I [00:22:00] get more comfortable with myself. My original goal with you was 21 days and with you,~ uh,~ every week we're doing lab work. And you had said, I remember after 21 days, you're like, your lab work looks great if you wanna keep going.

And I was like, yes, I wanna keep going because every day, ~uh,~ we would learn something new and I was learning things new with you, but then learning new things about myself. And then I'm like, okay, I'm gonna go to 24. And then I got to 24 and I was like, oh, I can keep going. This is great. And I was really.

Listening to my body. You know, you were coaching and watching, you know, technical data and lab work and all that, and you were like, you can keep going. And I was really trying to listen to my body and I felt, for me, the 27 days was perfect. It was perfect for me, and I, I felt more in tune with [00:23:00] myself. And how I kind of came to that.

Okay, I think I'm ready. My body's telling me I'm ready to stop now. I'm ready to start the refeeding. But every day that we went along in your program, I was getting more comfortable just with the group, with myself, and learning new things from your program every day and just feeling I, it was almost like, you know, I just kept feeling more and more peaceful.

I didn't want it to stop. I didn't want it to, to give it up. And your group is so comfortable, warm, accepting, ~no judgements, participate as much as you want.~ And it was just such great experience that it, it has changed me and ~I can just, you know, I just feel like I keep saying, but ~you've given me so many tools now.

To help me in this kind of my healing, I guess, path that I'm taking now. ~So I, I feel really good about it. Really good about it.~

Dr. Katie Deming: I love that. And you know, one thing that you said in there that I think is really important because [00:24:00] one of the things that is just like stopping your world was the one thing you probably. Would've never chosen, would've never even knew that you needed, but was the one piece that was missing. Similar to that is what you just described, is that, you know, I'm really focused on teaching people how to tune into what your body wants.

Right. And that is one of the things because for someone like yourself, and this is, you know, consistent for a lot of the people who listen to me and a lot of the people who work with me is they are the type of people that they're like, if I say I can do, let's just say 30 days, I can do a 30 day fast bygone, I'm gonna do it.

Like I can do it and I can make it happen. What we're trying to do in this space is undo some of that conditioning of like white knuckling your body and more starting to pay attention. And one of the things that's [00:25:00] really surprising probably for many people to hear you say is that. You were feeling better each day, like more peaceful.

And this is what happens. A lot of people don't wanna stop. Like I just had a faster, he ended 40 days on Friday and he didn't want to stop. I had to coach him for like the last three days. Like, no, it really is okay. We really have to feed. He is like, I've never felt this clear and peaceful in my life. And so.

But, but part of the lesson in a diagnosis like this with cancer is oftentimes we have not been listening. We've just been pushing our bodies to the limit. And I think one of the beautiful things, and I remember you, you know, expressing this during the fast of like. How much appreciation you had for your body and all that it's carried you through this whole time, and then how beautifully it served you in the fast.

And, you know, you didn't say this, but, but I, I think this is true, is, is [00:26:00] that when you start to listen to yourself, especially like this about deciding, okay, 27 days was what my body was telling me, is that when you start honoring your body by listening. Doing what it's asking you to do, rather than forcing it and pushing it, your body responds in kind.

And our body can do miraculous things. And this is part of the experience of a prolonged water fast reestablishing that connection to your body, your intuition, and listening for a change. Because so much of what we do is this expert told me to do this, so I'm just gonna do it. And that's actually. In a lot of

places.

Karen Hannon: ~You know, I'm, ~I'm so glad that you, that you brought that up and said that because I, when I got to the 21 days, I was like, oh, I can do 30. And I had some fellow faster in my group who had set goals of 30, and I'm like, well, if they can do it, I can do it. And I [00:27:00] was really like, no, ~you know,~ I, I've been taught all these things.

Now I'm gonna listen to what my body is telling me. And, you know, being the Type A, I'm like, 30, 30, 30, I can do it. But I was really more in tune with myself. I felt that I had achieved everything in your program that I wanted to. And finding that peace within myself. I felt that this was a good time for me to stop even, you know, even though I had a little, you know, person on my shoulder saying 30, 30, but I'm like, no, this is, if I listen to my heart and my world is quiet and I'm listening to my body and I know that my body can heal when it's given the right tools, I, I felt that that was a really good time for me.

~And, you know, I'm ki I'm kind of glad you brought that up because, you know, listening to your body like that~ and being in this quiet space,~ um, it,~ it's not just, like you said, just kind of setting a goal and I'm gonna achieve that no matter what. But if I was really quiet and listening, the 27 days was right for [00:28:00] me and starting the ing uh, I was at 12 days with you, refeeding was absolutely beautiful and learning.

The proper way to do that and your, how, your program structured it perfectly and you were with us every day in the refeeding also if we had questions or anything like that. ~So it was really a, a beautiful experience for me.~

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Beautiful. Well, and I think, you know, you've said this a couple times, but um, ~a lot of people when they come in, they don't know. They're like, okay, this is like a group fasting program, and they're thinking maybe there's gonna be other coaches in there, and maybe Dr. Katie will be in there once a week or something.

But as you've described, it is not that case. It's not the

case. So can you tell that, like, what was your exposure and contact with me throughout the fast.

Karen Hannon: ~It, it, I was so impressed with your program from the beginning.~ You provided us because I, you know, I didn't know anything. I thought, oh, you just, just drink water. But there was so much more, you had a pre kind of start call like the Thursday before we met with you, and then when we were actually [00:29:00] fasting.

We were with you every single day and we had a log to fill out of blood pressure in our glucose and a bunch of different metrics, and you would review that every day. And to me, I found that so valuable that we had a physician looking at all of our, ~um,~ kind of data points. Talking with us. I mean, I, I believe it was two hours you were with us every day on a call and as you were checking in with other people, I would always learn something about, ~uh, you know, the,~ the process or how glucose works.

And there was always something and I would learn as you were checking in with someone else, but even on the weekends, you were there for us. We had access to you, your team. ~ Uh,~ every day that we were with you. And it, it gave me such comfort to know that if I was [00:30:00] having diarrhea or I was dizzy, or if I really didn't feel well, that I could get ahold of you and or one of your team,~ uh,~ mainly you, you were always there for us if we had any issues.

~So your program,~ I felt very secure. Because I felt if there was anything that I felt was not right with myself or anything, you would be there to answer all of our questions and to help us along and really coach us and guide us every day. Some days were harder, some days were easier, and you were there for us every day.

It was just amazing to, to talk to a physician. Have you look at all of my blood pressure and, and everything, every day of the fast, including in the refeeding. So I was, I was very comforted and very, I felt very secure because, you know, a couple people that I had told I was doing this [00:31:00] were like, oh my God, you're crazy.

How can you not eat? That's crazy. You know, you're gonna lose so much weight and all of this and all these other kind of negative things. But it was. It was, I felt comforted secure knowing going into this program that it was all gonna be great because I had a physician standing right beside me every day.

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Yeah. Well, and that's~ for me, you know, this work safety is my primary concern. It's like, I want you guys to know if someone comes to fast with me, fasting is generally safe, but you understanding how to do it properly and then educating you guys because, and, and I, I actually love. The group aspect of it because what applies to you today is maybe gonna apply to someone else tomorrow.

And you guys hear that. And so when I'm teaching something I'm like, Hey everyone, listen up. 'cause he's experiencing this today, but the rest of you guys are gonna have this on another day. So just, you know, pay attention to what's happening [00:32:00] here. And I think there's so much. ~Um, ~learning that happens when you're in a group like that and then also witnessing each other 'cause you get to witness each other.

Really changing on very fundamental levels and both to be witness to yourself and also to witness other people. I wonder if you can, you know, we. We have established now a,~ um,~ a ritual that is on the last day that people are in the fast. So usually on someone's last day of refeeding, we do something called a fill up.

I probably should call it the Deming fill up because it's like definitely become like a part of our fast. But do you wanna describe that and maybe describe what that was like either for you to witness other people having a fill up or yourself in the context of what you experience

as a

group?

Karen Hannon: The, the Philip, you're your, was part of your community and we, we did that, like you said, at the end when someone was completing their refeeding and, and, or [00:33:00] I'm sorry, they're fast and le and leaving the group. And it was, it's such a beautiful experience. ~I'm trying to remember in my group,~ I think there was nine, maybe nine of us, and ~um,~ with the first person leaving,~ um,~ we got to one-on-one.

Uh, say something about that person. Give them encouragement as they're leaving the group and I got to do that for others. And then I was a little nervous when people were gonna do it for me because, you know, I, it's just, it's hard to, to kind of sometimes take compliments in that, but it was so beautiful. And then you also provide us with a recording of that, the fill up, so that if I'm having a down day or something like that, I could listen to it. But it's such a beautiful experience when you have these people that you've been with and going through this, ~uh.~ No food, water, fasting together. And then to have each other say [00:34:00] something nice.

And because, ~uh,~ during the fast, you know, for your listeners, we don't have communication with each other, so we're not texting each other. We're not emailing each other. We only see each other on the call. And I think that's a good part of your program that you do, that we're not in contact with each other.

Until we leave the fast. And it was really nice to have kind of that personal experience with each other as they were doing your fill up and you could see 'em on the screen and you, you had that nice personal connection that, you know, that I'm so looking forward to now of reaching out to my other fellow fasters.

Because you feel such a bond together and we're all going through this together and learning different things. We had an, you know, we had an artist and we had athletes [00:35:00] and, you know, other fellow dog lovers like myself in the group. And you, you learn these little things as you're going along, but that Philip at the end is so beautiful.

Such a, a fantastic way to kind of end your, I guess, your journey or your path that you've been together with all these people and to have, have those people say such beautiful things about you, and then just give you those words of encouragement. It's, it really is. I, I, I think that's a great term for it, the fill up, because it filled my heart having my, my fellow people like that say those wonderful things about me and then.

~You generously providing that recording so that we have that to, to go back to like that. So I really, really like that part of it. ~

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Yeah. Well, and this,~ it just started by a fluke. It was like, you know, one person was leaving my group and I was like. I feel like we've gotta live, you know, fill her up with love before she goes. And that's how it started, is that we just started as a, you know, it was my way of when someone leaves to let them know how they,~ um,~ affected me.

Because each [00:36:00] person who fast with me, you guys touch me and. You know, grow me as a, as a healer and you know, as a doctor. And so it started in that way, and then I was like, okay, well let's just have everyone you say one thing that this person has either inspired or touched you with. And I love that you brought this up.

So the reason why I don't have the faster connecting with each other is because it's another distraction, right? This is basically like a vision quest that people are doing in my program. And instead of you going. Wilderness by yourself, you're staying in your home by yourself. And so the interactions that my faster have are with each other on the call.

So the, when we do some breakout groups where they do get to like, interact, but it's all within the container of the call. So it's not just like random chit-chatting and that kind of thing. It's, it's work that we're doing,~ um,~ for everyone's growth. But we've done that intentionally. To eliminate one more distraction.

'cause I realized people are really looking for any kind of distraction to like, not have to get quiet with [00:37:00] themselves. And so we didn't wanna have a Facebook group or some place where you could go in and, and spend all day messaging back and forth with each other or texting. ~Um, ~so we keep that separate.

But what's beautiful in the fill up is even when there's someone who's been very quiet and said very few words. Just being present and being witnessed through that experience. You make an impact on other people and the things that people witness about each other and fill each other up with, even without hearing many words from, like, some of the very quiet people in the group are so beautiful because you realize that everyone's bringing their essence, their, you know, uniqueness into the world.

And, and that's why we provide the recording is so you guys can remember, look like you just showing up in the world. You're positively influencing other people, and that recording is your reminder. Like on those days when it gets hard, pull that out because you're like a bright [00:38:00] light and just you being alive and in the world is, is making the world a better place.

~Um,~ so I love that.

Karen Hannon: it was amazing. And then, uh, your program now,~ uh,~ also offers the community to come back to the community and. Sit in on some of your teaching sessions or, ~uh,~ the cooking sessions and the healing, the emotional healing sessions, and I think that's just so valuable. ~ ~Uh, it was very valuable and it is right now very valuable for me to really stay connected with the group and to keep me.

Because I still, I still feel I still need some progress and some reminders and some work. And, you know, having those,~ ~be letting us be in the community and on your calls, three to three to four times a month is so beneficial for me because it's keeping me [00:39:00] on track and keeping me present. And keeping me, I feel like connected to the wonderful community that you've created with you and all of your fantastic staff.

So having that,~ ~healing community after the actual fast is done. ~ ~I, I look forward to, I'm look, so looking forward to your April schedule. I can't see what's coming up, you know, can't wait to see what's coming up. And it, for me, it was a way to stay connected, present, and still knowing I need those little reminders to slow down. ~ ~just looking forward to, you know, all the other things that I'm gonna continue to learn about myself. ~ ~continue to learn about your wonderful program as it's growing and, and continues to kind of mold and kind of form. And it's just a community that I found now with such wonderful people, with your staff and all of the pastors that I just still wanna be a part of.

Dr. Katie Deming: [00:40:00] Beautiful. Yeah, and I think that this is the thing is that the fast is like a new beginning. It's like literally just like the beginning. It's like this is the beginning. Of like the next chapter of your life. And so we want to be able to provide a container where people can continue to grow because the really, the work starts when you come outta the fast, right?

The beautiful thing about the fast is that. It gives you the awareness, you're able to release the emotional stuff, but then the rubber hits the road when you get back out into life and it's like, okay, can I take that piece forward and integrate it into my life? And so I love that you speak about that because the, the work never ends, right?

All of us are work in progress and we're gonna have things to work on. ~Um, ~so having that as people move out, you know, and integrate, and I think that's one thing that's really important for anyone who does a prolonged fast. It's. You know, there requires integration afterwards so you can integrate these [00:41:00] beautiful learnings that you've had into your life and, and hold onto them, you know, because if you lose it then, then how does

it serve you?

Karen Hannon: That, that's a great way to put it. You know, be, because I still want, I still feel, you know, like you said, ~uh,~ learning, growing. Finding out more about myself. I'm sure there's more emotions that probably still need to come up and the coaches that you've provided that we can reach out to and stuff. It's, it's, I am, I am looking forward to how I can continue to grow, learn more about myself and continue to find that that piece within me.

Dr. Katie Deming: Beautiful. And one of the questions that we got on our, you know, I do like, ~um, ~occasionally these calls about water fasting, and one of the questions that people asked, someone asked was, do you have fasts who come back and fast with you again? So I guess I'll ask you, are you considering fasting with me again in the future?

Is this something that you

would do

again?

Karen Hannon: Yes, [00:42:00] 100%. ~ Um,~ I. I would love to, to do it again. I, I want to be in the January fast again for next year.~ Um,~ so a hundred percent yes, I plan on doing this again,~ uh, ~right now, maybe 14, 21 days, just kind of as a little reset, but like as I learned myself from the first fast, you know. I don't wanna set like a specific timeline 'cause I wanna really listen to my body and listen to you with the coaching as you're looking at all my data and labs and all that and your guidance of how long I should fast, but between, you know, your expertise and then me trying to listen to my body and figure it out.

Absolutely. 100% I'm signing up again. Um, I'd love to do it next January. Again, I think it's a great way for me to. To start the year on a really positive cleansing, peaceful learning more about myself. I think it's a great [00:43:00] way to start the year, but for anybody, you know, whenever it works best into your schedule, I would highly recommend to do it.

But yes, Dr. Katie, I'll, you're not getting rid of me that fast. I'll be with you again.

Dr. Katie Deming: I love it. No, I'm excited to have you back. And I think that's the thing that surprises people. They're like, oh my God, you did that thing crazy thing once and you're gonna come back again. But this is, you know, we do have people who come back and, and wanna do it like once a year and, and maybe if they did a 30 day, they're not gonna do it 30 day every year.

But like you said, maybe it's 14, maybe it's 21, who knows. But that it is something that is, you know, that people. Want to come back to because it's such a powerful tool. So thank you so much, Karen, for being on the show today. So helpful just to have you talk through some of the things that you didn't know and then you learned.

And then also just, you know, the stopping your world because this is one of the things that I have happened to many people who fast with me is they [00:44:00] get to the end of their fast and they realize they wasted it. Like they took all that time outta work. They did. And they didn't realize this whole stopping the world thing.

So you smartly got it on day three so that you didn't have to, you know, waste your full fast first. Fast. Like, I've had that where people say. I've wasted this and now I'm gonna have to come back and do it again. 'cause now I understand what it was really about. So kudos to you for getting it in your first fast and, and getting the beautiful, you know, ~um, ~benefits that you did.

Like, I, I don't do that. Like, I, I just hold the space for people to do their own healing. You did the hard thing of, you know. Stepping off of your life and stopping your world for 27 days to find that peace. So well done for you, and thank you so much for being on

the show.

Karen Hannon: ~Yeah, you're, you're a fantastic coach and you know,~ I just cannot thank you and your program and your entire staff enough. And yes, stopping the world is the primary piece that I was missing. [00:45:00] And thank you so much for giving that to me and for me to find my peace. Dr. Katie, thank you so much.

Dr. Katie Deming: ~Beautiful. Thank you so much, Karen.~

~What I hope you take from this conversation,~

what I hope you take from this conversation is that the thing that Karen was searching for wasn't just another protocol. It wasn't more information, it wasn't doing more. It was something much simpler, and for many of us, much harder. It was learning how to stop, to step out of the noise, to put down the distractions, and to finally be with herself ~because as you heard Karen say that the piece that had been missing all along.~

~Okay. Because,~ because as you heard Karen say, that was the piece that had been missing all along. When she found that everything changed. ~So I'll leave you with this. Where in your life are you being invited to stop your world?~ So I'll leave you with this. Where in your life are you being invited to stop your world?

If you found today's episode helpful and you're ready to take radical ownership of your health today, subscribe to The Born to Heal podcast now so you don't miss answers [00:46:00] Conventional medicine never gave you. and if you're ready to experience what real healing feels like from the inside out, join me for a three a day.

Water fast. Next month. Link below. Thank you for listening. And remember, just like me. You are born to heal.