1666: Employee Wellness, Sleep Habits with Cynthia Conigliaro

Robert Plank 0:00 Cynthia Conigliaro has been in the field of health and wellness for over 25 years, and she is the founder of her corporate presentation business called Work Well Webinars, where she delivers corporate wellness presentations virtually and in person, speaking about emotional, physical, organizational wellness, sleep, longevity, healthy corporate cultures, resilience, mindset shifts, menopause, emotional eating-so much more. And no matter what we do, no matter what our age, no matter what our profession, the mind is-it just requires constant maintenance. right? It's always playing tricks on us. We always need some extra help in our work to be at our best to live a fulfilled life. So Cynthia is here to share those secrets with us and tell us what she's learned because it seems like her business has grown and grown and just become just a you know something to be reckoned with. So Miss Cynthia, how are you?

Cynthia Conigliaro 0:57 I'm fine, Robert. Thanks so much for having me tonight.

Robert Plank 1:00 Happy to have you. And what do you think I left out of that introduction? What are we all about?

Cynthia Conigliaro 1:05 I mean, that was a pretty good introduction, I have to say. But yeah, I mean, I love anything health and wellness. You know, I've been in the field for many years. Started in weight loss and focused on health. Moved on to mental health. Got my master's in social work, moved on to the business world. Got my MBA in organizational development. And since then, I've really kind of just become involved in a lot of different areas, be it physical, emotional, or organizational wellness.

Robert Plank 1:40 Very good, so there's you kept getting more degrees and and pursuing your calling. And you think about like Martin Luther King, not comparing him to you or me or anyone, but like Martin Luther King, right? He got like had like a ministerial background and got educated and worked his way up to a doctorate and accomplished all these things just because like he just found new goals and new things to aspire to, and the the circle just kept growing as far as the the services or the the mission, so to speak. And so it seems like you're on on a a path that you could say is is parallel to that, right? Where you just you find new ways to help people.

Cynthia Conigliaro 2:17 Maybe I think that's what it comes down to, Robert. I do love to help people, be it one-on-one or in a group or in an educational setting. Any way that I could help people out to kind of look at life differently and figure out how they can maybe choose different strategies for living optimally.

Robert Plank 2:38 Oh, very nice! I'm excited to unpack some of those strategies with you because where the the cliche is that we're in like the the information age, or I don't know if we move past that, if we're into some other age, but we have all this information at our fingertips, right? We can get get any question answered, lookups anything, and when when I was younger and you were younger, if your mom said that if you swallow your chewing gum, it'll stay in your stomach for seven years. You just had to believe her, but now you can, in seconds, prove someone like that wrong. But yet, you you hear all kinds of stories, statistics about people being unhappy, unfulfilled, dying early, poor health, physical and mental. And so, like, what's the deal? If we could just get any answer, why aren't we happy and rich?

Cynthia Conigliaro 3:24 Wow, that's a great question, Robert, I have to think about that one. Not quite sure how to answer it, except you know, in my opinion, there is so much contradictory information out there. You know, you research things, you Google things, you use chat, you use AI, you ask people, and there's just so much contradictory information. I don't know if you heard yesterday on the news. It was kind of all the news that now they're saying that very hot coffee is very dangerous for you and unhealthy and can be a carcinogen. I don't know if you heard that. Didn't hear that one. No, that that was something I happened to hear just on the news yesterday, and you know, being in the health and wellness field, there's a lot of contradictory information about what to eat, how to live optimally, how to be, how to basically manage your longevity, and that can sometimes I think be difficult for people, including for me, when I hear a lot of different opinions and studies and contradictory information. You know, I do a lot of work with women who are struggling with menopause, infertility, weight loss, all these very complicated topics, where there's a lot of very cutting-edge, interesting studies and findings, but sometimes there's a lot of contradictory information, and I think that can make people feel very frustrated and confused, and sometimes overwhelmed.

Robert Plank 4:52 Oh yes, yeah, that's like a something we can universally relate to: are eggs good for you or are they bad for you?

Cynthia Conigliaro 4:59 Yes, exactly.

Robert Plank 4:59 Think, they've even heard for you this week. Next week there'll be something else, so you think

Cynthia Conigliaro 5:03 Exactly!

Robert Plank 5:04 It's frustrating.

Cynthia Conigliaro 5:05 It is frustrating, and you know I think the good news behind that, Robert, is people actually are, for the most part, increasingly interested in their health. Studies have proven that Americans in general are very focused on being healthy, which is great. You know, people are more concerned, make sure that they're eating well, exercising. You know, decreasing stress, all of that. So that's a good thing. Having said that, like you said, people are unfortunately, I think, feeling a little confused by all the conflicting information.

Robert Plank 5:41 So what's the answer? Is it a matter of like focus on the fundamentals and the the daily news is just kind of like like sprinkles that maybe aren't shouldn't be followed as much or like how do we navigate the information overload?

Cynthia Conigliaro 5:56 Yeah, you know it's a tough one, but I like tell my clients no one size fits all. You know what's good for someone may not be good for you. So a lot of it is really listening to your body, also making sure going to trusted sources. I mean, ChatGPT is great, and they now have ChatGPT Health, and it's possible to learn a lot through sources such as those. Having said that, it's important to be really careful to see where is this information coming from. Checking sources and, of course, checking with medical professionals as well, because while AI can help us with health and wellness, and it is doing a lot to really help people in various ways, both physical and mental health, it's important to really rely on the experts as well, and make sure that your sources are accurate.

Robert Plank 6:45 Research skills. So you say when, when you you get advice from ChatGPT, follow the thread and and figure out like what's been disproven or what does not apply to you. And so I'm curious about since it's a this is a show for business owners, entrepreneurs. Like, what do business owners face? Because there's a lot of like, and I know if I'm not deliberate with going out and getting off the computer and going for a walk, then sometimes my weight may might increase a little bit, or sometimes I won't feel at my best or have good energy. So, like, what do you think all these stressed out business owners, entrepreneurs need to be focused on with their health?

Cynthia Conigliaro 7:25 Yeah, it's a great question, and it's funny. I was talking to someone this morning about this. You know, it's really difficult as a business owner, entrepreneur, or a leader in a company, or even an employee, to you know make time for yourself. So many of us are burning the candle at both ends, but it really is crucial for all of us just to practice self-care. And I do quite a few webinars on the very topic of work-life balance and self-care. And you know, in other countries, they are not working the way we are here in the United States. Not all countries; other countries are also working many hours, but Americans are kind of known for typically working many many hours, especially certain industries like consulting, finance, healthcare, etc. So I have done a lot of training for leaders on the importance of self care and being good role models for their employees, kind of walking the walk, if you will, and talking the talk. So what that means is, you know, not emailing employees at 10 o'clock on a Tuesday night or a Saturday morning, and really making sure employees understand that you, as a leader, value the importance of self-care. Let's face it. You really can't pour from an empty cup. If you have a leader who's exhausted, not sleeping enough, I do a lot of talks on sleep. I'm very focused on the importance of sleep for so many reasons. And if you're a leader who's just exhausted and not practicing, you know, proper health, mental as well as physical, and practicing unhealthy coping styles, it's really not going to set a good example for your employees. And let's face it, employees are your greatest asset, right?

Robert Plank 9:10 Yeah, that's great advice, to if it's easy to not care about yourself or have that low self-esteem, but you make it about others, you say, "Hey, I'll I'll set a good example for my team, that can be the motivation that makes it work, and so I know, like I've been taking my sleep more seriously now that I'm in my 40s. I know when I was in my 20s, I do like you know stay up all night. I thought that was fun, thought that was cool, but then I realized that it catches up with you, especially you know especially after you get past the indestructible years. So I definitely I take my sleep seriously, and I have kind of sleep routines and habits. And then this whole term of

Cynthia Conigliaro 9:49 Great!

Robert Plank 9:49 Oh, thank you, and that term of self care, it's kind of seems to be like spoken about more the last five or 10 years. But I don't think I know like an exact definition because you hear about like you know. Figure out what what you enjoy. Go in nature, take a bath. But what is self care really?

Cynthia Conigliaro 10:06 So there definitely is no kind of one size fits all for self care. It's different for everyone, honestly. For one person, it may be a morning meditation. For someone else, it may be going out on a run, you know, it's it's so variable. It really depends on what it is that you find helps you the most, both you know from a physical standpoint as well as a emotional or you know psychological standpoint. Having said that, in my opinion, sleep is just a non-negotiable for all of us. It's such an important pillar of health, and I have clients who will say to me, "I feel like sleep's a waste of time. I just don't feel why there's any need for me to sleep. I can sleep a couple hours a night, and it does take some time to help people to really better understand why we actually need to sleep, you know, a certain number of hours, which is different from all of us. Some people need more sleep than others, but the good news is there are a lot of strategies that we can all take to have better sleep, and there's a lot of techniques that you can do to wake up more refreshed and eventually, hopefully, not even need that snooze bar.

Robert Plank 11:24 Very nice. Well, do you have any quick and fun ones as far as sleep tips?

Cynthia Conigliaro 11:28 Yeah, I mean there are so many, but if I had to kind of think off the top of my head what I consider to be some of the most important, the first is to make sure you get that morning light within about 15 to 30 minutes of waking, and people will say to me, "Well, what if it's a cloudy day or kind of a cold, dreary day? And I always say, "It's it's really not an issue. It's better, of course, if it's a bright, sunny day to get out there. But even on a cloudy day, that morning light does help to set your to reset your circadian rhythm, and it is brighter outside than it is in your unnatural light in the house. So try to get outside for at least if you only can do five, whatever you can do. But try to get out within you know 15 to 30 minutes of waking. Super super important. Also, I think you mentioned this setting up a bedtime routine. It's fantastic. It sounds like you do a little bit of that. That's super important. You really want your mind to be trained that this is a time now to go to bed. People will say to me sometimes I read in bed or I watch television, and that's not ideal. You really want to make it a situation where your mind thinks when you get into your bed that it is now time to sleep. Another problem a lot of people have is they wake up in the middle of the night, and that's common, of course, as we age. I deal with a lot of women who are going through menopause, and they'll say to me, "I wake up due to hot flashes and everything else. So wakeups are very common. Having said that, when you do wake up, the best thing to do is to try to go back to sleep and not look at the clock. Many people get very nervous and they say, "Oh no, now I'm awake. I can't go back to sleep. But trying to kind of calm yourself, maybe practice some breathing exercises, some visualization-that's one of the best things you can do. And usually, people can train themselves to go back to sleep, so it's amazing how much we can actually work on sleep, and it can become something that is no longer kind of a experience that you feel isn't optical, optimal. In that you find yourself waking up, can't fall asleep, or you wake up feeling not refreshed.

Robert Plank 13:42 Very nice, yeah, I feel like in I feel like I used as far as sleep, I used to just wing it, and I expected my body to just just to know it, just to know what to do. And I feel like in the past few years, I've collected maybe 12 or so tools in the toolbox. I know like what kind of pillow I need, the laying down. When my son was born, we we started with like the the rain sounds, the white noise machine, and I was because like he he would never he would cry all night, and then I looked it up, and they said, well, like if you can kind of get him like hooked on the white noise, then it'll put him to sleep, and then he won't be able to sleep without it. But it's easy enough to like always have the white noise, but then I used it on myself, and I'm like, "Whoa, this this works really well, even as a grown ass person.

Cynthia Conigliaro 14:27 Yeah, that's great. See, so that's an example that you found that to be something that really helped you. So that's excellent, that's so good.

Robert Plank 14:36 And like you say, there's no one size fits all. So you figure in all these contexts, you you figure out what works for you, and you accumulate the tools in the toolbox. And speaking of that, I know that you you wanted to talk about the whole the AI help that we can get, right? Because like AI and wellness, it's crazy the things that you always hear. So I mean, what's possible, or what should we be aware of as far as using AI to help? Us out with all that these very physical and mental health issues.

Cynthia Conigliaro 15:05 Yeah, you know AI can be really helpful for a lot of reasons. You know for habits, you know tracking, and whatnot, researching. But you know we always like to tell people AI really should be kind of a complement to actual medical care because that human element-it's hard to replace it. It really is, and so you hear about AI coaches. You know, I'm a social worker. I'm a coach, and for me, I feel like my patients, my clients, are using AI for various tasks or to do some research, and that's fabulous, but at the same time that I just mentioned, you can't quite replace that human element.

Robert Plank 15:48 Yeah, and they they sure are trying, aren't they? And they're kind of like marketing it. And but I think like any use for AI, it's it's never like all or nothing, right? You you use it as an assistant in your writing and your research, as we were saying, you kind of dig through the threads. So why should your health be any different? Don't let it take over, but use it to enhance what you do. And so, do you have? Yeah, do you have a favorite like app or tool or like use for AI?

Cynthia Conigliaro 16:17 Well, I mean, I personally find chat to be a very easy tool for people to use. I mean, that's kind of what I'm doing with AI. I personally don't use a lot of other tools for mental or physical health, if that makes sense. But I know there's a lot out there, and there's so much that's that's changing and evolving. I think we're going to see a lot, especially in the next year, especially as chat health really gets even more advanced than it is.

Robert Plank 16:48 Oh yeah, it's it's scary how fast paced, but it's it's. I'm also amazed, just probably on a weekly basis, of the the things that chat can answer or connect to or solve problems for me, and so it's like a catch-all, isn't it? It's like if we,

Cynthia Conigliaro 17:03 It really is.

Robert Plank 17:04 Yeah, what our problems, it can help us solve it, yeah.

Cynthia Conigliaro 17:07 Yes, it is. I mean, in my opinion, one of the great strengths of AI that I'm seeing is in many situations is a strong focus on prevention, which is fantastic because it's allowing people to look at situations with their health and take preventative measures. So there's been a lot of praise around AI in the wellness community for that very reason. It's focused on prevention and helping people to really take charge of their health and better understand how various aspects of their health and wellness interact with one another, and how so many things kind of come into play. Because let's face it, we're all so complex, and AI can be a great way for you to better kind of put the pieces of our health together and better assess things before going to your physician.

Robert Plank 18:00 Nice, so that way you're better prepared, like you're saying. It's not a replacement; it's just some something to augment.

Cynthia Conigliaro 18:06 Exactly, you can come prepared with some questions and just kind of some observations about maybe what you notice about your health on account of AI.

Robert Plank 18:15 Oh yeah, yeah. Even like last month, I was sitting at my son's soccer game and I was wearing shorts and I saw like three like spots on my leg and I took a picture and I asked chat I'm like what is this and they're like oh it's bug bites and after a couple weeks they went away so I was like okay well that and at least in the moment it it put my fears to rest because like I,

Cynthia Conigliaro 18:35 Yes.

Robert Plank 18:36 I know, I know I should have gone to the doctor and I would have if the if the bumps persisted, but just in those first, I would have been that whole soccer game, been like, "Oh my gosh, what is it? And it's like, "Oh, it looks like bug bites.

Cynthia Conigliaro 18:47 Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's a perfect example.

Robert Plank 18:51 Nice, well, I love the examples that you've been helping us out with, and the advice you've been giving, and you have such a wealth of knowledge, so many degrees, and we've been jumping around different topics, so I want to make sure in these final few minutes of our conversation, Miss Cynthia, that we focus on what's important to you. So, in this conversation we're having, do you think there might be a missing question that I should be asking you? I just don't know to ask you.

Cynthia Conigliaro 19:16 Oh, I'm trying to think. You know, I mean, you ask me so much that, I mean, I'm happy to you know answer any questions you might have. I mean, I I've done a lot of work in the resilience space. That's something that I work with my clients a lot. I've worked on myself a lot, and in my opinion, you know, resilience is such an important trait to have, and it's also, in my opinion, a treat that you can develop and you can learn technique to become a more resilient person. So that's something that I work a lot with my clients on.

Robert Plank 19:56 I love that word resilience. My son last year in school got a certificate, that's like most resilient award. ,

Cynthia Conigliaro 20:02 Oh, I love that.

Robert Plank 20:03 Yeah, so maybe it runs in the family, and I feel like as when you're in business for yourself, you have to really like stick with a lot of things for for longer than maybe feels comfortable that you'd want to for things to work. And so, as far as this topic of resilience, is there a secret to it, or is there something about your own journey, transformation, resilience-wise, you feel like sharing?

Cynthia Conigliaro 20:26 Yeah, I mean, I don't know if there's a secret to it, but I do believe that a lot of resilience comes with struggle and traumas and stressors, and there's been a lot of research on this topic, and that's something that that I've done in the past with my trainings is helping people to better understand their own personal resilience because so many people don't quite realize that they're actually very resilient. We all, as human beings, in my opinion, are very resilient people. I mean, I'm sure there's been many situations when you look and you say, "Wow, how did that person get through that? And sometimes people say the same thing about me and things I've been through in my life, and then I'll say to them, "Well, I don't can't can't believe you got through what you got through. So I'm always amazed by just how resilient we are as human beings.

Robert Plank 21:19 Oh yes, we need to give ourselves more credit, and I wish that there's so many situations where I wish that I could have talked to myself three years ago, or that myself three years in the future could talk to me now and and say, "Hey, it'll all work out, it'll be okay.

Cynthia Conigliaro 21:35 Yes, so true, so true. And how great about your son getting that award? That is so great.

Robert Plank 21:41 Right.

Cynthia Conigliaro 21:42 I love that.

Robert Plank 21:43 Yeah, because like he, I notice like a lot of kids. So much like at first in the developmental stages, he would like give up so quickly, right? If he didn't know an answer or couldn't do something or couldn't you know write a letter, he would just not even try. And then it's like it. I can. I saw it developing in real time this skill that you're talking about of not giving up so soon.

Cynthia Conigliaro 22:05 Yeah, that's so great, that's so great. How old is he?

Robert Plank 22:10 Six.

Cynthia Conigliaro 22:10 Six, and he's already a resilient person, I love that.

Robert Plank 22:15 Well, and yeah, and he won it last year, so now he's resilient plus one more year.

Cynthia Conigliaro 22:19 That is so great, I love that. Yeah, I'm a resilient coach, and my whole office is surrounded by resilient comments and phrases. And I just, I'm all about resilience.

Robert Plank 22:34 Well, very nice.

Cynthia Conigliaro 22:35 Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms.

Robert Plank 22:37 What's that?

Cynthia Conigliaro 22:38 Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms.

Robert Plank 22:41 That's that's good. Yeah, focus on the positive because the negative it'll find its way to you anyway. That's built in. So put that deliberate effort into what's good. And so I'm sure, like having this conversation has us curious about what you can teach us about resilience in the long term. And you're speaking in your webinar. So if someone is bit by the Cynthia Bug, and they want to know more about how you can help them. What are some next steps?

Cynthia Conigliaro 23:06 Well, you can find me on LinkedIn. I absolutely love the LinkedIn platform. It's just a great way to meet people, and I feel like I've interacted with people from all over the world. Such interesting people, including yourself, Robert. And you can always find me there. My website, which is WorkWellWebinars.com. You can find me there, or you can send me an email at cynthia@workwellwebinars.com. I'd love to hear from you. Like Robert said earlier, I think I work with individuals, I work with groups, and I design wellness webinars for companies and organizations.

Robert Plank 23:43 It's very much needed to get a handle on some of this. And Work Well webinars is a leader in improving employee health and wellness through captivating live webinars and trainings that Ms. Cynthia has been mentioning, alluding to in our conversation. Because studies show that healthier employees are typically more productive, happier on the job, and are more apt to stay at their jobs. And as turnover goes down and productivity increases, business goals are more likely to be reached. It's a win-win all around for both the employee and the employer. So you should get yourself educated at WorkWellWebinars.com, she said her email is cynthia at workwellwebinars.com, and you should also connect with her Cynthia Conigliaroon LinkedIn and strike up that chat and have this conversation about how she might perhaps help you in your organization, or she can point you to a training or a resource to get some of these issues figured out, right? Mental instability, sleep, weight gain, health, longevity. There's so much to get into, and if we all want to live to be 100 plus, then we should take our health seriously because there's only one body that we inhabit, so we need to take care of it. You don't have a backup cop. So that's WorkWellWebinars.com. But before I let you go, Miss Cynthia, it's time for the scary part of the podcast where I try to stump you. I try to put you on the spot by asking you about a fun or interesting quote or lesson that has served you. So, what comes to mind as far as a fun or interesting quote or lesson?

Cynthia Conigliaro 25:21 A fun or interesting quote or lesson. I would have to say, the small stuff. I think about all the times in my life when I got myself worked up about different things, you know, various situations, and I've learned through age that sometimes we just don't have to sweat the small stuff.

Robert Plank 25:41 Yes, very inspiring. Don't sweat the small stuff, and let's think about that as we focus on what's more important, right? Have have have more valid issues to sift through. So don't sweat the small stuff, and check out Cynthia at WorkWellWebinars.com to get a handle on better physical and mental health. So, thank you so much, Miss Cynthia, for educating us so much and sharing some authentic stories. I'm really grateful that you are here.

Cynthia Conigliaro 26:08 Thank you so much, Robert. I really appreciate your time, and I love your podcast. So, thank you again for having me.