WEBVTT - Are you cortisol conscious?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Healthy Ish. Thank you for tuning into this

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<v Speaker 1>daily podcast from Body and Soul. I am Felicity Halle.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell me how conscious are you of your quarter soul

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<v Speaker 1>levels throughout the day? Are you tapped into them? Do

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<v Speaker 1>you need a bit of a hand? I'm joined today

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<v Speaker 1>by Sheena Shuey. She's a therapist and business mentor specializing

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<v Speaker 1>in burnout and anxiety, and she's going to discuss why

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<v Speaker 1>everyone is obsessed with quarter sol levels right now and

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<v Speaker 1>how you can tap into yours and in turn lower

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<v Speaker 1>them to reduce your overall stress. Now. I also recommend

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to our sister pod, Extra Healthy Issue, where

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<v Speaker 1>Sena talks about the difference between burnout versus anxiety and

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<v Speaker 1>what to do if you fall into either of those camps.

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<v Speaker 1>You can grab that wherever you get your podcasts. Shena,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for joining us on the podcast us today.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh so happy to be here now. Codasol, I feel

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<v Speaker 1>like this is such a buzzword at the moment. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean on social media, everyone's talking about it. I

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<v Speaker 1>feel like we used to talk about stress and now

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<v Speaker 1>it's about what are your cortisol levels doing?

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<v Speaker 2>What?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, why are we so obsessed with this.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I've seen it. Two cortisol diets, the TikTok trends,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, all of that. I think the real reason,

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<v Speaker 2>to be honest, is that cortisole. You know, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of us have known about it for such a long time.

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<v Speaker 2>But I think you know as well, this gurus start

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<v Speaker 2>to discover the word, they try to legitimize what they

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<v Speaker 2>do by using the proper words and all of that.

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<v Speaker 2>So I think that that's part of why it's so

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<v Speaker 2>in the mainstream of like, oh, my cortisol levels is

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<v Speaker 2>so high. But also I think it actually is an

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<v Speaker 2>important issue. So cortisol is that stress chemical that is

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<v Speaker 2>released when we've got high levels of stress, high levels

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<v Speaker 2>of anxiety. But what we have discovered from neuroscience over

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<v Speaker 2>the last ten to twenty years that corterzole actually does

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<v Speaker 2>damage the brain, and it actually does damage the nervous system.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh interesting, So too much of it can damage that

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<v Speaker 1>in the long term. Is that is that over a

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<v Speaker 1>period of time. I mean, obviously we need corterzole. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean we need our stress response to trigger. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>that's how I've evolved, isn't it. So over time this

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<v Speaker 1>can happen.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So an example that we often give is going

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<v Speaker 2>back to the hunter gatherer days. You know, we needed

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<v Speaker 2>that corterzole to fight the tiger, to run away from

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<v Speaker 2>a predator, to run away from maybe another tribe who's

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<v Speaker 2>coming in for attack. We needed sort of short bursts

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<v Speaker 2>of lots of energy adrenaline, you know, that really kind

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<v Speaker 2>of high anxiety feeling. We needed that to survive. So

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<v Speaker 2>obviously we needed those short bursts. Now we're having that

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<v Speaker 2>same cortisole reaction over an email from your boss being like, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>I need to talk to you later this afternoon. We're

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<v Speaker 2>not reacting to the tiger. We're reacting to that. But

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's also as well. You know, a really

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<v Speaker 2>interesting statistic I share from Stolen Focus, the book by

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<v Speaker 2>Johann Hari. It's amazing, but well, one of the stats

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<v Speaker 2>I love from it is that he shares that in

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<v Speaker 2>two thousand and seven, so this is still quite a

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<v Speaker 2>while ago, it would have increased by them. But back

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<v Speaker 2>in two thousand and seven, we were getting one hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and seventy four newspaper's worth of information in a day

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<v Speaker 2>a day, and so obviously it would have gone up

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<v Speaker 2>by now and I think that's what we need to

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<v Speaker 2>understand too, is that not long ago, literally a generation ago,

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<v Speaker 2>we didn't know what was happening in every single country

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<v Speaker 2>in the world, every single country's problems, conflicts, And you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's hard because on the one hand, we want to

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<v Speaker 2>be educated, we want to be informed on world matters,

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<v Speaker 2>but what can we do as individuals. It's that balance

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<v Speaker 2>between being informed but reducing how much news and media

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<v Speaker 2>we intake because it really does affect our quartersole levels.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, those things, those little things stress us out.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I mean, I think that's a really important point.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean the environment that we're in, I mean, in

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand and seven, that is not long ago. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean I met my husband in that year. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it was two thousand and six. That wasn't long ago.

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<v Speaker 1>And the environment was so different back then to what

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<v Speaker 1>it is now. How and sometimes I think I feel

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<v Speaker 1>like I'm just running on this high quartersole stress state

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<v Speaker 1>the whole time. Between everything that I'm doing. How can

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<v Speaker 1>we better recognize in we're both our body and mind,

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<v Speaker 1>because that's your specialty. Whether we're running on this quartersole

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<v Speaker 1>high all of the time, or you know, where are

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<v Speaker 1>we dipping or whether it's becoming concern.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Absolutely so. I often tell my clients there's two

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<v Speaker 2>states that we're in when we are feeling stress. There's

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<v Speaker 2>a high per around state, which is really cortisole fueled,

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<v Speaker 2>adrenaline fueled, and then there's a high po around state.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is when you're so done, you're over it,

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<v Speaker 2>you're shutting down. This is where the burnout depression, that

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<v Speaker 2>kind of stuff starts to come in. But that adrenaline

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<v Speaker 2>fueled state, it's when you're not cool, calm, collected, or connected.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what we try to say. So everyone has stress

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<v Speaker 2>in their day, but let's say something. You've got a

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<v Speaker 2>stressful text message right now. If you're not fueled by quartersole,

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<v Speaker 2>like it's literally just normal stress, you'll be able to go, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>I've got a situation here, but that's okay, I'll respond

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<v Speaker 2>to it. You're not reacting to it, you're responding to it.

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<v Speaker 2>You're still able to go Okay, that's still stressful, but

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<v Speaker 2>I can manage it. It's also you feel like connecting

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<v Speaker 2>with people. So often when we're we might be stressed,

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<v Speaker 2>but we still feel like going to lunch with our

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<v Speaker 2>colleagues or catching up with people after work. If we

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<v Speaker 2>are hyper around, we tend to want to connect less.

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<v Speaker 2>We're like, nah, I'm done with people today, Like I'm

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<v Speaker 2>too a way too make Netflix. Yeah, that's and that's

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<v Speaker 2>where you've been in high per state adrenaline fueled for

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<v Speaker 2>so long that you end up dipping into the other state.

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<v Speaker 2>I talked about hypo where you're like, I'm done, And

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<v Speaker 2>this is where we start to see a drenal fatigue burnout.

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<v Speaker 2>It's where you've lived in that state for so long

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<v Speaker 2>that your body almost can't produce it anymore. Your nervous

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<v Speaker 2>system is literally frying, and it's like I can't keep

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<v Speaker 2>going like this.

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<v Speaker 1>So what do we do? We feel like we are

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<v Speaker 1>living in that state? I mean, what's is it just

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<v Speaker 1>if we're living in that state? We feel like we're

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<v Speaker 1>in that permanent state for a long period of time.

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<v Speaker 1>What can we do to recognize the state and reduce

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<v Speaker 1>in turn, reduce our cortisol levels bring us down to

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<v Speaker 1>karmas of mind.

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<v Speaker 2>A lot of people forget what it's actually like to

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<v Speaker 2>slow down and be calm, like their base level is

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<v Speaker 2>already up at a ten. If you go, what's your

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<v Speaker 2>normal state? They're like, I'm just I'm just high strung.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm just like that, I'm type A all the time.

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<v Speaker 2>But actually, when you do work with a therapist, not

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<v Speaker 2>a life coach, not a mindset coach, a therapist, Right,

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<v Speaker 2>So I'm talking psychologists, social worker, counselor what we look

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<v Speaker 2>at is why do you feel the need to be

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<v Speaker 2>on all the time? What is driving that you know,

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<v Speaker 2>because often the reason that we can't turn off shut

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<v Speaker 2>down is often a worthiness thing. There might be attachment thing,

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<v Speaker 2>there might be achievement as my self worth, maybe your

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<v Speaker 2>identity is through work, Like you don't know who you

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<v Speaker 2>are outside of doing things for other people at work,

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<v Speaker 2>doing things as a mum, doing things as a whe

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<v Speaker 2>whatever that might be. It's like, who are you outside

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<v Speaker 2>of all of that? And if you don't know the

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<v Speaker 2>answer to that, you're probably trying to get your worth

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<v Speaker 2>by serving others rather than serving yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, some great questions there, very very point and I

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<v Speaker 1>was like, yeah, yep, yep, Sheina, thank you for coming

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<v Speaker 1>on healthy ish.

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<v Speaker 2>No worries it all.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks listening to this chat with that Sheena. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>it's shed some light on well cor asol levels and

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<v Speaker 1>how They're showing up for you every day. Where are

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<v Speaker 1>they at, How are you feeling right now? Questions to

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<v Speaker 1>ask yourself, if you did enjoy it, if you've got

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<v Speaker 1>something out of it, tell us, rate and review this podcast,

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<v Speaker 1>Subscribe as well. Make sure you are so following Body

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<v Speaker 1>and Soul on social media. Grow a print edition which

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<v Speaker 1>is out in your local Sunday paper. Body Andsoul dot

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<v Speaker 1>com dot you is the place to go for more info.

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<v Speaker 1>Have a great day and stay healthy ish