HEATHER EWING: The CRE RUNdown

Ep. 70 Dr. Pat Boulogne - Discipline as Freedom: Dr. Pat on Energy, Endurance, and AI

• Heather Ewing, CCIM • Season 1 • Episode 70

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We explore how to turn vague goals into clear maps, protect energy with simple systems, and finish big moments strong on the course and at work. Dr. Pat shares practical tools: nine before nine, visualization, focused recovery, and how to use AI without losing your judgment.

• Women in business and the seaworthy boat mindset
• Mapping goals to real desires, not borrowed outcomes
• Keeping plans simple and “subject to change”
• Life integration across work, health and relationships
• Protecting energy and avoiding empathy hangovers
• Nine before nine daily structure and habit building
• AI as a concise tool, not a mental crutch
• Marathon prep: tissue release, extensors, pacing cues
• Visualization, self-talk and fueling for endurance
• Living fully as freedom built on discipline

Reach Dr. Pat on LinkedIn or visit healthteamnetwork.com

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Heather:

Welcome to Heather Ewing V CRE rundown. Today from lovely New York, I have Dr. Pat Bulloon. She is none other than a mindset mastery expert, both for high-achieving professionals and also for those athletes. So personally, as a marathoner, I can't wait to talk to her about this and how we can all unlevel our careers and lives. Dr. Pat, welcome.

Dr. Pat:

Thank you very much. I'm really glad to be here. And I didn't know that. So that's really that's really quite cool. Cause I've worked marathons, I primarily the Boston Marathon, and more than a few times. So I have a lot of observations about that.

Heather:

Oh, that's fantastic. And I finally ran it last year. So after several attempts that I hadn't made, I got it in last year, which was tremendous. So awesome. Yeah, we'll have to dive into that. So we connected through LinkedIn. It's such a great emporium to connect with solid professionals that are really achieving and also up-leveling community, people's lives, our nation, and far beyond. So if you could share a little bit more about yourself with our audience.

Dr. Pat:

Well, one of my things is I love to see women in business and I love to see women in business do well because even in this day and time, it's still, I'm sorry, guys, but it's still a man's world. And, you know, and so one of the things, you know, about that is that, you know, I think, you know, back to the JFK um quote, you know, which says, you know, rising tide lifts all boats, but all boats are not seaworthy. So if you take the analogy of boats being like our bodies and our minds, then you've got to find out where the holes are, you know, and you've got to repair that area. And you have to, you know, if you can change it so that it's stronger than it was before, then you're b blue water worthy, which is you can go across the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean, you know, and not just, you know, be remain refined to the with the area of where your boat's at, like for instance, like on the finger lakes, you know, or you know, on a smaller river or you know, that type of thing, or a lake that you would sail on. So it would dictate the size of your life based upon where you have the ability to sail.

Heather:

That's huge, right? Because if you think about it, people's visions are extremely limiting. And small vision, small life, big vision, big life. So, what are you noticing as far as when people are coming to you for advice of whether it's personal or career related, of they're at point A, they want to get to point Z. What are the steps for this? What's the process? Because you've taken people on this process, you've been highly effective. What's the map?

Dr. Pat:

The map is different for everybody. You know, um, I was at a wedding in England one time, and I was very much a novice. I was in chiropractic school, had no clue what I was going to do with my life or what I was getting married or whatever, whatever I was doing. And I happened to meet this girl and befriend her. And her father was the CEO of um, you know, uh British Leyland. And so her wedding was really spectacular. And they invited me to come, and I did. And the point of that is that, you know, like when, you know, this gentleman who was there who was her godfather was explaining to me how to make a mind map at the rehearsal dinner. Um, and I saw so much potential in that that I kept on doing that anytime I had to do a presentation when I was in school. And so when I take that out and I apply that to my day and time now, one thing I know is that part of my why is to help people create solutions that are simpler, they're safer, and they're quicker. You know, and when you do that, you know, because a lot of people get stuck in the emotion of thinking about it and they don't really take a lot of action on that particular piece. So when if you can create that motion or create it so that you can funnel it down, because where people think they want to go is not necessarily really where they want to go. It's like one of my mentors in um health and wellness on the chiropractic side always said that, you know, what you got isn't what you got. You know, and it's just like if you think it, and he said, maybe it's something else, and you have to do something first. So in looking it out, I think you have to really stage it. You have to figure what's the first thing that I really need to do in order to get to where I want to go. And always, you know, my mentor of like 40 years, this um this guy is like a father figure to me. And he was uh he was a CEO of a import-export business from Detroit, which their big, you know, um partner and collaborator was Ford Motor Company at the time. And uh, he always said, what he goes, all subjects, you know, excuse me, all, you know, when you're doing whatever you're doing, right? He goes, all plans are subject to change. That was his line, you know, and he goes, so never get upset about if something doesn't work out. Just look at what you learn from it and then take those tools and put them in your toolbox, which you didn't learn, you know, or it didn't make sense to you, just throw them away. Don't waste time on spilt milk, you know, and then build upon what you already have going. I mean, I had that input since I was nine years old. Um, and from this old. Right. And having and like, and you know, there's no, I always think that, you know, there's nothing by chance and there's no processes that's not require time. So having realistic, you know, goals, you know, and realistic like what is it that I really want to do, then, you know, I help people make better decisions, you know, whether it's travel plans, like their personal life, um, their, you know, business life, like what is it that I have to do if I want to go to my next level? And sometimes the conversation is so simple because he's always taught me to keep it simple and not make it complicated. And we are so good as human beings at making things complicated, especially if you know you're trying to figure it out yourself. You know, I am guilty of that myself too. Um, and so I like to see people have that breakthrough and all of a sudden that light go on, like, oh my God, you know, my relationship, my, you know, when I fix my business relationship, my home relationship totally changed too. You know, and I didn't expect that as a you know a benefit or of a bonus. Um, but I just I love seeing that. Like, like I love that look in someone's face when that, you know, the dimmer switch goes up, you know, and it, you know, that one little thing has such trickling effect that it's like, you know, a snowball starts out as one, you know, one little piece of like snow, and then you keep on packing it until you have a larger one, you know, and you know, depending upon the quality of the snow, depends on the quality of your snowball.

Heather:

Definitely right. Well, and so a couple of things are jumping out at me. So, one, backtracking a little bit, that connection at age nine, right? Like, I do believe there are divine interventions or what I called it as divine discontent. Yeah. Years ago when I was in the operations arena, where I just remember driving home one night and I was in my early 20s, but I just felt dead in the eyes. And I just remembered, I was like, wow, there is a long time until retirement of find a way, right? And I remember at the time reading an Oprah magazine of put your goal and backtrack it. And I was in the manufacturing arena, capacity planning, all this. So I was used to flow maps and all of that. So I was like, okay, endpoint and back it up. But I think that's really neat. And I think each of us really do have inherent gifts, skills, um, you know, amazing mentors along the way, some short term, some really long, like yours, 40 plus years. And it's just such a beautiful way to give back and it really up-levels people's lives because I mean, take a step back, right? How many decisions do we make in a day? I know it's a profound stat, but I think it's a huge impediment to so many people. And I've gotten better with it over the years, but I mean, talk about getting stuck. It's just so that's a that's a huge gift that you're giving people. And two, life is not in silos. And I agree, I mean, I'm just in my early 50s at this point, so there's still a lot to learn, but at least I have a lot in the tool belt. Is that I think the old way of thinking is that life was siloed. Career is here. This is your help, these are your relationships, and it's as you shared, it's all intermingled.

Dr. Pat:

It is, it's like it's and sometimes they parallel each other. I mean, you always seen that, like, you know, a stat on a graph that you have this line going like this, and you have the other line paralleling it below it, you know, or and hopefully, like if it's financial, you want it to be going up, you know, and you want whatever those you know interests are to be going along with that also, you know. And I learned a long time ago about reading stats on a chart is that you know, you want them clearly going up. But when they start to go down, you know, like, you know, because you have fluctuation, you know, if they start to go down, you can go like, okay, that happened. But if it happens again, then you start to have to go like, okay, that's a red flag. You know, what is it that you know I'm missing or doing, or you know, or what's happening in my environment? And many times this comes from within. It's that voice from within that we had from childhood or from, you know, it's just like when someone says something to you, like, um, are you feeling well? When you feel great, you know, and you have to think it isn't really about you, it's about them, you know, and you know, and you and there's there's a lot of pieces to that puzzle. I mean, and and then evaluating like, you know, how do you feel you're perceived and how how do you want to be perceived, and how are you like, what are you doing to elevate that in your the public eye of who you're working with and who you're working for and who you're trying to attract.

Heather:

Right, right. Well, and I think that also ties in quite nicely with your you know, your statement of people coming saying they want this, but as you're using your different tools and resources, right? And when you drill down, this is actually what they want. And I think that's where you know, we are. I always say we are like sponges. You take in your surroundings of what's possible, what's not. And I think too, that's where people come out with wanting to be or have this when the emotion that they really want is what they want, not not a certain item or thing or title.

Dr. Pat:

For sure. And there's also a way to protect your energy while you're going through that process. Because a lot of times, like you can, I mean, when I had my personal private practice, I could see up to 75 people in a day, you know. And so um I had a high volume practice. I and people, when I did my surveys in my office, everyone said thought, I go, Do you feel like you're being heard when you're in the office? And they go, Oh, absolutely. You know, and so I could talk and do an activity at the same time, you know, and they would be able to have that feeling, like, you know, they did it. If they didn't, you know, because I always called patients up when I left to go home and made sure that I touched space with every new patient or anybody that um came to mind when I was going to leave, you know, I would get a list of their names and phone numbers and just say, Hey, I just want to touch base with you. How are you doing after your adjustment today? And it was just one of those like really simple things. It took me a half hour, you know, to make some of those calls. And some of them were the funniest conversations I ever had. I mean, you know, it's just like maybe I should pull over and not have this conversation with a car, you know, and so that I can pay it pay attention. But it's really lovely to be able to have that level of communication, you know, and and being able that that touch point, because we all think, you know, so I think in this day and time we have a tendency to be a little too empathetic, you know, and because we've been trained that way, you know, and there's a thing to being over like, you know, you know, empathetic, right, you know, and so that and when you feel like after you meet somebody or been with somebody that you want to go home or you're exhausted, you know, and you want to go home, it isn't necessarily that they're toxic, but you lift yourself open, you know, and it's like you know, how do you protect it? I teach my clients exactly how to do that so that you know their peace of mind walks every moment for 24 hours a day with them and it's not disturbed. So when they go to sleep, they go to sleep. They're not chattering in their head. And when they get up, they get up with, you know, hitting the ground ready to run, you know, with whatever it is that they want to do for that day that they deem is important, you know. And I teach a rule nine before nine, um, and you know, which helps people really organize their day and get the first thing off their plate so they can focus on what really matters.

Heather:

Definitely. Yeah, I think it's one of those two people's focus. Like you said, one, the energy. I think people are giving it all away, or a lot are not everyone, right? But a lot of people are, and I think it's unfortunate because then they don't have time for the things most important to them, their dreams, their goals, because they're, if you want to say being in service to everyone and everything else. But um you know, tying in with all of this, how do you see AI affecting this arena, right? You have a really unique way of helping people flip that switch and understanding their truest desires and what that is, creating the the plan. Where do you see AI coming into this? Or do you not?

Dr. Pat:

Well, you know, I don't really in in a way I could see it coming into it because you know, when people are looking for bigger or better ideas, like I need to maximize energy, space, and time between like seven o'clock in the morning and eight o'clock. What are the top five things I possibly could do? You know, and I like one, two, three, four, five. You know, then, you know, and then it's just like as long as it doesn't go on and chit-chat forever, just like funnel that down to a list. I don't need to have an explanation. I need a list. And then if I need an explanation, I'll ask for the explanation. So I've I've used AI in my own practice for advertising and for content writing and for correcting grammar. You know, so it's what I went to a Catholic school for 12 years and I still think like every once in a while, I'll think that doesn't look right. Is it a semicolon or is it a colon? Um and is that complete sentences or is it run on? And so you you, you know, it's you know, it's a it's an easy tool that takes off one that that pressure because you want to have your message delivered pristinely and you want to have it so that it's understandable by and you can people can like let it seep into their consciousness or plant the seed so that you know they can have and those kind of pieces of information can elevate. And so I see it in that regard. So, like, you know, and I think that you know, artificial intelligence, um, you know, if it's expertly given, has some value to it. It's just like how somebody chooses to put that in, like in in chiropractic offices, for instance, which I consult with sometimes because I want to show them where they're leaving money on the table and where they're not, and like how to make better engagement. I did that with functional medicine doctors back when the thing was the functional medicine with this breaking out. Because the communication matters when you have compliance and you have people who want to say, I want that, I want to have better health and I want to have this, and working with that one individual. So there's information, the way to disseminate that information to people can be helpful with that, and helpful with you know, creating specific content that sometimes, you know, I first started using it, I had no clue how to give it a command. Um, but when I give a command now, it's just like I know who I'm talking to, why I'm talking to them, and what is the exact single message I want to get out, whether it's 10 words or whether it's 50. And if I can do it in 10 words, I'd rather use the 10 word version. Um, and you know, so there's I see there's a a big potential, but I also think that there is, you know, people can get too used to it. Right. You know, is and um and they they're they rely on it to do their thinking for them, you know, and what what AI really gave me when I first started using it was like taking down two pages into a half a page. You know, and that and I thought that was cool because I had a friend who was uh an attorney that taught me that also, you know, but it took him months to teach me that. And you know, and so and I can take anybody's messaging that they want to do and take it down to, you know, that half page or those five sentences as opposed to writing that one piece. It's just a hobby of mine that I like that, you know, for me I like doing. And when I see content, you know, and copy, I go, that's that's a waste of time. It's in the wrong place for where my eye hits it, you know. And and it's a better this is a better word. And the generalization of words that you use, I mean, I could go on, there's a whole list. Um, but you know, I think that AI serves a purpose, but I think we have to be mindful about what it is that we want AI to do, you know, and then and then hire it for that job only. Definitely.

Heather:

And what's kind of interesting too, as you were talking, it it wolf back into earlier when you were talking about it's really keeping things simple and not overcrowding, not adding so much fluff that you that you lose the message. So less is more. And I know going back to my earlier years of karate, we always learned keep your basics strong, like the high kicks and all these other things. I wasn't into the flips, but they're pretty, they're fun, you know, they grab attention and wow, but the basics are where the magic is. So that ties in exactly with what you're saying.

Dr. Pat:

Right. Absolutely.

Heather:

So when you were also talking about, you know, your your nine before nine and waking up and just hitting the ground running, what it reminds me too of is Napoleon Hills, right? Think and Grow Rich, the the 1% at the razor's edge. And I think it is in those simplistic, but yet consistency is integral of it, of maintaining those simple practices on a daily basis. Would you agree?

Dr. Pat:

Absolutely. You know, um rituals, you know, it's the funny thing about rituals when you ask people like, what's your health hack? You know, do you have a habit that you do? And because I did this whole survey for a year and a half, and with the intention of taking that information and creating it into a book, which I have um in the process of consolidating that information. And I got to see if it's still worthy of it. But what I found from people is that um there are some people who have are so ritualistic that you know they've taken brushing your teeth into like a whole nother whole dimension, you know. And so the when I ask them, and then people is always a lot of people say to me they don't have a health hack. I go, Do you take a shower in the morning when you get up or you know, wash your hair or wash your face? That's a ritual. That's a health hack, you know, and uh because we we forget to create the simplicity of it, you know, and so when creating habits, because you take that one thing of brushing your teeth, and now it's become a ritual, whether when you're going to bed, whatever, we'll just use that as an example. But the thing is that becomes you know a ritual after like 21 days or after 256 days, which is the average time span, you know, for somebody to take something, a habit, and to make it so important to them that they do it every day. Like if you do 200 sit ups versus 256 days versus like as little as 18 days. But you know, it depends upon where your mind's at and how bad you want it, you know, and so it's just it's like, or do I want to make this into I want to make brushing my teeth like a non-existence issue? I just want to do it. You know, so when you choose that, then it becomes a non-existent issue. So then when you get up in the morning morning and do whatever you do and you brush your teeth, you know, and take a shower, brush your teeth, and you know, and you get done, you can say, like, okay, now what's my next thing to do? You know, and that little voice in you, even if you don't listen to it, um says, What's the next thing we have to do? It's just like, oh, that's could be one of the nine before nine, you know, because I always say, and I'll just, you know, share with your listeners, the nine before nine is doing three things that you need to do for yourself that day to increase your sustainability, you know, your energy, you know, and your mindset. Then you do three things for your business and you do three things for your family. You know, and it's just like, and if you do that perpetually, you know, and make that important, they can change. It doesn't have to be the same thing. You know, and and so if you can, you know, when you get that into a rule, then that Napoleon Hill piece comes in because, you know, he talked about even, you know, when um he um hired when Napoleon Hill was hired by Carnegie to go out and meet all these very successful people and find out what is it that they do, you know, it's just like I just want to keep that information going so that people can have that accessibility, that information also. Because you might say to me, you know, like, oh, I, you know, you have a specific thing that you do in the morning, you do yoga, you know, and you know, it's like I hate yoga, I'm never gonna do yoga in the morning. It's just like it's not it for me, my educated brain says there's too much flexion in yoga, and I don't want, as I get older, I want to ex, I want to exercise the extensors of my body, not the, you know, because I want to be able to stand up straight and have great posture. And if you exercise your flexors, your flexors keep on getting stronger, you know. So in my head, it logically doesn't work, it has to be a balance. But you know, but for some people, it's just like so. I wouldn't do that, I would do a different exercise.

Heather:

You know, and I like to meditate with coffee. Good. That's one of those. I'm like, it sounds really weird, but it works for me. So my journal and morning meditation. But you know, jumping back into the the sports part, because that's an area that I'm very intrigued in too. Um, I actually have the Chicago Marathon coming up on the 12th. So we're just over two weeks out. What is a mind hack that you'd recommend for me, any other endurance athletes or any solid business owners? What's when you're coming and when you're approaching a big right a big date, what is one or two things that we can uh keep focused on to cross that finish line strong?

Dr. Pat:

So I think to um to cross that finish line strong, something simple that you can do is really have a deep tissue massage, especially focusing on releasing uh trigger points and adhesions in the calf, you know, and the the sides of the upper legs with net muscular area is the tensor fossilata. Because a lot of times nerve entrapment happens from the low back. And a lot of people have that low back pain when they're running around maybe like the 12th mile, like in Boston, you have that, you know, heartbreak hill, and you have to you which puts you in the slightly forward tilt for running, which stresses out the low back. So I've always had people tell me that's my hardest point, you know, and also like making sure that you're well trained. So the mental part of that is seeing your, you know, seeing you going across the finish line with a specific number in mind. And the number that's and so if you say that like I can, I will, and I'm going to have, you know, I'm gonna run this race, the best race ever in my entire life. I'm gonna have the best time ever in my entire life. I deserve to win, you know, and if you say that perpetually, I mean when I went back to school to acupuncture school, I was already in my 50s, you know. So um, and all these young people that are in in the class, you know, and I I ended up with a 4.0 until one exam at the very end, you know, and like I ended up graduating with a 3.96 and studying Mandarin too, you know. And but I what I did is, you know, when I went to go take a test, you know, I talked to myself. You know, when I studied, I talked to myself. And I said to myself, where did I get this from? Maybe Napoleon Hill. Um, you know, I said to myself, I'm gonna pass this test for flying colors. I'm gonna remember everything that I am reading right now, and I'll be able to there's no there's no question that they're gonna be able to ask me that I don't know the answer to. Right. You know, and I said that and I believe that because if you believe it, it ups to the notch, you know. So you already know that you can complete a marathon, right? Oh, yeah. So take care of the physical part and have someone do some, you know, like trigger release behind, you know, the their legs, you know, uh especially the cap, um, and make sure that your ankles are in good shape, you know, and so that you can, you know, don't have any, like you're not gonna be prone to like, you know, outturn an ankle when you're running. Um and then just see yourself, keep yourself at a pace. You know, when you're when you're going uphill, you know, an uphill thing, just see yourself see, don't look at where you're at, look at where you're going and keep focused on where you're going and just say, okay, I can change, keep my pace for till that telephone pull, you know, and then do it. You know, when you do that, then your body goes, reward, you know, and your endorphin levels go up. And then you can even and then you run like the wind. You know, and and then that'll be the tagline.

Heather:

Run with the wind. I like it, Dr. Kat.

Dr. Pat:

Right. And it's just like then you have that. I worked with Kenyan runners, and I also like highly going to recommend making sure that you eat the appropriate foods before you run, because your body needs foods that create endurance. So it needs the protein, you know, not as many carbs as people believe because proteins take a lot longer to burn off. And when the Kenyan runners ran, they had a really specific diet that they followed going into the race like five days before, because they wanted to make sure their body had that energy and they were digesting the foods that they already have. You know, and so and then you they also, you know, we all know that they run as a team. So that team support is huge. So, you know, that's why having an accountability buddy or a running buddy, you know, has always been helpful, you know, and also trying to get that accountability or running buddy who can run faster than you.

Heather:

Right.

Dr. Pat:

You know, I do have that. Right. You know, and then it's like, you know, always look where you're going. Right face where you're going. Don't, you know, it's just like the moment you look down, you turn your flexors on, and we want your extensors on because your extensors are where you have the power. That's like when someone's playing basketball and they jump, right? They're using their extensors, they're using their glutes, you know, they're using their hamstrings in order to like push up, you know, and be able to bounce up. You need as a runner, those are crucial muscles also.

Heather:

I like it. That's that's a great tip. You might chuckle at this, but something I've done is I I love the color yellow. I'll run that through me and bananas.

Dr. Pat:

And bananas? Well, you know, because you want the potassium, you know, for sure.

Heather:

And I always look for those on the course. But my final hard-hitting question, and I'll I will share my great results from these tips also in just over two weeks. Final question, Dr. Pat. What does living fully mean to you?

Dr. Pat:

It's doing whatever you want to do when you want to do it, you know, and never don't say no to a you know, to a great invite.

Heather:

I like it.

Dr. Pat:

That's perfect.

Heather:

Well, thank you so much for joining me today. Please share with our audience how they can reach out to you and work with you.

Dr. Pat:

Um, one of the best uh ways to reach out to me is on LinkedIn, um, on my LinkedIn profiles, like where we met, and I meet a lot of really incredible, like how you know people who have so much energy and they're doing so many different things. I would never have had that opportunity without the platform of LinkedIn. Um, secondly, I I have you know my website, which is healthteamnetwork.com. It's a little bit under the process of uh going to be going into reconstruction. So um that's a but there's a lot of different venues about how to reach out and you know and ask me questions, you know, there. There's a microphone on my opening page so that you can tap into that and ask me a question, which comes directly to me, you know, and my calendars are always there. So if you got a question, you know, and you want to speak with me personally, um, there's a way for you to get in touch with me for a short chat. Um, and if you're looking to like, should I do a detox or, you know, like how like I'm trying to find out just the basic stuff, like, you know, where am I at without doing 20 tests, you know, um, then because I'm go back to basics first, know your foundation, and then you can decide what type of biomarkers and blood work that you really need to do. And I have the accessibility for those tools to be able to share them. And you can find that, you know, on my website also.

Heather:

Excellent. Well, thank you so much for joining me and in sharing that too. I've of course my mind, I have a lot of ideas of future things that we could do together. So not only personally, but also uh with my community too. So thank you so much, Dr. Pat.

Dr. Pat:

Thank you. I really appreciate being here. This is uh I love today. This is a really great day. It was a true joy. All right. Thanks. Bye.