Brenda Cobb: The Trickiness of Introducing Alternative Health to Family

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 by: Kevin Gianni
Tags: alternative medicine, health news, Natural News

(NewsTarget) This is an excerpt from Brenda Cobb's interview for the Raw Summit, a complete interview encyclopedia of cutting edge living and raw food knowledge. You can find the complete transcripts and audios at (www.RawSummit.com) . In this interview, Brenda Cobb, author and founder of The Living Foods Institute in Atlanta, GA, gives insight on how to introduce natural and alternative health options to family members and friends.

Raw Food World Summit Interview Excerpt with Brenda Cobb

Kevin Gianni: A lot of people who are listening or reading this interview may have family members who are sick. Not even necessarily a debilitating disease or anything like that, but they are sick. They are not feeling well. They are tired, lazy, and achy. How can... How do you bring a message of natural health information to someone like that? How do you get them to start thinking differently about the way they feel?

Brenda Cobb: That is one of probably the more challenging part of this is helping a family member, or a close friend because sometimes family members are the most challenging to reach. Giving you an idea on my case, when I wanted to do this to help myself heal, I had some resistance from family and close friends who thought I was crazy and shouldn't do it.

But then when I went through it and I completely healed, and they saw what happened to me, they said, "Wow! You know what? This is impressive! Good for you! Great job!" But then when they became sick or knew of other family or friends that were sick, I offered for them to come to Atlanta and go through my program and let me help them. They turned it down.

Kevin: Wow!

Brenda: Now, I don't want to do that. I don't want to change what I am eating. I don't want to give up this food or that food or whatever that it may be. I, at first, I did take that personally. And it hurt me because, you know, when you have somebody you really love in your family and anybody you want to help, you want to help them. I was out here helping strangers; people that I didn't know were coming to me from all over the world.

But I couldn't get my own family members to wake up so to speak. And so, I really had to come to the realization that everybody is on their own personal journey. Not everybody is ready to receive this kind of information or willing. Not everybody would be even if they did listen to and learn about it, would be willing to do it and that I had to practice that unconditional love and understand that everybody had their own journey and their own decisions to make, and that as long as I let them know about it, what they did with the information was their responsibility and I couldn't take it personally.

So I would maybe send a book. I've given away a lot of my books and just have said, "Read this and if it helps you or if I can help you, give me a call." Of course, I am doing seminars, and workshops, and training programs, and educating the general public as much as I can, I wish I had known about this when my father was alive. I always felt that had I known about it, that I could have helped him to have many more years of good life because he died at a very young age of 70.

And I thought, "Wow! Wish I had known about it then." But now I do it in helping others so that maybe someone else's father, or sister, or brother, or loved one, or that individual themselves may gain some knowledge and insights that will help them. You know, the old attitude "You can lead the horse to water but you can't make them drink." You could present this information all day long if a person is not willing to accept it; they are just not going to. So I think lovingly, there are some books or literature when people call me and they say, "I am trying to convince..." And they use that word. "I am trying to convince my friend" or "convince my loved one" that they need to come and take your program but they just won't listen. One thing I offer to them, I say, "You know what? Have them call me" or "Do you want me to call them and talk to them?" Because sometimes people will listen to a stranger before they will listen to a loved one.

Kevin: Yes.

Brenda: There have been a lot of times I have been able to talk to people that their loved ones couldn't reach. By the time we got finished, the person was excited and they really wanted to come on in and do it. So, I think that can also be an approach, and then I think the other one is that once you have given them the information, just to let it go and not try to badger them. Because I think the more that you try to keep on badgering a person about it, the more you actually push them away. As long you've made the information available, and you know that there is a resource, I do consultations with people by phone. If they just want to talk about what's going on with them, sometimes people aren't ready to even take a class but they will talk to you about it a little bit.

And I think that there are things that people can begin doing at home even before they would come to a class like mine. They could begin in changing some of the things that they are doing that could help them and empower them. But you know what the number one thing is Kevin is, be sure you're taking care of yourself. You do it because you can lead so much better by example. And even if everybody else doesn't think they want to do it, when they see you doing it, and you are getting such good results, that can be a powerful testimony. When people saw me trimming down before their eyes, when they watched my gray hair turn back to its original color, when they saw the glasses that I have worn since I was, you know, a young girl of age 12 and now is 53, and I didn't need glasses anymore. And that I was looking younger than I looked 10 or 15 years ago. They start looking at me saying, "You know, I want some of that." "What are you doing?" And I do think that example is the strongest way to lead.

Kevin: Yes and by example, I mean, would you suggest talking about how you're feeling? I mean, that's kind of the best way to do it, right?

Brenda: Well, you can tell people you feel great. But you know what, there's nothing like looking good.

Kevin: (LAUGH)

Brenda: You know, people can just look at your skin and they go, "Your skin is looking great!" "Your eyes seem really sparkly and clear."

Kevin: Yes.

Brenda: You know your energy, look at how much energy. People say that all the time to me. "Where do you get all your energy?" And I'll laugh. I'll say, "Well, where do you think?" "I get it from eating raw and living food." And they seem surprised. "Oh, is that really true?" I said, "Yes, it really works." "It's really true." And then of course to share your testimony and tell people; you know how good you feel. And if I hear someone complaining, if they say, "This is going on with me or that's going on with me." You know, I'll hand them my card. I'll give them my website. And I'll say, "Well you know what, why don't you go check this out?" I do free events at my center. I have a free educational seminar most every month and a free banquet dinner feast. Then I just ask people to come out and have a free evening with me, listen, and let me educate them a little bit. Try the foods and see how great the food taste so they are not afraid of it. A lot of times people, when I start talking about eating raw and living food, some people are so out of touch with what that means, that they say, "Is that... you eat your meat raw?"

Kevin: Yes. (LAUGH)

Brenda: Well no, I don't eat meat. And I don't eat that raw. I'm talking about fruits and vegetables. They're like, "Oh, oh yeah, fruits and vegetables. Yeah." Forgot you could eat those raw, you know? And it is not a difficult lifestyle; it's very simple. Sometimes, people even want to make it much more difficult than it is, but I like to bring people back to the simplicity. It's so easy just to eat an apple, or a stalk of celery, or a cucumber. You know, you don't have to make it complicated at all.

Kevin: What do you do now on a daily basis that keeps you at your health? Your optimal health that you are at now?

Brenda: Well, I do my very best to eat as much as possible – organic. Now there are some times when I travel that, maybe I'm eating out and I'm not able to get organic, but I always try my best to do that. I like to juice and so I do some juicing. I like green juices because they feel really cleansing but I do a lot of blending where I will just throw some vegetables, and fruits, and sprouts, and divide them into the mix blender and turn it on and make myself a smoothie, and drink it. You know, I love salads and all the different fresh vegetables that go in them. So, I enjoy that everyday. I drink a lot of pure filtered water.

Kevin: Yes.

Brenda: I used to hate water, Kevin, but I became a real fan of water when I realized how important it was to cleanse, and detox, and hydrate the body. And I do my very best everyday to get out and walk, at least 40 minutes. If I can, I can, I can walk a very comfortable 2 plus miles gently in 40 minutes. And that does me good to get out, away from my desk, or teaching out in the fresh air in the sunshine and get my body moving. And I stay away from candy, and dairy, and all that other stuff that I used to eat, processed foods. I don't really eat that. I used to eat a lot of pasta, and breads, and all that. I don't eat that stuff anymore.

You know, if I do occasionally, maybe have a piece of bread or something, it makes me feel tired almost immediately and heavy. And I don't like that heavy feeling. I like the lighter feeling. And I take the raw. I have a raw food powder that I take in my smoothie or my juice each day. And I take E3 Live which is a wonderful algae.

Kevin: OK.

Brenda: That I have found really helps me, and works well for me. Occasionally I may take some herbs, if I need a boost, you know. Maybe a boost for my immune system, you know, if I'm working, working, working, and I start feeling tired just because I've overworked. You know, workaholics like me sometimes still need to rest.

Kevin: (LAUGH)

Brenda: (LAUGH)

Kevin: What do you mean? (Sarc.)

Brenda: Sometimes I still just need to lie down and rest a little bit. You know, so I try to remember that because I'm excited about my mission and I want to go out there and help save the world, but sometimes, Brenda just needs to sit down and be quiet a little bit.

Kevin: Now, now, you just led me into it. It's just a great question here. You're a workaholic, how do you manage to sit down and relax? And how often does it come?

Brenda: You know what? I force myself everyday.

Kevin: Okay.

Brenda: One of the things I do is I make myself get away, push away from that computer, get out and put on my walking shoes, and go outside. I am fortunate in that I live right in midtown Atlanta, next to a big beautiful park, Piedmont Park.

Kevin: Sure.

Brenda: Piedmont Park.

Kevin: Yes.

Brenda: I go over there and I walk. I look at the dogs playing and I breathe the fresh air and I'll walk by the lake. And you know, sometimes I'll put on my iPod and I'll listen to some motivating music. Sometimes I might listen to a motivating tape or CD. Other times, I don't want to listen to anything. I just want to hear the birds singing out there. And so, I make myself do that. And when I say, "make myself", I literally have to stop and look in the afternoon and say, "You know what, it's five o'clock, stop, get out of this house, get out of this office!" So, that's one way. Now, you know, I used to maybe stay on the computer working sometimes 'til ten, eleven, twelve, or one o'clock in the morning.

But now, if I'm still working at 8 o'clock, I say to myself, "You know what, enough of this." I've been working since early this morning. I'm stopping now. I'm turning off the computer. I'm going to read a good book. I'm going to paint. I have really been enjoying painting. I've become a wonderful prolific artist.

To read the rest of this interview please visit (http://www.RawSummitArchives.com) . This is just an excerpt of over 14 hours of cutting edge living food, raw food or health information revealed during the Raw Food World Summit.

About the author

Kevin Gianni is a health advocate, author and speaker. He has helped thousands of people in over 85 countries learn how to take control of their health--and keep it. To view his popular internet TV Show "The Renegade Health Show" (and get a free gift!) with commentary on natural health issues, vegan and raw food diets, holistic nutrition and more click here.


His book, "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution," is a step-by-step guide to optimum health for the time and energy-strapped. To find out more about abundance, optimum health and self motivation click here... or you're interested in the vegan and raw food diet and cutting edge holistic nutrition click here. For access to free interviews, downloads and a complete bodyweight exercise archive visit www.LiveAwesome.com.