Book Journeys Author Interview – May 4, 2017
Jenn McRobbie with Linda Goggin, author of Feel Good Again: A Game-Changing Guide to Creating Wellness, Energy, and Joy Using Functional Medicine Principles.
“Whatever message you have is important to the people who need to hear it.” ~Linda Goggin
Jenn:
Well, hello, Book Journeys Radio listeners! It is May the 4th, may the 4th be with you. Welcome to another episode of Book Journeys Radio. Every week here, we speak to accomplished authors who’ve gone from having an idea for a book to a finished book, who are out making a difference in the world. And today’s author is maybe a little different, because she was already making a huge difference in a big impact on the world before she wrote her book. Today’s author name is Linda Goggin and she’s a medical direc – the medical director of Ideal Health Bellingham and a functional medicine physician. The book she wrote with us is titled Feel Good Again, and I’m super excited to introduce you to her so that she can tell you how she’s changing the world by helping people to feel good again. Welcome, Linda!
Linda:
Oh, gosh, thank you so much, Jenn! I’m so excited to get to talk with you. I’ve listened to other interviews that you have had with people and your show is so exciting, so thanks for all the great work, and I’m just so honored that I’m here! Thank you so much for having me.
Jenn:
Well, I really appreciate you taking the time out of what I’m sure is your busy schedule just to talk about what you do and – and what your book is about. A – and on that bent, I always ask authors to begin the same way. I ask them to please tell the listeners abou – a little bit about their book and who their book is for.
Linda:
Okay. So, my book is called Feel Good Again, it’s a pretty simple title, and it also says what I’m trying to help people do, and it came about because I, as a – as a practicing physician, was seeing many people who were coming to my office, who … had normal labs and – and just – just felt bad, and they’re …, “There must be some reason why I’m feeling bad.” And so, they’re searching for a lot of things, but mainly they really want to feel good again. They wanted – … generally feel like they did when they were … in – in their twenties.
Jenn:
Right.
Linda:
And so, now, I’m … in the business of trying to help people turn back time a little bit and help people achieve their dreams in a broad sense, because medicine, really, is about the entire person. Not just – no. Not just what you’re eating, not just your medications, the entire person, and so, a functional medicine physician, which is something they – your – your listeners may or may not know about, tries to get at the root cause of what’s causing symptoms instead of putting – just … tossing medications on top of symptoms. And we do a lot of preventive medicine, and so this – this book is partly to introduce people to the ideas of functional medicine, and it has a little bit different take, … a fun take. It’s meant to be light-hearted and infuse people with a sense of fun about habit change.
Jenn:
“Infuse people with a sense of fun about habit change.” I love that sentence, Linda, and – because it feels like, sometimes, when we’re pursuing better health or – or just trying to be … healthier, better version of ourself, but it feels like a slog, it doesn’t feel like fun.
Linda:
Gosh, it’s so true, and … a lot of times, people will make a change and they’re just – they’re hot to trot for a month or so.
Jenn:
Right!
Linda:
And you … – you stay on the wagon, it’s – and then, it’s – just gets tired and also cr – … crazy feedback, and so, this is … taking the point where you are now and slingshotting you to the next point, and then visualizing where you wanna go, and using functional medicine principles to help get you there. Also, with – … I used other tools like imagery. I – when people are reading my book, they learn about techniques like having a – a daily practice where you visualize your success. You visualize all the challenges that you might meet in a day, and there’s good evidence to show that, if you see yourself making the right choice, that you’re more likely to make the right choice later on, during the day. So, there’s so much in the book, it – but I’m – I’m very excited to share it with people, and this is things that’s hard to cover in a doctor’s visit. ….
Jenn:
Right! So, you – you could have people … read a primer before they even come in to see you and have the same vocabulary, going forward.
Linda:
Right! Right! … that’s exactly right, so….
Jenn:
That makes so much sense. How does someone become a functional medicine doctor, … is it different than becoming – I – I hate to call it a “run of the mill” doctor, but – but – but doctors know – we all know and love, what – what’s different about functional medicine?
Linda:
So, a functional medicine provider – a lot of different kinds of practitioners can move into functional medicine. I come from a background of being a conventional family doctor. I was really working super hard, seeing a lot of patients and feeling dissatisfied because I couldn’t spend quite enough time with people. I couldn’t – I’m a chatter, obviously. And – I like to talk to people, and so, there was some – some problems with that model for me, and then, also, I was not feeling well myself, and so, I discovered functional medicine as a way to help myself feel better, and many people come to it that way, and then what you do is, you take additional training. So, I – … I finished medical school and my family – practiced residency, practiced as a family doctor for fifteen years, and then – and then realized that it’s just not – it’s just not quite enough for me, and I needed to go and – and learn a little bit more about this cutting edge style, practicing precision personalized medicine, that’s really individualized. Every person is a snowflake, and functional medicine … each person that way.
Jenn:
I like hearing that term, “snowflake,” you used in a positive sense, unlike sometimes, in our present political climate … “snowflake” is meant as a – as a dig on someone.
Linda:
….
Jenn:
Yes. Exactly! I want to be a – I want to be a Linda Goggin style snowflake, I don’t wanna be a – I love that. That’s so – that’s amazing. So – so, you obviously came to functional medicine through personal experience and wanting to explore more. How did you come to decide that you wanted to write a book on it?
Linda:
Part of that was, I had many people who needed help, and I’m only one person, I’m the only functional medicine provider in between Seattle and Vancouver. And that’s – that’s a pretty big space, so I needed to be able to get my – the word out, so that was part of it. And … dream, it’s been on my bucket list to write a book, so this – when I had a friend who wrote a book with the Author Incubator and I asked her about … wrote a book! And she said, “Yeah, you should go check this out!” I truly did not – two years ago, I never coulda guessed that I … written a book, really. I – I knew I wanted to, but the actual doing of it seemed … there’s no way, I’m so busy, how could I possibly do that? Maybe when I retire, I’ll write a book. But then, it became important because I’m not reaching all the people I wanna reach, and so, how do you reach those people, and then, also, maybe satisfy a lifelong dream. And so, then, when I – I got in contact with the Author Incubator and talked with Angela Lauria ‘bout my – my book. I started thi – “Gosh, I could actually do this!”
Jenn:
Right. I’m so glad that we were able to – to be a small part in making your dream come true!
Linda:
Oh, yeah. Well – no, a huge part – … I can really – it would have been years and years if I hadn’t had my friend write the book and – and been in contact with her and got in contact with you guys, so you guys, actually, thanking you, thank you, thank you so much for helping me.
Jenn:
Well, you know, it’s our pleasure, because – … it’s – it’s very much like you said, Linda. You weren’t reaching all of the people that you could reach. And, as you know, having been through the program from here, at the Author Incubator, it’s important to us to help people like yourselves reach wider audiences, and I’m just so thrilled that that’s what’s happening for you, now that you’ve written a book.
Linda:
Yeah! It’s – well, really, I am starting to – I – I’ve drummed up a lot of interest in the area, and no ma – one of my goals is, as a physician, to decrease people’s dependence upon physicians. … counterintuitive, but … put the power back in the hands of the people. It is functional medicine for the masses, and I want people to understand there’s ways to say it can actually make themselves feel better, sometimes just on their own, without having to … be constantly in the doctor’s office.
Jenn:
You know, when I imagine that that viewpoint – so, not only does it help a patient, because it helps them to take control of their own lives, but it helps a doctor, because y – when a patient comes to you and you know they’ve already stepped through … all of the different iterations of something, it helps you rule out what something could or couldn’t be, right?
Linda:
Oh, that’s so true. … a – and when people come to me many times, they’re pretty desperate, because, usually, they have been to quite a few doctors trying to figure out what’s going on, because they know, in their bodies, they don’t feel right.
Jenn:
Right.
Linda:
And they’re … getting from – from a conventional phy – physician … getting good advice, but it’s advice that just doesn’t take you very far, when it’s … “Okay, so, eat right, get that Mediterranean diet, and here’s a handout and exercise,” and that just only takes you so far. It’s the – losing weight is really difficult and getting fit and continuing to stay in that habit change phase, i – it’s just difficult for all of us, especially for me, … I’m – I’m definitely my own patient. … myself sick, keep doing the same because you wanna walk the walk, you wanna be able to set an example, and so, on the times when I go – and … I do occasionally go and get a pizza for my kids, I like to wear – wear a … and a baseball cap so people won’t recognize me. ….
Jenn:
Well, you are human, Linda, you are human. You are allowed to partake in all of the human experience.
Linda:
Right, right. … I think it’s important for people to know that I am in – I am right in the boat with them, and I’m trying to do my best to evolve myself, and that is – I feel passionate about helping people evolve and move to their next level.
Jenn:
That gives me goosebumps. I love – I love that that is your – your goal and I love knowing that there are people out in the world like you, that want to help us evolve. And help ourselves to become better – … better whatever we are, right?
Linda:
Right. Well – and the first step … really is accepting and acknowledging and seeing yourself – of seeing oneself in their current place and saying, “Well, here I am, how can I … love myself while I’m going through this – this evolution,” and envisioning where you wanna go, and then … you just take it step by step. It’s big steps. We can’t jump to – jump – jump from … a – a standard American diet, loaded up with sugar and carbs, to immediately being a vegetarian and that … – and – and cutting it all out, although some people … all or nothing, but for most of us, if we go all or nothing and we’re truly addicted, we need – desperately need support and … better. Yeah.
Jenn:
Right. So, if catering to ourself requires baby steps, did – was writing the book the same way for you? Was it baby steps or were you taking … big, giant leaps and just … writing it all in one go with no problems and no issues?
Linda:
Well, that’s – that’s a great question. So, I’m sure, at some point, Angela said, “Girl’s not gonna write this book.” I – okay. I – I now realize that I have to call myself a “burster” rather than a procrastinator, the previous one in my life I – I certainly would have put myself in a “procrastinator” category. Now, I see that I do actually work better under pressure, and I do work better in bursts. I also believe I could become a reformed burster and move towards more of the … “take it easy” and step-by-step and … over time, but – but it – when I wrote this – when I wrote this book, I was so, so overwhelmingly busy with my practice, I had just opened my own solo provider practice, and there were all kinds of things that were raining down on my head, right on the time I was writing the book. I – and I even had – I even – I sent an e-mail off to … “I don’t think I can do this!” And I got the e-mail back, … “Yes, you can,” and mushed. And so – so, it was – it was … pushed to the end of the timeline, and I – I – I – I think I would have wiped – in the next book, I’m gonna try and enjoy it more and spread it out more, but I only have – I only had one weekend, and that was the only e time I could do it, and so, I … sat down – I used the technique of talking my book, to drag and speak. Yeah. So, I – so, that’s – well, which has its goods and bads, of course, when you’re talking – but it helps get the juices flowing, and so, I had to – I had to go back, read through, and make sure what – what I was saying was actually what was coming out, but I think just getting it out is so important, and rolling for it … with your writing, because if – if you stop and just keep correcting everything, you’ll never get to the end, because you go back and indicate it and you’re … – a week later, you’ll … “Oh, what was I thinking when I wrote that?” … well, my feeling is that following through to the end is very valuable, and then go back into what you got, and – and so, I saw it through the end, … the end of my timeline, and then, a lot of the revision came during my editing process, when I was … “Ooh, I must have been freaky when I said that.” But that – that’s what – but, for some people, to actually use a speech to text … can free up your creativity.
Jenn:
Right.
Linda:
So, I suggest that to people. I’m a bad typist, too, so there’s that.
Jenn:
I – I wish I had thought about that when I wrote my book, because I think, for people like us, that enjoy talking and enjoy speaking, it – it would, you’re right, when I’m speaking, ideas come to me and I think of things and what a great way to … release all of the information that’s in your mind.
Linda:
Yeah. Yeah. It really is, and I find it for my kids, who I’m helping them, and of course, now, I – I have aspirations helping my children write books, because kids are just so creative.
Jenn:
They are.
Linda:
And imagine the feeling of accomplishment is – if I could help them … put something out, that their creativity, when they realize what a speech to text program can do, they – they write stories, it’s just amazing, what they can produce, ‘cause….
Jenn:
Yes. Well, and that’s a good point. Maybe using speech to text is an alternative to … the traditional view we have of writing, which is sitting down at a desk and getting out a pen or a pencil, or even sitting in front of a keyboard. Maybe using speech to text is a way for us to make the writing process more fun and enjoyable.
Linda:
Oh, definitely. Yeah, and it breaks the … to, … I keep on …, right? But I couldn’t be in a rut, and it helps me to have the ability to switch – the ability to switch between the two. And I think it also makes the possibility of writing a book available to a broader range of people, … –
Jenn:
Right.
Linda:
Because … you have so many things to share with the world, but would never wanna sit down at a laptop and just type for hours. … down and chat to their ….
Jenn:
Right! Or they – when they drive their car, they can be … dictating into their phone or their recording device and getting a book out while you’re commuting to work every day.
Linda:
What a great idea!
Jenn:
… we hear that complaints – … not a complaint, or we hear that excuse often, that, “I really want to write a book but I’m just too busy. I have too much on my plate.” And you definitely came from that – that viewpoint, in a way, because you had just started practice, you were really busy. How did you defeat that thinking, to get yourself to sit down and – and dictate out this book?
Linda:
Well, in fact, I didn’t – I didn’t get over that thinking until … after the b – I – I – a month after the book was written, I still said, “I did not have enough time to ….” I really did! I was ….
Jenn:
I love that! You’d already written it and you still thought you didn’t have enough time.
Linda:
…. Well, yeah, and so, I – ‘cause what I ended up doing is, I came down to the wire and I had a conference I was supposed to go to, and I was driving to the airport, and I knew that I couldn’t finish the book if I went to the conference. And I – I got on the highway and I got off the next exit.
Jenn:
Wow!
Linda:
And I … and I told my family, I’m … – I’m not here, because the conference was a – a – it – so, I told my family, I’m not here, I – I hung a velvet piece of cloth across the nook, … nobody could see me, because I got three kids, nine, twelve and fourteen.
Jenn:
Oh, boy.
Linda:
And so, I’m … – they – they’d come and poke their head in, … “I love you, but I’m not here.” And – yeah, so I was … absent mom, so terrible for three days, and – and so – ‘cause I knew that it was – it was then or never. And – and so, I sat down, and I really, really got something out to – there was something I could send to the editor and start to …. But it – it … sacrifices, and I think if I had planned it out a little bit better, when – … I was – I – “I was a victim of circumstance,” …. But I know right – or isn’t that what we all – we often … to do everything, and that part of wanting … I’m combatting, I’m looking for – I’m looking for balance, personally, and I’m also trying to help my – my clients find balance. And so – … I think that’s where – that’s where health really is, in balance, so this is – it was an unbalanced time, but by taking it – so many people – there’s so many different styles to writing a book, but – I know Angela does a three-day workshop where you could come and write your book with her, and probably in the way that I did in my nook.
Jenn:
I think you did!
Linda:
The – the – the – but that works, it’s … yeah, you have to write the book. Sit down now, do it. I – sometimes I thought, maybe I should get my seatbelt and strap myself in the chair because I – things would cost me, … the kitchen is right by the nook.
Jenn:
Food, yes.
Linda:
And it – it had to be clean, right? I could not write unless the kitchen was already basically tidy, and I – we are … creatures of – of habit, and we seek comfort and familiarity. So, when you’re uncomfortable, and in – if someone might be uncomfortable, writing a book that, maybe, they don’t really know exactly what they’re topic is, exactly what they’re writing, so, they’re gonna seek comfort, and seek comfort in our routin – our – our routines and our habits. So, cleaning the kitchen, that’s comforting for me. Making sure that the dishes are put away, but does that take me in a direction I wanna go? Not when I’m trying to write a book. ….
Jenn:
No. Right. … I never really thought about it that way, that writer’s block, in some ways, is – or it can be that desire for comfort sneaking in, because you’re stretching yourself into something very uncomfortable.
Linda:
Yeah, … for me, I think that was really true at times. Feeling … “Gosh, I don’t know if I really – do I really have something to say, do I really have valuable …” – and to think that every author struggles with that.
Jenn:
Yes.
Linda:
… by the book, and I think that – that – you have that thought in your head, you should answer, absolutely, “Yes! Me, write a book!”
Jenn:
And then, hang up a piece of velvet so that your family can’t see you and then just write a book!
Linda:
…. Yup.
Jenn:
Oh, that’s fantastic. Well, Linda, we’re – we’re not at the end of our time yet, but we’re getting super close, which – I – I always get … super bummed because I love speaking to authors and hearing about their tales and speaking to you is so amazing, but I want to make sure that we let our audience know how to find you and how to learn more about functional medicine and how they can become a more active members of taking care of their own health. So, where do people find you at?
Linda:
Yes. So, my website is www.lindagogginmd.com, and we’re gonna be rolling out some – some videos that will be free content so people … good information and how they can get started. My book is a great place to get started. … it’s on Amazon, it’s Feel Good Again, and we’re also gonna be starting a newsletter that’ll be going out within months, and people, if they go to my website and they request information, we’ll put them on our newsletter list and they can get updates as we put out new content. Really, I do want to disseminate information to people all over the place, and I – I do free consultations online to see if maybe I can help people, ….
Jenn:
Oh, great!
Linda:
If they go to my website they can sign up for one of those, too!
Jenn:
Oh, fantastic. I love that there are so many different ways to reach you, that – that alone seems different than conventional methods.
Linda:
Yeah, … I’m – my – my clients, actually, I – I make sure that they have ways to reach me, because that was a frustration before, is that my pe – my people couldn’t reach me, and they were … – i – in great need, and – and there’s nothing more frustrating than when you really want to talk to your doc, not being able to talk to them, so….
Jenn:
Right. … I love this – this notion that our doctors are a part of our lives and a part of our caregiving, and – and as such, … you wanna be able to reach out to them and say, “Hey, I’m having this little … blurp in the road, and how can I -”
Linda:
Yeah.
Jenn:
“How can I … conquer this?” I think that form of conversation would go much further than just an annual appointment, where you try to download an entire year into a twenty-minute consult.
Linda:
Right, right. And as a – as a – as a client, you want – you wanna be heard by your doctor, you wanna be known by your doctor, and – and so, I think that this is – this is going to be the way things will move. So, be – it’ll be more of a two-way street, much more interaction and much – some responsibility for people to go ahead and take the information and run with it.
Jenn:
Yes. That makes so much sense. … we have about two minutes left, and in this last bit of time, I – I always like to wrap things up the same way, because I know that we have listeners out there who are thinking to themselves either “I’m too busy to write a book,” or “Who am I to write a book?” All the questions you brought up earlier. And if you have that person sitting in front of you right now, and they said to you, “I can’t do this, Linda.” What piece of advice would you give to them, now that you’re an accomplished author?
Linda:
The first thing I would say is that, y – y – you absolutely can do it. There’s different ways to go about it. If you’re a person like me, who needs support, because y – whatever message you have is important to the people who need to hear it. If you need support, you can find a program like the Author Incubator. If – if you’re able to self-discipline – … just the self-discipline thing, … it’s just a matter of identifying who you’re speaking to. Getting a crystal clear vision, all the details. Who you’re gonna talk to and what they need to hear. And … a program like Author Incubator can really help you nail that down. But – but it is so – I feel so happy to have this to leave for my family and my children, and – that I’m – that I’ve completed the book, and it feels so amazing to have checked that off my bucket list that I encourage anyone to – to really try and make that dream a reality, if you’re even thinking about it.
Jenn:
Oh, then does that makes me so happy. I – I love knowing that we have helped you create a legacy for yourself and all of the information that you’ve gathered.
Linda:
Yeah, well, thank you so much, … I – I really do owe it to Angela, who’s – she’s good at cracking the whip on folks, and that’s really what I needed, and I know she’s – she’d laugh. She’d probably say, “Yeah, yeah, baby, you’re -”
Jenn:
That’s so true.
Linda:
Yeah, so – so, it was really just because of you guys that I was able to do this, and I thank you so much for your time, your wonderful chat! So, it’s been wonderful.
Jenn:
Well, thank you, it’s been wonderful, it’s been great having you on the show. If you want to find more, lindagogginmd.com, all of the information about Linda, functional medicine, all of her freebies are on that website, or go download her book right now, as we speak, Feel Good Again, on amazon.com. Thanks again and join me next week for another episode of Book Journeys Radio.