159. Wabi Sabi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Perfectly Imperfect Living with Candice Kumai

In Japanese culture, if an object of value breaks, there is an art form that involves putting it back together with lacquer and golden powder – Kintsugi, or the art of golden repair. The repaired object is then considered more beautiful than it was before; a recognition that the imperfections and differences are part of our story, and part of what makes us attractive. There is another Japanese art called wabi-sabi, which is essentially the aesthetic philosophy that things can be perfectly imperfect. As someone who wrecked his life and put it back together, I can appreciate the metaphor. I also appreciate how these traditions inspire my guest Candice Kumai, the “golden girl of the wellness world.” She is a professionally trained chef, a leading wellness writer, a best-selling author, a Top Chef alumni, and a proud Japanese-American. Her newest book, Kintsugi Wellness: The Japanese Art of Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit, is more than just a clean living guide or cookbook – it’s a piece of art that guides the reader through Candice’s favorite Japanese traditions and practices for cultivating inner strength and living graciously, containing the tools we all need to reclaim the art of living well. Candice reminds us of the power and beauty of rebirth, shows us we can all start practicing the art of living well (no matter what age we are), and explains why cooking is one of the only resources available to all of us that will allow someone to change their whole life through simple ingredients & actions. We also end the interview with a question I’ll pose to all of you – How can we, as public figures and content creators, be of better use to you? That’s why we’re here, and we honestly want to know. Topics Discussed In This Episode: The incredible matcha cookies that Candice made for me (you can check out the recipe here on Candice’s YouTube channel) Birth, destruction, and rebirth is a natural cycle – and how sometimes the resurgence is the most beautiful part How Candice’s parents met through war, in a Buddhist temple What is wabi-sabi? Growing up, Candice was everything that wasn’t considered “Asian.” Like Dr. Seuss said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Why Candice gravitated towards her Japanese heritage Part of being honorable and humble is letting your work speak for itself Drinking vodka, from a biohacker’s perspective The mouth-watering photography in Kintsugi Wellness (which Candice did herself) What do people do differently in The Blue Zones, the areas where people live the longest & happiest lives? Why a healthy begins when you get a Vitamix Why cooking is one of the only resources you have to change your whole life through simple ingredients & actions Gaman, the art of high resilience, humility, and enduring Working with integrity & authenticity How can we, as public figures, be of use to you? More about this episode. THIS SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BIOSTRAP . Biohacking your body requires data, and Biostrap tracks more data, more accurately than anything else on the market. The biometric readings allow users to quantify their body’s physiological well-being, measure the bodily effects of their daily activities, and assess the efficacy of preventative health measures – even in your sleep. Get 25% off today by going to biostrap.com/Luke and using the promo code “STOREY”. AND… ALTERRA PURE . This show is all about optimizing your lifestyle, and part of that is optimizing your sleep environment. I’m super stoked about the new bedding company Alterra Pure. 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Check out TonicBoutique.com to learn about all the latest and greatest biohacking tech available to you. HELP SUPPORT THIS SHOW! Starting and growing a podcast requires a ton of time, energy, and money. Do you appreciate this information, and want to support my mission to deliver as much life enhancing information as possible to as many people as possible? The easiest, and most effective way you can help is to do this: Go to Lukestorey.com/support and donate towards show production costs Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes Write us a review in iTunes Share this show with one friend right now You’d be amazed how much these four simple steps do to help us grow! Here’s the magic link for reviews in iTunes. Or, if you want to get there yourself, you can follow these instructions . Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening, and joining me on this journey we call life