BONUS What Is C60? Supercharge Brain, Mood, and Skin Health with Jess MacNaughton

You are in for a special treat today! We have the first episode in our new series of sponsored podcasts, and we are kicking things off with Jessica McNaughton, the CEO and Co-founder of C60 Power. Jessica is a true trailblazer in the world of health innovation. She is renowned for her ability to demystify complex information and challenge conventional wisdom while delivering practical, effective, and accessible wellness solutions fueled by her passion for transformative health.

In our discussion, we explore C60, which is considered a super antioxidant, with studies suggesting that it is 100 to 1000 times more powerful than traditional antioxidants like vitamin C or E. We define what C60 is, what antioxidants are, and how they support the body and protect the mitochondria. Jessica explains how C60 gets created in the lab and walks us through the protocols for pairing C60 with fasting or intermittent fasting, looking at its potential for biohacking and how it supports athletic performance, cognitive clarity, mood, and even pet wellness. We also explore the benefits of C60 for women in perimenopause and menopause due to its role in supporting pregnenolone, the precursor molecule for all hormones.

You will not want to miss this enlightening and information-packed conversation with its actionable insights and takeaways to support your journey to better health.

Learn more about Cythia’s journey with C60 at: https://shopc60.com/pages/cynthia-thurlow

Discover more about the revolutionary benefits of C60 at shopc60.com, at whatisc60.org and at https://shopc60.com/research.

Visit C60 Power: at https://shopc60.com/ - Use the Coupon Code  “Cynthia10” for 10% OFF your first order or choose bundles of Cynthia’s favorite products discounted exclusively for her fans (and not available anywhere else) at: https://shopc60.com/pages/cynthia-thurlow

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• Value of C60 for middle-aged women

• How C60 supports pregnenolone

• The unique way C60 is structured

• C60 and energy, providing mental clarity and immune support

• Inflammation and C60

• Mitochondrial health/support of athletic performance with C60

• Improving the lives of pets with C60

• Using C60 for better skin health

• How C60 can reduce oxidative damage to bones and support brain health 

• Benefits of C60 as an adjunct to HRT

Bio: Jessica MacNaughton

Jessica MacNaughton, MBA

CEO & Co-Founder, C60 Power | shopc60.com

Founder of WhatIsC60.Org

Jessica MacNaughton is a trailblazer in health innovation, serving as the CEO and Co-

Founder of C60 Power.

Under her visionary leadership, C60 Power has become a leading advocate for the

health-enhancing properties of the Nobel Prize winning molecule, Carbon 60. After

experiencing significant personal health improvements from incorporating Carbon 60

into her daily routine in 2017, Jessica embarked on a mission to share these benefits

with the world. Her company specializes in crafting anti-aging products that combat

inflammation, enhance mitochondrial health, fortify immune function, and boost overall

energy for both humans and pets.

With a diverse professional background spanning over 30 years, Jessica has held

leadership roles in both global Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial startups.

Her experience includes an 18-year tenure in commercial real estate, a field she left to

pursue her passion for holistic wellness after a transformative health crisis.

About C60 Power / shopc60.com:

C60 Power (shopc60.com) is dedicated to helping people take back control over their health. 

We create transformational anti-aging products for people and their pets that support mitochondrial and immune function and boost energy. The C60 Power team is comprised of passionate health & wellness advocates who are intrigued by the science of Carbon 60 and inspired by the body’s potential and ability to heal itself. 

Our customers and their pets are our heroes and our inspiration. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction with C60 Power products. Our team is available to answer questions Monday – Saturday via email at support@shopc60.com or by calling us at 1.800.367.9364.

We are honored to be a trusted resource as you explore your individual healing potential and embark on your own unique C6O journey. 

Learn more about what we do at shopc60.com or check out our FAQ videos on YouTube by searching for the C60 Purple Power channel.

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“C60 has been characterized as the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered.”

-Jessica MacNaughton

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Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  

• Follow on Twitter

• Instagram

• LinkedIn

• Check out Cynthia’s website

• Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Connect with Jessica MacNaughton

• On the C60 website

• The scientific research on C60

• C60 on YouTube

Transcript:

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:00:02] Welcome to Everyday Wellness podcast. I'm your host, Nurse Practitioner Cynthia Thurlow. This podcast is designed to educate, empower and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals. My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and impact over a million lives. 

[00:00:29] Today, you're in for a special treat. This is the first in a series of sponsored podcasts. Today's guest is Jessica MacNaughton. She is the CEO and co-founder of C60 Power, she's a trailblazer in health innovation, and she's renowned for her ability to demystify complex information and challenge conventional wisdom. She also brings forth effective and accessible wellness solutions fueled by her deep passion for transformative health.

[00:00:57] Today, we helped identify C60, which is a molecule made up of 60 carbon atoms designed that resemble a soccer ball. C60 is considered to be a super antioxidant, and some studies suggest that it's 100 to 1000x more powerful than traditional antioxidants like vitamin C or vitamin E. We define what C60 is, what antioxidants are, and how they work to support the body, especially protecting our mitochondria, how C60 is created in the lab, protocols utilizing C60 with fasting or intermittent fasting, how C60 can be helpful for biohacking, athletic performance, or pets, any potential side effects or contraindications, how C60 can potentially be helpful for those of us in perimenopause and menopause specific to cognition, clarity and mood, as well as skin, bone health benefits, and especially for supporting the creation of pregnenolone, which is one of our mother hormones for all other hormones. I know you will find this to be a truly invaluable conversation, one that will allow you to take away quite a bit of information and nuggets of goodness. 

[00:02:16] Welcome, Jess. I've been so looking forward to this conversation about a molecule that I have learned so much about over the last several months. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:02:24] I'm so honored to be here, Cynthia. Thanks for the invitation. I'm really excited to have this conversation with you as well. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:02:30] Absolutely. So, let's talk about what C60 actually is. I think for many people, they probably have never heard about and if you're watching this on video, you can actually see this chemical structure behind Jess. So, let's talk about what C60 is and why it is so beneficial for our health. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:02:50] Yeah, I'm going to hold up a molecule here of what it looks like. And there's also a picture of it behind me. But C60 is a molecule of carbon with 60 tiny atoms. It's short for carbon 60, but the scientific name is buckminsterfullerene. And it was discovered in the mid-1980s, and the scientist who discovered it in the mid 90s won a Nobel Prize for chemistry. But it's a very powerful antioxidant. It's actually been characterized as the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered.

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:03:24] And I guess what's interesting, we hear buzzwords like antioxidant, super antioxidant, but I think the distinguishing characteristic when I think about comparatively things like vitamin C, vitamin E, is that this is much more potent and much more powerful.

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:03:41] That's accurate. Yeah. And the reason why it is partially due to its unique structure. As you can see behind me, it's like a cage like hollow soccer ball. And it can reset itself again and again and again and again. The other distinguishing characteristic around C60 is that it's not toxic at any level. You just mentioned vitamin C, vitamin E. If you took a lot of vitamin E too much, you could be in serious trouble. With C60, you cannot overdose on it at all, so that's pretty exciting. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:04:09] Yeah, it's interesting. I was just at a functional medicine lecture and the young woman that just coincidentally was sitting next to me was talking about how she is all about antioxidants. And we were having this long, lengthy conversation. And I said, “I'm getting ready to do a podcast interview talking about C60. Is that on your radar?” And she was like, “No.” And so I actually kind of sent her some links to your work and to the information, talked about some of the benefits that I've seen. But I think before we really, fully understand what this molecule does, let's talk about antioxidants. I always like analogies. And antioxidants can act like little firefighters in our bodies. There are some key benefits to antioxidants, kind of broad based. And we're not talking about toxic levels of vitamin E, we're talking about therapeutic levels. What are some of your favorite characteristics of the antioxidant capabilities of C60? 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:05:05] Well, the thing that most people recognize within a short amount of time is energy and mental clarity. And when I say a short amount of time, I would say, less than 30 days. If you're somebody who it takes a minute for you to figure out how to incorporate it into your morning routine, it's fairly simple, you can add it to your coffee or your morning beverage or just take it straight from the spoon. But if you're somebody who struggles with new habits, maybe it's 60 days for you just to figure out how to do it. But on average, it's 30 days or less for most people to see an increase or marked change in energy and mental clarity. 

[00:05:44] The other things that are really beneficial is immune support. So, if you're somebody who travels a lot, you have a lot of stress, you're exposed to a lot of things, C60 is very productive for the immune system and it helps keep inflammation at a balanced level. It promotes a healthy inflammatory response. So, anybody that's dealing with chronic inflammation, which most of us are, C60 is going to beneficial. If you are somebody who's interested in having clear and sharp thinking, which you and I definitely are, C60 is going to beneficial. 

[00:06:21] And for me personally, and I think I mentioned this to you when we first connected on this topic, was out of the gate, one of the first things that I noticed was what I describe as expanded bandwidth. It's the ability to process information faster, to deal with stress at a greater level. And I would argue that in today's world, which is in business school, they call it a “VUCA environment.” It's volatile, it's uncertain, it's chaotic, and it's ambiguous. We have constant stress, new information, changes in the geopolitical sphere being thrown at us every single day, and its new information, and it's a lot to take in all that life gives us. And it's hard to balance that when you're raising a family and you're running a business or you're going to work and you're taking care of aging parents. It's just a lot. And so C60 in terms of your cognition and your ability to perform with mental clarity is wildly supportive in my opinion. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:07:19] Yeah. And it's interesting. It's only because all of this research is fresh to my memory, having just submitted my manuscript. If we understand the aging trajectory of our bodies and we understand immunosenescence, which is our immune system is aging as we are, especially as navigating perimenopause into menopause, that loss of estrogen in particular impacts our immune function substantially. For me personally, when you and I connected, what I was most interested in, because I feel like I have a good amount of mental clarity and bandwidth, but I was like, “I travel a lot and I know I'm getting exposed to who knows what virus, bacteria, etc., every time I'm traveling.” Not to mention the fact the impact on our circadian biology just by virtue of shifting time zones and other types of things. So, for me, initially, the curiosity started with supporting immune function, but I can't think of anyone that is north of 40 that does not have some degree of immunosenescence.

[00:08:18] So again, this aging of our immune system, and maybe that seems intangible to many people, but it explains why we are more likely to develop leaky gut. It explains why we are more likely to get opportunistic infections, why our susceptibility to infection overall is just impacted. I jokingly said, “I can't remember the last time I got flu, influenza, anything.” And this year I had one kiddo that got mono, my husband's had ongoing some respiratory issues. I got RSV. And I remember thinking, running a fever for four or five days in your middle age, it feels pretty miserable. Didn't eat, couldn't get out of bed, was really, really tired. And so, I think for so many of us that are-- Doesn't matter which industry you work in, if you're doing a lot of travel, you're just much more likely to run yourself down, even if you are exercising and eating right and all of that. It's just there are some things that are beyond your control and exposure to pathogens and is definitely one of them.

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:09:18] Yeah, well, one of the things that many people don't know that C60 can be very effective against preventing the damage from both UV radiation and ionizing radiation. So, when you talk about travel, you have to think about all of the radiation exposure that you have by being at altitude, not to mention, all the cell phones and laptops and the thing at the airport that you stand up in and all that kind of stuff, but C60 can be really supportive. It works at the cellular level to neutralize the oxidative stress and the free radicals and turns it back into water and resets itself again and again. So, basically, you're getting in front of that damage before it can really set in and contribute to that aging process. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:09:58] Yeah, and I think-- Again, for so many of us having the opportunity to have a platform and a podcast where we get to hear from thousands and thousands of women regularly, I think a lot of people are-- They're not so much. They don't want to be anti-aging, but they definitely want to be proactively aging. And I think in a lot of different ways, incorporating specific supplements, very targeted, can actually potentiate improve the quality of the aging process. And by that, I mean, how many people have achy joints all the time? That is their norm. They ache when they get up, they ache when they go to bed, they feel like they can't be as mobile, they feel like they're missing words midsentence, which is terrifying, but that is very common to see in perimenopause and menopause as women are having fluctuating amounts of estrogen. Suddenly they're like struggling with word finding. 

[00:10:48] Although, I jokingly tell everyone I've been terrible with names my entire life, that is not a function of being at this stage of life, but there are plenty of people that will tell me they'll forget where to go. They're in a store that they've been in hundreds of times, and suddenly they're like, “Where is the butter? I can't remember where the butter is.” So, it's those kinds of recall of information, which I think for a lot of us, when we understand that part of what drives the aging process is dysfunctional mitochondria. So really, those powerhouses of our cells and how C60 can actually protect our mitochondria. 

[00:11:21] And again, it goes back to the aging processes, dysfunctional mitochondria. So, what's one of many ways that you can aid this process? Whether it's intermittent fasting, therapeutic exercise, integrating specific supplements like C60, it just reaffirms why protecting our mitochondria really needs to be a focus of a great deal of what we're doing. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:11:42] Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Over the age of 30, our bodies produce less and less and less natural antioxidants. But for most of us, by the time we hit 40, that's when we start to notice it. And if you're not getting in front of this, you can have a runaway train situation pretty fast. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:11:58] Yeah, and I think maybe tangibly for a lot of people, perhaps talking about what C60, what is it dissolved into to allow us to consume it? Because again, it's probably feeling intangible until we mention there's specific solvents or I don't use the word solvents, specific oils that it's utilized in that they can consume and there's a variety of options. It's not just a one size fits all, like sometimes you're taking a product and it's only in one type of bio available oil. With this particular product, there's several different options, which is what I like. If you like coconut oil, there's a coconut oil option. If you like avocado oil because it tends to be a more neutral tasting oil, that's another option. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:12:41] Yeah. So C60, it's a naturally occurring molecule. It exists in nature. But we manufacture 99.99% pure sublimated C60 in a lab, so there's no toxic solvents involved. But C60 needs to be dissolved in an oil. So, we dissolve it as the carrier mechanism into healthy oils. So, we use organic MCT coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, or organic avocado oil. And to your point, every person is unique, every flavor palate is unique. And so, you can choose which oil is your preferred flavor. I use all three because I like all three oils in different cases. And I want to be clear, this is not a cooking oil. So, you're going to go to your store and you're going to buy these for cooking, but this is not a cooking oil. This is intended to be consumed in the morning as part of your morning routine. 

[00:13:40] And so, a lot of people who are athletes really already are on the bandwagon of taking MCT coconut oil. So, you can add that into your coffee, that's great. You can get a quick source of energy from the ketones, but also people that are concerned about glucose processing issues or if you're watching your blood sugar, the MCT is really nice to take. That being said, for some people, that can be a hard oil to digest in and of itself. So, if you're somebody with a sensitive digestion, we recommend starting out with the avocado oil. It is the easiest to digest and you really only need a spoonful of this a day. You can take a teaspoon up to a tablespoon but you never need more than that. 

[00:14:20] And the olive oil is amazing. I love the olive oil when I intermittent fast. I think that intermittent fasting and C60 are like BFFs, they really are. Because when you break your fast, taking some of the olive oil either by itself or with whatever meal you're having that day, maybe you're having some veggies or you're sipping on some nourishing bone broth, you can put the olive oil in there and it's just a wonderful way to nourish your body. 

[00:14:48] That being said, oil is oil, and it's oily, it's messy. So, we've also created products that are easy for travel. So, for example, we have gummies that are delicious, that are made with whole coconut oil. So, you also get the similar benefit that you would taking the MCT. You get the quick energy with the whole coconut oil and it's organic, and those are available in sugar form with three grams of sugar or sugar free, made with allulose and monk fruit. So, what you're going to see with any of these is what flavor do you prefer? And that's what it boils down to. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:15:24] Yeah, I love that you brought up the intermittent fasting piece, because I think for a lot of people that are new to fasting, the thought of going 14, 15, 16 hours without food seems daunting. Sometimes the fat fasting, as we call it, if you're incorporating some fat, if you're getting hungry, maybe you're trying to work your way up to 16 hours, this is a really nice way to do it. I personally do better with avocado oil and olive oil because I may-- Without overburdening the audience, I am a hyper absorber, so saturated fats in my body like soaks up like a sponge. 

[00:15:57] And obviously these are very small amounts. It's not-- Back in the days when people were consuming quarter cup of coconut oil and wondering why they were getting digestive distress, really small incremental measures. But for people that want to entertain the possibility ability of fat fasting or breaking their fast with a little bit of these oils, I think it's really nice. And especially for me because, even though I'm fasting less now than I used to, I tend to get cold. That's usually my tell, it's time to break my fast. I get a little bit cold, and sometimes if I'm on the go, I can put this into a smoothie and take it with me, and I know that it'll give me a little bit more time before I need to sit down and have that first big meal. 

[00:16:33] The other thing that I think is really interesting when we're talking about different types of oils, it's just the degree of experimentation. I have found that a lot of avocado oils have-- I love avocado, so I'm going to just say it doesn't bother me if something tastes like avocado, but I do have friends and family members that feel like they want a more neutral profile. And I found that all of the oils are very neutral. The MCT oil is not super coconutty in flavor. The flavor profile is very neutral. Same thing with the olive oil, which almost has-- Sometimes if there's a high polyphenol content in olive oil, it'll give you a little bit of a bite. This is very mild as well. Same thing with avocado oil. 

[00:17:11] And obviously I know that we'll talk about using these particular products with pets and I'll be able to speak specifically to my 13-year-old, Doodle and the improvements I've seen in his health. But let's touch on athletics and maybe like physical performance because I know that you mentioned that many times athletes or people that are very physically active can be early adopters. What is the feedback that you all have received from individuals that maybe they're rock climbing? I know you're in a very physically active part of the United States where people are four seasons out of the year, are very physically active outdoors. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:17:45] We're based in Boulder, Colorado. So, all of that is true. And C60 has been gaining attention and great positive feedback and adoption with the biohacking community, with the athletic community, with top performers, elite perform warmers. But it's great specifically to help with recovery. So, people that lift hard at the gym notice that they're less sore. They also notice that they can bounce back quicker. C60 is an SOD mimic, so it helps support that. It also helps activate pregnenolone, the precursor molecule to all the hormones, so, you're going to get a nice natural lip there. But the bottom line is that really people are noticing faster recovery time, less downtime, less soreness. 

[00:18:32] And also, we're getting feedback about people being able to achieve their next level of performance. They can push harder, they can go longer, they feel like it is very supportive to their athletic performance. And I mean, at the end of the day it just boils down to mitochondrial function. When your mitochondria function better and you're healthier at the cellular level, everything is connected and it's going to work better. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:19:00] Yeah. And it's interesting. I work out early one day of the week with a trainer and after I interviewed Dr. Stacy Sims, I was like, “Okay, no more fasted strength training workouts,” based on her research on women. So, I've been eating something, maybe 20 g of protein and having a little bit of fruit. And I started integrating some of the C60 pre-workout, just to see if I add this to my electrolytes or my creatine, how am I feeling? And even my trainer mentioned she was like, “Are you doing something different?” And this is completely unsolicited. She's kind of a skeptic about everything, just in general. 

[00:19:33] She's a kinesiologist, so she's kind of a skeptic about everything. And she said, “What are you doing differently?” And so, I said, “Oh, well, I'm trying this particular product.” And she said, “Whatever you're doing, keep doing it because you're able to increase your weight week to week and you're able to sustain yourself.” Because she said, “Normally you come in at 9 o'clock on a Wednesday morning and you weren't able to push yourself as hard as you were in your afternoon workouts,” which is another new thing that I'm doing. And so, I share that, just to say this is the N of 1 experiment. The things that I have found that have been unique for me personally and of course no one wants to come out of a workout and be really, really sore. And so, if it's helping with recovery as well, then you're more likely to be more active the next day. 

[00:20:12] And by that I mean, maybe it's a recovery day, but maybe you're going to get out and maybe you're doing Zone 2 training or you're just doing gentle yoga or whatever, but when you get to a kind of a position where you're not recovering as well as you once did, which is why I no longer do CrossFit-type classes or Orangetheory Fitness or anything like that, is I just stopped recovering as well as I once did. But it's reassuring to know that there are things you can do that can help with that recovery process, because what we don't want to do is become sedentary because we're hurt. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:20:42] One of my favorites is C60 in my coffee in the morning plus the creatine. And it's a great way to start your day with nourishment before you go and hit your gym. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:20:53] And there's no limitations to whether or not does heat degrade, it does cold degraded, or it's completely irrelevant in terms of the impact because I know with some particular things do better not being exposed to heat. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:21:08] You don’t want to cook with it. So, you can add it to warm food, so you can put it in your coffee, you can put it into tea, that's no problem. But you're not, you don't want to cook-

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:21:16] Yeah. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:21:17] -because It's going to create oxidation and you don't want to do that, so don’t do that. 

[laughter]

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:21:22] And so, one of the other things that I think is really interesting is and certainly just from my own personal experience with my family incorporating these products. Obviously, everyone knows I'm a huge animal advocate and I have a 13-year-old labradoodle who has some arthritis in his hips and his spine, and we have done everything. We have done acupuncture. He can't take anti-inflammatory agents because he has an issue with his liver. He's otherwise healthy. And it's been interesting to me, you had mentioned to me kind of separately, you may notice like a little bit of puppy [unintelligible] might come out in him.

[00:21:57] And so even with this degree of osteoarthritis he has in his hips and spine, like being able to walk a little longer, going up and down the stairs more comfortably, like looks more comfortable getting on and off the couch or on and off the bed. And yes, my dogs do get on and off my furniture. But for me that like brings me tremendous solace knowing like he doesn't have any outside influences on him. There's no suggestive-- He doesn't know what I'm putting in his food. And for me that is incredibly reassuring because he is a very healthy 13-year-old dog, but he is still a 13-year-old dog. But for me just kind of having the joy of being able to see in him that he is more mobile, he seems happier, he's more comfortable. 

[00:22:36] And I think for many of us that have what they consider to be senior pets, even if we're doing all the right things, using really good quality food, giving them lots of exercise, not feeding them people food because they don't need that. I think for me, just objectively seeing that in my dog is probably the thing that's most important to me because I feel like I want him to continue having a good quality of life forever, how much longer his life is. His lifespan, hopefully a few more years. But I think for anyone listening that has senior pets, that's probably the hardest thing about being pet owners, is that you know you will outlive your pets. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:23:06] It's heartbreaking when that happens. It's just like, “Ah, that's the worst.” But I will say that C60 is supportive to longevity of pets. So, if you guys want to deep dive into the science behind the animal studies specifically, you can go to whatisc60.org to learn more about C60 and animals. But the nice thing about giving it to your pets is that there is no placebo effect. They're not going to be persuaded by your words. You will actually see what happens with C60 and your pets. And so most people really appreciate the energy that their older pets, aging pets have in short order.

[00:23:50] We get a lot of videos of people sending us 13-year-old dog videos, 14-year-old dogs with the zoomies, they get excited, they're running around like it is that puppy like energy when they get excited and they remind you of when they were two years old, it's very supportive with their mobility and as I mentioned before, longevity. So those are the three things that most people comment on as it relates to what they appreciate about C60 with their pets. And the oil is available in a pet version as well, labeled for pet dosages. Depends on their age and their weight and what type of condition that they're dealing with, how much you want to give them. But again, the nice thing is you can't overdose on it. So, if you accidentally give them too much, it's not going to be a big deal. It's just how does the oil affect them? 

[00:24:38] Cats really like the MCT. We don't recommend the MCT for dogs specifically just because it's in the coconut family and that can be aggravating. Like when your dog eats grass and it gets an upset stomach, it can fall into that category. But the avocado oil and the olive oil is great for cats and dogs. So, cats are funny, so they'll let you know what they like or what they don't like. But a lot of feedback that we get as well is that it's very helpful with skin issues and with the quality of their hair. 

[00:25:09] C60, when applied topically, has a lot of wonderful benefits as well. In human studies, it's been proven to lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. But as it relates to dogs and cats, it can help keep a histamine response at bay. And it's very supportive with immune cell production. So, if you have a doggy or a kitty that chews on its little paws too much at a certain time of the year, has a tendency to hot spots, or has weird patches of dry, flaky skin or sores that don't seem to heal, you can experiment by giving them a little bit of C60 in their food morning and night or whenever you feed them. And also applying some of the same C60 topically to help promote the healing. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:25:52] That's amazing. I mean it really must be a potent anti-inflammatory agent in their bodies. Are there any side effects that are reported? Anything? I mean, obviously probably minimal, but curious if there's been anything reported or things that people need to look out for. Obviously, don't give the coconut oil option to your dogs.

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:26:11] No, C60, one of the amazing characteristics about it is that it's not toxic at any level. It also doesn't negatively interact with any other vitamins, supplements, medications, minerals that you might be taking. I liken it to kind of a spark plug in the engine of a car. It's just going to help boost supercharge, turn on what all the other healthy, beneficial things you're already doing. It's not going to get into a fight with anything else in your body, if you will. The only contraindication about C60 is one, it's just a word of caution and that would be on the human side. And that is if you're taking blood thinners, at some point, you might not need those blood thinners. Your blood might actually become balanced normally. So, if you were to buy our product, you'll see a note. “Don't take this. If you're taking blood thinners.” That's not actually the case, it’s just a warning that work with your doctor to get your blood tested more frequently because at some point you might not need that medication, so, there's that. 

[00:27:12] And we don't have any human studies that have been done with C60 in pregnancy, so we wouldn't recommend doing that. That being said, there's plenty of people who have, but I just wouldn't recommend that because we don't have any evidence to suggest that that's a great idea. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:27:24] Yeah, I love that you brought up the blood thinner. So, if you're taking Coumadin, Eliquis, Pradaxa, etc., I always say “Assume that it interacts until proven otherwise and definitely make sure you're talking to your prescriber.” And I think all of us in medicine are very conservative with women who are trying to conceive, women who are breastfeeding, women who are pregnant. I think it's always safest to have that discussion with your provider. If you're concerned about it, don't start anything new. And I say this just from a very loving place. If we haven't done specific human based studies, I always, err on the side of caution. I'm like, “If you're growing a human or feeding a human, that's the time to kind of back off and just do the bare minimum,” but, certainly for the rest of us, yeah. 

[00:28:04] And I think, most of this community are women in north 35. They're in perimenopause and menopause. Many of them have started HRT. Many of them have either not started HRT or have elected not to take HRT. And I thought it would be interesting. Some of the greatest concerns that women express about this perimenopause to menopause journey is related to cognition, brain health, and whether they're taking HRT or not. The thing that I found interesting is that we know this molecule actually crosses the blood brain barrier, which makes it very specific because not everything can cross the blood brain barrier. It's designed to protect us. I always say jokingly, “Everyone has leaky gut. Probably everyone has some degree of leaky brain.” With that being said, we know that C60 has the ability, the capability of crossing the blood brain barrier, which is probably what is contributing to the mental clarity piece that many people are reporting and experiencing. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:28:56] Yeah, that is a great differentiator about the C60 molecule, so, I'm glad you brought that up. So, as I mentioned earlier, it works at the cellular level to lift the oxidative burn. It neutralizes the that oxidative stress, turns it back into water and can reset itself again and again. It also activates pregnenolone, the precursor molecule to all the hormones. So, both men and women will notice a nice subtle lift. It's not a drug, it's an antioxidant. So, it's not the same thing as HRT, but you're going to definitely notice some benefits. I'm in that same camp, that perimenopause camp, because I'm 48 years old. And it's a ride, it is a journey, [Cynthia laughs] 100%. And it is like definitely in your best interest to work with a provider who's passionate about helping you and understanding you and your unique body, because I don't think that there's any one size fits all as we go through this journey. But taking C60 in the morning before your other supplements, it's going to cross the blood brain barrier. It may potentially also help drag along the other great things that you're taking to help them go to where they need to go. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:30:02] Yeah, and I think pregnenolone is certainly-- we consider it to be the mother of all hormones. From pregnenolone, our bodies make DHEA, which makes testosterone, which makes progesterone. And so, I think on a lot of different levels, pregnenolone is one of those markers that I follow several times a year, not just for myself, but in my patients. Just as an FYI, you want that level to be greater than 50 to have memory protection. And I think for so many of us, the thing we worry about the most is some type of neurocognitive issue, whether it's dementia, whether it's Alzheimer's, whether it's Parkinson's, so many of us fear that. And I would be willing to do just about anything to maintain cognition. 

[00:30:43] And I think when we're talking about pregnenolone, it is probably one of the most important steroid hormones that our body creates. So, anything that is going to help push this along, some of us actually have to take supplemental pregnenolone, which ironically enough is not prescribed, it's in supplement form. And I was telling Jess before we started recording that I'm really sensitive to hormones. And so, my pregnenolone dose is about maybe 20% of what I normally start patients at. And that is just where my body needs to be, otherwise, I get headaches. But knowing that C60 can be helpful with pregnenolone is important because that speaks to the fact that it can be a nice adjunct to hormone replacement therapy if that is indeed what you are taking. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:31:27] Yeah, it won't replace it, but it is support- 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:31:29] Adjunct.

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:31:30]-to it.

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:31:31] Yes. Yeah. I just keep saying adjunct as in to say it is not going to replace the hormone, but it'll certainly kind of bolster what's there. Let's speak to skin, hair, and aging. I know that topical C60 is really effective or transdermal, however you want to kind of spin it. Let's talk about how you came about formulating this variation. I think it came from just a desire as a middle-aged woman to address some fine line and wrinkles on your face, I think from our previous conversations, but what does C60 do specifically to the skin, to the epidermis? 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:32:05] Well, it's been proven in 2010 in a study out in Japan in human studies to lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And so, to your point earlier, you mentioned that it's not necessarily about people being in the antiaging camp, but it's-- I would describe it as, I'm in the camp of I want to age gracefully, I don’t want to throw everything at this and, and try to look like I'm 25 when I'm 50, that's not my goal. I want to look and feel my best at every age and stage of my life, that's appropriate. But I also want to turn down the timer and the clock, specifically on the rate of aging. 

[00:32:42] So, as that relates to immune health, I want to have a very robust and strong immune system. I have great energy. I have great mental clarity. So, with the help of C60, we've solved the energy problem, so to speak, cellularly. However, what about your face? And I naturally have some darker circles under my eyes. And if I don't get enough sleep or if I'm traveling too much or if I have a glass of wine, the next morning I'm going to wake up and I'm going to have puffy eyes. And I don't enjoy that. And that's something that's become more obvious to me about myself as I've aged. And I don't love that. 

[00:33:22] And I also don't love wearing a lot of makeup. I like a very light amount of makeup, if I wear any at all. And maybe it's one day a week that I even put it on. But I really-- My goal for myself, selfishly, once we had this energy situation resolved, was like, “How can we create a product that is going to help women and men age gracefully? How can we help them show up with their number one asset, which is their face in a world that's filled with chemicals and toxins and help them feel confident, help them feel energized and exude a youthful vibrance and a healthy look on their skin?” There's nothing more important than that because you're walking through the world with your face. 

[00:34:08] The energy behind our company is helping you to power your purpose. That's really what we're doing at C60 Power. We believe everyone's got a mission in life. And that we're all unique individuals here with a mission to do. And we want to help you have the energy to get up off the couch to go do your great work in the world, that's critical. If your bones are aching and you're in constant pain and you have fatigue, you can't even think straight because you're so burdened by the heaviness in you. And so, we want to lift that up. And then when you get out there, how do you look and feel great at in every age? And so, we've created products specifically to help address the youthful tone and look of the skin, the vibrancy, and also address some of those problem areas, the dark circles, the puffy eyes, the fine lines and wrinkles, the bags, those types of things. And we've got-- we've created amazing high-quality products that-- We have an eye cream that also has copper peptides in it. So, you're going to get the benefit of C60 plus these wonderful nourishing copper peptides to really kind of act as a, I'm going to call it a more of a natural Botox, if you will. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:35:19] No, I love it. It's interesting. I get sent a lot of eye products and the skin around my eyes tends to be super sensitive and I've been able to use the eye products without any issue. And I think that's like something that I struggle with is I endeavor to use cleaner, safer products. And sometimes the cleaner, safer products do not per se do the things that the less healthy ones do. The less healthy ones usually are irritating because they have more active ingredients. But I feel like objectively, after using the products for a couple months that, I mean, I used to get Botox more regularly and then I just kind of got to a point where I felt like, “Why am I doing this? I'm not trying to look like I have no wrinkles. I'm not trying to appear to be younger than what I am.” And I've actually been happier doing Botox very, very episodically. And I'm happy to report no intolerances to using the eye cream with copper peptides. And for anyone that's listening, the peptides have some potent impact on the skin itself. Can you speak to that a little bit like what they're doing specifically to the skin to help with reducing fine lines, wrinkling, probably some discoloration? 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:36:27] It really, what it's going to do is it's just going to help lift. It's very subtle. Again, this is a very subtle lip, but you will notice kind of a lessening of that. It's almost like it's a plumper, fuller look that you will notice within about 10 to 15 minutes. And it's not a permanent change, but over time you're going to notice those light-- Like if you have a very deep fine line, I'm pointing at my face right now, I have a wrinkle that I've had in the middle of my forehead since I was ten. It's like my thinking wrinkle. And when I was little, my mom used to put her thumb on it and tell me to knock it off. And I was just like, “No, I'm thinking.” But you will notice those deep creases. They will, over time, with consistent use, you're going to notice a change. 

[00:37:08] One thing that's interesting, which I don't think I've mentioned to you, Cynthia, is we have a whole cohort of men that are passionate about hyperbaric chamber HBOT. And they are--

Cynthia Thurlow: [crosstalk] -HBOT.

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:37:22] Yep. They're utilizing the antigravity serum on their face before they go into HBOT. And then they're coming out and they're just telling us this is my new thing that they're really loving the transformation in their skin in about 90 days with consistent use, the antigravity serum. So, if you have a man in your life and really with the antigravity serum and the Youth Renewal Eye Cream.

[00:37:48] I have men in my life, I have a business partner, I have a husband. And neither one of them were really on the bandwagon of I would say a skin care program or even consideration. My business partner would say “I just travel with a toothbrush,” and my husband-- 

[laughter]

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:38:05] -sounds familiar. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:38:07] Yeah, he would be interested, but he wasn't really doing anything about it. And then he started to go down the rabbit hole of understanding all the toxins and male shaving products. And so, because he was-- Once he understood the toxic burden that he was having by just shaving stuff, he substituted that with our C60 skin product and then our antigravity serum and now he uses that in place of those after shaving products. But he gets compliments all the time. 

[00:38:33] And the thing is with women, we all have our protocol. These products will work nicely into what you're already doing. That's you don't have to replace anything. But when I travel, especially when I'm packing at the last minute and I'm already tired, I will get what I call analysis paralysis. It's just mental overload of what am I going to take. And the great thing is you can just grab these two products, and you can use these two products on your trip. They're easy to travel without having to pack the entire protocol. So, it's nice ad hoc when you need to swap out something, but it's also something that you can share with your partner, and it ends up being gone. It's probably that your partner stole it. Men love these products and women do too. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:39:16] Yeah. Well, it's interesting. So, for anyone that's listening that's not familiar with HBOT, hyperbaric oxygen. If you're in hyperbaric, it actually increases oxidization of the tissues. So, I can imagine if you're putting this on pre-HBOT, you're actually going to get potentiation of the effects of the product. 

[00:39:34] The other thing that's interesting, some people do HBOT for healing. They're healing post-surgery or maybe they had some minor procedure that can really be beneficial for that. And we're not talking about the HBOT, that’s like in your local biohacking lab. Usually they're like-- Real HBOTs are like massive machines usually connected with a university. And that's been my experience as I started to learn more about this, because I find it so interesting. Is there any research to suggest that C60 can be helpful for bone health? I'm just-- 

[00:40:02] This is one of these curiosity questions, especially as we're-- If we understand there's kind of this gut bone axis that goes on and we get this acceleration as we're losing sex hormones of inflammation, oxidative stress. Depending on the individual, if they're heading into menopause with healthy bones, they're probably going to better off than the osteopenic person, who maybe chronically dieted and had many, many years of just not having enough strength training, not knowing enough, or the other thing that we're starting to see are people that were put on oral contraceptives as teens, kept on those until they're in their 30s, and they miss out on all those years of peak bone and muscle mass building. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:40:45] Yeah, I'm glad that you asked that. It can help reduce the oxidative damage to bone cells, so it's supportive. Again, we're going back down to how are we strengthening the function of the mitochondria and the cell itself. So, it's helping with the actual structure of the mitochondria, and that's super supportive to all the cells. And there's plenty of cells in your bones. It's supportive from that perspective. 

[00:41:11] The one thing that I will say about it, because I don't want it to sound like it's a cure. It's an antioxidant, so it doesn't necessarily prevent or reduce or cure any type of disease. But we do know that the vast majority of disease states and illnesses that there is an underlying factor of inflammation. And so, if you can get that inflammation down to a balanced, healthy level, you are going to be able to have a healthier body. You're going to be able to operate better. 

[00:41:47] And, all the things that you've talked about today, Cynthia, are pretty near and dear to my heart. My mom has advanced osteoporosis, so bone health is very critically important to me. My mom also was diagnosed a year ago with Alzheimer's, so I am very concerned about it, and in fact, I've had to become her guardian in the last year. And anybody who goes through that type of experience with their parents, it's the worst-case scenario. You don't want to see that happen. 

[00:42:14] So for me, as I think about aging gracefully, I want to do anything and everything that I can to get in front of these diseases. I don't ever want to have them turned on. I might be genetically predisposed just having some of these significant challenges, but I also have an awareness that there are all these environmental factors that can get stacked on. But I also have the ability to make great choices every single day with healthy lifestyle choices, with the supplements I take, with the supportive actions that I take, everything from intermittent fasting to moving my body every day, to prioritizing my sleep and drinking clean water, and getting out the sunshine in the morning so I can reset my circadian rhythm, all those things are critical. And the nice thing about C60 is it works in harmony with all of that. 

[00:42:59] So if you already have a protocol that's working very well for your unique body, and maybe you're doing the Mediterranean diet, or maybe you love Paleo, or maybe your carnivore, whatever camp you're in, C60 will be supportive to the wonderful things that you're already doing for your unique body. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:43:16] And I think you bring up so many good points, I think there's probably no one listening that isn't in the sandwich generation. And as someone that-- My dad got sick last year and passed away and we were responsible for caring for my stepmother for the last four months of her life. And she had end-stage Alzheimer's. And what really struck me, probably more so than my brother was we got her moved into this incredible facility. It was very small, very hands on. The caretakers there were incredible, as were the physicians and nursing team, was that out of the ten people that were there, nine were women. So, we know statistically that men are much less likely to develop Alzheimer's. 

[00:43:59] And I really passionately believe that the Women's Health Initiative, which was published in 2002, had a lot to do for why there are generations of women that were not offered hormone replacement therapy as an option. My mom was taken off of HRT right around that time by her own provider and had to deal with chronic osteoarthritic pain in her feet and lots of other things. And so, my hope and my endeavor is that our generation and subsequent generations will benefit from some of the finetuning. And I kind of think of C60 as an adjunct to hormone replacement therapy. If HRT is appropriate for you, great. If HRT is not appropriate for you, this is something to also kind of consider put into the toolbox. 

[00:44:41] And the one thing that I think of greatest importance is, especially after writing this book, talking about the role of immunosenescence. Again, how are—inflammaging, I mean, inflammation ages us. And the process of immunosenescence, where our immune system is downregulating in the presence of less hormones, doing as much as we can proactively to support our bodies as we're navigating middle age and beyond. Because the one thing to remember is that the women developing Alzheimer's in their 70s, 80s and 90s, that was set up in their 40s and 50s. Whether or not I say this enough on the podcast, the more experts I speak to, the people that are doing brain research, like Dr. Lisa Mosconi, we've got Dr. Heather Sandison coming next week. 

[00:45:30] The more I understand about the trajectory of brain health, this is the time to act. It's not to wait until you start noticing that you're getting forgetful, you lose your wallet multiple times, you forget words midsentence, you are struggling to remember birthdays and other such things. The time to act is now. The time to be proactive about our health is now. Maybe you haven't been in a position to prioritize yourself because you've been raising kiddos. Having conversations like this is so important because it gets women thinking about the things that they can be doing to help support their health. 

[00:46:05] It's interesting just to tie in my husband. So, my husband has been using the little dummies. That's what I've got him using because he is in the midst of a massive six-month long antibiotic therapy. I haven't even shared publicly what's going on with him. Thankfully, it's not Cancer, but it is equally as scary for us. But, doing as much as we can to support his body because these antibiotics are just wrecking his microbiome. I mean, once a month, they come to the house and check his vision. Some of the drugs that he's on are eye toxic, they're kidney toxic, they're liver toxic. With that being said, he takes his C60 gummy every morning without complaint. Loves doing it, and just says, “It's like a great way to start off the day,” especially because he does fast. He fasts usually until noon. He doesn't really eat any earlier. And for him, that's been part of his regimen. And I'm trying--

[00:46:54] He's, I would say, a retired jock. He's still a very active guy, but trying to get him interested in skin care is like an act of Congress. I keep saying him like, “Maybe we should just get you to wash your face once it's day.” He's like, “I don't need to. I wash it in the shower.” I'm like, “With the soap you use on your body, that's not for your face.” But I think there are probably many women listening that feel like they gently and lovingly try to encourage their spouse to do more for their skin. And I'm like, if I can get him to put sunscreen on when he rides his bike, that's probably the best I can do at this point. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:47:25] Again, everything you're saying speaks to my heart. I was in that same cohort of women who took birth control into my 30s. I had no idea what it was doing to my body. And to your point, figuring out what you can do to get in front of these diseases, the time to do it is 100% in your 40s. These diseases are likely going to turn on by the time that you hit your 50s if you haven't gotten in front of it. And I think as it relates to my mom's situation, when I had to take over and step in, I found her on 35 different medications, prescribed medications, and this wasn't a good combination. 

[00:48:03] And so I think that while a lot of people, in my opinion, give up their authority to somebody in a white coat with a stethoscope. A mutual friend of ours, Sachin Patel, I've heard him say that he thinks that the doctor of the future is you. And I think that there's the time to understand your body to find somebody, people, a resource team to help you navigate all of the potential great tools that you could put in your toolbox. Now is the time to do it, because if you get to the point where you actually have the disease and you're fighting it, that's a different game. So, making sure that we don't turn them on is critical. 

[00:48:42] And I just really appreciate the work that you do, Cynthia, with all the advocacy, all your very serious research and the consideration and the time that you go into understanding all these concepts and sharing it broadly with your community at large, because we need it now more than ever. These types of conversations weren’t happening 10, 15 years ago. And so, it's a wonderful time to be alive. And it's really critical for women in their 30s and 40s to get on the bandwagon to figure this out because a lot of the information that we've been told and a lot of the advice that we had been given throughout our lives, quite frankly, it was just not true. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:49:22] Yeah, it's interesting. It was as of April 1st, which is only a couple days ago. That was my nine-year anniversary of leaving traditional allopathic medicine. And it kind of snuck up on me. Every year, I tried to celebrate it in some way because that was a huge-- that was a big decision. But I think I finally gotten to the point where I feel like, “My gifts to the world is the work that I'm doing now and encouraging women to be educated. Be able to be their own best advocate.” You may have a great provider locally that you're working with, but more often than not, I hear that's not the case. And so my hope and my intent is to be able to provide content so that women can take action, can feel inspired, can make good choices for themselves. Help them find the right provider that's going to be able to provide the kind of care that they're looking for and to do so in a way that's compassionate, empathetic, kind. 

[00:50:14] Kindness goes a long way. I think sometimes we have just really lost our way in terms of how we communicate with one another. And I always say, like, not that I let social media be the litmus test for how I feel about the world, but what I found locally in my area lately is that a lot of primary care providers they're retiring, they're going fully concierge, they are closing their practices. And I mean, I sense a tremendous amount of desperation and fear and concern. And so, I hope, and I endeavor by being super conscientious and selective about the individuals that I bring on the podcast and the companies that I share with this community. It's going to allow people to advocate for themselves in a way that maybe they didn't do before. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:50:59] I love that. And I love that you can dive into topics and bring up concepts where people have more information so they can ask better questions. Because I think a curious, open mind, and I love that you remind us all about the kindness component. It's so necessary. I agree with you 100% that we've lost our way on that front for sure, and we need to figure out how to come back into the middle together and be more supportive. But I think if you lead with kindness and curiosity, that's the best way to go. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:51:25] Absolutely. So, what's next? Are there any products that you're working on right now, new things that you have in R&D? Anything upcoming later in the year? 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:51:34] Yeah, it's going to be an exciting time. We're going to have a very robust skincare line. And we're creating lots of new products, things in the energy space. And yeah, I don't want to speak too soon because I'm one of those people that I'd rather ask-- I'll come back in six months-

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:51:49] Of course. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:51:51] -I'll show you everything. But yeah, we're going to-- The feedback on all things topical has been out of this world phenomenal. And we've got raving fans from their 20s. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:52:01] And they smell good. I'm very smell sensitive and they smell good. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:52:08] [crosstalk] Yeah, I have-- One of my superhuman gifts is a great sense of smell, which is a blessing and a curse. And so, we wanted something that both men and women loved, but it was more in the neutral category where it wasn't off putting, but it was very like one of those things, it creates a sense of curiosity, like, what is that? It's subtle, it's lovely. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I love it. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:52:31] Yeah. Even my husband asked, like, “What, are you using something new on your skin?” And I was like, “Yes, actually, it could be the product you could be using if I convince you to wash your face and put eye cream on.” [crosstalk] I know. And we have double sinks right next to each other. And I'm always like, I just let him be the jock that he is because we can lead a horse to water, we can't make them drink as they say. Please let listeners know how to connect with you outside of this podcast, how to learn more about the products. And we will have a special offer that will be at the tail end of this conversation. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:53:04] Okay, well, you can find us at shopc60.com. And if you want to dig into human studies, if you're curious about C60 and human studies, you can go to shopc60.com/research. And as I mentioned earlier in the podcast, if you want to dive into all thing's animal studies and how C60 can help support your animals or the research that's been done in that space, that you can find that information at whatisc60.org. 

[00:53:30] And something I may or may not have mentioned to you, Cynthia, is over the last five years I took a sabbatical from social media. So, I have no phenomenal social media presence. And that's a pretty odd choice for somebody who's an entrepreneur and running a company based on science, but I will be coming out of my quiet girl era soon. 

[00:53:49] That being said, we do have hundreds, more than 600 videos on YouTube answering frequently asked questions about C60. And we've also got great interviews with doctors who use C60 professionally and personally in their practices. And we're covering a wide variety of topics. So, our former name was C60 Purple Power. That's a bit of a mouthful. And I mentioned we're from Boulder, so our roots are a little bit hippy-dippy. So, we've grown up, we've evolved, we're now just C60 Power, but the YouTube channel. Just search for C60 Purple Power and you will find it. But that's where I would go if you really want to dive into conversations that cover the gamut. And you can hear feedback directly from partners and also from my business partner who's a biogeochemist and a scientist. So, if you want to go down that rabbit hole, you will find everything on the 60 Purple Power channel on YouTube. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:54:42] Love it. I didn't know that. Yeah. [laughs] Thank you again for this conversation. I know we'll find it invaluable. 

Jessica MacNaughton: [00:54:48] Thank you for your time, Cynthia. I really appreciate it. 

Cynthia Thurlow: [00:54:52] If you love this podcast episode, please leave a rating and review. Subscribe and tell a friend. 

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