Episode 24: Embracing Wellness: A Journey of Weight Loss with Hypothyroidism Health Coach, Ashley Malik

Picture this: After years of struggle, you finally find the key to unlocking the door to better health and weight loss. And guess what? It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a unique, personalized journey...sounds amazing, right? That’s what our inspiring guest, Ashley, a health coach specializing in helping women with hypothyroidism, has experienced! Her story of overcoming health challenges and shedding 55 pounds is bound to inspire and guide you on your journey to better health.

At the core of Ashley's approach is understanding the body and the profound impact of nutrition on our wellbeing. We delve into the importance of having the right information and working with a functional medicine practitioner. Ashley gives us a peek into the challenges, as well as the rewards, of embracing an anti-inflammatory diet while managing a busy family life. We also discuss the power of taking baby steps and the importance of creating a meal plan that’s tailored to your needs. 

But that's not all, folks. Ashley also introduces us to her exciting new cookbook, 'Savor the Season'. She discusses how this cookbook, filled with anti-inflammatory recipes, can help us enjoy the holidays without sacrificing our health. As a parent, Ashley shares some insights into her life and how she strikes a balance between parenting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This conversation is a treasure trove of wisdom, not just for those dealing with hypothyroidism, but for anyone who aspires to lead a healthier lifestyle. So, get ready to be inspired and empowered to take control of your health!

Find Ashley at www.ashleymalik.com
IG: @theashleymalik 

Follow me on IG: @kathy_mead_fronheiser

Check out my website: www.kathymeadfronheiser.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:15

Hey guys, this is Kathy, your host of the Fit Over 40 podcast. I'm super excited to have you here today. Today, we're going to have, I think, a super interesting discussion with my friend, ashley. She'll introduce herself in a moment. Ashley is a fellow help coach, but she has a very specific niche that, honestly, I think will probably apply to a lot of people listening to this, or I should say, a lot of women listening to this, I know, but this is mostly a women crowd. Okay, so we'll just female crowd. I should say it like that, I guess. Or you're going to know someone, I'm sure, who you can share this episode with, who can really get some valuable information. So, without further ado, ashley Malick, please introduce yourself.

Speaker 2: 2:01

Hi everybody. Kathy, thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be here and, yes, like Kathy said, I am a help coach, but essentially what I do is I work with women who have hypothyroidism. And this might resonate with some of you to say I have tried all the things to lose weight and literally nothing works, and I can absolutely resonate with that. I've been in that place and so being able to help women find some skills and some strategies to actually lose weight with hypothyroidism, that's what I do and it's literally my life's passion. I absolutely love doing it.

Speaker 1: 2:43

I love this. So of course we need to know, like how did you get into this? How long have you been doing this? What was your personal story? I mean, you obviously don't have to share like super personal details you don't want to share, but like a little overview how did this all happen? How did you get so into such a niche area?

Speaker 2: 3:02

Yeah, absolutely so. It was probably close to about 10 years ago. I had sort of started out on my own health journey. For about three years I spent a lot of time going to doctors. I saw cardiologists, endocrinologists, my regular general practitioner because I was not myself, I just was myself. I couldn't remember things at work. I was having trouble remembering like names in meetings. I was really struggling to stay awake in afternoon meetings even when my CEO would be the one sitting there talking Right, really awkward and uncomfortable, and I pretty much felt like I would look at a piece of cake and I would gain five pounds and I just couldn't figure out. And I saw doctor after doctor and finally I was like you know what? I'm just like just barely 40, but maybe I am going into menopause, like I don't know.

Speaker 1: 4:01

So it happens.

Speaker 2: 4:03

Yeah, it does. Yeah, I don't know really, but I ended up meeting with a woman who she was a functional medicine practitioner but her specialty was menopause, and so I met with her. She took some I think it was like 16 vials of blood.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Totally cow.

Speaker 2: 4:20

And there's hundreds of questions, and I have never felt so heard or seen in my life. It was a really, really great experience, but what came out of that was that I had Hashimoto's and typothiratism and severe nutrient deficiencies, like they just couldn't even barely register vitamin D in my blood. They're just wow. So from that experience I sort of went to work, because I had already spent three years feeling really frustrated, like I don't know what the heck is wrong with me. Everything I try like more cardio, more, you know, restricting my calories, more like weight Nothing was working, nothing.

Speaker 2: 5:05

And so once I had that diagnosis, I sort of went to work and started trying to figure out what do I need to do in order to make this work for me?

Speaker 2: 5:13

And so then over the last 10 years that is what I have done is I've created ways for myself to stay relevant with my fitness based on what my health conditions are, so low impact fitness. I've created ways to eat an anti-inflammatory diet, but that also works for my family, so I'm not cooking a bunch of meals. In my corporate career I was traveling for a lot like every six weeks or so I would travel, and so I figured out how to like eat anti-inflammatory and travel. And I just got to the point where I was like you know what? What I am doing is working because my strategies and what I had built allowed me to lose 55 pounds. Wow, and it didn't happen overnight, like it took a while, but I've been able to keep that off for the last three years and as I went through this journey, I thought I have to tell other women about this. I know there are other women who are desperate and struggling like I was and I just I was like I've got to share this with women.

Speaker 2: 6:19

So for the last couple of years I've been coaching, offering different programs, and then this year actually left my corporate job and left the corporate world and I'm doing this full time and it's just, it's so. It's so fulfilling to watch women be able to actually transform when they have tried all the things before, and now they're actually seeing results.

Speaker 1: 6:43

Right, right, that is super exciting. Okay, so I have lots of questions. The first one is so when you were so, you had been three years what did the? And then you finally got your answer of like what was quote wrong? I don't mean it that you know there's nothing wrong with any of us.

Speaker 1: 7:00

You know what I'm saying, though the issue, what the issue was, what was making you feel so crummy? And then did you continue to work with that functional medicine provider, in addition to doing your own research, like, how did you sort of come up with your framework or your method or whatever you want, or how did you figure out what to work, what was going to work for you? Because obviously at the time you were more concerned with that than turning this into some sort of business and helping others. Because it's that whole, like you got to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, like you needed to get better first, and then you have the aha moment of like, oh my gosh, I could help so many people, ok, so so rewind for us, and I'm just curious, like how you went from person who was diagnosed with these things to person who now, to person who healed herself, to person who you know coaches now.

Speaker 2: 7:48

So yeah, absolutely. So. I did work with that practitioner for a while and she loaded me up. It's a good thing. I I just I am pretty nerdy. I love to like research and learn and dig into stuff, and so she loaded me up with books and websites and you know different people to follow on Instagram, and so I went to work. I went to and trying to figure out, like, what makes the most sense. And what was challenging is, for a long time I would find approaches that didn't work. For me they didn't work. I mean they didn't work because at that time I was a single mom. I had my son. I like to laugh that he really he wanted to eat, you know, ribs and cornbread, everything.

Speaker 1: 8:35

And I cream and.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Yes, but he was this growing, very tall, very strong young man. And then I looked at what I was trying to eat and so it was. It was this balance of trying a lot of different things. So I have eaten on the autoimmune protocol. I have done whole 30. I now eat mostly paleo.

Speaker 2: 8:57

But it was learning what are these different nutrition approaches and how can I make them fit into my life? What kind of tweaks do I need to make? Yeah, and in some of what I experienced was that the resources that my functional practitioner would give me, they just weren't realistic. So it was the second practitioner that I went to. She had in me a packet and some of the items that she requested that I would do would be to cook and eat fresh liver twice a week and to make my own bone broth.

Speaker 2: 9:31

And sure that all sounds good, but the reality is that I was a mom working very, very like crazy hours, like 60 plus hours a week, and traveling. I was not making my own liver, I was not doing my own bone broth, I didn't have time for it, right? So I had to just learn how my body would react with certain things, taking things, adding things in, and it really was a balance and I think to me that's the most important part is learning how to listen to what your body is telling you and telling you yeah, this feels great, great, keep it going. If it's telling you it doesn't feel good, you got to, you got to reset and start over. And making a journal, taking making a journal of like everything, all the things is in the early day, is really going to be your best friend.

Speaker 1: 10:21

Well, and that's a lot, just that right Doing the journal, because I know when I so PS. I've never talked about this on my podcast, but I don't think it's that big a deal Like I was diagnosed. I mean it is a big deal, but I've had hypothyroidism. I don't even know when I was diagnosed. To be totally honest with you. I mean it's been at least 10 years, I would say, if not longer. And I'm I just turned 47. So it was.

Speaker 1: 10:41

I would say it was mid to late 30s. For it's really kind of the only thing quote wrong with me. I mean, it's the only thing that I take any kind of medicine for. And but to your point, when I got diagnosed and the reason I did, the reason I even sought help was similar to you, like just exhausted. I mean if I didn't take a nap at two o'clock in the afternoon, like literally I could not keep my eyes open, I mean, and anyway, thank goodness I was working from home and I could like take a little 30 minute nap. It's not like I napped all day by any stretch of the imagination, but that was the only thing that kept me, that allowed me to continue. And then, obviously, once I got the blood work and it was on the right medication that helped a whole lot. And then I did go down the rabbit hole of, to your point, there are several recommendations out there, for I don't have Hashimoto's, I have hypothyroid. Just quote, unquote hypothyroid. You know I mean but. But there's a lot of information out there and honestly, for me it was total overwhelm. I was just like I don't even, can't even. I mean. And it's funny because it's maybe part of the reason.

Speaker 1: 11:47

You know, as a health coach myself, I tend to work on what I call baby steps. You know, I start with very simple like where is this person at right now and where? How can we move towards whatever our goal is? You know whether it's eating more fruits and vegetables or exercising more, getting better sleep, but you know in a small chunks, like how do you eat an elephant? You know one bite at a time, that whole thing.

Speaker 1: 12:11

But I think it's interesting. I could see it being valuable, especially in a one on one format when you work with your clients, because you really can sort of dial down, like how very specific things are affecting them. And what I think is interesting is I'm sure I don't know, maybe I shouldn't assume. So when you do, you try to give like one single recommendation and see how that affects them, because you know, if you try to do five different things and you feel better, you don't know which of those five things is what made the difference, kind of like an elimination diet. You know what I mean. So yeah, and it's really it's.

Speaker 2: 12:48

It can be customized, but I think the approach that I that I like to use is for a lot of women that I work with that I talk to. They're at that stage of desperation and I like to call it the thyroid threshold. Yes, they sort of hit this point where they're like I don't care what I have to do at this point, I must do something.

Speaker 1: 13:12

So I can do that.

Speaker 2: 13:13

I can do that. So what I know without a shadow of a doubt is that nutrition Is one of the easiest ways to make a fast impact on how you feel. So there's always like I always recommend women that I'm working with. They really do need to see a functional practitioner. Most often, endocrinologists are not. They don't have the the same kind of information about like root cause medicine.

Speaker 1: 13:40

Right.

Speaker 2: 13:41

I want them seeing a functional practitioner, I want them exploring supplements. But what we do is we look at nutrition and if they're sort of at that thyroid threshold, I have a plan. A lot of the plans don't work or are frustrating or people struggle with those plans because, like whole 30, for example, you get 30 days, you're told exactly what to eat for 30 days and then the 30 days is over, right? So then what?

Speaker 1: 14:09

yeah, you don't have like that. What's next?

Speaker 2: 14:11

No, and so now it's helpful to take some baby steps and people who are not at the thyroid threshold we work together to take baby steps. Maybe that is like slowly cutting out gluten, making a couple of different choices, watching you know, uh, telling up how much refined sugar they have in a week. It's amazing quickly it adds up, but that's also a really impactful thing. So we can do baby steps. But once somebody is at that threshold where they anything we dive into nutrition that makes sense for a family, because, again, with Whole30, you're often cooking for yourself. But then what about your family? Who, if they're wanting to eat the ribs, the mac and cheese, the burgers, the whatever it is, how, as a mom, do you balance that and a full time job and sports practices and all the things?

Speaker 2: 15:03

And so that's exactly where I drive in is to say here's what we're going to eat, we're going to do this. It works for you and your family. And one of my programs then we actually learn. I teach women how to create their own meal plans Because I want women to feel empowered. I really I want to work myself out of a job. I want to give you the tools, the resources so that you can go forward, knowing how to listen to your body, how to write a meal plan that works for you and your family with anti-inflammatory nutrition. And your thoughts then, how to move forward, what levers to pull if you're feeling great or not so great.

Speaker 1: 15:44

Yeah, that's awesome. It's funny that you say that I don't want to work myself out of a job, because that was when I used to do personal training. That was, I thought the same way, even though often what I found was that the people that worked with me they, yes, could they have done this workout on their own? Absolutely. But would they have shown up at the gym at 6am to do the workout if I was? You know, if they had not paid me and I was not waiting on them? Probably not. So you know, sometimes that account, sometimes what you're paying for at least after that initial education, right Like after they get the initial education from you and they're sort of rolling is the accountability, but also the like, you know, your expertise, having someone to like bounce ideas off of, because I'm sure they're still like. You know there's vacation or travel with work or for pleasure, and then it's what do I do? You know there's always something that's going to pop up or folks are going to have questions.

Speaker 2: 16:33

Yeah, and that's exactly I just I have been working with a client right now and she and her family do a ton of fishing and that's just really like a central part of their family, and so we've been talking a lot about how do you incorporate more fish into your diet and what are some different ways to cook it and how creative with it, and so, yeah, it's she's. She has mastered some of the foundational pieces of what it takes to lose that weight with hypothyroidism. She just needs that additional support and resource. Yeah, I love it, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:11

I bet. And so do you work with clients, both one on one and in a group setting.

Speaker 2: 17:17

I do, I do so. I do private coaching. I've got some workshops available for people who are sort of curious about like, what is anti inflammatory nutrition? Would it really work for me? And so I've got some resources to do the like, dip the toe in and see how it works. And then, in January of 2024, I'll be launching a new program, live. I've launched it before, but it's a 66 day program called commit, and the idea behind that is that it really takes 66 days to fully ingrain a habit, and we know this. Like you do a workout or you started right, it's just a couple of weeks and then you kind of fall off, and so the six days really helps to drive everything home, and so it's fun to have a group setting. Other women can sort of bounce off one another. Yeah, and they recognize too. We all have these challenges of balancing our health, which is the most important, with work, with family, with holidays, vacations, and we get together.

Speaker 1: 18:23

So I have another question Do you work with women?

Speaker 1: 18:26

I'm sure the answer is yes, but, like, how do you work with women that, let's say, they come to you with that thyroid threshold but maybe they've got other stuff going on, maybe they are high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or I mean because I have a lot of times, understandably, that goes hand in hand with needing to lose weight. You know, that can be a big help. I also think about myself, though, and I talk a lot about you know this about me, ashley like the importance of protein as we age and to build, help to build and maintain muscle. So what if I came to you and said, okay, I want to eat anti inflammatory, but I also want to make sure I eat at least 130 grams of protein every day? I would imagine that's not a problem. But I'm just curious, like you know, how you take into account sort of the other issues or concerns or goals maybe that's a better way to put it that your clients have going on in addition to the how she, modos or hypothyroidism.

Speaker 2: 19:19

That's a great question, kathy. I know a lot about blood work, gut health, all of the things. I am not a practitioner, and so I really do encourage women to have a functional practitioner. I have recommendations Okay, great Women aren't able to find them in their area, and so I've got a couple of online practitioners that I love working with, because it's an essential piece of healing.

Speaker 2: 19:47

You can't it would be great to just think like I'm just gonna change my diet and everything's gonna get better, but the thing is that many women, myself included, I have to have medication. I just can't go without it. I have had some gut health issues like candida overgrowth. I've had SIBO. I needed somebody else to help me deal with that, and so I can help create nutrition plans, workout plans that might yield themselves to some of those other conditions. But it is essential to have a functional practitioner, to be drawing labs and just really having a good understanding of what's going on under the hood. So what we are doing are the right things, and you know if there's other issues like blood pressure, that kind of thing, but we can totally. I'm a huge advocate of more protein is better. You fill your protein and veggies first, right, right and build out from there. So right, yeah, you can make a plan that's customized. Okay, but it's important to have a practitioner on board as well, right?

Speaker 1: 20:53

Well, that's great. I mean, that's good to know, especially, I would think, also for people listening, if they're thinking, if they're listening to you and going like, wow, I could just sounds like something that could really benefit me, but but I don't have a doctor like that, so that's good to know that you have. So even if you don't have a provider like that, ashley, if you're interested in working with her, she will hook you up with some virtual providers that will probably send you to a local place to get your blood drawn and then they'll be able to interpret those results and give you recommendations. I've worked in telehealth for many years, but so I totally get that, but some folks might not. So that's kind of how that works.

Speaker 1: 21:28

And then you can work with a provider, even virtually, which I think is amazing and then Ashley has information to work from as well, and then she can, and then and then you, the person, the patient, have information about yourself as well to provide you with more information. You know, the more information the better. I mean, eventually, I guess it can be a little over information overload, but it at least. When you're shooting towards a goal like this and you're working with a coach, it's great to have that information because then you know what you're, what you're shooting for, what you the changes that may help right. So absolutely.

Speaker 2: 22:01

I just think the more informed we can be and it's, I think, as women, especially as moms, we sort of get to this point where we're. You know, I'm coming up on 50 years old here and a lot of my life has been it's been busy raising babies, sure, and take care of things, and I haven't really taken the time or invested the time until I got sort of sick, as it were, and had a diagnosis, and that information is invaluable in helping us to age, to age better. You know, right now on Instagram I'm seeing a lot of memes like I do squats so I can get off the toilet with them.

Speaker 2: 22:40

Yes, yes, and if you know what's happening in your body, you are going to be much better set up to really live a long and healthy life and time with your grandchildren and everything that comes in later life.

Speaker 1: 22:56

Yes, I love this. Okay, I'm totally looking into your commit 66 program. That sounds very interesting. Okay, so tell us a little bit about you. What does health and wellness, fitness specifically, because I love fitness but what does that look like for you in your life and your business? How do you incorporate it in, especially now that you are just specifically working for yourself? You told the corporate world goodbye and now you're just working for you, which, honestly, I think can be an additional challenge, because now it's up to you to create structure, which sometimes can be a challenge. So how do you, you know, what does fitness and health and wellness kind of mean for you in your business and in your life and how do you incorporate that in?

Speaker 2: 23:39

You know, I I feel like the universe gave me a giant gift in having hypothyroidism and learning ways to to manage that for myself, because today it's it is my, it is my everything. You know, I wake up every morning. I'm a super early bird, I'm usually up by four, four, 30, and I get a good workout in. I love strength training and I do all of my strength training at home. That's one of the keys to my success is I didn't, I couldn't go to a gym, I didn't have time to go to a gym. That was an option.

Speaker 2: 24:14

So being able to lift my weights at home and then by fueling myself throughout the day with anti inflammatory nutrition, I'm just. I feel better, I feel smarter, stronger, like more on on point when I need to be, and it makes me excited to continue to learn and to continue to serve women who haven't quite gotten to this point that, as long as they come along for the journey, they're going to feel amazing. And so it really. It is a gift for me. It was hard to get through, but it is a gift for me because it drives me every day. I love feeling amazing and I love showing other women how to feel amazing as well.

Speaker 1: 24:59

Yeah, love it so that being healthier, really focusing on your own health and wellness, has really given you the energy, to say the least, to be able to push your business forward and to keep you really engaged because, kind of like you, taking care of yourself is exactly what you're trying to help other women do, so it really all goes hand in hand 100%, and I really I'm.

Speaker 2: 25:21

I don't know anyone like me. So I have a almost five year old. I decided to have another baby much later in life. Yeah, and my oldest son has a little girl, so I'm also funny.

Speaker 1: 25:35

Yes, yes, yep.

Speaker 2: 25:37

I watch this young energy around me and I know I have to keep going because I have these little young people who are relying on me to keep it all going. So it's definitely my driving force.

Speaker 1: 25:50

Yes, well, it's funny. I do know a lady, just like you. She was pregnant with her last baby, and her oldest daughter was pregnant at the time as well.

Speaker 2: 26:01

So just anyway, you'll have to connect me. I need to know more.

Speaker 1: 26:06

Yeah, well, it's funny because her son, now the baby that she had, you know, gosh, I mean he's probably at least 10 to 15 years old, so this was a while ago too. I mean, he, her baby baby, is really not a baby anymore for sure. So that's funny, okay. So, ashley, just a couple of fun questions. What do you do to have fun in your business or just in your life?

Speaker 2: 26:31

I think in my life I mean business is fun. I wake up every day with butterflies, excited to do what I do, but right now life with an almost five-year-old, it revolves around her. So we're doing a lot of outdoor activities. We live in Colorado and so we love the mountains. We like skiing, snowboarding, that kind of thing, hiking. That definitely fills our days.

Speaker 1: 26:58

Yeah, I love it. And then, what is the best thing about being 40 or older, over 40, I guess I should change that. But being over 40, what's the best thing about it? Ashley?

Speaker 2: 27:09

It is so good. I love being, and I actually I like to tout the fact that I'm almost 50, because the older we get, the more lived experiences we have, and I say that we stop caring about what other people think, but really being able to grow into your own skin and your own confidence and speak your own voice and your own truth. Man, it just gets better and better the older we get. I love it, I love it. I love it. I'm going to be at this age.

Speaker 1: 27:40

And you know it's funny because literally every woman says something either exactly like that or very similar, just feeling super comfortable in her skin, feeling like understanding her purpose more, not caring what people think, but not in a bad way, but just really it afflicts the young, I feel like, and it makes me sad. For you know, like I have a niece who's 18 and she's a senior in high school and I just want to be like, oh, just please, stop caring with all these people. But I mean I don't think you can do it just as the way it is. I mean because you and I were probably that way at 18 too, right? I mean, luckily it is something that you grow out of. I wish you grew out of it a little bit before 40.

Speaker 1: 28:21

And some people. Maybe they are now more so, who knows. But yeah, I think it's great, OK, wonderful, I agree with you. So tell our audience, my audience, who is now your audience, where they can find you. Hey, tell us too, you've got this e-book that you just came out with. Didn't you A cookbook? I don't know if it's virtual, I mean a digital isn't?

Speaker 2: 28:44

it yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:45

So yeah, so share that with us as well your website, if you want to send folks to Instagram wherever you want people to go to find out more information about you Absolutely, so you can find me a couple different places.

Speaker 2: 28:56

So Instagram is perfect. At the Ashley Malik. You can find me there on my website, it's just ashleymalikcom. And yes, you mentioned I have a new. It's called Saver the Season. It's an anti-inflammatory cookbook that you can use all season long. So essentially you have to add turkey or ham and I have all of the other recipes there, all the size. And it's really the holidays, I think, are a very hard time if you have a different way of eating compared to the rest of your family, because you see all of the yummy appetizers and my mom makes these olive cheese balls. They're wrapped in a cheese puff pastry. They're so good and I can't eat those. But what this cookbook does is it helps you have some great options, whether you're hosting or you're going to a party, a way to have very festive, delicious dishes that you can enjoy the holidays to without feeling deprived.

Speaker 1: 29:56

Yes, and what is the cost on that?

Speaker 2: 29:59

It's $7.

Speaker 1: 30:00

OK, that's what I thought I was going to say, and it's only $7. But then I was like wait, am I misremembering that? Ok, and it's only $7.

Speaker 2: 30:07

It's only $7. It's got 10 recipes and you get a couple of extra bonuses after that. It's really. It's a good value. It's really great.

Speaker 1: 30:16

And even if you don't eat anti-inflammatory, if you are intrigued or if you just want some good sides, because I'm sure they taste good. I mean, I'm sure you didn't just say they're anti-inflammatory, but they don't taste good. I'm sure they're very tasty sides. So, even if you just need some fun new ideas for the holidays, $7, come on. So. And can we link? Is that linked from your website? Is that how people can?

Speaker 2: 30:42

get through it from your website. It's on my website and it's on Instagram.

Speaker 1: 30:45

OK, perfect, OK great, ok, perfect, ok. Well, ashley, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us on the fun over 40 podcast today. This was super fun and informative and I genuinely believe that there are going to be a lot of people listening to this or sharing this, because I do think this is such a great niche and such a great service you're providing, because I know there's a lot of women that suffer with this and don't know what to do and are overwhelmed, and the fact that you are helping them but making it easy as well, to your point, like helping them with they've got careers and families and all the things, and that's also kind of part of your niche, right Is helping the very busy woman who has hypothyroidism, who wants to finally lose weight, so, anyway, so this is wonderful. So thank you so much for joining us and we'll link to Ashley's website and Instagram in the show notes and we are just appreciative to have you. Thank you, ashley, thanks Kathy, this was amazing.