“Hey Lisa, what do you think of this?”
This is a text message I got from my client a few years ago. Professional hockey player Dustin Brown plays for the LA Kings and had just started working with me. He was really feeling good on the RADO method and was following my plan carefully. But Dustin wanted ice cream.
We’d already figured out after doing his comprehensive blood work and consult that dairy wasn’t a great option for him, so he was on a quest to find an ice cream he could eat. And that meant I was getting random photos of non-dairy ice cream options. A lot. Living in SoCal, we had more options than most. I spent weeks researching alternatives and weeks getting texts as he kept looking everywhere he went. And eventually, we opted for avocado ice cream. Yep, you read that right, CADO ice cream and it’s delicious!
“I always loved dairy and then I got rid of dairy and started feeling better,” Brown said in a 2015 article for Yahoo Sports. “I never would have thought that and would have known that. Things like that give you in edge.”
This is the quirky, oddball part of my job that I love. The foundation of my relationship with all of my clients is trust. And when they start to feel good and see the results of the RADO method, they to start to rely on me to keep them on track and well, help them find ice cream.
The Transformation
I love watching the transformation that occurs when someone radically shifts diet and starts using my personalized supplements and begin seeing results. It can be life-changing. Whether I’m working with an athlete or an average client, they all have the opportunity for me to explore their biochemistry, their DNA influences and create custom supplement programs based on that information.
For Dustin, it was after the his team the LA Kings had missed the playoffs in 2015. There was a lot of pressure on him as the captain to lead by example with his fitness and nutrition.
Dustin has always been a full throttle kind of guy, but the nutrition and supplements based on his biochemistry helped him find another gear. He bought in to the RADO Method because he felt the difference in his body. He was compliant, committed and determined to return in the fall season a renewed leader.
I think there is always a little uncertainty and maybe even a bit of skepticism that comes along with what I do. Especially for a professional athlete, who often has been bombarded by so many different philosophies, products or ideas about what can make them better.
I’ve always said there’s a huge misconception about athletes. Everyone thinks they are healthier than the average person. To a point, that may be true, but athletes also produce more metabolic waste than most of us. That’s all the stuff that is produced when your muscles break or rebuild. And if your liver is congested, as it is for most of us, that stuff just recirculates back into your system, causing fatigue and adrenal stress. And not allowing you to recover and perform at your peak. When we clear the liver and metabolic waste, the athlete can perform at optimal levels.
Changing Your Habits
With Dustin, as with all my clients, I explored lifestyle, current diet, sleep, nutrition training habits. We immediately started him on my RADO Nutrition 21-day Performance detox for the liver. It was clear that we needed performance nutrition support, adrenal support, and recovery support. He also had food sensitivities that were affecting his performance. We were dialed in for 4.5 months of off season training.
Dustin is a down-to-earth guy with a wonderful family. He and his wife Nicole have a pretty active house-hold with four kids at home. He’s witty, loves to banter and spit out his one-liners. And he’s incredibly well-read. He seeks knowledge to improve his health, performance and recovery. Once I decided on a plan for him, he really got it and was all in. To understand the scope of what I could help him with, we really worked closely together so I could get a sense of what would benefit him the most.
Dustin still uses custom performance RADO Nutrition shakes, custom supplements, and my RADO Performance drinks (pre, post and reload), on a daily basis. I also custom make him immune support packets for long road trips.
To make sure he is staying on top of any changes, we do client evaluations about every 3 months, gauging changes in his energy, mood, motivation, stress, recovery, digestion, inflammation, sleep and a few other categories.
Go Kings Go!
I will still get messages from Dustin asking me questions or if he just wants my opinion on a product he finds. I even get pictures of the healthy meal prep he and his wife Nicole do together. He also connects with me if he’s under the weather. Sometimes I’ll make him some homemade soup or some concoction to help expedite his getting well. His wife Nicole jokes that I’m a better wife to him sometimes, but I truly just look at this as part of the job. Helping my clients feel better is why I do what I do. Seeing them succeed and surpass their goals is even better.
This winter, I was lucky enough to be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when Dustin was honored for playing his 1000th NHL game; all of them for the LA Kings. At age 33, he’s been team captain of two Stanley Cup championships and continues to be a role model player and one of the top point earners on the team. The LA Kings head in to the 2018 postseason playoffs for their quest for a third Stanley Cup. Regardless of this seasons’ outcome, there is no question Dustin has secured his spot as an LA King legend. And he’s found the perfect ice cream.
