Meet Melanie Avalon | Health Influencer, Podcaster, Author, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Avalon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
People often ask me how I do #allthethings. I have produced top podcast episodes every single week without interruption for 7 years, written a book (“What When Wine”) in stores nationwide, created the top Apple App “Food Sense Guide,” launched the wildly successful supplement line AvalonX (featured in many news outlets including Women’s Health, NutraIngredients, Women’s Wear Daily, and USA Today), and am currently creating an EMF-blocking product line and dating app, among other various projects.

That said, I did not always value self care.

Indeed, the stereotypical successful entrepreneur evokes visions of caffeine-fueled sleep deprivation where self-care is sacrificed on the altar of productivity. I definitely existed in that sphere in the beginnings of my aggressive career pursuits, throughout high school and college. I lived by the mantra “No one remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep.”

I’ve always been obsessed with productivity, fueled by dopamine hits from successfully creating content and achieving goals. For the longest time, I lived on that adrenaline, which masked a creeping fatigue which ultimately led to – as many entrepreneurs may experience – landing in a place of burn out. I found myself in an exhausted ghost town where I started to wonder if even my long-sustained motivation could carry me through.

While I didn’t anticipate its evolution to or application to such, my inevitable career as a podcaster and health influencer in the world of “biohacking,” ultimately provided vital tools necessary to sustain the career itself. I eventually realized the path to achieving one’s ultimate highest potential is paved in self-care, as a properly fueled, rested, functioning, and energized body supports the utmost resilience in clarity of mind and performance, while also boosting lifespan (and therefore longevity in one’s career.) There’s no faster way to slow or even stop one’s career, than with fatigue, disease, mental health issues, sick days, or even mortality.

For me, “balance” became about implementing biohacking techniques, self-care, and boundaries, so that I can sustain my life’s passions indefinitely. I honor my Oura ring’s reading of my current heart rate variability, to know when I should go strong, or rest. I fuel my body with nourishing, whole foods, and monitor my blood sugar levels with a CGM, to make sure my diet is working for me. I practice intermittent fasting, for maximum time and productivity during the day, fueled by the consistent energy of the ketogenic state, with expansive blocks of time uninterrupted by snacks and meals. I do a daily freezing cryotherapy session, and a nightly sweltering infrared sauna session, to activate my body’s evolutionary protective stress pathways, to support mood, energy, and longevity. I guard my sleep like a sacred treasure. I maintain the appropriate amount of social connection and (non work) “fun” in my life. I say “no” to a lot of things, so I can say “yes” to what really matters. When it comes thriving, I have found biohacking to be the sustainable, thrilling path to achieving my entrepreneurial goals.

Here is a closer look at how I implement these various biohacking modalities for work life balance!

Sleep
Adequate quality sleep forms the foundation for ultimate physical and mental performance. To support sleep, one can engage in approachable and easily implemented sleep hygiene, as well as more upgraded biohacking techniques.

A good night’s sleep actually starts in the morning! Upon awakening, expose yourself to daylight (or a full spectrum non-blue light, NIR-inclusive light therapy device), to set the body’s circadian rhythm for the day.

Exposure to blue light in the evening short circuits the body’s production of melatonin, dysregulating one’s circadian rhythm and making it more difficult to fall asleep at night. As the day winds down, productive entrepreneurs can use night modes on their phones and laptops to reduce blue light exposure, and wear blue light-blocking glasses in the evening.

To foster a sleep sanctuary that supports the body’s natural sleep rhythm, consider creating a dark environment via blackout curtains, covering electronic lights with black tape, and wearing sleep masks. A sauna session or hot shower shortly before bed can instigate a compensatory decrease in body temperature, which is a prerequisite for the body to fall asleep. This can be further supported by turning the temperature down to 60-65 degrees. For more intense biohacks, consider using a cooling mattress to support quality sleep.

A common benefit of being an entrepreneur, is the ability to set one’s own working hours, which can accordingly honor a person’s sleep chronotype. While we are often informed of the benefits of being an “early bird,” some people are genetically inclined to have a later circadian rhythm at odds with the rest of society. A biohacking entrepreneur can use the discussed biohacks to regulate their sleep schedule according to their own inherent needs. When it comes to sleep, a consistent wind down and wake up time is key, even if that means hours shifted slightly from the typical 9-5 job.

Activity & Exercise
Our modern sedentary lifestyle correlates to a host of negative health effects, rendering the workspace not sustainable for long term health. Entrepreneurs can combat this by optimizing their working environments to support more movement. Consider using a standing desk and/or swivel chair. Work in 20 minutes bursts intercepted with some physical movement, to optimize both productivity as well as physical health. Whenever possible, schedule phone calls in lieu of zoom calls, which will allow you to walk and move during the call, rather than being chained to the desk.

To maximize cardiorespiratory fitness without sacrificing productivity for long hours at the gyn, entrepreneurs can engage in REHIT sessions on a CAROL bike, which has been shown in clinical studies to provide the maximum benefit of a cardiovascular workout, in a mere 8 minutes, a few times a week. To build muscle growth while still conducting work calls without a sweat, entrepreneur can undergo Emsculpt sessions, which use electromagnetic stimulation to stimulates automatic muscle contractions, providing the equivalent

Stress Monitoring
Entrepreneurs can use wearables like the Oura ring, to effortlessly and consistently monitor their heart rate variability (HRV), activity levels, sleep, body temperature, and respiration. Oura can provide entrepreneurs with extensive biometric data and feedback on each given day about their body’s stress state, so that they may know how to properly tackle the day. (IE: Should they go hard, or favor rest and recovery?) With Oura, an entrepreneur can know if their biomarkers indicate a highly stressed state, so they can proactively ward off fatigue and boost the immune system before burning out or catching a cold or virus.

Hormetic Stressors
Our modern sedentary lifestyle correlates to a host of negative health effects, rendering the workspace not sustainable for long term health. Entrepreneurs can combat this by optimizing their working environments to support more movement. Consider using a standing desk and/or swivel chair. Work in 20 minutes bursts intercepted with some physical movement, to optimize both productivity as well as physical health. Whenever possible, schedule phone calls in lieu of zoom calls, which will allow you to walk and move during the call, rather than being chained to the desk.

Being chained to an indoor environment also extinguishes many of the beneficial environmental stressors we were exposed to, which activate hormetic pathways in the body, including sirtuins and other protective mechanisms. To combat the indoor environment, the biohacking entrepreneur can expose themselves to concentrated cold exposure, such as with cold showers, ice baths, and even cryotherapy, to downregulate inflammation, increase energy, stimulate the metabolism, and enhance mood. On the flip side, sauna sessions (traditional or infrared), can activate heat shock proteins to support longevity, provide cardiovascular benefits comparable to cardio, detox the body, induce an artificial fever to combat infections, and regulate body temperature to support sleep.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am filled with so much gratitude to work as a podcaster and influencer. I had been listening to podcasts since middle school (Shout out to WDW Today!), with dreams of one day having one of my own. After self publishing my book What When Wine (which I ultimately traditionally published), in part about intermittent fasting, I saw podcasting as the perfect avenue to spread the word of the then-obscure-now-more-colloquial practice of time restricted eating for health and wellness. In 2017, I was so fortunate to originally team up with future NYT best seller Gin Stephens (Author of Fast Feast Repeat), to launch The Intermittent Fasting Podcast.

My evolution in the podcast world has been quite a journey! Initially, I personally handled all production: scheduling, prepping, editing, posting, securing sponsors, marketing, etc. This workload almost burned me out, and I learned the importance of knowing your limits, and asking for help when needed. I had to learn to tame my inner control freak and desire to do #alllthethings myself. I realized that you cannot achieve your highest potential, without learning to let go, delegate, and outsource. (A valuable piece of wisdom I learned from a podcast guest, is that once you find yourself doing something repeatedly, that you personally don’t need to be doing, you should outsource that. Of course, this is easier said than done!)

I next launched my dream podcast, The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast in 2019, to interview my heroes and idols in the health and wellness sphere. The show rapidly escalated to more than I could ever imagine, and I truly put my heart and soul into each episode. I spend anywhere from 20-40 hours prepping each interview, and aim to make the guests feel truly heard and understood. I try to ask questions they may not have been asked before – often the random, nuanced, specific things I personally want to know.

I also am so honored and grateful for the show’s lineup. With a focus on biohacking and longevity, I have hosted the likes of Wim Hof, David Sinclair, Dave Asprey, and Dr. Valter Longo (often multiple times!) Hoping to never become siloed or biased in my opinions, I try to bring on all different perspectives, from the world’s very best of the best!
(For example, I’ll interview famous keto carnivores on the one hand – Paul Saladino, Dr. Shawn Baker, etc. – and highly respected vegan advocates on the other (Dr. Neal Bernard, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, etc.) I also bring on anyone I find personality fascinating, including renowned figures such as Gabor Mate and Max Lugavere, UFC champion Miesha Tate, and childhood heroes like Tony Horton.

Ready for a confession? Part of the reason I started podcasting, was also to “hide” from the world. I hit a moment of energetic and health burnout after college, and didn’t feel energetically capable of physically auditioning and pursuing more on camera work. So, in true reverse Little Mermaid fashion, I resolved to build my brand through my voice only. This decision ended up being an incredibly unexpected catalyst in my journey, as it allowed me to get to the root of my health issues (including a perfect storm of carbon monoxide poisoning, mercury toxicity, and anemia), rest and recover, and learn the true importance of self care. It bestowed upon me great empathy for those struggling in the health world, while also building up a loyal audience and following. Notably, I had to learn to stop being so hard on myself, branding myself with labels of laziness and fear.

(I’m still actively working on my energetic capacity. For example, I feel like I “should” be doing more video podcasts, but I also find video interviews energetically draining, and I fear I will not deliver as good of an interview. Now, I am working towards more video, and even recently did my first in person episode at Dave Asprey’s house in Austin!)

Throughout my journey, I have learned the importance of establishing boundaries, personally and professionally. I’ve learned I don’t have to answer everything! People reach out daily via email, Instagram, FB, etc., so I have learned to establish time and energetic boundaries. For example, I only go into my FB groups once each night. Anything that can be done purely on my phone, I save for my nightly sauna session, and do it then. (Which is also when I in part prep my shows! Multitasking!) I know people all have different email systems, but for me, I make sure every email is answered by the end of the evening, otherwise I will personally drown.

I have many takeaways from my podcast journey, for which I am forever grateful. Namely, keep showing up. Be consistent. Keep a schedule. Keep your word. Follow through. Ultimately, be kind. Do not take anything for granted, and treasure every moment.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question!

In the spirit of my previously discussed energetic boundaries, on a week long trip I personally would only go out for a few social evenings, as I am a social introvert and need my recovery time. That said, I’ll give a list of my favorite places, so people can pick what resonates and fill their energetic bucket accordingly!

I personally love dressing up, classy wine nights, theatre, and experiences, so the outdoorsy types should probably request recommendations elsewhere.

The Fox Theatre & Marquee Club: Originally established in 1929 as a movie palace, The Fox is a gorgeous venue rivaling the world’s best theatres, and today showcases myriad shows, artists, and touring Broadway productions. It features stunning Islamic and Egyptian architecture, and also is supposedly haunted. I love that I can go all out and wear gorgeous gowns for a night out at the Fox! I adore the Fox’s the attached Marquee Club, which is available for access with a membership, or with a la carte tickets for touring Broadway shows. It features multiple bars and restrooms. (Gone is the mad scramble for bathrooms and refreshments at intermission!) As a wine connoisseur, I genuinely believe it features the best wine list in all of Atlanta! The current general manager Carmilla Tindal curates an ever-evolving wine list featuring unique both common and unique varietals from all over the globe. She even knows I adore dry, organic European, low alcohol wines, and always has something special for me!

Damsel: Recently opened by Dave Green (owner of the popular bar and restaurant the Select in Sandy Springs), Damsel feels like a bit of LA in ATL! It is an entire experience: a (very talented) burlesque show with multicourse tasting menu, and multiple bars under dimly lit, glamorous lights, as well as a rooftop manifestation! An elegant dress code keeps everything feeling refined and classy.

Himitsu: This speakeasy associated with Umi and located by the St Regis, is the place to go for an extremely exclusive feeling night out. A password is required to enter through the hidden sliding doors (good luck tracking it down!), leading to cozy tables in a dark bar, with a creative drink menu.

The Garden Room: The Garden Room is like Willy Wonka meets The Secret Garden meets Disney World’s Tower of Terror. Beautiful plants trail throughout the indoor venue, with tables intertwined with trees, and foliage dropping from the ceiling. The drinks are eclectic, and the lighting is romantic. (Note: They do play loud, modern music.)

Atlas: Atlas has been my favorite restaurant for years, and recently was awarded a Michelin star. Located in the St. Regis, the restaurant itself features a stunning collection of curated art, which has to be rotated on a certain basis in order for the restaurant to not qualify as a museum! The menu is divinely sophisticated, with an incredibly expansive wine list, and top tier service. Shout out to head sommelier Mcswell!

Sips Under The Sea At The Atlanta Aquarium: The Atlanta aquarium is a wondrous, immersive look at ocean life, and I simply adore their Sips Under The Sea nights! Featuring different themes (Halloween, St. Patricks, etc.) it provides an epic opportunity to enjoy the aquarium at night in an adult only setting, with drinks!

City Springs Theatre: This local theater in Sandy Springs puts on epic community productions rivaling the best of the best! I love getting drinks at the nearby Select, and then walking next door to the show!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I could not be doing what I’m doing today without my incredibly supportive parents, as well as all I have learned about health, wellness, and biohacking, from many incredible figures in the sphere. (And I am so honored to have hosted many of these incredible humans multiple times on my shows). While there are so many people I would love to thank, in particular, Gary Taubes exposed me to a dietary paradigm shift those many years ago, Robb Wolf catalyzed my exploration of the whole foods- based “Paleo” world, and Dave Asprey has been a shining figure for me in the world of biohacking.

Website: https://melanieavalon.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanieavalon

Twitter: https://twitter.com/melanieavalon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/melanieavalon/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/melanieavalon

Other: https://AvalonX.us

Image Credits
Adrienne Louise