I recently interviewed Serena Poon on my podcast, Thirty Minute Mentors. Here is a transcript of our interview:

Adam: Our guest today has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and has become a media personality herself. Serena Poon is a celebrity chef, nutritionist, health and wellness expert, and serial entrepreneur. Serena, thank you for joining us.

Serena: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Adam: Serena, you have a very inspiring story and a lot of the conversation is going to focus on your best advice, but first things first, our listeners may not know that one of your big breaks was interning and then working for the Playboy Mansion. Yes. And working as a personal chef for none other than Hugh Hefner.

Serena: Yes, yes.

Adam: How did that happen? And what was that experience like?

Serena: You know, I applied. So it's just like any other school. Like on career day, they have people that come in and they talk about the different internships and jobs that you can have outside of school and I found out that the Playboy Mansion hires interns. So the trade off is you don't get paid. And you know, you work for credit basically, and I applied. The chef interviews you and you work. And so it's actually an interesting process because for most places, if you're local, especially like that you go and give you mystery boxes. You have to cook up something with it sort of like what you see on TV on these Iron Chef type things. So that's really how it started was really simple. I applied, they hired me. I was promoted pretty quickly while I was there. And in a short period of time, they hired me on to work for them as a junior chef. And it was a pretty interesting experience. So many stories.

Adam: I can imagine. What are some things you can share with listeners?

Serena: Well, from a culinary perspective, first, you take it in whatever direction you want, give some perspective. It was great and well because you're working for that. So it's not like you're working at a restaurant, or at a hotel where there's this tight food budget. I'm working for Hugh Hefner. So it's pretty much you know, like, we want you to make the perfect burger and if you have to burn 100 of them to make the perfect burger, it's fine. As opposed to in other places, as a junior chef or an intern, you're probably peeling potatoes or carrots or doing a lot of prep work. At the mansion, we really got to work hand-in, you know? We like to work side by side with the head chef. And we started doing everything from the first step. So we're able to make food for half or his guests, for his girlfriend's, for everyone, you know, starting from your first day, which is really great. And you're working with ingredients that are the best in the world that you can get in two days, because you're buying it for Hugh Hefner. That was cool. And it also taught me a lot about confidentiality. And it taught me a lot about how to work with people who have, you know, high profile people and working in people's homes that are like that. So that actually helped shape part of my career as a personal chef, because the things you see at the Playboy Mansion, I mean, nothing surprises you after that. So I've worked in a lot of homes and nothing makes me bad. And I'd say that that comes from a little bit of exposure and experience that I had at the mansion.

Adam: Do you have a story that you could share that isn't confidential?

Serena: Well, I started- that I can share. I mean, it's kind of what you expect. So there's a lot of naked people running around. The funniest thing is, when you're at the mansion, you would think it's the people that are there all the time that are doing all the things behind the scenes that you expect to see coming from the other side of the iron gates. But the people that don't actually live there are the ones that are the wildest. You know, they're the ones- it's the real estate guys that have their annual party. They're the guys that come out after like their golf tournament. And those are the guys that are the most wild and crazy. And so yeah, I could say that. I mean, I did sign an NDA.

Adam: What inspired your passion for nutrition and what advice do you have for others on how they can find their passion?

Serena: Well, for me it was so close to my heart. For me, the passion I have for nutrition came from when both my parents had cancer. So my senior year in college, my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer and he was already stage four, like the advanced stages, when he was diagnosed. And it was, it was like a hereditary thing, a blood disease. His grandfather had the same disease and, you know, throughout his adult life, he had checked up on it, you know, every six months and somehow between two six month checkups, it had gone from, he's fine to stage four. So during that time when he was sick, I did so much research into nutrition and herbs and plants and different ways that we could use food to at least give him comfort. You know, and at the same time, he was also taking teas and herbs from traditional Chinese medicine. Our relatives were smuggling things in from China and Hong Kong, and then he was also doing regular allopathic medicine with chemotherapy and radiation. And he stayed with us. And it was tough. He stayed with us for just a little over a year. And then he passed and he was so young. He was 48. And two months after he passed, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and she was like, 45. So that just, I mean, that was really like my passion. It was about trying to find ways I could help them. And if it wasn't healing, it was at least giving them comfort. And I also realized that there was, it was such limited information. Our medical doctors really didn't know anything about nutrition and they didn't know what to tell us to offset symptoms that came up from the medication. So that really made me upset and just watching your loved ones go through that. I realized that there's got to be other ways, you know, not just for the people that I love, but for other people that are going through the same experience. And so that became sort of my mission and my passion. And it has been that ever since. And it's just sort of grown and almost like, it’s just kind of grown into the other aspects of my business. And that's why I ended up doing so many different types of nutrition. I went to culinary school because of that, because I wanted to understand how I could use the culinary arts towards healing with food. And then that's why I went into spirituality and energy healing as well. So it started off with nutrition and then it just kind of expanded and grew. And for anyone that hasn't quite found their passion yet, and what they feel like maybe their purpose, I would say really think about what drives you. It may or may not be what you're doing at work. What is it that you? What is it that you look up online? What is it that you're googling? What is it that kind of lights you up inside when you're reading about it, when you're learning about it? What is it that you want to share with somebody else when you learn a fact about it, you know?

Adam: Can you talk a little bit more about just how you manage that experience? I mean, having two parents going through something so terrible- how did you personally cope with that and battle through it?

Serena: That's a great question. You know, sometimes I look back at that time in my life, and it's almost like it wasn't me. You know, it was something so kind of surreal at the time, and I think that, I mean, our bodies are incredible machines. That's something that my dad always taught me you know, that the human body and the human mind is incredible. And so when you're, when you get in those situations, you just sort of shift your gears into it, you know? Some people say it's life and life will bite you. Everything sort of simplified in our lives seems like they're full and complicated. We have so many things going on, on a regular basis more and more. We're healthy, you know, and especially in L.A., you know, it seems like everybody's super busy, people are always running around late. But when you're looking at life and death, life actually simplifies. And it just becomes about who you love, how they're doing, how to keep them healthy. And so that's your goal, and that becomes your goal every single day. And so, you and I think it was also about something that was beyond myself, you know, this is my family, my heart, and you love them so much. And so finding a way to help them become- like it’s not just a perfect service, you know, when you're serving a purpose is larger than yourself. You find a way. There's a will inside of you, and that's inside of all of us. So, you know, I would say that now I have other tools that I didn't have at that time. Now I practice meditation and there's all these different sorts of wellness tools that I now have. But at the time, you know, years ago, I didn't have any of those tools. I didn't even know about meditation.

Adam: What are some of the tools that you would suggest to listeners who are going through some challenge in their life? Whether it's a personal challenge or professional challenge, everyone's fighting through some kind of adversity. What advice do you have on how they can best battle through it and overcome it?

Serena: I think that some of the simplest tools for battling anxiety and stress and feeling overwhelmed really, truly, is meditation, and breath work. And it can be so simple because when you can just sit and take a few deep breaths- I work with clients and we do this all the time. And we start off with a very simple process. I call it my 444. And it's just where you take a deep breath to the count of four slow breaths and you're trying to breathe that air in through your nose down to your stomach. Then you hold it for a count of four, and then you release slowly to the count of four through your mouth. And you take a pause for four counts, and then you do it again. So when you do this, you know, 2, 3, 4 or five times, it really calms your system down. But if you think about it, that's only about 15, 20 seconds. And so when you can just kind of calm yourself and ground, you have a lot more focus and clarity. And that's sort of the base for, you know, meditating, and everybody has sort of their own ways. And, you know, there's T.M. and there's different ways to meditate, but it's really just about being still and being present for a few minutes and that I have found is so helpful. I've worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and their lives are crazy. I mean, their schedules are so busy and they're back to back and they've got so many people that need answers from them on a regular basis. It’s very demanding. So teaching them these methods; they can do this at their office behind their desk, they can close the door and just for five or 10 minutes, sit still and breathe. And it makes the biggest difference. And I've been working with some people who've never done it their entire life, and they're in their 60’s or 70’s, and who have started this practice, and it's been such a tremendous change for them and so beneficial because they can come out of it. And they can actually be focused in that meeting in front of them, even if the meeting is only 15 minutes, you know, as opposed to wandering off and thinking about the hundred emails that they have to answer. So I would say the breathwork and meditation really, really help ground you and you can do it in a matter of seconds.

Adam: You kind of touched on this a little bit earlier, but how did you build your celebrity clientele? It's something that, regardless of what business you're in, regardless of what industry you're in, everyone's trying to land big clients, trying to land high profile clients. You've been able to do that incredibly successfully.

Serena: Well, I would say that I started at the Playboy Mansion. And I think that I knew while I was in culinary school. I did almost like a very mini internship where you're doing it for two days, three days, five days, maybe a week. So at the end of culinary school, they take the top five students, and they do an Istanbul at the Beverly Hills Hotel, because at the time, that was when they had the big night before the party. So that was like the night before the Oscars. And this was the party of the year. There were maybe 100 people invited. The top top A list celebs, very private. There's no helicopters that can fly over the hotel. And so that was my very first sort of taste of what it would be like outside of school. And I remember walking around this party and just looking at it. It was like Halle Berry and Brad Pitt and you know, Angelina Jolie. I mean, these are it. That was it. I mean, everybody was someone like that. And then I got to my station, and I'm working at the shrimp scampi station. And I remember I'm cooking shrimp scampi. I look up and I see Indiana Jones. I mean, this guy is my childhood hero. Before I decided to go to school and be you know, an attorney and then ended up being, you know, like a chef, I thought I was going to be an archaeologist. So Indiana Jones was an archaeologist and he was my hero. So I look up and I'm looking at Harrison Ford and he’s got Christopher Walken kind of like hiding behind him. And I thought I'm cooking for my hero right now. And this is what I want to be doing. These are the people that I want to be cooking for. I've never envisioned myself working in a restaurant, you know, where I don't get to see my guests eye to eye. They're on the other side of the swinging door, always side work and kind of that private space. So that's sort of what I visualized and eventually manifested. Then my next job was my internship was at the Playboy Mansion because I realized there was much more proximity to my clients and guests like that, because I'm not at a hotel on, you know, the fourth floor of the 15th kitchen. You know, I'm right there and have a kitchen and I'm working side by side with some very high profile people and I'm serving them and I've proximity to them. And so my career actually started while I was still working there as an intern and as a junior chef because they'd have these celebs come in, and they'd want to know if I did private parties or dinners of it and I and I did it. So I started working on the side, doing private dinners, catering private dinners and parties, and it just grew from there. So I've always been referral only. And I would say that if you get that opportunity, you first have to know what you want. You have to visualize it and then you have to put yourself in a position where you have that kind of proximity. And I did it at a free internship, you know, and then you just have to kind of make yourself a little bit different, you know? What makes you different at what you do compared to everybody else. And so the way I offered my menus, I was already doing much healthier takes on everything, just from my personal background and with what had happened with my family. So I was already tweaking the menus to make them healthier. I was already using gluten free options, I was already doing things like that, while before it became a trend. So I think the fact that I offered these type of, you know, alternative menus and services was something that really stuck out for a lot of these clients. And, you know, my job and my interest is in serving them and their health in the best way that I can. So that's really kind of how I built it.

Adam: What does a celebrity nutritionist and chef and healer actually do, what does the day look like for you?

Serena: Well, my days are kind of crazy, and they're all over the place. And it depends. Some days I'm filming for my TV show Serena Loves, which is also a podcast. Some days I'm working with my manufacturers and my packagers, because I have, you know, Just Add Water, which is my health and wellness line. When I'm working with clients, it depends on who I'm working with. I have a lot of clients that are on retainer, so we design programs for them through my practice that I call culinary alchemy, which is taking that education around food, and then I do sort of like an integrative and functional combination of nutrition. So there's some Chinese nutrition behind it. Chinese medicine, there's regular nutrition, there's lipstick, or Vedic. So what I do is combine what works with that particular individual, after we run other labs, and they do a pretty extensive intake form. And then we also do an energy intake since I practice Reiki, so we'll do an energy intake on their body and combine that need for support for their physiological body and also their spiritual body. And we create a protocol and build a list of foods and recipes and menus for what they need based on what their goals are. So whether it's a celebrity or a regular person, I mean, this is what I do for everyone. So somebody has a meeting with clients going over their protocol or just kind of you know, doing a check In weekly, monthly, or whatever it is that their program is based on. And, and, and then you know, I do stuff like this. I also coach and some of it's just mindset coaching, kind of like health and wellness or life coaching and some of it is just energy work. So it kind of just depends on what that client's needs are, and I travel a lot.

Adam: Can you talk a little bit more about your daily routine? And what do you believe is the optimal daily routine from a health, wellness, and nutritional perspective?

Serena: My daily routine really combines mindfulness with nutrition, of course, physicality and movement and exercise. So I start my day off every single day with a gratitude list. You know, before I even get up out of bed, I go through a list of people, things, situations, everything that I'm grateful for. So the list, I would say carries over some of the same things every day. And then I add other things and I thank my angels and my guides for that which I have and then I'll get up. And this is something that I have been doing a lot recently so I'll either jump on this rebounder- have you heard of that? Oh, okay, so it's almost like a mini trampoline. It is a trampoline basically, but it's called a rebounder. And it's great because when you do it as soon as you wake up, you're already stimulating your lymphatic system, which helps you sort of detox and I like to kind of combine things because I'm like a lot of my clients; I'm super busy so I like to kind of multitask. So while I'm taking a shower or brushing my teeth, I'll go through affirmations in my head and this is really because the gratitude kind of grounds me into my day, and then I'll go through these affirmations and it really sets my tone for everything they need to check off and accomplish that day. And then I go downstairs and I have warm lemon water which is one of the things that everybody needs to do. And what that does, it helps to alkalize your body. And it helps to do a slow detox throughout the day where you don't feel like you're detoxing, because that's one of the basic principles that I believe in. Or if you do a little bit of certain things every single day, you don't even feel it, but you will feel it because you'll never feel bad if that makes sense. So slow detoxing is basically doing that warm lemon water every single day by putting a few drops of chlorophyll in it which helps to oxidize your body and also helps to detox. There’s a few key things that I think are really important for everybody. And people are going to break, but I believe that if you really want to stay hydrated, if you want to get rid of that extra bloat, if you want to have a little bit of weight loss or at least maintenance if you feel you're at a healthy weight. Then you want to have at least one ounce of water per pound that you weigh. That's your goal and that feels like a lot of water to some people, but that's because most people are dehydrated all the time. So unless you have some sort of kidney issue, which, if that's the case, then you know, you'd have to consult with your physician to make sure that you can have that much water. For most people that's what I recommend, because that's like oiling the body, you know, that's what helps you detox. That's what's great for your skin. That's what your body needs to run itself. And most of us don't have enough. We have coffee, we have tea, we have a lot of other liquids, but not necessarily water. And it's so important and it's so simple. It's so basic, and it's not expensive. So that's one of the things and also I really believe in having green juice every single day. And I prefer green juice that doesn't have fruit in it, but if you need a little bit then you can have a little bit of green apple. I have a recipe that I share everywhere that's part of my plans that I do for clients when they want to get ready for the red carpet. It's called the luminous elixir and that's just a lot of greens and it's great for detoxing, hydrating, it's all the minerals and vitamins. And of course, since Just Add Water, that's something I love for people to use. And because it's got everything that you need in a day. So those things are very simple like three things you've got to do all the time, you can add in your elixirs and other vitamins depending on what your body needs. But in terms of nutrition, you'll hit all these marks, or checkboxes, just doing those things. And you know, of course, I want you to eat a rainbow. So I say that all the time. So more colors on your plate is so important. And then movement. So movement, meditation, those are all things. Because you're a yogi, right?

Adam: I go about once a week. Well, does that make me a yogi?

Serena: Yes. I think if you practice at all then then that's part of your practice, whether you go once a week, every day or twice a week. And that's part of your practice.That's when you see what you get from yoga. You get physical, but you also get mental and spiritual. And you really need to hit all of those every single day just a little bit. I have to really have that whole body mindset. So optimal health.

Adam: Can you go into a little bit more depth in terms of what we should eat? You said we should eat a rainbow?

Serena: Yes, absolutely.

Adam: I think some of our listeners are going to ask what does that mean? So what should we do?

Serena: So I'm vegan. I don't tell people that they need to be vegan. But I do believe that your diet and your plate should be very plant heavy. So I would say plant forward. So I'm a big green plant person. So I think that throughout the day, you always want to have greens on your plate. If you can get it in your breakfast, great! If you're doing it in a powdered format like your smoothie bowl, or in a shake or something great. because raw organic dye. If you can't, steam some spinach or something. But getting in at lunch and dinner- greens are so important. And then next to the greens, I like to see a rainbow which is, you know all the different colors when you're choosing your vegetables. So imagine like a salad- the base is green. And then you'll have all kinds of other colors, different colored carrots or radishes and tomatoes. Not everyone can have tomatoes,  but a lot of people can cabbage. Anything that kind of makes it bright and colorful because that's what's that's what you're putting into your body. And just imagine like, like all those vital nutrients and vitamins and minerals, they're going into your body and that's what you want. So kind of makes it easier than to try to remember a list of vegetables or fruits. Just think of the rainbow. You want it to be super colorful, different color, peppers, fruits, all the things.

Adam: That’s great. I'm taking notes as I'm listening.

Serena: I mean, it's easy, right? Because if you have to remember like 50 different vegetables and fruits, you're not going to, but if you look at your plate and you're like I just want to make that really colorful and beautiful. It's also aesthetically pleasing and your body also receives it differently. And from a place of spiritual nutrition, our energy centers, our chakras have different colors that represent them. So if you're having different colors, if you're eating the rainbow, you're supporting all your energy centers as well.

Adam: You work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Jerry Bruckheimer, P. Diddy, Kerry Washington, you can probably name some more. What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about celebrities? And what are the biggest misconceptions that people have about success?

Serena: Some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about celebrities are that they got lucky. That's what I've noticed. They knew people, they had some sort of a break. The people I've had the honor and pleasure of working with, they're literally the most hardworking people I know. I mean, they work so hard and I believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get because the harder you work, the more opportunities come up for you. And obviously, you know, who you know- and there's always some sort of luck involved in some places. I think the universe has an energy and an alignment that is greater than us. But everyone that I know that has that has, you know, extreme success, high levels of success. They are forever learners, they never stop learning. They never stop improving themselves. And they're incredibly passionate about being the best at their craft. So they work tirelessly. And I think that that's what makes them so successful, at least in terms of what is perceived as success, right? So when you ask me how I define success, I think that there is a time in it for a lot of us. I think that we probably share the same opinions that people think that's silly. Success is what is measured in your bank account, you know, the number of digits that you have in your savings or whatnot or, you know, tangible things, material things that you may own, that represent, quote unquote, success. But, you know, what I've learned is that success is so much more than that. Success is sort of being at peace and feeling fulfilled with what you're doing right now. And like what you've done. That, to me, is success. And yes, you can have financial success. You can have a lot of money in the bank, you can own a lot of property, but I know a lot of people that have all those things that are not happy, and they're not fulfilled, you know? So success is really a balance of life, of being able to take care of yourself and take care of the people that you love and also take care of your communities. So, success is being able to be of service, not from a place of selflessness and self sacrifice, but being someone that is coming from a place of service for the things that you do, and it's doing something that's so much bigger than you. Like that you’re serving your purpose, and having that sense of fulfillment and peace, no matter what it is that you're doing whatever industry that you're in. So that's sort of a long answer, I guess. But that, to me, is what success is.

Adam: I love it. Where can listeners find you?

Serena: Well, they can find me on my Instagram, which is @chefserenapoon. And actually, that's the same handle for all my other social platforms. But Instagram is the one I'm most active on and on my website, so that's serenalove.com and you'll be able to find my show and Just Add Water and all the things that I do there. Yeah, send me a message.

Adam: Serena, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for all the wisdom and advice.

Adam: Thank you so much for having me. It was so much fun. You're awesome.