Total Health: Benan Yuceer of BeYu Wellness On How We Can Optimize Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing

Practicing Gratitude: This sounds cliche, but practicing gratitude is a powerful tool to adapt an optimistic approach towards life. Expressing gratitude on a regular basis for the positive things in our lives will contribute towards our overall happiness.

Often when we refer to wellness, we assume that we are talking about physical wellbeing. But one can be physically very healthy but still be unwell, emotionally or mentally. What are the steps we can take to cultivate optimal wellness in all areas of our life; to develop Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing?

As a part of our series about “How We Can Cultivate Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Benan Yuceer.

Benan Yuceer, MBA is a Talent Acquisition Leader for Corporate America and has helped over 2700 professionals land in their dream jobs. While helping others, he struggled many years with chronic inflammation, lower back pain, and anxiety. He healed himself after adapting the holistic health approach which he studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. This made him decide to start his own company to help healing others.

As the Founder and Head Coach of BeYu Wellness LLC, Benan is passionate about creating awareness around mental health, healthier food and lifestyle choices. He empowers busy professionals to reach their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual goals through private health coaching programs and corporate wellness workshops. Instead of short-term fixes and one-size-fits-all approaches, he follows a holistic approach that peels the surface layer disturbances and helps his clients to identify and tackle the root cause that creates imbalances in their overall health.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

Thank you for having me. My story started in Germany where I was born to Turkish parents. I had a dream childhood because my dad was working for a premium chocolatier & confectionery company, and my mom has been an amazing home cook and baker. Considering my increasing calorie intake, my parents decided to enroll me in a soccer club at the age of six. During my school years, I competed in various team sports including volleyball, swimming, basketball, and football. Playing sports not only allowed me to challenge my capabilities but also opened the doors for me to travel, meet new people, and taste new cuisines. This is how my personal interests shaped that I still enjoy doing to this day.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

I landed in my current career totally by coincidence. I was a college student in Turkey, and during my sophomore and junior years, I decided to spend my summer breaks working in the US by attending a cultural exchange program. After my graduation, I was seeking ways to come back to the US for an MBA program. I made an appointment with the agency that had previously arranged my summer jobs in the US. It was a hot summer day, and I just had arrived to Istanbul from a beach town. I had floral shorts, a tank top, and flip flops on. My plan was to change at home prior to my appointment, but I got stuck in a traffic jam. There was no time to change, and I went to my appointment with my beach attire. While I was passionately asking questions about the MBA programs, the consultant told me that they just started doing business under a new company, and that they are looking for a new grad to join their team to consult about the cultural exchange programs that I formerly attended. Instead of spending thousands of dollars abroad, I had the chance to make money by helping new generations to work/study abroad. Despite my funny beach attire, my appointment turned into a job interview, and I was hired on the spot. That’s how my consulting and recruiting career started, and I fell in love with it.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

I was meeting with my manager’s manager on a quarterly basis. Every time we met, she was challenging me to push me out of my comfort zone. One day, she nominated me to attend a leadership program, and one of the program requirements was to select a mentor within the company. While I was thinking of picking a mentor among managers or directors, she told me to go big, and ask the VP to become my mentor. Although it was a scary thought, I ended up asking the VP and he accepted to meet on a regular basis. Ever since, I try to challenge my own beliefs to break the limits.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

Early in my career, I made the mistake of putting my career ahead of my life. I was volunteering to work overtime including weekends without being compensated for it. I was just enjoying working a lot, till one day, I felt the burn out. I was falling behind with my social life, physical activities, even my laundry at one point. I realized that there is no end to commitment to work. The more I work, the more tasks will be landing on my shoulders. At that point, I switched my approach to “me first, company second”, and brought more balance to my life.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The ancient Toltec civilization made those agreements for a good reason. Thanks to this book, I learned how to avoid drama in my life. Here is some spoiler alert: if you don’t make assumptions, and don’t take anything personally, you’ll have a drama-free life. Try it yourself.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

Henry David Thoreau once said “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” It’s highly possible that two individuals looking at the same object, at the same time might have disagreements. While one might be focusing on the size and color; the other might be focusing on the shape and texture. We have unique filters in our brains that are shaped by our values, beliefs, decisions and memories. As a person who enjoys living in harmony, I always do my best to listen to understand and respect others’ perspectives.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

I’m really excited about rolling out new group coaching sessions for corporations. I’ve been working on some really cool content that will improve the life quality of so many busy professionals. I’ll be covering hot topics such as mental health, weight loss, quality sleep, gut health, back pain, cravings, and much more.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. In this interview series we’d like to discuss cultivating wellness habits in four areas of our lives: Mental wellness, Physical wellness, Emotional wellness, & Spiritual wellness. Let’s dive deeper into these together. Based on your research or experience, can you share with our readers three good habits that can lead to optimum mental wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

I’m all about simplicity. Here are my top 3 recommendations that everyone can practice easily.

#1 Walking Outdoors: Our ancestors didn’t live their lives sitting all day in an office. They were wandering freely in the nature. Instinctively, we are craving to connect with Mother Earth and being outdoors. Taking a 10 minute break at work, and walking outdoors can significantly help reduce stress levels.

#2 Diaphragmatic Breathing: This breathing technique requires deep inhales and exhales, and calms down our brain waves. It also activates the vagus nerve which is known for reducing depression and anxiety.

#3 Practicing Gratitude: This sounds cliche, but practicing gratitude is a powerful tool to adapt an optimistic approach towards life. Expressing gratitude on a regular basis for the positive things in our lives will contribute towards our overall happiness.

Do you have a specific type of meditation practice or Yoga practice that you have found helpful? We’d love to hear about it.

On a daily basis, I practice a mix of physical therapy moves and vinyasa flow (yoga) followed by foam rolling. This routine helps me to maintain my spine health, activate my digestive system, and boost my mood. Early mornings works best for me because that’s the only time I have no distractions, plus I get to watch the sunrise from our living room.

Thank you for that. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum physical wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

First and foremost, it’s absolutely crucial to listen to the body. It will communicate to us when we need to relax, when we need to hydrate, or when something is imbalanced.

Secondly, following a healthy and balanced diet goes a long way. Avoiding processed foods, increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, keeping the body hydrated are essentials to maintain and improve our physical health.

Lastly, it is important to pick physical activities that we personally enjoy doing. Whatever activity we pick, we should consider integrating endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility exercises to avoid risk of injury.

Do you have any particular thoughts about healthy eating? We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

In my opinion, each of us have unique food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food can be another person’s poison, and that’s why fad diets tend to fail in the long run. We get excited when we see our favorite celebrity follow a new diet. We get influenced by our coworkers’ or family members’ food choices. We tend to follow one-size-fits-all diets, and get frustrated when we don’t see the expected results. In my coaching practice, I noticed that it is mostly the unconscious mind which keeps hindering us from reaching our goals. An imbalance in our physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual life is usually creating a blockage in our mind and that reflects in our habits and behavior. That’s exactly where I step in as a Holistic Health Coach and help my clients to become aware of their blindspots so that they can consciously work on removing their blockages, and reach their health goals.

Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum emotional wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

Sure. I think when we are in high emotions, it’s helpful to acknowledge our feelings. Taking a deep breath, and identifying the emotion we are feeling can bring a good perspective to the situation. Secondly, a good way to identify our emotions and keep track of potential patterns is to keep a journal. Lastly, when we get into negative emotions, it’s important to find out the trigger so that we can work around it. For that reason, asking the question “why does this make me feel the way I feel” is a good starting point.

Do you have any particular thoughts about the power of smiling to improve emotional wellness? We’d love to hear it.

Smiling is contagious. It makes us more likable and approachable. Whether it is forced or genuine, smiling is known for reducing stress, and increasing happiness hormones in the brain. We are emotional creatures and we naturally tend to seek happiness and joy. Smile, even if you are alone when you made progress in any area of your life.

Finally, can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum spiritual wellness? Please share a story or example for each.

I really like to spend time in the nature whether it is a hike in the forest, watching sunset at the beach, or snowboarding in the mountains. Connecting with Mother Earth reminds us that we belong to a bigger eco-system. Secondly, I was overwhelmed with joy when I discovered the purpose of my life. It brings clarity and meaning to every action we take. For those, who are still seeking their purpose, keep exploring; for those, who already found it, live it. Lastly, I think volunteering and helping others is another great way to satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Do you have any particular thoughts about how being “in nature” can help us to cultivate spiritual wellness?

I discovered at an early age that I am more present when I spend time in nature. This naturally led me to pick up hobbies that I can perform outdoors. For example, when surfing, I feel the power of the ocean waves. I know that if I wander to the past or the future in my head, the waves will swallow me. This feeling triggers my awareness of my surroundings, and allows me to enjoy the moment.

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the US. According to CDC, 90% of the nation’s $3.8 trillion annual health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions. This number is projected to be doubled by 2028. Obviously this doesn’t seem sustainable. Most chronic diseases are caused by poor diets and lifestyle choices, and are preventable. Not through healthcare, but through self-care. Once we create more awareness around healthy nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset, our actions will influence our families, and our families will influence communities. I started BeYu Wellness for this purpose.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I’d love to have a healthy breakfast with Mark Hyman, MD, because we share similar thoughts about the healing power of real foods. We are both working on changing the food system on a global scale.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Website | Blog: www.beyuwellness.com

LinkedIn | Instagram: @beyuwellness

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.

Thank you for having me!