Transcription
Thanks, Karen. Um, go ahead and take another sip of that fourth glass of pino and tell me again how I'm being reckless. I'll wait.
You're supposed to be tired, shrinking, disappearing politely. But yeah, no, I'm not doing any of that. I'm 48. I want more. I want to live out loud on purpose. Today, I am going to walk you through 10 ways I use peptides to stay hot as [ __ ] at 48. Plus, I'm going to share with you I'm 48 and I've been on peptides for over a decade now. So, if you've ever wondered what peptides actually are, where to get them, and why everybody is losing their [ __ ] mind over them, this is your episode.
So, who am I to talk about this? Well, I'm a skincare founder. I've spent $1.3 million of my own money testing what actually works on my own face. I'm a certified clinical nutritionist and I run a school that's trained thousands of health professionals. So, when I tell you I've been on peptides for over a decade, long before they were a buzzword on Instagram, long before everybody was trading their firstborn baby to get them, I mean it. And today, I am going to walk you through 10 ways I use peptides to stay hot as [ __ ] at 48. I'm going to share five peptides that I'm actually on and five things I believe about all of this that people just aren't saying out loud. Plus, I'm going to share with you the ones I'd fight somebody over. So, buckle up, buttercup. Let's get started.
Hi, friend. I'm Cynthia Garcia and this is I'd like to thank myself. Now, just a quick disclaimer. You might have already noticed I cuss a lot. That's just how I talk. So, if that's not for you, well, this is your stop. But if you stay, don't come at me in the comments because I just [ __ ] warned you. I don't know. I just told you. But if you are staying, grab a drink because we have got some [ __ ] to talk about.
Now look, before I get into the 10, you need to know one thing about me. I figure my own [ __ ] out. I always have. And it goes all the way back to when I was 13 years old. You see, when I was 13 years old, I was at a family get together. And let's just say nobody in my family was ever going to win an award for emotional support. We were the kind of family where every gathering ended up with somebody fighting. I [ __ ] you not. So I was having just a horrible acne breakout. And the whole house knew about it because right there in the middle of my pimento cheese sandwich, one of my aunts looked at me in front of everybody, every single cousin, uncle, you name it, and said, "Look at your face. It looks awful. Like, you need to do something about that. Go wash your face." This [ __ ] did not know I had been washing my face. Probably too much. I was well aware of how I looked. Nobody had to call [ __ ] out for me, but she wouldn't let it go. Go wash your face. Go wash your face. Go wash your face. Fine. Fine, Linda.
So, I went into the bathroom of my aunt's double wide trailer. I swear to God, I'm not making this [ __ ] up. Double wide trailer. And I just started scrubbing. I was so embarrassed. I was humiliated. And I was frustrated because I knew I'd looked like this. And I just scrubbed. And I cried and I scrubbed. And I thought I am just going to scrub this acne right off my face. Obviously, that did not work. I knew I needed something more than scrubbing to fix my face. And I had seen those commercials on TV for Clearil. Do you remember these that little white bottle? I think it was like a pink and yellow label. Do you know what I'm talking about? With a model throwing water on her perfect skin like she was baptizing herself in the River Jordan. You know what I mean? So, I thought that was the magic trick. I thought that would be the thing that would help me get rid of this forever. But I also knew that we couldn't afford it. We could barely afford food. True story. But every time a commercial came on our little tiny TV with rabbit ears, I'd drop a hint. I wish I had some of that. And I would just hope that somebody was listening. Well, they say the Lord works in mysterious ways. And I think my daddy did too because one day I came home from school and there was a little bottle of Claracil sitting in the middle of my bed. I could have cried getting emotional talking about this. I could not have been any happier if I would have discovered a pot of gold sitting right on my bed. Although pot of gold would have bought a lot of clear so I don't know, maybe that would have been better.
Anyways, I remember I could not wait to wash my face. I got some water from the rain barrel. We didn't have running water in our house, so I had to get it from the rain barrel, which is where we call waters. Okay, quick ask. If you're new here and you like what you're hearing, hit the subscribe button. There's a new episode every single Tuesday and a lot more that I have to say. So, stick with me. Anyway, and I started washing my face. I was so excited. And do you know that [ __ ] worked? Like, did you ever use it? It actually worked. That's the day I learned the only lesson that's ever really mattered. I could figure [ __ ] out myself.
So, I'm 48 now, still figuring things out for myself. And one of those things is peptides. So, let's get into this list of 10, starting with, of course, number one, of course. Now, I've cycled on and off injected peptides for over a decade. But the first topical peptide I ever tried was I don't a few years ago. Put it on my face every morning. Eight weeks in, I looked in the mirror and I was like, "Wait, what? Did I just have the best sleep of my life? Did my skin time travel?" I was skeptical going in for a topical peptide because I was like, nah, what could really happen here? Because I'd been on this deeper protocol for years. I thought, topical peptides are just marketing. But I was a dummy. They are not. They actually [ __ ] work. So, the peptide I was using was GHKCU. Now, that is a copper peptide, and it signals your skin to repair itself, stimulates collagen, and it has more research behind it than just about any topical peptide on the market right now. And if I were starting over today, I would start with a topical. I'd build it into my routine, see how my skin responds, and then I would talk to a doctor about whether something injected makes sense for what I was trying to do.
Okay, so that's the easy one. It's topical. You rub it on your face. Nobody's mad about that. But the second I say the word peptide in any deeper context, people stop being curious and start having opinions. So, let me tell you about that. Number two, here's what happens. I tell somebody I'm on peptides. Now, if they're on them, too, great. We're having a real conversation. We are comparing notes. We are talking about dosing and providers. But if they're not, their face changes. kind of like I just told them I had joined a cult. And they say [ __ ] like, "Wait, aren't those for athletes? Isn't that cheating? You're injecting stuff into your body? Is that even healthy?" Here's the thing. They're not asking about the peptide. They're asking why I want this much. They're shaming. And here's what I actually think is going on under the shaming. A lot of these people, let's just call it out, they're jealous or they don't have the courage to do it or they don't have the selfworth to try it or they just can't afford it. Listen, I know what that's like. I couldn't afford things back in the day. And when I couldn't afford them, do you know what I would do? I would act like I didn't want them. It's true. I don't like those shoes because I knew I couldn't have them anyway. I didn't want to feel bad. So, I just said, "I don't want that. That's not for me." So, hi. I see you. I was you. And the loudest people in the comments who tell me I'm going to die from peptides. I swear to God, people have said this [ __ ] to me. Thanks, Karen. Um, go ahead and take another sip of that fourth glass of pino and tell me again how I'm being reckless. I'll wait. People can handle you taking something when you're sick. They cannot handle you taking something because you want to look like yourself again. Because you want to sleep through the night, because you want to feel hot as [ __ ] at any age. You see, at 48 or just over 40 in general, you're supposed to be tired, shrinking, disappearing politely. But yeah, no, I'm not doing any of that. I'm 48. I want more. I want to live out loud on purpose and I'm not giving a tiny mouse [ __ ] what anyone thinks about it. I'm sorry, Karen. Pray for me.
And then there's the peptide that changed everything for me. So, this is item three. This is the big one. This is the one that I've been on for over 10 years. The one that I would never give up. And if we're being really honest here, it's actually two peptides. I know, but I needed to put them all together. So, Ipamarellin and Tessamellin and yes, those are their real names. It's like they're conjoined twins or something. I don't know. But they work together. They tell your pituitary gland, that little gland in your brain, to release more of your body's own growth hormone. And quick clarification before the confusion starts, this is growth hormone, not the hormones that you're picturing when you hear the word hormones, not estrogen, not progesterone, not testosterone. Those are a completely different conversation. This is the hormone that runs your collagen, your hair, your recovery. The stuff that just stops working in your 40s. It's like quiet quitting, right? Like no warning, no goodbye, just [ __ ] stops.
The way I started this, gosh, I was in my late 30s and my hormones were going completely sideways. I just felt it, you know, like you just feel something is off. And my skin was starting to look just dull and tired and boring. My hair was changing. I'd worked out the same way I always had for years. But suddenly, my body wasn't responding the way it used to. So, I went to the doctor. I said, "I think my hormones are [ __ ] up." And she said the magic words. She said, "That's just normal. Have you heard this? That's normal." At like 37, like we're all just supposed to be this exhausted, walking around with brain fog, feeling like we walked into an invisible furnace at 2 p.m. on a random Thursday. like what the [ __ ] So, I said, "No, thank you. That's what I do." And I went looking for myself cuz again, I figure my own [ __ ] out. And what I found was peptides. And I found a functional medicine doctor who actually listened to me. So, 10 years on this combo, here's what it actually did. My body makes more of its own collagen, which means better skin, better hair, faster recovery from workouts. the kind of skin that bounces back from a laser like the laser barely happened. Except for the CO2 and herbium laser. That [ __ ] was real. I'm not going to lie, that was intense. And this is the one that I always tell my best friends to ask their doctor about. Now, I don't tell them to try it. I say ask, have the conversation with your doctor. See if it makes sense for you.
Okay, pause. So, we are three peptides deep. I already know what some of you are typing in the comments. Okay, but where do you get them and how much do you take? And I love you for asking, but the thing is my dose works for me and yours has to work for you. We've got different hormones, different history, different needs. I work with the doctor. I go through a compounding pharmacy. That's how I do this. That being said, if you want to go deeper where women are sharing sources, comparing providers, asking the real questions, kind of washing each other's backs, that's all happening inside the Vanity Club. Plus, we have makeup, hormones, treatments, procedures, and a community of women who said [ __ ] no to aging gracefully. If you want to come sit with us, the link is in the description.
Okay, so last week I was talking to my new doctor on Zoom because apparently that's how I live my life. I don't know. And I was explaining what peptides I was taking and why. And I was pulling up my studies on my phone like I was defending my doctorate. And she still looked at me, new doctor, right? new doctor. Like, I had just admitted to running a meth lab out of my garage. She's not a bad doctor. She's just never had a 48-year-old woman walk in knowing more than she does. And that's why I'm not waiting around for the studies. Because the thing she kept saying to me was, "Yeah, but we don't have the studies." "Yeah, but we don't have the studies." Okay, fine. We don't have the studies. The data lag on women's health is a known crisis. Heart disease studies are mostly men. Pain studies, mostly men. Doing studies, again, mostly men. And peptide studies, well, I'll let you guess. Fun, right? So, by the time studies on women over 40 actually exist, I'll be 64, which is really cute timing for a study on parmenopause. Listen, I'm not anti-science. I am the exact [ __ ] opposite. I read studies instead of watching Real Housewives. What I'm against is the we'll get to you when we get to you attitude. And here's the thing about risk. Every conversation about whether something is risky leaves out the risk of doing nothing. Doing nothing, you know, your bones get thinner, your muscles get smaller, your sleep erodess, your brain goes foggy. That's not safe. I'd rather do the work to stay than slowly disappear on schedule. But that's for me. Again, you do you. So, I do the homework. I read the studies. I read the case reports. And I work with providers who read the same things I do. I take the smallest doses. I track everything. I am more careful with this than my doctor would be if she were prescribing it conventionally. What I've learned after all these years, especially being in the health industry, is nobody's coming to figure out my body for me. I figure out my own [ __ ] I always have. I'm not deteriorating on schedule. Apologies for the inconvenience.
And speaking of not deteriorating on schedule, item five is the peptide I take when I need to be a [ __ ] machine. Number five is Mottz C. Now, this one isn't a household name yet. It's actually a peptide that comes from your mitochondria. You know, the little batteries inside every one of your cells. It's like the literal engines of your body. And so here's why I care and why I take it. Look, I run companies. I have a brand. I'm a mom. I have this show. I have ideas that I'm not done having yet. I need the energy to do what I want to do in the world. I need the energy to live my actual dreams. And the truth is, your mitochondria start declining in your 30s and 40s. That's why tired stops being a Tuesday thing and starts becoming a personality. That's why the wall hits at 2 p.m. That's why the workout that used to fuel you can now wreck you for 2 days. M C is the one I add when I need to be a [ __ ] machine. It works on a cellular pathway called EMPK. The signal that tells your body to make more energy and use it better. It's not a stimulant. It's not caffeine. It's your cells actually working again. It's your batteries being recharged. Now, when you're in your 40s, you don't get to chase the life you actually want if you're running on fumes. Tired women don't build the thing. Tired women don't show up for their kids the way they want to. Tired women have to settle. And I'm not interested in settling.
Okay, five down, five more to go. And here's where it gets uncomfortable for the gatekeepers. The back half is the one that somebody is going to write a hate comment about. I'm telling you, I'm just waiting for it. It's also the one that matters most. Quick word before we go in. If you've been sitting here listening and thinking, "Finally, somebody's saying it out loud." That energy lives inside the vanity club every single day. Inside the club, you'll find women trading what's working, comparing providers, and asking the questions that nobody else will. Plus, you'll get all of the deeper stuff. We talk treatments, injections, hormones, procedures, makeup that doesn't crease over 40, and so much more. The link is in the description, and we saved you a seat.
All right, item number six. This is what I do every single time before I take any peptide. You ready? I get my labs. I know it's boring as [ __ ] but it matters. Understanding what's actually going on inside of my body is key. Knowing where I need support and what my goals are matters long before I put anything new into my system. I want to find out where I'm starting from. Then I find a provider who will actually sit down and have a conversation with me about those labs in depth. I find somebody who's willing to look at the whole picture and cocreate a protocol with me that works for my body, for my goals, and for my unique needs. And the very second someone tries to hand me a script without spending real time with my labs, I leave. You see, that's not a provider, that's a vending machine. Find somebody else. So, if you're just starting, I cannot recommend highly enough that you get labs and that you get somebody who will actually look at them. Don't take a script from anybody who treats you like a transaction.
Okay, number seven. You're doing great. We're almost there. This is the recovery one. This is the one that lets me get aggressive with my treatments and bounce back like nothing happened. Number seven, the peptide is BPC 157, which stands for body protection compound 157. I know it sounds like a Marvel character, like a side character or something. Anyway, it's actually the most studied tissue repair peptide that is available right now. And I've been on it for years. The same functional medicine doctor who put me on the iMarin and tesamearellin combo. She's had me on it for tissue repair, which is your body's natural way of fixing itself. We just speed it up a little bit with this peptide. But what it also became once I started getting aggressive treatments done to my face is my recovery secret. A treatment that used to take me out for a full week now just takes me out for a few days. And that's important. That in between time when your face looks like you lost a bar fight long before the after photos have earned their reveal. That's where this peptide does its actual work. The women I know who get the most out of expensive treatments aren't the ones with the most aggressive procedures. They're the ones with the best recovery routine.
Okay, after all of that, here's the actually simple as [ __ ] reason I do any of these peptides. Are you ready for it? Here we go. Number eight. After everything I just told you, here is the simple reason I do all of this. Because it [ __ ] feels good. I know. That's it. I know it's not noble. It's not grand or strategic. It's not some big statement that changes the course of humanity and wins me a [ __ ] Nobel Peace Prize or some [ __ ] I don't know. I do this because at 48, my body responds. My skin acts like skin again. My hair acts like hair. I bounce back from a workout faster. I look in the mirror in the morning and actually recognize the woman looking back. And that feels really, really good. Listen, the haters can argue with vanity. They can argue with biohacking. They can argue with cheating. [ __ ] it, whatever. But they cannot argue with the fact that I genuinely love being in my own body right now. And honestly, that's what I want for you. Not because I think you should take peptides. Not because I'm trying to recruit you or sell you some [ __ ] I'm not. But because if you're a 48-year-old woman who's been told for years that the goal is to be tired and grateful and not make a fuss about it, you might have forgotten what it actually feels like to feel good in your own body. That's what I'm chasing. That's what's worth the time and the money and the audacity. And it doesn't have to be peptides that bring you back to yourself. Find what does. Whatever makes you actually happy in your own skin. Find it, do it, and don't you dare apologize for it.
And now the peptide that everybody's going to fight me on the most, so buckle up. Number nine is tepide. Yep. the same compound that's found in Monduro and Zetbound. I know what you're thinking. No, I am not on it for weight loss, but but Linda, listen, I did start on it for weight loss. I talked about that in the last episode. So, if you want that full story, go back and watch the GLP1 episode that I did. Now, what I'm on it for right now is inflammation and cellular health. I'm on it for my face. I take a small dose every other week for what it does at the cellular level. And the science on this for longevity is actually [ __ ] crazy. So listen, it reduces inflammation and it helps with something called cellular scinessence. Now that's fancy talk for cells that should have died but didn't. We also call them zombie cells and they are one of the root causes of aging. It's the same zombie cell mechanism that I built rewritten show the face up serum to clear from the outside. Tracepatide does it from the inside. Some studies are even looking at this peptide for cognitive function and Alzheimer's risk. I know. Listen, people are going to fight me on this in the comments. They're going to assume the worst. That's fine. I know my body. I know my dose. And I know my reason. And I have a doctor overseeing all of it. Again, you do you. This is just what I do. You make your own choices.
Okay. Number 10. You made it. We're here. Drum roll, please. This is the closer. This is the one that ties everything else together. Okay. So, I spend real money on peptides. I spend real time on them. I plan my appointments around them, my labs around them, my conversation with my doctor around them. I prioritize them like it's my job. And I'm not sorry for any of that because here's what I know. Women are allowed to do whatever the [ __ ] we want with our own bodies whenever the [ __ ] we want to do it without seeking permission or approval from anyone. You see, we get told to wait and see. Wait for the study. Wait for the approval. Wait for your body to finish declining so somebody can confirm that the decline is real and maybe we can do something about it. [ __ ] that. I am the foremost expert on living in this body. I've been the only one in here for 48 [ __ ] years now. Nobody else has. The women who took HRT early were called crazy. The women who used retinol in the 80s, we called them vain. The women who wore sunscreen in the 90s, we called them paranoid. And yet, every single one of them was right. every single one of them. The next generation of women, they're going to read the studies that should have existed for us. Studies that are being written right now because women in this generation have stopped waiting. They're taking action on their own. I'm not asking permission to figure out things for myself. I never have and I never will.
And before I close this out, this is not even close to everything I have to say about peptides. There are more that I'm using. There are more reasons that I'm using them. And there are more that I'm about to start. Part two is coming, so subscribe if you haven't already so you don't miss it. And on that note, a toast. So grab your drink and toast with me. A toast to the 13-year-old girl who found a little white bottle of Clarisville on her bed and could not have been any happier if she would have discovered a pot of gold. To the woman who pulled up the research on her phone in a Zoom appointment and got looked at like she had just admitted to running a meth lab out of her garage. Cheers to the woman who tried the topical, who took the injections, who did the labs. to the woman who asked the questions that everyone told her not to ask. Cheers to the woman who said hard [ __ ] pass to shrinking and fading. To wanting more out loud and on purpose to being the foremost expert on living in this body because I've been the only one in it for 48 years. Cheers to the woman who figures out her own [ __ ] when nobody else will. And cheers to not giving a tiny mouse [ __ ] what anyone thinks about any of this. So raise a glass to who we were, to who we are, and to the bad [ __ ] we are becoming. For that and so much more, I'd like to thank myself. Cheers. So good.