Lauren Munsch Dal Farra, M.D., a cardiologist and CEO of PALM Health, blends leading-edge medicine and a mind-body approach. She collaborates with patients to find solutions to lifestyle- and stress-related illnesses and designs personalized cardiac prevention and wellness programs for individuals at risk for or diagnosed with cardiac disease. As CEO of PALM Health and co-founder of the Anthropedia Foundation, a leader in wellbeing coaching education, Farra dedicates herself to helping individuals develop enhanced health and vitality. Earning her medical degree from St. Louis University and completing her residency at Washington University School of Medicine, she completed her Cardiology Fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. Here, she shares some of her favorite ways to de-stress.
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
My top three favorite wellbeing practices are morning meditation, long walks, and spending time in nature. Each morning, I love to start my day with a walk with my husband and our dog, Athos. After our walk, I leave myself time to sit with my thoughts, create a sense of calm, and set myself up for the day. This allows me to start my day with a clear mind and open heart.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
My greatest achievement is definitely creating PALM Health for our community. Our goal is to empower people to transform their health and feel their best in mind and body. Our lifestyle medicine and wellness center in St. Louis offers a comprehensive range of advanced services including functional medicine, concierge primary care, wellness therapies, spa treatments, fitness, nutrition, vitality services, and more. We look beyond symptoms for the root cause and combine the highest quality tools, technologies, and treatments from all areas of healing. PALM’s caring team takes the time to listen to people, meet their needs, and provide individual guidance to keep them on track. We launched PALM Health six years ago, and I’m continually shown how important it is to bring a real, human connection to peoples’ day-to-day lives.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
A balanced life is unique for each person and starts with self-reflection, inner honesty, and constant fluidity. Balanced living means considering all aspects of your life: physical health, emotional wellbeing, work, social relationships, spirituality, environment, and understanding how much time and attention you need to devote to each of those areas to optimize your wellbeing. Living a balanced life requires flexibility and staying in touch with ourselves because our circumstances and needs are constantly shifting, so we need to be able to shift with them.
Do you have a secret health or wellness tip you would like to share?
Love and accept yourself. Know that when you ask for help you are ready to make the change. Trust the process and surround yourself with people who support your goals and transformation.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
My favorite place for a vacation is the South of France. My family has a place there, and it is where my husband was born. We spend a portion of our time there every year, and everything slows down a little there compared to the fast-paced lifestyle in the States. We enjoy the food and time with family, and we love getting out into the mountains and seaside for long walks and scenery.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
The Trilogy series we have at PALM: cryotherapy, Biomat or infrared sauna, and our salt room. It is an instant feeling of mental and physical calm that stays with me for a few days. Cryotherapy soothes inflammation, the infrared heat from the BioMat or the sauna helps detoxify and relieve tension, and the salt room promotes deep relaxation.
How do you celebrate small victories?
I have an amazing circle of friends and supportive family, and the best way to celebrate is with them. It’s so wonderful to have a team around you who is always cheering each other on and encouraging each other’s growth. I am so lucky to be surrounded by incredible people and have meaningful relationships in my life.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to work on?
I struggle most with maintaining healthy sleep. I am often up late at night or early in the morning, but as I get older, I’m realizing how important sleep is for stress management, weight management, emotional stability, a healthy immune system, and overall resilience. So, more recently I have really been working on developing the insight to know when to wind down, shut off, and go to bed so I get at least six hours of good sleep.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
The best piece of wellness advice, in my opinion, is to always strive to grow in self-awareness. The Anthropedia foundation teaches about self-awareness in their coaching curriculum, and I can’t express enough how important it is. Becoming more aware of yourself–your personality, your habits, your stressors, your outlook, the mechanisms of your thoughts–will allow you to understand how to manage stress, find meaning and purpose in your life, and follow your intuition. Self-awareness is what will ultimately help you truly grow in wellbeing.
