Carrie Underwood: An Inside Look at Her Farm, Food, Fitness, Faith, Family, Fame and Future

You know, you see yourself and you're like, I should have done better. I could have done better. Like, this didn't do what I thought it was going to do. Like, do they like me? Like, what do they think? And when you're in the public eye, it's kind of like it's impossible not to think like that because they are the ones, whoever they are.

Yeah.

Yeah. That are, that are saying the things and, you know, that are coming to the shows and, you know, buying the music and stuff like that. I feel like that is where you can kind of see a skewed version of yourself and, you know, end up telling yourself you're not good enough and like you did terrible and work harder, you know, those kinds of things. And I mean, at the end of the day, I feel like that's all— that's all the devil trying to— trying to break you down, you know, trying to get in your head and make you feel those things and make you self-doubt and make you feel like you're not good enough.

Hey everybody, Dr. Josh Axe here. Welcome to the Growth Lab podcast where each and every week we talk about how to grow yourself, your health, your wealth, and take your career and relationships to the next level. Today, we have a special guest with us, Carrie Underwood. She sold over 85 million records worldwide. And Carrie and I got to meet a few years ago with her husband, Mike, and do dinner and have a good time. And I'm really excited today to talk about all kinds of stuff, health and growth and success and everything.

Yeah, me too. Thanks for having me.

Yeah. So, I wanted to start off here with a question from the audience. So, we put out something on Instagram and asked people, what are the top questions you have for Carrie. And the first question that was asked was, how can I get legs like Carrie Underwood? Have you ever— I'm sure you've been asked that question.

Yes. Um, well, I, I do work. I work hard. I enjoy working out. Um, I enjoy lifting things. Um, I used— I feel like I spent a lot of my, um, beginnings in, you know, health and fitness into like cardio and just cardio. And, you know, the, the more I've learned, um, the more muscle I would like to have. So I do lots of squats and lunges and keep it pretty simple. Um, we have an app called Fit52 that, um, we created and put out into the world, uh, in 2020. Um, and that has a lot of those moves if anyone would like to check that out.

So I think it's pretty awesome. My wife Chelsea and I, we've done some of the moves and some of the workouts, and one of the things I love, it's a lot of body weight.

Right? Yeah, there's a lot of body weight or like dumbbells or resistance bands, things that you don't necessarily need a gym to do, which to me, walking into a giant gym is very intimidating. And I feel like a lot of people feel like that and they don't know what they're doing. They don't know how to use the equipment. They see other people that do and you're like, why am I here? So we worked on this, developed this, and little did we know that at the time we released it, people were needing to stay home and gyms were closed and stuff like that. So, You know, we were glad to be able to maybe help some people through all of that mess. But yeah, it's all stuff you can do at home.

Yeah, well, one of the things I love about Fit52 as well is that obviously it's an app, right? So yeah, it's very inexpensive. It's something people can do at home. You talk about weights and bands. Also, I think a lot of your workouts are geared towards what a lot of people need. It's this combination of getting fit and toned, but also building a little bit of cardiovascular fitness. So some interval-like training there too.

Yeah, it's basically circuit training, but we try to make it a game. We try to kind of break it up into two sections And it depends on what you're choosing to do that day. If you only have 30 minutes, if you have 45 minutes, if you just want to work your arms, like we have different sections that you can do different things just depending on what your goals are. But it's basically circuit training, but we try to make it fun and keep it, keep it moving.

I love that. So give me your top 3 to 5 exercises to answer the question, how do I get legs like Carrie Underwood? What are your top 3 to 5 exercises that you feel like really make a difference in terms of getting toned and fit?

I mean, the basic squats, lunges, deadlifts. Um, yeah, you can use weights, you can use— you can start out with your body weights. Um, you don't have to make it too complicated.

Yeah, that's great. Well, those are, you know, those are movements where you're working your largest muscle group, so you're getting the most for your efforts. I love that.

Think about that too. When I go into the gym, I'm like, what do I want to work today? And if I feel like I need a little more, then I will pick my lower body because I'm like, they're big bigger muscle groups and I can, I can burn more and build more. That's right. If I choose those.

So good. So, so obviously, you know, your, your music career has been phenomenal, right? It's been, it's been pretty amazing. I think most of people know you for that, but I think secondarily a lot of people start, started to know you for your health and fitness and nutrition routine. How did you gain such a great interest in not only music, but also specifically in the health and fitness realm?

I feel like I've always wanted to. Um, even as a kid, it's like I would see certain things. I remember like buying tofu at the grocery store. I had no clue what to do with it. I just knew it was supposed to be healthy and I just wanted to try it out, I guess. It was terrible. Um, now I'm better. I know what to do with things. But, um, as a kid I didn't. Um, so I feel like I always wanted to, but I grew up in a very rural, you know, Oklahoma, um, town. We really didn't have access. I don't even like remember a gym being in our hometown until like more recently. Um, so that just wasn't an option really. But then when I went out to LA for Idol, it's like there were health food stores and restaurants and stuff like that. I felt like it was easier to, um, to choose better things. And then I, I honestly, um, you know, we, we started getting so busy like touring and stuff like that. Um, you kind of notice when I was like, I'm in, I'm in my early 20s, why am I'm tired, you know, why is this hard for me? Um, and I noticed I just started to gain weight. I feel like that's a time in your life too, your metabolism shifts. And yes, um, I, I was not liking how I felt, not liking how I was, you know, presenting myself. And, um, made a lot of mistakes in the beginning because I didn't know what I was doing, um, but just decided to be better And like I said, I made mistakes in the beginning, but it's always a learning process. Totally learning, you know, new information, things that are good or not good, or things that you thought were good that, you know, were kind of a wolf in sheep's clothing. Um, it's, uh, or learning more about what your body needs, and it's just a lifelong journey.

Yeah, I totally agree. You know, I, I think about the way that I ate 20 years ago, then 15, then 10, then 5. It's, it's continued to evolve over time. You know, at one point I thought there was maybe one diet and that's perfect for everybody. And I think the more that I've studied the field of health and nutrition, I've realized that it's all about personalized nutrition and medicine because everybody's wired very differently. And I do believe across the board, and you're so fantastic about this, as I've been watching your Instagram page and seeing your posts, but everybody should be eating food, right? I mean, that's the thing, like real actual food. But some people can do well with very little to no meat. Some people can do well with mostly meat. But the big thing is eat a lot of real food is kind of the key.

I think that's the biggest thing. And I think it's that wolf in sheep's clothing thing is people don't know what is and isn't real food.

Yes, yes.

It sounds crazy, but I mean, my goal, I got into gardening. We moved out to the country. I immediately set up a garden because I knew it's something that I wanted to do. And then 2020 is when I really got to dive in because we were home. So I learned so much. I thought, you know, I'm here. I might as well like learn some useful tools for life and just fell in love with it. And my goal is to not buy food from the store anymore. So I'm working on it. The kids are kind of a hangup. But I love that our meals, especially dinner, it's like you look on our plate and everything on our plates is something that either came from the garden or my husband's a hunter. You know, the meat is something that he got. It's in our freezer, and we eat what we have. Yeah, we eat seasonally. You know, it all tastes delicious because it's food. And that's another thing people don't realize. It's like, you eat anything from the store versus something out of my garden, they taste drastically different. And I feel sorry for people that even the health food stores that you're supposed to be going and getting organic produce from, their strawberries taste nothing like my strawberries. Their peaches taste nothing like my peaches. Like, it's, it's crazy the difference.

Yeah, you know, I was, I was at the Franklin Farmers Market here, and there were cabbages. And by the way, I saw in your post the tomatoes you were growing. I mean, the size of some of the food was unbelievable. But I think there was a cabbage about as big as a basketball. I mean, it was so, so different. The same thing, the size of some of these vegetables you've been growing, I've just been astounded.

And we're like all organic, like, you know, we use like the, the fish water, like all that stuff to, uh, fertilize. It's, it's, it's all organic. And it's not like we compost. Like, we have no food waste from my house because we have chickens, so they eat all the food that we didn't eat. And then the stuff that they can't eat, we go to compost and reuse it all. So it's, it's all very— I don't know, it's fun. And it's, you know, you're doing something good for you. It feels good to physically do all of these things.

Um, it's gonna almost be a type of therapy. Chelsea and I just started doing a little bit, not to the degree you're doing, and we were— and we especially do this with an herb garden. We do lots of basil and rosemary and all kinds of herbs. But yeah, I can, you know, you can kind of see it being this, again, form of therapy for sure.

Um, you know, when I, when I'm out there doing things, it's like that's what I'm thinking of. I'm very focused on one thing, and this world is just designed to pull us in a billion different directions all at once. You know, you have your, your phone on you all the time, and everything's trying to get your attention. But when you're in the garden and you're working on these specific things, you have your plan, you execute your plan, you're in the moment doing the things, you got your hands in the dirt, the sun's on you.

It's—

yeah, it's all good.

Yeah. You know, one of the things a couple years ago when I came out to visit, you know, Mike, Mike helped me, uh, my dad taught me a couple times how to shoot a gun, but Mike really taught me how to get better.

You had the 50 cal, by the way.

I got to show you a video here of this because I told Mike when I went out with Mike and Andrew East, I'm like, you guys are not allowed to show this to anybody because Andrew took a video and he turned it into a, he turned it into a meme of me shooting, you know, shooting the .50 cal. And let me see if I can find it here quick.

That's no joke. I haven't ever shot.

Okay. Here again, this, this is for your eyes only and, you know, and Mike's. But so this is me shooting.

Oh, Yeah.

And first off, those guys were cracking up because they didn't, they didn't tell me the sort of—

well, that's me—

power I had.

That could have hurt you seriously. So no, that, that does if you don't have it like jammed up against your shoulder.

So, but it was a good time. But when I was out there, I was so blown away already by— you guys had the, had the fruit tree orchard.

Yes.

Which was awesome. And then already starting the garden, but now you have a greenhouse.

Yes, have a greenhouse, and I'm planning another greenhouse. Yes!

It's awesome.

It's like chicken math. Anybody who has chickens knows that you're always needing more chickens, and you get more chickens and you just end up with a ton of chickens. I have garden math as well, so it just keeps expanding. I've got the greenhouse, I keep adding beds. It was a tough year in the orchard this year. RIP lots of our trees, but we're starting over with a lot. But yeah, it's a constant, you know, troubleshooting game. It's fun. I'm hoping that this year I can continue to grow things in the greenhouse throughout the winter and kind of have some staples. And yeah, planning another greenhouse for more trees.

So cool. Well, you've obviously grown a lot of— I know I've seen a lot of different things on there. What are a few of the foods that you've grown that you're the most proud of? You know, if you're entering like the, you know, the county fair and, you know, who has the you know, best tomatoes or watermelon. So what are you, you know, what are you most proud of there?

I've always been great with tomatoes, and I feel like just where we are, it's just, you know, down in the South, it's just they get big, they get beautiful. Yeah. Um, I look for like odd varieties because I'm like, why just grow red tomatoes?

So cool.

Um, so this year I think I had 25 varieties of tomatoes, um, and I had about, uh, about 30, 35 tomato plants. So there were ones that I, when they took off, I was like, okay, I need to pare it down this year. Believe it or not, that's paring it down. Because last year I had a lot more tomatoes and I get bogged down if there's too many on my countertop. But yeah, tomatoes are great. Squash grow incredible here. Beans I found are so much fun to grow. And I get really excited when I just have my jar of like black beans or black-eyed peas or something like that. And, um, yeah, so I— those are the things I do.

So cool, so cool. One of the things, you know, you're hitting on a lot of different colors there. You know, you always hear from physicians that say, hey, let's, let's hit all the colors of the rainbow.

So yes, it's good. Peppers too. Um, I, I did a lot more peppers this year than I've ever done, and I was very happy with how they turned out. It's been my best pepper year yet. Um, but like bell peppers, banana peppers, shishitos, um, jalapeños, um like Cubanelles. Yeah. Um, but it's, it's fun. Onions— my, my onions were great this year. It was a good year. So good in the garden, not, not in the orchard.

Yes. Well, the heat, you know, there are obviously various things. Sometimes you get bugs. I mean, I mean, gardening— I mean, one of the things that I've realized is doing, doing some gardening myself is, is that it's challenging. I mean, there is so much you have to think about in terms of the pests and the heat and the amount of water. I mean, it's a real kind of art.

It is. And then you, you know, I'm constantly like reading or listening to podcasts and trying figure out what other plants I should plant near these plants. Yes. These pests away, and a lot of it comes down to like having your eyes on it. We go out and I'll be like, "I know there's a hornworm on one of these tomato plants," and you just have to stare at your tomato plants for 15 minutes until you find the sucker because they're so destructive, and you just pick them off, you know? There's really nothing you can kind of do about it, but like the orchard, we've had lots of pests, but we had a late frost and that changed everything. Like last year I had just oodles of peaches and apples and plums and even the berries. Like it really got everything. Yeah, I got no peaches this year, which broke my heart.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, one of the things you brought up, which I think is really a fascinating sort of art and science, is this plant pairing, right? Because there are certain plants that repel bugs. And so, since if you're putting certain types of parsley next to certain types of tomatoes, they can repel bugs of each other. So, it is pretty incredible. And one of the other things I love too is I've studied, and Jordan Rubin and I own some land down in Summertown, but really also looking at this idea of sort of regenerative agriculture. The way that you're doing this is that you're building back carbon, you're helping heal the planet and the environment. It's anyways, it's powerful. I get excited about it.

It is me too. And I feel like that's where we're headed more, more towards. And I feel like I'm learning a lot more about that. But you suggested and we fully plan on doing this at some point, like getting ducks to put in the orchard. Yes. It's all trying to figure out how that's all going to work.

Yeah. And duck eggs are just as good or better than the chicken eggs. I mean, they're fantastic.

Yes. So there's, there's there's no downside, but we're, we're headed that direction for sure.

That's so cool. So obviously with eating as healthy as you eat, you don't need to take a lot of supplements, but you probably take a few. So what are some of the top supplements that you take, you know, on a regular basis?

I mean, I definitely take a multi. I do enjoy Ancient Nutrition, not to like, like pump your tires here, but I do, I do a multi. I love probiotics. I love enzymes, things like that.

Yeah.

Just help your body run. I will do like omegas, B vitamins just for energy's sake. Yeah. And I do creatine before I work out.

Yep.

Great. Other than that, not a whole— nothing crazy.

So just some basic foundational supplements.

I do like ginkgo and stuff like that. Like I've gotten more into like mushrooms for brain health and stuff like that. Yes. Definitely gotten into that stuff. But, um, well, now I'm sounding crazy. I said nothing crazy and now I'm like talking about mushrooms. Uh, but I love mushrooms anyway. We forage on our property for them and I was very excited. I found a reishi this morning.

Really? Yes. Wow, very exciting.

Congrats.

Thank you. Wow, so cool. So one of the other things, you know, when I'm thinking about this, so, so when you're home, obviously it can be a lot easier to eat healthy and create the sort of rhythms within your home and family. How do you do it when you're on the road?

Um, I take a lot with me, um, and then whenever we get to where we're going, I will go to the grocery store. Um, I rarely order room service.

Yeah.

Uh, I really don't like to go to restaurants for the most part. Yeah. Um, I will occasionally but, um, I bring my food with me like a nerd. I'll bring—

probably a nerd is great.

I'll bring produce if my husband's coming out to visit. I'm like, can you bring me some? And I'll just tell him, I'll give him my grocery list and he'll bring me—

and then he'll go in the backyard.

Yeah, he'll go pick it. Yeah. Uh, I've gotten into canning too, so I hope I can start taking more of that stuff with me as well when I, when I go out. And I, I, if I'm someplace for a longer period of time, um, I will literally have like a this little apparatus that I got off Amazon that it's like a toaster oven and then it's got like a griddle on top and it's got a coffee pot.

Wow.

Like I can make everything I need to make. I'm not going to burn the hotel down, hopefully, but I can make everything I need to make on this little, you know, apparatus that's about the size of a toaster oven.

So cool. Yeah. So cool. So it can be done.

It can be done.

You can be healthy, be on the road.

It takes a little extra. It's like food prep, you know, it's like prepping your meals. It takes a little extra on the, on the, you know, beginning part of it. But you just go by a grocery store on your way to the hotel and get some good options.

So great. One of the things that I've been so impressed with too is your sourdough making. And so, so, so here's what happened. So this is about— it might have been a year ago and you were doing an Instagram video about doing, doing sourdough. And then Chelsea saw the video and is like, hey, I think I can get into making sourdough. Anybody can do it. And so Chelsea goes and starts making sourdough. And at first I was like, this is a real commitment. This is like a relationship with something. And then, you know, I'm like, you're getting a workout here and we have to go and feed it. It's almost like taking care of a baby.

It is. It is. It's one of those things that when you start reading about it, you're like, this seems really complicated and I'm just not going to do it. And until you're like, like, let's go, like, let's dive in, let's learn. I'm gonna screw it up. But one thing I learned, that even the ugly loaves taste awesome. So just jump in. Yeah, here's what it looks like. Um, but yeah, I, I got into it, and, uh, you do have to feed it often. I get so sad. I, I tell it goodbye, and when I feed it and I put it in the fridge, and I'm like, good luck in there, you know. But it's always bounced back. So, and I have taken it on the road with me. Um, I did that for a while when we were On our last tour, I brought my starter with me. I had all of my little things and like we would rent houses to stay in versus going in hotel rooms because I just like some feeling of normalcy when we're on the road. So we would kind of hub out and like rent a house and then go to our different shows and come back to this one house for a little bit. And I would make people sourdough and bring it into the venues and pass it out. I don't eat a whole lot from my own stash, but I'll deal it out to other people.

Yes, yes. We eat a little bit and we deal it out. We just gave some to my, you know, my parents who were in town and we drop it off at friends' houses as gifts. And so anyways, it's—

My kids love it. Yeah. They love it a lot. And I feel like when you're trying to feed children that we, their plates look like our plates. And I'm glad we've finally kind of gotten into into that because our oldest, for the longest time, I'm like, you just eat junk. Like, this is terrible. Because he was on the road with me, he'd go into catering. He's not gonna pick like the fruit and the eggs. He's gonna pick the Pop-Tarts that are over on the table. So I don't blame him. But I feel like now we've finally kind of gotten into a place where all of our plates look the same. But I definitely look for ways to like fill their bellies and make sure that they aren't asking for, you know, Cheetos later. Throw away. So sourdough on their plates, I feel like, is a good, uh, good way to get them, get them full.

Yeah, totally. And you know, one of the things, obviously, I think we both agree, you know, having a lot of vegetables and some fruits on a plate is ideal, but I think getting some grains, you know, especially that's fermented, you know, I, I read a study recently and I used to work with a lot of patients and, and it always surprised me. There was this big craze of going gluten-free, right? And I think for a lot of people, going gluten-free is beneficial. But when, when we ferment, you know, a sourdough grain, like a— whether it's an einkorn wheat or a rye or barley, whatever it is, it becomes so much easier to digest. I mean, it is really— I've had patients who had celiac disease or, or were very gluten intolerant, and they were actually able to eat sourdough that had gluten in it. So anyways, I think in terms of like a healthy grain it's about as great as you're going to get. Plus you're getting some of the good probiotics from the, from the sourdough. So anyways, you know, I think you're starting more of like this sort of sour— I'm seeing— I'm serious, I'm seeing so many more like influencers on social media posting about sourdough this year than I have ever seen in the past 10 years.

It's, it, it is, it's a, it's a great thing. Um, and it's an impressive thing because it's something that people don't necessarily like know or understand how to do. Um, so it's, it's, I think it's cool. I'm glad people are into it. And yeah, my next hope for the sourdough is that I can grow my own wheat and do all of that. Yeah.

Well, what are some of your favorite sourdough? I mean, have you got out of the box? Because obviously there's the, you know, there's the traditional kind of like lighter white loaf, but have you experimented with any grains or any sort of recipes?

Um, I've done like, I've done the rounds. I like the like sandwich loaf because I feel like it's super versatile and the kids love it. So we'll do everything from like, you know, just toast and jam in the morning, or, um, to like, that's on their plate at dinner time, like a dinner bread. Um, I've done focaccia, which is delicious. Um, I've done some sweeter things. I made one that was like, it was like breakfast bread, and it just had like fruit and nuts like all in it. So it was just this fruit nut loaf that was yummy. Um, What else have I done? Like rosemary things. I don't know. I haven't gotten too crazy.

Those are good. I think, I mean, we've basically done, we've done the einkorn loaf. We've done focaccia. We did some rosemary and olive oil and salt, and that was delicious. And then we did one other, which was really good. Just chocolate chips in a sourdough loaf. That was, it was good.

Yeah. I have plans for some cinnamon raisin bread. That's coming up next.

Oh, man. Yeah, that sounds good. Yeah. You know, we've talked a little— you've talked a little bit about your family so far and sort of the rhythms of the way that you, you all eat as a family. I think one of the things that I've admired for so long, and I think a lot of people share this admiration, is sort of you being able to go out there and build a career and be a wife and be a mom and sort of balance all these things. What is your mindset around, or what is your advice to people about how do you best sort of create balance and harmony with also having a really busy schedule?

I mean, the only advice I could ever give, and this goes to somebody who is like me that has kind of a random crazy job where you're traveling a lot and to, you know, your stay-at-home mom, like just do the best you can. You gotta juggle. Everybody's juggling. We all got different stuff to juggle. Just do the best you can. And I don't know, it is hard sometimes. I'm lucky I have a husband that picks up the slack and it's like when I can say, hey, like the next couple of weeks are going to be super busy. He's like, all right, I'm on it. And the same for him. Like he's very involved in a lot of different things too. He's got a lot of irons in the fire all the time. So when he's like, all right, this next week is going to be tough. I'm like, all right, I got this. So I think it's having that partnership. We even talk to our kids about it, you know, okay, Mommy's going to be gone or Daddy's going to be gone or whatever. It's like we're all in this together. We're all a unit. Let's all pull together and, you know, get done what we need to get done. And but yeah, you just juggle.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, one of the things I will say, and this is me just noticing from a little bit of being around you guys, just again, a little bit, is that it seems like you really are in tune with your priorities. What are the things that matter most in life, right? And so I think for a lot of people, if they get too busy, sometimes they're saying yes to too many things, or they haven't really thought through, what do I really want to do? What matters most? What's going to fulfill me? Is that something that you've thought about? I mean, are you and Mike pretty conscious of, these are our priorities?

Yeah, I mean, I think we're, we're both, um, and this is how I think, um, everything is, is like triage, right? So it's like, you, you know what's most important, and then all of the other things kind of have to fall in line. Yeah. So, and they're different at different times, you know, like maybe I, maybe my house is dirty, but that was, that started falling, falling on the priorities list. And I'll get to it when there's not, you know, more important things to get to. But I mean, I'm always categorizing things in my head and I've got my to-do list and things are always shifting and changing orders, and that's how, that's how I operate. Yeah. Um, I don't know if everybody's like me in that, in that sense, but, um, yeah, you just try to, try to think like that all the time. And kids, obviously family, important, um, and everything else can fall in line.

I love that. You know, I, I, one other thing that I, I remember having a conversation with Mike and kind of asking, hey, I think I texting, hey, what do you got going on this Sunday? And he was saying, you know, you guys are going to church. And even I know Mike was leading a Bible study at your, you know, at your, at your house. And so I think that's one of the areas I think that people really love and respect about you guys is you're also very approachable. You know, I think a lot of times people get a certain level of fame and they're sort of a— their values change, their humility change. What would you credit to your, you know, kind of still walking with a humble spirit even though, you know, you've, you've had such an incredible career and so much notoriety?

Well, I do, I do think it helps that I am in the country music business. I feel like there's a lot more normalcy there.

Yeah.

Yeah. But I feel like what the way I have always operated is, you know, that's what I do. That's not who I am. Like, my, my identity is not in being a country music singer. And like, Mike's was never in playing hockey. And you see so many people, um, especially like athletes, when they do retire, have a really hard time with it because then it's like, well, who am I? Who am I now if I'm not doing this? He was never like that. And I hope I'm not like that. I know I'm still kind of in, you know, in, in the biz, but, um, I feel like I go off and I do my shows and then I That's Carrie Underwood. And then I come home and then I'm mom and I'm Carrie and I'm a friend. And we don't— I don't even really talk about what I do to other people. I feel like it took a while for my kids to fully understand what it was that mommy does. And I don't talk about it when I'm at home with them either. They really don't know that much about what I do, which I like. I don't want— that's not the stuff I want them to remember. Like, I want them to remember me. Like, Mom made dinner, you know, we went to church. Even if I have a late show on Saturday night, it's like, we'll, we'll get home and we'll rally and we'll go to church the next morning because that's a priority.

Yeah. What role has— has— you're talking about church— what role has faith played, do you think, in your, your home and even your career?

I mean, it's, it's the foundation on which everything else is built. It— that's a way to keep oneself grounded no matter what it is you're doing, um, to have a connection to, you know, to God, to a higher power. Like, it's, it's, um, you just get so much more fulfillment and satisfaction and contentment in your life when you have that, um, and, and that being the center of your family and what your decisions are based on. Yeah, I feel like it, it just gives you such a bigger sense of peace. And I feel like even in our, in our world, you know, you just see so many people just searching for that, and they look in all the wrong places.

Yeah.

Um, and you just want to be like, you know, look, look up. Yeah, there's a Bible, look at this, and look, look up. Um, and I feel like the world would be a lot less chaotic.

Yeah, amen. You know, I was reading a study recently that was basically showing that fastest growing health problem today is mental health. It's that. And so, you know, not cancer, not heart disease, but mental health issues. And I think a lot of that is tied to identity. One of the things I heard from you, which is I think so powerful if people can understand and embrace this, is that we should attach the greatest level of meaning to our identities as possible. And that comes in roles. So like our identity is, like you said, you know, I'm a, you know, I'm a Christian, I'm connected to God, I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a you know, you're a gardener, you know, we've talked about that, and a sourdough baker. So all of these things, but, but they come in a hierarchy. And so, you know, I think the world today is really confused and there's a lot of challenges around not taking on this sort of level of responsibility, role and identity, or it being out of order. Right. So for somebody, you know, who could easily be in your shoes to say my number one role is to make a lot of, you know, to, to sell a lot of records as a musician. If that's number one, that becomes your God versus for you, no, it's, it's God and then it's wife and it's mom. And so anyways, I just, you know, wanted to share. I just think that's so important for people to embrace this level of who am I and their identity and doing things that are meaningful because being a mom is so meaningful, right?

I had—

absolutely. There's an Andy Stanley quote I love and it's the most— I think it's the most important thing you might do in your life is not something you'll accomplish, but someone you raise. And so anyways, just, just reminds me a little bit of sort of that, you know, as you're talking about your most important role and one of those being a mom.

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, I, I look at my kids and I'm like, you, you need to know who you are and these foundational things in your life. Like, this is where we live, we're blessed to live here. Like, we're your parents, we're always going to be your parents, we're together. Like, you're— you have that foundation and you feel secure. In, in who you are and, you know, what you do and what your tasks are. And I feel like adults are no different. You know, we need those things too. We need those foundational pillars to build everything else on.

Yeah, it's what gives our life meaning, right? I mean, a big, a big part of it. You know, as I was saying, you know, mental health has been, again, fastest growing sort of health problem today. You know what, I, the past year and we haven't talked since then, I had a major health issue that I've had to kind of over— I had to overcome. And part of something that was so important to me was the idea of having the right mindset as I went through this season in time. You know, I think that, you know, in your career, in your life, we all come in and we all have challenges. What, what, what is one of the biggest challenges you've had over the past 5 to 10 years where you really had to foster a different type of mindset? And, and what was that mindset you did to overcome or overcome whatever it was?

I mean, I feel like something that anybody surely— I mean, I can't be the only one that's like in the spotlight— is having self-doubt. You know, you see yourself and you're like, I should have done better. I could have done better. Like, this didn't do what I thought it was going to do. Like, you know, do they like me? Like, what do they think? And when you're in the public eye, it's kind of like that's— it's impossible not to think like that. Because they are the ones, whoever they are, that are saying the things and, you know, that are coming to the shows and, you know, buying the music and stuff like that. I feel like that is where you can kind of see a skewed version of yourself and, you know, end up telling yourself you're not good enough and like you did terrible and work harder, you know, those kinds of things. And I mean, at the end of the day, I feel like that's all the devil trying to break you down, you know, trying to get in your head and make you feel those things and make you self-doubt and make you feel like you're not good enough.

Well, you know, I think that can be a comfort for some people because there's probably, there probably are a good amount of people thinking, well, Carrie doesn't have any doubts, right? I mean, she's just, you know, ultimately confident. And I think people probably think a lot of that of people who have experienced such a high level of success as you have. And one other question along with that, in terms of, um, I wanted to ask you, it's, it's related to self-doubt, but have you ever— have you had any limiting beliefs in your life that held you back for a time, but you realize this is not a good belief, like this is not a good way of thinking, and allowed you to experience some sort of breakthrough in your life or career?

I mean, I do think that, you know, outside pressure and the 'you're not good enough' self-doubt kind of thing is, is the limiter to me. Yeah. Um, because then you start instead of doing things because you love to do them, or, um, you know, believing that like you're gonna do your best and hopefully like that's all you can do, and then just being at peace with that and letting it go. Um, you know, it's that thing that will get you scrutinizing everything that you're doing, and, um, you can just drive yourself nuts and, and never feel like you've completed a work because, you know, you're, you're obsessing over it. So I think that's the— that's definitely the limiter, probably, in my— in my being. Yeah. And then, I mean, that also goes to, you know, in my life, being a mom and being a wife, it's like I work really hard and then I come home and sometimes I feel like I'm not doing any of it well. You know, if I'm working really hard, then I feel like I'm being a terrible mom and wife and friend and daughter and all of those things. If I'm at home and I'm like, immersed in that world, then I feel like I'm not doing a good job. So it's what I said earlier, you do the best you can.

Yeah. You juggle. That's good. That's a good mindset.

And just try to keep telling yourself that you are doing the best you can and be at peace with that.

There's a great study at Stanford and they found that, and it's very much what you're saying, this mindset of— it's a growth versus a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is, I got— I have to look perfect to everybody in the outside world. The growth mindset is, I just got to do my best. It's about effort. So I'm doing my best here. I'm doing— and if you have that mentality, it'll actually give you the greatest level of growth and, you know, success in life.

Then you can relax and enjoy it too.

Yeah, that's true. That's good. That's good. So you have a— you have a book. Yeah. Find Your Path.

Yes.

Talk— talk to me about that book that you wrote, because it's not— it's not about being necessarily a great musician. It's about— it's about growing in life and people reaching their full potential in life.

Yeah, it's, um, it's like an overall, you know, health, fitness, wellness type of, of book, but it's all very approachable. Um, hopefully people can read it, and, you know, I talk about mistakes that I made early on in my wellness journey. Um, and basically, to sum it up, the mistakes were I was like killing myself with cardio and, you know, not eating enough food.

Yeah.

And I feel like the more I learn, it's kind of like you can figure out how to implement things into your daily life that, you know, give you more energy, but also help your body, help your mind. We do recipes. We talk about working out. You know, just hopefully being a very common sense approach to health and wellness.

That's good.

Yeah, it was a— it was a lot of fun to write, but I mean, you've written a few books. It was very difficult. I'm, I'm really thankful, and I've said this a lot, um, I was pregnant with, uh, with Jacob when I was writing the book, and I had horrible insomnia at night, like awful. I would wake up and be awake from like 1 to 4 in the morning, and I just couldn't for the life of me go to sleep. And I would just go and I'd sit, I'd turn a little lamp on, and I would sit our little kitchen breakfast table, and I would write. And I'm like, I don't know if the book would have got done. Wow. I didn't have insomnia. Um, but yeah, it, uh, it was very tedious, but it was, uh, it was a lot of fun to do. And, um, you know, the, the best part, and I'm sure you get this as well, is when people kind of tell you their story or tell you how things helped them. Or I'll get people coming through meet and greet that'll be like, I've you know, I took charge of my health and I lost weight and I feel better and I can keep up with my kids. And that's, that stuff's really cool to hear.

Yeah. Yeah. And that's one of the things I've been so impressed with your career is again, there's, there's this idea of you're, you're, you're trying to use your talent not just to be well-known, but to do good. And I remember even talking to you and Mike when Chelsea and I, when we had you over for dinner, we talked a little bit about some of the charities and missions and philanthropy, just some of those things that, you know, you and Mike really felt passionate about. What are some of the areas of the world today, maybe over the past couple of years, that your heart breaks for and you're saying, I'm really intentional about giving or sowing into, you know, this area?

I mean, I feel like a lot of it does have to do with kids. When you have kids, then suddenly your, your heart does break for others that, you know, are struggling. We work with a children's center. I don't want to call it an orphanage because they, they do so much more than, than, you know, take care of kids that don't have parents. But they're like raising up a generation of young people in Haiti that, you know, hopefully will go out and then do good and, you know, change the world around them. But it's called Danita's Children. We do a lot with our church. We do a lot with our boys' school because they go to a Christian school. And I have a foundation in hometown that kind of is like an all-encompassing thing because I grew up in a really small home, a really small town in Oklahoma. And we do a lot with the school. We, you know, have donated instruments. We do a lot with the animals that are there. I mean, we're kind of all over the board. And whenever to us, it's like we always have our, you know, radars open. And if we feel like God has brought us certain charities or people or whatever it is to to help, then we try to be good stewards because at the end of the day, you know, it's not ours. Um, Mike, Mike was given his abilities by God. I was given my abilities and opportunities by God. So I feel like we just want to be good stewards of what we've been given. And yeah, um, it, it never fails that the more we, um, like lean into that, uh, the more we seem to be blessed with, um, which, you know, it reminds me of the parable of the talents, right?

You know, that we read about in the Bible where, you know, one person's given one, they bury it, another two, and they double it, and the five doubles it, right? So how, you know, what are your— one of the things that I see is God's given you a gift, right, with your voice and other areas as well. But how do anybody listening or watching this— what is your mindset around optimizing your talent?

Um, I mean, always be looking for opportunities. I think it's, it's important to say, is this an opportunity that, um, is this something I want, or is, or is this something that God wants for me? Um, you know, just, um, trying to give back when you can. Um, because like I said, it— you're going to get the blessings back.

Yeah.

Um, more than you could imagine. Um, and work, work hard. You, you got to put— you can't just sit there and be like like, you know, okay, bless me, you know, you, you got to get out there and you do have to work hard. Um, but it, it's all a team effort, you know, in, in every aspect. You and God, you and your family, the people that you work with, like, you're all part of a team and everybody's just got to do, you know, pull their weight and realize where it came from and be grateful.

That's so good. That's a good mindset. What is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

I mean, I don't know if anybody's ever just, you know, said something. I feel like I had really good, and I always say this, I had really incredible role models in my parents and how hard they worked and the things that they did with what they had. Just very good, hardworking people.. And I feel like that was a very good example for me growing up and knowing that, you know, you just get out there and get it, you know, don't be lazy, work hard, whatever it is that you're doing, whether it's, you know, at your job, in the garden, you know, you're with your kids, whatever it is, like give it, give it all you got. Don't be lazy.

Just so good. Yeah. You must have grown up in the Midwest like I did. I did.

Oklahoma. I mean, small town Oklahoma.

Yeah, it's so good. You know, I look back, my dad used to have me do pull-up— like, he put in a pull-up bar and he said, before you walk in the door, you have to do a set of push-ups and pull-ups.

Nice.

And so I did that for, you know, up until I, you know, left for college. And so there are just little things like that that I think, you know, I think my dad too, I don't think he ever missed a game, you know. And my parents were so involved. I read a study recently that just said, like, you know, being just involved and present with your kids is— I mean, this is almost obvious, but the most important thing outside of sending them to a good school or whatever it is, like, that was the most important thing of kids going on to be successful, just their parents were intentional and present, you know, with them regularly. The other big one was, um, family meals, at least 3 days a week, just sitting down having a family meal. I think, you know, you guys probably do a lot of, you know, family meals there too.

We have breakfast together every morning, um, and I, I— that's the thing I had to learn. I have to get up before my children get up because I'm not a morning person. And but it's like we have our routine, we start the day together, and I mean, we, we have dinner together every night, you know, when we're home we have dinner together, which my kids are little, they're not like teenagers running around having all of their extracurricular activities yet, um, but we eat dinner every night. I make dinner for us every night. It's what we do.

So good. Last couple questions here. So Aristotle said you are what you repeatedly do. What are some of those things you do repetitively, habits that you have that you feel like have really been beneficial for, you know, for your growth?

Um, in the morning before my kids get up, uh, I— we do sit and we, we read and we all have devotionals. Um, or sometimes, uh, I once heard somebody say, it really stuck out to me, we read a lot of books about the book book. Sometimes it's just good to read the book. So I, I focus a lot on— I'll do devotionals or small things, but then I'll like read the Bible in the morning. And that's something that both me and my husband do, um, I mean, every single morning. And then, um, I do prioritize fitness. You know, we, we again have our routines where we can drop the kids off at school, and then, um, even if it's something like this morning, I felt like I didn't have a whole lot of time and and I ran a bit and then I like did some outdoor chores that needed to get done anyway. That was my workout this morning. I prioritize that. I feel like that's important to our kids to see as well.

Yeah.

We talk about health a lot and I'll tell them why they can't have these things to eat or whatever it is. And we're pretty lax. I mean, they are children and I don't wanna be the biggest fun sucker ever.

Yeah.

But just prioritizing those things, wellness and health, I feel like is something that is pretty second nature.

I'm trying to think of any other things that I do regularly that I mean, you mentioned some good, you know, you're doing family meals, you're getting fit, you're doing, you know, time with God in the morning. I mean, that's a pretty—

those are pretty stellar routines. That sets you up. And before bed, I mean, we also like, we'll switch off, divide and conquer. We'll switch off on who takes who to bed what night. But we say prayers with our kids before they go to bed at night. So it's kind of like we start and we end the day. The same. And I feel like that, that sets us up pretty well for whatever may come.

So good. We called this podcast The Growth Lab, and so last question here is about growth. And we talked a little bit about it. What is your piece of advice if somebody wants to grow in their life? What is one of the things they could start doing right now to help optimize their growth?

Oh gosh, um, I mean, I feel like I feel like you need to know what you're growing towards. Um, I, I've never made a vision board, but I do like lists. Um, so knowing what your focus is, what your priorities are, like really thinking about how you want to get there. Yeah, praying about it, um, or meditating on things. Um, but yeah, I mean, I feel like knowing the direction that you're headed is kind of step one. So And I feel like that it changes, you know, because you're, you're going to meet different, um, you're going to meet those little finish lines along the way or be presented other opportunities in your life. Like, I never thought I'd be doing this, really. I was wanting to. I love to sing, but I kind of had a different trajectory in mind when I was growing up and going to school and stuff. But opportunities had me reevaluate my life. And, um, yeah. To just make lists, know where you're going, and try to think about how to get there and make sure you and the big man are on the same page.

So good. What I took away from that is, is, you know, have a big sort of— have a vision, have a strategy, and make God a part of it.

Exactly.

That's good.

You said it much more succinctly than I just did.

Well, that's part of my job. You're, you know, you talk and I'm trying to break down my biggest takeaways. So, well, Carrie, it's been so good having you here. It's such an honor. We have a few gifts for you before you go. Yay! So, um, yeah, my wife Chelsea made you a love— this is einkorn sourdough, so for you and the family to enjoy.

Thank you.

We also got you a— it's a kind of a special sourdough knife. We got a C on it, so your, your initial carved on there. And also got you a book here on sourdough recipes.

So thank you, up my game. I'm gonna have to ask her about the einkorn because I, I have einkorn flour in the pantry and I have yet to make a loaf with it.

So it's really, really good with butter.

Oh yeah, what isn't?

Exactly, exactly. Well, again, Carrie, thank you so much for coming on. Super, super grateful for you. And also want to say, hey, thank you everybody for watching another episode of the Growth Lab podcast. This has been Carrie Underwood Fisher sharing all of her brilliant ideas around health and fitness and growth. Hey, thanks so much for watching. If you're not subscribed, make sure to subscribe here to more episodes of the Growth Lab.