#98 TEDx speaker and stage 3 cancer survivor gives his advice on resilience and wellness for busy people w/ Savio P. Clemente

What does it take to survive massive adversity? In this episode of Timeless Teachings, my guest is Savio Clemente, a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, media journalist, and wellness coach for cancer survivors. Battling stage three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma led Savio on a journey to confront and understand the “inner stranger” within himself. During this journey he interviewed 200 other cancer survivors, wrote a book about it and became a spokesman. 

We talked about how facing a life-threatening illness forced him to delve deep into self-reflection, face and process shame, enabling him to connect more deeply with others and find strength in vulnerability. Tune in to discover how embracing your inner stranger can transform challenges into pathways for growth.

Discussion Topics: TEDx speaker and stage 3 cancer survivor gives his advice on resilience and wellness for busy people

• Introduction to the episode and Savio Clemente
• Who’s the Inner Stranger: How Savio’s cancer diagnosis led him to explore this part of himself
• The Journey Through Cancer: Savio’s diagnosis, treatment, and personal growth
• The Aloha Reboot: Savio’s 5-step approach to wellness and self-acceptance.
• Interviewing 200 Cancer Survivors: What were the common themes amongst all?
• Personal Responsibility and Growth: How to take personal responsibility for your healing and growth?
• Confronting Shame: Dealing with shame during his cancer battle and how he transformed it into a source of strength.
• Preparing for the TEDx Talk: Behind the scenes of Savio’s preparation for his TEDx talk.
• Advice for Integrating Wellness: Tips to incorporate wellness into your daily lives.
• Closing Thoughts

Transcript: TEDx speaker and stage 3 cancer survivor gives his advice on resilience and wellness for busy people

Yana: Hello, everyone. Today, our guest in this studio is Savio Clemente, who is a very interesting person I just met recently. And for the full transparency, he actually interviewed me for the authority magazine a few months ago. And for those who don’t know, yes, who is Savio P. Clemente is, he’s a TEDx speaker, a bestselling author. He’s an excellent media journalist and wellness coach for cancer survivors. So Savio, thank you for joining us.

Savio: Yana, thank you so much for that wonderful, really beautiful intro. Tell us, today you are tuning in all the way from where? I’m about 40 miles north of New York City. It’s a, it’s a county called Westchester and it’s a suburban county.

Yana: Beautiful. So we have this, uh, this conversation between Asia and United States today. So wonderful. Um, let’s talk [00:01:00] about your TED talk because I just find the topic is very interesting about how to love your inner stranger, which I find very intriguing, um, title, because under inner stranger, we can understand many things.

So can you please clarify, what do you understand under inner stranger?

Savio: Sure. So I left it intentionally curious and intentionally vague on purpose because the inner stranger to me was that part of me when I had cancer that I knew I had to get in touch with, that I had to find out what was the, like what was happening within me being told such a, I was stage three, a dire diagnosis.

Yana: That inner stranger for me was, how do I wrestle with who I am inside? to what the world is telling me from the outside. And I want to distinguish that inner stranger is not the inner critic because the inner critic is the one that constantly berates you. Inner stranger could be anything. It could be just someone that you have to get to know and I always challenge people to get to know thyself first because then you get to know other people if you understand yourself better. Well, you just shared that from the very beginning of our conversation about your cancer journey, and some people go and listening, they’re like, they probably just stopped eating breakfast right now, you know, listening to you. Uh, I mean, I understand that it’s, um, It’s something which you talk often about and yet I still feel that for most people who have not been there It’s quite a shocking word.

It’s not that we use lightly right and in every day And so maybe I just would like you to share a little bit with us You know, the question is not really even how was your journey? I mean, I’m sure it was not easy, right? I mean, it would be a strange question to ask. So I’m just glad you are here. 

Tough question probably to ask, but if you were to look back at your journey and maybe especially if it was happening in your mind. What do you feel helped you to be [00:03:00] here today?

Savio: Sure. That’s a wonderful question. So, cancer came into my life in 2014, July. Uh, it turned into the form of stage three non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. So it’s a blood cancer. Uh, DLBCL is the official medical terminology. And for me, I knew, so I was bedridden for a week in the hospital. They had to put a nephrostomy tube and had to distend about eight liters of fluid from my abdomen.

And then I spent another seven days in the hospital as well. just recovering. And in that course, the medical director said I need to start my first round of chemotherapy. So for me, I knew Jana that my physical body was dying. I just knew it because they told me that that’s what’s happening to me. Honestly, the other parts of me, like my emotions, my sensitivity, my love of, of, of people and friends and family, my spirituality. Was all alive like that my dreams were vivid at night because right I was in a hospital bed There’s nothing else that I could do except watch TV and go on my phone And so for me the genesis of my TEDx talk was really that moment where I saw my physical body Dying but the other parts weren’t so I said, well, how am I gonna pull?

That out of me, how am I going to make those areas stronger than what’s happening to me physically? And so the germination of treating myself like a stranger came through in that, that time frame. It was this idea that I’m much stronger than what my diagnosis is. I’m much stronger than what my physicality and my lack of physicality is.

Um, and so for me, it was really about being objective with myself. Like what’s, what are you wrestling with? What’s going on? And so for me. To answer that question, I just really used a combination of things. I did the six rounds of chemo. It was every three weeks. In between those, I did a whole bunch of integrative modalities.

Uh, I searched high and low. I set up a Google alert. Um, and fortunately for me, the story goes that in four and a half months, that same year, December of 2014, I was given my first remission status. And this past December of 2023, it’s officially nine years in remission.

Yana: Congratulations. You said a few things which I would like you maybe to go just a bit deeper, you know, and one of them when you said that there was this understanding that your physical body was dying, but the all the other parts of you were still very vibrant and alive 

So maybe let’s just talk also a little bit about a very fundamental. Um, I’m not going to be afraid to use the word spiritual principle when, uh, all the ancient texts tell us that we are not our body and you had a direct experience, right? So most people just don’t have this experience until they literally at the very end of their life.

So you had this experience very early [00:06:00] and I would like to focus specifically on that. This particular experience, when you realize that you are actually not your body, how do you feel that changed your mindset or the way how you look at life and brought you into the work that you are doing right now

Savio: Such a rich question. I have to take you back. So I, my background is Indian, although my parents are from Goa, India. Anyone who knows, Goa was ruled by the Portuguese. So I have very, um, Spanish sounding, Portuguese sounding names. And, um, I was raised with the Catholic faith. I did prayer, I was an altar boy, but I always in college just knew that that wasn’t the right path for me.

I always wanted to explore other things. And so I did. I studied Eastern Uh, you know, philosophy, very sort of open to reading texts from, you know, the, you know, you know, Vendanta all the way to, you know, modern spiritualism. And so for me, to be quite frank, I always had a hard time living in the physical body.

It sounds strange, but it’s always been a challenge for me. And I exercise, I try to do things to be more embodied with myself, but it never really, I was always more inclined to That the intangibles and so when cancer came it was a real wake up call for me To say something’s happening to you without this physical body You are not going to be able to do anything you want to do in this world You need to pay attention.

so for me, um You know, it harkens back to this idea of self realization, a lot of gurus and saints and really intelligent and well spoken people talk about this in many, many texts about that you are not your body, that your body is a vehicle, an expression of what it is that you want to achieve.

You are more, you’re obviously a soul having a human experience. And so for me, I relied on that experience and I’ve had some really good mentors who’ve helped me along the way. And I cherish. that situation and them for that. But cancer was my own journey and as much as I, um, would have liked for help, I didn’t, I didn’t have the wherewithal to ask for help.

And so a part of me just really relied on self. I mean, my parents and my siblings helped me and people would talk to me and everything, but I was just trying to understand what is the purpose of this situation? Like, I don’t think we’ll ever know as humans, what’s the cause of the effect. I don’t think we’ll ever know.

Um, but it happened, right? And shitty things happen in our lives, unfortunately. So my choice was, what am I going to do? Am I going to just fall into it? Because when the doctors did a bone marrow aspiration, they told me, people yell, they kick, they scream, they spit, they, you know, we’ve, we’ve seen it all.

And I was just very calm. I mean, I was sweating, but I was calm. And they told me, they’re like, we’ve told people. This and done these bone and bone marrow aspirations on people and you handled it so well, and I looked at him I said, what am I supposed to do crumble? That’s not my personality. I’m not I’m not built like that And so for me, it was really [00:09:00] relying on those principles My understanding of what spirituality is.

Yana: Spirituality is not just meditating And just like saying ohm and chanting. It’s really working with its sweating effort as someone once called it It’s using the ability to understand the mind understand the body and find a cohesion with with higher consciousness It is such a profound way of talking about it, Savio. Um, especially when humans are confronted with mortality. Then. Suddenly they go back to their center and start asking all of those really deep questions.

I think I was like exposed to death very early in my life. And it’s like first I didn’t know animals, then I just like older relatives.

Then I think when I was like

16, my mom got very sick and doctors told me that she might not make it. And I still remember sitting the whole night on the floor in the hospital, wondering, you know, if she’s going to make it or not. And it was like a very, Like a very full realization that actually humans die and, 

It’s for me, it’s interesting, you know, talking with you who actually. survived cancer because my first husband didn’t. So, you know, I know kind of the other side of the story when you are with someone who is very ill for a long time with that and battling, but then, for whatever reason, didn’t make it. But then also, if they go, then everyone else who is left has to deal with grief and all those questions. Could they have done better? even though those are all very traumatic experiences, I do find it fundamentally teaches us what is important in life.

And that’s what I would like to ask you as my next question. You know, after looking at all of that, what do you actually realize? That is important in life.

Savio: So I’ve been a longtime seeker. I mentioned that my upbringing was Catholic, a very traditional faith. Um, and I think my rearings in, you know, two of my biggest strengths, I’m a board certified wellness coach, so I’ve done assessments, is the love of learning and curiosity. And those two things coupled with meeting fortunate people who showed me a way, who showed me a path before I had cancer.

Really helped set me up on a road because I realized that even though I might not understand the cause of why this happened to me, I can still maybe make some debt in the effect. I might not win. I might not still be alive, but I have to try. And so I did. I went high and low. I set up a Google alert on my disease.

I, you know, I did the treatments. I did integrated modalities. I did energy medicine. You know, I was a meditator. So I, I meditated, you know, frequently I exercised. I did all these things because for me, I wanted to just say that if I didn’t make it, that if I somehow lost the, lost the fight, then that’s a very controversial word in the world of cancer.

Some people don’t look at it as a fight. I saw it as a fight. Because it was a challenge for me. If I didn’t make it, at least I can go, wherever we go, I believe we go into some type of spirit where we don’t have a body. Wherever we go, I can confidently say, I did my best. And so after five years is when I decided.

after hitting five years that I wanted to do something with it. My background was IT. And I said, what am I going to do with what just happened to me? And so I tried to empower myself and be an example. And that’s why you see some of these accomplishments here. But to just echo on just some of the things that you mentioned in general, you know, my TEDx talk, I wanted to leave people with.

A gem, a nugget of information, and I coined it the Aloha Reboot, and Aloha is a Hawaiian word which means hello or hi. And so for me, it’s really like the A in Aloha, it’s the acronym, is acknowledgement. Like acknowledge where you are, the power of that present moment. Don’t try to ignore it. Don’t try to stuff down your feelings.

Feel into that surrounding. L is just as simple as listening to that inner voice. Just asking how it feels and and that’s a strange thing because most people are like, what are you talking about? I’m talking to myself, but I’m not telling you to do it in public Do it in the privacy of your own home or the own sanctuary or the own ritual whether it’s in prayer or whether it’s in meditation then O stands for opening like open yourself up to forgiveness and Self compassion and just treat yourself kindly like you would to someone else that H was this idea of harnessing harness the wisdom from within and then a simply just act on that like act with purpose and I say that reboot because I wanted to something simple for people to get in touch with that inner stranger that inner self.

That objective self that’s not having the machinations of the mind that has that filter on that constantly has that loop going. It’s something greater and more. And so if I address that question, I hopefully I did appropriately. It’s really about feeling into why are you here? You know, there’s so many people I talk to that talk about purpose, like, why am I here?

What am I doing? And you have to step back and say, what are we all doing on this giant rock floating in space? Think about it. Like, what’s the purpose of that? And I think it’s our job. To live and figure it out.

Yana: Where are you in this journey?

Savio: it’s interesting because people said to me like you must have had a really like, like really bad lifestyle before cancer. No, I didn’t. I ate organic foods. I was exercising six to seven days a week. I was doing spinning, boxing, strength training. I was taking vitamins, seeing a naturopath, but I will say, Yana, I was going through a turmoil with three other people.

It was a business relationship that was sour and I didn’t have the courage. I know now, looking back, I didn’t have the courage to speak up. I let it just go. And I think, I think, I’m not saying it was the reason for my cancer, but I think it, it didn’t help. It didn’t help the situation. 

And for me, when cancer hit, I knew it was a different, I had to reroute. What I was doing that it wasn’t, it was time to let go. And so for me right now, where I’m in the journey, I’m in the journey of empowering. Like I want to be the example for cancer survivors. You know, we’re not guaranteed.

Like I’m, I’m nine years remission free. I do scans every year. I don’t have to do it. They told me after five years, I don’t have to, but I choose to because I, I just want to do that for myself. Um, but you know, TEDx speaker, board certified wellness coach for cancer survivors, I have a bestselling book where I highlighted, I’ve interviewed 200 cancer survivors, different facets of life.

And my editor was the one who said to me. Savya, this needs to be a book. And so we ended up doing a book a year and a half ago, highlighted 35 of their stories, told my own, became a bestseller. And I’m also a journalist. And the journalism part about, is that these editors and these facilities, because I, like, I just came back from India doing a wellness experience for National Geographic.

And for me, all it just means is that I’m able to give individuals, readers. And viewers information on what’s wellness, what’s illness. Is there a middle ground between the two? Does, does the lack of illness means wellness and there’s a continuum.

So, and I just like to inform and delight because for me, the journey is about learning and enriching some more and also facing my fears. I mean, to be honest, being a TEDx speaker was a big deal for me because it was speaking in front of a public, standing up. Not on a panel, but in front of other people.

So I’m, I’m on that journey of trying to come into my own power and not, and being seen for that power in, in an empowered way, not a boastful way, but a way that can uplift other people. And so far, it looks like I’m doing a good job because my TEDx came out about 2 and a half weeks ago. And, uh, as of today, I think it’s close to 15, 000 views.

Yana: Congratulations! We’re also going to include the link of course in the podcast and I encourage our audience go check out Savvy Aesthetics. Leave a comment. That always helps.

Savio: Yes, thank you. 

Yana: You said that you interviewed 200 cancer survivors. And that then became, right, the book, right, out of 35 stories. Um, if I were to ask you, what were your, maybe, three most surprising, Insights 

aha moments,

Savio: So what was really important to people is that lots of them talked about this idea of that when they had cancer they had a team, a team of people emailing them, calling them, making appointments for them and when they were a survivor or In remission or no evidence of disease, everyone fell by the wayside.

So they had no support system, and it’s funny because I didn’t see it like that. For me, it was just my battle with cancer, and that’s a controversial word, like I mentioned. Um, and so for, for them, they needed that, but they didn’t, their husbands didn’t understand, their, their wives didn’t understand, their children, because they didn’t go through it.

So for them, they felt lonely. So that was a very interesting. Another thing someone mentioned was bringing people to your appointments. Because then they become scribes for you. Because the doctors tell you all this information. You’re just like trying to make sense of it all because you’re thinking, I’m gonna die.

And the friend is also doing something for you. So when they say, can I do something for you? They’re helping you, so bring them along with you. I didn’t need that, I was just a different breed of person. And then I would probably say the third one, and probably the most important one, and I kept hearing it over, and over, and over again, is cancer is not a death sentence.

Thankfully, With medicine and with the advancement of technology, we can find ways to mitigate, you know, death. And they wanted, all of them were constantly telling me that, which was really wonderful to hear. It’s also a risky and tricky thing, right? So it’s never a guarantee. One guy interviewed, uh, he was told he has 2 percent chance of living, pancreatic cancer, and he’s a finance guy.

He said, wait a minute. Why can’t I be one of the 2%? Why do I have to be the part of the 98%? And then another person I interviewed, he’s actually a Hollywood voice actor named Rob Paulson. His work, he did, uh, he does voices for Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain. His livelihood isn’t his voice, he had throat cancer.

So he was thinking Okay, I have cancer, but now I can’t work. Like, I can’t do the thing I absolutely love to do. Fortunately, he’s still here. He’s a survivor. He’s still working in Hollywood. Um, and so those are the stories that really touch me. I wanted to get a wide swath of people, different cancers, different ethnicities, different genders, because I wanted people to understand.

We are here and my book is very clear because I wanted them to intentionally put their website, put their social media, not to just promote them, which is great, but for people to say they are still here. They’re still living. They’re still thriving. They’re still doing, even though the universe dealt them a bad hand.

They’re still here. So that was important to me.

Yana: When you shared about those three things, what stood out for me, actually, that you went pretty much through your journey by yourself.

So where you’re telling me that it was a conscious choice. And I just find it’s also very interesting because that’s fundamentally then also brings human being in a place where you have to take responsibility for everything that is happening in your life.

And. I think it’s a huge shift because that actually what differentiates people very often, um, in terms of, uh, fulfillment, success, happiness, um, I don’t like the word achievements, but I just can’t come up with the better word right now. Right. So contribution, uh, sort of whatever it is that they are doing, uh, into the world and how they are dealing with the adversity of their own life.

People tend to put responsibilities and hopes very often on others in various situations in life, and particularly with critical illnesses. So how did you manage to actually stay centered?

Savio: So for me, I, it was a natural thing, as you mentioned, it’s just my part of my personality. There’s a lot of people that I want to support. When I came out of the hospital after 15 days, I lost like 12 pounds. My mom looked at me and she’s like, Oh, no, no. We got to change this. So, she made sure I was fed, and that was great.

That was wonderful. But ultimately, I knew I had to, like, my dad wanted to pick me up. Like, he said, do you want to come to the chemo with you? Like, five hours of staring at me? No, dad. That’s going to make me more self conscious. I can’t. But he would pick me up, you know, after it was done. And I had that kind of support, but I know fundamentally after researching and getting to know myself and seeing the world and studying and doing all these things that at the end of the day, we came here by ourselves and we leave by ourselves and this challenge and this cancer.

This situation, this malady of mine is only mine to try to fix, right? I can have doctors help me. I can have other people help me because at the end of the day healing doesn’t always take place in the chemo bed. Healing doesn’t always take place in the hospital bed. It takes place in those little moments that you’re not thinking about.

It takes place in miraculous Times and situations it takes place in in other forms of modalities and I knew for me I had to have body autonomy and body autonomy meant taking full Responsibility for whatever the cause of the effect was and finding a way through it Not that it was something that was thrust upon me because I was a bad person Although Yana to be honest, I felt shame.

I felt like I was less than I felt like I felt like um And my parents like, you want to tell us the relatives? And I’m like, no, they’re going to come over and what, what am I like a zoo animal? Like, I just, I’m like, that’s not going to help me. I said, I understand, but it’s not going to help me. So I asked them not to say anything.

Um, and to this day, some relatives don’t even know that I had cancer, actually. Um, nine, yeah, nine years later. Um, for me, it was something I had to work through. Um, and it took me a while to work through. that type of vulnerability and that type of shame. But I also knew that cancer for me was a challenge.

It was the only thing I could do nothing that nobody else could do anything for me. And I had to figure it out for myself. And so I think what separates people from their disease or their situation is, um, a, uh, an understanding of what the motivation is, what the value system is for why is it that you want to Like, be alive.

And I know that’s a very controversial question. That’s, you know, because at the end of the day, we all want to be alive. But when you’re actually put to the test like that, you have to really dig deep and really figure out for yourself. Okay, am I gonna live or am I gonna die? And one of my favorite movies, is the movie Shawshank Redemption, um, where, where it’s like Tim Robbins and, um, Morgan Freeman.

And there’s an echoing theme and it goes, get busy living or get busy dying. And that kept rolling onto my head. I’m like, I might not win this, this, this particular situation, but I have to at least do my best. 

Yana: you mentioned the word shame, which is a very strong word, and it’s also very powerful and it’s sort of powerful in a sense where every human being, I would say, probably above. definitely above 30 would have an experience of shame if not before that. And then that’s often what defines people and also, uh, sometimes it creates PTSD.

Um, sometimes it creates fears that people, um, not willing to be seen because that triggers more shame in that particular aspect, right? So it means that they don’t have courage to actually speak up about what is important for So here you are, have been sort of in a situation when you lived through what you have lived through and you have experienced that shame and you didn’t even want your relatives to know. And now you’re writing a book and you’re a TEDx speaker and you’re going on the podcasts all around the world, uh, talking very openly about it.

Um, how did you protest shame, Sevya?

Savio: think it was a combination of just understanding what my triggers were and really coming to face to face with it. I mean, I still have other, right, we’re all a work in progress. So I’m not going to say I’m shame free because Brene Brown would just laugh at me, right? She’s one of my absolute idols in the area of shame and vulnerability.

Um, but really I think shame, I think there’s two choices with shame. I think you can let shame eat away at you. Right? Or only eat a little bit at a time, because I don’t think, unless you’re someone else, I think shame is just part of the human experience, whether it’s in high intensity or low intensity.

So right now I’m managing the shame. Uh, I can’t say it has an overarching grip on me at all. Certain parts, right? Certain areas of my life, of course, it’s still gonna, you know, linger. And there’s, you know, trigger things that do happen from time to time. But I think shame is just one of the things where you have to face it head on.

You don’t face shame head on that it wins. It controls you versus you controlling it.

Yana: You mentioned Bren Brown and you know, the talks, which also was very famous on TEDx and there are I don’t know how many millions of people probably watched the talk about vulnerability and it’s also inspired all of us just to be more honest. with ourselves, and you just did a TED Talk, so I’m curious, is there, um, an interesting story about preparation?

Is there something that people would absolutely not guess what’s [00:26:00] going on when you prepare for the TED Talk? So please tell me.

Savio: sure. So being a TEDx speaker is not a joke. It’s a lengthy month to month process. Uh, this particular place in Raleigh, North Carolina chose me. They had over 300 applicants. They only chose 10 and they chose me a few weeks before I had to do it. They chose me to be the first person to speak. So not only did I have to set the tone.

But it’s my first foray into this world where I had some fears around public speaking. Um, and so what you saw in the video is wonderful and great. I did the best job I possibly could. Like I mentioned, I’m no Simon Sinek. I’m no Brene Brown. They’re, they’re one of my idols.

Yana: Savio, you’re on the way.

Savio: really, that’s really, that’s really nice.

Thank you for the vote of confidence. Um, but the way it happened was I went up there, I did first minutes. Of, of my talk and they had mic issues. So I was called back. They fixed the mic issues. I went back up. I did two minutes of my talk. Another mic issue. The organizer came running. She’s like, let’s start all over.

Thankfully it wasn’t live streamed. It was live in front of 225 people. Uh, and so I went back there and then the third time I went up, no mic issues. I, I knocked it out of the park and someone actually told me at the end, they’re like, you echoed resilience. In how you handle that. You didn’t frazzle. You didn’t, you didn’t, you didn’t fall apart.

You didn’t get angry. You were just calm and collected. And I said, I’m a New Yorker. I went through 9 11. I had, I’m cancer survivor. Like I said, if they wanted me to do it 20 more times, I would have done it 20 more times. I came here to do a job. And at the end of the whole session, that day was a long day.

We had dinner as a group and they said, Okay. When we were looking at the names we’re so happy we chose you to go first because anybody else would have crumbled and folded. So what you saw in it is me talking about a real situation in my life, but the precursor in it of itself is, uh, is a sight to see.

Yana: Do not mess with cancer survivors. This is, this is pretty much right. The bottom line. So I

Savio: would love it because it’s one shot, one opportunity. That’s how I saw it. One shot, one opportunity.

Yana: loved it. And you know, some people are going to be like listening to the audio version of our conversation. So for those who are listening now to the audio version, you don’t see how Savio looks. So, I can tell you that he looks just very vibrant and healthy.

And of course, then it makes me wonder, um, what is your routine? What do you do? How do you stay that vibrant right now that whatever you had nine years ago that is not shown anywhere on your face or body?

Savio: Well, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. I work hard at it. Uh, I’m a long time meditator, so I’ve been doing it before cancer, meditate now 20 minutes a day. I have my own practice with that. Um, I, you know, say a few affirmative, uh, prayers. I like to keep, I’m a wellness coach, so I practice what I preach.

So, you know, healthy diet, drink lots of water. Get, sunlight, but I think also is really wrestling, uh, this harkens back to my talk, really wrestling with that inner stranger, wrestling with that part of me that I have to reconcile, wrestling me with a part of me that I have to let go, wrestling with the part of me that I have to face.

And I think once you do that, once you let things go, better things can enter your life. So, you know, I just want to be an example. I’m not here to profess that. You know, this or that, I’m just someone who’s just living my life the best way I could. I was dealt what I was dealt for whatever reason and, um, cancer, I don’t think I would ever say it’s a blessing for me because I don’t think that’s an appropriate thing to say, but it showed me an avenue and a path that I would have never.

If you told me before 2014 that I would have been a board certified wellness coach, I mean, then you would have told me that I would have written a bestselling book about cancer survivors. Would I have been at a tech talk about cancer survivorship? No. Would I do stories of interviewing 200 cancer survivors and then doctors in the field of oncology from all the way from Yale Health to Sloan Kettering?

No. So, cancer showed me a new avenue, a new path, and it said, Do you want to let that part of you go with that situation that I had? Do you want to face and walk this now? It hasn’t been an easy road, right? Ups and down business, you know, business, um, you know, having a successful business is hard work, but I’m willing to put in the work.

And the reason why you see this vibrancy is because I love doing this. I love, love just allowing myself to be seen, allowing myself to tell the story and allowing people to grasp hope and inspiration from that. If I can just change a few people’s lives, Then I did my part and maybe the reason why I’m still here is to do that.

Yana: I am sure that at least for one person who is listening right now to our conversation, you changed life. I am sure about it. So that’s what you always say, that we’re aiming at least for that. If it helps one person, then we succeeded. If it helps more, it’s a wonderful bonus to have. a wellness coach, 

I am just curious here to ask you, perhaps, maybe three tips. That you would like to give people who want to include more wellness into their lives and we specifically talk about people who have, you know, full lives. So usually it is family, children, business, uh, full schedule. You’re a New Yorker, right?

So you will understand. And so it’s not like you, most people wouldn’t have three hours of time for wellness. So, and at the same time, so what do you feel that anyone can do to include into their schedule? That would actually. Uh, greatly level up their level. Please.

Savio: on my, uh, on my particular coaching for cancer survivors because there’s something about seeing people come through a heartache like that or a situation like that. You know, what I do when I coach is I let them see that

whole totality of that vision. And that vision includes amplifying their voice, telling their story, because telling stories is very important, whether that’s in a book, or that’s an article, or that’s their own podcast.

I help them do that through my journalism and through my expertise and through my coaching. And, you know, You’re right. Well, this is very accessible, especially nowadays we have access to it. So I would, and this is probably a plug, but I would use my Aloha method, which is definitely the, the reboot, which is the acknowledgement, the listening, the opening, the harnessing, the acting, because I think that’s very important to get in touch with yourself.

Then of course, you know, the basics are some form of gratitude, but there’s a twist with gratitude because there’s a, uh, Harvard, I’m, sorry, a University of Pennsylvania professor who says when you make gratitude lists, they’re great. But you need to ask yourself, why is it that that particular thing you’re grateful for happened?

Why are you grateful for your house? Is it because you worked really hard and saved it? Because it adds more of a nuance to your gratitude. So I would say gratitude is really the second. And then I would say some type of connection with something greater than yourself. I’m not going to call it God, because people believe what they believe.

I’m just calling something that’s a lot larger than you and figuring out your place in that whole world. And what that means is responsibility, and some type of responsibility for yourself in terms of honoring that, and also responsibility to other people, because I believe we’re all connected. And if we’re all connected, Part of that greatness is part of everyone else.

And so those three things are probably the tenants. That I would say, of course, you know, eat good food, drink lots of water, get sun, all the natural things, but I will, I will, I will have to say I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing, you know, Venus Williams and Ice T and Deborah Messing and Carson Kressley, all these celebrities and people like, weren’t you nervous?

I’m like, no, they’re humans. And some of them have more problems than we do. And Venus was very honest with me. She’s like, people don’t know, but I have, I have gastrointestinal issues and I can only eat what I can eat. And people look at me as this great athlete, but I got my own wellness things that I need to work on.

And I really love the honesty that she gave me in that interview. And, you know, even when I go to like places, like the places that I mentioned, like all around the world, and I see wellness, I’m like, we know the tenets of wellness, right? The simple things. Right. But then there’s like all these uber experiences that people have red light therapy and ice cold bads and, and, you know, and 300, 400, 500 treatments and those are great and those are fun.

And I enjoyed, I enjoyed it. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed it. But the fact of the matter is I think wellness first starts with respect for yourself and honoring that greatness within you. Even, even if you are going through some type of challenge, whatever that is, whether it’s cancer or whether it’s something else in your life.

Yana: Thank you so much and that was Savio P. Clemente on Timeless Teachings podcast in a very honest and deep and vulnerable interview. So thank you Savio for opening up. So just humanly about all those aspects of your life and I do hope that your story and your sharing and the tips, as I said, inspire at least one person who is listening or watching this today.

And we will include the link to your Ted talk and to your book. And of course I do encourage everyone to go in and check it out and please Savio on social media. And I’m going to be seeing you next time with another guest.

Our Guest: Savio P. Clemente

Savio P. Clemente, a TEDx speaker and Stage 3 cancer survivor, knows transformation from the inside out. Battling cancer ignited a fire within him. This journey not only shaped his character but laid the foundation for his mission: empowering cancer survivors and ambitious leaders to amplify their voices and forge a truly healthy, wealthy, and wise lifestyle.

Through his best-selling book and impactful work as a media journalist — covering inspirational stories of resilience and exploring wellness trends — Savio has collaborated with notable celebrities and TV personalities, bringing his insights to diverse audiences and touching countless lives. He guides you to love your inner stranger, rewrite your narrative, and unleash your potential. As a Board-Certified Wellness Coach, Savio helps individuals discover the profound truth: “to know thyself, is to heal thyself.”