About

In a nutshell...

Hi, I’m Mik-  and welcome to Living With Mik!

I’m so glad you’re here. Living With Mik is all about making healthier living feel simple, doable, and actually enjoyable. Everything I share, write, and create here is research based (of course- with sources cited) with little pieces of personal experience sprinkled in between. 

I created Living With Mik because- well I'll just say it... I have been CONFUSED AS HELL over the years on what foods and products are actually and honestly "healthy". The world is FULL of noise when it comes to "health and wellness" right now. All of our favorite influencers and health gurus shouting whats good and whats bad, who's wrong and who's right. So who is right? And what is bad? And is the bad really as bad as they say it is? Is Red Dye 40 really that bad? It's been in our food for years... And Tide laundry detergent... That's been around forever! That can't be that harmful right?

So I decided I wanted to get to the bottom of the health and wellness agenda circulating in America right now. I took a deep dive into our foods, our household products, kitchenware, and bathroom essentials to learn that sometimes the companies that scream "healthy" the loudest... really aren't what they say they are. 

Whether you’re curious about animal-based eating, trying to detox your home, or just want to feel better in your body, I hope this space gives you some clarity and encouragement. Because once you start feeling good… everything changes.

The health journey:

The body builder phase

From childhood sports teams to now racing motocross and sport bikes, I’ve always loved pushing my body and competing. In college, I met my now-husband, who was as immersed as you could be in the world of bodybuilding. His commitment to training and eating a strict, high-protein, low-carb diet inspired me, and before long, I found myself stepping into the same lifestyle. I trained with a body builders aesthetic in mind, ate clean, and eventually entered bikini body building competitions of my own. Physically, I looked great… but inside, something was off. My energy was inconsistent, my gut felt sensitive, and mentally and emotionally, I didn’t feel balanced...

Over the years, I started listening to my body more (harder than you think!) and questioning the health advice I had followed so religiously. Around the same time, social media was exploding with new voices in the health and wellness space- people like Paul Saladino, Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, RFK, and Jordan Peterson were popping up in my feed- and they were making a splash to say the least. They weren’t afraid to challenge the mainstream narrative, and in fact, I use to think they were batshit crazy for the longest time (parts of them still are) but that gave me the push I needed to start exploring alternatives. After almost a year of just listening to these social media health physicians... I decided to go all in and try the carnivore diet- just steak for 30 days, no cheats. It sounded extreme, but I was ready to feel better inside. And surprisingly… I loved it. My body responded almost immediately. My digestion improved, my skin started to clear up, and my brain felt sharper than it had in years. I felt AMAZING.

Time for a change

After that month of STEAK ONLY, I slowly started adding things back in- seasonal fruits, dairy, and a few vegetables that felt good to me. What emerged from that experiment was something sustainable and energizing: an animal-based lifestyle that I’ve now followed for almost two years (and plan to continue til the day I die). I can genuinely say I’ve never felt better. I just turned 30 and I am in the best shape of my life. My gut is calm, my hormones feel balanced, and I’ve reached a place of mental clarity and emotional steadiness that I never found during my body building competition days. I’m not even tempted by the rolls at Texas Roadhouse anymore believe it or not! Seriously, how could I be when I feel this good? Be honest, if you felt like this you probably wouldn't want one anymore either. It's like I unlocked a level of health I didn’t know existed.

This transformation sparked something deeper in me. I started looking beyond food- at the products we use on our bodies and in our homes. The more I learned, the more I realized how many toxins we’re unknowingly surrounded by every single day. And in the wellness world, everyone seems to be shouting: “Do this, don’t do that. This product is good. That one is dangerous.” So… what’s the truth? That question led me to create The Crunchy Crash Course- A Beginners Guide To Living A Chemical-Free Lifestyle. I wanted to cut through the noise and empower people with real, practical information about what we’re putting in and on our bodies. This book is the resource I wish I had years ago- a deep dive into cleaner living, without fear, overwhelm, or perfectionism.

Meet The Team:

The doctor

My husband, Dr. Paydon Newman, has been a huge part of this journey. He’s a licensed physician with a background in health optimization, hormone therapy, and performance medicine. He’s spent years helping people feel better from the inside out- whether it’s balancing hormones, improving energy, or navigating weight loss. He brings a science-backed, no-BS approach to wellness that has shaped the way we live and the way I share information with you here. Everything in our home, and in this book, has his seal of approval- so you’re not just getting my personal experience, you’re getting expert insight too. If you want to learn more about him and his clinic you can head over to AltiusPerformanceMedicine.com.

The tankonater

This is our French Bulldog, Tank, or as our neices and nephews say- THE TANKONATER! He also is on an animal based diet with us.

The Fam

Believe it or not... I did NOT grow up "crunchy". Like most millenials, I grew up on Mac N' Cheese, Top Ramen, Captain Crunch (but the knock off brand), Jello, Tubberware and throw-away foam plates, the Wal-Mart brand laundry detergent, Bath and Body Works body wash, etc, etc.

It wasn't until later that I dipped my toe into the health optimization/wellness culture that I realized we had been low-key poisoning ourselves for years. With all that being said- I had the BEST childhood! I don't think we can regret what our parents fed us or what we fed ourselves, or what products we used in our homes all those years. We trusted these household brands to feed our families, clean or homes, make our lives easier, etc.

But thanks to modern technology, social media, podcasts, etc... the word is getting out! America is reclaiming it's health. People are starting to read labels and make more informed decisions on their food choices and their household products.

My hope is that I can help others become their own main character through gaining the confidence to live healthier and happier lives- because your deserve it.

Don't forget, you are the main character | Do hard things
Living With Mik