#47: Carlisle Studer

"There is always purpose in the delay."

Mar 16, 2025

#47: Carlisle Studer

Welcome to Health Gossip. Today’s guest is Carlisle Studer, a child actress turned CEO of Girl Science. I first came across Carlisle on health Twitter, where she popularized the ‘legs up on the wall’ concept (good for lymphatic drainage, digestion, sleep…but you probably already knew that) and having a landline (back soon). A few years later, here we are.

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At a glance…

Location: My 125-year-old apartment in Austin, Texas

Big 3: Capricorn/Aquarius/Cancer

@carlislediana

What does health, or ‘being healthy,’ mean to you?

Je ne sais quoi. Joie de vivre. Aura. Serendipitous occasions. I’ve often found all of those things to suffer when health suffers. I was never really shy or anxious I was just not very healthy. What if the loneliness epidemic is a metabolic illness, not a mental one?

I often watch how people drive to determine their metabolic health. I think healthy people are better at parallel parking under stress. They probably have better micronutrient stores. I have a theory hormonal birth control has made women generally worse drivers. Merging or switching lanes shouldn’t be stressful!

I know my own wellbeing isn’t “good” when I’m unable to have witty replies, feel extremely reclusive, and am overwhelmed by simple tasks. Being healthy is supposed to give us more capacity for adventure, not seclude us to a bubble of being slaves to our “optimal routines.”

Was there a moment when you became more aware of your health, or your relationship to it changed?

I’ve always been into potions and tinctures, fascinated by the human body and a low key anti-vaxx believer since I was 17.

However, the week of my 22nd birthday I got hit with crippling fatigue. I distinctly remember having to lay down on a museum bench because even walking took too much energy. I got my aura picture taken that week and the elderly Chinese lady warned me that something was off. She said I was “cold” and I needed to consume “only hot food[s], only warm drink[s].” If you know anything about Traditional Chinese Medicine, you know she saw something I couldn’t.

This fatigue plagued me for two years and changed the very fabric of who I was and how I operated through life. I had to move home and live with my mom. I spent my early twenties pouring over textbooks, online courses, forums, etc trying to fix myself. It was lonely but when you’re told your bloodwork is “normal” you don’t really have a choice but to become your own doctor. Everyone told me I was depressed and “should try Prozac” but I inherited my father’s stubbornness and knew in my bones what I was experiencing was physical, not mental.

My fast-paced lifestyle now is a love letter to her; she never thought we could live a life with so much energy. It makes me tear up now to think about.

Ironically, I wouldn’t have the job I do now without sharing my knowledge of health and what that means for me online. There is always purpose in the delay.

How would you describe your current lifestyle?

Very unpredictable. I can’t seem to leave the house without some strange chance encounter, or losing my keys. I don’t think I’ve gotten more than 7 hours of sleep in over a year. This time in my life is so precious I want to save it in a bottle and get drunk off of it at a later date. I say yes to everything, I love my job, I work out 5 times a week, I make all my food from scratch, I have friends that stop by nearly unannounced.

Fast paced. Disciplined… yet lavish. I’m testing my limits of caffeine usage and workload capacity but my grandmother (who recently passed) would always say “get up, life is juicy” and I carry this with me everywhere I go. It is my silver string, my north star.

My mom’s text when I asked her to describe my lifestyle

How do you start and end your days?

Every morning starts with some type of brew and putting hair ties around my ears for 10-30 minutes to help depuff my face. Usually the brew of choice has dandelion, parsley, goldenrod, or other kidney, liver, and lymph-supporting herbs. Lately I’ve been adding a heaping teaspoon of Rosehip syrup, which is huge for the histamine-intolerant girlies who need the vitamin C. Then I have a small breakfast of stewed pears with coconut oil or a carrot salad before going on a walk to get a latte with whole milk and sunshine in my eyes before I turn my phone (and wi-fi on). I’ll do the big 6 lymph drainage while getting ready for the day and before my official 30g of protein breakfast.

Once I’m home from the gym or a night out I’ll take a shower, lather my body in rose oil or magnesium lotion. I’m not really into skincare; I just do whatever this esthetician in NYC who I FaceTime with tells me (thankfully this involves colostrum serum). I had a horrendous acne breakout over the summer but that was due to kissing a boy who I was literally allergic to (sigh, he was gorgeous).

I’ve struggled with cavities. I’m currently adding lactoferrin to my toothpaste to fight the bacteria strain that causes cavities, and use ozonated gum gel when I floss. I psyopped myself into enjoying flossing my teeth every night. I also tongue scrape with a copper scrapper. After that I’ll put my legs up on the wall for 15-20 minutes while reading and doing red light therapy on my thyroid and telling my adrenals how thankful I am for them putting up with my lust for life. I drink more herbal tea at night which is a blend of chamomile, tulsi, rose, and catnip to ease my nervous system.

I have a pretty light supplement stack right now for sleep. Just spraying my feet with magnesium oil and doing ½ tsp of baking soda in water right before bed. This helps me sleep through the night and gives me very vivid dreams and energy to navigate the astral realm. I scroll before bed but I’m not that mad about it.

Are there any practices that you rely on when feeling ungrounded, unsettled, or ‘unhealthy,’ per your definition above?

I really like to work hard so I can indulge even harder. I could write an entire book on how fun it is to care for yourself and to be endlessly curious on the feedback your body is constantly giving you. Maybe it’s because my chart ruler is the moon or because I’m “particular” but I have many different things I turn to when feeling anxious or unhealthy.

A really sweaty gym session. Lifting weights in baggy cotton clothes (I call this “going Adam Sandler mode”) while listening to my Eastern European gothic music playlist. Bonus if my gym crush is there and he says hi.
Making a really extravagant meal high in fats and protein. Chopping vegetables, stirring sauces, nourishing myself always brings me back to earth. Specifically lamb for its warming properties.
Two dirty martinis, a little gossip, and a Hestia cigarette.
Reflexology, craniosacral therapy, getting the muscles in my jaw manually released, buccal massage facial — any type of massage, really.
Sitting barefoot under a tree and watching the bats at dusk (oh how I love bats).
Calling my mom, who will ask “have you tried praying over a glass of water and drinking it?” (trust me, try this).
When I’m crashing out I usually book some type of astrology reading. Often I cancel, but I like consulting the cosmos when necessary.
I navigate my fears and anxieties largely through archetypes and characters. Maybe it’s reminiscent brain rot from being a child actor, but if I’m completely burnt out I’ll just think of a character who could handle the situation and pretend to be her for the day. Usually I like to pretend I’m a spy or a detective. This helps me get my work done.
B-vitamins. The only supplement I take daily and don’t cycle. When I go long periods of time without, I become susceptible to sadness, overwhelm, and negative thinking patterns. I like this one my friend Gwenyth recommended!

Are there any principles or mantras that guide your day-to-day?

Currently into “you can just do things.”

What’s your relationship to self-healing?

I haven’t seen a primary care physician in nearly fifteen years, I haven’t had a vaccine since I was thirteen, and I’ve brought myself back from the depths of hormonal and metabolic/physical issues without professional help.

Self-healing is the energetic imprint of who I am and how I live my life. No part of my life or wisdom was left untouched by my self-healing journey.

I am actively looking for a good doctor or naturopath in Austin, and am overdue for some routine bloodwork, but I often think diagnoses can be curses and don’t like needles.

When dealing with a new symptom first I frantically keyword search through Andra’s X account for clues. One of the only web weavers in the health space I trust.

Whenever I begin to ruminate on a current symptom, I swear the remedies for it reveal themselves to me from online posts, books that stand out at the store, or overheard conversations. I just put my antenna out for what I’m worried about and usually the information finds me. I like to operate as a magnet, not an arrow.

Do you work with any practitioners, texts, or modalities on a regular basis?

I always come back to Traditional Chinese Medicine. I just booked a session with one of the best acupuncturists in Austin. I hope she restores my kidney Qi and makes me hotter. I dabble in energetic medicine, too, and have had great success in the past with quantum biofeedback. I’ve avoided somatic healing for quite some time as I don’t like emotional burdens but I think that will be my next venture.

What types of foods are you typically drawn towards? Do you have a favorite meal?

I will never say no to scallops, lamb, bone marrow, kumquats, lychees, pomegranate juice, or macaroons. I always have some type of beef gelatin snack on hand. This week it’s green tea jello.

I’m unpredictable and my cravings change every week. But my staples are:

Goat milk
Low-fat cottage cheese
Scallops/shrimp
Lamb/beef
Whatever fruit I’m craving, usually something in season (I get the banana ick but enjoy all other fruits)
Frozen berries
Fresh herbs
Raw honey
Romaine or arugula
Gerolsteiner sparkling water
Aloe vera juice (inner leaf always!)
Parmesan or halloumi
Lovebird cereal or rice cereal for rice krispy treats (made with beef gelatin marshmallows, duh)
Masa flour (for cottage cheese protein pancakes)
Some type of delectable sweet treat
Pink roses if it’s Sunday

When do you feel the most nourished?

When I have a new obsession. It’s so exciting. The heartbreak of losing interest in a former obsession rivals that of a breakup. I can never predict my next one. One time it was the NBA and I became top 10% in the world for NBA trivia (lol). Gathering information makes me feel nourished… in a way.

Also when my apartment is perfectly clean and I have an abundance of food prepped in the fridge.

I’ve lived alone and been single for over a year so if someone else makes me a meal, I feel sooooo taken care of!

What advice would you give to your past self?

Your creativity does fit, your insights are correct, and your interests are telling you exactly where to go. She agonized heavily how her natural talents didn’t fit anywhere, how there was no roadmap for what she wanted to do; I wish I could tell her the lack of the roadmap was the magic all along. There are no rules. Burn the boats early babe.

Also, for the love of God, eat more protein and stop being so responsible!!

To the person reading this?

You have to be the one to save yourself. Become the person you wish was saving you.