As an expert in the field of anti-aging, Zora Benhamou holds her personal Life Hack Retreats in Phuket teaching guests how to slow aging. The next retreat in Thailand is October 2019.
What’s your story?
Who is Zora?
Hey there! I am Zora, in my 40s (nearly 50!), a mother of two grown kids, married to an incredible guy for over 20 years and digital nomad. I am a certified sports nutrition coach, have been studying aging for the past 20 years and spent my life reading books, blogs, interviewing, investigating and scouring over scientific studies on what makes us look and feel younger than our biological age.
Why? I lost both my parents to breast cancer and heart disease at a young age and decided I must learn how to avoid what I thought was my destiny. In my research, I found out that we all have a lot more power over this than we thought. This is why… as well as the fact that I am originally from Los Angeles, so this curiosity is embedded into my L.A. DNA! I am interested in evidence-based techniques that slow the aging process to defy our age. I believe in the five pillars (and one bonus!) to slow aging – sleep and stress management, proper nutrition, daily movement, and learning. The bonus pillar is BEAUTIFY – all the beauty secrets I have learned during my extensive travels over the last 48 years to more than 50 different countries compiled in one place for you.
What excites you most about your industry?
The ever evolving science that proves we have a lot of control in extending our healthspan. Everything we put inside and outside our bodies physically and mentally affect the aging process that is largely under our control. We start aging from the time we are born and there is no one-size-fits-all quick fix to youthful and happy aging. We may not be able to stop the aging process, but we can slow it down with the right techniques to reprogram our bodies to try to avoid lifestyle diseases and improve our healthspan.
Believe it or not, YOUR GENES CAN BE TURNED ON AND OFF to slow down aging. We can TURN ON the “good” genes to feel and look younger than we are while increasing our chances to prevent certain lifestyle diseases. However, if certain “undesirable” genes turn on, they can lead to fatigue, weight gain, lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart attacks, cancer and a shorter healthspan. Healthspan is how I measure my lifespan in good health. We can live to 100, but starting from 40 on we may live with illness, looking and feeling like crap (i.e. short healthspan) OR WE CAN LIVE THOSE 40, 50, 60+ LAST YEARS WITH AMAZING ENERGY, FREE OF DISEASE and with a biological age much younger than our chronological age.
What’s your connection to Asia?
We moved to Hong Kong 5 years ago when our kids were in high school. My husband and I are both digital nomads and when the family was vacationing in Hong Kong we all decided that living in Hong Kong would be an experience of a lifetime, so we never went home. This is another story!
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Hong Kong is my favorite city for one part of my business. Living here has exposed me to a lot of very interesting, inspiring and dedicated people who are doing all kinds of business. Phuket is another favorite city of mine where, as a health coach, I bring my clients from Hong Kong and all over the world to practice the elements necessary to slow the aging process. That being said, as a digital nomad, I am location independent and able to do business in any city in the world.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
You can’t change what people say or do, but you can change how you react to what they say or do. It is a piece of advice I have taken and continue to give my clients who are frustrated and feel out of control by their environment.
Who inspires you?
My son Markian Benhamou. At only 21 years old is one of the largest influencers on Facebook. He quit college to pursue his business as a content creator taking advantage of the disrupting force of social media. He has over 3 million followers, 100s of millions of views on his videos, is financially independent and is living the life of his dreams. More impressive to me personally is that he was always a shy introverted kid, yet learned how to get out of his comfort zone to reach his goals.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
I recently experienced rebirthing meditation, a simple yet powerful conscious breathing technique that brings into awareness not only our unconsciously held beliefs and emotions but also the relationships we have with our bodies, ourselves, our intimates and our world. When we consciously breathe with this awareness, we make it possible to resolve, integrate and heal previously unresolved issues within ourselves. This frees up energy, bringing greater aliveness and joy and allowing us to move towards the fulfillment of our potential as human beings. I experienced this for the first time last May during a retreat I was holding at Phuket Cleanse with a group of my clients. I saw a complete shift in them, real breakthroughs and transformations in just one session. It was mindblowing and something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. I will be holding another Life Hack retreat in Thailand this October 2019 and welcome your readers to join me to experience rebirthing meditation as well as a lot of other biohacking experiences (space allowing as first two weeks are sold out).
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
No. Well, maybe. Every day I learn something new to slow the aging process and would probably practice more of what I know now, but at an earlier age. This would also trickle down to my children giving them the same benefit.
How do you unwind?
Walks on the beach, forest bathing, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, walking with my dog, meditation, practice breathing techniques, stretching, yoga the list goes on and on!
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Phuket. I am an ambassador of Phuket Cleanse and hold my personal Life Hack Retreats teaching my guests how to slow aging. I don’t know anywhere else in the world that offers us the chance to experience real biohacking techniques in a wonderfully supportive setting. As an expert in the field of anti-aging and working with women over 40, I give insight on how to slow the aging process in a series of lectures and workshops where you will learn practical tips to take home with you. Everything you learn with us is sustainable! There is an amazing team of wellness experts in many fields who work with our guests to help them reach their goals.
Everyone in business should read this book:
The Business of the 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki.
Shameless plug for your business:
Which one do I choose? I am a connector with a lot of resources. I prefer to listen to what YOU want and find a way to help you get it. Get in touch, you never know where it may lead you.
How can people connect with you?
HackMyAge.com
Instagram: @HackMyAge
Facebook: @HackMyAge and Life Hack Tribe
Twitter: @HackMyAge
Periscope: @Zora
Email: [email protected]
Twitter handle?
Twitter: @HackMyAge
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
