The Stash - by Adam Lewis

Your guide to the best in vital living in Toronto and beyond. Sharing news, insights, events and more.

The Stash Volume 002: Watch Video Edition Below

Table of Contents

1. The Stash - by Adam Lewis

2. 🍙 Surprise and Delight

3. 🔍️What the Health?

4. 👽️ Conspiracy Column: WATER Part. 1

   1. 💡 Products and Solutions

5. 📆 My Event Picks

🍙 Surprise and Delight

While Toronto content is my priority, I am publishing this edition of the Stash from Japan. My mom’s side of the family is from here and I have only visited once when I was 12 years old, so being back here feels VERY cool. What made landing here extra special was that 6 of my best friends who I am here with now had no idea we were coming and we had the chance to surprise them on a mountain - a peak life experience (pardon the pun) none of us will ever forget.

When I reflect on what makes life all worthwhile - it is putting energy into experiences like that - maximizing LIFE and the opportunities to drop jaws. To surprise and invoke awe among people you love and remind us all of that child-like wonder that exists within us all when we are opened up to the unexpected. Especially when it’s appearing atop a mountain on the other side of the planet and celebrating such a reunion by descending nature’s playground, grinning ear-to-ear together.

Surprise Benefits of Surprise

In the book The Power of Surprise, author Michael Rousell shares that his favourite insight from his research on surprise is that it is a key ingredient in the creation of life’s formative moments. Formative events are the experiences that have shaped who we believe we are. They form our self-concept and sense of self. We are influenced by the combination of our past experiences, and the majority of our experiences are part of a slow, gradual evolution in self-perception. A well-established sense of self is critical to living with confidence and self-esteem to move through the world with. Other benefits include:

• Enhanced Memory and Attention: Unexpected events can lead to stronger memory formation as the brain releases dopamine - kind of like an ice bath, y’know?

• Strengthened Relationships: Sharing surprising experiences can deepen connections and foster a sense of curiosity and openness in relationships.

• Creativity and Innovation: Surprise can inspire creativity by encouraging us to think outside the box and explore new ideas.

So in the spirit of this newsletter and keeping in good health, may I ask you to deliver a delightful surprise to someone? A gift, act of service, or any small gesture should suffice. And who knows, in the process, you may even spark some magic in the process too.

🔍️What the Health?

I am continuing to share findings from the interview series I am doing with my network. One of the opening warm-up questions I am asking is “What does health and wellness mean to you”? Below are some findings.

📔 Health and Wellness Defined. Everyone had their own personal definitions which have been beautiful and inspiring to hear. However, a few common themes emerged that seem to capture the collective interpretation.

• Holistic and Multifaceted: Wellness goes beyond physical health to include mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. It’s a lifestyle and mindset rooted in conscious choices.

• Functional and Empowering: Feeling energized, grounded, and capable was key. Wellness is seen as self-love, self-respect, and an act of agency—honouring needs, setting boundaries, and trusting intuition.

• Social and Connected: Community and belonging play a vital role as we discussed in last week’s post. Participants valued authentic, judgment-free connections as essential to their wellness.

• Evolutionary and Ongoing: Wellness is a journey of learning and growth, not a destination. Resilience and adaptability help navigate life’s challenges with grace.

In essence, wellness is deeply personal, balancing vitality, clarity, connection, and intention while honouring individual needs and values. What I found to be most inspiring was the recurring emphasis on physical, mental, emotional AND spiritual well-being. I am aware of potential bias emerging from the dataset of my interviewees so this may not capture an entire city’s sentiment. Regardless, I remain inspired by the adoption of holistic definitions and approaches to health. These are not just boxes to check in our routines. It is a lifestyle, a way of being, an integrated part of nature to take care of our multi-dimensional selves through a diverse array of practices from exercise, diet, mindfulness, sauna, socializing, sleep and beyond. The list is long!

I’ll close this section off by underscoring the final bullet point above - our health and wellness being an evolutionary and ongoing journey. In the spirit of writing from Japan, I’ll share one of my favourite words/concepts native to here known as Kaizen.

What small improvements are you making for your vitality and wellbeing? If you have any questions, just reply here and I’ll get back to you within a few days.

👽️ Conspiracy Column: WATER Part. 1

Introducing a new section of the newsletter. The Conspiracy Column! Buckle up, the inaugural feature topic of water is something I am deeply passionate about and will have to make it a two-part series to do justice to it.

As a die-hard truth seeker, I oscillate back and forth between the mundane face-value information I find through the mainstream to the farthest reaches of tin-foil hat territory. It’s through this process that I synthesize my worldview - generating my map for navigating the material and immaterial world with as rich a model as I can create. This is particularly present in my approach to my health, as someone who’s spent a literal lifetime in the world of alternative medicine, while also reaping the benefits of the traditional Western medical system. So we will kick this column off, starting with nature’s source of life, water.

I have avoided tap water like the plague for over a decade due to deep-seated mistrust in the proclaimed purity of it. In cities, tap water can contain contaminants such as pesticides, industrial chemicals, arsenic, glyphosate, atrazine and lord knows what else... More on what those are and how they mess us up is below. Moreover, it is the supposed treatment methods that have garnered a lot of “conspiracy” around them. They have not evolved much over the years - particularly in the substance used for treatment - fluoride, which we will discuss below.

Writing about this feels timely, given Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s active attempts to terminate the addition of fluoride to public water this past week.

Fluoride in water is known to have severe detrimental effects on our health. Particularly our mental and neurological health. I can’t believe this study took over 78 years to come out, but alas. Its findings demonstrate that fluoride from water is shown to produce neurodevelopmental issues in infants and adults, negatively impacting thyroid health and likely other longer-term impacts too. A further meta-analysis released early this month demonstrated the negative impact exposure has on children’s IQs.

Some of the conspiracy parts come into play when examining the origin story of water fluoridation and the calcification of our pineal gland aka the “Third Eye”. Concerns and mistrust about its effects, origins, and the ethics of mass medication are certainly valid. The above study (and other supporting ones) should, at the very least, suggest a degree of caution to toxin exposure.

😪 On Sleep The Global Sleep Economy is supposed to be over a $500 billion in size by now. The pineal gland is also responsible for regulating the production and release of the sleep hormone, melatonin. Fluoride has been shown to accumulate in the pineal gland which you can imagine would lead to sleep dysregulation through disruption of melatonin production - thus disrupting one’s circadian rhythm. This perfectly captures my approach to natural and preventative health by restoring the body to its natural functions first before spending all kinds of money on novel fixes and solutions.

Fluoride accumulates in the pineal gland due to its high affinity for calcium. It’s not certain where it initiates or accelerates calcification. Instead, calcium accumulation is the primary factor in pineal gland calcification. Studies have shown that fluoride is not the cause of calcification; rather, it binds to calcium deposits that naturally occur in the body as we age.

Several other contaminants lurk in our tap water. From endocrine-disrupting microplastics and atrazine to heavy metals

Fear is not my intention. I intend to inform and educate others to take their health into their own hands and radical information exposure is sometimes the nudge needed to do so. For some more simple digestion, here is a quick table to review what kinds of contaminants may lie in your water and what potential health impacts exist.

💡 Products and Solutions

Here are some local practical solutions I have tried in no particular order:

1. Water Filters

   • Santevia: A gravity-fed filtration system that not only removes chlorine, fluoride, and heavy metals but also adds back beneficial minerals.

   • Sorso Pro: A Toronto-based, compact filtration system that’s easy to install and is highly effective. This is what I currently have installed in our home. Including their shower head system.

     • I have arranged a $200 code from them for you. STASH200 will get you that discount on their website.

2. Spring Water Delivery

   • Many companies deliver natural spring water in large bottles directly to your home. I used to order from Cedar Springs. They deliver straight to your doorstep in gorgeous glass-bottles.

3. Purchase Large Bottles of Water from Grocery Stores

   • Reverse osmosis (RO) water and spring water are available at most grocery stores. They come in large plastic bottles which are a bit less sexy.

4. Install a Reverse Osmosis (RO) System

   • An RO system provides multi-stage filtration, removing nearly all contaminants, including fluoride, arsenic, and other harmful substances. RO is highly effective for filtering but requires remineralization of the water to rebalance the pH.

5. Find a Local Spring (A personal favourite) 💫 

   • Collecting water directly from a natural spring is a free and sustainable option, It’s also a fun activity :) Check FindASpring.com for nearby springs, including test results! I frequent the spring in Belfountain, ON. Only a 40-minute drive from downtown Toronto (traffic pending). The map on the website doesn’t give a fully accurate location so if you want to check this one out reply to me in this email and I’ll send you the pin I have saved with the exact spring coordinates.

     • Bonus points if you go for a hike at one of the many epic spots in the area such as Forks of the Credit or the Badlands.

We will close out Part 1. on Water for now. Stay tuned for Part 2. where we will dive further into the energetic qualities of water that impact our health and vitality as well and dive into some more practical hydration information as well.

📆 My Event Picks

Chocolate Groove - Soulful Sunday Social

Date & Time: Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 2:00 PM → 11:00 PM

Location: RSVP in the event link to see location

Ticket Price: From CA$40

Description: A heart-centered mini-retreat at the gorgeous Jessica Gorlicky art studio for an all day retreat style gathering designed to nurture community bonds and inspire meaningful connection. This is your space to unwind, recharge, and deepen your relationships with like-minded souls while embracing the magic of breathwork, movement, cacao, ecstatic dance, and sound healing.

“Imagine a day filled with cozy vibes, uplifting energy, and an open-hearted atmosphere that feels like coming home.”

Soul Journey Breathwork Experience with Eddy Tony

Date & Time: Monday, Feb 10, 2025 7:00 PM → 10:00 PM

Location: Ananda Ceremony Space at St. Clair West (Address revealed upon booking)

Ticket Price: $65

Description: A Group Somatic Breathwork experience to release pent-up emotions, get clear, and develop better access to their inner guidance for those who regularly participate.

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Connect and Share:
Stay tuned for next week’s list and learnings, and don’t forget to share this newsletter with friends who might enjoy the journey too. 

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🙏 Special Thanks This Week:

To my brother Nawaz - who helped me coordinate the legendary surprise in Japan and crafting memories for a lifetime together.

Thank you, I love you all ❤️ 

Adam