In 2002, the Women's Health Initiative study on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) sent shockwaves through the medical world, halting a major study due to a reported 26% increase in breast cancer risk. The statistic sounded terrifying, but what it really meant was just eight additional cases per 10,000 women per year. Unfortunately, the lack of clear communication and context sparked widespread fear, leading millions of women to avoid HRT without fully understanding its risks and benefits. Listen...
Feb 05, 2025•42 min•Ep 658•Transcript available on Metacast We’re living in a time where mental health is at an all-time low, and while awareness of the mental health crisis has never been higher, the question of what to do about it remains a mystery for many. One-on-one talk therapy is incredible, but it’s not always accessible, affordable, or the right fit for everyone. Emotional healing often involves more than just talking; for many, it includes experiences in nature, group support, and even time in the water. In this week’s episode, meet Natalie Sma...
Jan 29, 2025•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chronic pain affects an estimated one in five people, manifesting as knee pain, back pain, migraines, and countless other symptoms. Unfortunately, the pain management market is filled with questionable products, risky medications, and unproven treatments. On this week’s episode, my guests bring expertise in mind-body wellness, exploring new perspectives on how we experience and manage pain. Listen and learn: How fear and anxiety can drive or intensify pain Why feelings of safety and support are ...
Jan 22, 2025•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to health and wellness, it’s easy to focus on diet, exercise, and even supplements, but sleep often takes a back seat. Since sleep is essential and happens every day, it might make more sense to start with sleep rather than end there. Understanding its role as a powerful leverage point for overall health could shift your priorities. This week, I’m joined by a medical doctor specializing in sleep medicine to dive deep into the science and strategies of better sleep. Listen and learn...
Jan 15, 2025•36 min•Ep 655•Transcript available on Metacast Fertility isn’t just about having kids—it’s a health signal for everyone. Gabriela Rosa, a fertility expert, unpacks the deeper health issues often missed, why quick fixes don’t work, and how a holistic approach can help couples facing challenges. Listen in for a realistic, hopeful perspective on fertility and balanced health. Listen and learn: How fertility reflects overall wellness The impact of PCOS, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, and insulin resistance Why IVF alone isn’t always the answer. Positi...
Jan 08, 2025•42 min•Ep 654•Transcript available on Metacast One of the main reasons people stop doing the activities they love is injury—especially to the lower back and knees, which are common in midlife and beyond. When most people see a doctor for these injuries, the primary focus is on pain relief, with little thought given to long-term recovery. However, if your goal is to return to—or even exceed—your previous activity levels, the approach needs to be more nuanced. In this week’s podcast, we’ll dive into the many options available today for healing...
Jan 01, 2025•42 min•Ep 653•Transcript available on Metacast Since 2020, the way we work has shifted dramatically. Many of us are now working remotely, at least part-time, and even those back in physical offices face rapid turnover and increasingly demanding environments. Today, we’re speaking with a leader and author who specializes in workplace dynamics to help us gain clarity on navigating these evolving times. Listen and Learn: Why the traditional two week notice period is often unfair for both employers and employees The importance of open, honest tr...
Dec 25, 2024•36 min•Ep 652•Transcript available on Metacast Heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally. While we know the importance of exercise, weight management, and blood pressure control, what role do scans and testing play? Can coronary calcium (CAC) scores help detect risks before it's too late? And if arterial plaque is found, are there steps you can take to reverse or manage it? This week, we dive deep into heart disease prevention, diagnostic scans, and practical options to take control of your heart health. Listen and learn: Wha...
Dec 18, 2024•40 min•Ep 651•Transcript available on Metacast If you break your arm, your next steps are clear. The doctor will put it in a cast for a couple months, and then afterwards, you’ll nurse it back to strength and all will be fine. If your brain is broken - perhaps from a sudden loss, job change, or financial challenge - the path forward is often opaque. You’re clearly in pain and struggling, but what do you do? On this week’s podcast you’ll learn about hypnotherapy not as a cure, but as part of the path toward healing. Listen and learn: What hyp...
Dec 11, 2024•43 min•Ep 650•Transcript available on Metacast Every form of exercise has its strengths. Yoga is particularly good at reducing inflammation, training the nervous system, and reducing stress and stress hormones. For someone struggling with the autoimmune condition, multiple sclerosis (MS), yoga has a lot to offer. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet an Iyengar Yoga teacher whose personal journey with MS informs his teaching and work. Listen and learn: The four types of MS and how they differ The role of heat and inflammation in triggering MS ...
Dec 04, 2024•36 min•Ep 649•Transcript available on Metacast If you're going through a mental health crisis—whether it's depression, anxiety, stress, or overwhelm—the default advice you’ll likely hear is to see a therapist. That’s great advice, but in reality, even for those fortunate enough to have access to therapy, it usually means two to four sessions before you’re left to manage on your own. The demand for mental health practitioners far outweighs the supply, which means most of us need to find ways to cope at home. While there are plenty of excellen...
Nov 27, 2024•41 min•Ep 648•Transcript available on Metacast Imagine having a meaningful, rewarding career that spanned 20 or 30 years, or perhaps several different careers over 30 or 40 years, each contributing to a wealth of diverse experiences and hard-earned wisdom. Now, you're retired, so what do you do with all those experiences? How do you answer the question, 'What do you do now?' Do you focus on the past, or is there something new on the horizon? For many, retirement sounds amazing—until they get there and find themselves unsure of what comes nex...
Nov 20, 2024•41 min•Ep 647•Transcript available on Metacast When most people think about a strong core, we usually picture six-pack muscles. While that's part of the story, there's much more to it. The deeper core muscles, like the transverse abdominis, multifidus, and the muscles of the pelvic floor—also known as the pelvic diaphragm—play a crucial role. In yoga, the pelvic floor is often an overlooked but essential part of the practice, referred to as 'mula bandha.' Other traditions call it pelvic floor training or pelvic diaphragm work. Today, we'll b...
Nov 13, 2024•38 min•Ep 646•Transcript available on Metacast Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm are issues many of us face daily. But the real challenge is knowing what to do when you're wired but exhausted, when worries keep you from being productive, and worst of all, when you can’t fully be present in your own life. Raising awareness about mental health is a great first step, but what comes next? How do you take control of your story, and where do you turn for help or self-help when you need it? Today’s guest is Dr. Nicole Cain, psychologist and author of ...
Nov 06, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pop quiz: how many bones in your body can you name? How many muscles? Do you know the difference between tendons, ligaments, and fascia? We are all walking around with a supercomputer between our ears, and our bodies themselves are a biological miracle - and yet we hardly pay them any mind. How strange! On this week’s podcast, we’ll attempt to spark your interest. Listen and learn: About the wonderful world of fascia How we are all mirrors and snowflakes, anatomically speaking The ethical consid...
Oct 30, 2024•45 min•Ep 644•Transcript available on Metacast What if you were more present in your life—at work, at home, with the people and projects that mean the most to you? What if you spent less time ruminating about the past and worrying about the future? Wouldn’t that be nice? I think mindfulness is at its peak popularity right now because most of us are so mindless most of the time—doom scrolling, binge watching, and filled with fear, all while missing out on the lives we’ve worked so hard to build. Or maybe that’s just me. My guest this week is ...
Oct 23, 2024•33 min•Ep 643•Transcript available on Metacast When you think about healthspan and longevity, your first thought probably isn’t “muscle” - but it should be. Here are just some of the benefits of muscle strength and mass, particularly as you age: increased metabolic rate, improved insulin sensitivity, improved bone density, better joint health, improved balance and stability, cardiovascular health, preserving mobility, improved mental health, reduced risk of sarcopenia, and even enhanced fat loss. On this week's podcast, you’ll meet an exerci...
Oct 16, 2024•40 min•Ep 642•Transcript available on Metacast Fiber is often overlooked in discussions about diet, weight loss, and immunity, but it shouldn’t be. Fiber is essential for digestive health, improving gut motility, and regulating bowel movements. It’s also key for weight management, as high-fiber foods are more filling. Research shows that fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol, potentially lowering the risk of heart disease. Additionally, fiber lowers the glycemic load of foods, helping to prevent metabolic syndrome and related conditions. Fiber al...
Oct 09, 2024•35 min•Ep 641•Transcript available on Metacast Chronic pain affects hundreds of millions worldwide, with conditions like gastrointestinal issues, back pain, and migraine topping the list. In many cases, psychological factors play a significant role in causing or worsening pain. Despite overwhelming evidence, the mind-body connection is often ignored or dismissed as "all in your head," as though that makes it less serious. My guest this week has dedicated his work to educating both medical professionals and patients on the power of the mind t...
Oct 02, 2024•43 min•Ep 640•Transcript available on Metacast The iconic brand Tupperware filed for bankruptcy this week, burdened with over $1.2 billion of debt. They’ve reached a point of no return, where digging out is virtually impossible. In many ways, this mirrors the struggle of those facing severe obesity—a situation where years of weight gain have led to a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Just as companies can file for Chapter 11 and start afresh, people now have a potential reset button with the advent of weight loss drugs like semaglutide. In...
Sep 26, 2024•30 min•Ep 639•Transcript available on Metacast Neuroscience might be the final frontier when it comes to the human body. There is still so much to be discovered and understood about memory, attention, and how we learn. My guest on this week’s podcast runs a research lab at UCLA that uses brain imaging and electrical stimulation to see if science can move the needle and unlock our potential. Listen and learn: What memory is and why it’s impossible to isolate in the brain Why some primates have better short-term recall than humans How theta wa...
Sep 18, 2024•43 min•Ep 638•Transcript available on Metacast You know how old you are, but do you know your biological age? Meaning, are your body and brain younger or older than your chronological years? For anyone interested in slowing down aging and preventing disease and illness, telomeres are an important part of the discussion. These chromosomal caps provide insight into the health or senescence of cells and can provide some limited insight into how well you’re aging. Listen and learn: About the FOX03 gene and its role in longevity The predictive po...
Sep 11, 2024•40 min•Ep 637•Transcript available on Metacast Sleep is as vital for life as food, water, and breathing, but knowing its importance doesn’t necessarily provide you with the tools to improve it. What if you toss and turn and can’t sleep until late? What if you wake up five times a night to pee? What if you work night shifts and suffer from jetlag-like symptoms weekly? On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a researcher whose work is focused on understanding and improving sleep homeostasis. Listen and learn: Why some people don’t operate on a 24 ...
Sep 04, 2024•40 min•Ep 636•Transcript available on Metacast Inside your gastrointestinal tract there are trillions of microbes, about 3 lbs in total, and in terms of absolute numbers, you have more microbial cells than human cells. This collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are collectively referred to as your gut microbiome, and at this juncture of human history, most of us struggle with some degree of gut dysbiosis. My guest on this week’s podcast has dedicated his work to the study of gut microbiome and how to fix it when things go wrong. Listen ...
Aug 28, 2024•45 min•Ep 635•Transcript available on Metacast The way we work has changed more in the past four years than it has in the past 20. An estimated 43 percent of Americans are now working at least partially from home, artificial intelligence is making most people at least marginally more productive, and we’re all connected all of the time. This sounds good–or at least exciting–but is it working for you? Are you more efficient? More balanced? More creative? My guest on this week’s podcast wrote a book on efficiency in our modern world, a quickly ...
Aug 21, 2024•45 min•Ep 634•Transcript available on Metacast Despite the obvious fact that every woman will experience menopause, support and education on the topic remains embarrassingly sparse. Worse still, misinterpreted studies have left many fearful of hormone replacement therapy and determined to simply white knuckle their way through this transition. My guest on this week’s podcast is an OB-GYN specializing in women’s hormonal health, who’ll help you understand your options. Listen and learn: Why the breast cancer risk of HRT was misinterpreted and...
Aug 14, 2024•41 min•Ep 633•Transcript available on Metacast The joint pain market is fraught with wild claims, fringe treatments, and scary interventions. At the same time, whether you’ve got hip, knee, or back pain, there are some truly remarkable mainstream and alternative options you’ll want to consider. But you need to take agency over the process as your decisions can have a huge impact on the quality of your life. My guest on this week’s podcast is a surgeon who takes a holistic and non-surgical approach when possible. Listen to learn: Why hip repl...
Aug 07, 2024•35 min•Ep 632•Transcript available on Metacast According to the WHO at least 14 percent of people over 60 have a mental health disorder with depression and anxiety at the top of the list. Loneliness, isolation, chronic pain, and diminished health are contributing causes, and unfortunately, many suffer in silence. My guest on this week’s podcast has dedicated her career to geriatric psychiatry and shares her insights into finding peace and joy in later life. Listen and learn: What happens to the aging brain Potential problems with polypharmac...
Jul 31, 2024•33 min•Ep 631•Transcript available on Metacast In middle age and beyond, your metabolism changes. It’s easier to gain weight - particularly around your midsection - and it’s very hard to lose it. The same foods that kept you lean when young suddenly cause imbalance. Why? What changed? Aging creates a cascade of changes, but insulin resistance is a key driver that is rarely measured or understood. On this week’s podcast, you’ll meet a health provider whose work is focused on tackling this issue, particularly in older adults. Listen and learn:...
Jul 24, 2024•40 min•Ep 630•Transcript available on Metacast Digestive health issues can make every day a challenge, put strain on personal relationships, and even become life threatening if advanced and untreated. My guest on this week’s podcast suffered from severe Crohn’s that left him emaciated and very ill. He found his way back to health through functional medicine and now dedicates his career to helping others. Listen and learn: About the usefulness and confusion around testing The individuality of responses to toxins and treatment The importance o...
Jul 17, 2024•43 min•Ep 629•Transcript available on Metacast 
