The Vital Side Podcast

Are you overwhelmed by the all-or-nothing approach in functional medicine?? Lindsay is joined by board-certified internist, Dr. Omar Akther, who explains his approach to functional medicine, integrating the best aspects of western medicine combined with a more lifestyle approach. He explains that this is the best approach we can take when dealing with a chronic illness or chronic symptoms & how it differs from other fields of medicine. Omar also explains how he broke free from the mindset of traditional western medicine and transitioned into a root cause approach, how he balances earning a living while being aware of a client’s financial limitations, and how you should advocate for yourself in a hospital setting. If you have had a negative experience with functional medicine and you’re wanting to truly understand its importance, this episode is for you! 
Show Notes: -Prescription and procedure (P&P) care is great for acute problems -Chronic disease requires a unique approach to healing - lifestyle medicine is necessary to thrive -“Localization” no longer exists - the body and brain are always communicating & change with injuries, traumas, and life experiences -Integrative vs. holistic vs. functional medicine approaches -Omar’s story & why he feels passionate about functional medicine -Going beyond the role of a physician - connecting with a deep desire to allow people to heal on a larger scale -Practicing what you preach - as a practitioner, being able to model health & wellness in your own life & hold yourself  accountable -Many patients can feel disempowered in their healing journeys as a result of an all-or-nothing approach  -Story of a woman in her mid 30’s who suffered from hormonal headaches who was recommended a hysterectomy & didn’t recover from hormonal symptoms -What to do to advocate for yourself before going into a practitioner’s office - 1. Educate yourself & connect with a deeper-knowing 2. Find a practitioner that takes the time to listen to you & takes one step at a time 3. Building confidence in your own self-worth to ask the hard questions -Why functional medicine practitioners throw so many supplements, IV therapies, and modalities at someone with chronic symptoms. The reason? More = better in our society. -Taking a gentler approach & 1% approach to healing, introducing lifestyle medicine -Adding 1-2 lifestyle changes at a time. -When it comes to labs and diagnostic testing, pay attention to your body prior to testing. -More information does not lead to better care.  Resources: -Visit Omar’s Website -Visit Omar’s Facebook -Visit Omar’s LinkedIn -Omar’s Instagram: @dromarakhter  -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Visit Lindsay’s website -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Are you asking yourself how to maintain and connect with your personal freedom during uncertain times? The overturning of Roe v. Wade has left many women and people feeling like their freedom has been taken away from them. Lindsay and Cait discuss ways you can still connect with that innate sense of autonomy in the face of societal turmoil.  Lindsay and Cait talk about how to maintain your resilience, the way our unique experiences inform how we deal with challenging times, and clear-cut ways we can practice self-compassion to take action for ourselves.  
Show Notes: -As women in America, we have felt like there is a big freedom that was taken away from us -We can feel like life situations, health situations, or political situations can take away our personal freedoms -Come back to the question, “What is my personal limit today?” -Connect with your body, “How is my body reacting to this situation?” -Allow yourself the ability to talk about an acute emotion -Give your body a break when it needs one -Taking action looks different for everyone & can simply be processing your challenging emotions -How we experience a life event: we have a thought, emotion, reaction, and outcome -We can take action from an intentional, clear, and regulated place -Practicing self-compassion is one of the biggest ways we can take action -Coming back to your body by asking yourself, “What do I need right now?” Resources: -Listen to Rewire Episode 40: Using Your Intuition to Create Alignment In Your Decisions -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Information on Vital-Side programs and private sessions here -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Are you wondering how you can make a career out of your healing journey? Lindsay and Cait are joined by Jennifer Mann to discuss how leaving traditional medicine led to her current career as a mind-body practitioner. Jennifer details her personal journey with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), using brain retraining & somatic work to find relief from chronic symptoms, working with Lindsay in private sessions, and ultimately, forming a business around chronically healing. Jennifer is a certified mind-body practitioner and has worked in the health and wellness industry for 10 years as a functional movement therapist, holistic bodyworker, yoga teacher, pilates instructor, and performance coach. After her CFS diagnosis, Jen went on to fully recover and co-founded a trauma-informed healing course called CFS School, where she now helps people thrive in their wellness. 
Show Notes: -Jen’s journey & personal story – her background in traditional western medicine, her experience as a ballet dancer, and experience in the biomedical space -Jen’s experience working in a traditional hospital setting before her own chronic symptoms started -The beginning of Jen’s journey with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) using western medicine approaches – seeing many doctors & specialists, getting many tests, trying antibiotics + antivirals – and her health was only getting worse -Getting diagnosed with POTS & having no energy -Jen’s decision to leave her traditional work in physiotherapy and her desire to focus on whole mind + body healing > simply managing her symptoms -Jen’s experience working with Lindsay in Vital-Side and learning how to change her state -Learning about the vagus nerve, Polyvagal Theory and the role of movement & physical touch in healing -Using somatic experiencing as the missing piece in Jen’s healing journey -Finding Human Design and receiving the permission to show up as her most authentic self (i.e receiving vs. pushing) -Early signs of Jen’s purpose to help others heal when she was a ballet dancer and helping others with physical pain -Tuning into her gut feelings and intuition to make decisions to start her business, CFS School -The early days of Jen’s business – experimenting, taking a slow & steady pace allowed her new business to flow with ease -Jen’s story of pregnancy - how she was able to defy the prognosis given to her by fertility doctors -Using visualization on her uterus to get her body ready to bring life into the world -Getting pregnant after 1 “try”, despite what the labs said Resources: -Jenn’s Instagram: @jcamylee -Discover your Human Design here -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Information on Vital-Side programs and private sessions here -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Are you wondering how you can better connect with & use your intuition to make everyday decisions? Whether it’s the next healing modality, the next investment in your business, or just simply the next activity you want to do that day, Cait & Lindsay discuss how you can connect to your intuition in a way that aligns with your greater purpose. They share how connecting with your intuition can give you clarity on your core desires and feelings and create intentional space each day. Cait shares more on how Human Design has helped her stay aligned with how she best makes decisions & how you can use the framework to connect with your own personal intuition.  
Show Notes: -Cait shares how she tunes in & connects with her intuition -The importance of taking space – small micro breaks each day, wellness sabbaticals, etc. -Tuning into your body to listen to the cues its giving you to identify if something is a yes or no -How Cait uses Human Design & her sacral authority to tune into what is a yes and what is a no and tuning into when the timing is right -Our modern culture’s emphasis on “doing more” and how Lindsay shifts into “being” mode -Creating more space for creativity, new ideas, reading & just being with ourselves -Inactivity & doing “nothing” as a tool to cultivate more creativity in our businesses and in our lives -Lindsay’s go-to tools: getting outside every morning, connecting with movement & exercise, micro-breaks throughout the day -The power of simplifying Resources: -Discover your Human Design: https://www.myhumandesign.com/ -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Join Lindsay in her community: The Vital-Side Membership -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Have you wondered how the voice relates to the regulation of your nervous system? We’re joined (for the second time!) by nervous system expert, Laura Larios. She helps us understand the power of our voices and our nervous systems to create more impactful marketing in our businesses. Laura discusses the difference between voice messaging vs. text messaging, the link between voice marketing as a tool for conscious connection, and how we can use our nervous system as our superpower.  Laura is the founder & CEO of The Potent CEO – a highly sought-after consulting & coaching brand that delivers customized world-class nervous system, cortisol, & adrenal support for high-performing women in the corporate, network marketing, entrepreneurial, & coaching industries.  She has a background in counseling psychology, polyvagal theory, nervous system stabilization, somatic practices, brain rewiring, and neuroscience.  
Show Notes: -Fight-Flight, Freeze, and Fawn are all necessary to our survival -We can recognize our stress responses in order to help other parts of our brains to work effectively (like the prefrontal cortex, necessary in making decisions) -Using neuroception to detect safety or danger -Hearing is the fastest of our senses - it takes less energy to use hearing than it does to write something out (we can process up to 400 words/minute) -Using voice messaging more frequently vs. text messaging -With audition, we’re able to interpret emotion and can have more access to oxytocin -Texting leaves room for interpretation and your own perspective. It can also heighten your cortisol levels -Businesses using voice marketing as a tool for conscious connection -Becoming aware of voice in fight-flight and freeze: biological acknowledgment -The power of the pause: how this can impact the nervous system -Vagal toning exercises to downregulate the nervous system Resources: -Visit Laura’s Website -Apply for Rewire Results here -Laura’s Instagram: @lauralisalarios -Listen to Episode 26 of the podcast with Laura -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Join Lindsay in her community: The Vital-Side Membership -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Have you wondered when you should start trauma work, brain retraining, or somatic experiencing? We live in a world where we are inundated by ALL kinds of healing modalities, and it can be hard to know where to start. This week, Lindsay is answering some of the most commonly asked questions she gets in Vital-Side, specifically around healing modalities.  Lindsay uses her past 5 years working with clients who have experienced trauma & chronic illnesses to create a structure to the healing journey. Disclaimer: this process does not apply to everyone. Please always consult with your medical provider and/or mental health practitioner for medical advice. 
Show Notes: -The difference between somatic work and brain retraining -Identifying your nervous system response when purchasing a product or course is critical to starting the course or using the product -If you’re showing up in a sympathetic dominant response to purchase, you’ll begin that course in a sympathetic dominant response -The 3 Buckets of Healing: physical body, nervous system, and trauma processing -Choosing one modality for each category to decrease overwhelm & increase satisfaction -Normalizing “trauma”: trauma processing is a lifelong journey because we experience big T and little T traumas throughout our human experience -Lindsay’s story: tickboot camp episode -The definition of somatic work: a body-centric approach to healing -How trauma processing and somatic experiencing compare -Top-down and bottom-up approaches to nervous system regulation -Trauma processing can come later in your healing journey – pay attention to your physical body when you gain confidence & evidence for change Resources: -Join the Vital-Side community for FREE: https://myvitalside.mn.co/feed -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Join Lindsay in her community: The Vital-Side Membership -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

How can your personal development impact the strength of your brand? This week, Lindsay and Cait are joined by personal brand expert, Ushi Patel, to discuss why doing your inner work informs how you function within your business. Ushi also explains the ways you can set personal boundaries with social media, how you can connect to joy in work & life, and how your business can reflect your personal strengths. Ushi is not only a personal brand expert but a creative consultant and an award-winning designer. Her work in business mentorship has a collective reach of millions globally, including the visual direction of campaigns for the empowerment of more than 300,000 women in India and Africa. Ushi’s multicultural approach and heartfelt visual storytelling has also inspired her clients to utilize her design talent and eye for their incredible homes, events, and weddings worldwide. 
Show Notes: -Ushi’s story of growing up in an Indian family and what inspired her to the world of branding -Why the inner work is vital to starting a  business -Ushi’s search for a calm and an energetic approach to creating her business -Slowing down and getting into her body is how Ushi approaches her work with clients -Your business is a mirror of who you are -Spark of Genius™ methodology definition - a step-by-step approach on recalibrating and realigning your brand -Your personal brand is the most valuable asset you have -Creating awareness within your your business & personal life -Ushi’s current inner work routine: movement, breathing, and baths -Creating your Book of Awesome -Connecting with joy - having this be the common denominator of your life -Becoming aware of how stress response shows up in your body -One of the things that will kill a brand is incongruence -Ushi’s boundaries with social media & how it can help & hurt your brand -The benefit of naps during the workday, burgers, and beer! -The answer to presence lives in the body Resources: -Learn more about Ushi on her website & schedule a free consultation  -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Visit Cait’s Website -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -Join Lindsay in her community: The Vital-Side Membership Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Are you wondering how your nervous system affects the growth and success of your business? This week, Cait discusses what it means to take control of your life and business by taking inventory of the elements of your life that are not serving you. Cait shares more on how the nervous systems of your clients and employees impact the growth of your business, how we can “turn down the noise”, and how you can personally connect with your nervous system through a few practical tools. 
Show Notes: - Why strategy alone is not enough to create success in business and life - The “Pyramid of Potential” as a framework for the ingredients found in the recipe for creating success - Nervous system 101: what is it and what role does it play in business success? - 3 practical tools to use as a busy business owner or leader looking to integrate more nervous system support & regulation into your daily life - The tools: turning down the noise; physical touch techniques; and sensory snapshots - Tips on how to incorporate these tools Resources: -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Cait’s Website -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -The Vital-Side Membership Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Do you have a big, bold message you are ready to share with the world? Are you craving a new, more fun, and effective way to reach more people to grow your business or personal brand? Look no further than…your “Signature Talk”. This week, Cait dives deep into how you can share your message (you know, the one you are so passionate and lit up by). She dives deep into sharing one of the most effective and powerful strategies for connecting with your future clients, partners & communities. Cait shares her personal story of how she sourced, created & delivered her first PAID keynote opportunity in 2017. By tuning in, you’ll learn the core components of a magnetic Signature Talk that leaves your audience, clients, or community wanting much more from you. 
Show Notes: -Cait’s journey and experience with burnout as the catalyst to start her business and begin her expert speaking career -Leveraging your relationships and how to uncover the 1 opportunity that will change your business & life -How Cait delivered her message and shared her personal story of navigating burnout in her first keynote talk in 2017 -What is a “Signature Talk”? + how to use a Signature Talk to propel you forward in your business & entrepreneurship journey -The importance of using non-verbal communication to make your message more impactful (hint: 93% of communication is non-verbal) -Why the first ten seconds of your talk are the most important part of your entire talk -The recipe for creating lasting emotional & mental connection with your audience: connect with their hearts first through storytelling, then their minds through powerful & action-oriented education, and finish by connecting with their hearts once again -How to use SPARQ to start and end your talk -The power of the pause and honing your delivery skills -Tips for to designing & using the visual components of your Signature Talk -Get on the waitlist for Cait’s June announcement – where she will announce a new way to support you in sourcing, creating & delivering opportunities to deliver your very own Signature Talk and to help you become a more powerful speaker Resources: -Speak On Stages - Announcement Waitlist -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Cait’s Website -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -The Vital-Side Membership Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer

Have you ever wondered why your body reacts to certain environments and situations in a hyper-inflammatory way? In this episode, Lindsay discusses how physical symptoms can be a result of a dysregulated nervous system, using the examples of food sensitivities, anxiety, and other chronic symptoms. Lindsay talks about how we can identify the fight-or-flight response in the body and how to combine somatic, bottom-up approaches, & top-down regulation to create a balanced autonomic nervous system 
Show Notes: -Acute stress response definition: fight-or-flight -Traffic light symbol: Red: freeze; Yellow: fight-flight; Green: growth-repair -The goal is to signal safety to your body more often than note; this is your autonomic nervous system in balance -How “danger” gets communicated when we eat something “healthy” like a salad – how this can show up as inflammation, pain, anxiety, bloating, etc. -We are communicating with our environments (internal and external) -Cellular communication of stress broken down -The concept of Epigenetics -Simple exercises you can use before you eat Resources: -Free Wired for More Video series and community -Join the Wired for More FREE community & video series -Cait’s Instagram: @caitrossco -Cait’s Website -Lindsay’s Instagram: @myvitalside -The Vital-Side Membership Join our community: bit.ly/rewirethepodcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: bit.ly/rewiredisclaimer