The Wellness Mama Podcast

Episode Highlights With AngelaHer incredible story from starting as a biochemist to being on American Ninja WarriorThe dramatic and shocking moment that happened to her on national TVHow she learned to shift from everything that was wrong to openness to “What if it all goes right?”The journey back for her and learning to release parts of her identity that were tied to her competitionsPutting a deadline on the tough emotionsWhat the RIGHT method is and how it can be so helpful“If you’re not living your life by design, you are living your life by default”How pull-ups are a metaphor for life and overcoming challengesIt’s never too late to get strongerMindset first and taking that first delusional action and baby stepResources MentionedAngela's website and InstagramWhat if it all goes right? - podcastPull-up Revolution course

Episode Highlights With AimeeWhy perimenopause is a misunderstood phase of life and common vs normal Commonly overlooked symptoms of perimenopause that are helpful to understand How to look at midlife changes as an opportunity rather than a challengeCore mindset shifts that can make a massive differenceListening to symptoms as messengers of your body working hard to protect youEstrogenic things in our environment and how they impact our health in midlife Mood based symptoms to pay attention to as indicators of hormone shiftsThe cortisol and progesterone connection Her suggestions for midlife lab testing and what to test forWhy she encourages saliva testing and addressing adrenal health as wellHow MTHFR genes come into play in understanding this phase of lifeMost impactful diet, lifestyle, and other factors to focus on in midlifeResources MentionedCarolina Integrative Medicine - WebsiteNormal Doesn't Have Side Effects - BookDr. Aimee on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram

Episode Highlights With AimeeThe pivotal moment in her career that led her to blend conventional and holistic medicineNormal doesn’t have side effects and what this actually meansHow normal lab ranges are calculated and why they aren’t as straightforward as you thinkThyroid and thyroid testing: what to know and what results meanThe actual ideal TSH range, what to look for, and what ideal lab results should beHer approach to natural thyroid balancingMy own lab results that show that my Hashimoto's is entirely goneImportance of selenium and iodine How gut health and inflammation come into play in thyroid and autoimmunity Her gut healing and detox phase for liver supportThe effect of hormones on thyroid issues and why these spike in pregnancy and menopauseThe connection between adrenal dysfunction and thyroid healthUnderstanding high cortisol and what else we need to look atVitamin D and sunshine - understanding optimal ranges and why 50-70+ is idealHow to support your liver and therefore support your hormones + How to know if it needs supportResources MentionedCarolina Integrative Medicine - WebsiteNormal Doesn't Have Side Effects - BookDr. Aimee on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram

Episode Highlights With EmilyManifesting: consciously creating a life you loveWhy we're manifesting all the time, whether we're conscious of it or notMindfulness: handling stress in the now, meditation: handling stress in the past, manifesting: handling the futureSimplest manifestation formula: feel good, place the order; place the order, feel goodVisualize, alchemize, magnetize The same muscle that lets you feel the intensity of your pain lets you feel the intensity of your blissOur bodies will never let us manifest something that doesn’t feel safe… like we can’t manifest more money than what feels safeOften conflicted relationships with pleasure and how this connects to manifestingThe definition of alchemy- the magical process of transforming one thing into another and how this can apply to emotionsWhy the nervous system needs safety to access pleasure and manifestationWhat would you love? (and why this question is so hard to answer sometimes)One powerful and profound tool to try todayWhen you pray or visualize, don’t put your fears inside of your prayersName it as if it's already done - “I am so grateful now that…”Resources MentionedZiva Online and Ziva MagicWhy Isn't Everyone Doing This? - Emily's podcastStress Less, Accomplish More: The 15-Minute Meditation Programme for Extraordinary Performance by Emily Fletcher

Episode Highlights With EmilyHer unique journey into meditation and how it led to her work todayHow she had insomnia and was going grey at 27 before finding meditationWhat makes her method of meditation different and how it gives your body rest that is 5x more effective than sleepInvesting just 2% of your day helps the other 98% be even more amazingThe mind thinks involuntarily, just like the heart beats involuntarily Ziva is based on something 6,000 years old that means “big results based on action barely taken,” and how this helps us reach a fourth state of consciousnessHow meditation can be less about focus and concentration and more about carving out space to be unfocused and avoid focus fatigue that's especially easy for momsThis method helps de-excite the nervous system and create more coherence When you give the body true rest, it knows how to heal itself and sleep is not the only form of rest we haveIf we only have sleep as our method of rest, the body has to use sleep to processThe sleep, immune, fertility, and productivity connectionsWe meditate to get better at life, not to get better at meditationSome tactical tips for making meditation a habit and how to incorporate this as a momResources MentionedHer InstagramZiva Online and Ziva MagicWhy Isn't Everyone Doing This? - Emily's podcastStress Less, Accomplish More: The 15-Minute Meditation Programme for Extraordinary Performance by Emily Fletcher

Episode Highlights With JosephHis amazing story that led to his bestselling book and how great books often come from the author's great painThoughts vs thinking and why this is importantThe core questions he asked himself were: Who am I? Why am I here? Why do I have so many negative thoughts?Learning to question the root of negative thoughts and ask if they're trueHow to separate yourself from the thoughts you haveThoughts don’t control us, beliefs do, so thoughts don’t affect us unless we believe them to be trueThoughts are neutral observations, thinking is judgment about thoughtsThe real root of suffering and how to shift it- is this true? Is this useful?Suffering is resistance to reality What is more important… being right or being at peace?The idea of letting go and surrendering is present in so many traditions around the world Attachments as the roots of suffering and ways to practice letting go throughout the day in small waysWe are not our thoughts… we are the space between. We are the canvas and not the paintOur attention is the architect of our realityWe live in a perception of reality, not reality ourselves, and where we put our attention shapes our perception How would I be if I knew everything would work out? And then operate from thereHow to get your body and your emotions on your side in this journey- they're there to remind us to come back to the present momentFear becomes gratitude, anxiety becomes fuel to show you what is importantEverything is a reminder and emotions can be guidepostsWe acquire knowledge through information but wisdom can only be obtained through lived experience Fear is not in the way… it is the way to the life that you wantA thought experiment: look back in your life at your best decisions and see how many were rooted in logic and analysis and how many were rooted in a sense of knowing Intuition is still, calm, never rushed or urgent The cost of making other people happy is your own happinessWhat other people think of you is a reflection of them, not of youHis 5 step PAUSE process for negative emotionsWhen you are fully present, the byproduct is peaceResources MentionedDon't Believe Everything You Think - bookJoseph's website and InstagramAwareness by Anthony De MelloLetting Go, the Pathway of Surrender by David Hawkins

Jessica Brown, a Stanford certified compassion teacher and clinical nutritionist, discusses the rising cardiovascular disease risks women face during menopause. She explains how the loss of estrogen acts as a tipping point, leading to alarming statistics—1 in 3 women will die from cardiovascular disease. Topics include key metabolic markers to track from our 20s, the role of insulin, and the dangers of visceral fat. Jessica also shares insights on empowering women through knowledge and personalized health strategies for better heart health.

Episode Highlights With JessicaShe was a surprise twin and she and her sister could communicate in their own language before they could even talkWhat reparenting is and how we have the ability to give ourselves what we might not have gottenACE scores and what we know about how highly traumatized people suffer from diseases at much higher ratesThe difference in how women and men respond to stressful events. Women don’t respond with fight or flight, but men doHow do women respond to trauma? Usually tend and befriendWhat self-parenting is - it's the feeling of safety you get when your best friend hugs you and tells you it is going to be ok, or the feeling you get when all of your needs are metThe things from childhood that can leave a lasting imprint and can help by being reparentedWhy we can seek partners, situations, and jobs that reinforce childhood patterns until we resolve themQuestions to ask to begin to go within and skills to build to begin reparenting Looking at how you judge yourself is one of the best ways to avoid passing on this judgement to our kidsResources MentionedThe Loving Diet - websiteJessica's Instagram

Episode Highlights With ShefalyThe difference between soluble and insoluble fiber and what they each doMost plant foods that are fiber rich have a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiberWhat fiber does in the body and its roles in the bodyHow fiber benefits gut ecologyWhat resistant starch is and how it works differently in the body and are connected to short chain fatty acids and gut and systemic healthWhat bitters are and why bitter foods are importantDark chocolate is a bitter food, let it dissolve in the mouth for benefits of bittersCoffee is also a bitter foods and good for youHow fermented foods come into play and benefit the gutWhy polyphenols are important and how to get enough from herbs and spices and fruits and vegetablesGut health and natural GLP production and how to support thisResources MentionedPrecision Gut HealthSip Herbals - Dandelion Drink

Shefaly Ravula, the visionary founder of Precision Gut Health, discusses the often-overlooked Vitamin J, which symbolizes joy, and Vitamin C, representing community. She explains their profound impacts on health, emphasizing how joy and community nurture physical well-being. Shefaly shares practical strategies for habit stacking to incorporate joy and social connections into daily life. Gratitude journaling is emphasized, encouraging listeners to write down seven things daily to cultivate positivity. Join this enlightening conversation about making wellness more holistic!