The mindbodygreen Podcast

Esther Wojcicki, a journalist and educator known for raising three successful daughters, shares her insights on empowering children. She discusses the TRIK principles—trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness—which guide both parenting and leadership. Wojcicki emphasizes the importance of project-based learning to foster creativity over traditional testing. She also highlights the significance of media literacy in today’s world, and encourages parents to treat children like adults, nurturing their independence and emotional well-being.

When Diana Rodgers, R.D., found out that she had celiac disease at 26, all of her digestion issues during childhood finally made sense. Growing up, she was underweight, frequently sick, and struggled with blood sugar related issues.These symptoms seemed to be a result of her gluten intolerance, but even when she incorporated gluten-free alternatives into her diet, she still found herself unsatisfied and, oftentimes, ravenous. It was only when she starting incorporating more fat (think raw milk and butter) that she started to see real progress in her digestion. Even further into her journey with different diets, it wasn't until she came across Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solutionthat she finally found the golden ticket for her eating lifestyle: real foods, less processed carbs.Her one takeaway after her own experience and completing her nutrition degree? Stay away from processed foods and don’t be afraid to up your intake of animal products. While this rule of thumb may sound simple, it can be quite difficult to maintain this lifestyle if you’re frequently on-the-go. Luckily, Rodgers sat down with co-founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob on this week's episode of the podcast to talk about the advice she would give people who, like her, are always traveling but have trouble following particular dietary restrictions or eating plans.For now, whether you have back-to-back business trips lined up or you’re just a professional jetsetter, these are the tips you need to know for maintaining a healthy eating plan, no matter the zip code.According to Rodgers, eating simple, organic meals is the best way to ensure a healthy diet while traveling, which is an eating standard we can definitely stand behind. Check out this week’s podcast for more tips and tricks on how to eat the Rodgers way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Alyssa Dweck, M.D., enhancing women’s quality of life as they age makes up a significant portion of her practice. Although she works with women in all stages of life—she lectures various Westchester public schools in her spare time and educates students about important gynecological issues—she places emphasis on the relationship between the aging process and gynecological health at a cellular level. What most people might not know, is that aging happens at the cellular level due in part to a lack of something called NAD in the body. NAD, at its core, is a substance that every cell in our body uses to turn food into energy, and it decreases as we age. It also decreases due to many other life stressors—being postpartum, excessive alcohol, over-eating, and getting too much sun exposure, to name a few. That said, it’s in every woman's best interest (no matter her age) to become well-versed in all things NAD and start taking the necessary steps to maintain levels of this coenzyme. After chatting with Dweck, we learned that there are actually a variety of ways we can maintain NAD as we age: In addition to taking steps to combat stress, wearing sunscreen, eating well, and leading an overall healthy lifestyle, one of the most efficient ways to boost NAD is to start popping a vitamin B3 supplement on the regular. But, it turns out, not all B3 is created equally. In this bonus episode, we talk about her three favorites. No surprise, Dweck frequently recommends this supplement to her patients (no need for a prescription, as this vitamin is sold over-the-counter), and those patients report back with glowing reviews, including significantly more energy. But, of course, we have to know: Does she take it herself? “I sure do,” the OB/GYN quips.Consider us really, really intrigued. For more tips on how to boost longevity and stay as healthy as possible as you age, check out this week’s podcast.To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., is a go-to source when it comes to questions surrounding gut health. Board-certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology and published in America’s top gastroenterology journals, he’s seen hundreds of cases surrounding our most common gut health complaints. Additionally, he earned a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) from Northwestern University, as well as a certificate in nutrition from Cornell University. When it comes to the gastroenterology and the microbiome, Bulsiewicz is nothing short of a seasoned professional.Jason Wachob, mindbodygreen founder and co-CEO, was able to chat with Bulsiewicz about whether cutting out whole food groups is really a good idea, as well as what he believes are the most important foods to consume for a healthy microbiome. For now, here are the three reasons why you shouldn’t cut grains out of your diet, straight from Dr. B himself.For more tips on how to create the perfect eating plan for your gut health microbiome, be sure to check out this week’s podcast. Maybe one day we can all be like Dr. B and participate in a rich, plant-based diet that will strengthen our microbiomes (with a cheeky treat here and there, for good measure). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deepak Chopra, M.D., a renowned spiritual teacher and best-selling author, shares profound insights about consciousness and its link to our well-being. He emphasizes the importance of ‘waking up’ to our shared humanity, critiquing how social media can deepen feelings of separation. Chopra explores anxiety as a modified state of consciousness and argues that true freedom comes from understanding our interconnectedness. He shares a universal higher purpose, challenges the contemporary wellness industry, and advocates for authentic community and love as pathways to enlightenment.

As a reproductive psychiatrist, Alexandra Sacks, M.D., helps people navigate the emotional toll of pregnancy and parenthood.A lot of her work is normalizing the ups and downs of motherhood. In the age of highly curated Instagram posts, Sacks breaks down the myth that being a parent is all joy all the time. She helps patients differentiate between the emotions that are to be expected with new momhood—ambivalence, isolation, and frustration—and more serious conditions like postpartum depression. She likes to use the phrase "matrescence" to describe this complicated time, which can mirror the awkwardness and discomfort of adolescence.Sacks lectures at major corporations on attitudes around maternity and paternity leave, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Time, and on NPR. She also hosts a weekly Motherhood Sessions podcast, where she has honest conversations with new moms to learn about their experience and her new book What No One Tells Youhas been dubbed "the new essential book for soon-to-be-parents" by Vogue.This podcast episode explores the intersection of feminism and medicine. In it, Sacks walks us through how to prioritize mental health before, during, and after birth; how to maintain quality bonding and attachment with your kids as a working parent; and so much more. If you're not expecting any time soon, Sacks also has sage advice on simple ways to support the new parents in your life. To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's podcast episode is a special recording from our sixth annual revitalize event, which was held in Dove Mountain, Arizona, in June. The insights we learned on the main stage this year were too good not to share, so we're broadcasting them on the podcast over the next few weeks. Today, we'll hear four perspectives on the role of psychedelic drugs in today's wellness world.From the decriminalization of psilocybin in Oakland and Denver to the rise in ayahuasca ceremonies around the world, it feels like psychedelic drugs previously taken in hushed settings are now gaining mainstream appeal. So much so that the rate of use is quickly outpacing the research on how these substances actually affect the body.At this year's revitalize event, we invited four health experts to give their take on what exactly this means. What role, if any, should drugs like THC, MDMA, LSD, ayahuasca, and psilocybin play in wellness? Who should be taking them, and how can they do so safely? The panel covered massive questions like these, and, needless to say, not everybody agreed on the answers. And that included me! I jumped into the debate (a revitalize first) to say that after seeing too many friends have too many close calls, I don't believe they have a place in wellness. Tune in to the full podcast episode to dive deeper into this dialogue on when psychedelics expand consciousness—and when they do more harm than good.To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lissa Rankin, M.D., and Kelly Turner, Ph.D., have both spent years studying how people use spirituality to overcome illness against all odds. And what they've found is fascinating.Turner, a researcher who has spent time with over 1,500 hospice patients, has identified nine keys to healing—and only two of them are physical. The others, things like releasing suppressed emotions and identifying your reasons for living, may be difficult to write a prescription for, but they provide a potent medicine. Rankin is intimately familiar with these more emotional approaches to healing too, and she has spent the last seven years traveling to lands near and far to study other cultures' sacred healing practices.When Turner and Rankin took to the revitalize stage this year, the topic of trauma inevitably came up. When trauma, no matter how severe, is left unattended to, it can spiral into the types of illnesses that these two New York Times bestselling authors are so intimately familiar with."The more of those 'Big T' and 'Little T' traumas that build up in the system, the greater the risk of disease, especially as we get older," Rankin explained. Luckily, she added, recent science suggests that trauma is completely treatable.Turner agreed, saying, "We have the science now to apply to emotional interventions, and that's the marriage that I'm excited to finally be seeing. It's like, let's not just see what happens when you take this supplement or eat this new diet. What happens when you go through an eight-week forgiveness course? What happens to your body?"Here are four techniques that Turner and Rankin said show promise in getting to the root of trauma and helping us work through it so it doesn't continue to grow and intensify over time.To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is a special recording from our sixth annual revitalize event, which was held in Dove Mountain, Arizona, in June. The insights we learned on the main stage this year were too good not to share, so we're broadcasting them on the podcast over the next few weeks. First up: Two legendary functional medicine doctors discuss the science-backed secrets to aging gracefully.Frank Lipman, M.D., and Robert Rountree, M.D., are two of the most trusted voices in functional medicine today. Lipman is a New York Times bestselling author who has been marrying Eastern and Western medicine in a clinical setting since the 1980s, and Rountree's Boulder-based institute seamlessly blends functional nutrition, medical herbalism, and mind-body therapy. It's no surprise that the audience had their notepads out and pens poised when these two took the stage at revitalize 2019 to discuss aging.Over the course of their panel, Lipman and Rountree dove into the lifestyle factors that they believe dictate longevity. "You're not going to stop the aging process," Lipman forewarned, but certain factors can certainly help slow it down.Surprisingly, both doctors came out in strong opposition to some of the "magic pills" on the market today—and they don't recommend trying to biohack your way to a longer life span. Over their combined decades of experience, they've found that small, sustainable habits are far more effective than extreme, short-lived ones in delaying the aging process. Especially when you reach your '60s, Rountree and Lipman say it's important to take a "yang" approach to health: one that's built on plenty of sleep, gentle exercise, and fulfilling relationships."Be kind, be generous, and the other stuff is the icing on the top," Lipman said, prompting Rountree to nod and smile in agreement.Tune in to this 30-minute episode to learn all about the specific longevity-promoting habits they recommend. Along the way, you'll hear them share how they slow aging in their own lives, including methodically restricting calories and taking the right supplements. Enjoy, and be sure to stay tuned until the end so you can hear these renowned experts answer the audience's burning questions in a Q&A.To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Mackey, the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, wasn’t always the leader and innovator that he is today. Believe it or not, John started his career as a busboy. Never did he imagine that he would create a grocery store that would launch a new era of health and wellness—an era in which people felt empowered people to eat well and live better. In this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast—which comes straight to us from the main stage of this year’s revitalize event—John delves deep into what it means to be a conscious leader in today’s world and why it’s important for all of us to be purpose-driven, loving, and authentic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices