Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, MD, is a neurologist, neuroscientist and an internationally recognized expert in the ancient practice of Ayurvedic medicine. Chaudhary is the author of “The Prime” (Penguin Random House, 2016) and “Sound Medicine” (Harper Collins, 2020); is a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine and is a highly sought-after speaker, researcher and adviser for Healthy Directions.
Download and listen to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.
Tamara Rosier, Ph.D., is the founder of the ADHD Center of West Michigan, where she and her staff work with individuals with ADHD (and their families) to learn strategies and develop new skills to live effectively with ADHD. Dr. Rosier is also the president of the ADHD Coaches Organization. She is the author of Your Brain’s Not Broken. She is a popular conference and keynote speaker is a frequent guest on podcasts and has published numerous articles about living with ADHD. Things you need to know if you suspect you have ADHD.
In this part two conversation, we tackle more of the issues that people with neurodivergent brains face, and the discussion may surprise you!
Download and listen to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.
Matt Zemon is the Co-Founder of HAPPŸŸ, a mental wellness company that specializes in psychedelic-assisted ketamine therapy along with digital therapeutics that promote life-transforming outcomes. As an entrepreneur in the well-being sector, Matt was the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Psychable, an online community connecting people who would like to explore the healing power of psychedelics with a network of practitioners and psychedelic-based treatments, and the co-founder of Take2Minutes, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals improve their mental health and well-being.
Matt is the author of Psychedelics for Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide to these Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness and received his Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health with honors from King’s College London. In this episode, we take on the slightly controversial topic of psychedelics for mental health, and how they’re being used today when all other options fail.
Download and listen to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.
Breaking news for myself: I don’t need to pathologize my feelings. I can experience Big Feelings without having a mental health crisis. Experiencing feelings does not make me mentally unstable.
For so long, my feelings were scary. It wasn’t safe to feel them. While I have always enjoyed experiencing a wide range of emotions, from high school on, they met a list of symptoms on someone’s checklist. Hypomania? Categorized by racing thoughts, pressured speech, elation, high energy, increased goal-directed activity, distractibility, or talkativeness. Check. Depression? Categorized by fatigue, sadness, hopelessness, lethargy, too much sleep, tearfulness, feelings of worthlessness. Check. My real human emotions were analyzed and over-pathologized for so long–by me, by my parents, by the experts. It disrupted my life, and it made me feel shame for experiencing a wide range of emotions. So at some point, I stopped letting myself feel them. You know why? It’s easier not to feel than be worried your feelings are at the mercy of a brain, diagnosis, and prescriptions that are out of your control.
I created a disconnect between my body and brain. In some ways, I checked out of the experience of life. I activated autopilot mode. I cruised. This looked like packing my schedule and hyper-controlling my environment. I had routines that were predictable. I said yes to too much, so there was no room for thinking or feeling for too long. I planned for downtime, in case the overwhelm hit me. I stayed away from dramatic movies, series, or books. I didn’t want to be caught off guard. Sleep was a savior when life became too heavy.
I questioned every mood shift. Thankfully, my husband Richard pushed back on my questions. He reminded me, over and over again, that experiencing a wide range of emotions is okay–and is very human. It took me a long time to believe him.
Today, almost thirty years after I first experienced the darkness, I can use my feelings as a navigation system. They tell me where I need to re-adjust. They are alerts on the dashboard, indicating that it’s time to check in with myself.
If I’m feeling sad, overwhelmed, scattered, distracted, TOO energetic, or any other emotion that feels extreme, I ask myself what I need to feel regulated again. Sometimes, I check in with a feelings wheel (see below or click here). Simply identifying a feeling, naming it out loud, is like taking a big deep breath that’s been constricted in my chest for hours.
I do this often at the end of the day, usually as I verbally process with Richard, but sometimes as I pray myself to sleep. Saying the feeling normalizes the emotional wave driving the feeling, and then I can move on. When I don’t identify them, they build up. That’s when the dysregulation happens.
Now, hear me clearly: I’m not saying every time a person is experiencing depression or anxiety or a manic episode, it’s due to the fact that they can’t name their feelings. I get anxious when I eat a large cookie. My brain gets buzzed if I drink a too-sugary coffee drink. Alcoholic beverages can make me feel depressed and poorly impact my sleep. Skipping yoga too many times in a week can make me restless. There are very real physical triggers to my mood shifts, and I am constantly monitoring my responses to mood-altering substances like sugar, alcohol, gluten, dairy, and any overly processed standard American food.
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’m kicking things off with five of my favorite things we should all be consuming for better mental health. A few months ago, I shared five health imposters that harm our health, and I decided to expand on that list with the five things we need in this latest podcast episode. You can listen to the full episode or keep reading below.
Remember, your body needs to feel safe to heal and thrive. That’s true for emotional safety, and it’s absolutely true for physiological safety. Unfortunately, much of our modern lifestyle habits are keeping your body in an unsafe, stressed out state, including the food that is habitually consumed (or not consumed).
So I’ve rounded up a list of the five things that I believe everyone, everywhere should be consuming for improved mental function. There are so many more things I could add to the list, but these are some of the things that tend to be the most beneficial for my clients, as well as my own healing journey.
There is hope! I’m not here to make you more stressed or kill your joy.
Let’s talk about five things everyone everywhere should be consuming for their mental health:
1. Drink mostly water. Anything other than water is a treat. While I know many people, myself included, benefit from coffee or tea in the morning or mid-morning for some added focus and other benefits of caffeine, you should be drinking mostly water, most of the time. Get your body hooked on it. This may surprise you, but I haven’t had a soda in 9 years. Getting the option off the table did wonders for my mental health and my sugar cravings. I just stopped. I do occasionally have adult beverages, but I’m very sensitive to anything overly sweet, especially in mixed cocktails. Water is where it’s at. Hydration helps with focus, decreases anxiety, supports cellular health (which we need for brain communication), and helps with snacking in between meals.
Carly Stagg and Chelsea Blackbird are co-creators of The School of Christian Health and Nutrition. They teach holistic health rooted in Biblical principles and certify people who are passionate about health and Jesus to become Christian Health Practitioners. Carly is a Family Nurse Practitioner and functional nutritional therapist. Chelsea is Christian Health Practitioner and nutritional therapist. They have combined the very best of their functional health training and clinical experience to offer a comprehensive program that fully integrates spirit, mind and body.
In this episode, both practitioners share their heart for a holistic, Biblical perspective on health that is often missing in the world of health and nutrition.
Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts.
Andrea Jones is a Registered Nurse, Functional Hormone Coach and Inner Healing Pastor. She has spent the majority of her nursing career in hospital settings before transitioning to nursing education and finally out of the conventional medical system altogether. She now works with women all over the world to uncover the root causes of their hormone imbalances so they can get back to thriving.
Download and listen to this episode here or find wherever you get podcasts.
Dr. Molly Maloof is passionate about extending healthspan through her medical practice, personal brand, entrepreneurial and educational endeavors. She provides personalized medicine to world class entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. Dr. Maloof is on the frontier of digital health technologies, biofeedback assisted lifestyle interventions, and science-backed wellness products and services.
In this jam-packed episode, Dr. Molly breaks down the definition of biohacking and how we can optimize our health and enhance our energy by hacking our biology.
Download and listen to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.
More people are struggling with mental health issues than ever before, and more people are looking for lasting solutions by addressing the root cause through multiple modalities. Sanare Today is a revolutionary set of thirteen clinics that combines therapy, natural medicine, nutrition, and coaching to help people thrive.
Rachael Bevilacqua is the Vice President of Sanare Today. She has a master’s degree in clinical counseling from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is a personal trainer. Her passion for combining revolutionary therapy techniques, food, and movement comes from her experience as an athlete, coach, and clinician.
Dr. Kate Henry is the Director of Functional Medicine at Sanare. Kate’s study of nutrition, botanicals, and lifestyle medicine allows her to offer unique expertise and cutting-edge solutions for mental and physical health conditions including depression, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD, and more. She’s passionate about doing the medical detective work to help people find their root cause and become free of the things that are holding them back.
In this episode, we dive into the world of integrating mind-body methods to improve mental health for good. Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts.
Leslie Bumpas is a Functional Medicine Nutritionist and expert in Women’s Wellness. Over the last ten years she has helped frustrated, mature women overcome the hurdles of aging by utilizing science-backed protocols designed to bring energy, vitality, and beauty back so they can enjoy life to the fullest. There should be no fear about aging: no dementia, no frumpy, dumpy, and old. Leslie incorporates a unique approach to anti-aging that few in the healthcare world have access to.
In this episode, we tackle all things related to healthy hormones in perimenopause and beyond. Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts.
Key Topics:
Cultural misconceptions of female hormones
What really helps balance hormones
Early signs of perimenopause
What kind of tests to run for hormone support
How to consider menopause a “second spring”
The importance of managing stress for your hormone health
Maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiome as you age