Naketa Ren Thigpen is the world’s number one Balance and Relationship Advisor. With a groundbreaking approach that merges psychotherapy, trauma expertise, and relationship wisdom, Naketa challenges norms and ignites transformative change. She’s the host of the Balance Boldly Podcast and author of “Selfish: Permission to Pause.”
This episode covers the complex topic of managing your stress so that you can better show up for your relationships. Naketa provides many inspirational, realistic, and practical tips that all busy people will be able to utilize.
Dr. Afton Hassett is a licensed clinical psychologist who is an Associate Professor and the Director of Pain and Opioid Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan (UM). She conducts interdisciplinary research related to exploring the role of cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors in chronic pain.
She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and is a leader in the field of resilience and pain. She is the author of “Chronic Pain Reset: 30 Days of Activities, Practices and Skills to Help You Thrive,” an innovative pain self-management book for patients and their clinicians released earlier this fall.
Download and listen to this fascinating episode here or wherever you get podcasts!
Amy Campbell is a functional health consultant who specializes in women’s hormone balance and supporting gut health. With over 10 years of experience as a nurse, she has recently received her Applied Functional Medicine Certification through the School of Applied Functional Medicine where she spent nearly 500 hours of rigorous training.
Amy works with women to get to the root cause of their health struggles. She understands the complex interconnectedness of our bodies and considers the whole person while taking an individualized approach with each client. She combines science-based research, sustainable lifestyle practices, and individual goals to achieve long-lasting wellness.
In this episode, I share some of my favorite lab tests for individualizing client needs, and Amy shares some of hers as well! Download here or listen wherever you get podcasts.
Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me they were all connected. I went to one specialist for the mood issues, one for the allergies and breathing issues, one for the hormones, never being told that one impacted the other. No recommended treatments looked at root cause resolution.
Nine and a half years ago I was introduced to gut health, nutrition, and supplements to support whole-body healing. And one by one, the issues I had struggled with for a lifetime began improving.
Because of the health I found, I started sharing my story. I won’t stop.
My health journey isn’t linear. It isn’t compartmentalized to symptoms/diagnosis. It’s a collection of puzzle pieces, impacted by my DNA, personal and family trauma history, toxic burden, stress, health issues in utero and through childhood, nutrient sufficiency (or insufficiency), and so much more.
It’s never just one thing.
We must think beyond our labels. Then we can collect the puzzle pieces to restore healing.
If you are feeling burdened by your chronic issues, I am here. I am listening, and I want to partner with you to promote revitalized health in your body.
Let’s put the puzzle pieces together! Reach out if you need support. I’d love to work with you. Learn more about what I do and the labs I offer here.
Because we live in a world of constant activity and attempted multitasking, keeping your brain sharp is more important than ever. In this episode, we discuss keys to maintaining a healthy brain in the new year and beyond.
Dr. Julie Fratantoni is a cognitive neuroscientist who specializes in making neuroscience approachable and creating tools that help people become proactive about their brain health. She leads the user experience and content creation for The BrainHealth Project™ – a 10-year, longitudinal research study seeking to define, measure, and improve brain health and performance across the lifespan. She leverages behavioral science for the development of the online BrainHealth dashboard and mobile app where participants access assessments (BrainHealth Index), coaching, and training.
Dr. Fratantoni also leads the Center’s Kindness Enterprise, a research and translational program seeking to uncover wand harness the brain’s capacity for kindness, empathy and compassion as critical components of overall brain health and well-being.
Former two-time guest Andrea Jones and I join forces to get real about how trauma symptoms impacted our lives in the past year. We talk about how these symptoms impacted us physically, mentally, and spiritually, because of course – we are designed as very interconnected humans and you can’t bump one part without impacting another.
If you are experiencing mental or physiological dysregulation, or maybe even a block in your spiritual walk with the Lord, this may be a great way for you to consider how stored trauma may be playing a role.
Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts.
Do you ever have the feeling you just don’t do holidays as well as other people? Or maybe the holiday season hasn’t gone as you wanted it to?
We’ve had a difficult fall, as I’ve been dealing with some heavy past trauma I didn’t know I had. My Christmas spirit has been minimal. I don’t decorate like crazy anyway, but this year was half-hearted at best, featuring an old artificial tree with busted lights, a couple nativity sets.
I ordered a few presents on Amazon when I was sick in bed with the flu, and we took our kids to Six Flags for an experiential gift, instead of loading them up with more toys they won’t play with more than once.
I waste a lot of time scrolling social media. I look at other people’s decoration pictures, the baking reels, the cute creative reels, the smiling kids in their matching Christmas clothes… and I worry my kids are missing out on something this season. We didn’t do enough. They’ll resent us.
But then I offer myself a different perspective. Our family has spent many evenings in the last month cuddled up on the couch together, watching The Chosen. Richard and I have spent numerous nights, practically every night we can, connecting and sharing – often with hard conversations, but mostly making memories I will treasure forever.
See, I might have made a mistake sometime in September. On a morning walk, I asked God to show me His love in a new way. And boy, has he delivered. I’ve seen his love through the raging tornado of my past trauma, because out of my brokenness comes his promised wholeness. I’ve seen his love through friends who have checked on me and offered a listening ear. I’ve seen his love through the unconditional love and support of my husband. I’ve seen his love through the three very chill, very laid back kids I’ve been gifted.
And I see his love through the gift of Jesus.
As Paul David Tripp writes in his Christmas devotional, Come Let Us Adore Him, “What sense would it make for God to go to the extent of sending his Son to be born for our sake, and then abandon us along the way? Since God was willing to make such a huge investment in his grace, isn’t it logical to believe he will continue to invest in his grace until that grace has finished its work?”
It’s okay that I don’t have an Instagram-worthy living room. It’s okay that my kids didn’t decorate Christmas cookies, that they didn’t see lights, that they didn’t get the usual amount of cousin and grandparent time this year. It’s even okay that they got more screen time than I’d like (it pains me to say that one out loud).
What matters to me is the lesson I’m learning… THAT is the most important legacy I can pass on to my kids, something they can hold on to through any of life’s plot twists.
His grace and unfailing lovingkindness don’t run out. There is no limit. I haven’t reached capacity. I continue to pull from that well of living water, the kind that never runs out, because he can’t be anything other than who he is – a God who sees, who rescues, and who creates life from death. Over and over again. He did it for me. He can do it for you.
What the brain struggles to process, the body will store. When we have negative emotions and trauma that we haven’t been able to work through, we often receive symptoms in the forms of physical ailments. This episode digs into this topic from the perspective of Ayurvedic medicine.
Dr. Ram Tamang is an Ayurvedic Physician, Master Herbalist, Educator and High Performance Coach, based in Southern California. Dr. Ram was trained as a doctor at the esteemed Ayurvedic University, MGR Medical University in Coimbatore, India, gained his Master Herbalist Certificate from GCNM in the USA and is one of 700 in the world to receive his certification as a High Performance Coach (CHPC).
As a child of nature, Dr. Ram grew up in the foothills of the Himalayas in Kathmandu, Nepal, learning about herbs and nature-based medicines from his grandmother. Dr. Ram works side-by-side Allopathic Doctors, providing his unique perspective of how Ayurvedic Medicine can be used along with Westernized and Modern Medicine for a truly holistic and holistic approach to healing.
Download and listen to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.
Lately I have been on a rampage against commonly used inflammatory vegetable oils. They are everywhere, in every dressing, sauce, packaged good, and even in frozen vegetable mixtures and “healthy” items. Because of what I know about how these inflammatory oils impact our cell membranes and lead to oxidative damage, I get enraged that so many food companies and “health coaches” or nutrition experts promote their use.
The main oils I try to stay away from are vegetable, corn, soybean, canola, sunflower, and safflower. The reason these oils wreak havoc on cellular health is because they are in the category of omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAS). Omega 6 oils are not bad on their own, and we actually need them, but when we are consuming more omega 6 oils than omega 3s, excessive inflammation can occur. Also, these oils are very sensitive to oxidation under high heat, which can also cause damage on the cellular level.
In a perfect world, we would have a balance between omega 3 fats and omega 6 fats. In the era of processed convenience food, it just isn’t the case. Excess intake of vegetable oils like canola and soybean have been linked to anxiety, aggression, and poor cognitive function. While intake of omega 3 oils (found in fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds) has been shown to improve cognitive function and reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and even chronic pain.
Most restaurant items contain inflammatory oils, because they’re cheaper. Even if you go to a restaurant and decide to make a “healthy” choice of ordering a salad, chances are that salad dressing is packed with canola or soybean oil, along with lots of sugar. I try to avoid restaurant salads as much as possible. The last time I mistakenly ordered a shrimp salad at a chain restaurant, it was so sweet it tasted like dessert!
But here’s the thing – I like eating out. It can be a fun treat, and my family usually eats restaurant food about once a week. I don’t want to be the food police at a restaurant. I don’t want my need to control or stress about food to ruin an enjoyable dining experience.
This brings me to my pantry. I have control over what I make at home. I love cooking from scratch, using whole food ingredients as much as possible. I love knowing that I am supporting my family’s brain health through nourishing recipes that keep us full and fueled for our busy lives.
Period problems seem to be increasing these days, and many women are looking for individualized support. Andrea Jones is a registered nurse, functional hormone coach, as well as life and health coach. Andrea helps women with hormone imbalances experience painless, mood-free periods so they could feel like themselves again.
In this episode, we cover every topic related to supporting female hormones, and the interplay with mood regulation and menstrual cycle. Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts!
