Understanding ADHD

I’m not one to self-diagnose, but this interview left me reeling for weeks after. I felt so SEEN while discussing the topic of ADHD with expert, Dr. Tamara Rosier. After reading her book, I have such a better perspective on how my brain functions. This episode was so inspiriting, I have scheduled a part two with her already!

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. This episode is dedicated the busting the myths of ADHD and how ADHD impacts the everyday functioning of those who have it.

Download and listen here or find wherever you get podcasts.

Continue reading →

Why Sugar is a Drug and How to Quit It

She is a neuroscience researcher who has published over 100 peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Yes, I said 100. She’s an associate professor of neuroscience at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. And she’s bringing her research on sugar and the brain in a new book called Sugarless, out in January.

I loved getting the opportunity to have Dr. Nicole Avena on the podcast. We bust up some myths on what sugar actually does to the brain in this episode. Yes, changes are happening to your brain when you overconsume sweetened beverages and treats. It’s not fun to hear, but I know I needed the reminder.

Bio: Dr. Nicole Avena is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and a Visiting Professor of Health Psychology at Princeton University. She graduated from Princeton University with her PhD in Neuroscience and Psychology, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at Rockefeller University in NYC. She is a research neuroscientist and expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction, with a special focus on nutrition during early life and pregnancy, and women’s health. Her research achievements have been honored by awards from several groups including the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In addition to over 100 peer-reviewed scholarly publications, Dr. Avena has written several books, including What to Eat When You’re Pregnant, What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler and What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant. She has the #2 most watched TED-ED Health talk, How Sugar Affects Your Brain, with over 13 million views and counting.

Download this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts.

Continue reading →

Practical Tools to Support Kids’ Mental Health

Dr. Nicole Beurkens is a leading holistic child psychologist, as a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced degrees in psychology, education, and nutrition. She has dedicated her 25-year career to providing parents with research-based strategies that get to the root of children’s attention, anxiety, mood, and behavior challenges so they can reach their highest potential. She founded and runs a multi-disciplinary evaluation and treatment clinic in Grand Rapids, MI, and is a best-selling author, published researcher, award-winning therapist, media expert, scientific advisor, and experienced mother of four.

Download and listen. to this episode here, or find wherever you get podcasts!

Continue reading →

How to Be Happier This Holiday Season

Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998, created the first three globally celebrated happiness holidays, and is the author of Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life. She was an award-winning salesperson for American Express and Staples, and now helps leaders and teams create happier workplace cultures.

Download and listen to this episode here or find wherever you get podcasts.

Continue reading →

How to Make Sure You’re Getting the Best Sleep

More and more Americans struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep on a consistent basis. We need all the practical tools and tips to support healthy sleep, and that’s what this episode is all about!

Dr. Sanam Hafeez is a neuropsychologist in New York City. She is also faculty at Columbia University. Her website Comprehend the Mind is here.

Dr. Hafeez has been a trusted and recurring expert across media channels for top outlets such as The Wallstreet Journal, The Washington Post, HuffPost, The New York Times, Bustle, Elite Daily, Refinery29, Prevention, Health, Healthline and on TV for such shows and news as Dr. Oz, The Doctors, CNN, CBS NY Weekend News, and FOX.

Download this episode here or find wherever you get podcasts!

Key Topics: –

Why 40-50% of Americans are struggling with sleep, more so than ever before
What is circadian rhythm and why it matters
How sleep impacts mental health and replenishes the brain
How anxiety starts at night
The ritual to have to prepare for sleep
Tips to try to support better sleep
The best way to calm an anxious brain at bedtime
How parents can use kids’ bedtime to take time to develop their own sleep hygiene

Sponsor: Ritual vitamins – get 10% off your first three months at ritual.com/spark.

Neurolinguistic Programming: The Stories We Created for Ourselves and How to Update Them

Rachel S. Heslin has been immersed in the study of psychology for over 40 years. Her father, a clinical psychologist, taught his children his craft such that Rachel was first introduced to Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) concepts when she was 9 years old.

Rachel is currently the author of two books: Navigating Life: 8 Different Strategies to Guide Your Way, and Rituals of Release: How to Make Room for Your New Life. Her work through her company, The Fullness of Your Power, helps people embrace all parts of their true selves so they can live happier, more successful, and more deeply fulfilling lives.

Download this episode here or find wherever you get podcasts!

Continue reading “Neurolinguistic Programming: The Stories We Created for Ourselves and How to Update Them” →

You Are Not Your Feelings: How to Make Peace with Your Mind

Amy Johnson, PhD, is a psychologist, coach, author, and speaker who shares a groundbreaking new approach that helps people find lasting freedom from unwanted habits, anxiety, and self-doubt via insight rather than willpower.

She is the author of “Being Human, The Little Book of Big Change: The No-Willpower Approach to Breaking Any Habit,” and “Just a Thought: A No-Willpower Approach to End Self-Doubt and Make Peace with Your Mind.” In 2017, she opened The Little School of Big Change, an online school that has helped thousands of people find freedom from anxiety and habits and live a more peaceful life.

Download and listen to this episode here or find wherever you get podcasts.

Continue reading “You Are Not Your Feelings: How to Make Peace with Your Mind” →

The Science Behind Why We Eat What We Eat

Have you ever wondered why we have all the health and diet information in the world, yet there are still so many struggling to make the right decisions to improve their health? In this episode we cover the WHY behind making the food decisions we make.

Download and listen here or get wherever you find podcasts!

Jack Bobo is the CEO of Futurity, a food foresight company that advises companies, foundations and governments on emerging food trends and consumer attitudes and behaviors related to the future of food. Recognized by Scientific American in 2015 as one of the 100 most influential people in biotechnology, Jack is a global thought leader who has delivered more than 500 speeches in 50 countries.

His new book is called Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices.

Key Topics:

The way our brain is biased against our efforts
Why we can’t just agree to disagree
How we have less trust in authority figures about our health
Confirmation bias in excess of information available today
Why people fear certain food over others
The “naturalness” bias
Why healthy food doesn’t taste good
The history of supersizing and unit bias
The “clean your plate” method and how it works against us
How our minds can trick us with what we’re eating, and the study that confirms it
Mental fatigue and decision fatigue in eating and grocery shopping
Solutions to change the way we think about our choices
Reshaping personal food space

Jack’s book is available now, and you can learn more about his work at this website. This episode is sponsored by Talkspace.

Get $100 off your first month with Talkspace when you use the code sparkingwholeness.

How to Create Natural Neurotransmitter Balance for Mental Wellness

Are there alternatives to medication for mental illness? Is there a way to avoid all the long-term side effects? What other tools can we utilize to help balance our neurotransmitters naturally?

In this interview with Dr. Josh Friedman, we take a deep dive into neurotransmitters and how to optimize them for mental wellness, via food as well as amino acid supplementation.

Dr. Friedman has a doctorate in Psychology from New York University and did post-doctoral training in Psychoanalysis from the Training and Research Institute for Self Psychology (TRISP) in New York City. He also is certified as a Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York and earned a Diploma of Comprehensive Nutrition (Dip.CN) from Huntington College of Health Sciences.

Download this episode wherever you get podcasts!

Key Topics include:

pic work with me