Return to Vibrant Health

A podcast bridging the science of Lifestyle Medicine with ancient wisdom to help you live a life free of chronic disease, and full of joy and vitality.

38: Gardening Heals! with Sweet Earth Co.'s Xenia D'Ambrosi

I'm SO excited for today's guest, Xenia D'Ambrosi! Join us to hear about how her cancer diagnosis led her to horticulture therapy, which led her to growing a thriving cutting garden business, Sweet Earth Co. At Sweet Earth Co. Xenia and her team focuses on sustainable and regenerative growing practices and shares ways we can ALL just start where we are to make a difference for ourselves and our planet. AND Sweet Earth Co. can help you to do just that with their foundational pillars...

01-28
36:32

37: Optimizing Mobility & Vitality with Aging Expert & Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Vonda Wright

Are you a couch potato? Or do you move your body regularly? Either way you will LOVE this episode with Dr. Vonda Wright! She is an amazing physician, speaker, author, and podcast host on a mission to help you maintain mobility as you age, but also optimize your health in order to live as vibrant a life as possible. At a young age she decided she wanted a life of "behind the red rope" experiences. And she got just that as a professional football team and professional ballet doc. She's an ortho...

07-17
54:23

36: Crime Scene Investigator to Functional Health & Nutrition Pro, with Andrea Nicholson

Today's guest is Andrea Nicholson - CSI turned Functional Health & Nutrition Professional! If you are interested in a ROOT CAUSE approach to health, this is the episode for you. Andrea walks us through her unique approach to investigating metabolic health and supports you to address underlying causes, ultimately leading to a life of vibrancy, energy, and health. As a Metabolic Health Investigator, she helps people reduce inflammation, optimize weight, and repair gut health by i...

06-25
43:18

35: To stretch...or NOT to stretch! With Yogi Aaron

Today I welcome Yogi Aaron, author of the book, "Stop Stretching! A new yogic approach to master your body and live pain-free". What an amazing episode! Yogi Aaron is the founder of Applied Yoga Anatomy and Muscle Activation™ (AYAMA), a system of yoga that no one else teaches. It’s a revolutionary way to practice yoga that focuses on activating and engaging muscles rather than stretching them. This yoga methodology reduces pain and risk of injury while increasing range of motion, muscle ...

06-05
44:03

34: Bone Health with Jayne Wesler, Esq - Increase your bone density WITHOUT medication!

Meet Jayne Wesler - author, bone coach, speaker, and passionate advocate for INCREASING bone health naturally, without medication. Check out today’s episode where Jayne tells us about her journey with bones that were “thinning at an alarming rate” and what she did to explore all the nitty gritty details about bone health and how to create stronger bones WITHOUT medication. You will love her down to Earth, kind, and genuine approach to an issue that keeps increasing. Jayne has accomplishe...

05-08
53:47

33: Eat For The Earth (AND Your Body), with J. Morris Hicks - Exploring the intersection of human and planetary health.

Can we really save the planet, one bite at a time?On this day, Earth Day 2023, I think the answer might just be a resounding YES!And that's EXACTLY what J. Morris Hicks has been studying for the last couple decades and he thinks it's possible when we all adopt a plant forward (or even plant exclusive) diet. He's a big picture, systems thinker with a long career as an engineer, process improvement consultant, and senior corporate executive. He began exploring what the best diet for human...

04-22
55:48

32: How NURSES bring Plant Based Nutrition to life! ~ with Joanne Evans, RN

Calling all nurses! AND anyone with an interest in plant based nutrition. Today I had the privilege of talking with Joanne Evans, RN - nurse extraordinaire! She's the GOAT of mental health nursing and plant based nutrition. Joanne has been a nurse for 50 years and has seen a thing or two. Not to mention her own journey with mercury toxicity, which is how she discovered the power of plants in the first place. Let me tell you a little about her . . . She is a Clinical Nurse Speci...

03-28
45:01

31: Nitric Oxide - "The Magic Molecule" - with Dr. Nathan Bryan, PhD

Today we are saying YES to N.O.! Dr. Nathan Bryan is the world's leading researcher on nitric oxide (N.O.), a gas often called the "magic molecule" because of its powerful role in your body. As you'll hear today, this gas is essential for proper cell signaling, relaxation and ability of the blood vessels to dilate and is implicated in the health of almost all body systems including your cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), brain, sexual function (men AND women), gut health, and mo...

03-22
47:51

30: Brownies for Breakfast! A cookbook for diabetics & the people who love them, with author Lynne Bowman

Today's guest is Lynne Bowman, a 77 year old vibrant and glamorous grandma and author of the 2021 “Brownies for Breakfast: A Cookbook for Diabetics and the People Who Love them.” Lynne is passionate about her health . . . and YOURS too! After reversing her diabetes with a whole food plant based diet, she is on a mission to show you how to EASILY do the same. Admittedly, she is no long strictly "vegan" (healthy version), but has maintained her NO diabetes status with a mostly plant based ...

03-05
49:15

29: Making the Healthy Choice, the EASY Choice! with Dr. Meagan Grega

Meet Dr. Meagan Grega! Lehigh Valley's leading voice for Lifestyle Medicine. She co-founded The Kellyn Foundation to help members of the community "Make the Healthy Choice, the EASY choice"! Not to mention all the amazing work she's doing beyond her own community, especially within the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Who IS Dr. Grega?– Superstar of Lifestyle Medicine– Modern day “Shaman” (she really is a compassionate healer)– The GOAT - not only is she the “Greatest of All Time,...

02-24
58:26

28: The Healing Power of NATURE with Dr. Melissa Sundermann, DO

Nature! Don't you CRAVE it? I sure do. Today's guest is Dr. Nature herself - Dr. Melissa Sundermann, DO - physician at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA. Those of us that are nature lovers have always felt the innate healing power of spending time outdoors. Today you'll hear the science that is now validating what we've always known in our heart . . . and gut (as you'll discover ;). From green spaces to blue, Dr. Sundermann shares why and how nature heals both mind and body. By following her tr...

02-17
38:24

27: Lifestyle Medicine with Dr. David Donohue - WIN-WIN-WIN Medicine!

Ever feel like your doctor doesn’t listen to you - not really listen, anyway? And just keeps pushing medication down your throat (pun intended), or send you for yet another lab, test, or scan? Want to break out of the hamster wheel of pills and procedures, but don’t know how? Or maybe you're a medical provider that’s sick and tired of being a pill pusher but when you look in your medical bag, there aren't many tools, so you grab the prescription pad, stack on yet another med and be on y...

02-06
32:54

26: Know Your Thyroid! HYPO and HYPERthyroidism, with Endocrinologist Dr. Soham Patel

Dr. Soham Patel, owner / director of the Center for Preventative Endocrinology and Nutrition (Tampa, FL) is back on the show to shed light on the elusive thyroid! Ever wonder if you might have a thyroid problem? Or feel like doo doo (you know what I mean) all the time but have been told all your labs are normal? Then this one's for YOU! Dr. Patel & I discuss benign thyroid problems (no cancer in this one, folks) - hypothyroidism (under active thyroid, Hashimoto's) and hyperthyroidism (ove...

01-26
42:34

25: Healthy MOUTH, Healthy BODY, Beautiful SMILE - with Dr. Julio Sixto, DMD

I welcome Dr. Julio Sixto, DMD of Admira Dentistry in Jacksonville, FL to the show. Ya'll...it's gooooood. If you don't think much about your oral health, you WILL after today's conversation! The mouth is the "gatekeeper" to overall health. Don't think so? Just listen in and you'll hear all the ways your overall health and well-being is connected to your mouth.We cover the oral (and gut) microbiome, inflammation, diet, caring for your teeth from birth through adulthood, migraines, sleep apnea...

01-19
58:25

24: "I Am Enough" - A chat about self-worth with Danielle Palli, Mindfulness & Positive Psychology Coach

Self-Worth. It's not something we bring to our conscious awareness on a regular basis, but a topic worth diving into as it's often THE thing that holds us back from living a life we truly desire. Today's guest, Danielle Palli, is a Board-Certified Positive Psychology and Mindfulness Coach; Book Coach and Multi-Genre Author. She is driven by using her voice to support women to overcome life’s hurdles and create a life of their design through coaching and mindfulness training, using creati...

01-13
50:00

23: Power Packed Phytonutrients! With Dr. Allen Williams - global leader in Regenerative Agriculture.

PHYTONUTRIENTS! What are they? Why are they important? Where can I find them? Today I welcome back Dr. Allen Williams, global leader in Regenerative Agriculture, to discuss phytonutrients - the micronutrients in plants that help our human bodies ward off inflammation, oxidative stress, and other harmful "stuff". Think about a bright red strawberry, orange carrot, the deep purple of beets, the white flesh of onions . . . you get the idea! These colors tell us something about their benefits, bu...

01-09
54:29

22: Dr. Dawn Mussallem - Thriving with breast cancer in the Lifestyle & Integrative Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville

Meet the AMAZING Dr. Dawn Mussallem! You’ll be smiling as you feel the energy, joy, and passion in her voice. Dr. Mussallem runs and directs the Lifestyle & Integrative Medicine department in Mayo Clinic Jacksonville’s Breast Center. You will be enthralled by both her personal story of healing and how she brings that wisdom into her practice working with women in (and after) breast cancer treatment. Dr. Mussallem’s own health and personal struggles couldn’t stop this smart cookie fro...

12-29
01:14:24

21: How NYU's College of Nursing is bringing LIFESTYLE NURSING to undergrads, with Dr. Karla Rodriguez

Shout out to my nursing peeps! If you’re a nurse, in nursing school or a professor of nursing you will be psyched about today’s conversation with NYU’s Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. Karla Rodriguez. Dr. Rodriguez teaches med-surg and an elective course, Lifestyle Approaches and Wellbeing in Nursing, to undergraduate nursing students in New York University’s (NYU) Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a content expert in Lifestyle Medicine, is a role model for healthy living as she w...

12-16
36:45

20: SUCCESS STORY! with Karl Karch - police officer grateful for heart attack at 46.

Mr. Karl Karch didn’t want to bother anyone with his heart attack. Fortunately, that same heart attack was the impetus for significant life changes (via the Ornish Intensive Cardiac Rehab program) that created space to go from having a “soft trigger pull” in life to being the healthiest he’s ever been - mind, body, and spirit.In today's episode you'll hear Karl's inspiring and relatable story of living the American dream - grilling out a few times a week with friends and family, drinkin' a fe...

12-09
01:14:00

19: Regenerative Agriculture 101 with Dr. Allen Williams

I'm SO excited for you to hear today's conversation with Dr. Alan Williams! When I saw him in the short film, Farmer's Footprint, I knew I had to talk to him. He is a global leader in the Regenerative Agriculture movement and what he has to share with us is one of the most important (and pressing) issues of our time. Rebuilding soil health might just save the planet, and us along with it. He was wonderful at connecting soil health with human health, making the info easy to understand and prac...

12-01
56:41

Recommend Channels