In this episode, Sam sits down with sex therapist Vanessa Marin to answer your biggest questions about sex. Why do I have low (or no) sex drive? How can I fix it? How do I initiate sex without feeling embarrassed? How do we keep the spark alive after all this time? After marriage? After kids? And the big one: Why can't I finish, and how do I achieve orgasm?

Listen to this episode if your sex life could use a boost, if you want to prevent your sex life from fizzling out, or if you want to learn some tips and tricks from a sex expert who gets it.

Key moments:

00:00:35 Guest introduction

00:02:21 The crazy story of why Vanessa became a sex therapist (she was 11 lol)

00:05:33 Proactively working on your relationship inside AND outside the bedroom

00:06:50 “Effortless” sex

00:07:55 Vanessa’s approach to couples sex therapy

00:8:29 Do you need to have sex to feel connected? Or feel connected to have sex?

00:10:27 The single most important characteristic of your sex life

00:12:46 How to NOT let your sex life fizzle out (preventative steps)

00:13:06 The #1 way to keep your sex life healthy

00:15:01 The 3 places intimacy issues start

00:18:45 How to boost your libido when you have low (or no) sex drive

00:19:49 Hot take: desire is overrated

00:21:38 The 2 different types of sex drive (WOMEN PAY ATTENTION!)

00:22:34 85% of women need THIS to get turned on

00:23:51 Having a different sex drive than your partner (SUSHI LOL)

00:25:50 Meeting your partner’s libido and getting on the same page

00:28:33 The best way to communicate that you’re not interested in sex after your partner initiates

00:31:57 How to keep the spark alive instead of slipping into “roommates”

00:33:50 Scheduling sex???

00:39:36 This is when most couples’ sex lives start fizzling out

00:41:35 How to refresh your sex life in a long-term relationship

00:44:52 One tiny (easy) thing you can do to excite your partner

00:45:09 How to initiate sex with your partner in a way that doesn’t feel embarrassing

00:45:54 The 2 most important things about initiating sex with your partner

00:49:13 Okay, let’s talk about the actual sex

00:49:29 HOW TO ORGASM, FOR WOMEN

00:50:55 Women/men same

00:54:58 91% of women said intercourse isn’t the most pleasurable sexual activity

00:55:25 How to speak up about what you want during sex

00:57:46 Sex rapid fire Q+A!

00:58:22 Most overrated sex position

00:58:52 Most underrated sex advice

00:59:36 The unsexiest thing that improves your sex life

00:59:53 The sex position everyone should try at least once

01:00:28 The sex misconception that needs to go away forever

01:00:47 The #1 mood killer

01:01:33 What every woman needs to know about sex

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In this episode, Sam hears a whole lot about "damaged skin barrier" this and that, and subsequently realizes...we don't really know what tf that means? Or exactly which products and ingredients we should be looking for to fix it? Deep dive, obvi.

Listen to this episode if you're a skincare queen, if your skin is freaking out right now, or if you think you might have a damaged skin barrier. We got you.

Key moments:

01:46 Chatty life updates! 5k, everything going wrong, kitchen renovation, busy last few days of summer

14:57 Two events where you can CAPS LOCK with me in the wild!!!!! 9/13 and 9/27

17:17 Today’s topic let’s get into ittt (skincare trauma dump)

23:35 What is your skin barrier? Keratin, lipids, peptides, etc.

30:52 The microbiome, immune, and chemical layers of your skin barrier

32:00 What’s a healthy pH for your skin?

32:13 How to tell if your skin barrier is damaged

33:24 How to tell if you have a healthy skin barrier

33:59 The most common causes of skin barrier damage

34:43 Does your diet affect your skin barrier? If so, how?

37:01 How to heal your skin barrier if it’s already damaged

38:10 Removing skin barrier-damaging factors from your routine

39:57 Foods you can eat to support your skin barrier

40:34 How caffeine affects your skin

41:24 Skincare products to heal your skin barrier (ingredients to look for)

42:29 Sam’s favorite skin barrier healing products!!!

Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WHOOP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Other links:

That TikTok I mentioned lol

Omnilux red light mask

Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Moisturizer

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream With Squalane

Dieux Instant Angel Skin Restoring Moisturizer

Follow along:

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In this episode, Lindsey Metselaar of We Met at Acme returns for a follow-up episode. During our first conversation (episode 23, for anyone who's curious), we chatted all about the state of dating in 2025—but today, we're here for the girlies in relationships. New ones, forever ones, ones with kids, and everything in between. Lindsey is truly that girl when it comes to giving the absolute best, realest, and most effective relationship advice.

Listen to this episode if you're in a relationship, or if you literally ever plan to be in one again.

Key moments:

01:33 “Everything else is perfect, but he hasn’t said ILY”

02:59 Saying “I love you” first

06:34 Lindsey’s 3-3-3 rule in relationships

09:38 Having the timeline conversation before it’s too late (and how to bring it up)

10:58 What if I didn’t have the timeline convo early on??? Now what??

12:11 Having an argument with your partner can actually be a good thing…

14:35 Bringing insecurities from past relationships into your new one

16:41 What should be easy vs. what’s okay to be “hard” in a relationship?

18:15 You should have 10% insecurity in your relationship

18:40 Getting comfortable in a relationship (like…too comfortable)

18:47 Gaining “healthy relationship weight”

21:25 The worst thing you can do in a relationship (unexpected!!!)

22:49 How to keep the romance alive after moving in together

26:31 How to split finances in a relationship - before and after living together

32:31 Making their friends and family fall in love with you

34:19 How to get him to propose

35:03 “If he takes you for granted, give him a glimpse of what life is like without you”

36:15 Does “taking a break” ever actually work?

37:36 How to make sure wedding planning doesn’t get the best of you

41:18 How does being married change your relationship?

41:32 How do kids change your relationship?

43:20 Lindsey’s #1 tip for maintaining your relationship after kids

Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WHOOP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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In this episode, Sam shares everything you need to know (and also a bunch of other stuff you probably don't need to know, but is interesting) about creatine. Does it cause water retention? Hair loss? Weight gain? Kidney damage? Is it only good for men, or women too? This is a great episode to watch on YouTube, because she's talking directly into camera (hi, eye contact!) and looks cute.

Listen to this episode if you've always wondered whether you should take creatine, but were too lazy to research it in depth (mood).

Key moments:

00:41 Chatty life updates!

01:00 Interesting New York Times article about US alcohol consumption

02:17 Renovation is done!!!

03:36 5k training update

05:24 Creatine, let’s get into it

 07:52 What is creatine?

08:31 What are skeletal muscles?

09:56 How creatine works in your body

11:10 How much creatine do we need?

12:13 How to get creatine in your diet

14:20 Forms of creatine

15:56 How creatine supplements are made (+ ingredients!)

22:04 Different types of creatine

23:09 Creatine monohydrate

23:33 Benefits of taking creatine

26:02 Does creatine help you shred and/or burn fat?

28:45 Does creatine make you retain water?

29:56 Does creatine cause kidney damage?

31:05 Does creatine cause hair loss?

31:33 Does creatine increase body fat?

33:04 Do you need to do a creatine loading phase?

36:12 Does creatine work for women too, or just men?

Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠WHOOP⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Resources for this episode can be found here.

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In this episode, Sam calls up Nicole Addison, a registered dietitian and recipe developer (better known to her 1M+ followers as @nourishedbynic) to simplify healthy eating. She shares her formula for mindful grocery shopping, what foods we should pair to make well-rounded snacks, how to meal prep so you WON'T throw it out and order takeout instead, and tips for eating healthier at restaurants. Toward the end, they do a rapid-fire round where Sam presents a diet/nutrition trend, and Nicole rates it out of 10.

Listen to this episode if you've been eating like crap all summer and you're ready to lock back in!

Key moments:

00:34 Guest intro

03:55 Eating healthy by ADDING, not RESTRICTING

05:58 How to eat healthy when you have no time

07:23 Easy formula for a balanced meal

08:59 How to actually feel full on healthy food

12:14 How to meal prep so you don't get sick of it

14:24 Condiments have sneaky sugar—how to make healthy versions!

17:00 An easy formula for healthy grocery shopping

22:42 An easy formula for throwing together healthy, satisfying snacks

24:35 The internet's (and Nicole's) favorite hyperfixation meals

27:15 Food combining—is it legit? How to do it?

29:29 How to make healthier choices at restaurants

32:05 How to stop overeating (portion control!)

38:29 Glucose spikes, insulin resistance, and what we can/can't control

42:37 How movement reduces a glucose spike! Sam crushes this and is very proud, tell Sam you're proud of her

44:26 GLP-1 and MB-1 supplements (not shots/Ozempic)

48:42 Internet food/nutrition trends that dietitians HATE

50:00 Internet food/nutrition trends that dietitians LOVE

51:13 RAPID FIRE: Nicole rates diet/food/nutrition trends out of 10

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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This is not an episode about avoiding burnout, because sometimes you can't. And Sam thinks Big Corporate is always pushing "avoid burnout" propaganda to prevent us from actually taking the breaks we need to heal. And also...she's burnt out. Lol. So today, we're skipping all the toxic positivity and getting real, raw, and honest about burnout—plus, how to recover from it—including how to plan, prepare for, structure, and return from an ACTUAL break/vacation. This one's good.

Listen to this episode if you've hit the wall.

Key moments:

00:00:37 Chatty life updates

00:00:52 I’m running my first 5k???

00:04:39 A CAPS LOCK workout IRL in NYC!!!

00:06:20 Follow me on Goodreads if you like books

00:07:23 Kitchen update!!! So close to the finish line

00:07:51 Sam is coming to YouTube lols

00:10:30 Burnout and what to do when you have it

00:10:39 How Sam realized she was burnt out (do you have these symptoms??) + ranting lol

00:32:10 Lowering the bar and prioritizing

00:36:30 Reducing the input

00:39:52 Are you dehydrated be honest

00:42:02 Sleeping and burnout

00:44:38 Grounding practice

00:46:26 Daily brain dump!!! Huge proponent of this

00:48:51 You actually do need to take a break lol but I promise this part is helpful

00:49:02 How to plan and prepare for the break

00:58:40 Structuring the actual break

01:02:20 Returning from the break without undoing all the healing you just did

Lots of links today so organizing them here:

2 free weeks of Runna.

Follow Sam on Goodreads.

10% off Omnilux red light mask.

Buy the Productivity Planner.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join ⁠⁠WHOOP⁠⁠.

Follow along:

Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/lifeincapslock⁠⁠ 

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In this episode, Sam's ADHD goes absolutely unchecked as she explores the experience of comparing yourself to other people. We all do it. We compare ourselves to our friends and family, colleagues at work, strangers on the internet...it's hard not to, what with the social media of it all. And everyone repeats that tired old phrase (sorry Teddy Roze), "Comparison is the thief of joy." No, like...we get it. But how do we stop? That's what today is about.

Listen to this episode if you're into the chatty/rambly episodes more than the research-heavy ones, if you're in the midst of a comparison spiral like Sam is, or if you want to learn a cool visualization exercise for bringing your manifestation to life.

Key moments:

00:35 Chatty/random life updates

04:15 Energy drinks that I *THINK* use natural caffeine

06:54 Why we’re not talking about cold plunge today lol

10:21 FINALLY the actual topic at hand lol

14:46 The highlight reel of it all

16:43 You have to take it allllll (I love this part)

19:59 Seeking validation and connection online

20:43 Selective comparison

22:32 Playing a losing game

23:37 Outsourcing your identity

27:16 It’s possible (and okay) to be happy for someone else and sad for yourself

28:25 How to stop comparing yourself to other people

28:41 Gratitude and your accomplishments (eye roll)

29:20 Writing a letter to yourself…with a twist

31:58 Comparing yourself to (drum roll)…yourself

34:27 Repeated thoughts and triggers

36:13 Using comparison as a tool to identify your values

37:36 Seeking out (instead of avoiding) your triggers

38:44 Get off social media!!!

40:06 Scarcity mindset vs. abundance mindset

41:09 A twist on self-comparison that a lot of us do…be honest

43:05 A good visualization practice

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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In this episode, Sam unpacks the advice every Healthtokker and their mother is shoving down your throat: Sauna, sauna, sauna. Not only does she uncover the truth on some big wellness myths (lactic acid, detoxification, and weight loss among them), but she also shares research-backed methodology for using the sauna as effectively as possible to unlock the best version of your mind and body.

Listen to this episode if you don't sauna, if you're skeptical of your friendly neighborhood Healthtokker, or if you sauna without a goal/program (because random bits of heat here and there are not having the effect you think they are!).

Key moments:

04:24 Why recovery is essential (not optional)

05:24 The cycle of muscle tear and repair

05:58 Glycogen!!! We need to understand this

06:09 Why you should not be afraid of carbs

07:28 How our bodies process glucose

08:28 Risk of injury

08:37 How recovery impacts your sleep cycle

09:19 Maintaining hormonal health and balance

10:05 Inflammation from overtraining

10:37 Lactic acid (and busting a major fitness myth!!!)

13:48 A 30-second history of sauna

16:06 Benefits of sauna

16:42 The science behind sauna and stress reduction

17:08 Vasodilation (important for many other points in this episode)

18:35 Sauna and cortisol…conflicting evidence

20:00 Super interesting fact on how sauna can help you sleep

22:27 How saunas reduce muscle stiffness and soreness

23:36 Saunas and heart/cardiovascular health

23:47 How the sauna might improve your blood pressure

25:34 Can sauna lower your cholesterol?

26:35 Cardiovascular respiratory fitness

27:30 Frequency and duration of sauna use for heart health

29:54 Respiratory (read: lungs and breathing) health

30:38 Sauna and inflammation

32:06 CLAIMED/alleged benefits of using sauna (can’t fully confirm with research yet)

32:32 Sauna and psoriasis, other skin conditions

33:19 Can a sauna improve your immune function?

34:06 Sauna’s impact on Alzheimer’s and dementia

36:26 Does sauna help with weight loss? (Mythbusterrr)

38:35 The biggest sauna myth!!!

38:48 Do saunas actually help you detox?

40:36 How to use the sauna properly

42:29 How saunas impact fertility

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! New episodes are released every Sunday at 8 AM ET, so if you liked this episode, subscribe or follow to get notified about the next one. And please leave me a rating or review, so I can continue to improve the show. Talk soon!

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Resources for this episode can be found here.

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In this episode, Sam sits down with athlete, creator, podcaster, and activist Taylor Rae Roman, who recently went viral on TikTok for her series "What No One Tells You About Pregnancy." They discuss preconception health, TTC (trying to conceive), pregnancy, unmedicated birth, postpartum, and more, all while it's still fresh. Like...8 weeks fresh.

Listen to this episode if you want children someday, if you're TTC/pregnant and have no idea where to begin, or if you're interested in a positive birth story mixed in with lots of laughs (and even some happy tears).

Key moments:

00:00:47 Guest intro

00:02:49 How this episode came about

00:08:14 How Taylor knew she wanted a child

00:10:50 The only thing people hate more than a woman who doesn’t want kids is a woman who only wants one

00:14:31 Where does one even start with researching pregnancy topics?

00:16:15 Preconception health and TTC (trying to conceive)

00:21:55 Preconception health for men

00:28:34 What is the first thing you do when you find out you’re pregnant???

00:33:58 What inspired “what no one tells you about pregnancy?”

00:38:26 What no one tells you about pregnancy (we cried during this lol)

00:41:33 Labor interventions to be aware of (and informed consent)

00:44:09 After-birth contractions

00:45:59 Unmedicated birth

00:47:31 The cascade of interventions (during labor and delivery)

00:48:27 Making a birth plan ahead of labor and delivery

00:51:33 What it’s actually like to give birth

00:57:34 Navigating your body changing throughout pregnancy and postpartum

01:00:45 Rapid fire Q+A

01:00:59 Best investment during pregnancy

01:01:20 Worst investment during pregnancy

01:02:20 Biggest pregnancy craving

01:02:41 Biggest food turnoff

01:02:59 Most unhinged thing someone said to you while pregnant

01:04:26 Best way to support your pregnant friend

01:05:07 What is something people do that makes your life harder

01:06:44 Best (and worst) pregnancy advice you got

01:07:40 The best thing your partner did for you during pregnancy/labor/delivery/postpartum

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! New episodes are released every Sunday at 8 AM ET, so if you liked this episode, subscribe or follow to get notified about the next one. And please leave me a rating or review, so I can continue to improve the show. Talk soon!

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Today's episode is a follow-up to Sam's original sober curious episode, where she talks about why and how she stopped drinking alcohol (definitely listen to that one first—it's episode #4 for anyone who wants to go back and listen!). In this episode, Sam takes the most frequently asked audience questions, and answers them in a long, rambly fashion. On brand.

Listen to this episode if you want to hear about how Sam's sober journey is going one year in, or if you're interested in taking some time off from alcohol and want to know more about the experience before making the call.

Key moments:

00:00:37 Recap of my sober curious journey and how we got here

00:05:37 Do your friends and/or family ever pressure you to drink with them?

00:11:04 How do you overcome the pressure to drink when you’re out with friends?

00:12:54 How do you navigate splitting the bill when you’re the only one not drinking?

00:15:43 How do you fight the FOMO?

00:19:29 Do you smoke weed or do any other recreational drugs?

00:21:14 How did your routine change when you stopped drinking?

00:23:48 Do you really feel better health-wise without alcohol, or do people just say that?

00:28:45 Did you just quit cold turkey?

00:30:09 Tips for dating sober?

00:37:39 Do you ever miss drinking?

00:39:19 Thoughts on mocktails?

00:40:12 Do you think quitting alcohol has made your skin better?

00:40:37 Has quitting alcohol impacted your weight?

00:42:25 Do you have any new vices since quitting alcohol?

00:46:11 Has cutting out alcohol helped your anxiety?

00:49:03 How do you handle judgment about your decision not to drink?

00:51:16 How to overcome social anxiety without alcohol

00:55:49 How to navigate being sober curious when my partner still drinks?

00:58:46 My friends stopped inviting me out…how to deal?

01:01:22 Do people expect you to act like your old drunk self?

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FunctionHealth.com/CAPSLOCK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for listening! New episodes are released every Sunday at 8 AM ET, so if you liked this episode, subscribe or follow to get notified about the next one. And please leave me a rating or review, so I can continue to improve the show. Talk soon!

Follow along:

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