Fully Alive Podcast

Why do so many driven people feel wiped out by mid-afternoon even when their bloodwork looks fine? Nurse practitioner Maggie Awad specializes in functional sports medicine and has worked with athletes in the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. She also learned about burnout the hard way. Training seven days a week weakened her immune system until mold exposure in her home made her seriously ill, and her recovery took years.

Scottie and Maggie talk about her story, including losing her mother to colon cancer at 33, and how it shaped her work. Then they get practical:

• What Maggie keeps in her fridge, including broccoli sprouts, fermented foods, and red apples

• Why fiber matters as colon cancer rises in younger adults, and a simple rule for every meal

• Colonoscopy vs. at-home tests, and when to start screening

• The labs worth asking for: ferritin, homocysteine, Lp(a), A1C, fasting insulin, and a full thyroid panel

• Low iron in women and runners

• The gut-skin connection

• Foods to limit, and why olive oil is her underrated superfood

The conversation ends on a bigger idea. Real health isn't only about optimizing. It also takes rest, community, purpose, and spirit.

This is an educational conversation, not personalized medical advice.

Is a meaningful life something we create, or something we discover? And is it equally possible for everyone — regardless of health, circumstance, or opportunity?

In this episode, Scottie sits down with Dr. Joshua Seachris, professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and a leading scholar on the meaning of life, religious experience, and human flourishing. Josh has managed more than $20 million in interdisciplinary research grants on hope, optimism, religion, and human flourishing, and recently co-authored What Makes Life Meaningful: A Debate, an exchange with an atheist friend and colleague.

They talk about what a "meta-narrative" is and why it shapes how we make sense of suffering and purpose, how to sit with doubt without abandoning the search, whether meaning is created or discovered, and what Albert Camus's absurdism gets right — and where it runs out. Josh also opens up about his son's rare genetic diagnosis and what that's taught him about whether a flourishing life is truly accessible to everyone.

This is a real conversation about one of the core pillars of human flourishing — meaning and purpose — without easy answers or sensationalized takes.

Fully Alive is a podcast on health and human flourishing, hosted by Scottie Parker.

Elite sports nutritionist Mari Spano has spent over a decade working with professional athletes—and in this episode, she cuts through the nutrition noise flooding TikTok and Instagram. Scottie sits down with Marie to talk food, desert, protein myths, MAHA, seed oils, GLP-1's, and the real reason chronic disease keeps rising even though we have more nutrition information than ever.

Marie shares the science AND the practical, non-perfection required approach she actually uses in her own life; from what "processed foods" really means, to how much protein you need, to whether eggs are actually bad for your cholesterol.

We hope you enjoy.

In this conversation, Scottie sits down with WNBA champion and Hall of Famer Maya Moore to discuss the journey and challenge of human flourishing through her professional, sacrificial, and relational experiences. Maya beautifully explains that human flourishing is ultimately rooted in one thing: our relationships—our relationship with ourselves, our neighbors, our colleagues, creation, and ultimately God. She reflects on how the goal of life is not simply to accumulate accolades or achievements, but to become fully human. Beyond success and recognition, Maya reminds us that learning to live as the people we were created to be is the true aim of life.

n this episode, Scottie Parker sits down with Emmy Award-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser for an honest conversation about the experiences that have shaped his life and perspective. Paul reflects on how the characters he's portrayed have helped him better understand himself, the lessons he's learned through adversity, and why life's greatest challenges often lead to the most meaningful growth. He also shares why the joy and fulfillment he's found in his family far outweigh any success or fame he's achieved throughout his career.

In this episode, Scottie Parker sits down with Dr. Kensa Gunter, who is a clinical and performance psychologist. She is the architect of the NBA and WNBA mind health programs. In this conversation, she discusses the importance of mental health and how mental health is a key indicator of human flourishing.

In this episode, we sit down with musician and creative Andy Mineo to explore how art can reveal deeper truths and lead us toward transcendence. There is something about creativity that makes the invisible feel visible, awakening wonder, meaning, and connection in ways words alone often cannot.

Andy shares his perspective on the depth and mystery of art, comparing it to love: something too vast to fully define, yet absolutely essential for human flourishing. Together, we discuss how creativity is woven into what it means to be human, and how creating allows us to participate in bringing life, beauty, and transformation to others.

To be fully alive is, in many ways, to create something that contributes to the flourishing of other people.

We’d love to hear your thoughts, leave a comment and let us know how this conversation challenged or inspired you.

In this episode, we dive into what it really means to be fully alive. Along the way, we discover that the moments that make us feel most alive aren’t usually the big, extraordinary highlights, but the ordinary ones we often overlook. While we’re often led to believe that life’s value is found in major milestones, it’s often hidden in the everyday. Grammy Award winning artist Lecrae joins us to share his story, reflecting on the moments that reshaped his understanding of what it means to truly flourish and be alive.