The most common sleep complaint I hear my patients describe is that middle of the night wake up in which their mind starts racing. If this happens to you too, how many of those nights do you spend thinking about your work stress?

Pssst if it's most of them, you're not alone!

So then the question is - what can you do about it? Maybe you can't change your job, but maybe you can change the way you feel and function within it.

So I called in my friend and colleague, Dr. Emily Bennett, ND, who is incredibly passionate about helping both employees and their workplaces treat and ideally, prevent the upstream reasons most people find themselves overwhelmed and burning out at work.

After listening to this episode, you will learn:

• The 3 key signs you're burnt out (you will find them surprising!)
• How you can build your own resiliency to manage stress at work
• The one next step to take to prevent burnout from happening again in the future

Connect with Dr. Emily online at www.dremilybennett.com or on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/dremilybennett

Resources:

Want to know if your organization is burnout-prone? Take the quiz: https://dremilybennett.com/quiz

Well Being At Work by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter

Bio

Dr. Emily Bennett, ND is a coach, consultant and creator of the Kindling Framework, a strategic approach to wellbeing & burnout prevention designed specifically for nonprofit and social service organizations.

After years of serving folks working in the nonprofit and social service sector in her one-on-one naturopathic medical practice, Emily was concerned about the number of her patients for whom leaving their job seemed the only solution to resolving the symptoms of their stress and mental health concerns. She became dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations create workplace wellness programs that work for them and keep their dedicated, mission-driven staff healthy & burnout free.

Honest question - do you try and tackle your overwhelm by doing MORE?

Maybe you haven't thought about it that way… but if you are someone who is:

• A people pleaser
• A yes person
• A perfectionist
• Go-go-go (at the cost of your sleep, perhaps?!)

Yet, you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and maybe even burnt out, you might have something called high-functioning anxiety (even if you don't think you're the anxious type!).

The good news is that there is a way we can interrupt the cycle.

In this episode, I'm joined by my colleague Dr. Ellen Wong, ND, who has had personal experience with high functioning anxiety and now works with women who want to feel calm and collected.

We cover:

• What high functioning anxiety actually is and how it differs/shows up differently than regular anxiety
• The different types of high functioning anxiety - find out what kind you might have
• How you can effectively manage high functioning anxiety and all the body systems it effects

Because we both believe when women are equipped with healthy bodies and happy minds, they have the inner peace, confidence, and courage to create more joy in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

Connect with Dr. Ellen online here https://drellenwong.com and on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyavenue

Want to know how much is High Functioning Anxiety affecting your life? Take the quiz! www.drellenwong.com/quiz

Bio

After years of living with high-functioning anxiety, Ellen eventually reached a tipping point after two hospitalizations related to burnout. Although she appeared like she "had it all together", she struggled internally with never-ending negative self-talk, difficulty saying no to others, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. Determined to find a solution to high-functioning anxiety, Ellen combined her clinical expertise, and love for women's psychology and even traveled to the happiest countries on earth to learn about happiness.

As a Naturopathic Doctor and Happiness Ambassador, Ellen works with professional and entrepreneurial women who feel like they've lost their "zest" in life and helps transform their overwhelm, stress and anxiousness into calm, mental peace, and happiness. Ellen firmly believes that women are powerful forces of positive impact. When we equip women with healthy bodies and happy minds, they will have the confidence and courage to create joy in every aspect of their life. And when one woman creates more joy in her life, she causes a ripple effect that creates more joy in the world.

Resources:

Think Like a Monk - Jay Shetty

They might seem totally unrelated, but your digestion and ability to get deep sleep are connected!

In this episode, I'm joined by my colleague, Dr. Vanessa, who focuses on digestive health. We also share a passion for helping patients understand how their sleep is a fundamental pillar of health and chatted about how sleep, stress and yes, stools (!) are all connected.

This conversation is for you if…

• You're frustrated with your digestive symptoms
• No one's helped you understand how your gut + nervous system is connected
• You have digestive + sleep issues

Connect with Dr. Vanessa online here: www.drvanessarugeles.com and on Instagram: @dr.vanessarugeles

Dr. Vanessa is a naturopathic doctor & licensed acupuncturist based in New Jersey. Dr. Vanessa helps women with digestive challenges and hormone imbalances experience relief and freedom so they can get their joy back. She uses a combination of western and eastern practices to support her patients and uses functional foods and lifestyle modifications to help her patients make sustainable, long-lasting changes to their health.

Are you tired of feeling tired? The obvious might be that you're not sleeping enough… but what if there's something else going on?

Something that's preventing you from having optimal energy, no matter how much sleep you get? In this episode of The Word on The Sleep, I'm going through the top 5 tests I run in my practice to help women identify and understand why they're feeling so tired and what they can do about it.

You'll learn:

• What tests should be at the top of your list when you want to understand why you're so tired
• What the optimal level of your results should be - not just what's "normal"
• How you can do 2 of these tests at home (start now!)

If you want to start figuring out your fatigue and run these tests, let's do it!

If you're not yet a patient but want to get started, book your complimentary call here: www.leighasaundersnd.com/call

If you're already patient and it's been a while - and we need to re-do that bloodwork - you can book your next appointment here: www.leighasaundersnd.com/appointment

The obvious question - are you stressed?

Have you ever been told you have "adrenal fatigue"?

Or, are you a practitioner who diagnoses your patients with adrenal fatigue?

In this solo episode, I'm challenging the diagnosis of adrenal fatigue (but not your stress levels) and highlighting the importance of ruling out sleep apnea.

Now, before you roll your eyes or scroll past - you need to know that we are missing sleep apnea in a lot of women and under- or misdiagnosing it.

We typically think of it as a condition that affects mostly males, but that's simply not true. Sleep apnea also presents very differently in women and when left untreated or unmanaged, it can have a detrimental impact on your health.

So, if you're tired of feeling tired and want to know if you or your patients fit the "non-classical" picture of sleep apnea, listen up!

If after listening to this episode, you want to investigate these things further, , I invite you to book an appointment so we can do just that.

If you are yet to become a patient, book a discovery call here - www.leighasaundersnd.com/call

If you are already a patient, you can book your next appointment online here. - www.leighasaundersnd.com/appointment

Get ready to crack open the conversation with Shirley Weir, Women's Health & Menopause Advocate and Creator and Founder of Menopause Chicks, an online community that connects and empowers women on their menopausal journey.

In this podcast episode, we talked about:

• Signs you might be suffering, unnecessarily

• How you can change the trajectory of your own menopausal experience - regardless of your age or current life stage

• And fun stuff, like vaginal dryness (and how to treat it!), sleep and sex!

Shirley also shared her own experience of navigating peri-menopause and menopause, including how she went from dismissed and sleepless to empowered and well rested!

If this episode resonates with you, I invite you to connect with Shirley and her incredible community [HERE]

Shirley Weir is on a mission to empower women to navigate perimenopause-to-menopause (& beyond!) with confidence and ease. She is the founder of Menopause Chicks & its popular online community focused on helping you learn, build your health team....and reminding you that you are not alone!

@MenopauseChicks [https://www.instagram.com/menopausechicks/] on Instagram & Twitter

Follow Shirley on Facebook here = Facebook.com/MenopauseChicks or request to join her Private Facebook Community of over 40,000 women here: MenopauseChicksCommunity.com

Hormones, hormones, hormones.

Regardless of where you are in your hormone journey - whatever age or life stage you are in - this episode is for you!

I'm joined by my friend and colleague, Dr. Keila Roesner who, like me, LOVES talking hormones.

In this episode, we:

• Break down a lot of hormone myths you've probably heard
• Share what we wish you knew about your hormones and cycle 10-20 years before you typically know it
• And how to reframe your relationship with hormones when you think they hate you

Dr. Keila is hosting a free MC on April 7th and you can join that for free here:

[https://www.roesnerwellnesssolutions.com/registration1647371480293]

Bio:

Dr. Keila LOVES talking hormones (PMS? Hot flashes driving you crazy? What about your libido?), funny digestive noises and how to sleep like a champ.

She believes in being self-sufficient, growing my own food, playing music, and spending time outside so that we can learn how to do just about anything.

As a health geek, descended from a line of Cherokee medicine women, her passion is working with women on a mission to improve their energy, hormones and life so they can set the world on fire.

Resources Mentioned:

The Period Repair Manual - Lara Briden

Dr. Keila's Masterclass - [https://www.roesnerwellnesssolutions.com/registration1647371480293]

In this solo episode, I share what I've learned from wearing my Oura Ring over the past year. The Oura Ring is one of the more sophisticated sleep trackers on the market - and it's just that - a ring you wear all day and night to track your sleep, but also other markers of your nervous system and health metrics.

In this episode I share:

• How sleep is more than just "sleep" - learn how much of each stage you need to feel rested and refreshed
• How the Oura ring measures how your body is dealing with stress and how that impacts your sleep and daily functioning
• How the Oura ring can give you specific suggestions on the behavioural changes you can make for better sleep and more energy

I regularly post my Oura scores and insights over on Instagram @drleighasaundersnd

If after you listen to this episode, you're interested in getting an Oura ring - reach out! I have a limited number of discount codes available.

What do you get when you put a pharmacist and a naturopathic doctor together?

I might be biased, but I think a pretty incredible conversation and the beginnings of meaningful, impactful change for women's health and healthcare.

My guest on this episode is Pharmacist Miranda Tawfik - she is the owner of two state-of-the-art compounding pharmacies here in Ontario that serve the whole province.

In this conversation, Miranda shares her experience and expertise on:

• The truths and myths of prescription sleep aids - you'll be particularly surprised at how long patients should be on them compared to how long they sometimes stay on them
• How hormone replacement therapy, particularly progesterone, plays a role in helping women address sleep concerns
• Why and how working with your pharmacist can change your whole healthcare experience

I work closely with Miranda and her team in my practice and am excited to let you in on our conversation.

If after listening to this episode, you want to connect about managing your current treatment plan and health goals, I invite you to book an appointment so we can do just that. (Linked up in show notes, along with how you can connect directly with Miranda and her team)

If you are yet to become a patient, book a discovery call here - www.leighasaundersnd.com/call

If you are already a patient, you can book your next appointment online here. - www.leighasaundersnd.com/appointment

Miranda Tawfik is a pharmacist & deeply committed patient advocate and owner of Origins Compounding Pharmacies, the outpatient pharmacies at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospital.

The pharmacies boast state-of-the-art compounding labs to serve the communities and hospitals to focus on compounding medications that are not commercially available. They focus all of their efforts on bridging gaps in health care delivery for patients in their communities.

Connect with Miranda and her team at OriginsPharmacy.ca

This episode was pretty special to record - I had the chance to sit down and actually have a real, in-person conversation with both Sarah and Michelle about storytelling as medicine and what we've learned in "The Wild".

Michelle is the creator of the Wild Collective, a transformative women's health program that Sarah and I both facilitate.

Through being Wild Collective Facilitators, we have watched women step into their most authentic selves, reclaim their voices, share their dreams and go after them.

And we've also seen how many women stay stuck (and struggle with sleep at night!) because they don't give themselves permission to listen and challenge the stories they tell themselves.

So in this episode, we share some personal stories and share how you can get started on reclaiming your "wild", too.

My next Wild Collective starts Tuesday, March 22nd - if you want a spot (spaces are limited), you can read more about the program and register here: www.thewildcollectiveuxbridge.com