Highly Functional

Grief isn't just sadness; neuroscience shows it activates the same reward circuitry as craving, and complex grief overlaps heavily with trauma responses like PTSD. This episode widens the lens to include climate grief and "lost future" mourning for millennials, digs into what the actual cannabinoid research on PTSD and nightmares shows, and gets personal about the different shapes grief can take including estrangement, pet loss, and the loss of a chosen family member. Plus the evidence-backed, zero-cost case for getting outside, moving your body, and gardening through grief, and our new segment Burnout Book Club, reviewing Desmond Manderson's High Time.

What we cover:

• The neuroscience of grief: why it feels like craving, not just sadness

• Climate grief, eco-anxiety, and "lost future" mourning for millennials — and its links to depression
• Why complex grief and PTSD overlap so heavily, and what grief rumination has in common with trauma responses
• The endocannabinoid system's evidenced role in fear extinction, amygdala regulation, and stress
• What the actual human trials on cannabis and PTSD/trauma show, including a targeted study on cannabinoids and nightmares
• The difference between numbing grief and processing it
• Personal reflection: ambiguous loss/estrangement grief, losing a mother figure, and disenfranchised grief for a companion animal
• Disenfranchised grief more broadly — miscarriage, infertility, friendship loss, career loss, and other millennial losses that don't get a ritual
• Gardening, movement, and time in nature as evidence-backed, non-pharmacological grief support
• Burnout Book Club: High Time by Desmond Manderson

Content note: This episode discusses death, bereavement, loss, trauma responses including PTSD, and family estrangement related to abuse/neglect, in a medical/scientific and personal context — not as advice. Skip or save it if that's not where your head's at right now.

Citations:

Happy to provide them - just ask :)

BURNOUT BOOK CLUB:

Manderson, D. (2024). High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs.

Connect with the Show:Email: [email protected]Instagram: DM me @highlyfunctionalpodcast

Episode 15: Manifesting in the End Times — Millennials, the Lion's Gate, and Why We're All Suddenly "Into" Astrology Again

It's the 8/8 Lion's Gate, and millennial astrology culture is having a moment — but the research suggests this isn't random. We unpack why belief in astrology and "magical thinking" reliably spikes during periods of collective uncertainty, and what that says about living through a cost-of-living crisis, the climate crisis, and the AI-shaped future of work all at once.

What we cover:

• 🔮 Why "woo-woo" belief spikes during crisis, not calm
• 💸 The Deloitte 2025 data on Gen Z/millennial financial anxiety
• 🌍 What the largest global study on youth climate anxiety actually found
• 🤖 Where AI anxiety fits into the picture
• 🌿 The difference between a grounding ritual and outsourced avoidance

SHOW NOTES — Sources cited:

• Escolà-Gascón, Á., Marín, F-X., Rusiñol, J., & Gallifa, J. (2020). "Pseudoscientific beliefs and psychopathological risks increase after COVID-19 social quarantine." Globalization and Health, 16, 72. — Found that reduced perceived control during crisis conditions predicts increased magical/pseudoscientific thinking as a coping mechanism.
• Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R.E., Mayall, E.E., et al. (2021). "Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey." The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863–e873. — Survey of 10,000 young people (16–25) across 10 countries incl. Australia; 84% at least moderately worried about climate change, 75% found the future "frightening."
• Deloitte Global (2025). Gen Z and Millennial Survey. — 46% of millennials and 48% of Gen Zs report not feeling financially secure in 2025 (up from ~30–32% in 2024); 80%+ cite financial future as an anxiety driver; majority expect GenAI to reshape their work within 12 months.

Disclaimer: This episode is personal reflection and commentary only, not medical, financial, or psychological advice.

"Rest is resistance" shows up on tote bags and therapist Instagram stories — but where does it actually come from, and why does choosing to stop feel so hard when you're high-functioning and professionally exhausted? This week: the real origins of the phrase, what burnout research says about why guilt shows up the second you sit still, a very undignified Overland Track story involving medicinal cannabis and a muesli bar shortage, and the launch of two new segments.

What we cover:

🌿 Where "rest is resistance" actually comes from, and why the origin matters

🌿 The psychology of productivity guilt (perfectionism trends, the Maslach burnout model)

🌿 NEW: Sesh Confessions, the voicemail segment (working title — send your vote)

🌿 My own confession: muesli-bar disaster on the Overland Track🌿 NEW: Burnout Book Club, featuring Desmond Manderson's High Time

Contact me: Got a Sesh Confessions story, a segment name vote, or just want to say hi?Instagram: @highlyfunctionalpodcastEmail: [email protected]

Citations:

• Hersey, T. (2022). Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto. Little, Brown and Company. — Foundational text; frames rest as resistance within Black liberation and womanist tradition, not a general wellness framework.
• Cornell Chronicle (2026). "Hersey ties rest to liberation in 2026 MLK Commemorative Lecture." news.cornell.edu — Recap of Hersey's Feb 2026 Cornell lecture on rest and productivity culture.
• Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). "Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A Meta-Analysis of Birth Cohort Differences From 1989 to 2016." Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429. — Meta-analysis tracking rising perfectionism across generations; useful lens on internalised productivity pressure.
• Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. — Maslach Burnout Inventory / three-component burnout model (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, reduced accomplishment). Widely used clinical framework, referenced generally.
• Manderson, D. (2026). High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs. La Trobe University Press.

Disclaimer: This episode shares personal experience and cultural commentary, not medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or an authorised prescriber regarding your own health or medication.

Burnout is chronic for millennials but what does the research say about the medicine we use to help us? Today we deep dive into the real research around CBD and the psychological sabotage of optimisation, wellness routines as another contributor to the burnout cycle and more.

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SHOW NOTES

• Curran, T., & Hill, A.P. (2019). "Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time..." Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429

• Maslach, C. — burnout's three-component model (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, reduced personal accomplishment)

• Gundugurti, P.R., Banda, N., Yadlapalli, S.S.R., et al. (2024). "Evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of nanodispersible cannabidiol oral solution (150 mg/mL) versus placebo in mild to moderate anxiety subjects: A double blind multicenter randomized clinical trial." Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 97, 104073. — RCT, n=178, CBD 300–600mg/day vs. placebo over 12 weeks; significant reductions in GAD-7/HAM-A anxiety scores, secondary improvement in PHQ-9 and PSQI sleep scores. Note: industry-funded (Leiutis Pharmaceuticals).

• Wang, M., Faust, M., Abbott, S., et al. (2025). "Effects of a cannabidiol/terpene formulation on sleep in individuals with insomnia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study." Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 21(1), 69–80. — RCT, n=125 enrolled/56 completed, CBD isolate (300mg, >99.9% purity) + 8-terpene blend vs. placebo; objective wrist-tracked sleep data; significant increase in SWS+REM sleep, larger effect in low-baseline and day-sleeper subgroups. Note: industry-funded (Defined Research Inc.).

• You, Z., Li, X., Ye, N., & Zhang, L. (2023). "Understanding the effect of rumination on sleep quality: A mediation model of negative affect and bedtime procrastination." Current Psychology, 42, 136–144. — n=1,103, ages 17–31; rumination predicts poor sleep quality via negative affect and bedtime procrastination as parallel/serial mediators.

Chronically Curious: Tailoring Your Endocannabinoid System

Everyone's endocannabinoid system is different — which means the strain that works wonders for me might do nothing for you (or the opposite). In this episode, I break down why terpenes, THC ratios, and CBD matter way more than "sativa vs indica," and why millennial burnout and anxiety need a personalized approach, not a one-size-fits-all fix.

I'm sharing my own trial-and-error journey — the strains and THC levels that helped me sleep, the ones that backfired, and how I landed on vape carts as an easier daily option compared to flower. Plus, a first look at what I'm building: budget spreadsheet templates and strain journal tools to help you track what actually works for your body — because guessing gets expensive.

This is my personal experience, not medical advice — if you're exploring cannabis for anxiety or burnout, talk to your GP or an authorised prescriber first.

🌿 What we cover:

• Why your ECS is as unique as your fingerprint
• Terpenes 101: pinene, limonene, caryophyllene and what they actually do
• My real strain-by-strain journey (the wins and the misses)
• Carts vs. flower — which is actually easier day-to-day
• A sneak peek at the budget + strain-tracking tools I'm building

Buy it here: Highly Functional Medicine Journal - Etsy Australia

The "munchies" is real neuroscience, not just a stoner cliché — THC hijacks the brain's hunger and reward circuitry, and this episode breaks down exactly how. But we take it further than the joke usually goes: how synthetic THC became an FDA-approved lifeline for AIDS-related wasting in the 1980s, why appetite loss is a common (and normal) side effect of ADHD stimulant meds, and whether a lesser-known cannabinoid called THCV really deserves its "diet weed" reputation. Along the way, a cautionary tale from pharma history — the CB1-blocking weight-loss drug that worked, until it very much didn't — and why GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic aren't cannabis's cousin, despite what wellness TikTok says.

Content note: this episode discusses appetite, hunger, and eating in a medical/scientific context — not diet advice. Skip or save it if that's not where your head's at right now. Educational commentary only; talk to your GP about anything specific to you.

THC, the munchies, and the hypothalamus

Endocannabinoids: An appetite for fat — PNAS/PMC (mechanism of CB1 activation and food intake): pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150924

Hypothalamic cannabinoid signaling: Consequences for eating behavior — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11331011

Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors Inhibit Gut-Brain Satiation Signaling in Diet-Induced Obesity — PMC: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6597959

Dronabinol / cancer & AIDS-related appetite loss

Dronabinol — StatPearls, NIH Bookshelf: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557531

Dronabinol oral solution in the management of anorexia and weight loss in AIDS and cancer — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5896684

Jatoi A, Windschitl HE, et al. Dronabinol Versus Megestrol Acetate Versus Combination Therapy for Cancer-Associated Anorexia. J Clin Oncol, 2002.

Stimulant medication and appetite (Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine)

Vyvanse full prescribing information — adult ADHD trial appetite data (FDA label, via RxList/GoodRx compilations)

THCV ("diet weed")

Tetrahydrocannabivarin is Not Tetrahydrocannabinol — Haghdoost et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38995871

The role of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) in metabolic disorders — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12011981

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV): a commentary on potential therapeutic benefit for obesity and diabetes — Journal of Cannabis Research: link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42238-020-0016-7

Rimonabant / Acomplia

Requiem for Rimonabant: Therapeutic Potential for CB1 Antagonists after the Fall — MDPI: mdpi.com/2813-2998/2/3/35

Seventeen years since rimonabant's downfall: reassessing its suicidality risk profile — Cohen, Obesity, 2024. doi: 10.1002/oby.24019

GLP-1 / semaglutide mechanism 

How semaglutide works — Mayo Clinic Diet: diet.mayoclinic.org

Disclaimer: This episode is educational commentary only and does not constitute medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health, medication, or appetite concerns.

Mid-year is hitting, the sensory overload is real, and we are officially breaking up with hustle culture. In this episode, we’re ditching the #girlboss pipeline for radical compassion, anti-burnout boundaries, and a little bit of mind expansion.

In this episode, we tackle:

• The Power of Language: Why we need to change the narrative from "using" cannabis to taking or consuming a daily botanical therapeutic.

• The Green Budget: Navigating the massive out-of-pocket costs of medicinal cannabis in Australia (since it’s not subsidized by the PBS) and a zero-waste financial loophole

• Personal Roots: Connecting my partner’s journey with chronic L4/L5 back pain, my advocacy work in the disability and neurodivergent space, and how an open mind led to my upcoming 13-year vegan anniversary this August.

• Privilege & Justice: Acknowledging the gap between our legal access and the legacy healers still criminalized for providing this plant to people facing trauma and cancer. True wellness requires collective justice and decriminalization.

  
  

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Have you ever walked out of a doctor's appointment feeling entirely dismissed, misheard, or told that your chronic stress was "just hormones"? In this episode of Highly Functional, we explore "The Green Ceiling"—the systemic barriers and medical gaslighting that women and gender-diverse individuals often experience when seeking alternative healthcare pathways. We share practical, ground-level strategies on how to confidently advocate for yourself in traditional medical offices, how to prepare for specialized healthcare consultations, and what questions to ask to ensure your choices are respected and legal.

Empower yourself with your own journal: ⁠Highly Functional Medicine Journal - Etsy Australia

Have you ever noticed a point where your routines seem to hit a wall, or what used to bring you instant calm starts feeling a little less effective? In this solo episode, we are going Beyond Baseline. We explore the science of how our bodies adapt, why an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for high-functioning individuals, and how to mindfully plan a restorative tolerance break without triggering extra stress. If you've ever felt guilty or anxious about pressing pause on your self-care tools, this episode is your safe, validation-filled space to learn how to reset your system with compassion.

Contact us at: [email protected]

or DM us on Insta @highlyfunctionalpodcast

We love connecting with you!

In this solo episode of Highly Functional, we explore the rapidly expanding cultural phenomenon of the sober curious movement, driven heavily by high-performing millennials. We dismantle the deeply ingrained corporate and social stigmas surrounding alcohol abstinence, examine the systemic neurotoxic damage alcohol causes by effortlessly breaching the blood-brain barrier, and run a comparative biological audit against cannabis as a modern harm-reduction tool for strategic decompression.

• Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) Permeability: Unlike many substances that require specific cell-surface receptors to cross into the central nervous system, ethanol is both water and lipid-soluble. This unique chemical profile allows it to penetrate all cell membranes and seamlessly diffuse across the blood-brain barrier.

• The Acetaldehyde Pathway: When processed by the body, alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde—a highly reactive, toxic cellular mutagen and carcinogen—before mutating into acetate.

• Neocortex Thinning: Chronic low-to-moderate alcohol intake (defined as 7 to 14 drinks per week) is clinically linked to a reduction in volume of both gray and white matter, causing a measurable thinning of the prefrontal cortex and neocortex.

• The Endocannabinoid System (ECS): The biological framework consisting of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) native to the human brain and body. Unlike alcohol's indiscriminate cellular destruction, cannabis acts selectively on this established regulatory network.

• Cortical Volumetric Reduction (UK Biobank Study):Daviet, R., et al. (2022). "Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank." Nature Communications. This seminal study analyzed over 36,000 adults, establishing that even moderate alcohol intake scales with a global reduction in brain volume.

• The Gut-Liver-Brain Axis:Engen, P. A., et al. (2015). "The Gastrointestinal Microbiome and Alcohol." Alcohol Research: Current Reviews. This foundational review outlines how alcohol disrupts tight junctions in the gut lining, causing a leaky gut that allows inflammatory cytokines to travel up the vagus nerve and cross the blood-brain barrier.

• Primary Source: This episode pulls heavily from the definitive biological breakdown featured on What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health, a deeply researched solo masterclass from the Huberman Lab.

• Addiction and Cultural Shifts: For a broader exploration of generational addiction trends and policy, listen to the discussion on How to Overcome Addiction to Substances or Behaviors with Dr. Keith Humphreys.