In Your Bones™ with Vivian Doan

As we step into Lunar New Year, Vivian explores why tone, language, and expectation are not just cultural traditions — they are neurological design.

In this Season One finale of In Your Bones, she bridges Vietnamese Tết traditions with modern neuroscience, explaining how the Reticular Activating System (RAS), predictive processing, and brain-body signaling shape posture, pain, and perception.

If you found this podcast through scoliosis, strength training, chronic pain, or nervous system work, this episode connects the dots between brain health and physical resilience.

You’ll learn why strengthening alone does not reorganize a system that is constantly preparing for threat — and why the brain is the true starting point for posture, balance, and pain regulation.

Season One was about awareness.
 Season Two begins the deeper training.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới.

In This Episode

• Intersection of Lunar New Year traditions & neuroscience
• What the Reticular Activating System (RAS) does and how it filters reality
• How internal language influences muscle tone and pain perception
• Predictive neuroscience and why two people with similar scans experience pain differently
• How the brain affects posture, balance, digestion, and hormone regulation
• The difference between training muscles and training the brain
• What Season Two will explore: vision, balance, gait, proprioception, and facial mapping

Research & References Mentioned

• Candace Pert — Molecules of Emotion
• Ethan Kross — Research on self-talk and emotional regulation
• Nathaniel Zinsser — Performance psychology and instructional self-talk
• Predictive processing models in pain neuroscience
• Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Season Two Preview

Season Two goes deeper into how your brain maps stability, balance, and spatial awareness — and how that shows up in your body.

We’ll explore:

→ how your vision influences posture and movement
→ how your sense of balance shapes how stable (or unstable) you feel
→ how gait patterns reveal the way your brain organizes your body
→ how long-standing adaptations show up in your face, posture, and tension patterns

But more importantly…

This season is about helping you recognize yourself inside these patterns.

Because once you see it, you can change it.

The podcast will help you understand what’s happening.

The work we do inside SCOLIOFITNESS 2.0 is where you actually train it.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới. 

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

Being diagnosed with scoliosis as a teenager can change how you see your body, and yourself, overnight.

In this episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian is joined by Thea, a longtime SCOLIOFITNESS client who began working with her at just 13 years old. Now 18, Thea reflects on her journey through diagnosis, bracing, physio, and what it really took to rebuild trust in her body.

This conversation goes far beyond curves and X-rays.

Together, they talk about:

• What it feels like to grow up wearing a brace
• The emotional toll of constant monitoring and uncertainty
• Why traditional physio didn’t feel sustainable
• How breathwork, strength, and brain-based practices changed everything
• And what it means to work with your body instead of against it

You’ll hear honest reflections on pain, identity, motivation, and how scoliosis care often misses the emotional and nervous system pieces, especially for teens.

Most importantly, this episode is about empowerment and learning how to feel safe, strong, and capable in your own body again.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• What it’s like to be diagnosed with scoliosis at 12
• The physical and emotional impact of bracing during adolescence
• Why repetitive physio can feel discouraging or unsustainable
• How relying on a brace can disconnect you from your own strength
• The role of breathwork in core strength and nervous system regulation
• How applied neurology (eye exercises, test–retest methods) influences posture and mobility
• What helped reduce curve progression
• Letting go of fear, resentment, and avoidance around scoliosis
• Advice for teens and parents navigating a new diagnosis

This Episode Is For You If:

• You or your child has been diagnosed with scoliosis
• You’ve worn (or are wearing) a brace and felt frustrated, uncomfortable, or disconnected from your body
• Physical Therapy feels boring, rigid, or hard to stick with
• You want a more holistic, nervous-system-informed approach to scoliosis

What You’ll Walk Away With:

• A deeper understanding of how scoliosis affects both body and mind
• Validation that your experience, physical and emotional, matters
• Insight into why safety, breath, and nervous system health are foundational
• Hope that strength, confidence, and freedom are still possible

Resources Mentioned:

• SCOLIOFITNESS™ — Vivian’s signature brain–body approach to scoliosis
• Applied neurology techniques (eye exercises, test–retest methods)
• Ski-specific and functional strength training for scoliosis and hypermobility

Coming Up Next… (Season Finale)

In the final episode of Season 1, Vivian reflects on alignment... not just of the spine, but of life, habits, and identity... and shares what’s coming in Season 2 of In Your Bones™.

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

Ever feel like life is moving faster than you can keep up with? Like time’s flying, your days blur together, and before you know it — another month’s gone?

In this episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian explores the neuroscience and embodiment of slowing down time — through presence, gratitude, and novelty. Learn how to rewire your brain to experience life more fully, reduce stress, and regulate your nervous system naturally.

Vivian shares her own story of moving from “New Year, New You” hustle energy to a grounded rhythm that’s rooted in joy and awareness. You’ll also hear science-backed tools to help you feel more present, connected, and alive in your body — right now.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why time feels like it’s speeding up and how to stretch it back out
• How presence and mindfulness rewire your brain for calm and focus
• The neuroscience of gratitude and neuroplasticity
• Why balancing novelty and routine supports emotional health
• How gratitude improves dopamine, serotonin, and stress regulation
• The Huberman-inspired story-based gratitude method that deepens empathy and connection

This Episode Is For You If:

• You’re tired of feeling rushed and disconnected from your body
• You want to reduce stress and anxiety through nervous system regulation
• You’re curious how gratitude and mindful movement can rewire your brain
• You’re craving simple ways to reconnect and slow time down

You’ll Walk Away With:

• A daily practice to make time feel slower, fuller, and more intentional
• Tools to build emotional resilience through gratitude and presence
• Insight into how your brain-body connection shapes your experience of time
• A reminder that slowing down isn’t about doing less — it’s about living deeper

Resources Mentioned:

• Harvard gratitude studies on neuroplasticity
• Dr. Andrew Huberman’s research on narrative-based gratitude
• Vivian’s “Gratitude Walk” practice
• In Your Bones™ Episode 4: Gut Health & Presence

Your Radiance Ripple Challenge:

Each day this week, try one small novelty and one moment of gratitude.
Change your route. Try a new recipe. Tell someone a story about when they helped you — and notice how it slows time down.

Because presence and gratitude aren’t luxuries — they’re lifelines.

Coming Up Next Episode: Healing Scoliosis Through the Brain-Body Connection
In the next episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian welcomes her first guest who will be sharing her story with scoliosis, bracing, and using brain-body practices to not just stop the progression of her curve, but reduce it and alleviate pain too. 

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

In this special meditative episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian guides you through a walking practice designed to help you drop out of your head and back into your body.

This isn't about "going for a walk."
This is about walking with intention.

Whether you're walking through the woods, around your block, or just pacing your backyard — this practice helps you regulate your nervous system, re-anchor into your senses, and remember what it feels like to move forward with clarity (not urgency).

This is the reset you need as we close out the year, reflect on what we've carried, and step into what's next.

What You'll Experience:

• A guided walk you can return to anytime you feel disconnected or dysregulated
• Breathwork, affirmations, and somatic cues woven into each step
• A body-based reset to mark transitions between seasons or chapters
• Nervous system regulation through slow movement and sensory awareness

This Episode Is For You If:

• You've been feeling scattered, stuck, or overstimulated
• You're craving a reset that's gentle and grounding 
• You want to feel more present in your body and more clear in your direction
• You're reflecting on the year and ready to step forward with intention

Listener Invitation:

Walk it. Then tell me what shifted. Post on Instagram or tag @daywithviv — I want to hear how this landed.

Coming Up Next Episode:

In the next episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian explores the neuroscience and embodiment of slowing down time — through presence, gratitude, and novelty. Learn how to rewire your brain to experience life more fully, reduce stress, and regulate your nervous system naturally.

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

We’ve all been there — that bloated, uncomfortable feeling after a meal. But what if it’s not actually about what you ate... and more about how and when you ate it?

In this episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian shares how years of chasing supplements and biohacks led her back to the wisdom she grew up with — warm food, slow meals, and mindful eating. From her Vietnamese roots to the latest neuroscience, she unpacks why eating seasonally and supporting your nervous system can completely transform your digestion, mood, and energy.

You’ll learn how your gut is constantly talking to your brain, why stress and artificial light can wreck your digestion, and how returning to warmth, rhythm, and connection can heal your gut from the inside out.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why your gut struggles in winter (and how cold foods signal stress to your body)
• How your brain and gut communicate through the vagus nerve
• The circadian connection between light, melatonin, and digestion
• Why warm, slow, connected meals improve gut health and emotional balance
• 5 daily practices to support your gut-brain axis — no supplements required

This Episode Is For You If:

• You’ve been feeling bloated, sluggish, or anxious — even with a “healthy” diet
• You’re curious about how Traditional Chinese Medicine meets neuroscience
• You want to understand your body’s seasonal rhythms and how to eat accordingly
• You’re ready to create a calmer, more connected relationship with food

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Workshop: Retrain Your Brain - Learn 3 neuro drills to activate your vagus nerve and improve digestion by shifting your body into “rest and digest.”
  • DM "WORKSHOP" on Instagram @daywithviv or email [email protected] to save your spot.
• SCOLIOFITNESS™ — Vivian’s signature program blending physical therapy, neuroscience, and holistic movement for scoliosis and chronic pain. DM for details.

Coming Up Next Episode:
Get ready for a special Walking Meditation episode — designed to help you connect with your body and anchor back into your rhythm as we enter the new year.

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

You've been told "it's all in your head" — and honestly? It is.
Just not the way most people think it is. 

In this episode, Vivian introduces the Threat Bucket — a mind-body metaphor for your nervous system's total load of stress and perceived threats. 

Discover why your brain creates pain as protection (not punishment), how stress, past injuries, poor sleep, and even what you eat all pour into your bucket — and most importantly, how to empty it so your nervous system can finally relax and heal.

This isn't about what's wrong with your body. It's about what your brain perceives as threatening — and how you can teach it to feel safe again.

From sensory systems like vision and balance to the ripple effects of emotional stress, Vivian explains how your unique bucket fills up — and the practical steps to start emptying it.

What You'll Learn:

• What the Threat Bucket is — and why it's the key to understanding chronic pain
• How your brain accumulates stress, trauma, and sensory input to decide what's safe vs painful
• Why chronic pain persists even after your injury heals
• How vision, balance, and other sensory systems directly impact your posture, pain, and energy
• The first steps to emptying your Threat Bucket 

This Episode Is For You If:

• You've tried stretching, massage, chiro, PT — and the relief only lasts a few days
• You want to understand the neuroscience behind why your body feels the way it does
• You're ready to stop treating symptoms and start addressing the root cause

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Workshop: Retrain Your Brain
  • Learn 3 simple neuro drills to help your brain feel safe again — so your body can finally relax, heal, and move without pain.
  • DM "WORKSHOP" on Instagram @daywithviv to save your spot.
• Curious to learn more about SCOLIOFITNESS™? — DM Vivian to learn more about her signature approach blending physical therapy, neuroscience, and mind-body healing for people with scoliosis and chronic pain.

Acknowledgements: 

• Concepts of the Threat Bucket are inspired by the work of pain researcher Professor Lorimer Moseley's Threat Neuro-Matrix. 
• Vivian’s approach to Applied and Postural Neurology has been shaped through mentorship and training with Next Level Neuro, The Movement Mentality, Z-Health Performance, The American Posture Institute, and PosturePro. She is also in progress toward becoming a Certified Postural Neurologist.

Coming Up Next Episode:

Next week, Vivian breaks down the science behind your microbiome, your mood, and how your gut health shapes your nervous system and emotional resilience — plus gut health tips to navigate the holidays. 

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

Have you ever had pain that just wouldn’t go away—no matter what you tried?

That was Vivian’s experience with elbow pain that lasted for five straight months. No injury. No obvious cause. And every treatment only brought temporary relief.

Until one question—from a mind-body consultant—revealed the emotional pattern hidden beneath the pain.

In this episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian unpacks how emotional experiences get stored in the body, how the nervous system influences physical symptoms, and how healing sometimes requires listening, not just treating.

You’ll also learn:

• The real story behind Vivian's elbow pain and the emotional stressor behind it
•  How emotional stress creates physical pain in the absence of structural injury
•  The 7 signs your pain might be emotional, not just physical
• Why the nervous system often holds the key to symptoms that don’t respond to treatment
•  How to begin decoding your own pain patterns and what your body might be trying to tell you

This episode is for you if:

• You've tried everything - physio, massage, meds - and your pain keeps coming back
• You're starting to suspect there's an emotional component but don't know where to look
• You've been told it's "all in your head" and you're done being gaslit about your pain

What you'll walk away with:

•  7 signs your pain could be emotionally-driven
•  How to begin investigating your own body’s messages with more curiosity and less fear
•  Validation that your pain is real, and so is your body’s wisdom

Resources Mentioned:

🔗 Ready to decode your pain?

• 📩 Book a 1:1 Brain-Body Healing Session — DM Vivian on Instagram @daywithviv to explore what your symptoms are really saying
• 🏋️ SCOLIOFITNESS™ — Vivian's signature program blending PT, movement, mindset, and emotional healing for scoliosis. DM for details.

Coming Up Next Episode: 

Your pain isn't random. It's your brain's response to signals from your environment, your senses, and your social world.

Vivian unpacks the neuroscience of the brain-body connection: why your brain generates pain as protection, how it catalogs threat, and what it takes to signal safety to your body so your nervous system can finally downregulate.

Here's what most people get wrong: You can't think your way into feeling safe. You have to signal it to your body. And that's neurology, not just mindset.

Join the Conversation:
Healing isn’t meant to happen in isolation. DM Vivian @daywithviv and tell her:

•  What did this episode reveal for you?
•  What pain has your body been holding?

Subscribe & Review:

If this episode resonated, subscribe to In Your Bones™ so you never miss what's coming next. And if it helped you see yo

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

What happens when the medical system tells you to "wait and see"—and you decide you're done waiting?

In the very first episode of In Your Bones™, Vivian takes you back to the moment everything changed: a routine school screening and a diagnosis that would shape the next three decades of her life.

Scoliosis.

But this isn't just a story about a curved spine.

It's about what happens when you grow up feeling like something's wrong with you. When you try to fix, control, and perfect your way out of pain. When you exhaust every expert, every protocol, every promise and still feel unseen.

And then… when you finally stop searching outside yourself and start listening to what your body's been protecting you from all along.

In this episode, Vivian shares:

• The moment she realized her body wasn't broken—it was wise
• How years of hiding, overachieving, and "staying strong" kept her stuck
• Why yoga teacher training cracked something open (and not in a good way)
• The conflicting medical advice that left her more confused than empowered
• How she became the evidence no one could give her—and reduced her curve in her 30s and 40s
• The deeper truth beneath all physical pain: your bones are holding your history

This episode is for you if:

• You've been told to "just do yoga" or "wait and see" about your scoliosis or chronic pain
• You're tired of feeling like your body is broken or like you're doing something wrong
• You've tried all the protocols, but nothing feels sustainable or aligned
• You're ready to stop fixing and start listening
• You want to understand the body-brain connection and how emotions live in your posture

What you'll walk away with:

• A new way of understanding your body, not as something to control, but as something to relate to
• Permission to stop performing strength and start embodying safety
• Hope that healing isn't about doing more, it's about understanding what you've been protecting yourself from
• An invitation into a community where you're not alone in this journey

Resources Mentioned:

• SCOLIOFITNESS™ — Vivian's signature program blending physical therapy, movement, mindset, and emotional healing for those with scoliosis. DM Vivian on Instagram for more info.

Coming Up Next Episode:

The Elbow That Wouldn't Heal And the Emotional Pattern Beneath It

Vivian shares the story of chronic elbow pain that stumped her—until she uncovered the emotional pattern hiding underneath. Plus, she reveals 7 ways to tell when your body's pain might be emotional, not just physical.

Because what the body can't say in words… it whispers through sensation.

Subscribe & Review:

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to In Your Bones™ so you never miss an episode. And if you feel called, leav

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.

Have you ever felt like your body was holding a story it didn’t have the words to tell?

A knot that won’t release.
A symptom that doesn’t make sense.
A quiet tension that lingers in your posture, your jaw, your chest...

In Your Bones™ is the podcast that helps you decode those signals—through the lens of neuroscience, somatics, and ancient healing traditions.

I’m Vivian Doan, Integrative Neuro Specialist and creator of SCOLIOFITNESS™—a scoliosis-informed movement framework that rebuilds strength and confidence in your spine and body: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In this trailer, I’ll share what this podcast is all about—and how it blends applied neurology, Traditional Chinese & Vietnamese Medicine, quantum healing, circadian rhythm biology, and mind-body integration to help you reconnect with your body’s deep intelligence.

I like to think of myself as your brain-body translator.
So whether you’re navigating chronic pain, scoliosis, emotional burnout, trauma recovery, or just craving a deeper connection with your body… this space is for you.

Subscribe now and get ready— New episodes drop weekly starting December 9th, and I promise you… they’re going to change the way you hear your body.

🔗 Connect with Vivian:

• Website: https://www.daywithviv.com/
• Instagram: @daywithviv
• YouTube: @scoliofitness
• Get your free guide: 5 Simple Stretches for Your Spine

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with someone whose body could use this conversation.
 💬 Have a question or topic you want Vivian to explore? DM her or drop a voice note @daywithviv

Disclaimer:
Everything shared on this podcast is meant for education and awareness — not medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment or wellness routines.