Lost or Found

When the body becomes imbalanced, it becomes irritated and inflamed. I believe most of us live our lives in the chronic inflammatory state. Stresses have many external sources – it could be the people in your life, your job, lack of sleep, lack of activity, the death of a loved one, chronic illness or injury, pollution, or even what we put into our mouths. While acute inflammation is good and life-saving, chronic inflammation is not.  Your bodily resources are utilized to deal with inflammation.  And if inflammation is never turned off, our bodies only have so much reserve and can become imbalanced. On today’s show, we have Dr. Monica Aggarwal, MD. She is a cardiologist, author, and athlete. Her book, Body on Fire, which she wrote with Dr. Jyothi Rao, is so relevant to our lives and health.  And today we talk about how we can trigger inflammation in our bodies and how we can also calm the inflammation that can cause sickness. You can find her at drmonicaaggarwal.com.

Empaths are highly sensitive individuals who have the ability to understand the experiences and feelings of others.  It can be like a super power, though without boundaries, it can also feel like a draining curse.  These are some signs that indicate that you could be an empath:  Have you ever noticed that you’re deeply tuned into the feelings of others around you?  Do you get overwhelmed in big crowds?  When you see something sad on TV, does it feel overpowering to you?   Have you ever noticed that you may feel fine before you talk with someone, but then you talk with that someone, and it’s almost like you feel and absorb THEIR pain, stress, and anxiety?

On today’s show, Samantha Fey is here to talk about Empaths! She is the host of two podcasts- “Psychic Teachers” and “Enlightened Empaths.” Join us in this engrossing conversation as we talk about Empaths. It’s important to recognize that because Empaths are natural healers of the world, we naturally want to make things better. But when we are not aware of who we are and we don’t have firm boundaries – we take on other people’s problems, and it can literally affect our own health. You can find Samantha Fey at samanthafey.com.

We live in a society where we focus on the external or only that which we can see. But what if we’re more than that? To be whole, our complexity requires acknowledgement. If we strive for balance in our lives, we need to consider not only the exterior but also the interior, the visible and the invisible, the known and unknown, the ancient and the new. On today’s show, we have Rowan Foxx Giles here to talk about Celtic Spirituality.  She is an internationally acclaimed Intuitive Counselor. She is known worldwide for helping people to navigate their lives and achieve their goals through Anam Cara Soul Path Readings and Healings, and she is Celtic in heritage herself.  The Anam Cara is a Celtic tradition of guidance and inner growth, as the literal translation of Anam Cara is “soul friend.”  Join us as we talk about Celtic spirituality and life’s journey. You can find her at rowanfoxx.com.

We have Monica Martinez, MPA, on the show today, to talk about her family’s experiences with foster care and adoption.  She is the Chief Executive Officer of Encompass Community Services, Santa Cruz County’s largest health and human services nonprofit, where she provides vision for large-scale change at the local level.  Being a parent is not easy, and being a parent of a child who has experienced trauma has its own challenges.  Monica speaks with us today about her own family.  Creating a safe, nurturing family environment is our topic of conversation today: feeling safe with our feelings, feeling accepted, having a sense of security, reducing the symptoms of trauma, and blossoming.  Join us for this insightful conversation.

On today’s episode, my friend Oriana Gliessman talks to us about her life, as she has been separated from her husband for over a year, and they have decided to end their marriage.  In this thoughtful, insightful, and honest conversation, she uses the caterpillar metaphor of cocooning to describe her life right now: focusing her energy on getting to know herself again, discovering her own needs and wants, forging her path to her happiness.  Cocooning is the process of enveloping or surrounding yourself in a protective and comforting way, insulated from perceived danger.  Who would you become?

Infertility is fairly common in the United States, as it impacts about 15% of couples.  Fertility is also known to steadily decline with age.  Infertility can affect one or both partners- about a third of the time, infertility can be traced to the woman, a third of the cases can be traced to the man, and in the remaining cases, there are issues in both partners or no cause can be found.  On today’s show, Dana Ramsey, CNM, MSN, talks about blending holistic, integrative care with modern medicine, to naturally improve fertility and conception.  It is known that lifestyle factors, ways of life, can greatly influence overall health and well-being, including fertility.  And on today’s show, we talk about healthy habits to optimize fertility. You can find Dana at nurturesantacruz.com.

Is it possible for our consciousness to survive physical death? On this episode, I speak with Dr. Jim Tucker, MD, who is a Psychiatrist and a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, and is the director of the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies, as he discusses his work with children who report memories of previous lives. He is the author of Life before LIfe, and NY Times Bestseller, Return to Life. And as we discuss his work evaluating the evidence, we can’t help but also wonder- What happens after death?  Could there be the survival of the soul after death? Join us in this fascinating conversation, as we discuss reincarnation. You can find Dr. Tucker at jimbtucker.com.

Addiction is a chronic disease that affects the brain’s reward, motivation, and memory functions.  While alcohol or drug use is initially voluntary, and sometimes socially acceptable, some can stop with continued usage, and many cannot.  The truth about addiction is that it is pervasive in our society.  Mental health issues, emotional and physical pain, and stressors, are also recognized as driving factors behind a person’s misuse of drugs and alcohol.  Self-medication suggests that there is an underlying cause that leads someone to use drugs, and the intention may be more to relieve dysphoria than to seek euphoria.  Join us in this thoughtful conversation, as Jane Dawson, M.A., MFT, and I discuss addiction.

Most of us spend a lot of energy organizing our lives around steering clear of what we fear most.  What if fear isn’t something to avoid, fight, or feel badly about?  What if fear exists to actually help you?  When we ignore the message that our fears have for us, fear can become a health risk.  On today’s show, Josie Teresi and I talk about our fears, and the important message it may have in our lives, as we talk about shifting our thinking to improve our overall health and well-being.  Join us in this fascinating conversation!  You can find Josie at josieteresi.com.

This week, we have Kimberly Clark Sharp on the show, to talk about near-death experiences.  Near-death experiences occur when one is briefly dead or almost to the point of dying, and these experiences are often life changing. And having these experiences can dramatically transform people’s attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors. It brings up the possibility that some part of us may survive bodily death and also makes us wonder about the true nature of death. Ms. Sharp is the author of After the Light: The Spiritual Path to Purpose, and is the founder of Seattle International Association of Near-Death Studies. She was featured in the inaugural episode of the Netflix series Surviving Death. You can find her at www.seattleiands.org.