Medium Well

Today's episode is the first in my new solo series! Today I am teaching the fundamental principles and steps in the design thinking process, a creative problem-solving methodology that puts user empathy at the center point of your offerings. This way you are designing for your market and making it inherently desirable, not creating something and then convincing your market that they need it! I have taught and used this tool for 7 years now, and I can say confidently it will change the way you do business. You can skip to 6:40 if you want to bypass the part where I talk about the solo series and why I am launching it!

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why I am launching a solo series

• What is design thinking? And why is it useful? (Starts at 6:40)

• The roles of desirability, feasibility, and viability

• What user empathy is and why it's fundamental to your business

• The three phases of design thinking: inspiration, ideation, implementation

• What happens in each phase of design thinking

• Examples of design thinking and how I have used it in my business

Mentioned in this episode:

• My offering to you: a live 75-minute design thinking workshop where I will walk you through each of the steps and how to use them in your business

• Helpful graphics to reference

All the deets:

• Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

Related episodes:

• Episode 44: Practical and mystical tools for building and scaling a wellness startup with Michelle Pellizzon of Holisticism

I am thrilled to have Michelle Pellizzon, founder and CEO of Holisticism, as my first repeat guest on Medium Well! Michelle's first episode (episode 25) on her health and healing journey, her career, wellness, and how she came to start Holisticism was well-loved, and she's back for round two to talk all things business. This episode is a deep dive into how she started Holisticism, what practical and mystical tools she used, her advice for starting something new, and lots of helpful nitty-gritty details on building a mission-driven business. If you are an entrepreneur, someone considering starting a side hustle, or just want to learn about the behind-the-scenes of a fast-growing startup, you will love and learn so much from this episode.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Michelle is sharing more of her behind-the-scenes at Holisticism

• Using KPIs (key performance indicators) to chart your growth

• How to determine which KPIs to use in your business

• The importance of starting with why

• What Michelle's KPIs currently look like for Holisticism

• Why entrepreneurship is really a personal development tool

• How to build a content business model

• Why Holisticism has two business models

• How Michelle uses her intuition to run her business

• How to use content as a laboratory

• The importance of vulnerability in business

• How Michelle used user interviews to scale her business

• How Michelle integrates mysticism and spiritual tools into her operations

• How to not get distracted by all the tools out there

• Which tools Michelle used to start her business and which she uses regularly now

• The question Michelle asks herself every day to stay in alignment in her business

• Michelle's approach to alternative revenue streams and funding options— and why she gave the money she fundraised back

• How Michelle scaled her business

• The importance of reaching out to your network and strategic partnerships

• How to increase your SEO (search engine optimization)

• Michelle's productivity tips

• How Michelle determines what she wants to focus on next in her business

• Michelle's advice for learning new things in business

Mentioned in this episode:

• How great leaders inspire action, Simon Sinek's TED Talk

• Kirtan Kriya— the Kundalini meditation Michelle used when starting her business

• Wild Oat, Bach flower remedies

• Human design: read about it on Holisticism, listen to our episode on human design (episode 3)

• Akashic records: read about it on Holisticism, listen to our episode (39) with Ashley Wood

• Golde superfood company

• The soul writing exercise from The Intuitive Way: A Guide to Living from Inner Wisdom by Penney Peirce, or read the recap on Holisticism

• Michelle's super helpful pieces on how she runs her business on Holisticism:

  • 19 Mystical And Practical Tools I Use Daily To Run My Business

  • Want To Get More Eyes On Your Content, Product, Or Service? Here Are 8 Steps You Can Take To Start Right Now: Part 1

  • 8 Mystical And Practical Processes That Drive More Traffic To Your Site: Part 2

All the deets:

• Sign up for the newsletter, read the blog, f ind upcoming online workshops and/or sign up to work with a facilitator at Holisticism.com (or sign up as a facilitator!)

• You can find Holisticism on Instagram at @holisticism, and Michelle's personal account at @betterbymichelle

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Michelle/Holisticism on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode!

Related episodes:

• Episode 39: Akashic Records with Ashley Wood

• Episode 40: Connecting to your intuition with Jessica Peppler

• Episode 6: Tarot reading with Helen Miamii Moon

• Episode 21: Natal chart reading with Dani Beinstein

• Episode 3: Human design reading with Jaclyn Michelle

You're in for a treat with today's episode, where I chat with the lovely Erin Lovell Verinder. Erin is an Herbalist, Nutritionist, Energetic Healer, and Author, and she is one of the most comforting people to talk to! Her knowledge of plant-based living and medicine is deep, and in this conversation we explored her background in herbalism, how to connect to the energy of nature and plants, gut health, being more present, healing yourself from burnout, and much more.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Erin's perspective on herbalism— combining science and tradition

• How to tap into the energy of plants

• The easiest ways to start taking herbs

• Why local herbs are more powerful

• What herbal infusions are and how to get started with them

• How to truly tap into the power of herbs

• Erin's advice for using muscle testing to get to know your body

• How to connect to nature and why it's so powerful

• Being more present in a digital age

• Erin's thoughts on disconnecting and creating digital boundaries, including her nighttime routing

• Erin's recent experience with burnout and how she approached healing

• Her advice for healing and preventing burnout

• How to create space for your wellbeing in your schedule if you are super busy

• Erin's tips for gut health

• How her business has evolved with the changing times

• The trends Erin sees in her work

• Erin's advice for aspiring herbalists

• How to find your authentic voice - how to unblock and unlock

• Erin's recent plant safari when shooting photography for her upcoming book

All the deets:

• Learn more about Erin and her work, and book a session with her, on her website, erinlovellverinder.com

• Follow Erin on Instagram at @erinlovellverinder (check out her story highlights for info on herbal infusions and muscle testing, as discussed!)

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Erin on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode— we'd love to hear them!

Today's episode is so packed with useful information about our health and wellbeing! I chatted with Victoria Albina, Functional Medicine Life Coach and Breathwork Facilitator, all about ways to heal. Victoria was my functional medicine practitioner in NYC, and it's been fascinating watching her evolve her practice from externally-focused to internally-focused, helping her clients to be their own healer, which we discuss at length in this episode.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Victoria's health journey and how it led to where she is now

• Why Victoria decided to become a Nurse Practitioner

• How she learned about herbs and nutrition

• How Victoria's practice is evolving from external to internal-focused, shifting the power to the patient

• How she is moving towards a more feminist healing framework in her practice

• What are energy leaks and how do they affect us?

• How symptoms are a way of your body telling you something helpful

• How Victoria balances science and softer practices

• What the vagus nerve is, and what polyvagal theory is, and why they are so important

• Victoria's personal practice

• How to balance intuitive eating and therapeutic nutrition

• Victoria's tips for managing stress

• What is breathwork? How it works and what her routine looks like with it.

• Victoria's advice for connecting inwards to know what your body actually needs so you can self-heal

Mentioned in this episode:

• Victoria's Breathwork playlist on Spotify

• Victoria's post on the Vagus Nerve

• Episode 40 with Jessica Peppler (who Victoria did her breathwork training with)

• The Human Path, Sam Kaufman's herbal school

• Victoria's free breathwork workshop on August 14

All the deets:

• Victoria's life coaching, functional medicine practice, breathwork sessions, and podcast can be found on her website, victoriaalbina.com

• Follow Victoria on Instagram at @victoriaalbinawellness

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Victoria on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode— we'd love to hear them!

Seher Sinkandar is a multi-hyphenate— she's a photographer, writer, community facilitator, speaker, and creative strategist, amongst other things. In this episode we talk about having various identities, Seher's process to explore what she enjoys and what she wants to offer, how she chooses projects, and her healing journey.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Seher's journey into freelance creative work

• How she's evolving beyond photography and what she is focusing on expanding into

• How she started her writings on Instagram

• How her Sudanese Healing Database project came to be

• What exploration really looks like and how she structures it

• How to be known for anything when you do many things

• Seher's healing journey

• How she uses Qi Gong for healing

Mentioned in this episode:

• Seher's Sudan Healing Database project

All the deets:

• Seher's Qi Gong class schedule, in-person events, 1:1 insight sessions, photography work, and upcoming online workshops can be found on her website, seher.co

• Follow Seher on Instagram at @seher

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Seher on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode— we'd love to hear them!

On this episode of Medium Well, I chat with Jessica Peppler, a Psychic Medium & Breathwork Healer, all about intuition. Instead of relying on external advice, Jessica shares how to connect to your own inner wisdom and strengthen your connection to your intuition. In the second half of the episode, Jessica shares a psychic reading for me (starting at 1:08:06), which was very interesting and informative! I think you will love this episode and learn so much.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Jessica came to be a professional psychic and medium, and why it surprised her

• How Jessica started as a skeptic

• Can everyone be psychic?

• What it means to surrender

• Jessica's definition of intuition

• How to access and strengthen your intuition

• How signs play a role in intution

• How to differentiate between ego and intuition

• The various of methods of accessing intuition, what Jessica calls the "clairs"

• The difference between thinking and inution

• How to follow your intuition without insulting people

• Tips and resources for accessing intuition most regularly

• Lifestyle changes that may aid your connection to your intuition

• Jessica's psychic reading for me— reading my chakras and answering questions (starting at 1:08:06)

Mentioned in this episode:

• Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker

• Jessica's free Awaken Your Intuition course for Medium Well listeners

All the deets:

• Jessica's sessions, courses, and upcoming workshops (including her breathwork workshop on 7/31!) are available on her website, jessicapeppler.com

• Follow Jessica on Instagram at @jessicapeppler

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Jessica on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode— we'd love to hear them!

I was thrilled to chat with Ashley Wood, an International Akashic Records Reader and host of the Manifest This podcast, to learn more about the Akashic records, how they may serve us, and how we can find our soul's purpose, for this week's episode. Ashley also opens my Akashic Records for a mini-reading so you can get a sense of what the experience is like! Ashley has so much wise advice, and is so in her power— she's an expander for me and I hope you'll learn a lot from today's episode as well.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What are the Akashic Records? How do they work?

• Ashley's approach to skeptics

• How nothing is a coincidence.

• How Ashley differentiates self-awareness versus soul-awareness

• How to find your soul's purpose and why it may look differently than you though

• Why Ashley is not afraid to change her mind or pivot

• How micro-decisions can make a big impact on your life

• How to allow yourself to feel your feelings

• Ashley opens the Akashic Records for me for a mini reading

Mentioned in this episode:

• To Be Magnetic- Lacy Philip's manifestation and unblocking work

All the deets:

• Ashley's work and courses, as well as information about her podcast, are available on her website, ashleywood.life

• Follow Ashley on Instagram at @_ashleywood.

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Ashley on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode— we'd love to hear them!

In today's episode I talk about Plastic Free July and my tips for getting started with sustainable and zero waste living. It can feel overwhelming at first, but there are so many easy steps you can take to get started on reducing your environmental footprint. Whether you're brand new to this lifestyle or a pro, I hope this episode provides you with some new tips and insight into sustainable living.

In this episode, I discuss:

• The Plastic Free July Movement

• How to get into the mindset of sustainable living

• Why reduce, reuse, recycle isn't a circle— it's a hierarchy, and what it's missing

• How to audit your trash

• What to include in your zero waste toolkit for reducing waste on the go

• How to use your own containers while shopping in the bulk section

• How reducing your waste is not the end all, be all of sustainability and what the bigger picture is

• Why zero waste "fails", to me, are actually wins

• What to do if you can't find something plastic-free

• How to help others get on board with your sustainable lifestyle

• Why composting is another useful tool and a helpful tip

• Prioritizing multi-use over single-use

• Why you should give yourself grace in the process

• How getting into nature is important for your sustainability practice

Mentioned in this episode:

• A handy PDF guide to the topics I discussed in the episode

• Plastic Free July

All the deets:

• Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and what you want to try.

Related episodes:

• Episode 7: Sustainable living, global health, and building an impact-driven business with Megan Faletra

• Episode 15: Building a brand that sticks, celebrating women in food, and going green with Kerry Diamond

• Episode 16: Grounded wellness, adapting through adaptogens, and living with curiosity and empathy with Lopa Van der Mersch

• Episode 26: Living a zero waste lifestyle, sustainable events, and green business with Leslie VanKeuren Campbell

• Episode 33: Reconnecting to mother earth, financial responsibility and healing, mindful confrontation, and conscious consumption with Deborah Hanekamp of Mama Medicine

• Episode 35: Taking the pressure off your passions, rooting sustainability in nature, setting boundaries, and managing burnout with Rebecca Magee

Emmalea Russo is an astrologer and a writer. In this episode, we discuss astroplanning, what she calls planning your schedule, life events, and more around astrology, and get into what astrology is really about. We also talk about the upcoming eclipse season and what you need to know about it!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Emmalea's path to working with astrology

• Her favorite astrological and spiritual tools

• How to incorporate astrology in day to day life

• How the moon is a grounding element of astrology, and how to plan around the moon

• Emmalea's approach to astroplanning

• How does Astrology actually work?

• What to know about the upcoming eclipse season

• How the eclipse season effects my chart

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Alphabet Versus the Goddess By Leonard Shlain

• Get your own chart at astro.com

All the deets:

• Learn more about Emmalea and her services: emmalearusso.com (use code MEDIUM for 15% off her services)

• Listen to Emmalea's podcast, Avant Galaxy

• Follow Emmalea on Instagram at @avant_galaxy

We dive into all things CBD in today's episode, where I chat with Amy Duncan, Founder and CEO of Mowellens. Amy launched Mowellens last year after her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer, and we talk about her journey with her husband, launching the company, and deep dive into the world of CBD. Is it the cure-all it's being touted as? And so much more.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Amy's career path

• How her husband discovered he had a brain tumor

• Why Amy decided to launch Mowellens

• What it's like to make your personal story your business

• Amy's experience with being a caregiver, and her advice for caregivers

• What is CBD?

• Why the CBD industry has exploded

• Is CBD a cure-all?

• How CBD is the movement of our generation

• Why low-quality CBD can be dangerous, and how to find a good brand

• How to evaluate CBD lab tests

• The best ways to take CBD

• Who should not take CBD and why some people have adverse reactions

• How CBD can become more accessible

• What Amy does for fun

• How to do your own research on wellness trends

Mentioned in this episode:

• PubMed for research

• Growth Hacking with Vin Clancy

• Natural Products Expo West

All the deets:

• Check out Mowellens and use code MEDIUMWELL for 10% off your purchase

• Keep up with Amy's personal story on her website

• Follow along with Amy at @livingduncan, and Mowellens at @mowellens on Instagram

• Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Amy/Mowellens on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode!