Self-Care From the Inside Out: Hormones, Cravings, and Advocating for Your Health

In this episode of My Story Medicine, host Dr. T Lo interviews nurse practitioner Amanda Gaskin about “inside-out” self-care, focusing on how hormonal and nutritional imbalances can drive brain fog, fatigue, irritability, cravings, and impulsive decisions when the body has been “whispering” warnings. Amanda shares signs women shouldn’t ignore—especially severe fatigue and behaviors like eating ice, cornstarch, or flour linked to nutritional deficiencies—along with her own experience of iron-deficiency anemia from fibroids. She advises building an ongoing relationship with a provider, bringing clear symptom descriptions rather than a self-diagnosis and prioritizing regular wellness checks. They discuss the role of hormones across life stages, the importance of transparency about emotional and relational choices, and choosing clinicians you trust, including culturally aligned nurse practitioners. Amanda’s take-home message emphasizes joy-filled nervous-system care, non-negotiable appointments, and addressing root causes—not just external fixes.

Meet The Guest

Amanda Vontrice Gaskin MSN, APRN

Amanda believes that the best health care comes from a meaningful partnership between her and her patients. She has found that direct primary care is a great way to facilitate this. She is originally from Winter Haven, FL. Amanda is a National Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner. She obtained her Nurse Practitioner licensure with a focus in Adult-Geriatric Medicine from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She obtained her Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida. She has been providing quality health care since 2006. She began her career on a Medical/Surgical unit in her hometown of Winter Haven, Florida, where she gained invaluable experience. Amanda transitioned into a leadership role at Central Florida Health Care, a community health center, where she provided supervision to the Nursing staff. While in Graduate School she worked on the Inpatient Hospice/ Palliative Care unit at Lakeland Regional Hospital. Amanda relocated to Lake County in 2016 to work for Lifestream Behavioral Center. She was the sole provider for the WIN Clinic, a Primary Care Clinic embedded in a Behavioral Health Center to provide care for those with Severe Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. Amanda is very passionate about preventative care and mental health; she strongly believes that if time is well-spent focusing on these aspects of care, the lives of her patients will continue to stay optimal. Amanda spends her free time with family, friends and mentoring in her community. She is excited about the opportunity to influence the lives of others and looks forward to meeting you, soon!

Connect with Amanda Gaskin https://www.ultimatehealthdpc.com/

If you would like to connect further please visit https://mystorymedicine.substack.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/mystorymedicine/

The Cost of Choosing You: Boundaries, Faith, and Self-Love

The host, Dr. T Lo, shares how starting therapy and choosing herself felt like everything was falling apart—calls stopped, invitations slowed, and she questioned if something was wrong—but she later recognized these as side effects of stopping self-abandonment, setting boundaries, and releasing people and patterns that no longer served her. She explains that choosing yourself has a cost (comfort, approval, and old versions of you) but brings freedom, clarity, and confidence. Grounded in faith, she describes learning that God chose her first and that His love isn’t tied to performance, then learning to love all parts of herself without shame. Through therapy journaling, scripture, and reframing behaviors like overthinking as protective responses to wounds, she aligned her self-view with God’s, stopped shrinking, released mediocre relationships, and encouraged listeners to keep trusting the process.

00:00 Therapy Aftershock

01:16 Cost of Choosing You

02:24 Aha Moment Self Love

04:03 God Chose You First

06:43 Love All of You

09:06 Align With Gods View

13:15 Boundaries And Breakthroughs

15:11 When It Feels Lonely

16:03 Keep Going Closing

If you would like to connect further please visit https://mystorymedicine.substack.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/mystorymedicine/

From Surviving to Thriving: The Intentional Life Shift with Crystal Samuels

Dr. T Lo introduces My Story Medicine, a podcast for women of faith focused on healing, emotional wellness, and personal growth, and welcomes burnout coach and meditation advocate Crystal Samuels, founder of Dare to Flow with Me. Crystal shares how achieving the family and career she prayed for still led to burnout fueled by proving, external validation, solo parenting, physical exhaustion, and a toxic workplace, resulting in anxiety, sleeplessness, chest pain, lost confidence, and isolation. Her breaking point was realizing her daughter needed her well, prompting her to seek medical help despite embarrassment and fear. Recovery began with intentional rest, returning to yoga and meditation, grieving an identity tied to titles and perfectionism, and deepening faith through scripture and worship. During four months off, she rebuilt self-trust, started a meditation-based business, co-authored Your Life On Fire, and urges listeners to acknowledge burnout, reach out for help, and remember they have what they need within.

00:00 Welcome to My Story Medicine

01:43 Grounding Breath Meditation

03:52 Crystal Journey and Burnout

08:29 Red Flags and Symptoms

10:23 Breaking Point as a Mom

14:19 Rest and Recovery Tools

17:50 Grieving Identity and Joy

19:47 Faith Anchors the Healing

21:28 Starting a Meditation Business

24:50 First Step Get Help

26:11 Book Blessing in Burnout

29:39 Final Truth and Farewell

About Our Guest 

Crystal Samuels is a meditation and wellness coach that offers practices that elevate your life. She has had a meditation practice for over 20 years and offers  corporations,  group and individual personalized meditation and wellness sessions. She is a practitioner and coach of various meditation techniques including using sound baths to help her clients connect with the soothing tones and vibrational frequencies to ultimately pause , to rest, renew and BE.

Crystal is also  a speaker that brings real life stories that connect and inspire her audiences to turn their attention inwards to know that they have everything within them. Crystal’s newest project is co-authoring a book on finding authentic and true purpose again along with the launch of  a coach program that will help high achieving women reclaim and rebuild from burnout and move from overwhelm to empowerment. 

Website https://www.daretoflowwithme.com/home

Book: https://www.daretoflowwithme.com/book

If you would like to connect further please visit https://mystorymedicine.substack.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/mystorymedicine/

Getting Unstuck From Shame: Healing Mind, Body, and Spirit with Natacha Pierre

On the My Story Medicine podcast, host Dr. T Lo interviews psychiatric mental health and adult nurse practitioner Natacha Pierre, founder of Bright Path Wellness LLC, about getting unstuck from shame—especially for women of faith who are carrying stress and emotional heaviness in silence. Natacha explains how shame is rooted in low self-worth, comparison, and external expectations, and distinguishes it from guilt, which is tied to internalized failure after action. She describes signs of unresolved shame, including physiological impacts (stress response, sleep issues, weight gain, blood pressure and hormone concerns) and mental health effects (irritability, poor relationships, resentment, focus and memory problems) that can contribute to diagnosable conditions over time. The conversation emphasizes healing through acknowledging shame, therapy options, community support, and integrating faith, prayer, and scripture with mental health care.

00:00 Heavy Burden Intro

00:36 Podcast Welcome

01:15 Meet Natacha Pierre

02:18 Why Shame Shows Up

04:01 Defining Shame

04:59 Guilt Versus Shame

08:00 Signs of Unresolved Shame

10:34 Shame and Identity

12:56 Why Women Stay Silent

14:36 High Achievers and Shame

16:53 Healing Starts Here

19:17 Therapy and Tools

22:38 Faith and Mental Health

27:38 Final Encouragement

29:36 Rapid Fire Wrap

31:47 Closing and Next Steps

About Today’s Guest: Natacha R. Pierre, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, ANP-BC

Natacha Pierre is a dual-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Adult Nurse Practitioner with more than 28 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate mental health challenges and life transitions. She is the Founder and CEO of Bright Path Wellness, LLC, where she provides compassionate, evidence-based care focused on emotional wellness and long-term wellbeing.

Throughout her career, Natacha has worked across clinical practice, school-based mental health services, family education, community outreach, advocacy, and program development. She is passionate about empowering individuals, strengthening families, and equipping communities with practical tools to build resilience and thrive.

Natacha has a special interest in supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by mental health conditions and neurodivergent differences, including autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, and tic-related conditions. Her work bridges the gap between healthcare, education, and community resources to create more holistic and compassionate support systems.

Beyond her clinical work, Natacha develops educational workshops and community initiatives that increase mental health awareness, reduce stigma, and help individuals and families access the resources they need to flourish.

Connect with Natacha:

Visit her Linktree for resources, social media, and more:

https://linktr.ee/brightpathwellnessllc

If you would like to connect further please visit https://mystorymedicine.substack.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/mystorymedicine/

Fighting for Joy: Healing Childhood Wounds Through Faith and Therapy

Host Trecia Arthurton Lozano (Dr. T Lo) shares a breaking point from over 20 years ago—despite outward success, she was depressed, in debt, experienced a panic attack that led to hospitalization, faced relationship betrayal, and felt family pressure—leading her to pray for help and become intentional about restoring her joy. She explains how therapy helped uncover a childhood wound of emotional abandonment and introduces her podcast, My Story of Medicine, for women of faith doing “heart work” to get unstuck. In a conversation with trauma specialist Dr. Freda Doxey, they discuss the ACE assessment and how adverse childhood experiences and “don’t” messages (don’t cry, don’t be angry) can shape adult patterns, relationships, communication, and work roles. They emphasize boundaries, integrating prayer with therapy, how trauma impacts the brain and nervous system, and practical tips for choosing a therapist, ending with encouragement to ask for help and name limiting stories.

00:00 Awakening Breakdown

01:20 Prayer And Decision

03:21 Therapy Reveals Wound

03:52 Podcast Mission Intro

07:06 ACE Childhood Trauma Test

09:34 Barrel Children Story

11:34 Dont Messages Patterns

13:40 Adult Roles And Burnout

17:16 Boundaries And Loss

18:24 Faith And Therapy Together

22:28 Finding The Right Therapist

24:52 Be HOT And Heal

26:04 Final Takeaways

26:32 Rewrite Your Story

27:58 Closing Encouragement

About our Guest:

Dr. Freda Doxey, PhD, LMHC, LPC, is a mental wellness expert, trauma healing specialist, speaker, author, and leadership coach whose mission is to help individuals experience transformation and live abundantly.

She is the owner of A Wise Company LLC, a counseling and coaching practice, and the founder of Release My Daughters! Seminars, an empowering platform dedicated to helping women heal, grow, and walk confidently in their purpose.

With a PhD in Counseling Psychology and more than two decades of leadership experience in mental health, ministry, and business development, Dr. Freda equips visionary women to turn their passion into purpose and their ideas into impact. As a global speaker, certified business trainer, licensed mental health professional, and author of three books, she challenges women to lead with courage, prioritize their wellness, and build lasting legacies spiritually, professionally, financially, and emotionally.

Her distinguished service extends beyond counseling and coaching. Dr. Freda is a member of the Cheyney University Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and serves as a volunteer chaplain for the Jacksonville Veterans Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Alongside her husband, Dr. Gentry Doxey, she serves as Senior Pastor of Agape Church International, an online ministry. Together, they also lead the Marriage Is Good Work seminars, helping couples strengthen and enrich their relationships.

Connect with Dr. Freda Doxey

A Wise Company LLC (Counseling & Coaching)

Website: https://www.awise.company/

If you would like to connect further please visit https://mystorymedicine.substack.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/mystorymedicine/

My Story of Medicine: Trailer

This trailer introduces “My Story of Medicine,” a podcast for women who look fine on the outside but feel stuck, drained, and trapped in repeating patterns while praying for change. It suggests the issue may be a need for deeper healing, turning “hurt people” into “healed people.” Trecia Arthurton Lozano (Dr. T-Lo), pharmacist, wellness advocate, and woman of faith, previews conversations on healing emotional wounds, learning self-love, understanding worth, restoring joy, and embracing rest as a strategy, and invites listeners to subscribe and share.

00:00 Dark Season Wake Up

00:52 Hurt People Cycle

01:13 Healing Topics Ahead

01:23 Rest Is Strategy

01:48 Host And Invitation