New Normal Big Life: Functional Medicine and Holistic Health

Feeling foggy, inflamed and exhausted while carrying toxins and heavy metals in your brain and tissues, and wondering if zeolite detox can finally help? Founder of Zeolite Labs Jeff Hoyt shares why the body tucks toxins away for short term survival and what has to shift for you to recover and thrive later. This episode is for adults over 40, caregivers, veterans and first responders who want natural health solutions without feeling worse.

Here on New Normal Big Life, we go past symptom masking to root cause medicine, nervous system regulation and TBI recovery without medication. 

You will hear Jeff unpack why both conventional and natural protocols can leave people sicker, toxins do during a cleanse, and what Herxheimer reactions may signal. He also previews his bind first approach with purified micronized clinoptilolite zeolite plus cellular energizing tools.

Chapters

02:15 Body Under Toxic Stress

05:30 Symptoms Are Signals

09:19 Why the Body Stores heavy metals

13:35 Why Protocols Backfire

15:52 Bind First Approach

20:50 Detox Reactions Explained

24:23 Jeffs Path To Zeolite

31:16 Choosing the best quality Zeolite

36:38 Dosing And Daily Use

45:03 Cellular Energy Tools

50:39 Detox As a Lifestyle

54:16 Where To Find Jeff

Hosted by Antoinette Berrafato, New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature therapy (archery and kayaking) to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health. 

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DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

If you're worried your child could be heading toward addiction, you may be waiting for a clear warning sign that shows up too late. In this educational episode, drug prevention expert and author Dave Kopeny walks parents through a 5 step protocol for stepping in early, long before rock bottom. This conversation is for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and anyone who loves a teen and wants to protect their mental health before a crisis starts.

Dave has spent more than three decades working with adolescents and families. He has served as a school counselor, juvenile probation officer, gang investigator, and private investigator specializing in drug prevention and intervention. He also grew up in a family affected by addiction and has lost family members to it.

Today's drug environment is not the one most parents grew up with. Dave explains what has changed, the early signs parents most often overlook, and why the old advice to wait for rock bottom can put a child at serious risk. We also look at how substance use, mental health, and family dynamics feed each other, and at the one thing Dave believes most parents underestimate about their own power to change the outcome.

Chapters

• 1:00
• Meet Dave Kopeny
• 5:39 How Teens Get Targeted Today
• 11:53 Subtle Signs Parents Miss
• 13:55 Finding The Real Reason Why
• 19:07 Schools, Therapists, And Support Teams
• 24:31 Room Checks And Drug Tests
• 26:26 Why Rock Bottom Is Risky
• 28:52
• The Tip Of The Spear Plan 35:41
• Sponsor Break Medicinal Herb Tea 37:28
• Kratom Sold Like Candy
• 41:22 Carfentanil Narcan And What’s Next
• 45:10 Free Tools Parents Can Use
• 46:50 Connection As Prevention
• 49:17 Closing And Medical Disclaimer

Your host, Antoinette Berrafato, used nature therapy through archery and kayaking to recover from physical limitations. She found passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health, and she brings that same practical, root cause lens to every conversation on New Normal Big Life.

Resources

https://www.davekopeny.com/  asapcommunity.org

Buy The Tip of The Spear by David Vieth Kopeny 

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DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

What if addiction, depression, or repeated rehab stays are not willpower failures but signs of an undiagnosed brain injury no one screened for? Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) Marc McNeice explains how early screening reframes behavior, reduces shame, and opens a clearer path toward healing and stability. This conversation is for veterans, caregivers, first responders, and families supporting someone cycling through addiction, trauma, or mental health systems.

Marc brings lived experience and frontline data from more than 300 screens in detox, reentry, and housing programs with a 97 percent positive history rate. He breaks down the difference between traumatic and acquired injury, why childhood impacts echo for decades, and what the NASHIA OBISSS screen surfaces that standard intake misses.

Host Antoinette Berrafato, New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature therapy (archery and kayaking) to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health, adds her own TBI recovery perspective plus the gut brain link that shapes mood and cognition. 

Stay through the end for a preview of Part 2, a solo walk through vitamins that support mood after injury.

New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Chapters: 

00:00 Welcome MarcMcNeice

01:31 TBI Versus ABI

02:30 Justice Data Point

04:16 Why Injury Hides

09:59 Marc Injury Story

16:03 Screening Gap

20:50 Injury Plus Trauma

22:38 Gut Brain axis

26:33 Acacia Fiber

34:43 Inside OBISSS Screen

41:28 Cost Of Missing It

44:45 Stop The Bleed

48:40 Part 2 Preview

51:29 Hope And Healing

Guest: Marc McNeice, CBIS, brain injury specialist and survivor supporting recovery, housing, and reentry programs in Massachusetts. Connect:

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New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

If you cook with canola, soy or sunflower oil and still battle fatigue, stubborn weight or brain fog, The Truth About Seed Oils reveals a hidden driver most advice misses. In this episode, Cherie Calbom The Juice Lady, shares how to spot hidden oils, what stable fats to keep and how to reset your kitchen with confidence. This conversation is for those with chronic health challenges, women over 40, veterans, caregivers and anyone focused on functional medicine and long term metabolic health who wants steady energy and less inflammation.

Way back when Ancel Keys was promoting the lipid hypothesis, Cherie asks, wait a minute, we have eaten butter, eggs, dairy, red meat, beef tallow and lard for centuries. And we never had cardiovascular disease. Why would they suddenly start causing it? You will hear how seed oils moved from industrial waste management to a dominant food commodity, why the lipid hypothesis shaped guidelines even as doubts grew, and why omega 6 overload keeps inflammation high. Cherie Calbom, M.S. in Whole Foods Nutrition from Bastyr University and 11 years of real world experience practicing in these fields, author of 36 books including Juicing for Life, brings decades of clinical and culinary insight. Her new book The Truth About Seed Oils includes a free gift download at thetruthaboutseedoils.com.

Chapters

00:00 Opening On Ancel Keys And Traditional Fats

03:15 Meet The Juice Lady And Her Health Journey

07:40 From Industrial Waste To Food Supply

12:30 Heart Healthy Marketing And Suppressed Voices

18:10 Lipid Hypothesis Rise And Fall 24:00 Oxidation, Lipid Peroxides And Cell Stress

30:20 Omega 6 To Omega 3 Imbalance And Daily Symptoms

36:00 Label Reading And Seed Oil Scout Tips

40:30 Healthy Swaps And Juicing Basics

Connect With Cherie Calbom

Website: www.juiceladyinfo.com

Book: www.thetruthaboutseedoils.com

IG: @juiceladycherie

FB: thejuicelady 

YouTube: @theJuiceLadyCherie

X: @Juiceladycherie

LinkedIn: Cherie Calbom Trinity Wellness

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

If chronic symptoms and conflicting supplement advice have you searching for herbal medicine that truly supports healing, this curated mashup brings the missing context together in one place. You will hear how National Institutes of Health (NIH) backed research, medicinal teas, and everyday food choices connect to immune support and metabolic balance. This is for listeners navigating fatigue, sugar cravings, diabetes, weight loss, inflammation, high blood pressure, or gut issues who want root cause options beyond quick fixes and want to take more responsibility for their health.

As New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature therapy (archery and kayaking) to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health, Antoinette Berrafato curates the top 4 themes from these expert clips and notes other topics are available inside the full episodes.

Chapters
00:00 - Why Herbal Medicine Matters For Chronic Symptoms
01:40 - Natural Health Solutions And Medical Trust
05:30 - How To Research Herbal Medicine With NIH Studies
09:50 - NIH Studies On Medicinal Herbs Benefits
13:40 - Supplements And Herbal Medicine Alongside Care
18:10 - Herbal Tea Benefits For Sugar Cravings
21:40 - Parasite Cleanse And Hidden Exposure Risks
24:20 - Immune Support And Natural Remedies Tools
26:05 - Dandelion Health Benefits And Insulin Resistance Basics

Try this 3 Day Proof Lab: Day 1 research one herb on NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Day 2 swap one sugary drink for a medicinal tea, Day 3 audit your pantry for one whole food swap.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

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New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Nervous system regulation after trauma feels impossible, even when you have done the therapy, followed the protocols, and pushed harder than anyone knows. You are not broken, and you are not lazy. You are missing a layer.

In this episode, Antoinette Berrafato sits down with Caleb Matthews, creator of the DNA of Design framework, to reveal why medicine treats the body and therapy treats the mind, yet most healing approaches leave out the part of you that governs everything else. Caleb breaks down his Spirit, Soul, Body method, a three-part blueprint for moving out of chronic fight or flight and into a regulated, purposeful life.

At the heart of the conversation is a truth he wants every listener to hear: "You have a unique purpose, a blueprint that has been customized by God and breathed into you at conception, and you are built for more than just what you're good at. You're built for something that you're designed for. Whether you're a seer, an activator, a catalyst, a navigator, a builder, a steward, or a healer. No matter what your design is, there is a place for you in the earth. There is a place for your expression to come forth."

If you are a veteran, first responder, caregiver, or anyone recovering from trauma and burnout, this episode hands you a recovery method you have never heard before. Caleb shares the story that changed everything for him, the surprising difference between being good at something and being designed for it, and why your hardest seasons never disqualified you from your purpose. He also reveals the seven design types, and which one you are may reframe your entire recovery. Antoinette and Caleb unpack her design type in this episode.

Chapters:

• 0:00 You Are Built For Purpose
• 0:55 Meet Caleb And The Blueprint Idea
• 2:03 Trauma Healing And The Trap Of Trying
• 5:29 The Missing Layer Beyond Mind And Body
• 7:34 Baby Steps Back To Childhood Joy
• 16:19 SSB Explained With A Mirror Practice
• 20:39 Soul Loops And Joy Versus Happiness 
• 27:05  A Coma Story And Speaking Life
• 31:04 The Seven Design Types Quiz In Action
• 36:52 Nightmares As Signals Not Sentences
• 42:02 Entrepreneurship And Designed Versus Good At

Are you a Seer, Activator, Navigator, Catalyst, Steward, Builder or a Healer?

Most people are playing a game they weren't designed for. 

Take the free DNA of Design Quiz in under 5 minutes and discover the unique blueprint you've been overlooking your entire life.

Connect with Caleb Matthews and take the free DNA of Design quiz.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Your child just left home and now empty nest syndrome has you feeling lost, restless, and more anxious than you expected. Jay Ramsden, the Empty Nest Coach, explains why that emptiness is often not depression at all, and hands you the tools to reclaim your identity, passion, and purpose.

This episode is for the parent facing a quiet house, the retiree wondering who they are without a title, and anyone caught in the anxious space between one chapter of life and the next. If you're struggling with who will I be after leaving the military or law enforcement, or maybe your parents are struggling with an empty nest, this episode is for you.

Couples are roughly 40% more likely to divorce in the years after their children leave home, according to the Journal of Marriage and Family. A phenomenon known as gray divorce. Gray divorce is the demographic trend of couples aged 50 and older ending long-term marriages. Rates have doubled since 1990, driven by longer lifespans, shifting social norms, and a greater focus on personal happiness in later life, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Here's what Jay sees in the people he coaches: unallocated energy and focus, a nervous system still revving high with no target on the radar, a high-velocity engine just idling in the driveway. And we know what happens to an engine that idles too long. It runs out of gas, runs out of oil, and burns up.

Jay is a Certified Personal and Executive Coach and founder of This Empty Nest Life, ranked among Feedspot's Top 25 Empty Nester Influencers. His story is anything but ordinary: he lost his home to fire, overcame alcohol addiction, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and walked the Camino de Santiago as an empty nester.

Listen in to hear the move from Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side, why going back to work can be purpose or escape, and the one honest first step you can take this week. Tune in to find out what Jay learned at 19,000 feet and on the trail.

Chapters:

• 02:52The Energy Crash
• 06:42Three Stages
• 09:32The ME Era
• 11:02Guide on the Side
• 12:38Back to Work
• 13:42Marriage After Nest
• 22:19Kilimanjaro & JOMO
• 27:09Your First Step

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

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New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

People pleaser psychology hides inside high achievement, and Dr. Jack Groppel spent decades inside the world's most elite performance environments before recognizing the pattern in himself. Co-founder of the Johnson and Johnson Human Performance Institute and 11 years of real world experience practicing in these fields, he trained Olympic athletes, coached the Chicago White Sox, and advised Fortune 50 leaders. Then he hit a wall.

Dr. Groppel calls it achievement addiction, a compulsion to succeed at all costs that came from a wound with his father and nearly cost him everything. 

In this episode, he reveals the question he now asks himself three or four times a day, the single shift that separates people who break free from those who stay trapped, and why the fix does not start where most self-help advice points.

This is for high achievers, caregivers, veterans, and anyone who has ever been physically present but emotionally gone, skimming across the surface of their own life while handing their energy to everyone else.

Chapters

• 0:00 People Pleaser Psychology
• 0:30 Meet Dr. Jack Groppel
• 2:27 Defining The Disease To Please
• 3:11 Gender Conditioning And Approval
• 4:03 The Parenting Approval Wound
• 8:40 High Achievement Without Burnout
• 11:11 Always On Culture And Boundaries
• 15:12 Energy Management Beats Multitasking
• 17:49 The Hidden Cost Of Overgiving
• 20:56 Nature As A Nervous System Reset
• 23:56 Purpose Beyond People Pleasing
• 30:01 Nervous System Change And Forgiveness
• 35:40 What Matters Most Right Now

Need help forgiving someone? Forgiveness mentor Katharine Giovani shows you how in these two episodes of New Normal Big Life Podcast. 

Learn How to Forgive With Katharine Giovanni

How to Forgive and Heal in 3 Steps

You can find Dr. Jack Groppel's Book on Amazon.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

If you've ever walked out of a doctor's appointment with more questions than answers, concierge medicine may be the solution you haven't heard about. Board-certified neurologist and U.S. Navy veteran Dr. Ryan Williamson, MD, pulls back the curtain on what relationship-based care delivers when a physician manages 40 patients instead of 2,500. This episode is for anyone tired of 7-minute appointments, rushed diagnoses, and a healthcare system built around billing codes instead of health outcomes.

Dr. Williamson explains why a one-degree shift in daily habits compounds into decades of better brain function, how a single supplement changed our host's cognitive performance in under three months, and what longevity medicine means beyond adding years to life. You'll also hear the stark reality of what happens when quality of life is sacrificed for quantity, and why having a target for your senior years is the first step most people skip.

Start with one of the three simple levers Dr. Williamson recommends this week. 

Hosted by Antoinette Berrafato, the New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature therapy to recover from physical limitations after a traumatic-brain injury and a boken back, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health.

Chapters

• 0:00 Concierge Medicine: Why Appointments Leave You Confused
• 1:02 Broken Healthcare System: A Neurologist Explains
• 2:44 Healthspan Before Lifespan: Longevity Explained
• 9:00 Creatine Brain Health & The Power Of Small Habits
• 13:22 Sleep Regularity & Wearables For Longevity
• 17:26 VO2 Max: Never Too Early, Never Too Late
• 29:22 Cognitive Decline: Testing Before Symptoms
• 38:38 Concierge Medicine: Cost, Value & Tradeoffs
• 44:44 Healthcare Future & Final Takeaways

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

When a stage 4 cancer diagnosis leaves you searching for other options beyond the standard protocols, the choices can feel nonexistent. Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given eighteen months to live by a conventional oncologist, Emma Victoria Johnson began her search. At Oasis of Hope Cancer Center, oncologist Dr. Francisco Contreras's integrative cancer treatment approach led to a cancer remission that defied every prognosis. This cancer survivor's journey from diagnosis to cancer remission is proof that integrative treatment, used alongside the best of conventional care, can change outcomes conventional medicine never anticipated.

Emma was handed a terminal timeline and told to get her affairs in order. Instead of accepting that sentence, she went looking for a treatment philosophy that addressed the whole person. Integrative oncology, an approach that combines standard medical treatments with evidence-based complementary therapies like nutrition, stress management, and lifestyle changes, was exactly what she needed. At Oasis of Hope Cancer Center, she found a team led by Dr. Francisco Contreras, MD, renowned for combining conventional and alternative medical treatments long before holistic cancer care entered the mainstream conversation.

Emma and Dr. Contreras walk through the day-to-day reality of her treatment at Oasis of Hope, the emotional turning points, what it is like to seek treatment outside your passport country, and the protocols that moved her from a stage 4 diagnosis to near-complete remission in under a year. Dr. Contreras also offers actionable steps for reducing your cancer and chronic health risk.

Be sure to catch this episode on video to see what treatment is like at Oasis of Hope Cancer Center.

If you or someone you love is facing a diagnosis, out of options, or simply wants to understand cancer prevention and what integrative cancer care looks like in practice, this episode was made for you. Remember, every healing journey is unique, and hope is always possible, no matter the diagnosis. You are not alone on this path.

Chapters

• 0:00 Cancer Rates Are Rising Fast
• 1:14 Why This Conversation Matters
• 4:10 Oasis Of Hope’s Holistic Philosophy
• 6:40 Emma’s Shocking Diagnosis And Rapid Growth
• 9:42 Prevention Vs Early Detection
• 12:55 Simple Diet And Exercise Targets
• 15:58 Refusing The Prognosis And Choosing Treatment Abroad
• 20:20 What Treatment Felt Like at Oasis of Hope
• 23:55 The Power Of Mind
• 26:58 Integrative Care And Patient Dignity
• 31:32 Cancer Genes, Good Information, Real Choice
• 36:42 Turbo Cancers, Toxins, And Immune Therapy
• 42:42 Courage To Travel And Family Pushback
• 48:30 Finding Community With Other Patients
• 55:08 Health Systems, Money, And Time Windows

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.