Nutrition & Alternative Medicine for Holistic Health & Natural Healing

with Dr. Jonny Bowden

In this eye-opening conversation, JJ reconnects with renowned nutrition expert and bestselling author Dr. Jonny Bowden to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in modern medicine: cholesterol.

Dr. Bowden, co-author of The Great Cholesterol Myth, explains why the conventional cholesterol narrative is outdated, why total cholesterol tells us almost nothing about heart disease risk, and why inflammation and insulin resistance may be far more important predictors of long-term health.

Together, JJ and Dr. Bowden discuss the evolution of cholesterol science, the overprescription of statins, and why people must become advocates for their own health instead of blindly outsourcing decisions to conventional medicine.

• Why total cholesterol is an outdated marker for heart disease risk
• The difference between LDL cholesterol and LDL particles
• Why “good” and “bad” cholesterol is an oversimplified concept
• What ApoB and LDL particle testing actually reveal about cardiovascular risk
• The role of inflammation in chronic disease and heart disease
• How insulin resistance predicts disease years before symptoms appear
• Why stress, processed foods, poor sleep, and sedentary living fuel metabolic dysfunction
• The connection between blood sugar regulation and cardiovascular health
• Why many conventional cholesterol tests are “1963 medicine”
• What lifestyle changes can help reduce inflammation naturally
• Why questioning medical dogma matters for your long-term health

Dr. Bowden explains that cholesterol itself is not the enemy. Instead, the real issue is the condition of the particles carrying cholesterol through the bloodstream and the inflammation damaging artery walls. He uses powerful analogies — including boats crashing in a marina and golf balls burning through a tennis net — to explain how small, dense LDL particles create more cardiovascular risk than large LDL particles.

JJ and Dr. Bowden also explore how insulin resistance quietly drives many chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease — often decades before diagnosis.

This episode is a reminder that true health requires curiosity, critical thinking, and personal responsibility.

• The Great Cholesterol Myth by Dr. Jonny Bowden & Dr. Stephen Sinatra
• ApoB testing
• LDL particle testing
• Function Health
• PubMed.gov

• Website: DrJonnyBowden.com
• Book: The Great Cholesterol Myth

• JJ Flizanes Official Website
• Feelings & Needs List

If you’ve ever thought, “I know better… so why do I keep doing this?”—this episode is for you.

In this powerful conversation, I break down the real reason we stay stuck in emotional, behavioral, and even physical patterns—and why traditional approaches to healing often don’t create lasting change.

We’re not just talking about mindset.

We’re going deeper—to the subconscious beliefs formed before age 7 that still shape your reactions, your habits, and your identity today.

This is the foundation of my Core Wound Map™, and once you see it… you can’t unsee it.

• What a core wound really is (and why you didn’t choose it)
• How your brain created beliefs to keep you safe—but now keeps you stuck
• The hidden pattern loop: Trigger → Feeling → Reaction
• Why awareness alone doesn’t change behavior
• The difference between coping vs. actual healing
• Why most therapy and personal development miss the root
• How your patterns show up in:
• Relationships
• Food & body image
• Self-sabotage
• Emotional triggers

Healing is when you are different in the same situation.

Not when you avoid it.

Not when you leave it.

When the trigger is the same…

but your response is different.

That’s real change.

When you’re triggered, ask yourself:

1. What am I feeling?
2. What need is not being met?
3. How can I meet that need—without requiring anyone else to change?

👉 This is how you interrupt the pattern in real time.

Download the Feelings & Needs List to start practicing this today:

👉 jjflizanes.com/feelingslist

Print it. Keep it with you. Use it.

If this resonates, it means you’re ready to go deeper.

This is exactly the work we do inside:

• The Roadmap to Emotional Healing
• Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns
• The Empowering Minds Network

Because this isn’t about more information…

It’s about becoming someone different in the same situation.

JJ sits down with nutritionist and behavior specialist Carrie Lupoli to break down why traditional dieting fails—and what actually creates lasting health and transformation.

From generational conditioning and disordered eating to blood sugar regulation and belief systems, this episode reveals why most people stay stuck… and how to finally shift your relationship with food, body, and self.

• Why the diet industry keeps you stuck in cycles
• The difference between calories vs. blood sugar regulation
• Why weight loss is a symptom—not the goal
• How your beliefs and identity drive your behaviors
• Why “I know what to do, I just don’t do it” keeps happening
• How to shift into the healthiest version of yourself

• Diets Don’t Address the Root
• Restriction and willpower ignore the real issue—your metabolism, mindset, and patterns.

• Blood Sugar Drives Everything
• Energy, cravings, weight gain, inflammation, and even chronic disease are tied to metabolic health.

• You Can’t Outperform Your Beliefs
• You can have the perfect plan—but without rewiring your mindset, it won’t stick.

• Identity > Goals
• Stop chasing a number on the scale.
• Start asking: What does the healthiest version of me do, say, think, and believe?
• You Are Always Modeling
• Your beliefs show up in your actions—and impact your family and environment.

• From Corset to Crown
• Let go of restriction, shame, and shrinking yourself…
• and step into self-worth, health, and empowerment.

You don’t need another diet.

You need to shift your identity, regulate your body, and align your beliefs.

That’s where real, lasting change happens.

Connect with JJ Flizanes:

• Website: https://jjflizanes.com
• Free resources & programs: https://jjflizanes.com/mm
• Podcast Network: https://empoweringmindsnetwork.com

Connect with Carrie Lupoli:

• Book (Pre-Order): From Corset to Crown
• 👉 https://carrielupoli.com/corset-to-crown
• Website: https://carrielupoli.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/carrielupoli

• Women tired of dieting and starting over
• Those who feel stuck despite “doing everything right”
• Anyone ready to move from restriction → empowerment
• Listeners wanting a deeper, sustainable approach to health

In this solo episode, JJ pulls together the biggest insights from her recent 3-Day Body Breakthrough Challenge and shares why body change after 40 requires a different conversation than the one most women have been taught. If you’ve been eating less, doing more cardio, trying harder—and still not seeing results—this episode explains why.

JJ unpacks the 7 Factors of Weight Loss Resistance, including blood sugar regulation, inefficient exercise, hormone imbalance, poor sleep, nervous system stress, inflammation, and missing nutritional substrates. She explains why body change isn’t about more willpower or restriction, but about understanding the systems affecting metabolism, fat loss, muscle, and energy.

• Why the old “eat less, exercise more” model stops working after 40
• The 7 hidden factors of weight loss resistance
• Why blood sugar regulation may be more important than calories
• How inefficient exercise could be wasting your time
• Why resistance training is non-negotiable for metabolism, hormones, bone, and brain health
• The overlooked link between nervous system stress and body composition
• How inflammation and gut health can block fat loss
• Why sleep is a body change strategy—not a luxury
• The truth about muscle loss, body composition, and why the scale can lie
• Why discipline is not deprivation—and what food freedom actually looks like
• How accountability and support create momentum that changes habits

Body change is a systems issue.

If you only focus on food or exercise without addressing hormones, stress, sleep, inflammation, and metabolism, you may stay stuck.

Your nervous system affects your results.

Fight-or-flight physiology can interfere with digestion, recovery, fat burning, and healing.

Muscle matters more than you think.

After 40, preserving and building active tissue is one of the biggest levers for changing body composition and aging well.

Stop focusing only on weight.

The scale doesn’t tell you whether you’ve lost muscle or gained fat. Body composition tells a different story.

Replacement beats restriction.

JJ shares why sustainable results come from working with your body, not fighting against it.

“If you loved the way you looked, would you care what the number was?”

• 3-Day Body Breakthrough Challenge
• Date Your Body
• 8-Week Body Reset (Beta)
• Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs)
• The 7 Factors of Weight Loss Resistance
• JJ’s 5-Day Food Focus

Apply for the 8-Week Body Reset:

jjflizanes.com/8week

Free Feelings & Needs List:

jjflizanes.com/feelingslist

Share it with a woman who keeps saying, “Nothing works anymore.”

And if you’re ready to stop guessing and start addressing the missing pieces, this episode is your invitation to begin.

In this powerful conversation, JJ Flizanes sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Nafisa Sekandari to explore the deeper truth behind anxiety, burnout, and what it really takes to create lasting happiness.

This episode goes beyond surface-level solutions and dives into the root causes of emotional and physical imbalance, especially for high-achieving women navigating stress, hormonal shifts, and overwhelm.

Dr. Nafisa shares her personal journey of immigrating to the United States from Afghanistan as a child, navigating trauma, and developing debilitating shyness and anxiety.

Through intentional self-work—facing fears, studying psychology, and exploring holistic healing—she transformed her challenges into a framework that now helps others do the same.

Many high-performing women don’t realize they are being driven by anxiety.

Instead of presenting as dysfunction, anxiety often shows up as:

• Overachievement
• Perfectionism
• Burnout and chronic stress
• Emotional reactivity or overwhelm

Dr. Nafisa emphasizes that true healing requires addressing the root cause, not just managing symptoms.

After experiencing a particularly “effortful” year, Dr. Nafisa launched the Happiness Project—a year-long experiment focused on creating more joy through small, consistent changes.

Each month targets a different life area, including:

• Environment and energy
• Relationships and connection
• Parenting and personal growth

The goal is not to ignore reality—but to focus on what you can control and become more intentional about how you live.

One of the most important themes of this episode is emotional awareness.

In a culture that avoids discomfort, many people:

• Suppress negative emotions
• Rush to “fix” feelings
• Label themselves as “dysregulated” instead of understanding the message

Dr. Nafisa reframes this:

Healing begins when you allow emotions to surface, process them, and release their charge through awareness, expression, and integration.

Both JJ and Dr. Nafisa highlight how emotions directly impact physical health.

Examples include:

• Anger → liver, tension, hormonal disruption
• Grief → lungs, breathing issues
• Chronic stress → sleep disruption, anxiety, inflammation

Ignoring emotional health can manifest physically, reinforcing the need for a holistic approach to healing.

Dr. Nafisa’s approach integrates five key areas:

• Mindset
• Emotional health
• Behavior patterns
• Physical health (nutrition, sleep, movement)
• Spiritual connection

She emphasizes that lifestyle is the entry point for most people.

Simple but powerful shifts include:

• Prioritizing quality sleep
• Reducing caffeine and stabilizing blood sugar
• Supporting the body with nutrition and movement
• Creating consistent daily routines

This episode challenges the idea that focusing on happiness is naïve or dismissive.

Instead, JJ and Dr. Nafisa reinforce:

• You cannot control the world—but you can control your response
• Your emotional state influences your experience and outcomes
• Being solution-focused creates more positive impact than staying problem-focused

• Anxiety often hides behind achievement and productivity
• Emotional suppression leads to deeper imbalance
• Small, consistent changes create long-term transformation
• Your body reflects your emotional state
• True empowerment comes from awareness, alignment, and intentional living

Dr. Nafisa offers:

• Mental Health Break Podcast
• The Happiness Project community
• A free program: Beginner’s Guide to Anxiety Management (use code “JJ”)

You don’t need to control everything around you to feel better.

You need to reconnect with yourself, process what’s real, and choose alignment—moment by moment.

Connect with Dr. Nafisa Sekandari:

• Website: www.drsekandari.com
• Happiness Project: www.drsekandari.com/happiness-project
• Podcast: Mental Health Break Podcast

In today’s episode, JJ breaks down a topic that confuses so many people—why yoga can feel amazing but still not deliver the body results you’re looking for.

After 25+ years in the fitness and health industry, JJ shares the truth about exercise, body composition, and the biggest mistake people make when choosing how to move their bodies.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m doing all the right things… so why isn’t anything changing?”—this episode is for you.

• Why yoga can feel like a “magic fix” (and when it actually works)
• The real reason some people lose weight doing yoga—and others don’t
• The difference between nervous system regulation vs. body transformation
• Why most exercise routines fail to change body composition
• How your body adapts—and why that leads to plateaus
• The importance of choosing the right exercise for your specific goal
• Why time spent exercising doesn’t always equal results

JJ breaks down the most common styles of yoga and what they’re actually good for, including:

• Hatha
• Vinyasa
• Ashtanga
• Power Yoga
• Bikram / Hot Yoga
• Yin
• Restorative
• Kundalini
• Iyengar
• Chair Yoga

Each serves a purpose—but not all of them are designed for fat loss, muscle building, or metabolic change.

• Feeling better ≠ changing your body
• Your body responds to stimulus, not preference
• Most people plateau because they don’t change the strategy
• Yoga is powerful for stress relief, recovery, and nervous system balance
• But it is not a primary tool for body composition change

👉 “It’s not that your body isn’t working—it’s that you’re not giving it the right instructions.”

If you’re tired of doing “all the right things” and not getting results…

Join JJ for the 3-Day Body Breakthrough Challenge

📅 April 15–17 (replays available)

You’ll uncover the 7 factors of weight loss resistance and finally understand:

• Why your body isn’t changing
• What to focus on instead
• How to move the needle—efficiently

👉 Join here: http://jjflizanes.com/3day

Yoga has value. Movement has value. But results come from alignment between your goals and your strategy.

What if everything you’ve been told about cholesterol, statins, and hormones isn’t the full picture?

In this eye-opening conversation, I sit down with Elizabeth Plourde, who brings decades of research and firsthand experience inside the medical system. We explore how “normal” ranges have changed over time, why so many people are prescribed medications without deeper investigation, and what your body actually needs to function optimally.

This episode is about empowerment—understanding your body, asking better questions, and not blindly outsourcing your health decisions.

• Why “healthy ranges” for cholesterol have shifted over time
• The role of cholesterol in hormone production and brain function
• Why lowering cholesterol may not always equal better health

• Common side effects (including muscle pain and fatigue)
• Why many people are prescribed statins without full context
• The importance of understanding risks vs. benefits for YOU

• Why hormone decline impacts nearly every system in the body
• The difference between synthetic vs. bioidentical hormones
• How hormone imbalance can affect mood, energy, bones, and more

• Why most people don’t question their doctors—and the risk of that
• How fear-based recommendations influence decision-making
• The importance of becoming your own health advocate

• Your body is not broken—it’s responding to imbalances
• “Normal” lab ranges don’t always mean optimal health
• Cholesterol is essential for hormone production and brain function
• Medications are not always the root-cause solution
• You have more power than you think when you ask questions and explore options

This episode is personal.

After navigating my own health challenges and being pressured into solutions that didn’t feel aligned, I realized how important it is to trust yourself, get educated, and advocate for your body.

Most people don’t realize how much pressure exists inside the medical system until they’re in it.

You don’t have to accept the first answer you’re given.

• Learn more about Dr. Plourde’s work on EMF and health:
• https://www.emffreedom.com/
• The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden & Stephen Sinatra
• EMF Freedom: Solutions for the 21st Century Pollution by Elizabeth Plourde
• Hysterectomy, Ovary Removal, and Hormone Replacement by Elizabeth Plourde
• CoQ10 for heart health and energy support
• Vision Alive Max (eye health support mentioned in episode)

If this episode resonated with you, it’s time to go deeper.

Join me for the 14-Day Manifestation Challenge where we apply this same level of awareness and empowerment to your thoughts, emotions, and outcomes.

👉 http://jjflizanes.com/14day

Healing isn’t about blindly following instructions.

It’s about becoming aware enough to choose what’s right for you.

What happens when you’ve achieved everything you thought you wanted… and it still doesn’t feel right?

In this powerful conversation, JJ Flizanes joins Allison Lane to unpack the hidden experience so many high-achieving women face—but rarely talk about: outgrowing the very life they worked so hard to build.

From anxiety and burnout to the quiet feeling of “this can’t be it,” this episode dives into why success can start to feel empty—and what’s actually underneath it.

Together, JJ and Allison explore the deeper emotional, psychological, and subconscious patterns that keep brilliant women stuck, invisible, or second-guessing their next move—even when they know they’re meant for more.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected, restless, or unsure of your next chapter… this conversation will help you understand why—and what becomes possible when you finally listen to that inner call.

1. Why high-achieving women often feel unfulfilled after reaching success
2. The difference between burnout vs. outgrowing your current life
3. How subconscious beliefs and core wounds drive overachievement
4. Why “mindset work” alone isn’t enough—and what actually creates change
5. The hidden role of addiction to achievement, control, and validation
6. Signs you’re repressing your true purpose (and how it shows up physically and emotionally)
7. Why visibility feels so hard—and how fear of judgment keeps you playing small
8. The truth about needing more certifications, degrees, or “permission”
9. What happens when you finally align with your purpose, passion, and dharma
10. How to move from confusion and stagnation into clarity, energy, and momentum

1. Success built on external validation or compensation will eventually feel empty
2. Anxiety, burnout, and even physical symptoms can be signs of misalignment
3. You don’t need more credentials—you need clarity and alignment
4. You are not for everyone—and hiding keeps the right people from finding you
5. Growth requires stepping through discomfort, not avoiding it
6. When you align with your truth, life becomes lighter, more energized, and more supported

When you stop ignoring that inner knowing and start listening:

1. You feel lighter and more energized
2. Your nervous system begins to calm
3. Opportunities and alignment start showing up
4. You gain clarity on your purpose and next steps
5. You move from performing… to truly living your truth

If this episode resonated with you, you are not alone—and you are not stuck.

JJ and Allison are hosting a live masterclass to go deeper into this conversation:

📅 April 10

🔗 Register: jjflizanes.com/brilliantwomen

🎟️ Use the free VIP code JJFREE

Allison Lane helps accomplished women expand their visibility, authority, and impact—guiding them from industry experts to recognized thought leaders through books, media, and strategic positioning.

JJ Flizanes is an Empowerment Strategist, author, and podcast host who helps people heal emotional patterns, uncover core wounds, and align with their purpose to create lasting transformation.

If you’ve been quietly wondering, “Is this all there is?”

That question isn’t a problem.

It’s the beginning of your next evolution.

Have you ever felt like you're doing all the right things—vision boards, appreciation lists, meditation, inner work—and yet nothing seems to be moving?

In this solo episode, JJ shares a deeply personal reflection on the space between where you are and the next version of who you're becoming.

Sometimes feeling stuck isn't a sign that something is wrong.

Sometimes it means your container is expanding.

Drawing from her background in fitness, manifestation work, and recent personal experiences—including a powerful birthday medicine journey—JJ explores why growth often feels uncomfortable and why contrast is actually necessary for transformation.

If you've ever wondered why the Law of Attraction seems to stop working when you need it most, this episode will help you understand the deeper shift that may be happening within you.

This conversation explores the moment when the old version of you is dissolving, but the new version hasn't fully arrived yet—and how learning to trust that process is one of the most important skills in manifestation.

• Why people feel stuck even when they're doing all the personal growth work • The stage of transformation where the old identity dissolves • Why contrast is necessary for growth and expansion • The resistance training analogy for emotional and spiritual development • The real reason manifestation sometimes feels blocked • Why your container must expand before your desires can manifest • The hardest part of the Law of Attraction: feeling aligned before the evidence shows up • How collective energy and world events can affect personal growth • Why you may be in a "caterpillar to butterfly" phase of transformation • What it means to recognize yourself as an extension of Source energy

We don't attract what we want.

We attract where we are.

If the life you're calling in is bigger than what you've experienced before, you must become the energetic and emotional container capable of holding it.

That expansion often feels uncomfortable—but it's a sign that growth is happening.

If you resonate with this conversation, JJ invites you to join the next 14-Day Manifestation Challenge starting April 1st.

This challenge is designed to help you strengthen your manifestation muscle and learn how to stay aligned, hopeful, and grounded—even before the results show up.

Because the real work of manifestation isn't controlling circumstances.

It's becoming the person who can hold the reality you're calling in.

Join here: jjflizanes.com/14-day

Register for the next free 14 Day Manifestation Challenge that starts on April 1st. http://jjflizanes.com/14day

In this episode, JJ sits down with returning guest Lori Shelley, a coach who helps women navigate the emotional and practical aftermath of betrayal. Lori shares her background—from 12 years in financial planning (including training leadership), to 13 years at home raising her kids, to 13 years in HR—and how her own life experience led her to coaching women in midlife who are rebuilding after major relationship disruption.

Lori opens up about discovering her husband's long-term deception through what's often called "drip disclosure"—learning the truth in pieces over time—and how that process created intense nervous-system dysregulation: depression, short temper, feeling worse as she approached home, and eventually rage that didn't match the partial information she had. She explains how a formal therapeutic disclosure helped bring alignment between what she felt and what was actually happening—creating clarity, validation, and a turning point for healing.

Together, JJ and Lori discuss why the right support matters. Lori describes the difference between approaches that frame partners as "co-addicts" versus betrayal trauma frameworks that recognize the impact of deception on safety, intuition, and identity. She shares how 12-step style groups (including COSA) can provide a safe starting place—especially when the group's structure and energy support growth instead of staying stuck in the story.

Lori also explains how she works with women today through groups and individual coaching, including:

• A group for women navigating separation/divorce after betrayal, and

• A deeper healing experience called The Spiral Path, a 6-month program exploring:

  1. what you want to leave behind,

  2. what you want to acknowledge, and

  3. what you want to walk away with.

  
  

JJ highlights Lori's unique zone of genius: blending emotional healing + financial and career support for women facing divorce—helping clients move from "I'm not okay" to regulated, grounded, and clear about what they will and won't accept moving forward. Lori shares one of her favorite group check-ins: noticing glimmers (small signs of hope) and naming what you're beating yourself up about—so you can begin to come back to yourself.

Connect with Lori: Website: LoriShelleyCoaching.com (Book a free 30-minute consultation) Facebook: Lori Shelley Coaching