Nutrition & Alternative Medicine for Holistic Health & Natural Healing

In this solo episode, JJ breaks down how to move through the powerful momentum of the Fire Horse year without burnout by focusing on just three aligned priorities. Rather than getting swept up in urgency, overcommitment, or scattered action, she shares how to use this high-energy cycle for sustainable expansion through identity, intentional creation, and body-led balance. This conversation is your reminder that success this year comes from congruence, not doing more. If you're ready for guided support, join JJ's free 14-Day Manifestation Challenge starting April 1st at JJFlizanes.com/14day, and download her Metabolic Makeover program (a $500 value) completely free at JJFlizanes.com/mm using the code JJFREE.

In this episode, JJ Flizanes welcomes Erin Hines, a Human Design business coach (and repeat guest from West Coast Women Rising), to kick off a new series-style conversation on Human Design—what it is, why it's gaining traction, and how it can help you better understand your energy, decision-making, and natural way of operating in life and work.

What You'll Learn

• What Human Design is and where it came from (a modern system developed in the late 1980s)
• How Human Design blends ancient and modern systems (astrology, I Ching, chakras + physics/biology concepts)
• The "science of differentiation": why your uniqueness matters and how it supports more ease in life
• The 5 Human Design types and what each one needs to manage energy well:
• Generators & Manifesting Generators: consistent energy when doing what lights you up; built to respond
• Projectors: here to guide; thrive by waiting for invitations and honoring rest
• Manifestors: here to initiate; thrive by informing and allowing cycles of burst/rest
• Reflectors: sensitive mirrors of environments; thrive with downtime and supportive spaces


• How type can reduce shame and friction (e.g., why open-ended questions can feel hard for "response-based" types)
• The basics of reading a Human Design chart: Type, Centers (defined vs open), and deeper layers like gates/channels

Mentioned in the Episode

• Erin's free Human Design chart option (available many places; Erin's includes helpful click-for-explanations)
• Erin's "Intro to Human Design" custom report for deeper insight
• Erin's podcast: Rebel to Rise: Where Business Meets Human Design (includes business strategy + HD education)

Connect with Erin Hines

Erin's website: DarnGoodBusinessCoach.com Find Erin on: LinkedIn Listen to: Rebel to Rise: Where Business Meets Human Design

JJ welcomes back Sheila Donohue for a conversation that blends entrepreneurship, lifestyle, and the art of curated Italian wines and foods. Sheila shares how her company, Verovino, sources small-batch, farm-made wines, olive oils, and specialty foods—many not readily available in the U.S.—and delivers them to both consumers and businesses across America.

• Meet Sheila in Bologna: Sheila shares her life in Bologna, Italy, where she's lived since 2001, and how Italy shaped her expertise and relationships with producers.

• What Verovino does: Verovino curates and imports authentic, sustainably made, small-batch products—primarily from Italy, plus select producers from other countries and California—selling B2B and direct-to-consumer.

• From fintech to food & wine: Sheila explains her background in financial technology (fintech), her sommelier training in Italy, and how her personal immersion in artisan food culture inspired the company.

• Starting from a "clean slate": In 2017, after major life changes, Sheila began building Verovino—funded through savings—and took early action by importing product and going door-to-door to find customers.

• How the business grows: Sheila emphasizes the importance of continuity (repeat business), building scale, and covering operating expenses. She explains how an omni-channel strategy helps stabilize the business:

  • Distributors nationwide

  • Wine stores & restaurants (especially in California)

  • Direct-to-consumer shipping across the U.S.

  • Corporate gifting & events

  
  

• Marketing & education that compounds: Verovino invests in education and storytelling through digital marketing—especially their blog and YouTube channel—to build long-term brand trust and demand.

• Product philosophy: As a sommelier-led team, Sheila curates for variety and distinction: reds, whites, rosés, orange wines, sparkling (dry and sweet), plus standout olive oils—including single-varietal olive oils with specific pairing profiles.

• Events as a growth engine: Sheila shares how tastings, fundraisers, private events, and collaborations introduce people to the products—because tasting creates appreciation and connection.

• Specialty foods: The conversation highlights a Piedmont hazelnut producer offering toasted hazelnuts, caramelized hazelnuts, hazelnut creams, pasta, and pestos—plus JJ's enthusiasm for pistachio cream and clean ingredients.

• Wine club & gifting: Sheila describes Verovino's monthly or quarterly wine club, curated shipments with insider notes and stories, and a growing trend of gifting memberships (including personalized letters).

• Gift sets: Verovino offers curated gift sets—popular in December—and a standout option that pairs wine + olive oil, plus expanded options for non-wine drinkers.

• A second brand line for broader appeal: To avoid being pigeonholed and to meet different market needs, Sheila shares how Verovino expanded into a separate line for more "recognizable" wines, including Prosecco and kegs—ideal for events and high-volume restaurant service.

• Advice for new producers: Sheila emphasizes the need to stand out in a crowded market—especially as the wine industry faces headwinds—and to clearly differentiate your product and message.

• JJ connects her own journey as a winemaker (High Vibrational Wines) and discusses why she values small-batch, purpose-driven production over mass distribution.

• A fun community collaboration emerges: JJ invites Sheila to co-create a March event in Ojai with "Women Behind the Business: Real Conversations," potentially adding a wine tasting experience—and they discover their birthdays are both in March.

• Website: Verovino.com

• YouTube: Vero Vino

• Instagram & Facebook: VeroVinoGusto

Closing: JJ encourages listeners to explore Verovino for personal discovery, gifting, and creating meaningful food-and-wine experiences that bring "a taste of Italy" home.

What happens when someone listens to every single episode of your podcast for over a decade?

In this special conversation, JJ celebrates a major milestone by sitting down with longtime listener Vicki, who discovered the show years ago while walking through life's biggest transitions — caring for an aging parent, navigating a demanding career, and eventually stepping into retirement.

What unfolds is a heartfelt, real-life story about how small daily shifts, emotional healing, and consistent self-care can quietly transform your life.

Together, they explore what it really means to:

• Find purpose after retirement

• Create more joy without "doing more"

• Set boundaries as a helper or caregiver

• Stay healthy and strong as we age

• Use accountability and community to break old patterns

• Choose growth, even in life's next chapter

You'll also hear JJ reflect on the journey from the early days of Fit to Love to now — how podcasting became a living, evolving conversation, and why connection with listeners matters more than download numbers.

This episode is a reminder that healing doesn't have to be dramatic. Sometimes it's one new habit, one brave boundary, or one small mindset shift at a time.

If you've ever wondered:

• What's my purpose now?

• How do I take care of myself without guilt?

• Is it too late to change?

This conversation will feel like sitting down with a wise friend who's walking the path right alongside you.

✨ The next 14-Day Manifestation Challenge starts soon — join at jjflizanes.com/14day

JJ welcomes back Michelle Reittinger, author and host of The Upside of Bipolar, for a bold, hope-filled conversation that challenges common cultural narratives around bipolar disorder. Together, they unpack "myths" that can keep people stuck in fear and identity-based labels—and invite listeners into curiosity, root-cause investigation, and a more empowering view of symptoms, healing, and personal responsibility.

In This Episode, We Cover

· Michelle's story: diagnosed in 1998, years of intensive psychiatric treatment, polypharmacy, and a breaking point that became a turning point

· Why a diagnosis can feel like an "answer," but often doesn't explain why symptoms started

· The difference between a "cluster of symptoms" and an identified disease mechanism

· Why curiosity (vs. shame) changes everything—especially with intense symptoms like rage, anxiety, and dissociation

· The "detective" approach: identifying triggers, patterns, and underlying contributors

· The role of foundational health (nutrients, sleep, nervous system regulation) in emotional resilience and symptom reduction

· Why suppressed emotions can show up as anxiety, depression, physical pain, or crisis states

· How identity, victimhood, and relationship dynamics can unconsciously reinforce staying stuck

· A grounded reminder: do not abruptly stop medications—tapering/changes should be done slowly and safely with qualified support

Notable Takeaways

· Labels can reduce curiosity—and curiosity is often the doorway to change.

· "Symptoms" are information; the goal is to explore what they're pointing to.

· The most empowering question isn't "What's wrong with me?" but "What happened—and what is my system asking for now?"

· Healing can have a social cost: if your "sick role" has been rewarded with attention, protection, or lowered expectations, getting better can feel threatening (even subconsciously).

Resources Mentioned

· Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker

· The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

· Healing Back Pain by Dr. John Sarno

Connect with Michelle

· Website: theupsideofbipolar.com

· Free resource: Mood Cycle Survival Guide (available on her site)

· Podcast + book links are also on her website.

What if the deepest wound you carry isn't about what happened to you—but about whether you ever felt truly held by life itself?

In this powerful and intimate conversation, JJ is joined by a longtime soul sister, healer, and registered nurse who shares a deeply transformative experience that healed a lifelong sense of abandonment—not just from people, but from God, Source, and existence itself.

After more than 25 years of personal growth, spiritual practice, and emotional work, she realized there was still an existential fracture beneath it all: a quiet belief that life was not fully safe, that love could be given endlessly but not fully received, and that stepping into her full calling might come at a devastating cost.

What unfolded during a sacred, carefully held journey became a profound reclamation of safety, trust, and belonging—at the nervous-system and soul level.

This episode is not about escapism or quick fixes. It's about:

· How early experiences can fracture our sense of safety with life itself

· Why control often masks a fear of annihilation or abandonment

· What true surrender actually feels like in the body

· Healing the relationship with Source beyond religion or belief systems

· Learning to receive love after a lifetime of giving

· Releasing the fear that being fully seen could destroy you

· Embodiment, integration, and lasting nervous-system change

JJ also speaks to the importance of integrity, preparation, emotional readiness, and sacred containment—emphasizing that this kind of work is not for everyone, not always, and never casual.

At its core, this is a conversation about remembering who you are, restoring trust in life, and discovering that you were never alone—not for a single breath.

If you've ever felt:

· Like you don't fully belong here

· Afraid to take up space or be fully visible

· Deeply loving but unable to receive

· Spiritually devoted yet quietly disconnected

· Called to something more but scared of the cost

This episode may speak directly to your heart.

This is not an escape from life.It's an invitation into the truth of who you really are.

http://Karinrose.love

In this solo episode, JJ explores a pattern she sees repeatedly in women who are deeply caring, self-aware, and ready for healing—yet hesitate when it's time to invest in themselves.

Drawing from real conversations with women who are caregivers, over-givers, people-pleasers, and survivors of illness, JJ unpacks the deeper truth beneath statements like "I can't afford it." This episode isn't about money—it's about self-worth, nervous system safety, and the beliefs that quietly keep women putting themselves last.

Through the energetic lens of the Year of the Snake and the approaching Fire Horse, JJ explains how awareness alone isn't enough. Healing often requires an embodied choice—a stretch that tells your nervous system, I am worth being supported.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why women so often deprioritize their own healing and well-being

• How abandonment wounds, caregiving roles, and people-pleasing show up around money

• What not investing in yourself communicates to your body and subconscious

• Why aligned investment can be a powerful act of re-patterning and self-trust

• How choosing yourself builds confidence, self-love, and emotional resilience

This episode is an invitation to value yourself differently in 2026—not by doing more, but by believing you're worthy of support, healing, and expansion.

✨ If you've been feeling the call to invest in yourself but something keeps stopping you, this conversation may help you understand why—and what's possible on the other side of that choice.

If you're ready to break this pattern, let's chat http://jjflizanes.com/apply

JJ reconnects with longtime friend and homeopath Avghi "Avi" Constantinides (yes—at Trader Joe's!) for a timely conversation on natural immune support during the holiday season and beyond. Avghi breaks down what homeopathy is, how it differs from symptom-only approaches, and shares her go-to homeopathic "flu season trio" that many of her clients use for prevention and support. The conversation then expands into entrepreneurship, education, and why responsiveness and follow-up are essential for building a sustainable, heart-centered business.

• How a chance reconnection at Trader Joe's brought Avghi into the West Coast Women Rising community

• Avghi's origin story: from the UK, to South Africa, to the U.S.—and the life-changing realization that shaped her work

• What homeopathy really is and how it treats the whole person rather than isolated symptoms

• What to expect from a first homeopathic consultation—and why it goes deep

• How emotional and life events often correlate with physical symptoms

• Avghi's recommended homeopathic flu-season support trio:

  • Influenzinum (homeopathic preparation of the current flu strain)

  • Briar Rose (commonly used for respiratory and chest vulnerability)

  • Thymulin / Thymuline (supporting immune and white blood cell function)

  
  

• How and when to take these remedies, including travel and exposure support

• Why combo remedies can help—and when individualized care is needed

• Avghi's community work supporting first responders and clinics during the 2025 California fires

• Building a business as a solopreneur:

  • Early grassroots marketing before social media

  • Why fast follow-up builds trust (and slow follow-up loses opportunities)

  • The importance of visibility, service, and giving back to your field

  
  

• Educational pathways through Avghi's school—from personal learning to professional practice

• Why every household should have a basic homeopathic first-aid kit

• Practice: HomeopathyForLife.com

• School: LASchoolofHomeopathy.com (site name transitioning)

• Email: [email protected]

• Homeopathic First Aid List: JJFlizanes.com/firstaid

Shedding the Skin Needed to Set the Stage for 2026

As we step into 2026, it's tempting to rush ahead with goals, intentions, and action. But energetically, we're still in a powerful transition period. Although the calendar year has changed, the Fire Horse doesn't officially arrive until February 17, meaning we're still completing the work of the Year of the Snake.

In this solo episode, JJ explores why this moment is less about acceleration—and more about discernment, honesty, and conscious completion.

The Year of the Snake asks us to shed old skins: identities, coping strategies, emotional patterns, and roles that once served us but now limit who we're becoming. Before the Fire Horse ignites momentum, visibility, and bold action, we're being invited to get clean, aligned, and intentional.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why 2026 begins as a threshold year, not a starting line
• Key themes of the Year of the Snake and what we're still meant to release
• What Fire Horse energy amplifies—and why preparation matters
• The three essential lessons to integrate before February 17
• How to move into 2026 authentically, intentionally, creatively, and passionately
• Why shedding before sprinting creates sustainable momentum

This episode is an invitation to slow down just enough to listen—to your body, your nervous system, and your deeper truth—so that when the Fire Horse arrives, you're ready to ride it with clarity instead of chaos.

✨ If you feel the call to shed a skin and enter 2026 more aligned than ever, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

http://jjflizanes.com/apply

http://jjflizanes.com/14day

http://jjflizanes.com/mm

In this special intergenerational conversation, JJ and Doug sit down with JJ's parents—ages 80 and 77—for an honest and heartfelt discussion about happiness, perspective, and what truly matters in life.

Together, they reflect on how priorities evolve over time, what contributes to lasting fulfillment, and how ideas around success, relationships, and happiness have changed across generations. The conversation also turns toward the future, with thoughtful reflections and intentions for 2026—what to protect, what to release, and what feels most important moving forward.

This episode isn't about giving advice from a pedestal; it's about sharing lived wisdom, curiosity, and hope through real conversation.

Whether you're looking ahead to a new year, reassessing your goals, or simply craving perspective that cuts through the noise, this episode offers a grounding reminder of what creates a meaningful life—no matter your age.

• What happiness really means at different stages of life

• How priorities and goals evolve over time

• Reflections on love, relationships, and fulfillment

• Intentions and hopes for 2026

• What still matters most, no matter the generation