Positive Vibes: On the Sunny Side with Yasmine S. Ali, MD

Dr. Ali talks with veterinarian Dr. Marc Smith about his career path and his unique and holistic approach to veterinary medicine. They discuss some of the biggest decisions facing pet owners (including the question of spay/neuter for large-breed dogs), and how to keep your pet as healthy as possible.

Marc Smith, DVM, is the owner of Natchez Trace Veterinary Services in Nashville, TN, and the co-founder of PET TAO Holistic Pet Products.

“Remember that dogs and cats are very resilient and they’re great masters of their own health.” –Marc Smith, DVM

Sign up for the Positive Vibes e-magazine and newsletter and get a free e-book on Positive Living! Visit www.YasmineAliMD.com

Show links:

Dr. Marc Smith and Natchez Trace Veterinary Services: https://franklintnvet.com/

PET | TAO Holistic Pet Products: https://pettao.com/marc-smith-dvm/

Dr. Smith’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MarcSmithveterinarian

AKC article on updated spay-neuter guidelines for different dog breeds: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/study-updates-spay-neuter-guidelines/

Dr. Ali's article on how our dogs help our hearts: https://yasminealimd.com/how-dogs-help-our-hearts/

Support the Positive Vibes podcast: https://BuyMeaCoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Links to Episode 1 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YbXASWOgSc&t=3s

and audio-only: https://www.positivevibessunnyside.com/e/waverly-train-disaster/

Visit Dr. Ali’s online bookstore and get an autographed copy of Walk through Fire! Available at https://www.LastSkyWriting.com.

Optimists are healthier and live longer than pessimists. Why is that, and how can you become more optimistic in a way that genuinely improves your health and well-being? In this episode, preventive cardiologist and bestselling author Dr. Yasmine S. Ali—known as The Positive Cardiologist—shares scientific evidence on the power of optimism to transform health and quality of life, along with her top 5 tips for becoming a more positive, optimistic person. As a New Year reset, she revisits the first pillar of her ORCHID Model for Positive Living™, offering practical, evidence-based strategies to help you cultivate a more positive, resilient mindset in the year ahead.

From Dr. Ali: “To begin the new year—and because the Positive Vibes audience continues to grow—I’m revisiting one of the most foundational episodes of the podcast: Episode 4, 'The Power of Optimism to Transform Your Health and Your Life.' If you missed it the first time, or if you’d like a science-based reset as you think about the year ahead, this replay brings you back to the heart of what Positive Vibes is all about.”

Sign up for the Positive Vibes e-magazine and newsletter and get a free e-book on Positive Living! Visit www.YasmineAliMD.com

Show links:

Support Positive Vibes: https://BuyMeaCoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Article referenced in this episode: “The New Science of Optimism and Longevity” (The MIT Press Reader) : https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-new-science-of-optimism-and-longevity

Seth Godin’s blog post on doom scrolling: https://seths.blog/2020/07/doom-scrolling/

Richard Leider’s The Power of Purpose

https://LastSkyWriting.com (purchase Walk through Fire and other books by Dr. Ali)

Dr. Ali’s home page: https://YasmineAliMD.com (sign up for the Positive Vibes newsletter and get a free e-book)

Watch the webinar for this episode on the Positive Vibes YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYToat6rWVA&t=1144s

Dr. Yasmine S. Ali shares her Positive Vibes roundup for the end of the year (2025): book recommendations for self-improvement, happiness, health, positivity, and creativity; as well as Dylan Crowell’s Christmas letter and a special musical ending. 

Featured books include Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life, Colleen M. Story’s Escape the Writer’s Web, Cal Newport’s Deep Work, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Touching Peace, Dick Van Dyke’s 100 Rules for Living to 100, and Yasmine S. Ali’s The View from the Cliffs and Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America.

Dr. Ali’s online bookstore with all of her books and merchandise: https://LastSkyWriting.com

If you’d like to send Dylan some stamps, or become one of his pen pals—he always loves it when people write to him; he will write you back promptly!—you can send those to the following address:

Dylan Crowell 

P.O. Box 517

Burns, TN 37029

Show links:

Get your free Positive Vibes e-book: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

Support the Positive Vibes podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Dr. Ali’s personal website: https://YasmineAliMD.com

Dr. Ali’s online bookstore with all of her books and merchandise: https://LastSkyWriting.com

It Doesn’t Have to Hurt, by Dr. Sanjay Gupta: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781668014479

Collen M. Story’s book, Escape the Writer’s Web: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9798992617245

Deep Work, by Cal Newport: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781455586691

Touching Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781941529393

100 Rules for Living to 100, by Dick Van Dyke: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781538777909

The View from the Cliffs, by Yasmine S. Ali: https://lastskywriting.com/products/the-view-from-the-cliffs

Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America, by Yasmine S. Ali: https://lastskywriting.com/products/autographed-copy-of-walk-through-fire-the-train-disaster-that-changed-america

Positive Vibes podcast Ep. 1: The Waverly Train Disaster and the Origins of Positive Vibes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YbXASWOgSc

Positive Vibes podcast Ep. 7: The Pen Pals Project (Interview with Dylan Crowell)

Positive Vibes podcast Ep. 8: Follow Your Bliss and Doors Will Open (Interview w/Sarah Samaan)

About Yasmine S. Ali, MD: Known as "The Positive Cardiologist," Dr. Ali is an internationally recognized preventive cardiologist and bestselling author of both nonfiction and fiction. She focuses on the science of happiness and the importance of optimism for health and longevity. She is an award-winning speaker and is the creator of the ORCHID Model for Positive Living (TM). Her work unites science, storytelling, and optimism. She brings nearly three decades of medical experience to her teaching and writing, along with a lifelong devotion to creativity and the pursuit of optimum health.

Dr. Ali talks with Natalie Nixon, PhD, about her latest book, Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time. They discuss the importance of creativity to productivity, how to unlock creativity, and how to shift our mindset on the meaning of productivity. They also discuss the critical importance of both movement and rest for whole-body, whole-mind well-being, physical and mental health, and resilience.

Purchase Natalie’s book: https://bookshop.org/a/447/9780306835582

Get Dr. Ali’s free e-book on positive living when you subscribe for free to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and newsletter: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/ or www.YasmineAliMD.com

Find all of Yasmine S. Ali’s books and merchandise at https://LastSkyWriting.com

Show links:

Get the free Positive Vibes e-magazine and e-book: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

Dr. Ali’s website: www.YasmineAliMD.com (https://yasminealimd.com)

Support Positive Vibes: https://buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Purchase Natalie’s book, Move. Think. Rest. : https://bookshop.org/a/447/9780306835582

Find all of Dr. Ali’s books and merchandise at: https://LastSkyWriting.com

Seth Godin’s blog: https://seths.blog/

In this season of Thanksgiving, Dr. Ali reflects on the power of gratitude to transform your health and your life--and gives several tips on how you can begin your own practice of gratitude today.

Positive Vibes playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5boVIqICuLcRHnIWjlnlP8?si=fa901f9251484330

Get your free positive living e-book: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

Learn more about Yasmine S. Ali, MD and connect/contact: https://YasmineAliMD.com

Visit Dr. Ali's online bookstore: https://LastSkyWriting.com

Dr. Yasmine Ali talks with David Frei about the amazing healing power of therapy dogs, the upcoming National Dog Show (2025) on NBC, and his long and distinguished career in the world of dogs.

Find this episode on YouTube and see the slideshow: https://youtu.be/Xv1WTAZhV1M

Get the free Positive Vibes e-magazine and e-book: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

Show links:

Get the free Positive Vibes e-magazine and e-book: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

Dr. Ali’s website: www.YasmineAliMD.com (https://yasminealimd.com)

Support Positive Vibes: https://buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

National Dog Show website (NBC Insider): https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/show/the-national-dog-show

Both of David’s books: The Angel by My Side (https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781401900588) and Angel on a Leash (https://amzn.to/49j1ekr)

Angel on a Leash website: https://angelonaleash.wildapricot.org/

Link to Dr. Ali’s blog post, “How Dogs Help Our Hearts”: https://yasminealimd.com/how-dogs-help-our-hearts/

Link to Dr. Ali’s post, “The Power of Play”: https://yasminealimd.com/power-of-play/

National Dog Show Therapy Dog Symposium: https://sites.rowan.edu/wellness/pettherapy/national-dog-show-therapy-dog-symposium-at-rowan-university.html

Find all of Dr. Ali’s books and merchandise at: www.LastSkyWriting.com

Dr. Ali talks with attorney, mediator, and professional development coach Leigh Ann Roberts about her specialized approach to navigating major life transitions. They also discuss the importance of community and real connection in building resilience and relieving stress, and reflect on the beauty of autumn both literally and figuratively as a season of letting go.

Find Leigh Ann online at https://thresholding.com/ and via email at [email protected]

And find Dr. Ali’s collector’s-edition 2026 calendars at www.LastSkyWriting.com ! https://lastskywriting.com/

Watch the full YouTube video at: https://youtu.be/NHCxb2_2Ndw?si=RGYYz_JFs4sNVoUT

Subscribe to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and get a free e-book, plus notification of deals and discounts! https://www.YasmineAliMD.com

Show links:

Subscribe to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and get a free e-book, plus notification of deals and discounts! https://www.YasmineAliMD.com

Support Positive Vibes: www.buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Leigh Ann Roberts’ Thresholding website and coaching information: https://thresholding.com/

Leigh Ann Roberts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-ann-roberts-vp-pcc-jd-a15bb56/

Yasmine S. Ali’s bookstore: www.LastSkyWriting.com

Yasmine S. Ali’s complete website: https://yasminealimd.com/

Actor, archivist, and author Brian Wilson tells you how to preserve your family photos and mementos, and shares some amazing stories from his work as an archivist and as an actor. You’ll learn about a day in the life of a background actor/movie extra, as Brian has been in big-budget movies like Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: Brave New World, as well as Walt Disney’s Jungle Cruise, among others. He tells a great story about meeting and working with Ryan Gosling; he also talks about his time as a TV actor, including on MacGyver, and reveals his upcoming role in a new movie.

Subscribe to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and get a free e-book, plus notification of deals and discounts! www.YasmineAliMD.com

Show links:

Support Humphreys County/Hickman County disaster relief: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/tennessee-factory-explosion-relief

Support Positive Vibes: www.buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

National Archives preservation advice: https://www.archives.gov/preservation/holdings-maintenance/paper

Lineco Archival Document Storage Boxes (recommended by Brian): https://amzn.to/4navK30

Book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire: The Library Book, by Susan Orlean -- https://bookshop.org/a/447/9781476740195

Yasmine S. Ali’s bookstore: www.LastSkyWriting.com

Subscribe to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and get a free e-book, plus notification of deals and discounts! www.YasmineAliMD.com

Dr. Ali talks with dog trainer Jacqui Foster in honor of National Dog Day. They discuss the amazing abilities of dogs, common dog training questions, how to choose a new dog or puppy, the world of dog sports, and their own service dogs.

Jacqui Foster, CPDT-KA, is the founder of Ren’s Pups, LLC. You can find her at https://renspups.com/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@renspupsllc5504

Subscribe to the Positive Vibes e-magazine and get a free e-book, plus notification of deals and discounts! www.YasmineAliMD.com

(More) Show links:

Support Positive Vibes: www.buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Yasmine S. Ali’s bookstore: www.LastSkyWriting.com

Share this podcast: https://www.positivevibessunnyside.com/

Dr. Ali's post on the "Power of Play": https://yasminealimd.com/power-of-play/

Dr. Ali's post on "How Dogs Help Our Hearts": https://yasminealimd.com/how-dogs-help-our-hearts/

Dr. Ali's AKC post on puppy training, quoting Jacqui Foster: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/puppy-training-timeline-for-your-german-shepherd-dog/

Dr. Ali explains the new blood pressure numbers and what you can do at home to lower or prevent high blood pressure.

Share the podcast: www.PositiveVibesSunnySide.com

(The information in this episode is for informational purposes only, and is not medical advice, nor does it create a doctor-patient relationship. Always consult your own qualified healthcare professional for any personal medical concerns or questions.)

Show links:

Support Positive Vibes: https://buymeacoffee.com/onthesunnyside

Share this podcast: https://www.positivevibessunnyside.com/

My blog post on blood pressure measurement: https://yasminealimd.com/how-to-take-your-blood-pressure-correctly/

My website, with Contact page and Positive Vibes newsletter signup: www.YasmineAliMD.com

Positive Vibes newsletter: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/

The new blood pressure guidelines (clinical document for physicians): https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.007

My newsletter post, “Is Wine Actually Good for Your Heart?” : https://speak-for-the-heart.beehiiv.com/p/wine-actually-good-heart

Featured expert in this article: “Skipping This Habit After Dinner Could Raise Your Heart Disease Risk, According to a Cardiologist”: https://www.aol.com/skipping-habit-dinner-could-raise-175000454.html?guccounter=1

Cookbook review: The Mediterranean Dish : https://yasminealimd.com/cookbook-review-mediterranean-dish/

Dietary changes to manage high blood pressure: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/managing-blood-pressure-with-a-heart-healthy-diet