Welcome to the Proactive Wellness Podcast — a functional medicine podcast for nurses and high-achieving women who want root-cause healing, nervous system regulation, and metabolic health restoration.

Are you stuck in fight-or-flight mode?
 Struggling with nurse burnout, cortisol imbalance, anxiety, inflammation, brain fog, weight gain, or sleep disruption after years of chronic stress or night shift work?

In Part 2 of this nervous system regulation series, Jessica Veloza, APRN, FNP-C, breaks down the science of survival mode through a functional medicine and integrative health lens.

This episode explores:

• The autonomic nervous system and stress physiology
 • Polyvagal theory and vagus nerve function
 • HPA axis dysfunction and cortisol patterns
 • How chronic stress impacts hormone balance and metabolism
 • Inflammation and the gut-brain connection
 • Circadian rhythm disruption from shift work
 • Why burnout is a physiological adaptation — not a mindset failure

If you’ve been searching for a functional medicine podcast that explains stress, inflammation, and nervous system healing in a way that actually makes sense — this episode is for you.

This is science-backed, trauma-informed education on lifestyle medicine, metabolic resilience, and restoring safety to your body.

You are not broken.
 Your nervous system adapted intelligently.

And with the right support, it can learn regulation again.

For more info:

[email protected]

www.proactivewellness.net

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]

If you’re a nurse struggling with stubborn weight gain, inflammation, cravings, or exhaustion — this episode will shift everything.

This isn’t about willpower.

This is about survival physiology.

In Episode 4, Jess Vee, NP breaks down the hidden connection between nervous system dysfunction and weight gain in nurses.

We cover:

• How chronic fight-or-flight elevates cortisol
 • Why cortisol drives abdominal fat storage
 • The impact of shift work on insulin sensitivity
 • How sleep deprivation alters hunger hormones
 • Why vagal nerve dysfunction affects metabolism
 • Why aggressive dieting backfires in stressed bodies
 • The trauma-metabolism connection nurses aren’t talking about

Nurses live in high-alert environments that were never designed for long-term biological health. When the nervous system stays activated, the body adapts — often by storing fat.

Your weight gain may not be failure.

It may be protective physiology.

This episode reframes weight loss through a nervous system lens and introduces a safer, more sustainable approach to metabolic healing.

🎁 Free resource mentioned in this episode:

 Shift-Proof Metabolism — The Nurse’s Starter Guide to Healing Inflammation & Resetting Hormones.

If you’re tired of starting over, start with regulation.

You are not broken.

Your nervous system has been protecting you.

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]

What Is Metabolic Dysfunction? (And Why It’s Not Your Fault) 

You’re exhausted.
 You’re inflamed.
 The weight won’t move.
 Your labs are “normal.” 

And you’re starting to wonder if it’s you. 

In this episode, Jessica Veloza, APRN, breaks down what metabolic dysfunction actually is — in real language — and why so many high-achieving women and nurses are silently living in it. 

This isn’t about willpower.
 It’s not about eating less.
 And it’s definitely not about shame. 

Metabolic dysfunction begins years before a diagnosis of diabetes, PCOS, fatty liver, or hypertension. It starts with subtle shifts: insulin resistance, cortisol dysregulation, mitochondrial stress, chronic inflammation, and nervous system overload. 

And for nurses and shift workers? The hospital environment alone creates metabolic injury. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:
 • What metabolic dysfunction really means
 • The early signs most providers miss
 • How chronic stress and night shift impact insulin and cortisol
 • Why your “normal labs” don’t mean optimal health
 • Why this is common — but not normal
 • And most importantly: why it is reversible 

If you’ve been feeling puffy, foggy, wired-but-tired, struggling with stubborn weight, pre-diabetic trends, or hormone chaos — this episode will make you feel seen. 

Because you are not broken.
 Your metabolism has been trying to protect you. 

And there is a better way. 

✨ If this episode resonates, the next step isn’t more Googling — it’s deeper support. Explore how to work with Jessica inside Proactive Wellness at:

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]

— 

Keywords: metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, nurse burnout, shift worker health, inflammation, cortisol imbalance, functional medicine for nurses, metabolic syndrome prevention, prediabetes, weight resistance, nervous system regulation. 

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]

Episode 2: You’re Not Burned Out — You’re Inflamed, Dysregulated, and Unsupported

In this powerful episode of Proactive Wellness for Nurses, Jessica Veloza, APRN, challenges the narrative that burnout is just “part of the job.”

What if you’re not burned out…
 What if you’re inflamed, hormonally dysregulated, and operating in chronic survival mode?

Jessica breaks down how night shift, chronic stress, emotional trauma, and healthcare culture directly impact insulin sensitivity, cortisol rhythm, gut health, thyroid function, and nervous system regulation. She explains why so many nurses feel exhausted but wired, anxious yet unmotivated, struggling with weight gain despite “normal labs.”

This episode explores:

• Why burnout is actually a nervous system injury
• The connection between chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction
• How shift work alters hormones and blood sugar regulation
• Why calorie counting and discipline aren’t the solution
• The hidden layer of identity loss in nursing
• Why safety is the foundation of healing
• What true metabolic restoration really means

Jessica also introduces her Metabolic Restoration Method Intensive and the nurse-specific version designed for shift workers and healthcare professionals who need more than generic wellness advice — they need community, nervous system repair, and root-cause solutions.

If you’ve ever felt:

• Exhausted but unable to rest
• Like your body isn’t responding the way it used to
• Frustrated with weight resistance
• Emotionally numb or chronically overwhelmed

This conversation will make you feel seen.

You are not broken.
 Your body adapted to survive.

And healing starts with understanding why.

Subscribe, share this episode with a nurse who needs it, and explore the restoration rooms at proactivewellness.net.

Please believe — Jessica loves you already.

[email protected]

proactivewellness.net

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]

If you’re a nurse who feels exhausted but wired…
 buried in charts…
 responsible for everyone…
 and quietly wondering why your body feels inflamed, anxious, or stuck in survival mode —

you are not weak.

You are physiologically overwhelmed.

In this first episode of Proactive Wellness for Nurses, Jessica Veloza, NP shares her personal journey through nearly two decades in the hospital system and primary care — and why she realized burnout isn’t a mindset issue.

It’s nervous system overload.

As healthcare providers, we absorb trauma daily. We override our limits. We glorify pushing through. And over time, that chronic stress shows up as weight gain, inflammation, brain fog, anxiety, and exhaustion.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why nurse burnout is biological, not personal
 • How chronic stress disrupts metabolism and hormones
 • Why rest is a requirement for healing — not laziness
 • How boundaries protect your nervous system
 • The first steps to move from frazzled to refueled

Jessica also introduces the foundation behind her Metabolic Restoration Method — a nurse-focused approach to nervous system repair, sustainable weight loss, and whole-body healing.

If you’re ready to stop surviving and start regulating, this episode is your starting point.

For more information:

[email protected]

www.proactivewellness.net

www.proactivewellness.net

[email protected]