RAW the Podcast

Jen Kanaba's ten-year-old son changed overnight. When Drew developed sudden, debilitating OCD symptoms associated with PANDAS, it started a nine-year search for answers that reshaped how Jen understands health, medicine and the body's capacity to heal. Now the owner of Root Cause Integrative Wellness and founder of the HEAL Conference, she joins Ali to talk about PANDAS, the gut-brain connection, functional testing, nutritional deficiencies and why individualized care matters. They also get into fertility, our growing reliance on quick fixes, and why conventional and integrative medicine don't have to be on opposite sides. It's a story of faith, resilience and turning one family's fight into a mission to help others.

Disclaimer: This episode shares personal experiences and perspectives for educational purposes. It is not medical advice. Consult qualified healthcare professionals before changing medications or treatments.

Connect with Jen:

The HEAL Conference

Instagram

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Wholeness isn't something you achieve. It's something you come back to. After a season of slowing down, stepping away from the noise and turning inward, host Alison Hite opens Season 3 of RAW the Podcast with the experiences that reshaped her direction. She talks about the difference between wellness and wholeness, why solitude and stillness aren't the same thing, and how slowing down exposed a limited beliefs and led to a new RAW season. Consider it an invitation to reconnect with what sustains you, and to keep learning and evolving together.

This episode is brought to you by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at https://www.consciouscart.com

TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course: Use code DETOX20 to save.

🍑 THECHEEKYCLEAN + CONSCIOUS CART

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RAW the Podcast · Real. Awake. Whole.

Real conversations for a more conscious and connected world.

📝 Show Notes + Other RAW Resources:

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Addiction doesn't just affect the person struggling — it affects every single person who loves them. In this episode, Alison sits down with Marisa Barber, author of The Other Side of Addiction and Senior Manager of Patient Support Services for a telehealth addiction treatment program, to talk about the grief, shame, and silence that families carry when someone they love is struggling with substance use.

Marisa draws from her professional experience in addiction recovery and her own devastating personal loss — the overdose death of her partner — to explore what healing actually looks like for families. They discuss boundaries, recovery, Al-Anon, medication-assisted treatment, stigma, and the radical power of telling the truth about our stories.

Whether you've walked this road yourself or love someone who has, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone.

Connect with Marisa Barber: 

📖 Book: https://amzn.to/4fgcRLm 

📝 Substack: https://substack.com/@theothersideofaddictionxx 

👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Other-Side-of-Addiction/61591663271324/

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📝 Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

Recorded live at THRIVE: A Women’s Wellness Experience, this special episode of RAW the Podcast captures four inspiring conversations from a day dedicated to advancing women’s health.

From functional and integrative medicine to clean beauty, supportive cancer care, and conscious consumerism, each guest shares a unique perspective on what it means to live healthier, ask better questions, and advocate for yourself. Together, these conversations highlight the power of education, community, and everyday choices in shaping the future of women’s wellness.

Join us for this special live episode as we bring the energy, inspiration, resources, and real conversations from THRIVE directly to you.

Follow RAW + TheCheekyClean: https://www.instagram.com/thecheekyclean & https://www.instagram.com/rawthepod

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

Jen Kanaba : owner of Root Cause integrative wellness and founder of the Heal Conference 

https://www.instagram.com/rootcauseintegrativewellness/

https://www.healconference.org/

Jamie Kowit: owner of manifest manicures and founder of Nish Body Care

https://www.instagram.com/manifest_cle/

https://www.instagram.com/nishbodycare/

Denise Nicolay: Cancer survivor and advocate

https://www.instagram.com/big_dee09/

Rachel Kovach: Owner of Mindful Merchantile, a non toxic refillery.

https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmercantileco/
Women’s wellness, women’s health, functional medicine, integrative health, root-cause wellness, clean beauty, non-toxic beauty, low-tox living, cancer support, cancer survivor story, conscious living, sustainable living, women-owned businesses, Cleveland wellness, THRIVE women’s wellness

In this episode of RAW, host Alison Hite (Thacker) – founder of TheCheekyClean and Conscious Cart – sits down with Gia Rossi, founder of Energi Studios, a new Pilates, yoga, and strength training studio opening in Ohio City, Cleveland. Gia shares her journey from New York to Cleveland, how movement became a healing outlet after losing both of her parents, and why she believes fitness should feel supportive, empowering, and rooted in community.

Together, Ali and Gia talk about grief, body image, eating disorder awareness, women’s strength training, entrepreneurship, and the power of creating spaces where people feel safe in their bodies. Gia opens up about losing her mother to an eating disorder, losing her father in a tragic motorcycle accident, and how yoga, Pilates, walking, breathwork, and strength training helped her reconnect with gratitude, purpose, and self-trust.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that movement is not just about changing your body — it can be a pathway back to yourself.

Follow Gia: https://www.instagram.com/energi.studios & https://www.instagram.com/gialiveswell 

energistudios.co 

Follow RAW + TheCheekyClean: https://www.instagram.com/thecheekyclean & https://www.instagram.com/rawthepod

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/healing-through-movement-grief-strength-energi-studios-gia-rossi 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

Natalie Herbick — host of New Day Cleveland, Fox 8 news anchor, and early detection cancer advocate — joins host Ali for one of the most powerful conversations this show has had. Natalie opens up about losing her mother to ovarian cancer, navigating her own breast cancer diagnosis after testing negative for genetic markers, and the advocacy work born from both experiences. Together, Ali and Natalie talk dense breast tissue, self-advocacy in the medical system, grief as a portal to purpose, nervous system healing, and the upcoming Thrive Conference on July 11th. This one hits the soul.

🎟️ Thrive Conference — July 11th: healconference.org | Code: cheeky for 20% off through 7/3

Follow Natalie: https://www.instagram.com/natalieherbick 

Follow Ali: https://www.instagram.com/thecheekyclean & https://www.instagram.com/rawthepod

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/grief-purpose-womens-health-advocacy-natalie-herbick 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

What happens to your body when it's been surviving for years? Jess Patz — speaker, nervous system educator, TEDx presenter, and lupus patient — joins Alison Hite (Thacker), host and founder of TheCheekyClean, for a raw, honest conversation about domestic violence, chronic stress, autoimmune disease, and what healing actually requires. Jess shares her journey from leaving an abusive marriage to navigating post-separation abuse, a lupus diagnosis, stroke recovery, and the deep work of teaching her body that it is finally safe. This one will stay with you.

Follow Jess: instagram.com/_jesspatz & jesspatz.com 

Join the movement for conscious living: instagram.com/thecheekyclean & instagram.com/rawthepod

🌿 TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course is now live! 👉 thecheekyclean.com/lifestyle-detox-course — Use code DETOX20 to save.

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/trauma-nervous-system-autoimmune-disease-jess-patz 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

What would it look like if being healthy were the norm instead of the outlier? In this LIVE recorded episode of RAW, Alison Hite (Thacker) founder of TheCheekyClean, sits down with Dr. Jeremy Watson — chiropractic physician, functional medicine doctor, and community health advocate — to explore why your symptoms are signals, how root-cause medicine changes the conversation around chronic disease, and what the simplest version of a healthy lifestyle actually looks like. From comprehensive labs to the power of local food systems, this conversation makes the case that health doesn't have to be complicated — it just has to be consistent.

🍑 TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course is now live! 👉 thecheekyclean.com/lifestyle-detox-course — Use code DETOX20 to save.

Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/thecheekyclean & https://www.instagram.com/rawthepod

Connect with Dr. Watson: 

https://www.instagram.com/drjeremywatson

https://www.watsonwellness.net 

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at https://www.consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/healthy-made-simple-functional-medicine-dr-jeremy-watson 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

In this solo episode, Alison Hite (Thacker) steps into a new era — publicly sharing her relationship with functional medicine doctor Dr. Jeremy Watson and officially launching the TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course. Ali reflects on why fear is often the signal that something meaningful is ahead, and how discomfort has been the catalyst for every real evolution in her life. She dives into the philosophy behind the Lifestyle Detox Course — reframing detox not as restriction, but as reclamation of your natural state of health. Covering everything from food and water to mindset, energy, and environment, this episode is a vulnerable, practical reminder that healing starts with awareness and small, consistent choices. If you've been waiting for a sign to go deeper into your wellness journey, this is it.

Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/thecheekyclean & https://www.instagram.com/rawthepod

🌿 TheCheekyClean Lifestyle Detox Course is now live! 👉 thecheekyclean.com/lifestyle-detox-course — 20% off introductory week only! (no code needed)

🛒 Sponsored by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

🎙️ Show Notes + Other RAW Resources: 

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/hard-launch-love-healing-lifestyle-detox-course 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your health was simply knowing where your food comes from? This week, Ali sits down with Kawai Bitto, Director of Market Operations at North Union Farmers Market, for a rich conversation on local food systems, food access, seasonal eating, and the real-life impact of supporting small farms and local makers. They dig into why local often beats organic, how farmers markets serve every budget (SNAP, WIC, and Produce Perks included), how motherhood shapes food choices, and what it means to vote with your dollars — one market visit at a time. 

🍑This episode is brought to you by TheCheekyClean Collagen. Use code RAW10 for 10% off at consciouscart.com.

Connect with Kawai:

📱 Instagram: instagram.com/waianiani | instagram.com/northunionfarmersmarket 

🌐 Website: northunionfarmersmarket.org 

Connect with Ali:

📱 Instagram: instagram.com/thecheekyclean

instagram.com/rawthepod

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Show Notes + Other RAW Resources:

This Week's Episode: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast/episodes/organic-vs-local-food-farmers-markets-kawai-bitto 

All Episodes: https://www.thecheekyclean.com/podcast