Do you realize that your life is made up of habits?  They dictate how you behave, how you feel, and even how you think.

We discussed habit development and formation for this week’s Episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show with habits coach and entrepreneur Tony Winyard.  Tony is a Tiny Habits certified coach who owns a business working with individuals who want to change their health habits. 

Tony started his adulthood as a DJ traveling around the world playing for clubs and events.  He changed his focus as a result of some changes in his personal and family life and started studying health, mindset and habit formation. 

We discussed what is meant by “tiny” habits and why it’s important to make small changes to achieve a new habit.  Tony explained that this idea came from the work of BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist, who wrote the book, Tiny Habits, the Small Changes that Change Everything.

We also touched on the idea that habits don’t need to be practiced for a certain amount of time before they can be classified as a habit.  He noted that many researchers now don’t believe that you must perform something for 21 or 90 days before it becomes a habit. 

Tony shared that there needs to be motivation to start a new habit, but it doesn’t always have to be at a high amount if you have the skills to perform the habit easily.  If you don’t have the skills; however, then motivation needs to be higher.

We spoke about the important of health habits, especially those related to sleep and breathing.  He stressed the importance of getting outside right after you wake to improve your sleep habits and reset your circadian rhythm. 

Tony offers workshops to help people change their health habits to feel and move better. 

Please join us to learn how you can begin to change your health habits bit by bit!!

Please feel free to reach out to Tony Winyard at https://tonywinyard.com/.   

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Have you heard of the benefits of green tea?  What about matcha green tea? If you’re like me, you might not have understood or known the difference.

For this week’s episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show, we interviewed tea connoisseur and Matcha Source owner, Alissa White about the health benefits of matcha.  When Alissa first learned of matcha decades ago, she felt such an impact by its odor and effect on her body that she decided to learn as much as she could.

Alissa dove head first into the matcha world and studied its production and even created Matcha Box, a pop up shop in NYC and a retail location in West Hollywood, LA.  For Alissa, drinking matcha was more than drinking tea, it was about cultivating a lifestyle.

We discussed what makes matcha different and Alissa explained the production process in detail.  She even showed us different types of matcha depending on when the leaves were harvested and how they were processed.

She also explained the numerous health benefits, including the antioxidant component that makes green tea high on health recommendations for anti-aging.  For those concerned about the caffeine inherent in the leaves, Alissa explained how l-theanine counteracts the caffeine and provides a calming effect so you can avoid the caffeine highs and lows.

Alissa provided many examples of the versatility of this powder.  It can be mixed simply with hot water to form a tea, but it can also be used in a latte, smoothie or even in a fruit bowl. 

Please join us to learn more about the unique benefits of matcha green tea!!

Please feel free to reach out to Alissa White at https://matchasource.com/

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Do you get easily distracted when working and switch your focus to something else on the wall or on your desk? Do you want to improve the way you pay attention?

For this week’s episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show, we discussed Open Focus™ with Susan Shor Fehmi, the wife of the late Les Fehmi who developed this methodology. Susan is a psychotherapist who began studying with Les to improve her own attentional skills decades ago.

Susan explained Open Focus™ and how it helps people change the way they pay attention. She explained how her late husband discovered the concept when he finally “let go” of “trying” so hard.

We discussed the different brain wave states and how performing open focus shifts us from a beta state to alpha state. This improves our ability to focus in a relaxed state.

We also touched on narrow focus and why it’s needed for parts of our life but only for short periods of time. Susan related it to the sympathetic nervous system and being in fight or flight mode.

Susan shared how the open focus attentional style helps people reduce pain and improve relationships with others. She explained the importance of recognizing space in ourselves and our surroundings as a way to achieve open focus.

Susan co-authored the book "The Open-Focus Life" with her late husband Les Fehmi to bring awareness to the practice of Open Focus™ to improve attentional skills.  She is currently the Director of the Princeton Biofeedback Centre, LLC in Princeton, N.J. where she combines the teaching of Open Focus™ training with multi-channel, phase synchrony neurofeedback. 

Please join us to learn how you can change your attentional skills to improve your health, relationships and focus.

Please feel free to visit www.openfocus.com or reach out to Susan at [email protected].

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Have you thought about how your daily habits affect your kidneys?  Do you know you can change the health of your kidneys simply by drinking enough water?

We discussed holistic care of the kidneys with nephrologist Dr. Tatiana Thom.  Dr. Thom began in internal medicine but further specialized in kidneys and high blood pressure.  She considers the kidneys to be “the smartest organ in the body.”

Dr. Thom explained the basic functions of the kidneys and why they are so important to how we feel.  She stressed the importance of these organs in filtering out toxins from our blood. 

She noted that our kidneys filter our blood 100 times per day so we need to make sure we are hydrated enough for this process to occur.  We discussed daily minimum recommendations for drinking water while being stationary vs when we are active. 

We touched on the benefit of lemon water as well as how diet can influence kidney function. Dr. Thom explained the pH balance of the body being 7.38 and the need to eat fruits and veggies to support kidney health since animal products have an acidity that challenges kidney function.

Dr. Thom also shared on the influence of exercise on kidney function and why it’s important to perform some movement 5 days per week.  Her goals in healthcare are to encourage prevention of disease.

Dr. Thom has been practicing medicine for 17 years after graduating from Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, followed by an internal medicine residency at University of Connecticut, and nephrology and hypertension specializations at the Mayo Clinic.  Her main interest is in the prevention of disease, promotion of well being, stopping kidney disease progression and prevention of kidney stones. 

Please join us to learn how you can change daily habits to improve the health of your kidneys.

Please feel free to  reach out to Dr. Thom on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dratatianathom/.

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Did you know that all types of travel are disruptive to your body?  Have you experienced fatigue after flying and wondered why? 

This past weekend for the Weekend Wellness Hour Show, we discussed what happens to our body when we travel on airplanes, trains and vehicles with Dr. Patti Milligan.  Dr. Milligan has been in the field of natural medicine for more than 35 years as a functional medicine nutritionist and is fascinated with the impact of travel on the body’s changing nutritional needs.

We first discussed how flying on a plane dehydrates the body and impacts our saliva. She mentioned that the circulating air lacks moisture in addition to the tendency to restrict liquids in attempt to avoid using the restroom. 

Dr. Milligan also expressed the negative impact of flying on our nervous system in that it puts us in fight or flight mode in many ways.  One way she mentioned is through the jet engine noise vibrations that affect our bodies on the cellular level.

We also explored the idea of travel fatigue which shows up in the days after traveling.  She cited some researchers who study the body’s response to travel whether it’s a short flight, long flight or traveling east-to-west or west-to-east. 

Dr. Milligan provided some solutions to minimize the fatigue and improve body resilience during travel.  She suggested several foods that can be consumed to improve saliva production. 

We looked at the differences between flights vs train travel vs road trips.  Each mode of transportation is jarring to the body and recovery is needed. 

Dr. Milligan founded the company Jet Renewal Kit and shared with us how she helps clients support their body when traveling.

Please join us to learn how you can minimize some of the negative effects of travel on your body!!

Please feel free to visit https://www.jetrenewalkit.com/ or reach out to Dr. Milligan at [email protected]. 

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Have you ever thought about your beliefs and how they guide your actions?  Have you questioned your beliefs or tried to change them?

We discussed the process of examining beliefs on this week’s episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show with entrepreneur and holistic coach Katie McIntyre.  Katie went through an intensive 3-year program to become certified as a core belief engineering practitioner to help people re-engineer limitations obstructing the coherence between heart and mind. 

Katie explained what core belief engineering is and how it can help those who feel a disconnect between their conscious mind and their subconscious.  She walked us through the process of helping a client who wants to discover where their beliefs came from. 

She stressed the importance of starting off the process with an agreement with yourself that this is a transformation done by choice.  We then went through some of the discovery and questioning that she performs with her clients to help them uncover the origin of their beliefs. 

Katie shared that the process can take 4-6 hours and once the story of someone’s belief systems has unfolded, then they compare it to the person’s current life to see what matches up and what doesn’t.  She also explained the importance of creating a meditation using the clients own words to help them transform. 

Katie also has a background in Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning, Integral Breathwork, and Bodywork.  She uses her knowledge in these other fields to meet her clients’ needs as they go through this core belief transformation.

Please join us to learn how to have your conscious mind and subconscious mind work together in a healthy way.

Please feel free to reach out to Katie McIntyre at https://www.katiemacwellness.com/.

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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In this episode of Reawaken Your Health, I interview Mandi Dickey, a board-certified nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience in neurology. Mandi shares how her career and life changed after a car accident caused a traumatic brain injury, shifting her from brain health provider to patient.

Mandi opens up about the often-missed symptoms of concussion and TBI, including persistent headaches, balance and vision issues, exercise intolerance, autonomic instability, and cognitive fatigue. Her story highlights how easily brain injuries can go undiagnosed, even within traditional medical settings.

After standard treatments offered limited relief, Mandi explored innovative therapies such as red light (photobiomodulation) therapy, transcranial laser treatment, and neurofeedback. These approaches supported cellular energy production, brain regulation, and gradual functional improvement. She emphasizes the value of a multi-modal approach that includes advanced therapies, hydration, nutrition, and adequate protein intake.

Beyond injury recovery, Mandi shares foundational principles for lifelong brain wellness. These include stress management, quality sleep, regular exercise, whole-food nutrition, and keeping the brain active mentally, socially, and physically.

She also discusses the strong connection between emotional and physical trauma, noting how mental health and neurology often overlap. Integrated care, she explains, is frequently necessary for lasting recovery and resilience.

Mandi closes by sharing her book, Welcome Back: A TBI Recovery Story from Provider to Patient, along with her ongoing podcast, presentations, and advocacy work. Her message is clear: protect your brain, care for it intentionally, and don’t take its function for granted—because healing is possible, but it takes time.

Please join us to learn more about brain health following concussion!

Please feel free to reach out to Mandi at [email protected] or check out her website: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Do you say “yes” too often or give into what others want even though it’s not really what you want?  Are you a people pleaser?

If you answered “yes” to these questions or know someone like this, please check out this week’s episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show with psychotherapist Dana Skaggs. Dana has been practicing psychotherapy for over 14 years and stresses the importance of setting boundaries for mental health.

Dana shared with us a common theme in her patients: they have a lack of boundaries when it comes to their relationships and interactions with others. Dana gave examples of what this looks like, especially in people who tend to please others without consideration of themselves.

We discussed why people pleasing is detrimental to both people involved. Dana touched on the fear that prevents people from stating their true desire because they are afraid of making someone else upset.

We went through some solutions on how to improve our boundaries and why that can help our mental health. Dana walked us through a process and encouraged us to question our fears.

Dana has been a board member for the Intermountain Psychological Association for 4 years.  She is a frequent guest on WJHL Daytime Tri-Cities discussing how to navigate the emotional terrain of everyday life.  She also contributed to the article “Second Opinions:  How You Can Leverage Mindset to Change Behaviour” in the Journal “A Plus” from the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Please join us to learn how to set boundaries for your personal and professional life to improve your mental health.

Please feel free to reach out to Dana at https://danaskaggs.com/.

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Do you pause and reflect on who you are? Do you wonder how you can change the trajectory of your life?

For this past episode of the Weekend Wellness Hour Show, we discussed these topics with author and international speaker, Leora Leon. Leora went through many traumatic experiences, including several forms of abuse since infancy and the death of her child, but she pulled herself out of it.

Leora shared her story and how her studies with a shaman changed her mindset towards self responsibility. We touched on her growth and her desire to learn from her past life events.

We broke down Leora’s six-component equation that she uses to help guide others to transform their lives. She expressed the importance of developing a daily habit where you work to improve one aspect of the mind, body, spirit, thoughts, actions and words.

She explained how she addresses science, religion, energy and spirituality, and how these ideas can be integrated together. She stressed the importance of improving the vibration and frequency within us since it impacts those around us.

We even touched on the symptoms of not loving ourselves and how that shows up. She gave us examples of setting boundaries so that we put ourselves first.

Leora is a published author, TV Show Host, Divine Path Life Coach, Energy Healer, Teacher/Coach and an International Motivational Speaker.  Her new book, The Powers in You, comes out May 4 and is designed as a workbook to help readers take action.

Please join us to learn Leora’s in-depth process on the study of ourselves and how we can shift.

Please feel free to reach out to Leora at https://leoraleon.com or email her to get on her book preorder list at [email protected].

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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Have you ever experienced an amazing recovery and thought "How did that happen?" Have you wondered how much can nutrition play a role in your recovery?

We discussed the body's amazing ability to recover and the importance of looking at macronutrients with entrepreneur and coach, Scott McDermott in this week's Weekend Wellness Hour Show.  Scott shared his courageous decision to leave a successful career in architecture and go into personal training and coaching to fulfill his passion. 

Scott explained his journey into the endurance training world, going from short triathlon races to the Ironman race to the Ultraman race and world championships.  We discussed the importance of the mind in achieving these extreme distances.

Scott shared his near-death experience when he crashed his bike while cycling 42 mph in the Ultraman World Championships, crushing the back of his skull when his improperly strapped helmet turned and exposed the back of his head.  Scott had to recover and learn how to use his body again to compete once again.

Nutrition was important to Scott's recovery and to his ability to train for multiple 320 mile races.  He explained how monitoring macronutrient content helped him transition from a non-fit unhealthy lifestyle into an endurance athlete.

Scott gave details about adjusting the percentage of carbohydrates, protein and fat in a person's diet based on that person's fitness and goals.  He cautioned that other factors are important as well, including a person's gender, lifestyle and energy. 

Scott is a gym owner, international best-selling author, coach and keynote speaker.  He wrote “If Your Body Were a Car, You Wouldn’t Treat it This Way”, as well as a fitness journal and some recipe books.  His story is also detailed in the award-winning documentary, "Living the Warrior’s code."

Please join us to learn about Scott's amazing recovery and the importance of monitoring macronutrients to achieve the health, energy and fitness you desire!

Please feel free to reach out to Coach Scotty at www.scottyfit.com. His 21 day gut reset challenge can be found here: www.21daynutritionreset.com and His documentary at: www.warriorcodefilm.com.

-Dr. Amy Novotny

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