Resonate | Conversations & Life Lessons from Rancho La Puerta

Use code PODCAST when making a new reservation in 2026 or 2027, and save 15% on 7-night stays!*

*Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

Your Gut Is Talking. Are You Listening?

How much can your digestive system tell you about your overall health? In this episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with integrative and functional nutritionist and registered dietitian Norma Flood for a fascinating journey through the gut, starting with the mouth and following the digestive system all the way through.

Norma breaks down what the microbiome actually is, why it’s sometimes described as another organ or a “second brain,” and how the bacteria living in our gut can influence everything from digestion and immune function to metabolism and brain health. Along the way, she and Barry explore common signals our bodies give us, including reflux, bloating, constipation, changes in stool, brain fog, and other signs that may warrant a closer look.

They also discuss practical ways to support a healthier microbiome, including eating a greater variety of plant foods, getting enough fiber and water, incorporating fermented foods, reducing highly processed foods, and becoming more mindful of how you feel before, during, and after eating.

It’s an information-packed conversation that makes a complicated subject surprisingly approachable and may leave you paying much closer attention to what your gut has been trying to tell you.

Resources:

• Norma Flood, MS, RDN
• Go With Your Gut Podcast
• Norma Flood on Instagram: @normaflood23

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Use code PODCAST when making a new reservation in 2026 or 2027, and save 15% on 7-night stays!*

*Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What does it take to feel truly comfortable in your own skin?

On this episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with Alexander Kopelman, author of For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World, to explore how authenticity is shaped from childhood. They discuss the messages kids absorb about gender, emotions, belonging, and fitting in, and how parents, educators, and other caring adults can help children stay connected to who they really are.

Alexander also shares practical ways adults can examine their own beliefs, reconnect with their inner compass, and model authenticity in everyday life. It’s a thoughtful conversation about identity, connection, and creating space for people to show up as themselves.

Resources:

• For Real: Helping Children Remain Their Authentic Selves in a Limiting World
• Children’s Arts Guild
• Authenticity Works
• Alexander Kopelman on LinkedIn

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Use code PODCAST when making a new reservation in 2026 or 2027, and save 15% on 7-night stays!*

*Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What helps us feel truly connected, not only to the people we love, but to ourselves? In this episode of Resonate, Barry is joined by three presenters from Rancho La Puerta’s Joy of Connection week: sociologist and intimacy expert Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus, culinary medicine physician Dr. Sabrina Falquier, and sleep medicine physician Dr. Philippe Montgrain.

Together, they explore the many ways our daily habits shape connection. Dr. Jenn shares how vulnerability, mindfulness, and emotional resilience can help us lower our defenses and create deeper intimacy throughout every stage of life. Dr. Falquier explains how culinary medicine brings together evidence-based nutrition and the joy, culture, and community surrounding food. Dr. Montgrain reveals why restorative sleep supports everything from patience and communication to healthier eating and stronger relationships.

From creating rituals around meals and bedtime to becoming more comfortable with difficult emotions, this conversation is an invitation to notice how we show up for ourselves and for one another. Discover why connection is woven into nearly every part of well-being, and how small changes can help us cultivate more joy, presence, and closeness in everyday life.

Resources:

• The Joy of Connection at Rancho La Puerta
• Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus
• From Madness to Mindfulness
• Culinary Medicine Recipe
• Medicina Culinaria

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Use code PODCAST when making a new reservation in 2026 or 2027, and save 15% on 7-night stays!*

*Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

How much do you really know about the strength of your bones? 

In this episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with Dr. Lani Simpson, certified clinical densitometrist, author, and longtime Rancho La Puerta presenter, for a conversation spanning bone health, vitamin D, sun exposure, and GLP-1 medications. 

After being diagnosed with osteoporosis at 46, Dr. Lani made it her mission to better understand what bone density tests can and cannot tell us. She explains the important distinction between bone density and bone quality, what to ask for when getting a DEXA scan, and why treatment decisions should consider much more than a single score. 

The conversation then turns to the sun and vitamin D, including why the time of day and where you live can affect vitamin D production, why supplementation should be guided by testing, and how to balance sensible sun exposure with skin protection. Finally, Barry and Dr. Lani unpack the rapid rise of GLP-1 medications. While the benefits can be significant, Dr. Lani raises important questions about nutrition, muscle and bone loss, exercise, and what we may still have to learn about their long-term effects. 

From strengthening your bones to evaluating the newest health trends, this conversation is a reminder to keep asking questions, look at the whole picture, and build your health on the fundamentals first.

Resources:

• Dr. Lani Simpson’s Website 
• Dr. Lani’s No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Use code PODCAST when making a new reservation in 2026 or 2027, and save 15% on 7-night stays!

*Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What if your body knows something your conscious mind doesn’t?

In this episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with trauma expert and author Dr. Julie Lopez to explore implicit memory, the unconscious system of experiences and beliefs that can shape our emotions, choices, relationships, and behaviors without us realizing it. Drawing from her own journey from systems engineering to clinical social work, Dr. Julie explains how her early experience of abandonment ultimately led her to study the hidden patterns that influence the way we move through the world.

Together, they unpack why logic and willpower sometimes aren’t enough to create lasting change and explore non-talk approaches including EMDR, brainspotting, bilateral stimulation, and other sensory and body-based therapies. Dr. Julie also shares a practical way to look at procrastination and self-sabotage by asking what need your avoidance may actually be meeting. 

From trauma and nervous system responses to the five-minute sensory practices that can help create a new experience in the body, this conversation invites us to understand ourselves at a deeper level and discover new ways to get unstuck.

Resources:

• Dr. Julie Lopez Official Website
• The Viva Center
• The Breakthrough Academy
• Live Empowered: Rewire Your Brain’s Implicit Memory to Thrive in Business, Love, and Life Book by Dr. Julie Lopez

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

New York Times bestselling author Firoozeh Dumas joins Barry to share how humor helped her tell the Iranian American stories she rarely saw represented growing up. She reflects on identity, belonging, perseverance, and the creative process behind Funny in Farsi.

Firoozeh also explores the power of laughter to break down barriers, the importance of protecting your authentic voice, and why she makes a daily practice of looking for joy. This warm and thoughtful conversation is a reminder that our stories can help us recognize how much we have in common.

Resources:

• Firoozeh Dumas’s Website
• Follow Firoozeh Dumas on Instagram
• Firoozeh Dumas’s Books 

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What if the most memorable stories begin with the people Hollywood usually overlooks?

Television writer, producer, director, and author Josh Berman joins Barry at Rancho La Puerta to share how a law-school graduate found his way into some of television’s most recognizable writers’ rooms. Josh reflects on his early days at NBC, writing six episodes during the first season of CSI, running writers’ rooms for Bones and The Blacklist, and creating the beloved series Drop Dead Diva.

Throughout his career, Josh has used storytelling to explore science, truth, justice, body image, and the experiences of outsiders. He explains how his grandmother, a four-foot-eleven Holocaust survivor who carried herself like a supermodel, inspired the heart of Drop Dead Diva and its groundbreaking plus-size lead.

Josh also introduces his first novel, Dead Matters, a forensic thriller following FBI agent Ella Penrose as she investigates crimes that appear paranormal but may have scientific explanations. He shares why rewriting is the real key to strong writing, how personal stories become compelling material, and the techniques he teaches aspiring writers during his workshops at the Ranch.

This warm and insightful conversation is a reminder that everyone has a story worth telling and that entertainment can make room for compassion, humanity, and hope.

Resources:

• Josh Berman’s Dead Matters
• Drop Dead Diva on Prime Video

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

Could pleasure be the prescription your wellness routine is missing?

In this uplifting episode of Resonate, Barry sits down with naturopathic doctor, researcher, and Healthy Hedonism author Dr. Erica Oberg to explore why feeling good is genuinely good for us. Drawing from more than two decades of working with patients, Dr. Oberg explains how many people follow every wellness rule, from counting their steps to tracking their sleep, yet still feel exhausted and miserable.

Dr. Oberg challenges the belief that health must require sacrifice, punishment, or constant discipline. She shares how pleasure can shift the body out of chronic fight-or-flight mode and into a restorative state where it can rest, repair, and thrive. She also explains the difference between intelligent pleasure that nourishes us and habits that temporarily numb stress while leaving us feeling worse afterward.

From taking an eight-second hug to turning a morning cup of coffee into a meaningful ritual, this conversation is filled with accessible ways to bring more presence and enjoyment into everyday life. Dr. Oberg offers her three-part prescription for greater vitality: spend time in nature, connect with another person, and make room for creativity.

Tune in to discover why longevity should include vitality, how the way we eat may matter as much as what we eat, and why you do not need to wait for retirement, a vacation, or the end of your to-do list to experience joy.

Resources:

• Free Healthy Hedonism Audiobook for the First 100 Listeners
• Buy Healthy Hedonism: Why Feeling Good Is Good for You! by Dr. Erica Oberg
• Dr. Erica Oberg’s Website
• Dr. Erica Oberg on Instagram
• Dr. Erica Oberg on LinkedIn

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

What If Your Next Chapter Is Your Most Meaningful One?

Barry is joined by Marci Alboher, writer, speaker, author, and a leading voice in reimagining work, purpose, and connection across generations. Marci shares her own courageous shift from corporate law to journalism, revealing what it means to listen to your inner voice when the life you built no longer feels aligned.

Together, Barry and Marci explore the beauty of encore careers, second acts, and the growing movement to bring older and younger people together in meaningful collaboration. From mentoring and intergenerational housing to purpose-driven work after retirement, Marci offers a hopeful vision of aging as a time of contribution, curiosity, and renewal.

This conversation is an invitation to rethink what comes next. Whether you’re approaching retirement, feeling stuck in your current path, or simply wondering how to use your gifts in a more meaningful way, Marci reminds us that purpose doesn’t have to be grand to matter. Sometimes it begins with a small experiment, a new connection, or the courage to ask, “What else is possible?”

Resources:

• Marci Alboher’s LinkedIn
• CoGenerate’s Website
• The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life by Marci Alboher
• One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career by Marci Alboher
• Girls Write Now Website

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA

Make sure to mention the code PODCAST when making your next reservation and enjoy 15% off on new bookings for 7-night stays in 2026.

Applicable towards new reservations only. Not combinable with other offers. On space-available basis. Some restrictions and blackout dates apply. Booking must be made by December 27, 2026.

In this thoughtful and eye-opening episode, Barry speaks with Dr. Amanda Reiman, a cannabis researcher, educator, and founder of Personal Plants, about the evolving conversation around cannabis, wellness, and harm reduction. Amanda shares how her work began in the early medical cannabis movement in California, where dispensaries served not only as access points, but as community spaces for healing, support, and connection.

Together, Barry and Amanda explore the endocannabinoid system, the difference between smoking and edibles, why “start low, go slow” matters, and how cannabis may support people dealing with pain, sleep issues, anxiety, or a desire to reduce alcohol or opioid use. Amanda also brings nuance to common myths, from the idea of cannabis as a gateway drug to the misconception that it carries no risks at all.

This conversation doesn’t tell listeners what to do. Instead, it offers information, context, and a grounded invitation to stay curious. Whether you’re new to cannabis, skeptical, experienced, or simply interested in how the science has changed, this episode opens the door to a more balanced and informed understanding of the plant.

Resources:

• Personal Plants
• Amanda Reiman on Instagram
• Book Mentioned: Harm Reduction Approaches to Working with Adolescents Who Use Substances

To learn more about our wonderful presenters and exciting weeks coming up at the ranch, go to RanchoLaPuerta.com and check out our events calendar. Mention the podcast when making your reservation to take advantage of a special offer. Some restrictions may apply.

Produced by NOVA