The Big Silence

Celebrity holistic nutritionist Mona Sharma, known for her work with Will Smith, Jay Shetty, and Julianne Hough, joins Karena Dawn to unpack the health crisis that changed her life. Mona shares her path from a high-pressure career in luxury beauty marketing through two heart surgeries and a PCOS diagnosis, to founding a holistic practice rooted in Ayurveda and nervous system healing. The conversation covers building daily wellness rituals at home, debunking common diet myths, hydration, and how to start reclaiming your health without a total life overhaul.

How do you go from giving away all your control to a doctor's office to becoming your own healer?

Mona Sharma's journey with years of unexplained anxiety taught her that healing isn't about finding the right prescription, it's about getting curious enough to ask what your body has been trying to tell you all along.

[01:08] From Corporate Beauty to the Operating Table

• Two heart surgeries, wide awake, and a diagnosis that changed the direction of Mona’s life
• The Ayurvedic practitioner who looked at her as a "whole being," not just a set of symptoms

[11:14] Building Your Ashram at Home

• Mona’s father's blunt saying about clutter, and why it's really about your nervous system
• The bedroom rule she gives every single client
• Why wellness feels so expensive, and her trick for doing it without breaking the bank

[29:18] The Call That Changed Everything, and the Myths Mona is Begging You to Drop

• The phone call that landed Mona in the room with Will Smith and his family
• What she says is actually hiding in your Starbucks cup
• The diet myth she wants gone for good, and what she tells clients instead
• Her three-question framework for finally figuring out what's really going on in your body

• @monasharma on IG (https://www.instagram.com/monasharma/)
• Visit her website (https://www.monasharma.com/)
• Listen to Rooted in Wellness with Mona Sharma (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rooted-in-wellness-with-mona-sharma/id1750133042)

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

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• The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources)
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners)

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/radiate-rise-2026-summer-challenge)
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597)
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast)
• Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app)
• Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured)
• Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

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Psychotherapist and boundary expert Terri Cole joins Karena Dawn to break down High Functioning Codependency (HFC): the pattern where over giving, over functioning, and chronic self sacrifice get mistaken for strength. Terri, author of Too Much: A Guide to Breaking the Cycle of High Functioning Codependency, explains how childhood conditioning shapes this behavior, the physical and emotional toll of always being "fine," and why the most capable people are often the least likely to recognize codependency in themselves. Karena shares her own experience navigating these patterns, and Terri offers concrete first steps toward recovery, boundaries, and self consideration.

(01:03) The Real Definition of High Functioning Codependency

• Some of the most capable, high-achieving women reject the word "codependent" the moment it's suggested
• The subtle sign Terri looks for that has nothing to do with being an enabler or "codependent no more"
• Karena's gut reaction realizing she fits a pattern she never saw in herself

(08:16) Caretaker or Codependent? Where to Draw the Line

• The uncomfortable question Terri asks clients before they take on anything for someone else
• Why Karena's childhood memory of her dad picking up hitchhikers says more about safety than kindness
• The real reason HFCs feel responsible for things that were never theirs to fix

(22:07) The Cost Nobody Talks About

• The physical toll Terri has seen after nearly three decades of treating HFCs, and it's not just burnout
• Why "existential loneliness" can hit even when you're surrounded by people who love you
• The pendulum swing Terri sees play out in almost every client's cycle

(37:05) Breaking the Pattern Without Losing Yourself

• The two questions to ask before saying yes to anything, straight from the book
• Why narcissists and high functioning codependents are drawn to each other like a hand and glove
• The line Karena's mother told her about receiving help that changed everything
• What's actually waiting on the other side of recovery, and why Terri calls it liberation

• Terri's Free High Functioning Codependency toolkit (https://www.terricole.com/hfc/)
• Follow Terri on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/terricole/)
• Visit her website (https://terricole.com)
• Listen to The Terri Cole Show (https://terricole.com/itunes)

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/audiobook)
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection (https://thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all)
• Subscribe on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL3RrbvDLuTTGFN4VYzEpw)
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation (https://thebigsilence.com/donate)
• The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources)
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners)

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/radiate-rise-2026-summer-challenge)
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597)
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast)
• Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app)
• Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured)
• Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

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Jeff Krasno is the co-founder of Wanderlust, the founder and CEO of Commune, and the author of Good Stress: The Health Benefits of Doing Hard Things. In this episode, Jeff joins Karena Dawn to discuss his diabetes diagnosis at forty-nine and the intermittent fasting, cold water therapy, and resistance training protocols that helped him lose sixty pounds in three months. He also unpacks the science of circadian rhythm and sleep, the adaptive biology of stress, and his work building a women's health and longevity movement.

What if the thing you've spent your life running from is exactly what your body needs to heal?
Jeff Krasno's journey from a diabetes diagnosis to a full reversal within months reveals that discomfort, not comfort, might be the missing ingredient in modern wellness.

[11:59] The Diagnosis No One Saw Coming

• What happened the same year he sold his company that Jeff calls "candidly quite connected"
• The number on a continuous glucose monitor that finally sent him to the doctor
• The childhood pattern Jeff says built his empire and nearly broke him

[19:52] Building Commune, Losing 60 Pounds & Rewriting the Rules of Wellness

• The humbling way Jeff pitched a global icon on the idea that became Commune
• Why Jeff says stress "needs a new PR agent," and the story that explains it
• The four-protocol stack Jeff says produced changes he could watch happen in real time

[48:51] Good Stress, Sleep Science & Building a Women's Health Movement

• The doctors Jeff credits as more helpful than anyone else on his healing journey
• Why Jeff says most wellness events, even the biggest ones, are actually built for men
• Jeff's blunt take on why being in the same room as another person matters more than ever

Guest Info & Resources:

• jeffkrasno.com
• @jeffkrasno on IG (https://www.instagram.com/jeffkrasno)

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/audiobook)
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection (https://thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all)
• Subscribe on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL3RrbvDLuTTGFN4VYzEpw)
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation (https://thebigsilence.com/donate)
• The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources)
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners)

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/radiate-rise-2026-summer-challenge)
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597)
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast)
• Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app)
• Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured)
• Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Kelly Noonan Gores is the writer, director, and producer of the documentary Heal, author of the companion book by the same name, and host of the Heal with Kelly podcast. In this conversation, Kelly and Karena Dawn explore the placebo and nocebo effects, why 95% of our behavior is run by subconscious programming formed in early childhood, the role of forgiveness in physical and emotional healing, generational trauma, plant medicine, and the gratitude practices Kelly credits with changing the course of her life.

[04:44] The Placebo Effect Is Just the Beginning

• The surprising percentage of people who feel better from a sugar pill alone
• Why a doctor's words can be as powerful as any diagnosis, for better or worse
• The subconscious programs written into your brain before you turned seven
• What "the brain doesn't know the difference between real and imagined" actually means for how you heal

[19:25] Trauma, Forgiveness & the Stuff We Avoid

• Kelly on believing she had a "normal" childhood, until she didn't
• The difference between "big T" and "little t" trauma, and why it matters
• Her honest answer to being called a "forgiveness factory"
• What ancient wisdom says about you breaking a pattern of generational trauma

(37:39) Manifestation, Plant Medicine & What Actually Heals

• Kelly’s gratitude journaling trick that led to an unexpected six-figure job
• Why her first plant medicine journey went sideways, and what changed the second time
• Karena's own experiment with the "I remember when" practice
• The real difference between isolation and connection, and why it matters more than we think

Guest Info & Resources:

• @kellygores on Instagram
• Listen to the Heal with Kelly podcast
• Watch the documentary HEAL

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation
• The Big Silence Resource Guide
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST
• Tone It Up App
• Tone It Up YouTube
• Tone It Up Instagram

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Karena Dawn is joined by Esther Blum, an integrative dietitian and menopause expert with nearly three decades of clinical experience, to break down what perimenopause and menopause actually look like, and why so much of mainstream medicine gets it wrong. Esther explains the real symptoms of perimenopause, how to advocate for hormone replacement therapy at the doctor's office, and the research behind HRT and cancer risk. The conversation covers vaginal and pelvic floor health, gut function, the muscle and protein connection, the truth behind the "menopot," and how alcohol and carbs affect hormones and sleep. Esther and Karena also discuss the link between unresolved trauma, cortisol, and hormonal health, plus practical tools for regulating the nervous system during this life stage.

Why is menopause still treated like a footnote in modern medicine even when it affects more than 50% of the population?

Esther Blum has spent nearly 30 years helping women get real answers instead of being handed a birth control prescription and sent home. This episode is the education so many of us never got.

The Menopause Gaslighting Problem (02:43)

• 02:43The real story of a doctor's outrageous response to a patient's perimenopause weight gain
• Exactly what to say to your doctor if you suspect you're in perimenopause and want to be taken seriously
• Why pelvic floor dysfunction is so normalized, and what almost nobody tells you about it after childbirth

Food, Muscle & the Truth About the "Menopot" (18:51)

• The protein minimum most women are falling drastically short of and why it matters more now than ever
• Esther's blunt take on plant based versus animal protein for women in midlife
• Why she spends more time telling clients to eat more, not less, and what carbs at night actually do for you

Trauma, Grief & the Nervous System (35:55)

• A striking mental health statistic tied to the perimenopausal years that doesn't get talked about enough
• Esther opens up about the connection between early trauma and hormonal health that surprised even her
• Her honest answer to whether you can slow down or interrupt perimenopause itself

Guest Info & Resources:

• Esther Blum’s website
• Follow @gorgeousesther on Instagram
• Books by Esther Blum
• Listen to Esther Blum’s Midlife Realignment Podcast

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation
• The Big Silence Resource Guide
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST
• Tone It Up App
• Tone It Up YouTube
• Tone It Up Instagram

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Integrative nutritionist, master blood chemistry practitioner, and author Cara Clark joins Karena Dawn to unpack the childhood pattern of performance-based love that shaped her adulthood and the faith-driven journey behind her book. Cara also shares her feel-good food philosophy, her take on protein needs for women over 40, and the daily nervous system practices that keep her grounded as a mother of four running her own business.

The Big Question:
How can women reclaim their health by tuning into their body, not society’s expectations?

• Cara grew up as the oldest girl of eight siblings, describing her childhood as “chaos is normal.”
• Her early environment shaped her mindset—performing well earned love and attention.
• She reflects on moving from Indiana to California and the culture shock that transformed her health journey.
• Faith and family were early anchors, but the need for external validation lingered into adulthood.

• Cara discusses how love in her childhood felt conditional—earned through achievements.
• Therapy helped her realize she wasn’t broken in her marriage, but still healing from her upbringing.
• She opens up about marrying young, launching her business with her husband’s support, and finding her calling through her clients.
• Her story of realizing “rejection is protection” redefined her view of failure and success.

• After four kids in five years, Cara traded bootcamps for a sustainable nutrition business.
• Her food philosophy: eat within one hour of waking, all three macros every meal, five colors per day.
• She's passionate about regulating the nervous system as the foundation of healing.
• Her latest book blends recipes with prayer, morning rituals, and intuitive nourishment.

• Cara busts myths about intermittent fasting and explains why it's often harmful for cycling women.
• She teaches why digestion is energy-intensive, and how eating earlier supports better sleep and hormone health.
• Her approach helps women transition through perimenopause and menopause without shame or confusion.
• “Protein doesn’t spike insulin”—a key tip for managing cortisol and energy in midlife.

• Cara believes you have to earn dessert—not by restriction, but by honoring the process and ingredients.
• Cooking is a daily meditation and a form of connection for her family.
• Her favorite part of each day? Building meals around cravings with intention, not guilt.
• Recipes are more than food—they’re rituals, reflections, and healing tools.
  

This episode was Filmed at the Thompson Nashville. 

Guest Info & Resources:

• Order Cara Clark’s Cookbook
• Follow Cara Clark on Instagram

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation
• The Big Silence Resource Guide
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST
• Tone It Up App
• Tone It Up YouTube
• Tone It Up Instagram

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

In this episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Dr. Christine M. Crawford, Chief Medical Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and board-certified psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent mental health. From the science behind why deep breathing actually works, to what it means when a teenager stops showing up for their own life, Dr. Crawford brings rare clarity to the conversations most of us have been too afraid, too ashamed, or too overwhelmed to start.

How do you finally ask for help when the average person waits 11 years to do it?
Closing the gap between the moment symptoms begin and the moment someone reaches out starts with understanding what those symptoms actually look like, and knowing that support is far closer than most people realize.

(04:45) Anxiety: What It Actually Is and Why It's Getting Worse

• Why the word "anxiety" gets thrown around so much that most people don't recognize when they actually have it
• The physical symptoms of anxiety that go way beyond feeling worried
• Something Dr. Crawford says about our phones and our nervous systems that is hard to unhear

(21:53) The 11-Year Gap: Depression, Kids & What Loved Ones Miss

• The NAMI data point Karena raises that Dr. Crawford confirms, and what it means specifically for children
• A shift in a teenager's social behavior that parents almost always explain away as a phase
• The comments kids sometimes make that are easy to dismiss but are actually red flags for depression

(30:26) AI, 988 & the Tools That Actually Work at 3am

• Dr. Crawford's honest take on why people turn to AI for mental health support, and where she draws a firm line
• The three-digit number that exists for the exact moments when you don't know who else to call
• The hormonal changes that can bring on anxiety seemingly out of nowhere, and one supplement that could make a bigger difference than most women expect

Guest Resources

• NAMI HelpLine (https://www.nami.org/nami-helpline/): The NAMI HelpLine is a free, confidential nationwide service that provides one-on-one emotional support, mental health information and resources needed to tackle tough challenges. You can reach the NAMI HelpLine by calling 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), texting “NAMI” to 62640, or emailing [email protected]. The HelpLine is available M-F, 10 AM – 10 PM EST.

• Resources for people living with a mental health condition (https://www.nami.org/living-with-a-mental-health-condition/)

• NAMI Family Caregiver HelpLine (https://www.nami.org/nami-helpline/family-caregiver-helpline/): The NAMI Family Caregiver HelpLine is a free, confidential service providing caregiver-led support, tools and strategies, trusted guidance, and connection at every stage of the caregiving journey. You can reach the Family Caregiver HelpLine by calling 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), texting “Family” to 62640, or emailing [email protected]. The Family Caregiver HelpLine is available Monday Through Friday, 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM ET.

• Resources for family members and caregivers (https://www.nami.org/family-members-and-caregivers/)
• You Are Not Alone For Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child’s Mental Health (https://www.nami.org/research/publications-reports/you-are-not-alone/)

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/audiobook)
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection (https://thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all)
• Subscribe on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL3RrbvDLuTTGFN4VYzEpw)
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation (https://thebigsilence.com/donate)
• The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources)
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners)

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/radiate-rise-2026-summer-challenge)
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597)
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast)
• Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app)
• Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured)
• Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

Actor, curve model pioneer, and longtime mental health advocate Hayley Hasselhoff joins Karena Dawn for an honest conversation about losing her mother and the year of transformation that followed. Hayley shares how grief reshaped her relationships, her career, and her sense of self, and walks through the personalized mental health toolbox she's relied on since childhood struggles with OCD and anxiety. She also reflects on becoming a curve modeling pioneer at 14, the confidence lessons she's learned along the way, and her ongoing work with Project Healthy Minds and NAMI.

How do you find your worth again after losing the person who knew you best, and learn to become your own biggest cheerleader?

Grief doesn't follow a rulebook. Rebuilding your sense of self after loss means learning to fill your own cup first.

Timestamped Highlights

(00:26) Grief, Loss, and Learning to Carry Her Mother With Her

• Hayley on why she'll always describe herself as "okay" rather than "good"
• What the year following her mother's passing taught her that grief itself didn't
• How she still feels her mother's presence guiding her decisions
• Why she refuses to live with regret during this season of her life

(11:59) From 14 Year Old Curve Model to Body Positivity Pioneer

• How Hayley got signed at 14 and what it was like growing up in front of the camera
• The unexpected confidence boost that came from being surrounded by other curve models
• How her family's support shaped her ability to express herself through art
• What she'd tell a young girl struggling to find her own confidence today

(32:16) Building a Mental Health Toolbox That Actually Works

• Hayley's long private struggle with OCD, anxiety, and panic attacks
• The moment that pushed her to finally speak publicly about her mental health
• How Redefine You and her partnership with Project Healthy Minds came to be
• Her one piece of advice for anyone questioning their own worth

Guest Resources

• Follow Hayley on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hhasselhoff/)
• Visit her website (https://hhasselhoff.com/)
• Project Healthy Minds, Hayley's resource page (https://projecthealthyminds.com/hayley)

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/audiobook)
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection (https://thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all)
• Subscribe on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL3RrbvDLuTTGFN4VYzEpw)
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation (https://thebigsilence.com/donate)
• The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources)
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners)

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/radiate-rise-2026-summer-challenge)
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597)
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast)
• Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app)
• Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured)
• Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en)

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Darnell Walker is a death doula, children's television writer, and founder of the travel company Passport Required. In this episode, he joins Karena Dawn to talk about how a near-fatal blood clot diagnosis at 22 reshaped how he lives, why he believes you don't have to forgive someone to heal from what they did, the deathbed truth he's witnessed again and again about love and regret, and the 20-page worksheet he hands out to strangers to get people talking about death before the crisis hits.

Darnell Walker shows that you don't need to wait for a diagnosis or a deathbed to start living with intention. Sometimes you just need to get honest about the conversations you've been avoiding.

(00:00) What Is a Death Doula? From Children's TV to End-of-Life Work

• The real definition of a death doula, and why Darnell believes every doula brings their own gift to the work
• How writing for Sesame Workshop and children's television led him to also sit with the dying
• The childhood roots of his calling: helping someone die at 12, volunteering in hospice at 13, and holding grief circles in middle school

(04:04) Facing Mortality at 22: Living With a Death Sentence

• The blood clot diagnosis at 22 that forced him to confront the question, "If I had a day to live, what would I do differently?"
• Why living with the constant threat of death has shaped how he chooses to live now
• His advice for anyone gripped by a fear of dying: find out where the fear actually comes from
• Why you don't have to think about death "all day, every day" to honor the moments when it shows up

(07:01) Why Love Is the Only Thing We Never Forget

• The pattern he's seen again and again at the bedside: people forget names and details, but never forget love
• Why "home" at the end of life is almost never a place — it's a person
• The questions people really wrestle with as they die: "Did I love properly?" and "Who loved me?"
• His take on forgiveness: why he believes you can heal from what someone did to you without ever forgiving them

(16:50) Breaking the Silence: How Talking About Death Sets Us Free

• Why society still doesn't talk about death enough and the family rifts that form when we don't
• The heartbreaking reality of dying alone, even when family lives right up the street
• Why he's been writing his own death plan since he was 18, long before he was ever faced with a diagnosis
• Inside the 20-page worksheet on his website that asks the questions we usually wait too long to answer

• Visit Darnell's website
• Follow Darnell on Instagram
• Darnell's 'Death Worksheet'
• Plan a secret adventure with Passport Required
• Get Darnell’s book

If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:

Connect with The Big Silence Community

• Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook
• Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Donate to The Big Silence Foundation
• The Big Silence Resource Guide
• Find exclusive offers from our supporters

Show Resources:

• VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE
• THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST
• TONE IT DOWN PODCAST
• Tone It Up App
• Tone It Up YouTube
• Tone It Up Instagram

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!

Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Dr. Michael Greger is a physician, bestselling author of How Not to Die, and founder of nutritionfacts.org. In this episode, he joins Karena to break down the science of longevity — from why poor diet kills more Americans than cigarettes, to the truth about fasting, protein myths, and the three foods that could add years to your life. He also shares surprising research linking meat consumption to mood disorders and explains why just 21 days of dietary change can transform your body from the inside out.

What if the food on your plate is either slowly stealing your life or quietly giving it back to you?

Dr. Michael Greger makes one thing undeniably clear: you have far more power over your health destiny than anyone has ever told you.

(03:26) You Have More Control Over Your Lifespan Than You Think

• The vast majority of premature death and disability is preventable through diet and lifestyle. Genetics only account for about 25% of the difference in lifespan between people.
• Minimizing processed foods, meat, dairy, sugar, and eggs while maximizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes is your clearest path to a longer life.
• Real food that grows out of the ground is your most powerful longevity tool — at every stage of life, and only more so as you age.

(08:28) When You Eat Matters Just As Much As What You Eat

• If you're going to eat something indulgent, eat it in the morning. You'll experience a lower blood sugar spike and a lower triglyceride spike than if you ate it later in the day.
• Time-restricted feeding works best when you front-load your eating: make breakfast or lunch your biggest meal and stop eating before 7pm.
• Eating late at night and skipping the benefits of your morning physiology can actually make things worse, not better.

(12:30) You Don't Have to Change Forever — Just Give It 21 Days

• Lifelong dietary change feels overwhelming, but you don't have to commit forever. Commit to three weeks and let your own body show you what's possible.
• Within 21 days, patients routinely experience better digestion, better sleep, more energy, and less pain without a doctor wagging a finger at them.
• The most powerful motivator isn't external pressure — it's the moment your own body says this is the way to go.

(16:41) The Protein Myth That's Misleading Every Woman Over 40

• The recommendation of one gram of protein per pound of body weight is, in Dr. Greger's words, "ridiculous."
• Adding extra protein to the diets of older men and women has been shown to have zero effect on muscle mass, muscle performance, or muscle strength — with or without resistance exercise.
• Anyone who doesn't know how to get enough protein on a plant-based diet, as Dr. Greger puts it, simply doesn't know beans.

Guest Resources:

• nutritionfacts.org
• Books by Dr. Michael Greger

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