The Daring Well Podcast - Holistic Health & Wellness, Mindset, and Personal Growth

In this week's episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer welcomes Dr. Julius Torelli, a cardiologist and holistic wellness advocate, to explore the power of gratitude, mindset, and a holistic lifestyle in shaping our health.

Dr. Torelli shares his journey from traditional medicine into developing the Gratefully Well Model, which blends the best of Western medicine with holistic practices. He explains how emotional overwhelm, stress, and limiting beliefs often show up as physical symptoms—and why addressing the whole person is essential for true healing.

Listeners will discover:

• The pivotal patient story that inspired Dr. Torelli to rethink medicine.
• How thoughts and beliefs directly impact the body’s physiology.
• The science-backed benefits of gratitude for mental and physical health.
• The Traceback Method of Gratitude, a practical tool for shifting stress into calm and appreciation.

Benefits of developing the Gratefully Well model as part of a healthy lifestyle includes:

• Improve recovery from illness and medical procedures
• Reduce symptoms of high blood pressure, pain, and illness
• Strengthen immune function
• Enhance sleep quality
• Increase resilience and stress coping skills
• Lower anxiety and depression

Whether you’re struggling with stress, managing chronic illness, or seeking more balance in life, this conversation will inspire you to live gratefully well every day.

✨Connect with Dr. Torelli:

• Dr. Torelli’s Website: www.gratefullywell.com
  
  
• Book: Holistic Health Pathways (Amazon) 
• Substack Newsletter: Gratefully Well
• Free 7-Day Gratitude Challenge

🎧 Tune in and discover how gratitude can transform your health, your mindset, and your life.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

This is one of the top 5 most downloaded episodes from last year —because it’s just that powerful and just that good! In this heartfelt conversation, host Rita Mercer, your wellness coach, licensed counselor, and virtual friend, guides you through the healing and restorative benefits of nature therapy.

If you’ve been feeling stressed, anxious, disconnected, or feeling stuck creatively, this episode is your gentle reminder to slow down, step outside, and reconnect with the natural world. Rita explores:

• What nature therapy is and the different forms it can take (forest bathing, grounding, eco-therapy, and more)
• The deficits we face when we don’t spend enough time in nature—like increased stress, emotional instability, and reduced creativity
• The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of engaging with nature mindfully
• Simple cues that signal you might need a nature reset
• Practical, beginner-friendly tips to make nature a regular part of your life

Rita also shares the fascinating research behind how much time in nature makes a measurable impact on your well-being—and spoiler: it’s easier to fit into your week than you think.

Whether it’s a barefoot walk in your backyard, quiet reflection by a stream, or a gentle hike in the woods, you’ll learn how to make nature your reset button for mind, body, and spirit.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, we dive into what it really means to complete the stress cycle and restore balance in your nervous system. If you’re feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or exhausted—this conversation is for you.

You’ll learn how the fight-flight response works, why we get stuck in it, and how it impacts your mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. We also explore the power of the parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s rest-and-digest mode) and the simple tools you can use daily to reset, recharge, and feel safe again.

Rita walks you through practical ways to regulate your nervous system using breathwork, gentle movement, journaling, and the power of sacred rest. Plus, she shares an exclusive invitation to her upcoming Sacred Rest Online Retreat—a gentle wellness experience designed to help you release stress and reconnect to peace.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The science behind the fight-flight response and sympathetic nervous system
• Signs of a stuck stress response across mind, body, and spirit
• How to activate your parasympathetic nervous system for healing
• Simple and sustainable tools to complete the stress cycle
• How to reclaim rest as a necessary rhythm for wellness

🧘‍♀️ Join the Sacred Rest Online Retreat:

Ready to restore your nervous system and return to calm?
Visit: www.daringwell.com/retreat
Use code FRIEND2025 to bring a friend for free!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this transformative episode of The Daring Well Podcast, host Rita Mercer sits down with energy healer and acupuncturist Banya Lim, Acupuncturist, Energy Healer & Founder of the Chi Mastery System to explore how emotional energy impacts physical health—and how we can reclaim our well-being by listening to the wisdom of the body. Banya shares her inspiring personal healing journey from chronic illness and depression to vitality and joy using movement, meditation, and energy healing.

She also explains how emotions like fear, anger, and sadness create energetic blockages within specific meridians and organs, and how acupuncture, breathwork, and Qi-focused practices can help release those blockages. Learn the basics of Qi (energy), how to recognize where emotions live in the body, and what simple daily practices anyone can use to begin healing from the inside out.

Whether you're new to energy medicine or deep in your healing path, this episode offers profound tools and insights that can shift your mindset, improve your physical health, and awaken your emotional intelligence.

🔑 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How Banya Lim healed her own chronic conditions through emotional and energy work
• What Chi (energy) is and how it functions in the body
• The connection between mind, emotion, and physical pain
• Why meditation and movement are critical to emotional healing
• How to begin building a relationship with your body
• The importance of self-awareness in identifying internal blockages
• Why your thoughts can shape your health and reality

Connect with Banya Lim, Chi Mastery System

Interested in exploring energy healing or working with Banya? She’s offering a free clarity session for The Daring Well podcast listeners. Learn more or schedule at:

Website: www.banyalim.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this inspiring episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer is joined by licensed mental health therapist, speaker, and mom coach Vanessa De Jesus Guzman to explore how mindfulness and intentional self-care can transform your life. 

Vanessa shares her deeply personal story of burnout, the wake-up call that led her to start Amiga Moms, and the practical ways both men and women can reconnect with themselves through mindful living.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The real-life signs of burnout and how to catch them early
• How your baseline shifts through life stages—and why it matters
• Why mindfulness doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated
• Practical tools to build self-awareness and compassion
• Vanessa’s “3-step mindful day” recipe: Intention → Allowance → Gratitude
• The power of asking, How do I want to show up today?

Connect with Vanessa De Jesus Guzman

• Website: https://www.freetobemindful.com
• Instagram & YouTube: @CounselorVDeJesus
• Amiga Moms: A community for Latina mothers blending mental health and motherhood support
• Free to Be Mindful Podcast: Insights on parenting, wellness, and mindful living

#MindfulLiving

#SelfCareForMoms

#MentalHealthAwareness

#BurnoutRecovery

#WomenWellness

#AmigaMoms

#IntentionalLiving

#HolisticSelfCare

#FreeToBeMindful

#MindfulnessInMotherhood

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

“It’s not about not feeling fear. It’s about choosing how you show up in spite of that fear.”

In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer is joined by international speaker, mentor, and firewalk guide Harriet Bratt for a heart-opening conversation on what it truly means to embody a warrior's mindset.

Together, they explore how to overcome fear, break through self-doubt, and develop the inner confidence needed to live courageously and create lasting impact — in life, love, leadership, and beyond.

Harriet shares personal stories, neuroscience-backed mindset insights, and her practical B.A.F. tool — Breath, Awareness, Focus — to help you stay grounded and empowered every day. Whether you’re battling limiting beliefs, learning to speak up, or seeking to live more aligned, this episode is filled with wisdom, authenticity, and fierce encouragement to choose courage over comfort.

Instagram & Facebook: @HarrietBratt

Free Facebook Group: Femme Vox Fireside – Empowering women to speak and lead with confidence

#warriormindset #overcomingfear #innerconfidence #courageousliving #mindsetpodcast #selfdoubttoconfidence #holisticempowerment #personalgrowthjourney #selftalkmatters #fearlessliving

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, host Rita Mercer dives into the often unspoken truth about personal growth—it requires letting go. Growth isn't always pretty or glamorous. It comes with grief, hard goodbyes, and the courage to release people, places, habits, and beliefs that no longer serve you.

Discover how to navigate the discomfort of growth, move past fear and comfort zones, and embrace a mindset of healing, self-love, and transformation. This episode is your reminder that real change takes grit, grace, and a whole lot of heart.

✨ Learn how to:

• Let go to grow
• Heal emotionally and spiritually
• Develop a growth mindset
• Break free from limiting beliefs
• Step into your purpose

🔗 Visit DaringWell.com to learn more about Rita’s wellness and coaching programs.

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share if this message spoke to you!

#GriefAndGrowth #MindsetShift #HealingJourney #PersonalDevelopment #SelfLove #FaithAndHealing #DaringWellPodcast

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this powerful and heartfelt mini-episode, host Rita Mercer delivers a spoken word message of strength, healing, and resilience for anyone who has ever felt broken. Broken & Healed reminds us that scars are proof that we survived the fight, and that we carry within us the power to rise again despite any obstacle or setback—wiser, stronger, and more grounded than ever before.

Rita speaks to the truth hidden behind our pain, the sacred pause before our pivot, and the unshakable belief that what was meant to break us actually built us. Whether you find yourself in a season of stillness, loss, or silent rebuilding—this episode is your soul’s encouragement to keep going.

🔑 What You’ll Hear:

• The truth about pain and the purpose behind brokenness
• Permission to pause, cry, pivot—but never quit
• A reminder that healing brings wisdom, peace, and joy

📌 Takeaways:

• You are stronger than your circumstances.
• You are allowed to be human and rest, but don’t give up and don’t quit.
• Every scar—seen and unseen—is part of your story, your healing journey.
• There’s purpose and power in your pain.

🎧 Listen Now:

Tune in and reclaim your truth. Share this with someone who needs to hear: You were built for this.

👉 Subscribe & Leave a Review

#Healing #MentalHealth #Resilience #BrokenToHealed #Motivation #Faith #EmotionalHealing #PodcastEpisode #Overcome #Inspiration #YouGotThis

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this empowering episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with Dr. Tamar, pharmacist, health coach, and founder of LYFE Balance Inc., to explore a radically different path to wellness—one that starts with your DNA. A pharmacist turned holistic health coach, Dr. Tamar breaks down the science of nutrigenomics and explains how our nutrition, environment, and daily habits can affect the way our genes express themselves.

Together, Rita and Dr. Tamar discuss the importance of self-advocacy in healthcare, how stress manifests on a cellular level, and why self-love is a non-negotiable part of healing. From understanding root causes to reimagining self-care as a daily ritual, this episode is a must-listen for women ready to reclaim their health, energy, and peace.

💡 In This Episode, We Explore:

• What nutrigenomics is—and why it matters living well
• Why Dr. Tamar shifted from pharmacy to functional wellness
• How stress impacts hormones, metabolism, and sleep
• The power of personalized nutrition and genetic testing
• Daily self-care strategies that take 5 minutes or less
• How to reframe your relationship with doctors and advocate for your health
• Why self-love is the foundation of lifelong wellness

🎁 Special Offer:

Mention this podcast when joining Dr. Tamar’s 90-day coaching program and receive a FREE Nutrigenomics Test (a $500 value)!

🔗 Connect with Dr. Tamar:

Website: https://thelyfebalance.com
Instagram: @drtamarlawful

📣 Connect with Rita Mercer + Daring Well:

YouTube: @daringwellcoach
Website: https://www.daringwell.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this empowering episode of The Daring Well Podcast, host Rita Mercer sits down with Amita Sharma, founder of NourishDoc, to explore how women can embrace holistic wellness at every stage of life—from PMS and PCOS to Perimenopause, Menopause and beyond. Amita shares her personal health journey, the importance of implementing healthy habits early, and practical tips rooted in Ayurveda to support mind, body, and spirit.

After listening to this episode, you'll walk away with real, actionable wisdom on gut health, hormonal balance, stress management, and how self-acceptance is the foundation for a nourishing life.

🔑 What We Talk About in This Episode:

• The power of starting holistic health practices in your 20s
• Why gut health is the key to overall wellness
• Introduction to Ayurveda and how to live in rhythm with nature
• Herbal tools and self-care routines for daily healing
• How stress, hormones, and lifestyle affect sexual health
• PCOS explained—and how it can be managed naturally
• The role of self-acceptance and body image in wellness

Featured Guest:
Amita Sharma
Founder of NourishDoc | Holistic Wellness Advocate
Website: www.nourishdoc.com
Connect: @nourishdoc on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Follow us on YouTube & TikTok:
@DaringWell

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies