If you understood that every moment and interaction was setting your child up with lifelong beliefs in this world, what would you do differently?

It’s a really daunting thought to consider, but understanding this gives you the greatest insight into why you are the way you are. Childhood is when your understanding of the world around you begins to form; your coping mechanisms and your hidden traumas… Unpacking all of this can help you address the root cause of your struggles.

In this extended interview from Season 2 of Transcendence, which is available to stream on foodmatters.com and on Gaia.com, renowned expert Shelly Lefkoe imparts her wisdom on how limiting beliefs are formed and how you can begin to dismantle them. Through her experiences of working with people in incarceration and anecdotes of her own motherhood, Shelly shares her take on how you can raise children to be their best authentic selves and why transforming the way we collectively parent will change the world.

In this week's episode with Shelly Lefkoe you’ll discover:

• How thoughts and experiences become your beliefs.
• Ways that your childhood experiences shape your experience of the world.
• Why and how you give some things meaning, but not others.
• How beliefs can rule our lives and why you instinctively keep yourself safe.
• How you can remove a pattern by addressing a belief.
• Ways you can remove your emotion from a difficult situation.
• Plus much, much more.

What is getting in your way? In this incredible podcast, Shelly Lefkoe, author, parenting expert, and co-founder of The Lefkoe Institute takes us on a journey of exploring our limiting beliefs and how we can remove meaning in the moment. By removing emotion and meaning from a negative experience, we foster our ability to conquer the beliefs that limit us.

Episode resources:

• Watch Transcendence Documentary Series (docuseries)
• Learn more about Shelly Lefkoe (website)
• Laurentine’s article on how we are breaking mainstream parenting rules (article)
• Discover how to break free from limiting beliefs with Vishen Lakhiani (video)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

New to meditation? Do you find it challenging to sit still? Today's interview might share a new perspective on the practice of meditation...

Across the globe, yoga and meditation have become increasingly popular with a range of health and lifestyle benefits associated with regular practice. And for good reason. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation, improve mood, improve digestion, improve sleep, help manage chronic pain, and even improve immune function.

There are many misconceptions that drive people to give up on meditating before they start to experience the benefits. Today’s guest is going to set the record straight and teach you how to meditate like a master! You’ll discover why meditation should be a part of your daily life, what tantra is and some of the common misconceptions, and how to build a simple practice into your regular routine.

Octavio Salvado is the co-founder, co-owner and principal teacher at The Practice in Bali, Indonesia. He shares the teachings of Tantra Hatha yoga; a spiritual science designed to awaken us to our highest potential.

In this week's episode with Octavio Salvado you’ll discover: 

• How you can reduce stress, improve mood, improve digestion, improve sleep, and help manage chronic pain.
• Some of the common misconceptions around Tantra and how it could be the key to lasting fulfillment.
• How a simple practice can help to calm your mind and heal your nervous system.
• Why meditation should be a daily practice and the tools that you need to do it.
• Plus, so much more.

I was blessed enough to study alongside Octavio last year at his world-class yoga institution, The Practice, and I have experienced his wisdom and insight firsthand. So I know you are going to enjoy this illuminating interview and gain a new outlook on your practice.

Episode resources:

• Learn more about Octavio Salvado (website)
• Octavio’s yoga studio: The Practice (website)
• Discover 10 free yoga and meditation classes you can do at home (video)
• Try Laurentine’s free guided meditation for stress and anxiety (meditation)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

Let’s face it. Life gets hard.

Whether it's a chronic illness, relationship or financial struggle, that’s the one thing you can be certain of in life. It will always get hard.

But you also know that many people have come back from that hard, challenging place. And when they do, they seem to always come back stronger.

So what does it take to help you bounce back? Does it get harder each time, or does resilience make you stronger? Today’s podcast guest Sonia Ricotti has experienced the worst of it. A six-figure debt, a tough break-up with an alcoholic partner, foreclosure on her home, and a medical emergency.

In this exclusive extended interview from Transcendence Season 2, Sonia shares her story of finding light and meaning through adversity and how she began to find her way through it all.

In this week's episode with Sonia Ricotti, you’ll discover:

• How Sonia found purpose and meaning through her struggles.
• The power of dreaming big and why your goals need to be clear.
• The proven 3 step formula to reprogramming your mind to overcome hardship.
• How to re-write your own story to one of happiness and success.
• Sonia’s #1 daily habit to help you identify your limiting beliefs (and what to do once you’ve discovered them).
• Plus much, much more.

Today’s episode with Sonia is something we all need right now. You’re going to learn how to take the struggles you face into your stride so you can live your greatest, most fulfilling life.

Episode resources:

• Watch Transcendence Documentary Series (film)
• Learn more about Sonia Ricotti (website)
• Unsinkable: The Secret to Bouncing Back (Sonia’s Free MOVIE)
• 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Full Mental Potential (article)
• Stress Free Morning Habits (article)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

What does it mean to live like a modern caveman? And how can this help us fight disease?

It’s an extreme take on the idea of ‘rewilding yourself’, but it’s something that hunter-gatherer Daniel Vitalis explores in this exclusive podcast episode.

In this conversation, Daniel shares what he believes to be some of the greatest causes of disease, how our food sources became overly ‘domesticated’, and how we can have a truly healthy human experience. Discover some of the most powerful medicinal foods you can find in nature, and learn how to practically apply this approach to your daily life.

Daniel is the host of WildFed, a Registered Maine Guide, writer, public speaker, interviewer, and lifestyle pioneer. After learning to hunt, fish, and forage as an adult, Daniel created WildFed to inspire others to start a wild-food journey of their own.

In this week's episode with Daniel Vitalis you’ll discover:

• Some of the greatest causes of modern disease.
• Why a domesticated lifestyle is having damaging effects on our health, and why we need to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors.
• Simple ways to rewild your diet to better your quality of life.
• Some of the most powerful healing foods you can find in nature.
• Plus, so much more.

It was so wonderful to talk with Daniel Vitalis again after his enlightening interview in Transcendence 2, and we couldn't wait to put his teachings into practice. Discover one of our favorite re-wilded recipes in the episode resources after you’ve finished today’s episode.

Episode resources:

• Watch Transcendence 2, where Daniel talks about our domestication as a species (film)
• This Immune-Boosting Wild Berry Smoothie will change the way you do breakfast (recipe)
• Bookmark Find A Spring, where you can find the freshest water near you (website)
• Watch Daniel Vitalis’ first appearance in Hungry For Change (film)
• Plus much, much more.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

At Food Matters, we uncovered something pretty incredible early on. But I didn’t want to keep it a secret for myself. In fact, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, because I could see just how much it could change the lives of people from around the world.

And here it is.

Just as your diet and lifestyle play a role in your overall health, so too does the power of your mind.

In this exclusive episode of The Food Matters Podcast, join Artie Wu to discuss the cycle of healing trauma, addiction, and finding lasting bliss.

Discover how to finally turn things around, and overcome any negative self talk and underlying emotional trauma and even addictions you have been holding onto. It all starts with understanding the wound — what it is, where it came from, and how it is influencing your current life path — and then finding the right path to healing.

Artie Wu is a Healer, and Founder of Presidelife.com and has founded two venture-backed technology companies across the span of over 10 years. Artie holds degrees from Stanford (Business School), Harvard (Undergrad) and Regis (Jesuit Secondary School). He’s a guest that I have been honored to interview many times over the years, and I couldn’t be more excited to share today’s conversation with you.

In this week's episode with Artie Wu you’ll discover:

• The cause of addiction and the main types that we are all addicted to in some way.
• How to discover your emotional wounds and recognise how they show up in your everyday life.
• Why you self sabotage and how to break the cycle so you can live to your full potential.
• How to use your uniqueness to find your inner bliss.
• Plus much, much more.

In this conversation, you’re about to find the answers you’ve been looking for all along - even if you didn’t realise it.

Episode resources:

• Watch Transcendence 2, featuring Artie Wu (film)
• Learn more about Artie Wu (website)
• Explore how we break mainstream parenting rules, inspired by Artie Wu (article)
• Try these coconut salted caramel bliss balls, to help you find your inner bliss (recipe)
• Could emotional baggage be stopping you from healing? Learn more on the topic (video)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

If you could manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm in a matter of moments, would you want to know?

More importantly, would you use the practice?

Through Food Matters, I have been on a life-long journey to discover some of the best healing modalities that you have inside of you. From the foods you eat to the exercise you do to breathwork and meditation… All of these practices are in the naming of looking after your mind, body, and soul, especially when you’re trying to maintain a positive energy. That’s why I wanted to ask if you’ve taken the opportunity to try Tapping lately?

It’s one of the most talked-about self-healing modalities in the health and wellness space, and today’s guest Dawson Church is a pioneer in the field. Stress, anxiety, and even PTSD are all too common in our modern society and the impacts of COVID-19, physical distancing, and isolation have resulted in more emotional unease. However, in today’s episode, you’ll learn how to use Tapping, a simple practice that can be performed in less than 5-minutes and can alleviate these triggers once and for all.

In this week's episode with Dawson Church you’ll discover:

• A simple technique to measurably reduce stress, PTSD, anxiety, and limiting beliefs in the body and mind (in a matter of minutes).
• How the impacts of physical distancing and isolation have resulted in more emotional unease.
• The science behind Tapping and how it actually works in the brain.
• Ways to maintain positive energy in times of crisis.
• Plus, so much more.

Dawson Church is the founder of EFT Universe and award-winning author whose bestselling book, The Genie in Your Genes, has been hailed as a breakthrough in the field of epigenetics, reviewing the research linking consciousness, emotion, and gene expression. It’s always such an honor to talk with and learn from his expertise, and I know you’re going to benefit profoundly from today’s episode.

Episode resources:

• Discover the Food Matters Film Library (films)
• Try Laurentine’s Tapping Meditation for Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm (meditation)
• Read about our staff writer Tess’ experience trying Tapping for the first time and how to use the tapping points as a beginner (article)
• Explore the Food Matters guide to treating stress naturally (wellness guide)
• Read Dawson Church’s bestselling book, The Genie in Your Genes (book)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

Vitamin C has been known to treat over 30 major diseases for over 70 years. So why haven't you heard more about it? Especially with the current state of the world.

In today’s eye-opening episode with Dr. Andrew Saul, we’re going back to learn all about the history of orthomolecular medicine. He discusses Vitamin C therapy for disease treatment and how to build a robust immune system, plus how to best prevent sickness.

Dr. Andrew Saul has more than 40 years of experience in natural health education and is the author of Doctor Yourself and Fire Your Doctor, editor of the award-winning book The Orthomolecular Treatment of Chronic Disease, and filmmaker of That Vitamin Movie. As a researcher, he is committed to sharing free, unregulated health information with the world. In this week's episode with Dr. Andrew Saul you’ll discover:

• How good health makes a lot of sense, but not a lot of money.
• The history of orthomolecular medicine and how we can use this simple treatment to our advantage.
• How to use vitamin C for disease treatment, as well as building a robust immune system.
• Everything you need to know about the current healthcare landscape, and navigating the virus.
• Plus much, much more.

Today’s episode will be eye-opening in the way that you look at modern medical treatment, including the somewhat bureaucratic processes, and will illuminate pathways for the future. After all, as Dr. Andrew Saul famously says, “1/4 of what you eat keeps you alive, 3/4 of what you eat keeps your doctor alive.”

Episode resources:

• Watch the first Food Matters documentary (film)
• Read about the successful use of vitamin C therapy in COVID-induced sepsis (article)
• Shop my favorite vitamin C supplement (supplement)
• Discover 10 of the top natural sources of vitamin C (article)
• Explore Dr. Andrew Saul’s website, Doctor Yourself (website)

One of the leading chronic diseases, impacting people globally without discrimination, is diabetes. But is our understanding of this condition as comprehensive as it could be?

There’s so much about diabetes that we don’t know, and there’s so much that we think we know (because of what we’ve been told over the years), but with diabetes cases rising by the day, is it time we start to challenge the status quo?

Today’s episode with Robby Barbaro & Cyrus Khambatta will give you a whole new perspective. Both Robby & Cyrus are type 1 diabetics, so having firsthand experience with the condition, they have made it their life mission to develop a nutrition protocol to reverse insulin resistance that could change the face of disease management for this condition. In this week's episode with Robby Barbaro & Cyrus Khambatta, you’ll discover:

• Why insulin resistance is so dangerous.
• The ultimate nutrition protocol to reverse insulin resistance.
• Robby and Cyrus' first-hand experience with Type 1 Diabetes, and why they made it their mission to help others heal.
• How to eat to avoid disease now and forever.
• Why eating natural sugars could be the key to addressing the rise of diabetes.
• Plus, so much more.

Episode resources:

• Learn more about diabetes in our A-Z Wellness Guide (resource)
• Save your free spot to the Blood Sugar Revolution Summit (online summit)
• Discover Mastering Diabetes, the bestselling book (book)
• Explore 16 of the best foods to control type 2 diabetes (article)

Healing from diabetes, blood sugar-related issues, and weight gain have long been some of the most-requested topics in the Food Matters community, so I couldn't be more excited to share today's life-changing conversation...

When was the first time you came across a new idea about nutrition?

I remember the first time I was confronted with these new, ‘radical’ ideas about nutrition. I was at a Tony Robbins conference, struggling with my own health. And what I discovered in that workshop changed my life.

Why was I not taught this at school? Why was I not taught this by my parents? Why was I not taught this by my family physician, with all of modern medicine’s miracles and food pyramids?

Fed up with struggling with my own health at the time, I thought maybe changing my diet with this new, powerful information might help to improve my symptoms. And as my diet shifted, so did my symptoms. That was my first ‘aha’ moment.

That was when I decided to go deeper. There was so much conflicting information around nutrition, and I didn’t know what was going to help me. So I decided to head ‘back to school’ and started studying nutrition online.

What I uncovered in my studies still shocks me. So much of the nutrition information that we’ve been fed our whole lives is influenced by huge financial food players - and it doesn’t stop there. Healthcare is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Agricultural practices are influenced by government policies.

And this is having a profound impact on our health. Unfortunately, we aren't taught about real nutrition in school. We have a medical profession that is rarely trained to use food as medicine, and the multi-billion dollar fast-food and pharmaceutical industries thrive on misleading consumers.

Studying nutrition changed my life. It helped me cut through the confusion of paleo, veganism, plant-based, intermittent fasting, and more to experience lasting energy, vitality, and improved immunity. It changed not only my life, but that of those around me, for the better. In this week's special episode with me, James Colquhoun, you’ll discover:

• How to find the careers and pathways that belong to you, free from society’s expectations.
• The easiest way to turn your passion for nutrition into a thriving career.
• Why the multi-billion dollar fast-food and pharmaceutical industries thrive on misleading consumers, and how this causes confusing nutrition advice.
• How studying nutrition online helped me change my life, heal my own health, and heal my father’s health, plus inspired a global health movement.
• Plus much, much more.

Studying nutrition online was just the start of an incredible, life-long journey, one that I’m not sure I’ll ever truly reach the end of. But I do know that I am so grateful for beginning the journey all those years ago, and I recommend it to everyone.

Episode resources:

• Learn more about The Food Matters Nutrition Certification Program (program)
• My father Roy’s story, and how he turned his life around (website)
• Walking Barefoot Might Be An Essential Element of Good Health (article)
• “I'm a Food Matters Nutrition Coach, Here's How It's Transformed My Life” (video)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience.

We'll see you next time!

Do you know what’s going on in your body? And I mean, deeply understand?

It’s probably difficult without a microscope, but there’s an ancient healing modality that offers insights into the inner workings of our bodies and offers natural, holistic solutions to heal. It’s called Ayurveda, and it’s an ancient system of medicine that’s been recently gaining widespread attention. It aims to preserve health and wellness by keeping the mind, body, and spirit in balance and preventing disease rather than simply treating it.

Chara Caruthers is a leader in this field of healthcare. Chara Caruthers is a passionate advocate of the power of living your bliss. She’s a senior yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and Ayurvedic consultant with a clear and powerful message... Know Yourself, Love Yourself. And she’s so excited to share it with you.

In this week's episode with Chara you’ll discover:

• The origin and foundations of Ayurveda and why it is more relevant now than ever.
• The healing power of herbs and spices, plus the top herbs to include in your diet.
• The importance of good digestion and rebalancing your doshas.
• How Ayurveda ties in with the yogic philosophy for holistic health.
• And much, much more.

This week’s conversation with Chara is illuminating and inspiring as she gives you the tools to take your health back into your own hands. It’s valuable for each and every one of us, from those living with chronic conditions to those just needing a sprinkle of empowerment.

Episode resources:

• Discover our A-Z Nutrient Guide here (eBook)
• Learn more about Chara Caruthers (website)
• Ayurveda and dosha types for beginners (article)
• 10 healing spices every kitchen should stock (article)
• How Ayurveda can help you heal (article)
• Ginger turmeric shot (recipe)
• Learn how to keep your spices fresher, longer (article)
• Discover Transcendence 2, Episode 4: Healing Herbs & Sacred Medicine (film)

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media or leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you, and hear about your experience with adding herbs and spices into your cooking.