The Inner Practice-Stories of Healing from the Yoga mat into Life

Healing rarely fits inside a ten-minute appointment or a prescription pad. In this episode of The Inner Practice, we sit down with Dr. Jill Bailey, a physician whose career has evolved from the front lines of small-town family medicine to the deeply emotional terrain of mental health, addiction medicine, and mindfulness.

After fourteen years of walking alongside patients through their most ordinary and extraordinary days, Jill felt called to look beneath the illness to the humanity of the person. Today, she shares her journey as a general practitioner, psychotherapist, researcher, and educator who is helping shape the next generation of doctors at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine.

In this conversation, we explore:

• The Power of Continuity: What fourteen years of family medicine taught Jill about connection, belonging, and the quiet moments that matter most.
• The Shift to Mental Health: Why she transitioned into addiction medicine and how she stays grounded when outcomes are uncertain and non-linear.
• Mindfulness in Medicine: A look at Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), how these practices changed her internal experience of being a doctor.
• Advocacy & Research: Her vital work studying Intimate Partner Violence among physicians and the importance of bringing compassion to the healers themselves.
• A New Vision for Women’s Health: Jill’s upcoming multidisciplinary clinic in Orangeville, designed to be an "unhurried," evidence-based, and welcoming space.

Whether you are a healthcare professional navigating burnout or someone seeking a more compassionate approach to your own well-being, Jill’s insights remind us that the "inner practice" is the ground beneath the lives we build.

Healing is not always loud. Sometimes it is a quiet presence in a room, a pause before speaking, and a willingness to stay when things feel uncertain.

Jill's recommendation:   Amishi Jha "Peak Mind"

If you want to know more about the clinic, check out:  Stillwaterwomenshealth.ca 

Instagram @stillwaterwomenshealth and her professional Instagram is @jillbailey_md

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Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In the fast-paced world of clinical medicine, the "knocks on the door" are relentless. For physicians, the challenge isn't just the sheer volume of work—it’s the high-stakes requirement to maintain focus on minute details while being constantly pulled away by phone calls, urgent interruptions, and the administrative hum of a busy practice.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jill Bailey to explore the intersection of high-level clinical performance and mindfulness. We discuss what mindfulness is and the how and why to integrate it into your life. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed and notice that you struggle in your job, your family, your life, be sure to tune into Dr. Jill Bailey and how she discovered mindfulness and how it truly has become her life's work.

If you want to know more about Dr. Jill Bailey and her work check out

Website: Stillwaterwomenshealth.ca 

Instagram: @stillwaterwomenshealth

Dr. Bailey's professional instagram is:  @jillbailey_md

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this episode of The Inner Practice, host Jackie Vandertuin sits down with Dr. Amy Wheeler—yoga therapist, educator, former varsity athlete, and sports psychologist—to explore what it truly means to live the practices we teach.

Amy’s path began in high-performance sport at the University of Northern Iowa, where she developed a deep understanding of discipline, resilience, and the intelligence of the body. Her journey evolved into sports psychology, working with elite athletes, and later into yoga therapy and integrative healthcare education.

In 2022, her life shifted profoundly with a diagnosis of cancer of the tongue. What followed was not only a personal healing journey, but a deepening of her work in nervous system regulation, emotional intelligence, and whole-person care.

Together, Jackie and Amy explore:

• The intersection of sport psychology and yoga and integrative medicine
• What it means to regulate the nervous system during illness
• How yoga therapy supports healing in both clinical and personal contexts
• The evolving role of integrative health in modern healthcare systems
• Finding resilience, meaning, and presence in the face of uncertainty

Dr. Wheeler is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she trains future practitioners to bring more humanity into healthcare. She is also the CEO of Optimal State of Living and the host of The Yoga Therapy Hour, now in its 10th season.

Find Dr. Amy Wheeler at: 

Instagram:  OptimalStatewithAmyWheeler

Facebook:  Amy Wheeler yoga

Learn more about Dr. Wheeler’s work and tools for nervous system regulation:
 Optimal State App: https://www.optimalstateapp.com 

Listen to Dr. Wheeler's podcast The Yoga Therapy Hour her website at:
https://amywheeler.com/podcasts or listen on your favourite podcast apps

This conversation is a powerful reminder that healing is not separate from life, it is woven into how we meet each moment, especially the difficult ones.

Until next time, take a breath, slow down, and keep returning to your inner practice.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this deeply moving trailer of The Inner Practice, Dr. Amy Wheeler shares an intimate reflection on the moments before undergoing surgery for tongue cancer—and how yoga transformed what could have been a state of fear into one of calm, trust, and inner steadiness.

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by anxiety, Amy describes how she turned inward, grounding herself in a felt sense of being loved. Drawing on her background in yoga therapy and nervous system regulation, she recognized what happens in the body when we move toward fear and consciously chose a different path.

This conversation explores how she accessed a sattvic state, a place of clarity, balance, and well-being, even in the face of uncertainty. It’s a powerful example of what it means to live the practice, not just teach it.

Amy’s story is not about bypassing fear, it’s about understanding it, meeting it, and choosing a different internal experience.

This episode is for anyone navigating illness, uncertainty, or moments that ask us to go deeper into ourselves.

Find Dr. Amy Wheeler at: 

Instagram:  OptimalStatewithAmyWheeler

Facebook:  Amy Wheeler yoga

Learn more about Dr. Wheeler’s work and tools for nervous system regulation:
 Optimal State App: https://www.optimalstateapp.com

Listen to Dr. Wheeler's podcast The Yoga Therapy Hour her website at:
https://amywheeler.com/podcasts or listen on your favourite podcast apps

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this episode of The Inner Practice, host Jackie Vandertuin sits down with Stacie da Ponte for a thoughtful and expansive conversation on spirituality, yoga philosophy, humanism, and the courage to question inherited belief systems.

Raised Roman Catholic and surrounded by cultural and religious diversity, Stacie shares a pivotal moment after 9/11 that prompted her to step away from dogma and begin a lifelong journey of inquiry. Through existentialism, philosophy, and consciousness studies, she sought a framework for living that supports coexistence, compassion, and care for both people and the planet.

Yoga entered Stacie’s life early—not as fitness, but as meditation, prayer, chanting, and mindful presence. Over time, her practice evolved to include asana, breath, and embodied self-study, revealing the deep connection between the physical body, emotional life, and spiritual growth. She reflects on yoga as a practice—not a religion—that invites curiosity, humility, and lived wisdom rather than blind adherence.

This episode explores leaving Plato’s Allegory of a Cave, the value of questioning doctrine, the golden rule of unconditional love, and how yoga offers a slow, honest path toward acceptance, coexistence, and self-understanding.

A powerful listen for anyone interested in yoga philosophy, spiritual exploration, humanism, mindfulness, and living with openness in a complex world.

Book that Stacie recommends:

Rao, A. (2025). Yoga as embodied resistance: A feminist lens on caste, gender, and sacred resilience in yoga history. North Atlantic Books. 

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this trailer Stacie describes Plato's Parable of the Cave.  Stacie delves into the philosophical thought of truth, and how those with different experiences or backgrounds may perceive it, much like spirituality or religion.  Stacie describes how a yoga practice helps us move from conditioned perception and unconscious patterns helps us move toward awareness, clarity and a deeper truth.

Tune into the full episode where Stacie describes growing up as a Roman Catholic and how her journey through faith and life caused her to question and how yoga and her own personal journey continues to facilitate her questions creating some answers!

If you enjoy listening to stories from real people who've experienced transformation and growth from the yoga mat into life, please leave a comment.  If you are interested in being a guest on this podcast, send me an email!  I would love to know your story and possible share it with others!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this second conversation with Cailea Davis, The Inner Practice moves deeper into the lived experience of PTSD within a family system. Together, we explore what it means to witness trauma up close, especially through the lens of of someone who lives with a caregiver who is experiencing PTSD.  

Building on our previous episode, Cailea reflects on her father’s life as a Chief Paramedic and the subtle, often misunderstood ways PTSD showed up at home. We talk about recognizing trauma without language for it, the impact PTSD has on loved ones, and how understanding reflection on her life allowed her to heal and understand.  Cailea describes her healing journey and through her wisdom and authenticity allows us to understand that healing for loved ones is possible and that loving yourself is key to those struggling to understand.

This episode invites listeners to consider how trauma affects entire families, what meaningful support can look like, and why healing happens through connection, patience, and shared humanity.

Listener note: This episode includes discussion of PTSD and suicide. Please listen with care and reach out to local supports if needed.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this deeply moving episode, Cailea Davis shares a powerful and intimate perspective on PTSD, one that is often overlooked: the experience of a child trying to make sense of a parent’s invisible struggle.

Through her story, Cailea reflects on growing up not understanding why her father, a first responder, seemed distant, irritable, and unavailable. As a child, she internalized those moments—wondering if she had done something wrong, asking why he didn’t want to spend time with her, and quietly wishing he could simply be more present. What she didn’t yet have the language for was trauma.

This conversation gently reveals how PTSD can go undetected, especially within families. It’s not always loud or obvious. Sometimes it shows up in silence, in withdrawal, in short tempers, or in emotional absence. And for children, those gaps are often filled with self-blame.

 PTSD can manifest many ways in first responders, including:

• Hypervigilance and being constantly “on edge”
• Irritability or sudden anger
• Emotional numbness or disconnection
• Avoidance of family, conversations, or activities once enjoyed
• Sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue
• Difficulty transitioning from work to home life

Cailea’s story is one of heartbreak, but also of understanding, compassion, and healing. It offers an important reminder: when trauma goes unnamed, it doesn’t disappear, it simply changes shape, often impacting the people closest to us.

This episode invites listeners to look beyond behavior and into the deeper layers of human experience, especially within those who serve on the front lines. It is a conversation about seeing, about softening, and about learning to hold both pain and love at the same time.

Please take care while listening, as this episode touches on trauma and its impacts on families.

If you are someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to supports in your area.  In Canada or the US, call or text 988 to speak to trained counsellors; you are not alone.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this episode of The Inner Practice, we speak with Cailea Davis, a yoga teacher, multidimensional healer whose journey through grief reshaped her life, her work, and her understanding of healing.

Raised in a family devoted to caring for others, Cailea felt called to support people from a young age. But everything changed in 2017 when she lost her father to suicide. That loss sent her on a deeply personal journey inward—one that challenged her identity, her capacity to give, and her relationship to stillness.

Stepping back from her career, Cailea began exploring new ways of reconnecting with herself. Through yoga, bodywork, and the quiet moments she had long avoided, she discovered that healing doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from learning how to pause, listen, and meet yourself honestly.

Today, through her practice Grounded Wellness, Cailea blends athletic therapy, massage, and yoga with an approach centred on presence. Her work is rooted in listening deeply—not just to a client’s words, but to their breath, their body, and the stories held beneath the surface.

In this episode, we explore:

• How grief transformed Cailea’s sense of purpose
• The healing power of stillness and self-awareness
• Why listening is the foundation of truly supporting another person
• How yoga and bodywork helped her rebuild from the inside out
• What it means to hold space with integrity, care, and compassion

This is a conversation about resilience, reconnection, and the gentle truths that surface when we finally become quiet enough to hear them.

If you would like to reach out to Cailea, please follow her at

IG @groundedwellnessbc

Facebook:  Cailea  A Davis

Listener Care Note: This episode includes a discussion of suicide. Please take care when listening and honour your needs.  If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support.  In Canada and the US, please call 988 to speak to a trained counsellor.  Don't navigate this journey alone, there are people who want to help you.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice

In this trailer, Cailea speaks of the heartache and pain of the loss of her father to suicide.   Cailea describes her journey through a path that she felt was carved in stone until her father's death sent her on a path of discovery.

This heartwarming episode that is filled with wisdom and questioning will let you know that you are not alone in your journey filled with grief.  As Cailea describes in this episode, "The deepest roots grow where the strongest winds blow".

This trailer discusses suicide.  Please take care when listening.  If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, please call 988 in both Canada and the US.  Help is available.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If you enjoyed this show, make sure you like, subscribe, follow and download the episode or simply leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you!  Please feel free to share your thoughts, episode ideas or simply to say "hello"!

This episode is sponsored by Jackie Vandertuin Therapy.  With over 30 years of practice as a Certified Athletic Therapist and professor of Athletic Therapy, coupled with her experience as a yoga therapist, Jackie Vandertuin MSc, CAT(C), will help guide you in the management and treatment of various disorders including:  low back pain, sprains, strains, anxiety and depression.  Reach out www.jackievandertuintherapy.com  for a free discovery call.

If would like to be a guest of this podcast, please reach out to jackie@jackievandertuintherapy with a short bio of your story and how yoga has helped you in your journey of healing.

If you are interested in sponsoring an episode or this podcast, reach out to Jackie Vandertuin at [email protected].

Stay in touch at:

Website:  https://www.jackievandertuintherapy.com

Instagram:  jackie_vandertuin_therapy

Facebook:  Jackie Vandertuin Therapy

To support the show, feel free to buy me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/theinnerpractice