The Living Well Pod

In this episode, Crystal chats with Dr. Amy Johnson, psychologist, coach, and creator of The Little School of Big Change, about the mental weight we often carry around decision-making.

We explore:

- why choices, especially those related to our health, often feel so overwhelming

- the illusion that our choices guarantee particular outcomes

- the freedom that comes from letting go of the pressure to get it all “right”

If you’ve ever felt stuck in indecision or burdened by self-blame over past choices, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and offer a lighter, more compassionate perspective on navigating health-related decisions, big and small.

Episode Links:

Dr. Amy Johnson: https://dramyjohnson.com/

Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

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Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US, we’re coming to you a day early with an episode about navigating the holidays with chronic illness. This time of year can bring such a mix of emotions — gratitude, excitement, wonder… overwhelm, loneliness, tension.

In this episode, we’re sharing how we handle the ups and downs of the holiday season: what’s worked for us, how we deal with the challenges that remain, and how we’ve found more moments of peace and joy in the midst of it all.

Whatever the rest of this year brings, we’re here to remind you: it’s okay to take it moment by moment and do what’s right for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving free coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

* Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

* Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

* Join our Substack community

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This week, we’re excited to share a fun and inspiring conversation with our friend and YouTube creator, Jen Lefforge. Jen has built an incredible career as a travel and lifestyle vlogger while navigating the ups and downs of Hashimoto’s disease. We love her unapologetic approach to setting boundaries and how she’s refused to let her diagnosis define or limit her.

Jen’s story is full of practical tips and encouraging insights about trusting your inner wisdom, designing a life that works for you, and saying “yes” to the adventures you’ve been dreaming about—even if you have health challenges.

We hope you find as much inspiration in Jen’s journey as we did!

Episode Links:

Find Jen at www.JenLefforge.com

Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

Join our Substack community

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving free coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

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In this episode, Crystal shares how post-election anxiety flared up her physical symptoms, reminding her of the importance of self-care and letting ourselves truly feel our feelings.

This conversation isn’t about politics. It’s about how easily all of us can get caught up in anxious thinking about external events and how we tend to experience that thinking physically, especially when dealing with health conditions. As Mavis Karn says, “you can’t sneak a thought past your body.”

If you've ever been thrown for a loop by what's going on around you, we hope this episode brings you some comfort and insight.

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving free coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

* Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

* Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

* Join our Substack community

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In today’s episode, we sit down with parenting coach Jessica Silverman to discuss the realities of raising children while navigating health challenges. We talk about the common feelings of guilt and pressure that arise when health issues impact parenting, explore how embracing self-compassion can help us let go of perfection, and share practical pointers for recognizing — and trusting — the resilience in both ourselves and our children.

This episode is filled with gentle encouragement and real talk about finding grace and strength as a parent, even on tough days.

Episode Links:

Find Jess on Instagram or her website.

Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

Join our Substack community

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving free coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

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Today on The Living Well Pod, we’re discussing "medical hexing." While the name might sound fitting for a Halloween episode, we’re not talking about spells, curses, or witchcraft here. Rather, medical hexing describes how the language and labels used by doctors, practitioners, and even friends can shape the way we perceive and experience health diagnoses.

Together, we’ll explore how terms like “chronic” and “incurable” can impact the way we think about our health — and how curiosity can totally shift that impact. We’ll also talk about how the dynamic nature of thought means that no label or diagnosis can actually predict how someone will experience life. And finally, we’ll share what to do if you have, in fact, been “hexed.” Hint: it’s maybe not what you think.

Have you experienced “medical hexing?” Let us know in the comments!

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving free coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

Blog post: Have you been hexed?

Crystal’s Thriving with Gastroparesis Program: https://www.livingwellwithgastroparesis.com/program-signup

Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

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In this episode of The Living Well Pod, we discuss how the relentless pursuit of healing often creates unnecessary pressure and suffering.

Together, we explore questions like:

* Is it up to us to heal ourselves?

* How do we work toward healing without becoming overwhelmed or consumed by it?

* Is healing necessary in order to live well?

We also reflect on how loosening our grip on the need for specific outcomes and, instead, embracing what feels right in the moment has transformed our experiences and reshaped our understanding of what it truly means to heal.

If you’re currently taking a spin on the hamster wheel of healing, we hope this conversation offers a new perspective—and a little bit of peace.

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving live coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

* Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

* Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

* Join our Substack community

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In this episode of The Living Well Pod, we sit down with Mavis Karn, a counselor, educator, and author with over 45 years of experience working with everyone from professional athletes to school children to people in prison. Mavis has a remarkable gift for making profound truths feel simple and accessible, and this conversation is no different.

We explore how our feelings act as a real-time feedback system, reflecting the quality of our thinking and guiding us toward the next right step. Mavis shares how tuning into our feelings — rather than ignoring or numbing them — can help us let go of untrustworthy thoughts, reduce stress, and follow our wisdom and common sense.

One of the things we love most about this episode is Mavis’ reminder that every single person is already equipped with everything they need to navigate life—even if it doesn’t always feel that way. This conversation left us with a wonderful feeling of peace and ease and we hope it does the same for you. ❤️

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving live coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

* Learn more about Mavis at www.MavisKarn.net

* It’s That Simple: A User’s Manual for Human Beings by Mavis Karn (affiliate link)

* Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

* Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

* Join our Substack community

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In this episode of The Living Well Pod, Crystal shares a story about a recent solo trip to New York City that took an unexpected turn when she experienced a full-blown panic attack—something that hasn’t happened in years. Together, we dive into what it means when symptoms we thought we had “under control” resurface and how easy it can be to attach meaning to these moments.

Crystal talks about the small sliver of insight that helped her through the panic, the difference between acting out of fear versus responding with calm, and how this perspective shift applies to both mental and physical health challenges. Samantha shares her own experiences of handling health fluctuations with more patience and less pressure, exploring how approaching these moments with curiosity instead of over-analysis can make all the difference.

If you've ever felt like you’ve taken two steps back in your health journey, this episode is for you.

We now have a SpeakPipe line where you can leave us short audio messages. Call in to suggest topics or guests for the show, share insights you've gained while listening, or let us know if you're interested in receiving live coaching from Crystal & Samantha on an upcoming episode.

Episode Links:

* Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

* Listen to Episode 0: Our Stories

* Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

* Join our Substack community

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Chana Studley suffered for decades with allergies, asthma, cystitis, IBS, chronic pain, and PTSD before discovering something that turned her experience around. Today, she’s an inspiring author, coach, and speaker, living life with a quiet mind and a (mostly) symptom-free body.

In this episode of The Living Well Pod, Chana shares her journey through years of searching for solutions, trying everything from meditation to iridology to chiropractics, and the profound transformation she experienced when she discovered that her well-being wasn’t dependent on finding a “fix.”

Together, we explore how our thoughts shape our experience of pain and illness, how a busy mind can amplify physical symptoms, and how we can find relief and a quieter mental state without doing more. Chana’s insights are a powerful reminder that whether or not our circumstances change, our experience of them can shift dramatically.

Episode Links:

Find Chana Studley online at https://www.chanastudley.com/

Chana’s books: The Myth of Low Self-Esteem, Painless, Very Well, Beyond Diagnosis (affiliate links)

Coaching with Samantha: https://transformative-psych.com

Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

Join our Substack community

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