About the Episode: 

The Cleveland Clinic estimates that 50% of women will experience noticeable hair loss at some in their lives… yet it feels like, with the exception of a few trailblazers, no one is really talking about this issue.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about it!

We’re talking alopecia, post-partum, and unexplained hair loss.

My guest, Lainie Smith, was diagnosed with alopecia in 2016 and bravely and openly shared her story, including a photo of her shaved head, on social media. By doing so, she opened the door for a conversation about female hair loss and was contacted by women around the world, who connected with her story.

Her act of courage also inspired me, personally, to come to a place of acceptance with my own hair loss journey which I had been dealing with for 15 years. I’m also sharing my story candidly in today’s episode.

Listen in for a very open and vulnerable conversation about navigating a situation that can feel devastating for many women.

About Lainie Smith: 

Lainie Smith is a young professional running a product team in the ever-moving SaaS start-up world. As a former university athlete, healthy living has been her life since she can remember. In 2016, Lainie learned first-hand that auto-immune conditions can appear at any time, healthy or not, as she was diagnosed with alopecia areata. Her advice for those also experiencing hair loss? Don’t be scared to talk about what you are going through and find YOUR solution- headbands, wigs, scarves, or even shaving your head. Everyone is different but you will be shocked at the amount of people who are keeping a secret just like yours!

 
 Key Takeaways:

• Accepting your hair loss, rather than resisting it, is key to finding self-love in your new reality. 
• Wigs are cool now- did you get the memo? 
• Openly sharing your experience with something like hair loss paves the way for other women to do the same!

About the Episode: 

Psychics, mediums, intuitives… oh my! 

On today’s episode, we’re exploring our connection with ‘the other side’. Loaded topic – get ready for a super interesting conversation. 

My guest today, Shannon Wright, doesn’t identify with the title ‘Psychic’, due to the connotations associated with it, but she does feel her abilities most closely resemble those of a  ‘Medium’. ‘Mediums’ are traditionally known to be a channel (or medium) to the spirits of those who once lived. Because of Shannon’s affable nature, I have recently taken to calling her the ‘Happy Medium’, a title she hasn’t outright rejected but one that makes her giggle with slight embarrassment. She is not someone who has been looking for a big platform for her work, she is happy with her life exactly as it is and is extremely present- I always describe her and her husband, Gaz, as ‘the real deal’. 

Having said that, Shannon and Gaz, who is also in this type of work, have recently been called to begin sharing their gifts on a broader scale. Recording this podcast episode was a big step for Shannon as she has never ‘gone public’ with her Mediumship. So far, all of her clients have come to her through word of mouth. 

While Shannon says that she hasn’t received a lot of resistance to her work as she’s kept it quite quiet, I am aware that there are people who do not align with the idea that our spirits can leave our physical bodies after our time on earth has expired- let alone that there are people on this planet who have tapped into their capabilities to communicate with those spirits. It can open up a BIG can of worms. 

But while there are many people who are resistant to these beliefs, I have also encountered many who are Medium-curious. I’ve heard questions like; How does it work? What makes a ‘good’ medium? Does everyone have intuitive abilities? (According to Shannon, the answer to the final question is a resounding ‘yes’!). 

This episode Is for you if you want to better understand Mediums and their process. It will definitely help you to see this work in a new light while empowering you to tap into your own intuition! 

About Shannon Wright: 

Shannon Wright has always been an avid traveller and it was during her time exploring New Zealand in her camper van with her adopted dog, Jane, that Shannon Wright met the love of her life, Gareth (Gaz), who helped her to open up her deeper understanding of herself and what this existence is really all about.  She felt their meeting to be a universal realignment to help her realize what it was she was seeking. A deeper connection and understanding of what is. 

Over the following years of personal development, yoga, meditation, and pregnancy/new motherhood she began to unfold what she realized was a connection to her soul self and the spiritual realm within which we live.  She has been expanding her understanding of this innate human ability to speak with spirit /passed loved ones. She believes being connected to spirit is something we are all capable of doing, it is just a matter of bringing ourselves back to it. 

 
Key Takeaways:

• We are all capable of uncovering our intuitive abilities – and many of us even have ‘guides’ that want to support us on this journey through life
• No two Mediums are the same – and thus, no two readings will ever be the same as all messages are interpreted differently by the Medium and client 
• We can start our journey to strengthening our intuition by leading a heart-centered life.

Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_fabric_of_being/
Email: [email protected] 

Resources:

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About the episode: 

As the creator of the ground-breaking HEAL documentary, and most recently the author of the HEAL book, Kelly Noonan Gores has created a movement by sharing the empowering message that we are all capable of self-healing. In HEAL, Kelly brings together internationally-acclaimed spiritual teachers, thought leaders and scientists – as well as patients who have experienced the power of their minds to support their own healing – to drive this message home. On this episode of the Mind Your Own Life podcast, Kelly shares her ‘why’ behind HEAL, the incredible transformations she has witnessed and how her path has shifted since she became a mother. 

Listen and be empowered! 

About Kelly Noonan Gores:

A Los Angeles native, Kelly Noonan Gores grew up in front of the camera acting on and off from the age of 7. She has appeared in over 50 TV commercials, films and TV shows. In 2012 she started Elevative Entertainment with the intention to create conscious media that informs, inspires, and empowers. Kelly is a seeker, a meditator, and enjoys traveling, sports, reading and writing.

Kelly’s documentary HEAL takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our health and ability to heal. The latest science reveals that we are not victims of unchangeable genes, nor should we buy into a scary prognosis. The fact is we have more control over our health and life than we have been taught to believe. This film will empower you with a new understanding of the miraculous nature of the human body and the extraordinary healer within us all. HEAL not only taps into the brilliant minds of leading scientists and spiritual teachers, but follows three people on actual high stakes healing journeys. Healing can be extremely complex and deeply personal, but it can also happen spontaneously in a moment. Through these inspiring and emotional stories we find out what works, what doesn't, and why. 

Key Takeaways:

• The study of epigenetics tells us that, while our genes may be the blueprint, our lifestyle and mindset have immense power when it comes to our health
• The nocebo effect is dangerous; we need to be conscious of our beliefs around statistics- and get a second (or third) opinion about our prognoses
• Oftentimes, medication only quiets the symptom (the smoke alarm) but doesn’t heal the root cause (the fire). 

Diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 18, in her first year of university, after years of troubling digestive symptoms, Megan Marsiglio began an important journey towards educating herself and others about gut health. Within months of her diagnosis, she started ‘The Gut Gazette’, a blog chronicling her experience navigating her illness. Her blog has evolved into so much more. She has become an educator, a patient advocate and even joined forces a Patient Outreach Partner with researchers at IMAGINE. IMAGINE is an ongoing multi-hospital study of the interactions between the inflammation, microbiome, diet and mental health in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

Megan truly took the lemons life handed her and turned them into lemonade. She has been so supportive and encouraging since the launch of Mind Your Own and her journey has inspired me to think bigger!

This episode is for anyone who has personally been diagnosed with a chronic illness, anyone who is dealing with digestive issues, or anyone who needs inspiration on how to turn a difficult situation into something truly incredible. 

About Megan:  

Megan Marsiglio is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, digestive health advocate, wife and mama-to-be. Megan leads Bloomm Agency, a creative marketing and communications studio, and runs The Gut Gazette, a platform (online and offline) for digestive health. The Gut Gazette's aim is to create more awareness and education around gut health, remove stigmas, and inspire self-advocacy. Megan became passionately involved in the digestive health space after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2009 - and since then has been on a mission to remove the poo taboo. 

Key Takeaways:

• You can turn your mess into your message
• Your gut health is the gateway to your overall health; trust it!
• Our individual paths to diagnosis can create trauma that needs healing, especially if you felt you weren’t seen or heard by medical professionals

Naturopathic medicine has been one of the most powerful modalities I have experienced on my healing journey. I love naturopathy because it is a beautiful bridge between my self-healing practices and conventional medicine. The most beneficial part of working with a Naturopathic Doctor is that they look at the human as a whole; how the body is functioning as whole, which includes emotional and mental wellbeing. I first met my guest, Dr. Denise Handscomb ND in 2016, about a year into my diagnosis with MS. I had met with multiple specialists by this point in both the fields of Gastroenterology and Neurology for management of my Crohn’s & MS. Interestingly, the specialists I had seen had never tied my diseases together, other than noting that they were both Autoimmune. I understand that specialists are just that, highly educated and specialized in one area of the body or disease state, but I truly appreciated Dr. Denise’s approach to treating me as a whole human. I feel I was meant to meet Dr. Denise on my healing journey as she has educated me so much about my body as well as my conditions. 

Today’s podcast is for anyone who is interested in Naturopathy or looking for an alternative path to begin their healing journey! Dr. Denise shares her ‘why’ behind becoming a Naturopath, how she works with conventional medicine practitioners, and easy tips to start you on your healing journey today! 

Key Takeaways: 

• It’s all about balance – if you have a good foundation, you can indulge here and there
• Naturopathic Doctors love to work as a team with Conventional MDs 
• Gut health is everything!

I have been on both sides of the spectrum when it comes to feelings and fears around childbirth. Growing up, I played into society’s fearmongering about the immense pain of labour and delivery. It was a real problem for me because I knew I wanted children, but there was a dark cloud looming over how I would ‘deliver’ them earth side. As a teenager, I used to nervously joke that when I ‘grew up’ and was having my children, I wanted to be put to sleep for the births to avoid all pain. Today, that scenario couldn’t be further from what I want/wanted. When I actually ‘grew up’ and got pregnant, it was after my humbling diagnosis Multiple Sclerosis. I was already much more in touch with my body, it’s rhythms and my natural healing capabilities, which led to my preference for an unmedicated birth with minimal intervention – and that’s exactly what I got! Listen in for our unplanned, 3-hour home birth story and why I decided to become a Doula after my incredibly empowering experience. 

Key takeaways

·     Important: an empowered birthing experience doesn’t mean a ‘natural’/unmedicated birth, it just means the birthing person, feels seen, heard and supported during their birth 

·     If you’re pregnant, eat your dates! 

·     The postpartum period is an adjustment and it’s not always easy; knowing that is important. 

One of my biggest fears around sharing my journey and starting ‘Mind Your Own’ was that I would come across as ‘anti-medication’ – or that my belief systems around mindset-work would be taken the wrong way for people who are ill and reliant on pharmaceuticals. This is definitely not the case. I have immense respect for the medical profession.  So many people in my life have received life-saving pharmaceuticals and treatment for serious health concerns. The medications for MS, specifically, are instrumental for many people who have the disease to regain function – which I am so grateful for. I do believe, however, that taking medication is not the only thing we need to do to improve our health outcomes. We must be active participants in our healing- which is what this episode is all about!  

In this episode, I introduce you to Meagan Hardy. Meagan is a wonderful example of someone who has taken her healing into her own hands, in combination with the medication she takes every day that keeps her alive. 

Meagan Hardy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age eight. Having lived with a dis-ease most of her life, she has gone through many stages in how she has managed the illness; beginning with avoidance and eventually leading to education and acceptance. Meagan believes in holistic alternative lifestyle approaches to compliment Western medicine which has made a real difference for her. Recently she co-founded a company called Clean Beauty Forum- an online health community for women to share information and experiences in relation health, wellness & clean beauty. I’m so excited for you to hear Meagan’s story! 

 
Key Takeaways:
·     Empowered action towards better health, in combination with Western Medicine is key 

·     Your work should not make you sicker 

·     Talking about our health with our peers is a game-changer 

Guest: Ally Payetta
Co-founder Ally + Nicholas Photography, Wedding Legends

My guest, Ally Payetta is a spiritual soul, whose purpose has defined her path. As half of Ally + Nicholas Photography, and co-founder of Wedding Legends, Ally has photographed over 135 weddings during her solo career (which she began in 2013) and later, with the love of her life and business partner, Nick. Ally’s love for the couples she feels fortunate to have been able to photograph at such an intimate and emotional time in their lives is palpable. Her passion is capturing the moments that make a wedding such a special and loving event for couples and their families- and she’s incredible at it! Some of her most wonderful accomplishments in photography have been; being named one of ‘Canada’s top 30 under 30’ photographers, having her work published in People magazine, winning Junebug Wedding’s ‘Best Engagement Photo in the World’, and launching a highly anticipated photography workshop series, under Wedding Legends. Being the well-rounded human that she is, Ally’s purpose doesn’t end with photography. Ally continues to hone her skills, specifically in the spiritual realm and she is completing her 200hr YTT designation this winter in Bali with Nick. An entrepreneur at heart, you can expect to see much more from Ally in the future- stay tuned! 

About this episode:

The dead-end, soul-sucking jobs many of our parents suffered through for 40+ years, waiting to receive their pensions, don’t seem to be cutting it for most millennials. Our cohort seems to want more. We want purpose, passion and a great paycheque. We want freedom and flexibility. Overall, I think we all really want joy in our lives. We are the most emotionally conscious generation that has ever existed, and a product of this consciousness is seeking fulfillment in all the areas our lives- and our work is a big part of that. Everywhere you look, you can see those who have ditched the pre-determined way of working, as defined by the generation before us, and are forging new paths and finding big success in non-traditional careers. Enter our Mind Your Own Life podcast guest, the wonderful Ally Payetta. A wedding photographer who has created the life of her dreams by following her passion and purpose in this life. She and her husband Nick have built a wildly successful business together, purchased their dream home and are spending 3 months travelling South East Asia this winter- talk about inspiration. Ally has been a close friend, major role model and one of the biggest cheerleaders in my life for the past three years. Her unwavering encouragement is a big reason why I took the leap of starting Mind Your Own as a place to share my truth. I know that when you hear her story, you, too, will be driven to more closely align with your purpose and allow it to guide you on your path.  

Key Takeaways:

• You’re never going to be done, your purpose will always outgrow you, so keep moving
•  There’s nothing more challenging- or more rewarding- than working for yourself
• When in doubt, pull a card 

10 days after my 27th birthday, I was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Just over two years before, I had been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. It took two chronic, life-altering diagnoses in two years for me to realize that I didn't want to be sick, I wanted to be well. I wanted to lead a full and aligned existence. It took getting to this dark place for me to actually realize that I have a power within myself to heal, and it all started with shifting my mindset. Listen along on the first ever episode of the Mind Your Own Life podcast, as I discuss how I manifested disease, began the self-healing process and recommend small changes you can make to begin your own self-healing journey.

Key takeaways:
- Your diagnosis doesn't have to define you
- #1 tip to kick-start your self-healing journey: establish a daily meditation practice
- Trust the process- it takes time!

Resources:
Diet- The Wahls Protocol: https://www.amazon.ca/Wahls-Protocol-Radical-Autoimmune-Conditions/dp/1583335544/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3eTbp_CV5gIV-BitBh2etAAFEAAYASAAEgJBR_D_BwE&hvadid=208285713969&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000745&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8292504571828564317&hvtargid=kwd-298472877777&hydadcr=14952_9480934&keywords=the+wahls+protocol&qid=1575252365&sr=8-1
Naturopath- Dr. Denise Handscomb: https://abatonim.com/