Send us Fan Mail

When you pay attention to the natural world around you, it can help to inform shifts and changes happening inside of you.  Tuning into the subtleties of the seasons is one of these practices.

Our society can often feel focused on output, on showing up in the same ways day after day.  But when we tune into plants and animals in nature, it is clear that different seasons call for different ways for interacting with the world.

Last week was Imbolc, a Celtic  celebration of the the point midway to spring.  There is still plenty of winter left, spring is not upon us yet, but when I tune in, I can feel the subtle shift. 

It is often called "the quickening".  Days are getting longer, the light coming back is a tangible thing.  The winter of Solstice time feels really different than the winter of Imbolc time. 

In this episode I will get into the shifts that I notice and how I believe that tuning into these seasonal shifts can help to build resilience. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 2 - The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 3 - What the Vata?!
Episode 10 - Kapha, the Sweet One

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

What do parenting and being an entrepreneur have in common?  Both can have fuzzy boundaries around when you are truly on and off.  Both can be all consuming endeavors that make it difficult to easily take time for yourself. 

The thing is, in order to show up fully as a parent or an entrepreneur, self care needs to be a non-negotiable.   In order to avoid burn out, you need to find that time for yourself even if it feels like it doesn't exist. 

In this week's episode I talk with Heidi Schalk about this.  Heidi is  a business strategy and leadership coach, author, speaker, and host of the Be S.H.E Podcast (Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Empowered.).  She has been featured on FOX,  ABC, NBC, CBS and The Daily Herald and has been named One of the Top 30 Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Look Out for in 2024 by The NYC Journal.  She has spent the past 5 years helping women achieve their goals and build 6 figure businesses they love through her M.O.N.E.Y Mastery System.

Heidi works with female entrepreneurs and gives them the tools and strategies to confidently build successful, online businesses, on their own terms, so they can create their dream life for themselves and loved ones.  She empowers women to be seen and heard so they can make a lasting impact on others in the world with their message and their story.

Heidi has two children ages 14 & 13 who were the reason and catalyst behind starting her entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode:

• Heidi's journey from stay at home mom to single mother and entrepreneur
• How her experience of burn out impacted her parenting and the way she approached her business
• The self care practices that have made the most impact in her life
• How she prioritizes self care in business and parenting

Find Heidi at:

Website: www.heidischalk.com

Earn 6 Figures Now Call: https://calendly.com/heidischalkcoaching/earn6figuresnowcall
Cultivate A Millionaire Mindset: www.heidischalkcoaching.com/summitgift

FB profile: https://www.facebook.com/heidi.lupischalk
FB business page: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchalkCoaching/
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/femaleentrepreneursandleaders/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/heidischalkcoaching/
IG Threads: https://www.threads.net/@heidischalkcoaching
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heidischalk

Podcast: BeShePodcast.com

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever created a vision board or done a meditation that involved imagery or imaging yourself in a certain situation?  If so, then you have used the technique of visualization.  

Visualization is touted as a tool of manifestation culture, an almost magical mystical process of visioning what you want to create and drawing that reality closer.

The reality is that visualization is a powerful tool when combined with action in the world.  And here at the crossroads of woo and pragmatism, there is also science backing up its effectiveness.

In this episode:

• Why visualization works (how it affects the brain)
• Studies showing the power of visualization
• Different types of visualization practices
• How visualization strengthens abstract thinking and the default network of the brain
• Visualization to increase creative problem solving and resilience

Get your Nourished for Resilience Workbook Here:  http://www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook


Related Episodes:

Episode 11 - Why What You Think Matters
Episode 14 - This is Your Brain on Meditation

References:

Slimani M, Tod D, Chaabene H, Miarka B, Chamari K. Effects of Mental Imagery on Muscular Strength in Healthy and Patient Participants: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2016 Aug 5;15(3):434-450. PMID: 27803622; PMCID: PMC4974856.

Carper, S. K. (n.d.). THE NEUROSCIENCE OF VISUALIZATION: HOW IT CAN IMPACT YOUR LIFE. Visiting Sub Conscious. https://visiting-subconscious.com/sci-visualize-brain

Swart, T., MD, PhD (2018). The Source, the secrets of the universe, the science of the brain. HarperOne.

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

What does self care look like for you?  Really, I'd like to know.  One of the things I have been loving about hosting a podcast has been connecting with my guests and learning from them. 

I love the accessibility of a podcast and how it weaves a web of connection and collaboration.

I love collaborating with my guests, but I'd also like to collaborate with you.  I learn so much from hearing people's stories.  There is so much collective wisdom that we all share, and so I want to try and incorporate your wisdom into my podcast.  

Right now my vision is to have a monthly question that you can email me a response to and then have a portion of the first episode of every month where I read the responses.  This is an experiment.  We'll see how it goes.

This month's question is : "What does self care currently look like for you?"  

If you feel called to answer send me an email ([email protected]) with the subject line:  Monthly Question
You can include your name and where you live, but if you would like to remain anonymous, just let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Every year between Halloween and New Years my relationship with sugar gets tested.  This relationship has grown and evolved over the years, but I still find this time challenging.  Anyone else?  

I know I'm not alone because we are literally wired to seek out the sweet taste and industrialization has made it so that we can find it everywhere. 

In this episode:

• The Ayurvedic perspective of the "sweet taste"
• How humans have evolved to seek out the sweet taste
• How a high sugar diet rewires the brain to be less able to resist sugar
• How sugar affects the brain
• The relationship between sugar, the  immune system and autoimmune disease
•  Ways to protect your brain from the effects of sugar and find other sweetness in your life

Related Episodes:

Episode 2:  The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 10:   Kapha, the Sweet One


References:

University of Würzburg. (2022, March 22). How sugar promotes inflammation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 3, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322122836.htm

Ma X, Nan F, Liang H, Shu P, Fan X, Song X, Hou Y, Zhang D. Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation. Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 31;13:988481. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481. PMID: 36119103; PMCID: PMC9471313.

Reichelt, A. (n.d.). A Neuroscientist Explains What Sugar Really Does to Our Brains. Science Alert. https://www.sciencealert.com/research-shows-sugar-can-change-your-brain-here-s-how

Fuhrman, J., MD (n.d.). Negative Effects of Sugar on the Brain. VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-4065218

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Life in the modern world can often feel complicated.  Especially after holidays and all that they entail.  But even in the day to day we encounter experiences, periods of time and symptoms in our bodies that can feel more complicated.  

What if your New Year's resolution, instead of adding more to your plate of to dos, was actually to simplify.  To say "no" more, to incorporate small manageable acts of self care into your day, to begin to weave a net of simplicity that can hold you when life gets complicated.

In this week's episode with Barbara Boyle, we talk about all of this.  Barbara is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Spinal Release Yoga Therapist, practicing through her business, Chandani Ayurveda, where she  specialize in women's health.   And using the Ayurvedic concept of opposites balance, she dives into how to incorporate treating complicated with simple in your life.  

In this week's episode:

• Barbara's story of finding Spinal Release Yoga and Ayurveda to help her heal from chronic pain from a car accident.
• The importance of letting go and doing less (especially for those pitta folks!)
• How to use the concept of treating complicated with simple in your daily life
• The impact of daily routine and how to find freedom through boundaries
• Why simplifying the diet can be beneficial in times of stress

Find Barbara at https://www.chandani-ayurveda.com

and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chandaniayurveda

And check out Barbara's growing collection of recipes here: https://www.chandani-ayurveda.com/recipes

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

This episode was supposed to be about sugar, but as I started it, something else emerged.  I was  thinking about the New Year and about the state of our world and how each new year just seems to be getting a bit weirder these days. 

This is the nature of the world and of nature.  Nothing is fixed and permanent, everything is always changing around us, but some years those changes are really big while other years they are less noticeable. 

It has been a few years of big changes, and it isn't comfortable, and it may be requiring us to rethink what stability looks like.

Instead of trying to control your surroundings to create a sense of stability, what if you became more resilient, more flexible and prepared for life ups and downs so that you can navigate change with the flexibility of a trapeze artist?

Download your free Nourished for Resilience Workbook here:  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Tea is such a common part of daily rituals.  You may even drink tea every day.  But do you ever sit with you tea, find a place of stillness and tune into your senses.  Do you ever use your tea as tool for meditation?  

In this episode with Samantha Jones, (a trauma-informed yoga & meditation teacher, tea ceremonialist and retreat facilitator based in Cleveland, Ohio) we cover a lot of ground, but this relationship with tea is at the heart of her work and our conversation.  

Samantha's  multifaceted role as a space holder centers on self-cultivation and community healing, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness and nervous system regulation. Samantha’s work is framed by a deep reverence for the natural world, sharing practices designed to reconnect individuals to their authentic selves and the profound sacredness of existence.

In this episode we talk about:

• What it means to be a trauma informed yoga teacher
• Samantha's personal journey with yoga and why being trauma informed is important to her
• Tea as a medicine and mindfulness practice
• What happens in a tea ceremony
• Energetics of tea
• How all of these practices help Samantha in working with anxiety

Find Samantha on Instagram @samanthaljones and @livingtea

And here is Samantha's affiliate link for Living Tea:  https://lddy.no/125da 
and a discount code: SAMANTHA

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Why are you interested in self care and nourishing the nervous system?  What is the long game?  Is it just to feel good or is there a deeper reason?

These are some of the questions I've been asking myself throughout my self care journey.  The answer that I come up with again and again is resilience.  To be more resilient in my body, mind and spirit.  To be able to show up more fully for my family, community and the larger world.  

For me there are three major ways that I nourish my nervous system and cultivate resilience - completing stress responses, increasing neural plasticity, and managing Vata and Ojas.   There are many small things I do each day to do this, but these are the roots.

In this episode:

• What is the "window of tolerance" and why is it important to cultivating resilience
• How the window of tolerance and the zones of hyperarousal and hypoarousal correspond to the gunas of the mind
• Why I think completing stress responses, increasing neural plasticity and managing Vata and Ojas are foundational to cultivating resilience
• An explanation of the pillars of a nourished nervous system, and ways to begin to integrate them into your life.
• The pillars are:  Move Your Body, Feed Your Body, Tend Your Mind, Feed your Spirit, Tend Your Spark, Human Connection, Rest, and Sleep

Free Nourished for Resilience Workbook  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook

Related Episodes:

Episode 3 - What the Vata?!
Episode 4 - Nuts and Bolts of the Stress Response Cycle and How to Complete it
Episode 11 - Why What You Think Matters
Episode 13 - Practice Being a Cat
Episode 15 - Vibrancy is a Long Game
Episode 24 - Don't Normalize Sub-Quality Sleep

References:

Wright, A., LMFT (n.d.). What Is the Window of Tolerance, and Why Is It So Important? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-the-whole-beautiful/202205/what-is-the-window-tolerance-and-why-is-it-so-important

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

What you eat is a part of your everyday life.  And you have probably found that certain foods work better with your body than others.  We each have a unique constitution that is partly genetics and partly the imbalances that have accumulated over time.

Ancestral eating recognizes the genetic contribution of our ancestors and how that may affect how we eat today.  It is learning about the foods that were eaten by your ancestors and experimenting with those foods to see what works for your body.

In this week's episode,  Lisa Mase (pronounced Leeza Mah-zay ) shares about ancestral eating practices and how they connect to intuitive eating, food sovereignty and weaving ritual into daily life. 

She also deep dives into how our guts relate to the nervous system via the vagus nerve, and why personalizing nutrition can be beneficial.

Lisa is a board certified nutritionist, herbalist, health coach and author from Italy who now lives on unceded Abenaki land. In their work and teaching, Lisa weaves Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and the Mediterranean Way to provide comprehensive and trauma-informed tools for helping the body heal itself.

Lisa is the author of The Culinary Pharmacy, which explores ancestral healing, intuitive eating, and how to create your personalized nutrition plan.  You can find Lisa's book at: https://www.harmonized-living.com/book

You can learn more about Lisa and the amazing work she does at https://www.harmonized-living.com

Or on Instagram:   @harmonized.living

or Facebook:  harmonized life

Related Episodes: 

Episode 17:  Listen!  Your Body is Talking

Resources:

Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram