Paul is an addiction counsellor and is the co-founder of Recovery Unplugged, a recovery centre which he started in 2013 and now has several locations in the US. He also started the Face the Music Foundation - a non-profit organization that helps individuals with limited means access addiction treatment, and increase support for substance abuse prevention and aftercare through music-based programs. To top it off, he is the author of : Music is Our Medicine: The Story of Recovery Unplugged.

We talked about the relationship of music and drug use, how humans are unique in using music to create and connect; the rhythm, the vibrations and the lyrics all play a part in the role of helping people overcome their addiction. 

Paul shared some of his personal experiences of using music to help him overcome withdrawal. He also admitted to being star-struck - don't blame him with big names like Steven Tyler, Keith Urban, and Richie Supa!

How a song can anchor memory; how the lyrics give you words to process the difficult emotions; how music is a catalyst to engage everyone on the same path; and how Paul uses music to break the ice with a new client, or bring two people from the opposite sides to "bob in unison" to a song!

The NOVA Southeastern university in Florida is studying Paul's method to look at the science behind it and how to create an evidence-based program for recovery. Recovery Unplugged has some impressive statistics of success behind it, so something must be working!

Paul shares a tip on how to use music in your everyday life to help yourself or someone in need - gift a song! 

Find out more about Paul at Recovery Unplugged and Face the Music, his book, his YouTube channel, and various mainstream media.

Today's podcast, Laurena was interviewed by Philip Watkins N.D. from The INL Podcast.

Laurena spoke about how she went from conventional cosmetic practice to embracing a more holistic approach to skincare.

Laurena's first tool in her toolbox - a very comprehensive questionnaire!

Stokes and Pillsbury coined the term gut-skin axis in 2011

How food impacts our gut diversity and the health of our intestinal barrier, which then impacts on neuroinflammation and the relevance of Substance P in skin health

Observational studies on acne & sugar; eczema & dairy; psoriasis & gluten; rosacea & spicy food, but there's also a lot of individuality in response, hence it's important to review all your symptoms comprehensively

Why sleep, minimising sugary foods and drinks (including artificial sweeteners), drinking water and regular bowel movement are important for skin health.

Then the geeky part - different kinds of microorganisms that can affect skin health; clinical signs and symptoms related to skin conditions; immune-modulating therapies and various peptides for skin conditions.

And finally, Dr. Laurena's best tips for great skin (hint: they're free!)

Grateful for Philip and The INL Podcast to allow us to post the episode here. Check out the INL Podcast as well on your favourite platform!

In this episode, Dr. Vanessa was interviewed by Andrew Cox from Joint Dynamics, for the Joint Dynamics Intelligent Movement podcast. Andrew has kindly agreed to let us share the content on our podcast as well, thank you!

We talked about the acronym N.U.T.S. for stress, the Goldilocks rule about stress and performance, how we manage our "stress bucket", how to use neuroplasticity to change the way we perceive stress, and how calm vs stressful eating can turn our genes on and off - a great example of epigenetic changes, and what general dietary guidelines would be beneficial to mental health.

You can find out more on Joint Dynamics on their website

We get to interview the rock star Dr. Dicken Weatherby, CEO and founder of Optimal DX, a training program and software for analysing blood markers with functional and optimal ranges in mind. 

1) Dr. DW's background and how he came to look at functional lab ranges as his life's work, and he explains the problems with regular lab ranges (which even differ between labs) and how functional lab ranges gives us an insight into your past, present and future health

2) Where the evidence for functional lab ranges come from, and there is really no "normal" range - it all depends on which population you are looking at! Even athletes can have "sub-optimal" liver function!

3) Using a systems approach to identify areas of health issues to further drill deeper, e.g. if a patient complains of fatigue, the most relevant systems would be in adrenal health and blood sugar regulation

4) What should I do if my markers are not "optimal" but I'm not "sick enough yet" to get medicine for treatment? Well, Dr. DW wants to ask you, what does medicine mean to you? Is it a pill, or something else?

5) COVID-19 has made people more aware of co-morbidities such as obesity, cardiovascular and respiratory issues, and the immune system, and has brought nutrients into the limelight, such as vitamin D, zinc and IV vitamin C. The point is to assess you NOW to optimise your biological functioning, so we can maximise your chance of dealing with it as well as possible when you do get it

You can find Dr. Weatherby at OptimalDX.com, Optimal - The Podcast, and his books Blood Chemistry and CBC Analysis: Clinical Laboratory Testing from a Functional Perspective and Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective

Laurena talks to Emily about financial health (yes, this is also part of well-being!). Different cultures have different approaches to financial planning, and Emily shared what brought her to Hong Kong and why she felt aligned with her values of integrity, with purpose and meaning, when helping others work on their financial goals.

1) Having someone with your best interest at heart and compliments your needs. It may be daunting at first and uncomfortable to share sensitive details with a stranger, so find someone you trust.

2) Building a sustainable relationship, and advice on legacy planning

3) The Five Step Action Plan: start early and build good habits; review your insurance coverage; plan for the unexpected; speak to family about goals and aspirations; make plans to pass on the wealth

4) So how much do I need to retire?! Your journey from A to B

5) How to teach and encourage children to learn good financial habits and understanding the value of costs and budgeting

6) Financial health also includes care and responsibility towards our home and our environment, which affects our health and emotional well-being

7) How Emily uses a lifeline to help clients visualise and make financial planning more tangible.

You can find more about Emily at St. James' Place https://www.sjp.asia/ and her email is [email protected]

Laurena and Vanessa finally reunited in this podcast! We warmly welcome Simon Matthews, a psychologist by training and also the CEO of WellCoaches Australia, a health coach certification program that is accredited by the NBHWC.

1) What is a health coach? Simon describes health coaching as the "engine room of lifestyle medicine". Content isn't sufficient to convince people to change their behaviour, but by being convinced that their personal values come to life when they engage in certain behaviours.

2) Skills of health coaching that are evidence-based, such as skilful conversation, motivational interviewing, appreciative enquiry

3) People make changes only when it has a personal meaning to them; also, a habit serves a purpose, so even if it appears to be "bad", we need to find another way to help them resolve the underlying reason for this habit and adopt more beneficial, healthier and sustainable options.

4) What are the pathways to becoming a health coach? Having some guidelines gives consumers confidence what they are getting, and also standardises the quality of health coaches that come from different backgrounds.

5) How to bring coaching into a clinical practice in a patient-centred approach, which is also a practitioner-rewarding approach!

6) What are the current challenges of bringing health coaching into our current healthcare system? We need to see a reform of how things are done now, to a model that encourages people to engage in healthier lifestyle choices.

7) Laurena's experience of running shared medical appointments on stress management in her clinic.

8) What people are suitable to become health coaches? Those with allied health background are in a great position if they want to be NBHWC certified later on, but those who are interested in health coaching (engineers, actors!) are also able to take these courses.

9) The million-dollar question - how do we make this financially viable for all parties involved? The user, the provider, the insurance etc.  All big journeys start with small steps!

To find out more about Simon, please visit his website WellCoaches Australia , and to learn more about health coaching certification, please visit NBHWC

Today we interviewed Laurena’s health coach Stefanie! This is what she has to say about health coaching: 

1. What is a health coach 

2. What skills do you need to be an effective health coach 

3. How are you different to a customer service or clinical assistant 

4. What are some challenges that you face as a health coach 

5. Share some of your experiences of different clients and working with different practitioners.

To find out more about how to become a certified health coach, please visit https://nbhwc.org/ 

We hope you'll join in this movement towards optimal well-being!