In this fun episode on The Wellness Geek, I sat down with the literal Goddess, Abena Boamah. She is a recent graduate achieving her masters in counseling psychology, an educator, a Pisces, and the creator of Hanahana Beauty, an all-natural skincare brand whose mission is to disrupt the global beauty industry. Their intention is to increase accessibility, transparency, and sustainability in all aspects of what they create.

We dive into everything from Abena's personal journey into self-acceptance and doubling down on her strengths to create the Hanahana Beauty brand, to her intentions behind wanting to create more transparency in the beauty industry.

To learn more about her incredible work, company, and their products, visit hanahanabeauty.com

And to connect with Abena herself & follow her journey, connect with her on Instagram at @beanieboamah

Is detoxing a case of one size fits all? (Spoiler alert, it isn't). Do the health benefits of coffee outway the negative press? What is Naturopathy? What is Ayurvedic medicine? And most importantly, how is this all relevant to you? Sit down with Dr. Anjali & I as we dive deep into these topics and more on yet another episode of The Wellness Geek Podcast. And don't forget to check out Dr. Anjali at www.dranjalind.com and on Instagram @dranjali_nd :) And don't forget! The #1 way you can support this podcast is by leaving a review on iTunes! 

How do we protect our energy? What's it like going from being a full-time nurse to becoming a certified yoga instructor on top of that? Sit back with us as we get to know Dara Danielle, (better known by her Instagram handle as @pintsizenurse) as we talk everything from her personal growth with yoga, to her personal growth within social media.

Highlights:

• 3:23 - Dara expresses the importance of allowing people to come into yoga for their own reasons and the inherent mental shift that many people notice when entering the practice.
• 5:30 - Dara describes her personal path from being a full-time nurse, to slowly falling in love with cultivating a healthier lifestyle, which ultimately leads her to yoga. She also describes the change she noticed mentally
• 6:16 - Dara describes the impact yoga had for her first going in on her mental health and ability to take on high stressed work environments
• 8:14 - Dara touches on her experience as a person of color entering int yoga & wellness spaces and the importance of supporting yogis of color when they come to your town to further cultivate a the wellness community you desire.
• 12:19 - Dara explains what made her decide to focus her yoga outreach on women of color.
• 16:18 - Dara describes what her initial experience was when first entering the yoga world.
• 17:00 - We discuss what it's been like for Dara to grow and network with up and coming yogis of color.
• 22:20 - Dara described her path to becoming an online Instagram influencer.
• 23:30 - Dara delves into her top yoga & wellness book recommendations for anyone interested in diving deeper into the practice.
• 25:50 - Dara describes what the concept of protecting her energy means to her.
• 26:00 Dara speaks into the importance of having regular digital detoxes & staying present in the process.
• 28:29 - Dara talks about the organic growth of gaining her Instagram followers through just sharing the many stages of her wellness & academic journeys. She also dives into the importance of sharing the rawness of your journey to better connect with your audience.

Resources:

Connect w/ Dara Danielle @pintsizenurse on Instagram!

Get the Plant-Based Kickstarted Meal Plan Bundle at www.alinaalive.com/MP & use the code WELLGEEK for a 20% off discount!

Follow your host Alina Brown @heyalinaalive on Instagram to get updates on future episodes!

And don't forget guys! The #1 way to support the podcast is by leaving us a review on iTunes!

In this episode, I sit down with Wellness Blogger & Holistic Health Coach Sierra Brown. We discuss everything from what a holistic health coach really is, to what Sierra believes it takes to become a successful blogger in 2018. 

Some highlights include:

3:44 - What is a holistic health coach? Sierra breaks down exactly what they do going way beyond what you eat including aspects of your life like relationships, physical activity, career, and spirituality to just name a few...

5:11 - Sierra explains what her personal health journey was going from having serious health conditions to healing her body through more holistic approaches to her eating habits and lifestyle.

11:14 - We learn about what sparked Sierra's inspiration for making the WholeHeartedChronicles website!

13:04 - Sierra breaks down her three centering intentions when it comes to mindset & staying consistent in her health journey.

16:42 - We also discuss the importance of having a personal commitment with yourself through things like knowing your WHY and creating a vision board for visual reminders.

19:22 - Sierra lays out the average day of a wellness blogger and all the big & small details the come into play when making it your career.

23:43 - We discuss the importance of inclusivity in the online wellness space and how showing our idea of 'perfection' online in wellness can actually intimidate people who might be just getting into it.

31:32 - Sierra talks about her excitement in starting her holistic health coaching business.

36:53 - We talk about the beauty of sharing what we know on building platforms for others trying to do the same thing.

You can find Sierra across all social media platforms @wholeheartedchronicles & on Twitter @_wholeheartedchronicles_

And feel free to reach out to our host Alina Brown on Instagram @heyalinaalive as well!

And don't forget, the #1 way you can support the podcast is by leaving a review on iTunes.

What is Natural Medicine? Is it really possible to tap into the natural rhythms of the body?

In the first episode of Season 2 of The Wellness Geek Podcast, I had the honor of sitting down with Ms. Lashanna Leonard. Lashanna is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Natural Medicine and is the proud founder of LaShanna Leonard Inc., a bicoastal company that serves both Houston Texas and Los Angeles California communities. She is also the editor-in-chief for The Well Life Magazine, a lifestyle brand reaching a global audience of over 1.3 million readers. LaShanna has been penned as the Quintessential Wellpreneur.

Some point we touch on include: 

6:30 Lashanna breaks down what the 6 principles to natural medicine are and why they stand apart from the more conventional approaches to medicine that we might be used to.

7:10 We hit on the importance of listing to the body's natural wisdom when it comes to healing yourself.

10:10 Lashanna's personal journey going from being on tour as a professional dancer to now getting her Doctorate in Natural Medicine.

18:18 We explore common misconceptions surrounding our tireless efforts to achieve weight loss goals and the power our mentality has in actually achieving them. Lashanna also explains how it's a lifelong journey of our relationship with food and stress management that keeps us balanced in the long term.

19:37 We explore how the weight loss industry has been able to capitalize on our insecurities rather than focusing on the root causes of weight gain.

25:22 From an entrepreneurial perspective, Lashanna shares her personal journey within online wellness and the one thing she wishes us all to focus on first.

32:00 Lashanna touches on her Body Fierce Wellness Tour & how it focuses on realigning women with the inherent abilities we all possess deep down. (One of them being our natural ability to multitask!)

37:40 And finally, we learn what the 5 cycles of wellness are and how maintaining these interconnected aspects of life in alignment can allow us to live a healthy & wealthy life.

Lashanna's Info:

http://lashannaleonard.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lashannaleonard/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaShannaLeonard

*Connect w/ Alina on Instagram @heyalinaalive :)

And don't forget! The #1 way you can support ya girl and this podcast is by leaving us a review on iTunes! Go do it now!! lol 

In our final interview on season one of The Wellness Geek Podcast, your host, Alina Brown sits down with Kiah Chism, a Holistic Facilitator based out of Dallas, Texas. Kiah offers everything from Meal Planning to Mindfulness Coaching through her community website, WeAreEnigmatic.com. Along with her degrees in Physiology and Psychology, Kiah is also currently in the middle of pursuing her master's degree while running her own holistic health business, Enigmatic Soul. 

A few highlights from our talk include..

• Kiah's journey from training her whole life to become a professional athlete, to experiencing a life-changing event that would ultimately lead her to discover her true calling of promoting other's growth, through her knowledge of the human mind & body.
• Kiah shares her experience as an entrepreneur with breaking away from the romance of doing it all alone, and the power that lies behind collaboration & mentorship.

• She also dives into how knowing your WHY behind what you're working on can be the anchor you need to stay focused and driven through any trial or tribulation.
• We'll also explore what people can expect from her Mindfulness Coaching and how she can help guide you through identifying limiting beliefs that could be holding you back on subconscious levels.
• Lastly, Kiah shares her wisdom of time management and the impact morning rituals can have on the rest of your day.

All of this, and more in our final interview on Season One of The Wellness Geek Podcast! If you're interested in learning more about what Kiah has to offer, be sure to connect with her at WeAreEnigmatic.com & @KiahChism on Instagram!

And don't forget, even though the podcast is coming to a temporary end, the party isn't over when it comes to health and wellness! Be sure to connect with our host, Alina Brown on Instagram @heyalinaalive & watch her holistic health videos on the YouTube Channel, Alina Alive. 

Sending you all love and light into the new year. Thank you so much for your support & feedback! Peace! 

Is love at first sight real? Have scientists found a free way to increase our memory recall for studying and combat anxiety? Is there really a way to coexist with Facebook friends who have different political opinions than you?

In this segment of Wellness News Wednesday from The Wellness Geek, we answer all of these questions and more.

Sit down with our host, Alina Brown as she searches the web and shares some of the most interesting health and wellness news from the week. 

And don't forget, the #1 way you can support the podcast is by leaving a review on iTunes!

In this episode of The Wellness Geek, Alina Brown sits down with Lauren Nixon, a Washington D.C. based Food Educator who guides people toward building juicy lives by teaching them to cook with real, sustainable food!

A few highlights from the interview include:

- The power of eating what our ancestors ate and how eating locally and sustainably was just an everyday thing for them.

- Easy ways to incorporate healthy cultures and good bacteria back into our diets.

- Lauren's journey from having a 9-5 office job, to becoming an independent Food Educator.

- Lauren extends her knowledge on the importance of knowing your worth as an entrepreneur before expecting others to do so.

- The importance of meeting people from every walk of life in her workshops, right where they're at, and the impact that this mindset can have on your own outreach and community.

All of this and more, in this episode of The Wellness Geek!

Be sure to check Lauren Nixon out at LaurenNixon.com & send her some love on Instagram @larennnixon <3

And don't forget, the #1 way you can support the podcast is by leaving a review on iTunes!

In the first installment of Wellness News Wednesday, Alina dives into what some scientist believe to be the most effective tactic to ensure you go to the gym consistently, the psychology behind nostalgia & why "Make America Great Again" is theorized to be so effective. We'll also look into the negative effects of body-positivity in connection to obesity rates, and a lot more!

In this episode of The Wellness Geek, Alina Brown sits down with Yoga Green Book founder, Carla Christine. They discuss everything from the importance of creating safe spaces for people of color to explore healthy practices like yoga, to how Carla went from a mechanical engineer to a full-on yoga instructor and business owner. We also dive into some of the incredible benefits yoga can play in your life. We hope you enjoy! And if you did, be sure to leave a review on iTunes to support the podcast!

Check out Yoga Green Book! yogagreenbook.com/ Follow YGB on Instagram! www.instagram.com/yogagreenbook/

Sending love & light <3