Wellness Unedited

Latham Thomas is the founder of Mama Glow, a celebrity doula, and a doula educator helping more women reclaim the birth experience and find the emotional and spiritual support they need.

She is a member of Oprah's Super Soul 100, Well+Good's Wellness Council, and she is the author of two books – Mama Glow and Own Your Glow.

In this episode, Latham and I discuss her work and mission behind Mama Glow. We also cover important topics like systemic racism in healthcare and how African American and Native American women are disproportionately affected by maternal mortality (they are 4-5 times more likely to die from childbirth or pregnancy-related causes than white women.) We also discuss the dangers of performative or optical allyship and the importance of radical self-care in the current state of the world.

Minute-by-minute topics:

5:19- Latham's mission and story behind Mama Glow

6:15 - What "reclaiming birth" means and the role doulas play in bridging gaps for the care mothers need

8:40 - Systemic and racial inequities in maternal healthcare

10:30 - Racism in healthcare 

20:00- Optical allyship and why performative allyship is harmful

29:00- Taking authentic action to help others

35:00- Radical self-care and "mothering yourself first"

46: 00- Phone fasting

Links:

@mamaglow

@glowmaven

www.mamaglow.com

Mama Glow Doula Home School Education Program

Lulu Ge is the co-founder of Elix Healing, which is a brand that combines the best of ancient wisdom and modern research for a holistic approach to health and menstrual health. Lulu co-founded Elix alongside her friend Nicole, who  is a board-certified acupuncturist and herbalist, with a doctorate in Chinese Medicine and women’s health. Lulu went to Nicole when she was experiencing debilitating cycle-related symptoms and she helped Lulu with a personalized herbal treatment. They joined forces and started Elix to help other women have better access to personalized herbal medicine.

Lulu and I talk about so many great topics today including the importance of democratizing access to holistic health, something she set out to do with her company. Holistic health, functional medicine, herbalism, and even fitness classes should not be something that only a select group of people from a certain socioeconomic background can afford to access -- and Elix is a company that is truly helping make this happen through education and resources that anyone can get on their website.

We also talk about the importance of decolonizing wellness. If you don't know what decolonizing wellness means, Lulu explains it in the interview today in terms of her own experience as a woman of color and a Chinese immigrant.

I know this conversation made me think, reflect and want to learn more -- so I hope it does the same for you.

Topics we discuss:

11:42 - Lulu's background and story behind Elix

19:10 - How Lulu joined forces with her friend, Dr. Nicole

19:50 - The importance of the tongue in Chinese Medicine

22:30 - How your cycle is considered the "fifth vital sign"

25:30 - The statistics behind what symptoms Elix is seeing reported since the onset of COVID-19, like an increase in women reporting burnout, fatigue, mood swings, and extreme pain during their periods 

28:00 - The connection between mental health and hormone health

37:20 - Lulu explains what democratizing access to holistic wellness means

44:15 - Wellness brands' responsibility to educate and not just sell products 

46:06 - What Lulu says the wellness industry can improve upon when it comes to diversity and inclusion 

49:20 - The roots of skepticism in herbal remedies 

49:55 - Systems of oppression and the connection between systemic racism and sexism 

51:45 - Explaining decolonizing wellness 

54:00 - The clean beauty industry's roots in communities of color 

Links:

Elix Healing Website

Elix Healing Instagram

Lulu Ge Instagram

My meditation resource: Ziva Meditation 

More on Wellness Unedited:

Wellnessunedited.com

Instagram: @wellnessuneditedpodcast | @merceylivingston 

Today I'm sitting down with my friend Meredith Wadsworth, founder of The Hye Life. Meredith is a yoga instructor and a certified integrative health practitioner. I'm really excited to share her interview with you because her entire mission with her brand, work, and content she shares is all about honoring yourself every day. I think this is such a beautiful mission, especially in times like these. 

Besides talking about Meredith's work and her journey to becoming a health coach and yoga instructor after working in the fashion industry, we also talk about her own experience with restrictive eating and how she eventually got diagnosed with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA).

We also talk about:

12:00 - The difference between wellness and well-being

14:30 - How Meredith left the fashion industry and found holistic health

16:00 - Discovering IIN and eventually Stephen Cabral and the Integrative Health Practitioner program where she is certified

18:00 - Pros and cons of using diagnostic testing + how optimal lab test ranges are different in functional medicine

24:00 - The supplement debate

25:25 - How stress, emotional energy, and stored trauma affects health 

28:00 - How Meredith became a trainer at P.volve 

33:20 - What it's like to be a fitness instructor in the hyper-competitive NYC fitness industry 

36:00 - Meredith's experience post-birth control and HA diagnosis 

Links:

The Hye Life website

The Hye Life Instagram

Link to Meredith's yoga classes 

This week I'm talking to Jessica Ash, a clinical nutritionist, functional diagnostic nutritionist, and expert on all things hormone health, women's health, gut health, thyroid, and metabolism. 

If you have ever tried low-calorie, low-carb, keto diets, or fasting to find you either did not get the results you want, or felt even worse afterward (like I did), then this episode is a must-listen.

Jess has tried every diet and wellness practice in the book since being diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases and PCOS at a young age. Jess is also a personal trainer and after seeing her own clients fail to lose weight on calorie restriction and tons of cardio, she started diving into the world of hormones to help her clients and heal herself. Now she has a very successful private practice and e-course where she helps countless women find true healing, make peace with their bodies, and heal their relationship with diet and exercise.

In today's episode we talk about:

5:00 min- I share the story behind my personal health struggle with my thyroid and hormones that led me to work with Jess

19:00- How becoming very sick at 15 years old led her to study hormones, nutrition and specialize in women's health

25:00 -Why keto and low-carb diets can be harmful for women's health and hormones

29:13 - How intermittent fasting and low-carb diets can damage women's hormones and cause stress on the body

30:00 - Rethinking sugar and understanding how your cells and brain need it to function well

37:30 - Why reaching ketosis or a "fat-fueled" state is not all it's cracked up to be 

38:00 - Why you can feel good on keto/low carb, but it's not sustainable and how your stress hormones can trick you to feel good

43:55 - Understanding what it means to have a metabolism first approach + what happens when your metabolism is slow

53:00 - Why it's not fair/good to compare our lifestyles to our ancestors 

56:00 - Why thyroid health affects the entire body and the thyroid gut connection

57:00 - Why conventional thyroid treatment can still make you feel bad 

1:02:00 - Discussing birth control from a holistic perspective: how it works, and what post-birth control syndrome is, and why saying birth control is "regulating" your cycle and hormones is a myth

- How BC use (especially long term) can affect fertility and how Jess uses nutrition in her practice to support women therapeutically as they come off the pill

1:14 - Understanding how science studies in nutrition/exercise work and the gender gap problem in research

Links:
Jessica Ash on Instagram: @jessicaashwellness

Website: jessicaashwellness.com 

E-course: Fully Nourished

Books I mention in the intro:

Beyond the Pill - Dr. Jolene Brigthen

This is Your Brain on Birth Control - Dr. Sarah Hill

In this interview, I'm sitting down with Lo Bosworth, the founder of Love Wellness. You may remember Lo from Laguna Beach and The Hills, but Lo's reality TV days are long behind her and she's used her platform to help create an awesome wellness company and product line for women. I've been so impressed with Lo since I first met her a few years ago when I worked at Well+Good. When I was planning this podcast she was one of the first people to come to mind to interview because I think she's just an amazing voice in the space.

Lo is an example of an influencer that uses her platform super intentionally, and I love that. She's talked about so many topics that we need more voices to share about -- like her struggle with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. And Love Wellness's new campaign is all about removing shame and breaking down barriers surrounding women's health issues.

We also talk about:

-What inspired Lo to start her own wellness company

-How Love Wellness is empowering women with body-positive, science-backed info about health

-Removing stigma and shame around women's health issues

-How she creating a community to give women access to credible info and health experts

-What to look for in quality supplements

-How her struggle with anxiety and depression inspired her to start Love Wellness

-How exercising less intensely helps her feel (and look) better

Links:

Love Wellness Website

Lo Bosworth Instagram

Today I'm talking to Chelsea Connors, a therapist and certified life coach about how to manage anxiety, fear, and cope with hard emotions during difficult times. During a crisis like the one we are dealing with, everything feels out of control and this feeling often translates to fear, overwhelm, sadness and anxiety for a lot of people. Chelsea gives tools, tips, and resources for how to take care of your mental and emotional health right now.

We also talk about:

-Tools for coping with anxiety, fear and overwhelm

-Coping with loneliness + lack of IRL connection

-How to turn down the noise + create boundaries around news/social media 

-What to do if you have a history with mental health issues and are worried about relapse 

-How therapy practices are changing/adapting to be more accessible and virtual

-Finding support for mental health + how to find a therapist or coach who is a good fit

Chelsea's Website

Chelsea's Instagram

The Practice Membership program

Connect with me: Instagram + Website

Today I'm talking to Heather Tomazin, a nurse who is currently working on the frontlines with COVID-19 patients in New York City.  I met Heather through an article I wrote for Well+Good about her experience working with COVID-19 patients since early March. 

Heather is new to NYC and graduated pretty recently, but I think she is wise beyond her years. She is literally being thrown into the fire at the beginning of her career with this crisis and I so admire her positivity, her selflessness, and drive to help her patients. 

Topics we cover:

-Heather's experience as a new nurse and recent NYC transplant

-How she volunteered to be one of the first nurses to work on the COVID unit in her hospital

-How she's handling the crisis personally and at work

-How she is coping with new anxiety + managing her mental health

-Her journey with wellness and finding solutions for her health through functional medicine and nutrition

-What she wants people to know that she doesn't think the media is talking about enough

-How to keep the healthcare system from getting overwhelmed

Links:

Well+Good article

Shine App (Heather uses for meditation)

K Health Telemedicine (also ask your doctor if they do telehealth appointments)

CDC Symptom Checker 

Naturally Heather Instagram

In this special short solo episode, I'm telling you all about my experience getting diagnosed with COVID-19, what my symptoms are like, and telling you the things I wish I would have known before I got sick. 

Welcome to the first episode of Wellness Unedited! My name is Mercey Livingston and I'm a wellness journalist on a mission to bring you real, honest and unedited conversations on important wellness topics that matter. On the podcast, I'm talking to some of the most interesting leaders and changemakers in the industry -- like Lauren Roxburgh, aka "The Body Whisperer," in today's episode.

Background on the podcast: I've always loved podcasts since discovering them and producing two shows in the past. Ever since I worked on a wellness podcast specifically I knew I wanted to have an excuse to talk to awesome experts in the space more and ask them all of my burning questions. As a journalist sometimes I can't always explore the topics I really want or the convos I have get very edited into an article, so I see this as a space to dive deeper and have those unedited conversations here. 

Even though I've been planning this podcast for over a year, I decided to pivot the launch and focus on three special episodes in light of the coronavirus pandemic. To say the world has changed in every way in a matter of weeks is an understatement. So I thought about what kind of content might be of most service to people right now and I turned to three amazing people who are helping me feel more inspired, hopeful and cope with what's going on in the world. 

About Lauren Roxburgh:

Lauren Roxburgh is an international best-selling author, speaker and wellness educator and was one of the first people to come to mind for the show since she is such an inspiring person and has some amazing content to share that is so helpful and relevant right now. During today's episode, we talk about her work and how she helps people heal and align their bodies, the emotional-physical connection, how to use movement medicine to help process difficult emotions, clear stagnant energy, and how to boost your immune system holistically.

We also talk about:

-Lo's go-to rituals and practices that are helping her feel grounded, positive and healthy right now

-How to work through hard emotions and choose elevated emotions to help boost your immune system

-The healing benefits of nature and earthing 

-Reframing + avoiding wasting energy on the need to control everything

-Movement medicine and the importance of moving stagnant energy through the body

-How fascia (the body's connective tissue) is connected to your nervous system and the immune system 

-How stress is connected to inflammation in the body and how to rewire your brain to be more resilient to stress

-The power of the subconscious mind

-What this global pause is helping us learn as individuals and as a society

Links:

Lauren Roxburgh website + Instagram

Books: Taller, Slimmer, Younger, and The Power Source

The Aligned Life Online Studio

The Aligned Life Foam Rollers and other healing tools

Join the free The ImmUNITY Boosting Movement Medicine Program

Book Lauren recommends: The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton

Follow me on Instagram: @merceylivingston

Website: wellnessunedited.com