Can the pursuit of healthy become unhealthy?

In this episode, I’m joined by Abbie Attwood, a clinical nutritionist and an endurance athlete coach based in San Francisco. Abbie specializes in the intersection of sports nutrition and disordered eating and is passionate about helping athletes of all abilities improve their body image, their relationship with food, and their mindset around exercise.

You’ll hear us discuss:

• Abbie’s experience as a marathon runner training for the Olympic Trials

• What led to her to discover an undiagnosed autoimmune condition and how it shifted her training and ultimately her life

• My experience with overtraining and burnout

• Disordered eating, body image, and mindset in endurance athletes

• What recovery actually looks like

As a health coach, I’ve had my fair share of challenges in my health.

Back in 2004, I first ventured into (what I perceived to be) healthy eating and was dogmatic in counting every calories that came my way. Years later I struggled with a variety of digestive conditions and poor gut health.

Along the way I’ve experimented with a variety of nutritional therapies and have come to learn that not all of them have the same effect, nor are they suited for the long-term, and, depending on one’s approach, can end up doing more harm than good.

In this episode, I share how I’ve adapted to the shifting nutritional needs that my body has required through different phases of my life.

You’ll hear me discuss:

• My health journey from weight loss to fueling for endurance training to repairing my gut health

• The aha moment when my weight plateaued

• How I’ve come full circle with macros

Have you heard of Intermittent Fasting and wondered why it's supposedly good for you? Or how about why you often hear it associated with the Ketogenic Diet? Or have you heard how these things, and being a "fat-adapted" athlete can improve your athletic performance, but aren't quite sure how it works?

In this episode, I'm joined by Jamie Dant, a Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist & Board Certified Nutrition Specialist. For the past 13 years, Jamie has worked in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach & the owner and operator of her own gym.

Jamie specializes in helping female athletes nourish their minds and bodies without restrictive dieting or tons of cardio so they can achieve optimal health and performance.

You'll hear us discuss:

• What is intermittent fasting, it's benefits & how to ease into it

• The relationship between intermittent fasting, the Keto diet & Weight Loss

• How nutrition impacts athletic training & performance

• The role of mindset

And so much more.

In this podcast episode, I’m joined by my running coach, Josh Maio of Gotham City Runners. I started working with Josh back in 2010, took a break while I recovered from overtraining, and recently started working with him again, as I figure out what running looks like for me these days.

While we focused on discussing three topics in this episode:

1. Body Image

2. The Role of the Weight Room

3. And the Importance of Rest

We also talk shop about a number of other topics from personality traits of runners, to the dynamics of the running community, the role social media plays in it, and so much more.

In this episode, I’m joined by Kate Markovitz, a Nutritional Therapy Consultant, a 21-Day Sugar Detox Coach, creator of The Mindfull Makeover program, and an Executive Director with Beautycounter, as well as a holistic lifestyle & personal growth advocate for women who are over media dogma and want to be free and confident in their own skin.

One day a few months ago over on Instagram, she shared how she struggled and overcame Orthorexia (having an unhealthy obsession with being healthy, most commonly through diet and exercise).

I connected to it because in hindsight, Orthorexia was something that I lived through too. So, I invited Kate to join me for a real-people episode to have a deeper discussion on this topic.

You’ll hear us each share:

• Our stories on what led us to develop Orthorexia

• What life was like as we lived through it

• What were the defining moments that pulled us on the other side

• And what helped us most past it

In this episode, I’m joined by Brian Richards, the founder and Lead Product Developer of SaunaSpace, makers of Near Infrared ( NIr) Saunas.

You’ll hear Brian share his personal health struggles with toxic-related acne, adrenal fatigue, brain fog, insomnia and the role that saunas played in restoring his health. He shares how his journey inspired him to create SaunaSpace to help others discover how saunas are a simple the pathway to general health and natural healing.

We also discuss:

• What are Near Infrared saunas and why they are more effective than other saunas

• How saunas resculpt, rebuild and restore the body against the toxic exposures of the modern world

• Why they are so effective for detoxification

• Sunlight and the effects that the different kinds of rays have on the body, EMFs and even the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous systems

In this very important episode, I'm joined by Dr. Jolene Brighten. Dr. Brighten is a Functional Naturopathic Medical Doctor and nutritional biochemist with a focus in women’s endocrine health. She is recognized as a leading expert in Post-Birth Control Syndrome and the long-term side effects associated with hormonal contraceptives.

Dr. Brighten is the author of Beyond the Pill, a 30-day plan to support women on birth control, help them transition off, and eliminate symptoms of post-birth control syndrome.

We discuss:

• Why the pill is problematic

• What is Post-Birth Control syndrome & what to do about it

• How it’s connected to mental health, heart disease, cancer, as well as acne, poor gut health, Leaky Gut Syndrome, adrenal and thyroid dysfunction, SIBO, overtraining and more

When it comes to weight and healthy living, toxins are a critical missing piece to the conversation that’s not talked about enough but can no longer be ignored.

In this episode, I discuss:

• What are obesogens

• The link between toxins and weight

• How unsuspecting items in your home may be interfering with or undermining the hard work you put into being fit and healthy

• Actionable steps you can do to reduce your exposure to obesogens

I first interviewed Jess Hofheimer way back in Episode 016 where she shared her story on overtraining. So if you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go listen to it before you listen to this one.

In that episode you’ll hear Jess talk about how she ran herself into burnout, overtraining and eventually adrenal depletion. At the time recorded that interview, she was embarking on a training cycle for a Spring Marathon, which she successfully ran this past March. While some may view success by the time they finished the race in, Jess’ mindset has shifted.

In this follow-up episode, you’ll hear her share:

• How she now defines her success

• How she trained for this marathon

• What diet and lifestyle habits she did differently this time

• How she recovered from the race

• What “running with integrity” means to her

• What’s next on her race calendar