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A Healthy Curiosity

Exploring strategies for holistic health, happiness, and personal evolution: what it takes to be well in a busy world. Blending the wisdom of Chinese Medicine, functional medicine, Ayurveda, neuroscience and psychology, you'll get practical tips you can use right away. You know that health and happiness aren’t things you can outsource. You’ve also got a full plate, you're a giver, and making the time to take care of yourself can be challenging. A Healthy Curiosity is here to support you. Host Brodie Welch, L.Ac., is an expert in Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, a holistic health coach, as well as a teacher and practitioner of qi gong, meditation, yoga, lifestyle and diet counseling who tries to walk her talk about health and mindfulness as a recovering Type-A, parent, and business owner. You'll find interviews with fellow experts in Chinese Medicine and natural health care about the conditions we treat and strategies we use clinically; simple self-care tips to help you feel calm, centered, and energized; and personal chats where we explore what gets in the way of our best intentions: perfectionism, big goals, habits and routines, chronic pain, overwork and overwhelm, boundaries, limiting beliefs — and what it takes to overcome such obstacles mindfully. While not strictly an acupuncture / Chinese Medicine podcast, it's not "not" an acupuncture podcast.
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Now displaying: 2021
Nov 30, 2021

What would you really like to make time for on a regular basis, that somehow keeps getting pushed to the back burner? Whether it's writing a book, starting a meditation practice, or dropping a few pounds, developing a consistent routine is often the key to realizing your goal.

And developing a new routine -- or stopping an old behavior -- is hard. And it's about more than just willpower.

It takes time, energy, strategy, planning, and support.

It takes examining the emotional triggers, and being able to see what hidden subconscious forces might be holding us back.

In this episode, Brodie shares not only share a personal win, but also some of the healing that it took to make it happen. You'll hear which tried-and-true techniques helped her succeed, and an old story she was forced to examine and break up with. May it inspire you to Do the Thing!

On Today’s Solo Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • What helped with keeping a daily exercise commitment for over 13 months
  • Why it’s important to get well acquainted with the forces of resistance
  • How defining what enough is can help us stay balanced

Links:

Episode 120: How to Change Habits with James Clear

Episode 167: Brain Science and Behavior Change with Dr. Kyra Bobinet, MD MPH

Glo yoga app

Aaptiv workout app

Dr. Kristin Neff

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Oct 20, 2021

From time to time, every one of us makes mistakes and bad decisions. Once we recognize what happened, it can often be hard to regain our self-trust.

Kelly Thiel joins us for this conversation to share her own experience of losing self-trust and how she's been able to work on rebuilding it. Her story inspires us to let go of resentment and anger to move forward; to move on from perfectionism and mistakes to find trust in ourselves once again.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • How discernment relates to self-trust in Chinese Medicine
  • What some of the conditions were that led Kelly to the NXIVM cult
  • The difference in the feelings of evolution versus things that are actually dangerous to us
  • Why the answers we seek always come from inside ourselves
  • How she defines enlightenment for herself now

Kelly Thiel is an accomplished voice actress, author, speaker, consultant, and spiritual seeker. She practices yoga, does Pilates, and and has worked with spiritual healers around the world on her personal journey towards enlightenment.

She is also a former member of an abhorrently abusive cult called “NXIVM”, which has been the subject of multiple documentaries on HBO, STARZ, and A+E

Kelly has survived and reckoned with her trauma such that she now helps others conquer theirs.

Kelly is set to release her much anticipated second book in 2021. This candid telling is an inspiring call to action, that champions readers to be their own guru, take ownership, action, and take back control, on their way to becoming “Unapologetically Glorious”.

Links:

The Frank Report - NXIVM Archives

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Dr. Kristin Neff

Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (2020)

Connect with Kelly Thiel:

Website

Instagram

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Explore the Basics of Chinese Medicine course

Oct 6, 2021

Our digestive microbiome supports every other system in our bodies. Since we can't use what we can't digest and what we can't digest can cause problems, we can see cascading effects through our bodies if something's not right.

Here to unpack how the digestive system works and its central role in the body is Dr. Darlene Easton. She brings us some practical insights to help us understand our digestive functions and shift our understanding of our place in the world as living ecosystems.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • Why Dr. Easton thinks everyone should be obsessed with digestion
  • What she would like people to do differently to improve their microbiome and digestive health
  • How we can use Chinese Medicine to address common issues like acid reflux, instead of over-the-counter medications
  • Why bile is so important to our bodies

Dr. Easton earned her MSAOM (1998), MSACN (2011) and DACM (2020). She is an NCCAOM diplomate and board certified CNS. Dr. Easton has earned 2 post-graduate certifications from Guangzhou TCM Hospital and 9 certificates from Zhejiang University Hospital.
With 20 years in higher education, she’s taught all aspects of TCM including dietary therapy and nutrition. She was an associate professor at NY College of Health Professions (1999-2003) and NYCC’s Finger Lakes School of AOM (2003-2019). Dr. Easton is now in private practice offering health and nutritional consulting while she continues to teach online to professionals around the world.

Links:

TCM Hub

Dr. Easton’s Free Resource Handouts

Connect with Dr. Darlene Easton:

Website

Dr.  Easton’s  Online  Course

Facebook

Email

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Aug 18, 2021

Given the stress and restriction of the last year, a lot of us might be carrying around some neck pain or unproductive posture. In the spirit of allowing ourselves to do less than we're humanly capable of, this conversation will address how we can work to reverse these issues with very gentle movements. Movements that invite us to be curious about the sensations we feel rather than trying to force our bodies to move in a certain way.

To help guide us, Kieran Schumaker joins us for this episode to share their unique approach to bodywork. If you're into optimizing the functioning of your autonomic nervous system or the blood flow to your brain, you won't want to miss what Kieran brings to this conversation.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • How Kier started connecting different sets of knowledge they were studying through structural integration
  • What neurovascular release is and how it’s different from structural integration
  • Some background on where the vagus nerve is and what it does in the body
  • A tutorial on a couple self-care strategies for working with the vagus nerve

Kieran Schumaker has been helping people with discomfort and pain discover greater agility and ease of movement while cultivating curiosity and an appreciation for our amazing bodies, for 23 years. A Board Certified Structural Integrator since 2005, Kier has been developing their unique approach to working more specifically with nerves and arteries over the last eleven years.

In addition to working with clients, Kier had been mentoring and teaching other practitioners until the COVID crisis shut down their practice and put an end to in-person classes. In response, Kier started adapting their Neurovascular Release techniques so that they could work with clients over Zoom, and soon after began teaching other practitioners how to lead their clients through self-treatment sessions.

Links:

Rolfing - Dr. Ida Rolf

Connect With Kieran Schumaker:

Email to learn more about their upcoming course!

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Jul 28, 2021

It's been a tough year. As we slowly begin to emerge from, hopefully, the worst of the pandemic, we're also entering the full on yang-mode of summer. In the spirit of self-compassion on the heels of such a trying time, what would it look like to give yourself the gift of doing less? How can we lean into play and joy instead of the temptation of sending all of our energy and attention outwards this season?

These questions are tough to untangle as we try to move from a mode of surviving to one of thriving.

Dr. Yvonne Farrell, DAOM, L.Ac., joins us in this conversation to share her wisdom regarding how we can find the balance between these two phases. She provides insight into how we can attempt to harvest useful things from the pandemic experience in order to pursue meaning and purpose in life.

On Today's Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • Navigating the tension between going with the flow of the summer season and doing what's important to stay balanced
  • How Dr. Farrell uses gratitude as a tool for getting us through
  • Why acupuncture can be a crucial tool for self-examination in times of survival
  • Why grounding and stability are necessary for lasting, effective change
  • How she guides patients through the three levels of qi

Dr. Farrell has been practicing and teaching Chinese Medicine and Channel Theory since 1996.  Her focus is on empowerment of students and patients so that they will embody the spiritual aspects of Chinese Medicine and make them their own. She believes that self-cultivation, self-knowledge and critical thinking are essential in developing capacity as a practitioner of Chinese Medicine.

Yvonne is the author of two books: Psycho Emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and her latest, Acupuncture for Surviving Adversity published by Singing Dragon.

Links:

Psycho Emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels by Dr. Yvonne Farrell

Acupuncture for Surviving Adversity by Dr. Yvonne Farrell

Breath by James Nestor

Dr. Kristin Neff

Connect With Dr. Yvonne Farrell:

Website

Dr. Farrell's Courses

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Free Balancing Yin and Yang Meditation

Jun 23, 2021

Almost everyone that comes through the clinic is dealing with some combination of two things: stress and dampness. This episode is a masterclass, or at least a lengthy public service announcement, on dampness since some of the most common questions that come up are regarding what it is and how to address it.

If you're dealing with tiredness, lethargy, poor digestion, brain fog, congestion, or are struggling with weight loss, understanding more about dampness can change your life. In this episode, you'll hear some guidelines for things to include in your life, but the ultimate focus should always lie on subtracting the dampening effects in the first place.

On Today’s Solo Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • Some things to look for on the tongue, as well as other signs, that can indicate dampness
  • Why dampness usually comes from dietary indiscretions
  • How Phlegm relates to dampness
  • What causes of dampness can occur that don’t come from food

Links:

The Tao of Healthy Eating by Bob Flaws

Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine by Ellen Goldsmith and Maya Klein

Episode 223: Moving Through Trauma with Chinese Medicine with Ellen Goldsmith

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Explore the Basics of Chinese Medicine course

Learn more about the Level Up program

Apply to work with Brodie

Apr 21, 2021

As the world slowly begins to emerge from the worst of the COVID era, there is a lot of collective trauma that we'll be working through for years. While any healing takes time, there are ways to move through trauma in accordance with the principles of Chinese Medicine that invite more ease into the process.

Bringing with her some practical tips for processing grief, being soft with ourselves, and aligning with the season of spring, Ellen Goldsmith joins this conversation to elaborate on ways that Chinese Medicine can support us as we heal from trauma.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • What aspects of Chinese Medicine Ellen identifies as helping to work through difficult times
  • What we can learn by learning from and aligning with the patterns of nature
  • The advice she has for those of us having difficulty being with what is
  • Why resilience and flexibility are so crucial

Ellen Goldsmith is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with over two decades of experience helping people solve their complex health challenges. Her integrative, body- centered and intuitive approach is grounded in years of study and experience in helping people from all walks of life. She is the author of Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine: + 175 Recipes for Optimal Health. She teaches and speaks frequently to professionals and the public as well as consulting for companies and organizations. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Links:

David Kessler

Sighing Until You Yawn 

Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine by Ellen Goldsmith

Episode 104: Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine with Ellen Goldsmith

Episode 006: Energetics of  Food with Ellen Goldsmith

Connect With Ellen Goldsmith  L.Ac.:

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

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Learn more about Brodie's Classes and Meditations

Mar 24, 2021

Maintaining a healthy alignment with our bodies so often comes back to keeping things balanced and our hormones are no different.

Dr. Felice Gersh is dedicated to helping women navigate life in an optimal way, particularly when it comes to the roles hormones play in aging. She joins this conversation to discuss her philosophy on how women can approach supporting their hormonal systems in a variety of ways.

When dealing with hormone imbalances, Dr. Gersh doesn't aim for "natural," but rather an alignment with the body's systems that optimizes physiology.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • Why we need to pay attention to the effects of hormones on women’s health
  • The other roles sex hormones play in the body aside from reproduction
  • How estrogen metabolites interact with and support the heart
  • Why she reframes bio-identical hormones as human identical
  • What the role of testosterone is in women’s bodies

Felice Gersh, M.D. is an award-winning physician with dual board certifications in OB-GYN and Integrative Medicine. She is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, a comprehensive women’s healthcare practice. She taught obstetrics and gynecology at Keck USC School of Medicine for 12 years as an Assistant Clinical Professor and now serves as an Affiliate Faculty Member at the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Felice is the bestselling author of PCOS SOS and has published several articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. She has also appeared in several films and documentary series, including The Real Skinny on Fat with Montel Williams and Fasting with Valter Longo, Ph.D.

Links:

PCOS SOS by Dr. Felice Gersh, M.D.

Connect With Dr. Felice Gersh, M.D.:

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

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Learn more about the kinder, gentler Ayurvedic cleanse

Mar 3, 2021

Chinese Medicine teaches us that winter is a time of quiet and stillness, a time for reflecting and conserving scarce resources.

As we reflect on how we navigate the world, it's also a good time to get radically honest with ourselves about what we're holding space for in our lives. With the podcast entering a new, slower period of creation, it can be helpful to examine and take a break from things that we're keeping in motion just for the sake of motion. We can look inward and honor what our body and mind are telling us - to say no to things that are unnecessary so we can leave space open for the things that are.

On Today’s Solo Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • What the new era of the podcast will focus on
  • An overview of how seasons and timing are reflected in Chinese Medicine
  • Why breaks are so important and yin engenders yang
  • One way to test if tiredness is truly fatigue or just stagnating energy

Links:

Episode 220: Q+A - 5 Elements for Personal Growth & Getting Out of the Way

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Explore the Basics of Chinese Medicine course

Feb 10, 2021

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments in the population.

In this episode, we'll explore how that treatment made it's way into the American mainstream as well as answering some listener questions about the practice. We'll take a look at how the 5 elements interact with different individuals and we'll examine what it means to get out of the way.

On Today’s Solo Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • How the Black Panthers and acupuncture intersected in the early 1970s
  • Why generalizing about the elements can be complicated
  • Commonalities in how Chinese Medicine practitioners can work with people
  • Ideas for getting out of the way to allow healing to happen

Links:

Unusual Tale of Acupuncture, Racism, and African American History in the USA by Dr. Tenisha Dandridge

Mutulu Shakur: On The History Of Acupuncture & COINTELPRO

Lincoln Detox Center: The People’s Drug Program

Radical Health: A Threat to a Nation - Mia Donovan on her new film ‘Dope Is Death’

Dr. Tenisha Dandridge

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Feb 3, 2021

Having recently explored the biomedical aspects of acupuncture on the show, this conversation takes an interesting counterpoint to examine how this modality also walks in the world of energy medicine. In addition to the more physical facets of healing, the power of your body's own intelligence and consciousness plays a very significant role in the process.

Dr. Jill Blakeway works with patients to ground in their physical bodies and connect to their energy field as a means to holistic healing. Her insights guide us into an exploration of ways that we can prompt our bodies to self-healing abilities.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • How acupuncture fits into the energy medicine picture
  • Why a lot of chronic diseases she sees result from miscommunication
  • What role the placebo effect can play in acupuncture
  • Why removing the sense of separate self is crucial to helping patients heal 
  • An example of a practice to help cultivate a connection with your own energy field

Jill Blakeway is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM), a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist (LAc), and clinical herbalist practicing energy healing for over 20 years. Jill founded the Yinova Center in NYC in 1999 and acts as Clinic Director. Blakeway is the co-author of Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility, the author of Sex Again: Recharging your Libido and recently published her third book Energy Medicine: The Science and Mystery of Healing. Jill was the first acupuncturist to ever give a TEDTalk, at TEDGlobal in 2012.

Links:

Electric Frog Face video

Episode 189: The Evidence for Acupuncture with Dr. Mel Hopper Koppelman

Episode 203: How Acupuncture Works - The Science Behind the Healing with Mark Whalen

Episode 206: Chronic Pain, Migraines, Brain Injuries - Acupuncture & Functional Neurology with Dr. Ayla Wolf

Connect With Jill Blakeway:

Website

Books

Blog

Instagram

Facebook

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Jan 27, 2021

Suffering from chronic pain is not a sign of brokenness, it's part of the human experience. If you're interested in exploring the idea of chronic pain and what we can do about it, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Dr. Joe Tatta provides a more contextual approach to chronic pain and explains how mindfulness can aid in the healing process. By learning to relate to our body and mind differently,  we can reconnect with resiliency and begin to heal.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • How the brain contributes to chronic pain
  • Different ways to begin retraining the brain to forget pain
  • What acceptance and commitment therapy is and how it can help with pain
  • Examples of experiential exercises from Dr. Tatta’s book, Radical Relief
  • Why trying to fight negative thoughts can make them more persistent

Dr. Joe Tatta is a global leader in integrative pain care and an advocate for the safe and effective treatment of chronic pain. He is the Founder of the Integrative Pain Science Institute, a cutting-edge health company reinventing pain care through evidence-based treatment, research, and professional development. For 25 years he has supported people living with pain and helped practitioners deliver more effective pain management. His research and career achievements include scalable practice models centered on lifestyle medicine, health behavior change, and digital therapeutics. He is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy trainer. Dr. Tatta is the author of two bestselling books Radical Relief and Heal Your Pain Now and host of The Healing Pain Podcast.

Links:

Episode 58: How to Heal Your  Pain Now with Dr. Joe Tatta

Radical Relief by Dr. Joe Tatta

Heal Your Pain Now by Dr. Joe Tatta

Episode 203: How Acupuncture Works - The Science Behind the Healing with Mark Whalen

Episode 206: Chronic Pain, Migraines, Brain Injuries - Acupuncture & Functional Neurology with Dr. Ayla Wolf

Connect With Dr. Joe Tatta:

Website

Podcast

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter

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Jan 20, 2021

In our journey of learning to embody self-respect, it's always important to include respecting our bodies. After centuries of propaganda from the beauty industry and other societal mechanisms, the internalized oppression against women's bodies has shifted over time, but is as virulent as ever today.

Lauren Geertsen views it as a generational responsibility to end female body hate. As a body connection coach and the author of The Invisible Corset, Lauren shares what she's learned to help us find the innate intelligence of our bodies that can lead us towards wellness and joy.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • Why she wrote The Invisible Corset
  • The societal manipulations that Lauren identifies as the five strings of the corset
  • What advice she has for starting to break down some of this programming
  • An example of a practice to explore in order to be more in partnership with your  body

Lauren Geertsen is a Body Connection Coach who helps women heal their relationship with food and body image. In her previous work as a nutrition consultant, Lauren realized the underlying problem for her clients was distrust of their bodies, which results from wearing the invisible corset. Her website, empoweredsustenance.com, has supported over 40 million readers with holistic recipes and resources.

Links:

The Invisible Corset by Lauren Geertsen

Episode 130: Trusting Your Body with Lauren Geertsen

Floral Song Flower Essences

Connect With Lauren Geertsen:

Website

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

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Jan 6, 2021

A lot of us that are working toward personal growth and evolution are always looking for ways to avoid getting triggered and getting reactive. If you're curious about why it is that, despite your efforts to grow, you're not moving through the world like the most highly evolved version of yourself, this episode is definitely for you.

Michelle Chalfant has designed a manual for life that blends simple psychology and grounded spirituality: The Adult Chair. Despite growing physically, we often don't grow emotionally and spiritually in equal measure so Michelle is here to share advice on how to open our eyes and move to the Adult Chair.

On Today’s Episode of A Healthy Curiosity:

  • What the Adult Chair is and how it relates to the other chairs Michelle references
  • Why we need to recognize when we’re being triggered and own that as our reality
  • How to take 90 seconds to start processing emotions
  • Michelle’s advice for busting up the negative stories that we attach to our emotions

Michelle Chalfant is a therapist, holistic life coach, author, podcaster, motivational speaker and
developer of The Adult Chair Model, a transformational model of self-realization that helps people
across the globe discover who they are, become unstuck, improve their relationships and develop
self-love.

Michelle hosts The Adult Chair podcast, where simple psychology
meets grounded spirituality and where she gives people the tools and techniques needed to find
their power and transform their lives.

With over 25 years of experience in all areas of self-healing, you can learn more about Michelle
and her offerings by visiting TheAdultChair.com.

Links:

Donna Eden

Michelle’s free journaling prompts

The Adult Chair by Michelle Chalfant

Connect With Michelle Chalfant:

The Adult Chair

Podcast

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

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