Published November 1, 2022 Hi, pod fam! This week, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Megan Blacksmith and Dr. Alex Golden, the formidable force behind Zesty Ginger. After individually dealing with chronic hormonal imbalances, the duo developed what’s known as the Four Phase Cycle Approach to help women regain control over their female health. In this episode, we had the opportunity to discuss an array of incredibly important topics, including everything from the irrefutable mind-body connection to seven practical steps you can take to “heal,” whatever that means to you. But first, a bit about Megan and Alex… After having her first child, Megan felt as though she was falling off “the hormonal cliff” and began to experience harmful, intrusive thoughts for the first time in her life. The labs came back normal, but she knew something was off. That’s when she found a functional, holistic doctor who got her thinking about how food, thoughts, etc. truly matter. After this revelatory learning experience, Megan’s second pregnancy was — surprise! — essentially effortless. By getting ahold of her hormones, Megan was able to reclaim power over her life. And that’s when she came across Dr. Alex on Instagram. Alex had issues with her period from the get-go. She was told this was normal, and that everyone was different. But when Alex went to college, she began to experience more and more pelvic pain with symptoms including discomfort while sitting, skin pain, troubles with intimacy, and so on. But, these symptoms were never validated by her doctors. Alex knew women deserved better, so she began taking pre-med classes and, later, attended medical school at the University of Chicago. Still, she felt she didn’t know enough, which led to her interest in functional, integrative medicine. While attempting to get pregnant at 27, it came back that Alex had undiagnosed endometriosis and was entering early menopause with just six months left to be able to try. By looking at her diagnosis through a holistic lens, Alex was able to have two children. In this episode, you’ll hear us talk in depth about the power of the subconsciousness and how brain chemistry is a deciding factor for everything in your daily life. I want to reiterate Dr. Alex’s point that you cannot “exist in a fragmented place” — meaning, you have to account for your complete health while trying to achieve your goal, whether that’s losing weight or regulating your cycle. This is where the “Four Bodies” come in: Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual. In order to reach total fulfillment where happiness and wellness merge, you must nurture the mind-body connection. Simply put, you could take the most amazing supplements in the world, but if you’re not nourishing your mental health, the effort is futile. I get it — it’s totally easier said than done. But Dr. Alex and Megan gave us their seven crucial steps to get there: Step #1: Get your body into parasympathetic mode. There are a few ways to do this. First, try to change the image that pops in your head around a certain feeling, i.e. about your body. Physiologically, you can also activate your body’s “chill out” by doing things like laying with your legs up the wall, tapping, gargling, humming and singing, etc. Step #2: Give your brain clear instructions as to what “identity” you want to hardwire into the brain. Step #3: Acknowledge and clean up the beliefs that undermine or stand in the way of your progress. Step #4: Install your new identity with gained insight. Step #5: Do brain chemistry testing. Step #6: Take real-world action. People often fall off the bandwagon during this step. In order to succeed, you need to install your new identity and habits into your everyday routine. Step #7: Uplevel! Note: Once you change your identity, you are a new person interacting within your previous space. The uplevel point is where everything culminates in the present and you have to let go of what was to move forward. It goes without saying this process takes time. Lucky enough, Dr. Alex and Megan have created a 12-week online Health Transformation Accelerator that teaches you the exact process they use to get the most out of not only health, but life. As always, tune into the podcast for all of the juicy goodness, and be sure to share your thoughts with me on IG: @shoporganicolivia. I can’t wait to hear what you think! Xoxo, Olivia Connect with Megan and Dr. Alex: Follow @zesty_ginger on InstagramWebsite: www.zestyginger.com
4 min read # S3E26 – HOW TO EMBRACE OUR GRIEF TO ACCESS JOY — Dr. Neeta Bhushan on the importance of emotional resilience through life’s relentless hardships
4 min read # S3ES25 – NEURONS THAT FIRE TOGETHER WIRE TOGETHER — Neurophysiologist & coach Louisa Nicola on rewiring your brain to achieve peak physical & mental performance
3 min read # S3E24 – GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH DEATH — Death Doula Caroline Lee dives into the uncomfortable conversation around death and how we can ease the process for us and others