Harness Your Health

Charis Sederberg
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated weekly

Harness Your Health: Rebuilding Health from the Ground Up is a podcast for individuals and practitioners who feel overwhelmed by conflicting health advice and frustrated by approaches that focus on symptoms instead of systems. Hosted by former oncology nurse and holistic nutrition practitioner Charis Sederberg, this show helps listeners step back from quick fixes and rebuild health through foundational practices that support how the body is designed to heal. Through a balanced lens that bridges conventional medicine and holistic nutrition, each episode offers clarity, context, and practical steps to help you become the builder of your own wellness.

  1. 3 days ago

    Foundations Series, The Hormone Hierarchy: Why Cortisol and Insulin Come First

    If you've been prescribed thyroid medication or hormone replacement therapy, watched your labs move to where your doctor wanted them, and still felt exactly the same — this episode explains why. The short version: those hormones sit downstream of the ones your body actually prioritizes, and if the upstream problem isn't addressed, the medication has nothing to work with. This solo episode is the one I've been promising for several episodes, and I held it until I could frame it the right way. We're not doing a list of every hormone and what it does. We're doing the bird's-eye view: your hormones are one interconnected system, your body ranks them in a strict priority order, and the things at the top of that list — your nervous system, your cortisol, your insulin — decide what's left over for your thyroid and your sex hormones. I walk through the cortisol awakening response and why morning sunlight matters more than any supplement, how chronically elevated cortisol blocks your T4 to T3 conversion, why dysregulated blood sugar quietly shuts down sex hormone production, and the roles your liver and gut microbiome play in clearing estrogen so it doesn't recirculate. I also name the everyday physiological stressors that make your nervous system read "unsafe" — and none of them are what most people expect. If you take one thing from this: don't play Whac-A-Mole with individual hormones. Start upstream. Start with one thing. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: Why hormone replacement therapy and thyroid medication can normalize your labs without changing how you feel, and what that tells you about where the real problem is. (00:02:39 - 00:05:04) How the body's hormone priority order actually works: nervous system first, then cortisol and insulin, with thyroid and sex hormones as conditional, negotiable, and the first to be sacrificed. (00:05:04 - 00:06:07) What the cortisol awakening response is, why morning sunlight within an hour of waking reinforces it, and what the downstream cascade sets in motion. (00:06:07 - 00:07:06) Why chronically elevated cortisol impairs the conversion of inactive T4 into active T3, and why "normal" TSH and T4 labs can hide the problem entirely. (00:07:34 - 00:08:29) How chronic high insulin limits how much estrogen and testosterone your cells can actually use, and what that means for energy, libido, cycles, and fertility. (00:08:29 - 00:10:22) The role of liver function in estrogen metabolism, why poorly cleared hormones recirculate instead of leaving the body, and why that makes adding more hormone a bad idea. (00:10:22 - 00:10:54, 00:16:46 - 00:18:26) The everyday physiological inputs that make your nervous system read unsafe — irregular circadian rhythm, inadequate nutrition, lack of movement, eating late, fasting while already stressed — none of which are what people usually mean by "stress." (00:11:29 - 00:12:54) Why circadian rhythm is the first place to start with cortisol, and why most people never need the cortisol supplements at all once that's in place. (00:20:04 - 00:20:59)     RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  2. 1 Sept

    The Self-Care Trap: Why High-Achieving Women Burn Out and What to Ask Instead, with Carrie Holland, MD

    The skill that helped you succeed at work, the ability to ignore your own needs, is the exact thing keeping you stuck now. That's one of the sharpest observations Carrie Holland makes in this conversation, and it reframes self-care burnout in a way that actually makes sense. We get into why giving yourself a meal plan or a fitness routine isn't the problem, and why understanding the thoughts underneath those habits is the only thing that actually moves the needle long-term. We also talk about why the term "self-care" has become one more thing to fail at, and what to ask yourself instead. Carrie spent over a decade as a family physician before realizing medicine wasn't the finish line she thought it was. That career change in her 30s led her to personal training, health coaching, and eventually life coaching, where she found the work that actually brings everything together. She now works primarily with high-achieving women who have spent years taking care of everyone else, helping them reconnect with themselves and figure out how to start exercising again, eat better, and think differently about what they want. Carrie Holland, MD is the founder of Fit Life with Carrie Holland, MD, and host of the Strong Is A Mindset podcast. She brings the clinical background of a physician and the practical tools of a certified life coach to help women reinsert themselves back into their own lives.   IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - How thoughts drive results through confirmation bias: believing "I'm a hot mess" causes the exact behaviors that prove you right, and why the goal isn't eliminating negative thoughts but managing what you do when they show up. (00:15:35 - 00:19:40) - How the coping skill that got high-achieving women to the top, learning to ignore their own needs, becomes the exact barrier to reconnecting with themselves later in life. (00:21:05 - 00:22:40) - How self-care burnout happens when self-care becomes one more to-do list item to fail at, and why asking "what does relief look like to you?" works better. (00:25:40 - 00:26:40) - Why "what does a life coach do" has a concrete answer: coaches focus on why habits have never worked in the past and address the mindset blocking them, not the plan itself. (00:29:05 - 00:30:30) - Why going from zero exercise to five days a week at 45 minutes predictably fails, and how two 10-minute sessions produces 20 more minutes of movement than someone currently doing nothing. (00:37:00 - 00:38:25)   RESOURCES MENTIONED Carrie Holland MD Website: https://carriehollandmd.com Strong Is A Mindset Podcast: https://carriehollandmd.com/podcast/ Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com   CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  3. 25 Aug

    The Gut-Brain Connection: Why Anxiety and Depression May Start in Your Gut with Jenny Olson

    Forty percent of Americans have quietly stopped doing their normal routines because of digestive symptoms, and most of them never mentioned it to their doctor. That stat stopped me in my tracks when Jenny brought up the Trust Your Gut study, because it captures something I see all the time. People normalizing bloating after every meal, fatigue after eating, and brain fog until their quality of life has eroded without them fully realizing it. The gut isn't operating in isolation, and this episode is really about understanding why symptoms that seem unrelated to digestion, like anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, or mood shifts, may have their roots in an imbalanced microbiome. I'm joined by Jenny Olsen, a board-certified holistic nutritionist with years of clinical experience in functional gut health. Jenny walks us through what a healthy microbiome actually looks like, why dysbiosis is a stage rather than a diagnosis, and how the gut-brain connection is more accurately described as a whole system. She also introduces the concept of psychobiotics and shares research on specific strains shown to blunt stress response and influence mood. If you've been trying to work on your gut health and want to understand the deeper mechanisms behind why you feel the way you do after eating, this one is for you. Jenny Olsen is a board-certified holistic nutritionist and lead clinical science liaison at Microbiome Labs with a background in functional medicine, clinical practice, and public education in the nutraceutical space. She has spent the last decade working at the intersection of gut health, clinical science, and patient outcomes.   IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - Why the microbiome is now understood as a separate living organism whose bacterial genes far outnumber human genes, and why that distinction changed how we test and support gut function. (00:04:45 - 00:09:25) - How dysbiosis is a stage the gut is in rather than a diagnosis you have, and how bloating after every meal and fatigue after eating are warning signs most people normalize for years. (00:14:25 - 00:18:25) - Why conditions like IBS and IBD are now classified as gut-brain disorders, and how fecal transplant studies in mice have replicated depressive-like behavior by transferring the microbiome of patients with both IBD and depression. (00:21:00 - 00:25:45) - How feeling tired after eating and experiencing sudden mental clarity during fasting both point to insufficient bacteria that can't break down food properly, linking gut health and anxiety through a shared inflammation pathway. (00:27:10 - 00:31:40) - How a specific psychobiotic strain, B. longum 1714, was shown to blunt brainwave activity and perceived stress during a social isolation experiment, connecting probiotics for mood to measurable neurological outcomes. (00:34:30 - 00:38:15)   RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com Prime To Nourish: https://primetonourish.com   CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  4. 18 Aug

    Why Am I Always Bloated? A Q&A on Leaky Gut, Nervous System Digestion, and the Two Habits That Actually Move the Needle

    Eating six times a day, something many of us were literally taught to do, turns out to be one of the worst things you can do for your digestive system. In this solo Q&A episode, I work through the most common questions I've been getting since the gut series and nervous system episodes dropped, and the answers keep circling back to two surprisingly simple starting points that most people overlook entirely. I cover why bloating after almost every meal is rarely about the food itself, what the migrating motor complex actually does and why constant snacking shuts it down, and how the parasympathetic state is the non-negotiable foundation beneath every other gut health strategy. We also get into leaky gut, which is absolutely real despite being a wellness buzzword, what morning sunlight has to do with your digestive capacity, and why seed oils and inflammation belong on your radar if your gut feels like a mess. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - Why eating in a sympathetic state is likely the most common and overlooked reason people feel bloated after almost everything they eat, and what parasympathetic eating actually looks like in practice. (00:03:00 - 00:05:30) - How constant snacking and eating six times a day disrupts the migrating motor complex, the internal cleaning system your gut needs to keep food moving and toxins clearing between meals. (00:06:30 - 00:08:30) - Why leaky gut is a real and repairable condition, how the protein zonulin controls your gut's tight junctions, and why chronic stress is likely the number one driver of intestinal permeability. (00:10:00 - 00:15:00) - Why seed oils and inflammation, refined sugar, and refined flour are the dietary factors most worth addressing after you've stabilized your nervous system and meal spacing first. (00:20:00 - 00:21:00) - How morning sunlight triggers the hormonal cascade that drives digestive enzyme output and insulin sensitivity, and why skipping morning light may be quietly undermining your gut health. (00:24:30 - 00:26:00) RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com Prime To Nourish: https://primetonourish.com CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  5. 11 Aug

    A Short Note from Charis

    No episode this week, I recorded a short note instead. See you next Tuesday.

  6. 4 Aug

    Foundation Series, Nervous System: Why Your Body Runs a Safety Check All Day and How to Regulate Your Nervous System from the Ground Up

    Breathwork, cold plunge, and meditation are not where nervous system regulation actually starts. Most people skip the layer underneath all of it, and that missing foundation is exactly why those tools keep falling short. In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on how I actually think about nervous system health, not from a symptom-management angle, but from the ground up. I share what years of working with clients and walking through my own health challenges taught me: that your nervous system is running a constant safety check all day long, and your daily rhythms are either answering that check or ignoring it. We get into why intermittent fasting can backfire badly if your nervous system is already dysregulated, how to build a simple daily health checklist around four anchor questions, and why supporting your adrenals with vitamin C and magnesium for stress is one of the most practical places to start when you feel depleted. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - How to build a daily health checklist using four anchor questions, beginning of day, end of day, energy, and movement, to create the rhythms that compound into real resilience ([00:09:20] - [00:10:40]) - Why your nervous system spends all day checking for safety signals, and why breathwork and cold plunge respond to the nervous system but don't send that fundamental safety signal ([00:11:05] - [00:11:50]) - How skipping breakfast or white-knuckling intermittent fasting when you have a dysregulated nervous system actively works against your ability to regulate stress ([00:11:50] - [00:13:30]) - Why vitamin C and magnesium for stress are the two nutrients to start with when you feel depleted, because they directly support the adrenal glands at the end of the HPA axis ([00:17:05] - [00:17:55]) - How eating in a sympathetic state, in the car, at your desk, or while distracted, shuts down digestion so completely that even a well-timed meal can fail to support your nervous system ([00:21:10] - [00:22:20])   COMING UP IN THE FOUNDATIONS SERIES: Next week: Hormones RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com Prime To Nourish: https://primetonourish.com CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  7. 28 Jul

    Foundations Series, Gut Part 3: Why Diversity & Abundance Matter, and How to Actually Get Enough Fiber

    Your gut microbiome contains more cells than your entire human body, and without enough bacterial diversity, even a client with near-perfect gut diversity can still suffer chronic headaches, fatigue, and a stalled metabolism because abundance matters just as much as variety. That single insight reframes almost everything most people think they know about signs of an unhealthy gut, and it's the thread running through this third and final episode in our Foundations Series on gut health. In this episode, I'm joined again by nutrition student Alexandra as we close out the gut series by going deep on the microbiome itself. We cover what butyrate actually is and why it's the primary fuel source for the cells lining your GI tract, how dysbiosis quietly drives estrogen dominance symptoms by allowing used estrogen metabolites to recirculate instead of being eliminated, and how short-chain fatty acids signal your metabolism between meals. We also get into the practical side of how to add more fiber to your diet without the bloating and discomfort that comes from going too fast, including specific fiber gram counts from real foods like overnight oats, chia seeds, and basil seeds. Alexandra is currently completing her nutrition studies and brings a student's eye to these conversations, asking the questions that help make the biochemistry actually land for everyday listeners. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: - Why a robust microbiome requires both abundance and diversity, and how one client had great variety but still had below-average bacterial levels driving fatigue and headaches (approx. 08:45) - What butyrate is, how bacteria ferment fiber to produce it, and why it fuels GI tract cells while regulating inflammation both locally and systemically (approx. 12:40) - How a disrupted estrobolome prevents your body from clearing used estrogen metabolites, and why constipation and dysbiosis are the primary drivers of estrogen dominance symptoms (approx. 22:40) - How short-chain fatty acids like propionate signal your liver and muscles during fasting periods, and why energy crashes and constant hunger are signs of microbiome dysfunction, not a broken metabolism (approx. 28:00) - Why jumping from 5 grams of fiber per day to 30 grams causes significant symptoms, and how to layer fiber in gradually using overnight oats, chia seeds, basil seeds, and berry or apple compote as the best breakfast for gut health (approx. 37:55) - How the migrating motor complex is disrupted by constant eating, and why a 3-4 hour gap between meals supports both microbiome function and digestive health across all three gut foundations covered in this series (approx. 45:55)   COMING UP IN THE FOUNDATIONS SERIES: Next week: Nervous System Week 6: Hormones RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

  8. 21 Jul

    Foundations Series, Gut Part 2: How to Heal Leaky Gut: The Trifecta Behind Autoimmune Disease, Skin Issues, and a Gut Barrier That's Already Broken

    Having Hashimoto's in remission for seven years with clean bloodwork is not just luck. It's what happens when you treat leaky gut as a foundational issue instead of a side note. That's the lens I bring to this episode, and it's why I keep coming back to the gut barrier as the starting point for understanding so many conditions that seem completely unrelated to digestion. In this episode, Alex and I break down what the gut barrier actually is, how it gets compromised, and what you can realistically do about it. We talk through the cumulative effect of foods that cause leaky gut, from seed oils and emulsifiers to alcohol and NSAIDs. We also get into the autoimmune disease and gut health connection, including the trifecta of genetics, leaky gut, and stress that tends to set autoimmunity in motion, and why people with one autoimmune condition are at higher risk for a second. Alex is a nutrition student who brings a grounded, practical perspective to every conversation. Her questions throughout this episode push the discussion toward real-life application, which I think makes the science a lot easier to act on. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: How leaky gut increases your risk of recurring food poisoning by allowing pathogens to bypass the mucosal immune response that a healthy barrier would handle silently (approx. 08:10) Why the gut barrier being just one cell layer thick means repeated exposure to seed oils, emulsifiers, NSAIDs, and alcohol gradually erodes your protection rather than one meal causing sudden damage (approx. 11:25) Why autoimmune disease and gut health are linked through a three-part trifecta of genetic predisposition, intestinal permeability, and a major stressor, and why having one autoimmune condition significantly raises the odds of developing a second (approx. 23:05) How bone broth supports the tight junctions in your gut barrier through its glutamine and collagen content, and why that support gets canceled out if you're still pouring fuel on the fire with inflammatory inputs (approx. 29:44) Why skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis can be traced back to LPS compounds from gram-negative gut bacteria leaking through a compromised barrier and triggering a whole-body immune response (approx. 35:05)   COMING UP IN THE FOUNDATIONS SERIES: Next week: Microbiome, Gut pt. 3 Week 5: Nervous System Week 6: Hormones And stay tuned for the rest, hormones, nervous system and going back to the basics with nutrition!  RESOURCES MENTIONED Health Foundations Assessment: https://foundations.primetonourish.com CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW Subscribe to the podcast for upcoming episodes on nutrition, digestion, nervous system regulation, and circadian health. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish (https://primetonourish.com/) and take the Health Foundations Assessment (https://foundations.primetonourish.com/).

See All (25)

Trailer

About

Harness Your Health: Rebuilding Health from the Ground Up is a podcast for individuals and practitioners who feel overwhelmed by conflicting health advice and frustrated by approaches that focus on symptoms instead of systems. Hosted by former oncology nurse and holistic nutrition practitioner Charis Sederberg, this show helps listeners step back from quick fixes and rebuild health through foundational practices that support how the body is designed to heal. Through a balanced lens that bridges conventional medicine and holistic nutrition, each episode offers clarity, context, and practical steps to help you become the builder of your own wellness.

Information