Full Capacity Living Karen Bush Integrative and Functional Medicine Coaching

Welcome to full capacity living podcast where we talk to those on the cutting edge of holistic and functional medicine healing and those on the front lines.  Supporting you in living your best life.
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One of the most requested conversations in my coaching sessions with my clients is “how do I stay consistent with these healthy practices.  I tend to do well for a month or two and then I fall off because I went on vacation or the kids were sick….”
So in today’s solocast…yes it’s me as the guest! We are going to dive into this conversation around consistency from every angle possible.
We are going to talk the science of mindset and how that affects your habits..we will head over the practical side and share some tools to get you there.
Now…we have talked about a lot of complex topics and healthy living tools here on full capacity living like sauna’s, supplements, exercise ideas, nutrition  but they are of no help if we can’t get ourselves actionable right?  And even the most dedicated among us fall away every once in a while and that is the key.  We can all get there but we can all get ourselves out of it.
Enjoy the podcast and stay tuned for Full Capacity Living podcasts all summer!

https://karenbush.com/

Welcome to Full Capacity living podcast where we talk to those on the cutting edge of holistic and functional medicine healing.  This podcast is sponsored by my health coaching practice Full capacity living…if you want to know more head over to karenbush.com
So todays conversation is with Rachelle Robinett…
Rachelle is a Clinical Herbalist, writer, educator, thought-leader, and life-long naturalist. From growing up on a farm in the Pacific Northwest to working in fashion in NYC, she is an embodiment of the vibrant, modern, multi-hyphenate wellbeing she teaches. Rachelle build her organizations from concept to profitable businesses as the sole founder and CEO—now creating life-changing health for countless people every day.
Rachelle has amassed thousands of hours of teaching, speaking, publishing, and private practice experience, and has worked with more than 100 brands and companies as a consultant, advisor, creator, and partner. She is widely regarded as a vanguard in natural health, and frequently collaborates with industry-leading partners to participate in shaping the future of herbal wellness and related industries.
Her first book is forthcoming from Penguin Life in Summer 2025.
In this conversation today we hit so many great topics.  We dig into her path to herbalism and natural healing, her personal connection to Dr. Jeff Bland the father of Functional Medicine, her philosophy on healing and health which will come as no surprise on this podcast is rooted in lifestyle first and then herbs to support that healthy lifestyle.
We talk specifically about herbs for hormonal health, weight, natural liver support for detox, gut health and the explosion of non alcoholic brews that support your health using a variety of adaptogens…she shares her favorites and homemade versions as well.
I completely love the topic of herbs and this conversation with Rachelle which was so full of ease and fun.  Hope you enjoy it too!
Links from our conversation:

Fullscript link for quality supplements:  https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/kbush

Rachelle Robinette instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rachellerobinett/

Rachelle's website:  https://www.ursupernatural.com/
Books - David Winston - Adaptogens the best book!  https://a.co/d/6eN8kJ4
Michael Pollan.  https://a.co/d/8GLAiWL
Dan Barber.   https://a.co/d/fO8AWHq
Healing with Whole Foods -Pritchard.  https://a.co/d/4NxDRrN
Eating on the wild side - Joe Robinson.   https://a.co/d/bY4tiFq

Today’s conversation is with Rachel Smith who has been practicing weight management medicine or obesity medicine since 2016.
I wanted to have Rachel on the podcast to shed some light on the recent uptick in weight loss medications and offer a balanced opinion about what these medications are all about.
Today we talk about the GLP 1 agonists, semaglutide, ozempic….
We dive into the obesity epidemic, and yes it is an epidemic in our country.
We talk about the drivers of this, people who have dieted all their lives, what the medications actually do and who benefits the most from them.
As a health coach my purpose in having Rachel here for this conversation is really to illuminate the fact that we can’t just take a pill and expect our overall health to improve without putting in the effort.  The fact remains that lifestyle and the choices we make on a daily basis are still the most important part of this weight loss medication journey.
If you take these medications and you don’t focus on eating healthy, protein loaded foods often during the day and focusing on exercising and lifting weights you can be end up in a nutritionally depleted state and with incredible muscle loss.  That is not sustainable nor healthy yet that is happening all over the place.
Rachel and I talk about how to do that and who might be the best candidate for this approach.
This conversation is really important.
I have to say in the beginning I was in the camp of “these medications are not safe and no one should be on them for just weight loss” but I now feel that there are populations of people who can benefit from their use.  Those who have been chronically obese for years, have metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes, NAFLD.  All of these conditions are helped by losing weight but doing it in a way that supports a healthy lifestyle not just taking a pill and not eating.
The research still needs to be done about the connection with the gut microbiome and how that shifts during the medication use.
We talk about how to find someone who can do this work for those who truly would benefit from it and are focused on the safest method and support.
It’s not just for someone who wants to lose 20 lbs and can’t get there…
We also have to consider the mindset and mental health of those who are struggling with weight.  Rachel and I didn’t talk enough about this but maybe that is another podcast.
I have talked about mindset here many times and there is no healthy living without shifting our mindset about what we are capable of and….we are capable of so much more than we could ever imagine.
Digging into the “why” around weight gain and lifestyle choices cannot be ignored.
The medications here are a jump start but they are not effective if you are not changing your eating habits, exercise, sleep, stress and overall lifestyle.  This is so important to take away from this conversation.
So who is Rachel Smith?
Rachel graduated from the Midwifery Institute at Philadelphia University in 2006.
She fell in love with metabolic health and obesity medicine in 2016 after developing a weight management program for a large obstetrical practice.
She trained as a health and wellness coach at Duke University, which is how we know one another…then she obtained advanced training in functional medicine and obesity medicine and switched her focus to obesity medicine.
Rachel has since added a family nurse practitioner degree from Frontier University as well as a Doctorate in Nursing.
As an advance practice nurse Rachel has focused her career on health promotion and patient-centered care working with hormonal and metabolic optimization.
Rachel has been the program director for a successful obesity medicine practice in Bradenton for the past 5 years and has now started her own practice in obesity medicine called Aspect Wellness!
Check show notes for her links!
She is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association, the American Academy of NursePractition

Welcome to The Full Capacity Living Podcast where we talk all things integrative and functional medicine supporting you in living your best life!
If you are not subscribed to the podcast please do…it helps spread the word. Hit the subscribe button on apple or spotify.  Greatly appreciated!
I also want to let you know that you can head over the karenbush.com and sign up for emails, I don’t send a lot but I do send an email to alert you about a new podcast and when you subscribe you will receive my cheat sheet on the top 4 supplements you should consider adding to your daily routine and why.  www.karenbush.com
Now on to the podcast…
My latest conversation is with Dr. Maya Shetreat who is a conventionally trained  Neurologist.
She has an incredible story of moving from the world of conventional medicine into the world of herbalism, master plants, quantum healing and so much more.
Her traditional medical training compliments a very balanced way of looking at healing with indigenous master plants.
We dive into the connection between physical healing, spiritual healing, the science around the gut microbiome and master plants. Her story weaves in new ways of thinking about healing that she teaches to other practitioners.
Her book (👈 click here to purchase) “The Master Plant Experience: the Science, safety and sacred ceremony of psychedelics” is really the catalyst for this conversation.
We talk about micro dosing, macro dosing, quantum dosing (her term and to learn about this listen to the end!!), plant medicine from a whole new perspective and how we really can’t separate out the spiritual healing portion of what is happening in our bodies
What she shares with us is the our physical illnesses are a downstream effect of a spiritual misalignment.
She tells us about her son’s illness, seizure and how this led her to Ecuador to a medicine retreat (which was very different than what she expected) and the learning experience that forever changed her approach to healing.
Link for her first book:  The Dirt Cure: Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child

Link for research article re: neuroplasticity:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36795823/

Welcome back or welcome to the Full Capacity Living podcast where we engage in conversations around health and wellness, functional and integrative medicine and how to live to your fullest capacity.
Today’s podcast is no exception.
My guest is Dr. Patrick Porter of Braintap.
Dr. Porter is widely recognized as an award-winning author, educator, consultant, researcher, entrepreneur, and speaker.   He is an award winning author/speaker and the founder of Braintap (R), the leader in technology-enhanced meditation.  Dr. Porter pioneered the use of brainwave entrainment to improve clarity, sleep and energy and remains at the forefront of scientific research.
He founded BrainTap with the goal of making this technology accessible to everyone. BrainTap offers over 1000 original audio sessions in 12 languages and serves a worldwide user base with its mobile app and headset. Dr. Porter has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, People, Entrepreneur, INC and on ABC, NBC, CBS as an expert in brain health & wellness.
Now…if you haven’t heard of Braintap get ready to hear a deep dive into how Dr. Porter’s work is digging  into the science and practical side of revitalizing your overall wellness through better brain fitness.  We talk about how to activate your brain’s peak potential and tap into different neural pathways for a better and more balanced life.
Dr. Porter’s journey started with his passion for neuropsychology and for helping people become their best selves.  He talks about his experience with his father growing up and how the seeds of change were planted.
Now if you listened to my last podcast with Dr. Steve Bierman, where we talked about the importance of words, language and particularly how we talk to ourselves…Dr. Porter mentions how words can change up to 2300 genetic expressions…meaning the way our genetics express themselves (the field of epigenetic really) and what if your self talk was the thing limiting you from living at your fullest healthiest self?
In this episode we will be talking about how to shift those patterns of self talk using the many programs included in the Brain tap app.  We discuss his work as it relates to alzheimers and dementia, his work with Dr. Dale Bredesen and with Tom Brady in the area of brain health for athletes.
Join Dr. Porter and I for a fascinating conversation about how to change our brains, the missing piece in most of our health journey's.
Links from the conversation:

Receive 10% off all purchases with the code FCL10 - code never expires!

Braintap:  https://braintap.com/

Linked-in:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/drpatrickporter/

Science behind Braintap: https://braintap.com/braintap-science/

 

Welcome back to the Full Capacity living podcast and is this one a mind blower or what?
I love digging into things in the world of health and wellness that are a bit different yet hold a lot of promise.
Well my conversation with Dr. Steve Bierman is just one of those topics
Steve Bierman M.D. received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his doctorate from Northwestern University, School of Medicine. After completing his Family Practice residency at UCSD, he worked nearly 20 years as a board-certified Emergency Physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital, in Encinitas, California.
Here’s where it gets interesting….
His Book “Healing: Beyond Pills and Potions- “is about the impact of ideas on health and healing.”
“It also looks at the kind of ideas patients hold that often contribute to illness, or contrastingly, that can actually contribute to their wellness and overcoming whatever illness they’re fighting,” he added.
Throughout his career,Steve Bierman has incorporated medical hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming, commonly referred to as NLP, to help patients as they prepare for surgery or other types of treatment.
“It’s fair to say the burden of scientific proof still rests on the people who are using these techniques,” Bierman said. “It would go a long way to have well designed studies proving out the points that they maintain.”
based on the results he’s been able to get using hypnosis for helping patients improve their heart rhythms, open their airways or help them through other types of procedures, “it’s very hard to have doubt whether it worked or not.”