TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z

Dr. Z
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z—where we are redefining health and empowering change. Hosted by Dr. Z, creator of the T.R.U.E. Wellness Framework, this podcast is your gateway to unlocking true health and vitality. Each episode explores the foundational components of TRUE Wellness, including personalized health protocols, connecting with your body, balancing hormones, managing stress, and cultivating emotional well-being and self-growth. Through thought-provoking interviews with leading experts, inspiring healing stories, and actionable insights, TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z uncovers new ideas and practical strategies to empower your journey toward a healthier, more vibrant life. Whether diving deep into the root causes of dis-ease or discovering groundbreaking approaches to holistic living, this podcast invites you to rethink wellness and embrace lasting transformation.Dr. Z, PhD, is a passionate advocate for holistic health and natural solutions. With expertise in functional medicine, nutrition, bioenergetics, and mindset transformation she holds a PhD in Natural Medicine, a MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an MBA, and a BA in Psychology and Education. Dr. Z is the owner of South Bay Wellness (www.SouthBayWellness.com) and has been in practice for nearly two decades. She has helped countless individuals reclaim their health and embrace balanced, vibrant living. Her mission is to empower you to unlock your true potential and thrive. If you’re ready to explore new perspectives, uncover hidden opportunities for growth, and thrive in every aspect of your life, tune in and join the conversation today.Visit www.DrZTRUEWellness.com to learn more.

  1. 5d ago

    Why You're Exhausted, Foggy, Gaining Weight, and Nobody Can Tell You Why

    You're exhausted in a way sleep doesn't fix. You've gained weight that won't come off. You lose your words mid-sentence, you snap at people you love, and your labs keep coming back fine. Those aren't separate problems. They're one thing showing up in seven different places, and it's why everything you've tried works for a few weeks and then stops. This is the full explanation of survival mode: what it is, what it does to cortisol, blood sugar, and your nervous system, and why your body is doing every bit of it to protect you. I walk through each symptom and show you the same root underneath it: Exhaustion that rest doesn't touch. The 3pm crash and the sugar craving you can't talk yourself out of. Being wide awake at 11pm after being tired all day. Weight your body won't let go of. Brain fog and losing your words. Snapping at people you love. And losing your desire for sex, which is the symptom women apologize for before they'll even mention it. Nothing here is a diagnosis, and nothing here replaces care from your own doctor. There's no supplement to buy and no meal plan at the end. This is an explanation of the mechanism, and what actually moves it. 📥 FREE GUIDE: 5 Signs Your Body Is Stuck in Survival Mode: https://go.southbaywellness.com/5signs FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  2. Sep 24

    3 Signs Your Body Is Stuck in Survival Mode (And Why Rest Isn't Fixing It)

    Tired all day, then wide awake the second you get into bed? That's not two problems. That's one — and it means your body is stuck in survival mode. Survival mode is a real physical state. Your nervous system has a gear for handling danger. It's built to switch on for a moment and then switch off. But when you've been carrying everything for years, your body stops treating that gear as an emergency setting and starts treating it as normal. It isn't malfunctioning — it's protecting you. It just hasn't been told it can stand down. In this episode I go deeper on the three signs from my short video: Tired and wired — you're exhausted and you can't switch offNo buffer — small things set you off, and then you feel awfulYou can't be still — you finally get quiet time and you're up in ninety secondsFor each one: what your body is protecting you from, and why the usual advice (sleep hygiene, "be more patient," "just relax") backfires. Then the simplest thing that actually helps your nervous system come out of it. This is not medical advice and it doesn't replace care from your own provider. It's one conversation about what's happening in your body and why. ▶️ Watch the short version first:  https://youtu.be/R7szZ6g0j14 If this is the kind of thing you want more of, subscribe. I break down what's actually happening in your body, one video at a time. #survivalmode #nervoussystem #perimenopause FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  3. Sep 17

    Why Your Body Won't Let Go of the Weight (And It's Not Willpower)

    Day nine. She's standing in the kitchen at four in the afternoon, eating crackers out of the sleeve, and the sentence in her head isn't "I'm hungry." It's "what is wrong with me." She'd been perfect for nine days. That's the fourth diet this year. She's fifty-one. In this episode I want to explain what was actually happening in that kitchen — because it was not a failure of character, and it wasn't close to one. A body that doesn't believe conditions are safe holds on. That's not a malfunction. That's the job. And five things had been telling her body exactly that, for years: the restriction itself, an alarm that never switched off, sleep that wasn't restoring her, exercise stacked on top of an already-loaded system, and twenty years of evidence she'd handed it in good faith while trying to get healthy. Who this is for:  women in their forties, fifties and sixties who have done every plan properly, lost it, watched it come back, and been told the problem is discipline. A note: nothing here is medical advice, and nothing here tells you to stop a plan you're on or change anything your doctor has advised. This is one conversation about mechanism. If this is the kind of thing you want more of, subscribe. New episode every week. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  4. Sep 10

    Stop Performing 'Fine': Breaking Automatic Habits and Leading an Authentic Life | Will Steel & Dr. Z

    Dr. Z sits down with leadership coach and former RAF pilot Will Steel to unpack a claim that stops most people in their tracks: that we're not authentic at all — we're pretending, and pretending that we're not pretending, without ever realizing it. The conversation moves from the "I'm fine" performance so many high-achieving women live inside, to why willpower is the wrong tool for lasting change, to the real fix — building external structures (calendars, accountability, promises to yourself) strong enough that you can't talk yourself out of who you say you are.   Will and Dr. Z dig into habit stacking, the self-sabotage that shows up right before a breakthrough, and the childhood decisions that quietly write the rules we live by as adults (including stories from both of their own lives). Will closes with the concept of Fitra — the pure, unforced essence of who you already are — and a single question worth sitting with: what do you really want?    Will Steel is a former Royal Air Force pilot and recipient of the Leadership Trophy at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He went on to spend more than two decades as a senior leader inside a premier global personal-development organization, delivering transformational programs to tens of thousands of people — over 90,000, per his website — across 26 countries in 18 languages.   Today Will is the CEO of Free to Lead and the author of the #1 international bestseller Free to Lead: Unleash Your Hidden Leadership Genius, which uses an ontological coaching approach to help clients uncover the hidden beliefs and automatic patterns that quietly run their lives. His coaching clients range from first-time managers to CEOs and global entrepreneurs, many of them across the Middle East.   Will lives by the coast, where he surfs, walks his dog Bubbles on the beach, and keeps to a strength routine he's followed almost without fail for over two decades — proof, he says, of what's possible once you build the right structures around yourself.   Will Steel Links Website: https://willsteel.com/ Free To Lead Book: https://willsteel.com/freetolead.php LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/will-steel-business-coach-high-performance-transformation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willsteelcoaching/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willsteelcoaching/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@willsteel Schedule a 15min Call (to see if and how I can help you): https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/LOmkl6JnKkjSJJAt9Csm FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  5. Sep 3

    The Breathwork Study That Beat Medication for Anxiety | Andrew Keaveney & Dr. Z

    Ever been told to "just breathe and relax" when you're running on empty and it didn't work? In this episode of TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z, Dr. Danielle Zanzarov sits down with breathwork and meditation teacher Andrew Keaveney (Art of Living Foundation) to unpack why meditation feels so hard at first, how breathwork physically shifts your nervous system out of "go mode," and why rest not more hustle is the missing piece for burned-out, high-achieving women. Andrew spent 4 years living in an ashram in India and has spent the last 17 years teaching breathwork and meditation even though he couldn't meditate himself while chairing the Buddhist club at Stanford. He's helped launch a retreat center in North Carolina and made a documentary following people using breathwork in addiction recovery. In this conversation, he leads a live guided breathing exercise and walks through the research on how breathwork affects gene expression, cortisol, anxiety recovery, and impulse control. In this episode: 1. Why meditation feels like opening Pandora's box before it feels peaceful 2. How to stop "compartmentalizing your happiness" for later 3. A live guided breathwork practice you can follow along with 4. What the research says about breathwork, stress hormones, and the nervous system 5. How breathwork gave people struggling with addiction back their sense of choice 6. 3 practical steps to start a daily practice, even with 10 minutes Follow Andrew Keaveney: Instagram @andrew.keaveney and Substack | Art of Living USA: Instagram @artoflivingusa or artofliving.org FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  6. Aug 27

    Hormones or Airway? The Sleep Mistake Women Miss

    Stress. Hormones. Perimenopause. Anxiety. Thyroid. For a lot of women, those five labels are really one missed diagnosis — sleep apnea — screened by a test built around how it shows up in men. In this episode, Dr. Z sits down with dental sleep medicine expert Dr. Layne Martin to talk about the eight hours nobody's been looking at: the airway you breathe through while you sleep, and what it's quietly doing to your energy, hormones, brain, and long-term health. If you're doing all the "right" things — clean eating, workouts, cold plunges, meditation — but still wake up exhausted, this is the foundational piece most people skip. What you'll learn in this episode: 1. Why women's sleep apnea hides behind labels like perimenopause, anxiety, and thyroid — and why a standard sleep test can miss it entirely. 2. What your teeth reveal about your nervous system: why nighttime clenching and grinding is often a fight-or-flight (sympathetic overdrive) signal of an airway problem, not just a "get a night guard" issue. 3. The sleep–brain connection: how breathing at night drives the brain's overnight "cleaning" (the glymphatic system), and how poor airway shows up as brain fog in adults and developmental issues in kids. 4. Why how you sleep matters as much as how long: how back-sleeping collapses the airway, and how positional therapy became the Open Air Pillow. 5. Nose vs. mouth breathing: the role of nitric oxide, why mouth taping can backfire, and where a simple oral appliance fits alongside — not instead of — CPAP. About Dr. Layne Martin Dr. Layne Martin is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and a specialist in orthodontics and craniofacial orthopedics, focused on airway health, snoring, and sleep-related breathing disorders in both children and adults. A former restorative dentist on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, he sold his practice at 42 to retrain around the root cause he'd been missing for years: the airway. Today he treats sleep-disordered breathing, teaches other dentists to screen for it, and helped develop an FDA-cleared oral appliance for mild to moderate sleep apnea. His research into why oral appliances and CPAP so often fall short pointed to one overlooked factor — sleep position — which became the Open Air Pillow, designed to support healthier sleep posture and make existing treatments work better. As co-founder of two sleep-health companies, his mission isn't just adding years to life — it's helping people live healthier, sharper, and more fully. References mentioned: • Open Air Pillow — positional therapy pillow: https://www.openairpillow.com/ • FDA-cleared oral appliance (Airvata) — www.airVata.com and patients can find a provider there too! You can contact their support at Support@airvata.com. • Contact Dr. Martin: LMARTIN@airvata.com • Sonu Sense / Sonu headband (nasal patency, third-party tool referenced in-episode) FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  7. Aug 13

    "It Sounds Like Anxiety" — 5 Labels in 6 Years

    She went in because her heart was racing at 3am and she was too exhausted to get out of the car after work. Fourteen minutes later she left with a prescription and a word. The word was anxiety. She believed it for six years. In this episode I walk through five labels women get handed — anxiety, depression, insomnia, health anxiety, and the last one that isn't a diagnosis at all: "this is just where you are right now." For each one: what believing it cost her, and the question nobody in that appointment asked. Because there's something all five have in common, and it took six years to see it. This is a follow-up to "I've Tried Everything" — that episode was about being told nothing is wrong. This one is about being told the wrong thing, which in some ways is worse. Being told nothing's wrong leaves the question open. A name closes it. Who this is for: women whose lab results keep coming back normal, who've been told it's stress, hormones, anxiety, perimenopause or "just your age," and who know something is still not right. An important note. Nothing in this episode says mental health diagnoses aren't real, and nothing here is medical advice. Anxiety and depression are real, treatment helps enormously for many people, and nobody should change or stop a medication because of a podcast. The argument is narrower than that: a label can be accurate and still not be the whole answer. You're allowed to accept treatment and keep the question open. If this is the kind of thing you want more of, subscribe. New episode every week. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

  8. Aug 13

    I've Tried Everything — Why Nothing Has Worked Yet

    She said it flat, like a weather report: "I did every diet you could possibly think of. And it would all come back." Twelve diets. A hundred miles a week on a bike. Six years of specialists and a folder of results that all came back the same way: everything's fine. This episode walks through the five things she tried, in order — diets, exercise, medical testing, supplements, and finally sitting up at 11pm doing her own research because nobody else would. And with each one, the thing nobody ever told her: what that attempt actually proved. Because five failed attempts aren't five failures. They're five results. Nobody had ever read them back to her. If you've got your own version of that folder, this one's for you. A note on what this episode is not: there's no protocol here and nothing to buy. It's also not medical advice, and it's not a reason to stop working with your doctor. It's one conversation about why the things you've already tried didn't work. Tell me your line. Not the whole ten years — one sentence. The thing you said to a provider that got waved off. The number that was inside the range while you were sitting there barely functioning. Leave it in the comments. You don't have to use your name. I read them, and the ones I hear most often become the next episode. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation.  👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

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About

Welcome to TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z—where we are redefining health and empowering change. Hosted by Dr. Z, creator of the T.R.U.E. Wellness Framework, this podcast is your gateway to unlocking true health and vitality. Each episode explores the foundational components of TRUE Wellness, including personalized health protocols, connecting with your body, balancing hormones, managing stress, and cultivating emotional well-being and self-growth. Through thought-provoking interviews with leading experts, inspiring healing stories, and actionable insights, TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z uncovers new ideas and practical strategies to empower your journey toward a healthier, more vibrant life. Whether diving deep into the root causes of dis-ease or discovering groundbreaking approaches to holistic living, this podcast invites you to rethink wellness and embrace lasting transformation.Dr. Z, PhD, is a passionate advocate for holistic health and natural solutions. With expertise in functional medicine, nutrition, bioenergetics, and mindset transformation she holds a PhD in Natural Medicine, a MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an MBA, and a BA in Psychology and Education. Dr. Z is the owner of South Bay Wellness (www.SouthBayWellness.com) and has been in practice for nearly two decades. She has helped countless individuals reclaim their health and embrace balanced, vibrant living. Her mission is to empower you to unlock your true potential and thrive. If you’re ready to explore new perspectives, uncover hidden opportunities for growth, and thrive in every aspect of your life, tune in and join the conversation today.Visit www.DrZTRUEWellness.com to learn more.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Z
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 TRUE Wellness Podcast with Dr. Z
  • Show Website
    TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z