Harness Your Health

Charis Sederberg
  • 5.0 (6)
  • 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. 17h ago

    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/).

  2. Aug 11

    A Short Note from Charis

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

  3. Aug 4

    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/).

  4. Jul 28

    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/).

  5. Jul 21

    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/).

  6. Jul 14

    Foundations Series, Gut Part 1: The North-to-South Framework for Heartburn, Bloating, and Regularity

    In this first episode of our series, I walk through the entire digestive process from north to south, explaining why each step sets up the next and why so many common symptoms like bloating after eating, heartburn, and irregular bowel movements trace back to what's happening in your mouth and stomach long before anything goes wrong further down the line. If you've ever wondered "why am I so bloated after eating?", or why certain foods seem to cause problems no matter what you cut out, this episode gives you the actual mechanism behind it. I'm joined by Alex, a nutrition student, and together we cover why elimination diets often fail to fix digestive issues long term, how your nervous system state at mealtime directly affects whether your stomach acid even activates, and why normal bowel movement frequency and stool consistency are more useful health indicators than most standard lab work. The smoothie story I share about a client with IBS who resolved her symptoms simply by slowing down how fast she drank is one of the clearest examples I have of how small, precise changes produce real results. Alex is a nutrition student with a keen interest in gut health and the digestive foundations that underpin overall wellness. She brings a curious, grounded perspective to these conversations that I think you'll enjoy throughout this series. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: Why most people chew their food only 1 to 3 times per bite when 20 to 30 is what actually kicks off digestion (approx. 08:40) How one client's IBS symptoms disappeared the moment she started sipping her morning smoothie slowly instead of chugging it on the school run (approx. 11:50) Why bloating and burping right after a meal points to low stomach acid, and the specific nutrients — zinc, B12, B6, folate, magnesium — your body needs to make more of it (approx. 14:35) What a truly "complete" bowel movement looks like, and why tracking yours against the Bristol Stool Chart for two weeks reveals more than you'd expect (approx. 28:03) Why parasite and candida cleanses keep failing long-term if low stomach acid, not the parasite, is what let them take hold in the first place (approx. 30:41) Why a short walk beats a Tums after a heavy meal, and how cutting off eating by 7 PM changed her own next-morning bowel movements (approx. 33:30) COMING UP IN THE FOUNDATIONS SERIES: Next week: Leaky Gut, Gut pt. 2 Week 4: Microbiome, Gut pt. 3 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 Bristol Stool Chart: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bristol-stool-scale#healthy-bowel Mineral Episode with Desiree: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HJWF95WBPo9PtSVCYSozb?si=4f70c09f889f4c44  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. Jul 7

    Foundations Series Kickoff: The Bookends Framework for Energy, Sleep, and Blood Sugar

    This is the first episode of our Foundations Series, four weeks of episodes covering the fundamentals of how your body actually works. This week we're laying the groundwork with the daily habits that govern your energy, hormones, and sleep. Over the next three weeks, we'll build on that with episodes on gut health, nervous system regulation, and hormones. I wanted this to feel like a real conversation, not a lecture, so I brought in my friend Alex to sit down with me and work through it together. Alex is a nutrition student, but she's not here as an expert, she's here as someone curious who asks the questions I want you to be asking too. The core of what we cover is the bookends framework I use with almost everyone I work with. Morning light and the cortisol cascade it triggers. Blood sugar and how a carb heavy breakfast sends you crashing before lunch. Evening eating windows and how late meals suppress your body's own melatonin production. It sounds simple, and it is. But most people are doing the opposite of all of it without realizing there's a specific hormonal reason they wake up tired, crash at 3 PM, and can't fall asleep at night. Once you understand what your body is actually asking for, the habits stop feeling like discipline and start feeling like alignment. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: Why morning sunlight is the single most important habit for setting your energy, appetite, and sleep for the whole day (00:09:00) How a carb-only breakfast sends blood sugar from 80 to 150 and why that spike is what leaves you exhausted and hungry two hours later (00:21:00) Why you wake up tired even after a full night's sleep, and how your evening eating window is often the real cause (00:36:00) How eating fiber and protein before a sugary food blunts the blood sugar spike so a treat doesn't derail your afternoon (00:29:00) Why eating after 8 PM raises insulin and blocks your body's own melatonin production before bed (00:34:00) COMING UP IN THE FOUNDATIONS SERIES: Next week: Digestion, Gut pt.1 Week 3: Leaky Gut, Gut pt. 2 Week 4: Microbiome, Gut pt. 3 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 Bookends PDF Guide: https://www.primetonourish.com/bookends-support-tool CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE SHOW: Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the Foundations Series. New episodes drop weekly. To begin identifying your own healing priorities, visit Prime To Nourish and take the Health Foundations Assessment.

  8. Jun 30

    Live Health Assessment: Circadian Health, SIBO, and Nervous System Regulation with Clarke

    Most people trying to fix their health are starting in the middle of the story. What Clarke's Health Foundations Assessment revealed is that his digestion wasn't actually the problem, it was a consequence. His circadian rhythm and nervous system regulation were quietly running the show, shaping everything from his morning energy to when he finally felt hungry enough to eat dinner at 9 PM. In this live assessment review, I sit down with Clarke to walk through his results and talk honestly about the habits that have been part of his routine for over a decade. We get into morning light exposure, the cortisol and appetite connection, why eating late disrupts sleep even when sleep feels fine, and how small, consistent shifts in daily rhythm can change the way your body responds to stress. Clarke brings a lot of self-awareness to this conversation, and I think you'll find his perspective on implementing these strategies genuinely relatable. Clarke was the first person to kick off my new series where real people walk through their actual results with me so you can see what this process looks like from the inside out, not just in theory. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN: Why a history of SIBO doesn't mean your digestion is broken, and what actual recovery tells you about your body's resilience (00:04:30) How morning light exposure sets your cortisol curve and why it's the foundational circadian rhythm tip most people skip (00:11:00) Why high cortisol during a busy workday suppresses appetite and sets up late-night overeating (00:22:00) How to down-regulate your nervous system before meals so your body can actually digest what you eat (00:25:00) Why you literally cannot have high melatonin when insulin is elevated, and what that means for sleep quality (00:19:30) 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 and take the Health Foundations Assessment.

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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.

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