The Human Being Podcast

Vanessa Passov

The Human Be-ing Podcast explores what it means to become fully human again in a world that keeps people stuck in stress, burnout, inflammation, and survival mode. Hosted by functional medicine clinician Vanessa Passov, this podcast explores healing, nervous system health, rewiring thought patterns, identity, autoimmunity, and the deeper connection between mind, body, behavior, and becoming.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Time is a Math Problem; Life is a Thought Problem

    How many times have you said, "I don't have time"? I caught myself saying it over and over—to my daughter, to myself, to anyone who would listen. So I decided to find out if it was actually true. In this episode, I share the surprisingly simple exercise that completely changed how I think about time, why our brains make emotional estimates instead of mathematical ones, the concept of "buffering," and why discipline has become one of the most freeing words in my vocabulary. By the end of this episode, you may realize that the problem isn't your calendar. It's the story you've been telling yourself about it.

  2. 5d ago

    The Ultimate Gut Episode (Part 2): Leaky Gut, the Microbiome & the Gut-Brain Connection

    The Ultimate Gut Episode (Part 2): Leaky Gut, the Microbiome & the Gut-Brain Connection Last week, we followed digestion from north to south—starting in the mouth and working our way through stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes, and bile. This week, we pick up where we left off. What is "leaky gut"...and is it even the right term? What is intestinal permeability, and why has it become one of the most talked-about topics in autoimmune disease and functional medicine? We'll explore how the intestinal barrier works, why not all "leaky gut" is the same, and why understanding the science matters more than following the latest wellness trend. We'll also dive into: What zonulin, occludin, LPS, and intestinal permeability actually mean The discovery that changed how scientists think about the gut barrier Why the microbiome is an ecosystem—not just a probiotic Why diversity matters (and why nutrition is often more nuanced than internet diet wars) The Migrating Motor Complex (MMC)—your gut's built-in housekeeping crew The powerful connection between your brain, your vagus nerve, and your bowels Why constipation isn't always about fiber or water Simple ways to create the physiological conditions your body needs to digest, heal, and eliminate. If Part 1 explained how digestion works, Part 2 explains what happens when communication within the system begins to break down—and why your gut, immune system, nervous system, and brain are all part of the same conversation. Understanding your gut isn't about chasing the next supplement. It's about understanding the system.

  3. Jul 10

    You’re Trying to Heal Your Gut Backwards: The Ultimate Gut Episode (Part 1)

    Everyone wants to heal their gut. The probiotic.The parasite cleanse.The greens powder.The newest gut protocol. But what if we’ve been starting in the wrong place? Welcome to The Ultimate Gut Episode — Part 1. In this episode, we’re taking a north-to-south journey through your digestive system, because your body isn’t a collection of disconnected parts — it’s a conversation. And digestion doesn’t start where most people think. It starts with your brain. We’ll dive into:🧠 the gut-brain connection🧠 the enteric nervous system — your “second brain”🧠 why chronic neuroinflammation can sometimes drive gut dysfunction👄 why chewing actually matters🔥 stomach acid, reflux, and H. pylori🟡 why bile does way more than break down fat⚙️ pancreatic enzymes and why the digestive assembly line matters Because before we talk about leaky gut, food reactions, and the microbiome in Part 2… we have to understand everything that happens before food ever gets there. Stop chasing symptoms. Start understanding the human being.

  4. Jul 3

    My Life. My Fortune. My Sacred Honor. | What Do You Stand For?

    America turns 250 this week, and instead of talking about fireworks, I want to talk about something much bigger. I've always been fascinated by our Founding Fathers—not because they were perfect (they absolutely weren't), but because they were willing to sacrifice everything for something they believed was bigger than themselves. In this episode, we explore the extraordinary story behind the Declaration of Independence, why a 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write it, the friendship and eventual reconciliation between John Adams and Jefferson, Benjamin Rush's remarkable role in bringing them back together, and the unbelievable coincidence that Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826—exactly fifty years after the Declaration was adopted. But this isn't really a history lesson. It's a conversation about values. A few years ago, I realized I'd never intentionally defined my own core values. That journey led me to three that now guide every decision I make: love, inspiration, and freedom. What do you actually stand for? Not what sounds good. Not what gets applause. What do you believe deeply enough that you'd be willing to sacrifice for it? This episode is about courage, conviction, freedom, and what it truly means to be human. Happy 250th birthday, America.

  5. Jun 26

    If There's No Feeling You're Unwilling to Feel...

    What if the reason you're stuck isn't because you don't know what to do? What if you're simply unwilling to feel what it would feel like to do it? In this episode, I'm talking about something that showed up for me during spin class this week—a simple thought that completely reframed healing, business, relationships, and personal growth. We dive into why your brain is wired to avoid discomfort, what the Default Mode Network has to do with identity, why healing from autoimmune disease requires becoming someone new, and how to stop treating discomfort like an emergency. I'll also share one practical exercise that you can use immediately to plan for discomfort instead of being blindsided by it. Because being chronically ill is uncomfortable. Healing is uncomfortable. So stop asking which path is comfortable. Neither one is. Pick your uncomfortable.

  6. Jun 11

    Healing Doesn't Look Like Going Back To The Way Things Were Before

    Healing doesn't look like going back to the way things were before. In this episode, we explore the wisdom of Ram Dass, who after a life-changing stroke famously said, "I was stroked" — seeing his greatest challenge as another teacher. What if healing isn't about getting your old life back? What if it's about becoming someone new? We dive into autoimmunity, the grief of letting go, the controversial conversation around gluten, molecular mimicry, modern wheat, cross-reactive foods like dairy, and how testing like Cyrex Array 3 may help provide more clarity on your healing journey.

  7. Jun 4

    There's Never a Crowd on the Leading Edge

    Bloodletting. Mercury. Lobotomies. Cigarettes endorsed by physicians. History is filled with moments when the smartest people in the room were absolutely convinced they were right. In this episode, we explore what happens when consensus collides with curiosity, why new ideas are often resisted, and the courage it takes to ask, "Are we sure?" From Semmelweis and Galileo to modern medicine, this is a conversation about certainty, humility, and the uncomfortable lessons history keeps teaching us.

  8. May 29

    Element 53

    Medicine once used bloodletting. Today, we’ve turned iodine into the internet’s favorite thyroid miracle. In this episode of The Human Being Podcast, Vanessa breaks down the strange and inflammatory relationship between iodine and Hashimoto’s disease, why some people temporarily feel amazing on iodine, why others spiral into anxiety and insomnia, and how thyroid destruction can masquerade as healing. Also discussed: goiters, poor broccoli, the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, thyroid antibodies, and why your thyroid is not a social media experiment.

  9. May 22

    Hashimoto's: Why You Still Feel Like Sh*t

    Hashimoto’s is not just a thyroid problem — it’s an autoimmune disease affecting the entire body. In this episode, we’re talking about why so many people still feel exhausted, anxious, inflamed, foggy, and dismissed even after getting diagnosed. We get into blood sugar crashes, gluten, dairy, nervous system dysregulation, thyroid hormones, iodine confusion, and why modern medicine often misses the bigger picture.

  10. May 15

    Stop Packing for Game 7

    What if your brain has been unconsciously rehearsing limitation your entire life? In this emergency episode, Vanessa connects the Jamie Vardy underdog story, Pat Riley’s legendary “pack one uniform” mindset, and the neuroscience of the Default Mode Network to explore identity, belief, nervous system conditioning, and how we build the internal coaches that shape our future.

  11. May 14

    People Are Having a Very Hard Time

    A funny thing happened when I started posting online: the comments revealed something much bigger than health advice. Thousands of people are suffering, being dismissed, and trying to navigate chronic illness feeling completely alone. In this episode, we talk about autoimmunity, the nervous system, modern medicine, and why the body may be far more interconnected than we realize.

  12. May 9

    Welcome to The Human Being Podcast

    This podcast is for the people who are exhausted from surface-level conversations about health, healing, and being human. We’ll talk about functional medicine, autoimmunity, nervous system regulation, neuroscience, stress, identity, thought patterns, healing, and what it means to create a life that actually feels aligned. Some episodes will be educational. Some will be philosophical. Some will probably feel like a late-night conversation with a friend who’s trying to make sense of life too. No perfection. No pretending. No holding back.

  • 12 Episodes

About

The Human Be-ing Podcast explores what it means to become fully human again in a world that keeps people stuck in stress, burnout, inflammation, and survival mode. Hosted by functional medicine clinician Vanessa Passov, this podcast explores healing, nervous system health, rewiring thought patterns, identity, autoimmunity, and the deeper connection between mind, body, behavior, and becoming.

Information

  • Creator
    Vanessa Passov
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Vanessa Passov
  • Show Website
    The Human Being Podcast