Mindset Medicine Show With Dr. Julia Bowlin

Julia A Bowlin, M.D.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Medicine
  • Weekly

This Mindset Medicine Podcast is the place to hang out with a “Doc” who steps out of the Box (Or should I say exam room)….This is a no nonsense unfiltered and in your face place to just hang and learn strategies on how to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled at work AND at home. Dr. Julia and her guests remove their professional veneer and verbal filters to bring you REAL tips, tools, and hacks that she and her colleagues have found to be helpful after 40 years in the self-help and health industry that helps them unwind, organize, and manage the chaos that life and personal belief systems create.

  1. 1d ago

    When Being Strong Stops Working : Why recovering from a hard hit depends more on flexibility than on toughness.

    When Being Strong Stops Working Why recovering from a hard hit depends more on flexibility than on toughness. Life breaks the plan, and the words come out on autopilot: "I'm fine." Then comes pushing through, holding it together, and getting it done. That reflex has carried a lot of us for years, especially in healthcare. But there's a moment when that kind of strong stops working. In This Episode We Explore Why "resilience" has become a buzzword, and what it actually means What a tree in an autumn storm shows us about strength Thirty smoothie recipes, one garage floor, and a Birthday Cake smoothie with a candle in it Why "I'm fine" isn't the villain, and what it costs when it's the only tool we have What decades of research show about who recovers well, and why it isn't the toughest people The brain's "this isn't what I planned for" signal, and why doctors are always running behind Key Insight It looks like holding it together. It gets called being strong. But what actually helps people recover is flexibility: noticing what's really happening, trying something, and trying something else when the first thing doesn't work. Strength that can only hold stiff eventually snaps. Strength that can bend is still standing when the wind passes. About the Unicity Moment™ This episode includes a Unicity Moment™, a short guided experience for reflection and calm. It's educational and supportive, and it isn't therapy or a substitute for medical or mental health care. Please don't take part while driving or doing anything that needs full attention. Listeners are free to skip it at any time. Reflection Question Where in my life right now might the old way of being strong not fit anymore? Books Worth Your Time The End of Trauma: How the New Science of Resilience Is Changing How We Think About PTSD by George A. Bonanno I haven't read it all of it, but I have done the CliffsNotes for it. It's the research behind much of this episode, including the flexibility steps and "coping ugly." Coming Up Next Next week, we'll explore what often comes after the hit: when the storm has passed, and everyday tasks suddenly feel heavier than the crisis did. Thank You for Listening Being strong was never the problem. Strength just needs more than one shape. Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia. Connect With Dr. Julia Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd 📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    When Being Strong Stops Working : Why recovering from a hard hit depends more on flexibility than on toughness.

  2. Oct 29

    Deciding What to Keep: Changing, And Letting Go, On Purpose

    Deciding What I Still Want to Keep Mindset Medicine with Dr. Julia Bowlin — Outgrowing Hand-Me-Downs, Episode 4 Keeping, changing, and letting go, on purpose  Some habits start out of necessity and end up as something we love. The hour stays the same. The reason changes. And somehow, the old “I have to” keeps showing up anyway. This episode picks up after we notice what we inherited, when the question stops being “how do I get rid of it?” and becomes “what do I still want to keep, and how important is it, really?” In This Episode We Explore Why choosing a habit doesn’t automatically free us from the pressure that came with it What research shows about how having even a small say changes the way we cope Why “I have to” makes everything feel equally urgent, and what a Johns Hopkins study found A small pause I call the Pivot Point™, and one question to ask inside it A guided visualization at a window just before sunrise Key Insight What it looks like: a slower morning with the same to-do list. What it gets called: losing momentum, or a lack of drive. What it actually is: a shift from feeling in control because of the push, to feeling in control because of the choice. That takes practice, and it isn’t a step backward. The Unicity Moment™ in this episode is a short guided visualization offered for relaxation and self-reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. If you’re currently working with a therapist or physician, please continue that care. Listening is entirely voluntary, and you’re welcome to skip this portion of the episode at any time. Reflection Question Of everything running on “I have to,” how important is it, really? Books Worth Your Time The Paradox of Choice — Barry Schwartz Connect With Dr. Julia Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd Thank You for Listening That closes out October and a month of looking at what got handed down to us. Next month, we begin Still Standing: The Art of the Comeback, a look at how people actually recover and rise, and why it isn’t about pushing through at all costs. If something in this episode stirred something loose, you can reach out through any of the links above. Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.   📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    Deciding What to Keep: Changing, And Letting Go, On Purpose

  3. Oct 24

    Why Do We Keep Going Back to What We Know: familiar isn't the same as safe.

    Why Do We Keep Going Back to What We Know? Mindset Medicine with Dr. Julia Bowlin — Outgrowing Hand-Me-Downs, Episode 3 Familiar isn’t the same as safe We can see the old habit isn’t helping. We can even say out loud what we’d rather do instead. And then… we go right back to it. It’s easy to read that as a lack of willpower. There’s another way to look at it. In This Episode We Explore Why the old way keeps winning, even when we know better What a room full of patient people taught me about a nervous system set to fast How the brain sorts things into “known” and “unknown” long before it sorts them into “good” and “bad” Why something new can feel wrong before it feels good A guided visualization along a worn trail, and the path waiting at its edge Key Insight Going back to the old pattern gets called a lack of willpower, or a lack of follow-through. What it actually is: a brain choosing easy and known over hard and unknown. That works well when the known thing is working. It works against us when the known thing has stopped fitting. Familiar feels safe, but familiar isn’t the same as safe. And it isn’t the same as wrong, either. The Unicity Moment™ in this episode is a short guided visualization offered for relaxation and self-reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. If you’re currently working with a therapist or physician, please continue that care. Listening is entirely voluntary, and you’re welcome to skip this portion of the episode at any time. Reflection Question Is there something new in my life that feels wrong, when it might simply feel unfamiliar? Books Worth Your Time To Me I Thee Wed — Dr. Julia Bowlin 📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support! Connect With Dr. Julia Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd Thank You for Listening We’ve looked at the reactions that show up before we choose them, where those reactions live in the body, and now the pull back to what we already know. Next time: taking a look at what we’ve been carrying, and deciding, on purpose, what we still want to keep. Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.

    Why Do We Keep Going Back to What We Know: familiar isn't the same as safe.

  4. Oct 14

    Why We React Like We're in Danger (When We're Not): What our bodies remember, even when our minds have moved on.

    Why We React Like We’re in Danger (When We’re Not) Mindset Medicine with Dr. Julia Bowlin — Outgrowing Hand-Me-Downs Series, Episode 2 A tight jaw. A held breath. A stomach that clenches before there's even a reason yet. The rules from our past don't just live in our minds — they live in how we brace. This episode goes underneath the reaction, into the body that's been carrying it the whole time. In This Episode We Explore Why a completely ordinary moment can trigger a full-alarm body response The difference between what a reaction is answering and what's actually happening in the room What it looks like when a nervous system fully commits — racing heart, blank mind, a held breath, a performance held together on the outside Why rest, food, and water change how much room we have to notice before the alarm takes over A guided visualization for noticing tension without needing to fix it on the spot Key Insight A body that braces, freezes, or goes speechless gets called weakness, or a failure to handle pressure. What it actually is: a nervous system protecting fast instead of accurately — running an old alarm on a threat that isn't actually in the room anymore. The mismatch was never in the system. The system is doing exactly what it was built to do. The mismatch is in the timing. The Unicity Moment™ in this episode is a short guided visualization offered for relaxation and self-reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. If you're currently working with a therapist or physician, please continue that care. Listening is entirely voluntary, and you're welcome to skip this portion of the episode at any time. Reflection Question Is there a place in the body that goes on high alert before there's a reason yet — and might that alarm be answering something further back than the room it's in? Book Worth Your Time To Me I Thee Wed — Dr. Julia Bowlin   Connect With Dr. Julia Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd Thank You for Listening We've looked at the reactions that show up before we choose them, and now, where those reactions actually live in the body. Next time: Why we pull back to what we already know, even when it isn't serving us anymore. Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.   📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    Why We React Like We're in Danger (When We're Not): What our bodies remember, even when our minds have moved on.

  5. Oct 12

    Episode #100 Why We React Before We Even Decide To

    — Episode 100 — YEAH!!!!!  This is the hundredth episode of this show. A hundred weeks since I sat down in January of 2023 and hit record for the first time — through leaving a medical practice I'd built for over thirty years, through years of walking my husband through treatment and then losing him, through becoming a hospice physician instead of a family doctor, through sitting with a lot of dying patients and taking my own professional veneer off in the process. I've evolved right alongside anyone listening — picked up new wisdom, new guardrails for new behaviors and expectations. My hope, through all hundred of these, is that this show has helped someone else find their way through their own version of that. Something happens — a certain tone, a certain look, a certain request — and the reaction is already there before the thinking catches up. Not chosen. Not decided. Just... there, fully formed, like it had been waiting. This episode is about that speed. About what it means when a reaction gets there before we do. In This Episode We Explore Why some reactions show up instantaneous — before there's ever a real decision behind them What it means when patience runs out before a story has even finished The difference between a reflex and a character flaw Why efficiency and presence were never actually in competition A porch, a rainstorm, and what it feels like to let one thing move slower What an old skill sounds like when it's still doing its job long after it needed to Key Insight A fast reaction looks like impatience. It gets called a character flaw, a lack of self-control, something to apologize for. What it actually is: a skill, built a long time ago, doing exactly the job it was built to do — protect, move things along, get through the day. The reaction was never the problem. The problem was only ever having one tool and reaching for it everywhere, including the moments that were never asking for speed. The Unicity Moment™ in this episode is a short guided visualization offered for relaxation and self-reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. If you're currently working with a therapist or physician, please continue that care. Listening is entirely voluntary, and you're welcome to skip this portion of the episode at any time. Reflection Question What might a fast reaction — one that shows up before there's ever really a choice in it — actually be protecting? My Book is Worth Your Time :) To Me I Thee Wed — Dr. Julia Bowlin   Connect With Dr. Julia Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd Thank You for Listening This month is about the things we picked up without ever meaning to — and this episode was just the first room in that house. Next time, we go somewhere the reflexes don't usually get discussed at all: the body, and what it's been holding onto long after the moment that put it there has passed. Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.

    Episode #100 Why We React Before We Even Decide To

  6. Sep 30

    Decisions without drama: Why every choice is just the brain's best guess — and what it takes to trust it again.

    IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE Every decision you make is really just your brain's best guess — and the goal was never to guess perfectly. This final episode of the series is about the space between what you predict and what actually happens, and choosing to meet that space with open hands instead of drama. KEY INSIGHT What it looks like: gripping tightly to a plan, then feeling loss or frustration the moment reality shows up looking different. What it gets called: not trusting yourself. Poor planning. Things going “wrong.” What it actually is: your brain doing exactly what brains do — making a best guess, then updating it. The drama was never in the gap itself. It was in how tightly you were holding the original guess. This episode includes a guided Unicity Moment™ — a relaxation and self-reflection exercise. This is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or psychiatric care. If you are currently experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a licensed professional or emergency services in your area. Listener discretion is advised, and participation is always optional. REFLECTION QUESTION What would it be like to look at the gap between what you predicted and what actually happened — without deciding it means something went wrong? BOOKS WORTH YOUR TIME To Me I Thee Wed — my own book on marrying yourself first: learning to love, honor, and cherish yourself so that whoever you partner with, you bring the best version of you to it. Referenced in every episode. Being You: A New Science of Consciousness by Anil Seth — a widely praised, genuinely readable look at how your brain constantly predicts and updates your experience of reality. It's the science behind everything this episode, and honestly this whole series, has been circling. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING That wraps this month — the exhaustion of a thousand small choices, the difference between failing and being full, why being wrong is never the opposite of being wise, the weight of dreading what hasn't happened yet, and now, trusting your brain's best guess enough to meet whatever actually grows. If any of it landed with you, I'd love to know. Next month, we're turning toward something different — questioning what you're carrying that was never actually yours to begin with, and what still fits. The newsletter is where I share what's coming next first. Join at juliabowlinmd.com. CONNECT WITH DR. JULIA Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd   Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.   📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    Decisions without drama: Why every choice is just the brain's best guess — and what it takes to trust it again.

  7. Sep 23

    Dreading What Hasn't Happened Yet: How anticipating a decision can be more draining than making it.

    Dreading What Hasn't Happened Yet How anticipating a decision can be more draining than making it. IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE A decision you've already made — settled, done — and still, some part of you keeps bracing for how it turns out. This episode is about the weight of a future that hasn't happened yet, and why that bracing can cost you more than the outcome itself ever will. KEY INSIGHT What it looks like: a low, constant hum of “what if this doesn't work out,” running in the background of an otherwise fine day. What it gets called: worrying too much. Not trusting the decision. Being unable to relax. What it actually is: anticipatory processing — your brain treating an unresolved future almost like an ongoing threat, simply because it prefers questions closed rather than open. This episode includes a guided Unicity Moment™ — a relaxation and self-reflection exercise. This is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or psychiatric care. If you are currently experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a licensed professional or emergency services in your area. Listener discretion is advised, and participation is always optional. REFLECTION QUESTION Is there anything actually happening right now that needs your attention? Or is this just a future that hasn't arrived yet, asking for energy it doesn't need from you today? BOOKS WORTH YOUR TIME To Me I Thee Wed — my own book on marrying yourself first: learning to love, honor, and cherish yourself so that whoever you partner with, you bring the best version of you to it. Referenced in every episode. Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety by Sally M. Winston, PsyD & Martin N. Seif, PhD — a CBT-based guide, written by two anxiety specialists, that unpacks exactly the pattern this episode is about: worrying about what hasn't happened, catastrophic future-thinking, and decision paralysis. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING If this one landed for you, staying with the series matters — next time, I'm closing out the month, looking at what it means to trust a decision as the brain's best guess. The newsletter is where I share what's coming next first — new episodes, live events, and the occasional offer, before anyone else hears about it. Join at juliabowlinmd.com. CONNECT WITH DR. JULIA Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd   Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.   📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    Dreading What Hasn't Happened Yet: How anticipating a decision can be more draining than making it.

  8. Sep 16

    Being Wrong Isn't the Opposite of Wise: What it means when a decision goes sideways — and why that doesn't erase the wisdom that made it.

    IN THIS EPISODE WE EXPLORE... Sometimes a decision that felt completely right in the moment — a good read on someone, a thorough conversation, a genuine yes — doesn't turn out the way it was "supposed to". This episode is about the gap between what we predict and what actually happens, and why that gap doesn't mean the original call we made was foolish. KEY INSIGHT What it looks like: replaying a decision over and over, hunting for the clue that should have given it away. What it gets called: bad judgment. A gut that can't be trusted. “I should have known.” What it actually is: hindsight, dressed up as insight. Wisdom gets measured by what was reasonably knowable at the time — not by how the outcome eventually unfolded. This episode includes a guided Unicity Moment™ — a relaxation and self-reflection exercise. This is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or psychiatric care. If you are currently experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a licensed professional or emergency services in your area. Listener discretion is advised, and participation is always optional. REFLECTION QUESTION Given only what I knew then, not what I know now — was it actually a reasonable call? BOOKS WORTH YOUR TIME To Me I Thee Wed — my own book on marrying yourself first: learning to love, honor, and cherish yourself so that whoever you partner with, you bring the best version of you to it. Referenced in every episode. Everything Is Obvious by Duncan J. Watts — a sharp, well-researched look at why outcomes only feel predictable in hindsight, and why that “I should have seen it coming” feeling is usually an illusion, not evidence. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING If this one landed, staying with the series matters — next time, I'm looking at what it feels like to brace for a decision long before it's even made. The newsletter is where I share what's coming next first — new episodes, live events, and the occasional offer, before anyone else hears about it. Join at juliabowlinmd.com. CONNECT WITH DR. JULIA Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/JuliaBowlin.MD Website: https://www.juliabowlinmd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIasxi_iBRBFd1CYuCEeD-g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJuliaBowlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabowlinmd/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/JuliaBowlinMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliabowlinmd/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliabowlinmd   Thank you for spending time with me. Until next time, may you be happy, be healthy, and be fulfilled. Dr. Julia.   📣 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links included here are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through them. I only recommend products, books, and resources I personally use and believe in. Thank you for your support!

    Being Wrong Isn't the Opposite of Wise: What it means when a decision goes sideways — and why that doesn't erase the wisdom that made it.
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About

This Mindset Medicine Podcast is the place to hang out with a “Doc” who steps out of the Box (Or should I say exam room)….This is a no nonsense unfiltered and in your face place to just hang and learn strategies on how to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled at work AND at home. Dr. Julia and her guests remove their professional veneer and verbal filters to bring you REAL tips, tools, and hacks that she and her colleagues have found to be helpful after 40 years in the self-help and health industry that helps them unwind, organize, and manage the chaos that life and personal belief systems create.

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