5 Days of Wellness - Day 1: This Episode Will Rewire How You Think About Your Gut, Hormones, and Anti-Aging

✨Hey! This week looks a little different around here — on purpose. Instead of our usual rhythm, I'm airing five episodes in five days. Think of it as a mini-series designed especially for you — curated, fun, and binge-worthy. Fewer cliffhangers, more “ohhh… that makes sense.” Every episode this week features a conversation from a show I've been invited onto as a guest — hosted by smart, generous people you'll genuinely enjoy listening to. Each episode stands on its own. Together, they create momentum. So if you've been listening here and there, this is a great week to lean in. Start wherever you want — or (best option) listen in order and let the through-line reveal itself. Either way, I'd love to hear what you think. Happiest and Healthiest Holidays to you and your loved ones. ✨ #186 - This Episode Will Rewire How You Think About Your Gut, Hormones, and Anti-Aging What if your symptoms aren’t random—and your body isn’t failing you at all? Healing doesn’t fail. Strategies do. What if exhaustion, gut issues, hormone chaos, and skin flares are actually intelligent signals you’ve been taught to ignore? In this episode, I’m stepping into the guest seat on Well Done with Kat Vong—and we go deep. Not surface-level wellness tips. Not another “eat clean and sleep more” conversation. We’re talking about what actually drives chronic symptoms like gut issues, hormone chaos, exhaustion, skin flares, and that quiet sense that your body just isn’t cooperating anymore. We unpack why stress is often the root driver, how gut health quietly controls your hormones, why perimenopause deserves way more proactive attention, and the wildly underrated role your identity and subconscious play in healing. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” and still not getting better—this one will stop you mid-scroll. What We Cover (with Timestamps) [00:02:00] — Why stress isn’t just a factor… it’s often the driver Chronic stress doesn’t just make you tired—it literally creates inflammation, raises cortisol, and pokes holes in your gut lining. This is where a lot of healing conversations need to start. [00:03:30] — My personal health journey (and why it changed everything) From growing up inspired by a surgeon grandfather to developing Hashimoto’s myself—why lived experience matters as much as credentials. [00:06:30] — The real root cause of autoimmune conditions We break down the “three-legged stool” of autoimmunity: genetics, leaky gut, and a trigger—and why stress often pulls the trigger. [00:10:30] — Why conventional medicine often stops short The problem with “a pill for an ill,” and what happens when we treat symptoms without asking why the body adapted that way in the first place. [00:16:30] — Gut symptoms you should never ignore Bloating, migraines, fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix, brain fog, bowel changes—what’s normal vs. what’s a check-engine light. [00:19:30] — How stress physically damages the gut This is where everything connects: cortisol, inflammation, leaky gut, blood sugar, hormones—and why I’ve completely changed how I prioritize stress in healing. [00:22:30] — Deep stress vs. trauma (and how the body stores both) Why you don’t have to feel stressed for your body to still be carrying it—and how emotions live in tissues. [00:25:30] — How we actually heal leaky gut (the practical framework) Lifestyle + nutrition + targeted supplements—and why no single supplement will fix what lifestyle is still breaking. [00:27:30] — The key nutrients that rebuild the gut lining Collagen, glutamine, zinc, soothing herbs—and how food and supplements work together. [00:28:30] — Perimenopause signs most women are taught to ignore Mood changes, cycle shifts, irritability, fatigue, heavy periods—why these aren’t “just aging” and what to look at now, not later. [00:31:00] — Bioidentical hormone replacement explained (without the fear-mongering) What it is, why it’s different, and how balanced hormones protect your brain, bones, and heart. [00:34:30] — The gut–hormone connection no one talks about Meet the estrobolome: how gut bacteria regulate estrogen—and why dysbiosis fuels estrogen dominance. [00:37:00] — Simple gut upgrades that support hormone balance Probiotics, prebiotics, food sensitivities, and why whole foods matter more than perfection. [00:41:30] — Identity, subconscious programming, and healing Why healing stalls when we identify as our diagnosis—and how shifting identity changes biology. [00:44:30] — Visualization + emotion: the missing link Why mindset isn’t about positive thinking—it’s about retraining the subconscious during the most programmable moments of the day. [00:50:30] — Letting go of the ‘how’ and ‘when’ Why detachment accelerates healing and obsession slows it down. [00:54:30] — My top daily lifestyle priorities for ...