Amanda Conta Steencken is a classically trained musician and neuroanatomist originally from Argentina who has a fascinating story about her journey into health and wellness education. Amanda was training in classical piano when she began having problems with her hands. Her health problems became too severe for her to continue in her music training. Taking a big career turn, she focused on spinal cord injury and stem cells before she found her calling in teaching. Frustrated by the western medicine philosophy of looking at the body as sick, she discovered the power of Traditional Naturopathy. Now she promotes simple ways to help our bodies heal themselves. Find out more about Amanda and the world of naturopathy: horaioswellness.com

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Psychotherapist and author Julie Ohana combines two of my loves–psychotherapy and cooking. In fact I just pulled 2 sourdough boules out of the oven. Who bakes in summer? I do!

Cooking has been a passion of Julie's since childhood. It started while baking family recipes with her grandmother, working as a prep cook while in high school and as the kitchen manager at her summer camp. As she developed a passion for cooking, Julie discovered a second love-helping people through therapy. She's talked about her treatment approach in all of the major news outlets, including the "New York Times'. And she has a brand new book out "Cooking Your Way to a Calm Mind" a guide to cook your way to less anxiety, more confidence, and a happier life-whether you are comfortable in the kitchen or a nervous newbie-from a licensed social worker and expert in culinary therapy. Find out more at https://www.culinaryarttherapy.com/

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Who else is confused about the use of cannabis, or pot, as we used to call it? And what's with all of the dispensaries opening up? Does cannabis have a place in a healthy lifestyle? Today we're going to speak with Dr. Dana Lillestol, a retired nurse practitioner whose passion is educating the modern elder on using cannabis to help with age related health concerns. Find out more at Lifeischill.com.

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Part executive director, part death doula, Karisha Solomon has been helping people live—and die—with purpose. With over two decades of experience, Karisha's journey has taken her from candy-striper to nursing aide, caregiver coordinator, nursing home administrator-in-training, adjunct professor, nonprofit executive director—and now, certified death doula, gerontologist/ entrepreneur.

Karisha is on a mission to take the fear out of dying so people can live more fully now. She blends spirituality and strategy into everything she offers. Our conversation is in conjunction with the screening of "Caregiving", the documentary created with executive producer Bradley Cooper highlighting the challenges and triumphs of caregiving in America. Find out more about Karisha at KarishaSolomon.com.

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I had the honor of speaking with Mary Homer of Oneida Nation's Wolf Clan in Upstate NY. Mary spent 10 years dreaming of designing clothes. She wants her clothes to express "class, not trash." She loves working with velvet, although it's a difficult fabric

As a fourth-generation bead worker, she began showcasing her beadingwolves brand at local Native craft shows, selling earrings, necklaces, bows and more. Soon the small business shifted into a fashion brand, Homer Couture. Today, she's the first and only Indigenous fashion designer to show collections during Syracuse Fashion Week. She's also involved in the advocacy group Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and dedicates one of her creations to the group each show.

Mary will debut her next line at New York Fashion Week this fall and will be the first indigenous person to do so. Her dream is to design for the met gala. Follow Mary at: BeadingWolves.com.

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Today's episode is with Meg Tobin, a Mental Health Counselor and the owner of Breathing Space Psychotherapy. Meg is an expert in mind body approaches to help regulate the nervous system. She uses EFT (Tapping), Brainspotting, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and several somatic techniques to cut through the defenses we use to protect ourselves, but ultimately keep us stuck in the same old patterns. Lately she's been taking groups on international retreats for more intense healing and adventure. I met Meg about three years ago and was inspired by her dedication to helping people feel better and use tools that are often outside the traditional therapy box. Find out more about Meg here: https://breathingspacepsychotherapy.com/

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This episode features a long time friend I met while dog walking. He definitely looked out of place in the Syracuse winter, with his shiny new cross country ski equipment, fancy tech coat and dog who looked a bit like Al Capone. My dog walking companion and I speculated that he was enrolled in the federal witness protection program and his dog, Nate, was his cell dog.

It turned out that wasn't the case. Jeff had been a popular and award-winning humor columnist in Southern California and suburban Boston. Soon he was at it again in Syracuse, addressing topics from family life to local politics. One of my favorite pieces was when he sampled local gas station pizza and judged them from best to worst. Kramer also established himself as a writer and producer of comedic plays, including one inspired by his botched vasectomy.

Now, at 63, he can add to his credits multiple replacement joints and other internal hardware. Plus he's a first-time novelist.

"Mud Season" -- which Jeff humbly calls the funniest book of the decade -- was released March of '25. Today we're going to find out what it takes to write a book in the third act, and how art imitates life. Find out more about Jeff at https://jeffmkramer.com.

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One of the many joys of being a podcaster is that whenever I run across a zestful ager, which is often, I can invite them on the Show. It's a great way to meet people that look interesting. Recently I was at an Earth Day celebration and I noticed a group of unmistakably zestful agers. I just knew I wanted to introduce myself and get to know them. They had that dynamic, postmenopausal energy.

Today's guest has spent her life promoting environmental stewardship. Mary Bartlett is part of a local organization called United Climate Action Network (UCAN) which is all about building community around environmental advocacy. I love this group because it's not a formal non profit. It's a group of concerned citizens who have organized to address some of these pressing issues. And if they can do it, you might be inspired to do this in your community. This is true grass roots action. Check them out: https://unitedclimateaction.org/

Find out more about the Zestful Aging Podcast at ZestfulAging.com