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Today I'm joined by Aaron Johnson — public speaker, facilitator, filmmaker, and touch activist whose work centers on the emotional and relational lives of Black men. Aaron is the founder of The Chronically UnderTouched Project — the CUT Project — and the director of Dark and Tender, an 18-minute documentary that follows ten Black men during a retreat on Whidbey Island, Washington. It has been called one of the most quietly revolutionary pieces of film in the healing space right now.

Aaron's work begins with a simple and devastating observation: that Black men in America are among the most chronically touch-deprived people in our culture — and that this deprivation has profound consequences for mental health, emotional regulation, nervous system health, and the capacity for genuine connection and community. The CUT Project exists to change that.

What we cover:

• The Black brute archetype — the deeply entrenched cultural narrative of Black men as dangerous, aggressive, and hypersexualized, how it has been constructed and maintained, and what it costs Black men to live inside it
• Making Dark and Tender — what it took for Aaron, as both director and facilitator, to create the conditions of genuine safety that allowed ten Black men to be soft, tender, and vulnerable on camera — and why that safety was everything
• The retreat — what actually happened in the room: men tucking each other in, holding hands, singing, walking barefoot on the earth together, and the extraordinary range of men who showed up — different ages, economic backgrounds, sexualities, and life experiences
• Why diversity within the group was essential — how having a 24-year-old and a 77-year-old, cis and queer and trans men, men from very different economic circumstances, all in the same space together was not incidental but deeply intentional
• Why this footage matters — how seeing tender Black masculinity documented and made visible begins to create an alternative to the Black brute narrative in our cultural imagination, and why representation at this level is genuinely transformative
• The ripple effects — how the film is already moving through the world, the conversations it is opening, the permission it is giving, and why Aaron believes the impact will continue to spread
• Listening as the first hug — Aaron's understanding of what genuine attunement and presence offer, and why being truly heard is itself a form of touch
• The resonance between Aaron's work and the nervous system — what chronic touch deprivation does to a body, and what happens physiologically when that deprivation begins to be addressed

Watch 9 minute preview of Dark and Tender:
cutproject.org/tender

Aaron's invitation:
If this conversation moved you, share the film. Let someone see it who needs to. That is how the ripple spreads.

Connect with Aaron:

• The CUT Project: cutproject.org
• Instagram Cut Project
• Instagram Dark and Tender Film

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

Today's guest is Dr. Natalya Borakowski — a physician with nearly 20 years of experience in women's health and cosmetic dermatology, founder of Desert Bloom Skincare, and creator of Unveil You, a platform dedicated to helping women understand the biological, emotional, and cultural forces shaping how they feel about themselves in midlife. Dr. Natalya combines science, psychology, and compassionate education to help women move from burnout, self-criticism, and overwhelm toward self-trust, vitality, and genuine confidence.

What I love about this conversation is that it goes to the root. So much of the conversation around women's health in midlife focuses on what to do — what to take, what to put on your skin, how to optimize. Dr. Natalya asks a different question: what is actually happening underneath?

What we cover:

• Why high-functioning women often live in chronic survival mode without realizing it — what this looks like from the outside, why it is so easy to miss, and why the women who seem to have it most together are often the ones most in need of support
• Why so many women suddenly stop feeling like themselves during perimenopause — the intersection of hormonal transition and nervous system overload, and why this combination creates such a profound sense of disconnection from identity
• Wellness as performance pressure — the difference between true nourishment and wellness becoming another item on the to-do list, another standard to meet, another way to feel like we're failing
• Whether aesthetic medicine and wellness can become unhealthy coping mechanisms — an honest, nuanced conversation about where genuine support ends and external fixing begins
• What healing actually looks like beyond supplements, skincare, and optimization — rebuilding self-trust, emotional safety, and internal regulation as the real foundation of midlife vitality
• The pendulum between beauty extremes in midlife — a refreshing and non-judgmental conversation about the two poles women often feel pulled between: the "fixed" approach of dye, filler, and cosmetic intervention on one side, and the "natural" approach of gray hair and bare skin on the other. Dr. Natalya's perspective is that neither is right or wrong — what matters is whether the choice is coming from a place of self-expression and genuine desire, or from fear, shame, and the need for external validation. Judge neither. Ask only: is this coming from love or from fear?
• The resonance between Dr. Natalya's work and Ayurveda — the understanding that true beauty and vitality come from nourishing the inside, that ojas is what we're actually seeking, and that a settled nervous system is the beginning of everything

Connect with Dr. Natalya:

• Free Gift
• Unveil You platform
• Instagram Dr. Natalya
• Instagram Unveil You

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Send us Fan Mail

This is a "Flashback" episode of an episode that originally aired in September of 2024.

You most likely have seen the word "adaptogen" on some type of herbal product or beverage in the past few years. They are incredible herbs with an intelligence that helps our bodies adapt to stress.

The thing is, they are so amazing that many companies use this word to market products that don't actually have adaptogens in them.

In this informative episode I introduce listeners to adaptogens, a fascinating class of herbs celebrated for their ability to enhance the body’s resilience to stress. And hopefully give some insight into what an adaptogen truly is so that you can be more savvy when buying products with these incredible herbs.

The conversation starts with the rich history of adaptogens, from their ancient roots in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine to their discovery in the West during extensive USSR research.

Key adaptogens such as ashwagandha, American ginseng, and Rhodiola are highlighted, alongside the criteria that make an herb an adaptogen: non-toxic, non-specific stress response, normalizing effect, and impact on the HPA axis and SAS (sympathoadrenal system).

The episode also provides practical advice on choosing reliable adaptogenic products and emphasizes the importance of integrating herbs with a balanced lifestyle. Listeners are encouraged to explore adaptogens further and consider their potential benefits alongside lifestyle changes.


In this episode:

• Introduction to Adaptogens
• History and Discovery of Adaptogens
• Defining Adaptogens
• Popular Adaptogens and Their Benefits
• Using Adaptogens Wisely

Related Episodes:

Episode 55 - Nervous System Herb Allies
Episode 53 - The Window of Resilience


References:

Winston, D., & Maimes, S. (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press.

(n.d.). The Definitive List of Adaptogens. Rasa. https://wearerasa.com/pages/what-are-adaptogens#definitive-list

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram