Send us a text

On this episode of Everything’s Messy Podcast I am joined by bestie of, gulp, 3 decades Channa Duboff. We’ve zigged and zagged through life with different worldviews and still meet in the middle with a friendship that’s strong, honest, and hilariously messy. 🥰

Channa, mom, wife, and an ICU nurse who’s currently heading back to school to become a nurse practitioner. We dig into what the medical field has taught her beyond textbooks—how every body is different, why good foundations matter, and what it looks like to advocate for patients in a system that often prefers tidy boxes over real-life nuance.

From there, we dive into lifestyle medicine—mind and body. Stress management comes first (or at least early!), and sometimes it’s as simple as stepping into a stairwell for ten slow breaths. We chat about social media pressure, giving ourselves grace, and choosing progress over perfection. Then we get practical: why steady-state cardio + strength training can coexist, how body-weight moves count, why bone density matters as we age, and why “I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder” isn’t a reason to skip the weights. 🏋️‍♀️🚶‍♀️

We get spicy about “cougar puberty” (hi, perimenopause 👋), and laugh our way through real talk on hot yoga, breathwork, red-light therapy, acupuncture wins, and why inflammation + gut imbalance sit at the root of so much chronic illness. Lifestyle changes aren’t punishment—they’re freedom.

And now… the exciting announcement you’ve been waiting for! 🎉

I’m launching a brand-new show with Channa: Truth & Pink—for the women no one’s talking about. We’re Gen X/Xennial, still cool, still loud, still here, and very much not fading into the background. Expect unfiltered chats on midlife, family, fashion, beauty, wellness (hello, “emotional support water bottle”), money talk, and “cougar puberty”—with sass and sisterhood. Pink isn’t just a color—it’s a state of mind. 💗

Join our live premiere on YouTube on September 23 (from Las Vegas!) and catch new episodes every Tuesday wherever you listen. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truthandpink, and subscribe on YouTube at Truth and Pink. Come laugh, eye-roll, cry, and exhale with us—one unapologetic, laugh-out-loud conversation at a time.

SO, grab your coffee, your wine, or your emotional support water bottle and let’s do this. 🥂

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsm

Connect with Truth & Pink:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthandpink/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@truthandpink

Email: truthandpink@gmail.com

Substack: https://substack.c

Send us a text

In this episode of Everything’s Messy Podcast, I sat down with Zoa Conner, a wellbeing and lifestyle alchemist, travel strategist, and—get this—she also holds a PhD in physics! I loved how she weaves together science, movement, wellness, and even travel to create a truly unique perspective on health and healing.

Zoa shared her story of starting as a ballet dancer, moving into science and physics, and eventually returning to movement through yoga and Pilates after becoming a mom. Her journey deepened even more when her daughter faced chronic illness from mold exposure and a serious ankle injury. Instead of settling for conventional medicine’s “wait and see” approach, Zoa tapped into her problem-solving skills as a physicist and her fierce mama bear instincts to seek out holistic solutions. Her insights into how the body connects—like how an ankle boot can affect hips, shoulders, and even sleep—were so eye-opening.

We also dove deep into mold illness, detoxing, and why preparing the body’s systems in the right order is so crucial before attempting detox. Zoa broke down complex ideas like MCAS and autoimmunity in a way that makes total sense, and I especially loved how she explained the immune system as an army with special ops—it was such a clear and empowering visual!

Another fascinating part of our conversation was Zoa’s work in travel as a functional part of wellness. Instead of treating vacations like stressful events, she helps people use travel intentionally as a way to reset routines, experience new environments, and actually support health. We talked about everything from choosing destinations that balance your lifestyle needs to making travel feel restorative instead of draining. Her upcoming retreat in Iceland sounded magical—designed not for jam-packed sightseeing, but for true restoration and connection with the environment.

Zoa has a fun quiz that helps you discover your personal “travel goddess profile,” giving tailored tips on how to make travel more supportive for your wellness. You can find it at intentional-vitality.com/quiz, and also learn more about her work at zenandvitality.com.

This conversation really highlighted how science, intuition, and lifestyle all merge together when it comes to health. Zoa’s perspective reminded me that healing and wellness aren’t one-size-fits-all—they’re about finding the connections others might miss and creating solutions that work for your unique body and life.

Connect with Zoa:

https://intentional-vitality.com/quiz?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://zenandvitality.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsm

Send us a text

Hey messy people! 💕 Can you believe it?! This episode marks TWO YEARS of Everything’s Messy Podcast! 🎉 I’m honestly blown away that we’re heading into Season 3. Today’s episode is my love letter to Season 2 — tying it up with a big messy bow 🎀, giving it a kiss and a hug 💋, and looking ahead to what’s coming next.

When I started this show, it was just me, my heart attack recovery, and a whole lot of feelings about how lost I felt in the medical system. 😔 I needed a space to vent and wondered if anyone else out there felt the same. Spoiler alert: YOU DID. 💖 From there, this podcast evolved into a safe, authentic place for deep conversations about life’s mess — health struggles, mom guilt, autoimmune diagnoses, heartache, and the beautiful magic that can come out of all that chaos.

Over the last two years, I’ve shared my own messy journey (hello gym meltdowns 🙋‍♀️), incredible guest stories, and lots of solo chats on everything from wellness trends to self-advocacy. We’ve laughed, cried, and connected in ways I never imagined when I hit record for the first time. And through it all, one thing has become crystal clear: mess is universal. 🌎 What matters is what we choose to do with it.

In this episode, I reflect on:

• How this podcast started as my personal journal and became a community of connection 💬
  
  
• The power of being authentically messy and how sharing struggles leads to transformation ✨
  
  
• Some of my favorite guest moments — from Dr. Diana Driscoll’s insights on POTS, to Linda Torgensen helping women over 50 reclaim health, to heart-melting stories like a little boy’s wagon of hope ❤️
  
  
• Why I’m obsessed (in the best way!) with helping you advocate for yourself and your health 🩺
  
  
• What’s coming in Season 3 — more inspiring guests, deeper convos, and a HUGE announcement this fall 👀
  
  

My hope? That even one listener out there felt seen and heard, and maybe even empowered to take messy action in their own life. If you’ve been riding this messy wave with me since day one or you just found the show — THANK YOU. 🫶 You’re why I do this.

Here’s to Season 3, more messy magic, and finding your strength through life’s storms. 🌪️💪 As always, grab your water (and electrolytes 😉), hit play, and let’s keep these real conversations going.

Love you all so much — thank you for an unforgettable two years. On to the next adventure! 🥂

Send us a text

Hey friends—welcome back to Everything’s Messy Podcast! 🎧 Can you believe we’re almost at the two-year anniversary of this little messy adventure? Season 3 is right around the corner, but before we get there, I wanted to take some time to chat solo with you about a few things that are trending in the health and wellness world. Some of them I’m totally on board with, others… well, let’s just say I’ve got opinions. 😉

First up—posture as a beauty trend. Yep, apparently standing up straight is the new facelift. I get it—I grew up in pageants (mock me all you want, I can handle it!) where posture was everything, so I’m all for people standing tall and aligned. But when it turns into another excuse for TikTok gadgets and billion-dollar beauty standards? Ehh, let’s breathe (literally!) and be careful not to corset ourselves back into the dark ages.

Then we dive into “quadrobics” (yes, I finally managed to say it right 😅)—basically moving around like animals on all fours. Think crab walks, bear crawls, gorilla walks. It’s playful, it’s trending, and while I’m all for movement in any form, I also want us to be careful with mobility versus flexibility, stretching safely, and not injuring ourselves in the name of looking cool crawling across the gym floor.

Of course, I couldn’t resist a good rant on self-discipline and promises we keep to ourselves. Showing up for your health has to become non-negotiable—like picking up your kids from school. You don’t skip it, you just do it. And every time you keep that promise to yourself, your body learns to trust you more, and that momentum builds.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on “med-cations.” Yep, medical vacations are apparently the new luxury trend—think genome sequencing and biohacking retreats instead of margaritas on the beach. Personally? Hard pass. Chronic illness doesn’t take vacations, and I’d rather spend my travel time soaking in culture, connection, and joy—not obsessing over more wellness industry gimmicks.

I wrap things up with some heart-to-heart thoughts about heritage, traditions, and storytelling. Maybe all of this wellness obsession is a sign that what we’re really craving is connection—tribal, ancestral, cultural connection. I don’t want us to lose the stories of where we came from or the joy of living life itself in the chase for the next shiny health trend.

So that’s where I land: let’s ask the hard questions, be curious, move our bodies, and take care of ourselves—but let’s not forget to live. Health should enhance life, not consume it. 💖

Thanks for hanging out with me for this ranty little solo episode! We’re almost at two years, and I’m so grateful you’re here—mock me, laugh with me, roll your eyes at me—but hopefully learn a little along the way. And as always—keep it messy!

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsm

Send us a text

In this episode of Everything’s Messy Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Diana Driscoll, an optometrist, independent researcher, and founder of Genetic Disease Investigators and POTS Care. Dr. Driscoll shares her personal journey of being sick for over a decade by POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) alongside her son—and how the search for answers led her to uncover groundbreaking connections between inflammation, neurotransmitters, vascular health, and chronic illness.

We discuss why POTS is so often misunderstood, and how simply treating the fast heart rate misses the true root cause. Dr. Driscoll dives deep into how chronic inflammation can be triggered by infections, stress, trauma, or surgery, and how it wreaks havoc on the parasympathetic nervous system, digestion, cognition, and even vision. She explains her research into neurotransmitter blockages, high intracranial pressure, and vascular inflammation, revealing why conditions like Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune diseases can set the stage for more severe illness.

You’ll hear how her patented supplement, Parasym Plus, was developed to restore vagus nerve function, improve digestion, and support recovery—and why existing medications, supplements, and lifestyle changes can make a massive difference when used strategically. We also talk about food sensitivities, histamine reactions, the role of oxidative stress, and why so many inflammatory patients are misdiagnosed with anxiety or psychiatric conditions.

This conversation is packed with insights on:

• Why “POTS” is an incomplete and misleading diagnosis
  
  
• The surprising connection between eye health and vascular inflammation
  
  
• How to evaluate and treat high intracranial pressure
  
  
• The critical importance of checking for clotting in POTS patients
  
  
• Food triggers, gut health, and histamine management in inflammatory conditions
  
  
• Why nutrient absorption problems are often overlooked—and how fixing them can be life-changing
  
  

Dr. Driscoll’s story is one of relentless curiosity, deep compassion, and a refusal to accept “there’s nothing we can do” as an answer. Her mission is to change how these conditions are labeled, understood, and treated—so fewer people suffer needlessly.

#POTS #POTSSyndrome #Dysautonomia #ChronicIllness #VagusNerve #VagusNerveHealing #Inflammation #AutoimmuneDisease #NutrientAbsorption #HighIntracranialPressure #POTSRecovery #DrDianaDriscoll

Connect with Dr. Diana Driscoll:
🌐 POTS Care
https://drdianadriscoll.com/dr-driscoll/

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsm

Send us a text

Hey everyone, welcome back to Everything’s Messy Podcast! Get ready to meet the incredible Laura Bratton, an author, speaker, and founder of Ubi Global whose story is packed with grit, grief, and the kind of gratitude that’ll leave you speechless.

Diagnosed with a rare eye disease at just nine years old, Laura was told she’d eventually go blind. But her real journey—the messy one—began as a teenager when her vision started rapidly deteriorating. What followed wasn’t just a loss of sight, but a life-altering lesson in identity, resilience, and acceptance.

We talk about everything—from teenage years filled with fear and depression, to learning braille while her friends learned to drive, to embracing her independence with the help of a guide dog (spoiler alert: two, actually 🐾). Laura gets real about grieving what was, while still moving forward. She shares how her support system gave her the foundation to stand on, and how she turned that foundation into fuel for her mission to help others facing any kind of life change.

Laura doesn’t sugarcoat her journey. Gratitude didn’t come easy. She didn’t wake up one day thinking, “Yay, I’m blind!” But through a small act—a mentor asking her to name three things she was grateful for—her entire perspective began to shift. And that, my friends, is where the magic began.

You’ll hear us talk about:

• Why acceptance can feel like a breath of fresh air (literally)
  
  
• The messy, beautiful process of grieving and moving forward
  
  
• How her family’s “tough love” helped her thrive
  
  
• What it means to build momentum when the world expects you to break

Laura’s story is powerful, relatable, and full of heart—and I can’t wait for you to hear it. So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and get ready to be inspired by one of the most real and refreshing conversations we’ve had on the show.

🐶 Warning: You will fall in love with her guide dogs.

✨ Learn more about Laura’s work and book at https://www.laurabratton.com/

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsmessy

Send us a text

Hey hey, messy crew! On this episode of Everything’s Messy Podcast we are diving into something a little different but incredibly important—joint health, bone strength, and what mobility REALLY means—with the incredible Jeff Bailey, author of Mobility for Life and founder of Avita Yoga. 🙌

We kicked things off with the idea of micro-mess vs. macro-mess (um, genius, right?), and from there, we journeyed through Jeff’s powerful story of overcoming injuries, chronic pain, and a ski crash that would’ve sent most people straight into full-time couch potato mode. 🛋️❌ Not Jeff!

Instead, he leaned into healing through fascial release, yoga, and an understanding of how our joints actually work (hint: it’s not about stretching those poor hip flexors until they scream). 💥

We talk about:

• Why your joints need pressure to heal and grow stronger 🦴
  
  
• How Avita Yoga differs from your average bendy, twisty yoga class (no pretzel poses required)
  
  
• The truth behind arthritis (spoiler: it’s often just toxicity trapped in the joint)
  
  
• Why mobility > flexibility—and why your nervous system needs a seat at the table too 🧠
  
  
• How Jeff’s slow, deep, therapeutic approach is changing lives—men and women alike
  
  
• The power of just starting where you’re at, mess and all

Whether you're recovering from injury, struggling with stiffness, or just wondering why you can’t twist into a warrior pose like the beach yoga influencers—this one is for you. And if you’ve ever thought, “I’m too tight for yoga,” then you especially need to tune in.

Where to Find Jeff & Try Avita Yoga:
🧘‍♂️ Website: https://avitayogaonline.com/

📚 Book: mobilityforlifebook.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avita_yoga_online/

💌 If this episode lit something up in you—share it with a friend, tag me @EverythingsMessyWellness, and let’s get this healing movement into more hands, hips, and hearts!

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsmessy

Send us a text

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Everything's Messy Podcast! Today’s episode is as refreshing as a cold plunge—literally. I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Kris Rice, founder and CEO of ChillPod, to chat about how a simple, two-minute daily ritual can reset your entire nervous system. But that’s not where it started.

Kris’s story begins in full-on mama bear mode, searching for ways to help her daughter navigate mental health challenges. Along the way, she realized her own stress and anxiety were running the show. Like many of us, she tried all the wellness tools—meditation, yoga, breathwork—but let’s be real: who has hours a day for that when life is chaotic?

Then came the cold plunge. (And yes, it started with a horse trough in the backyard because that’s how resourceful women roll. Gen Xers unite!) 🐎❄️ From hose water to a full-blown business, Kris’s journey into the cold plunge world is deeply inspiring, full of experimentation, discomfort, and ultimately—empowerment.

We dig into how cold exposure works with your nervous system, especially for women, and how even two minutes can be enough to shift everything. You’ll hear us talk about discipline, self-awareness, shiviting (yep—shift + pivot!), and giving ourselves permission to say: “This is enough.”

Kris also breaks down how to start small (like literally a bowl of ice water small), and how customizing your experience is key—temperature, time, and YOUR comfort zone matter. Plus, we tackle that controversial topic of whether women should even be cold plunging, and spoiler alert: you’re more capable than you think. 💪

This episode is about so much more than cold water. It’s about choosing yourself, showing up even when it’s uncomfortable, and building resilience in the messiest moments. So if you’ve ever wondered if a few freezing minutes could change your day—or your life—this one’s for you.

Grab that cozy beverage (then maybe toss it and jump into an ice bath 😅), and let’s get inspired.

✨ Find Kris and ChillPod:

📍 Website: thechillpod.co
📷 Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/krisricewellness/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechillpod.co/

Connect with Everything’s Messy:

• Website: https://www.everythingsmessywellness.com/
• X - https://x.com/everythingsmes/status/1767942253899817017?s=46
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingsmessypodcast/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingsmessywellness/
• Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@everythingsmessy
• Email: :sarah@everythingsmessywellness.co
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@everythingsmessy