This week, Tee sits down with Leeah Smestad, a world traveler, conscious travel advisor, and founder of Newberry Travel. After visiting all seven continents and more than 50 countries, Leeah discovered something many travelers notice but rarely fully understand: chronic digestive issues, migraines, acne, and inflammation often improve dramatically when spending time abroad. What began as personal observations during a trip to Europe eventually became a deeper exploration into how food quality, environmental exposures, and lifestyle habits impact overall health.

Leeah shares her personal journey with years of IBS symptoms, migraines, and acne, and how eating fresh baguettes in Paris while feeling symptom-free challenged everything she believed about her body. Together, Tee and Leeah explore the major differences between food systems in the United States and the European Union, including the use of chemical additives, pesticides, and food processing practices. They also discuss how local farmers' markets, whole foods, fermented foods, and lower toxic exposure can significantly support gut health, reduce inflammation, and improve skin and energy.

Tee and Leeah also dive into the healing power of slowing down. From eating meals communally in Sri Lanka to using chopsticks in Japan, Leah explains how cultural habits naturally encourage more mindful eating and better digestion. She also shares practical wellness strategies such as traveling with a LifeStraw, sourcing food from local co-ops and farmers markets, and choosing accommodations that support local communities. This episode offers listeners an inspiring and practical look at how adopting global wellness habits can help create better health at home.

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Produced By: Social Chameleon

This week, Tee sits down with Jaclyn Downs, a functional genomics analyst, nutrigenomics educator, and author of the acclaimed book, Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine. Jaclyn breaks down how functional genomics goes beyond traditional genetic testing by examining how genes interact and how environmental factors influence gene expression. She shares how nutrition, lifestyle, toxins, stress, and environmental exposures all impact the body's ability to detoxify and maintain balance. Through her work, she helps individuals uncover the hidden patterns behind chronic symptoms, inflammation, fertility challenges, hormone imbalances, and toxic overload using a highly personalized, root-cause approach to health.

Tee and Jaclyn unpack the growing confusion around detox culture and why many popular "cleanse" programs may actually do more harm than good. Jaclyn also introduces her philosophy of "avoid first, detox second," emphasizing that reducing toxic exposures is the most important first step before attempting aggressive detox protocols. Together, they discuss the importance of healthy elimination pathways, bile flow, liver detoxification, and understanding how the body processes chemicals, mold toxins, hormones, and environmental pollutants. Jaclyn also explains oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in an accessible way, highlighting how these processes contribute to the rise in chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, and disease.

Tee also shares her own recent health concerns surrounding cholesterol and calcium buildup, leading to an insightful conversation about how genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures intersect. Jaclyn explains that genes are not destiny, but rather a blueprint that can provide valuable clues about where the body may need additional support. She discusses the role of methylation, glutathione, and detoxification pathways in supporting long-term wellness and explains how personalized genomics can help guide targeted nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle strategies. This episode offers listeners a practical and empowering perspective on reducing toxic burden, supporting the body naturally, and understanding the deeper connection between environment, genetics, and health.

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Produced By: Social Chameleon

This week, Tee sits down with Dr. Karyn Shanks, a physician, author, and functional medicine practitioner who has spent over four decades helping individuals recover from chronic, complex illness. Once trained in conventional medicine, Dr. Karyn shares that her early clinical experience revealed a gap; she could diagnose and prescribe, but many patients were still left without real solutions. This realization led her to explore a more integrative path, combining functional medicine, epigenetics, neuroplasticity, and transformational psychology to better understand the full picture of human health. Her work is grounded in a powerful belief: the body is inherently wise, and healing begins by listening to it.

In addition, Tee and Dr. Karyn unpack the limitations of conventional medicine when it comes to chronic illness and why a "whole-person" approach is essential. They discuss the importance of identifying root causes rather than masking symptoms, and how factors like sleep, stress, trauma, nutrition, and environmental toxins all shape our health outcomes. Dr. Shanks introduces the concept of the "terrain of healing," explaining how everyday lifestyle choices influence our biology and genetic expression. She also shares her personal health journey with hypermobility syndrome and chronic fatigue, offering insight into how understanding the body's signals can lead to meaningful recovery and resilience.

Dr. Karyn also emphasizes the importance of personal agency—encouraging listeners to take an active role in their health through tools like comprehensive blood work, toxin reduction, and mindful lifestyle shifts. From supporting detoxification and reducing environmental exposures to addressing emotional patterns and stress responses, this episode highlights practical, accessible ways to move toward vitality. Her book, Unbroken, serves as a compassionate guide for anyone seeking to better understand their body and reclaim their health. The message is clear: you are not broken—your body is communicating, and when you learn to listen, healing becomes possible.

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Follow Therese "Tee" Forton-Barnes and The Green Living Gurus:

Austin Air Purifiers: For podcast listeners, take 15% off any Austin Air product; please email Tee@thegreenlivinggurus.com and mention that you want to buy a product and would like the discount. See all products here: Austin Air

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Tip the podcaster! Support Tee and the endless information that she provides:

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Venmo: @Therese-Forton-Barnes last four digits of her cell are 8868

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Cell: 716-868-8868

DISCLAIMER: ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE IS GENERAL GUIDANCE AND NOT MEANT TO BE USED FOR INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR PROVIDER OR DOCTOR FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.

Produced By: Social Chameleon