Why do so many of us feel like we do not belong, whether at home, at work, or even in our own skin? How can authenticity and belonging unlock true mental and emotional health?

In this inspiring episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu (Doctor V) sits down with Ritu Bhasin, award-winning speaker and best-selling author of The Authenticity Principle and We Have Got This: Unlocking the Beauty of Belonging.

Together, they explore:

• Why childhood bullying, sometimes even at home, leaves lasting scars on belonging

• How fear of judgment erodes mental health and connection

• Practical strategies to cultivate authenticity and belonging at work and in life

• Why leaders must disrupt bias and model vulnerability

✨ Resources for Thrivers:

• 📘 Grab the #1 Bestselling Book Thrive State (2nd Edition): thrivestatebook.com

• 🎁 Free Longevity and Human Potential Starter Kit: thrivestatestarter.com
  

• 🔗 Explore more insights at kienvuu.com
  
  

Episode Highlights:

• Ritu Bhasin and the journey to authenticity
• Childhood struggles, racism, and the roots of belonging wounds
• Belonging and mental health: how judgment shapes the nervous system
• Three steps to reclaim authenticity and belonging
• Developing core wisdom: mind-body practices for healing
• Creating cultures of belonging in organizations
• Ritu’s resources for building authenticity and empowerment

What if chronic disease isn’t a life sentence, but a signal that your body can be restored? In this powerful episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu (Doctor V) sits down with the legendary Dr. Jeffrey Bland, the “Father of Functional Medicine.”

Together, they explore how lifestyle, nutrition, and epigenetics shape our health and how you can reverse dysfunction, optimize your biology, and thrive at any age.

👉 Discover how functional medicine is reshaping healthcare.
👉 Learn how to use sleep, movement, nutrition, and mindset to take control of your genes.
👉 Get inspired by Dr. Bland’s Big Bold Health mission and the science of immuno-rejuvenation.

✨ Resources for Thrivers:

📘 Grab the #1 Bestselling Book Thrive State (2nd Edition): thrivestatebook.com

🎁 Free Longevity & Human Potential Starter Kit: thrivestatestarter.com

🔗 More insights on functional medicine at kienvuu.com

Episode Highlights:

• Dr. Jeffrey Bland & the roots of functional medicine
• From treating disease to optimizing function: a systems biology approach
• Why symptoms are not the enemy: understanding root causes of illness
• Lifestyle, epigenetics, and the science of gene expression
• The six core processes that drive cellular health
• Seeing the body as an ecosystem: resilience and interconnection
• Hope and cellular plasticity: why health can always improve
• Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat & Big Bold Health vision

In this episode, I sit down with author and creator Kaila Yu to explore what it takes to move from external validation to authentic self worth. We talk about the harm of fetishization, the healing power of sobriety and community, Internal Family Systems therapy, and simple practices like meditation and gratitude that actually shift your biology and your story. If you have ever felt invisible or not enough, this one is for you.

Content advisory: mentions of addiction and sexual assault.

Read more at kienvuu.com

Follow @doctorvmd
Get the 2nd edition of Thrive State at thrivestatebook.com
Download the free Longevity and Performance Starter Kit at thrivestatestarter.com

References: IFS evidence and randomized trials, meditation and gratitude research, and reporting on anti Asian violence. Taylor & Francis Onlineifstherapy.orgSpringerLinkJAMA NetworkPBS

Episode Highlights:

• UCSD connection
• Five to Thrive: self love, rest, and power
• Why Kaila wrote Fetishized and the TikTok pivot
• Hollywood stereotypes and narrow roles for Asian women
• Sobriety and the start of real inner work
• Depression, chaos, and chasing validation
• Parents, achievement, and the missing words of affirmation
• What 12 step work opens up
• Naming the assault and why secrets make us sick
• IFS therapy and befriending your parts
• First steps that actually help
• Meditation and gratitude in practice
• Why fetishization is not harmless
• Book details and where to find Kaila