The Book Serenity Podcast

Episode 1: Who Were the Platt Family? Origins & Identity In this opening episode of the Book Serenity Podcast Platt Family series, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez—genealogist with over 40 years of experience and author of several books on the Platt family—explores the true origins of the Platt surname and its journey from England to early America. Discover the meaning behind the name “Plat...

Tahawus, New York: A Forgotten Town, A Living Memory Hidden deep within the Adirondack Mountains lies Tahawus, New York—a place where history, ancestry, and the land itself tell a powerful story. In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez—genealogist with over 40 years of experience and author of several books, including works on the Platt family—guides you t...

The Secret Hidden in a Name: What Your Ancestors Left Behind What if your ancestors already told you who they are… and the answer is hidden in a name? In this powerful and engaging episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, we explore how middle names—especially in Southern genealogy and South Carolina family history—can reveal hidden ancestral connections that traditional records may not immediately s...

Have you noticed how quickly you judge yourself… but how rarely you truly understand yourself? In this episode, The Inner Critic vs. Your True Voice, discover why your inner critic feels so powerful and how it developed as a protection mechanism—not a truth. Learn how to shift from self-criticism to self-awareness by connecting with your inner witness, the calm and compassionate voice that recogni...

Do you ever feel like you’re doing everything right, but still feel like you’re not enough? In this episode, we explore why so many people struggle to recognize their own goodness and how the mind naturally focuses on mistakes instead of care, effort, and resilience. You’ll learn how to shift from self-criticism to self-awareness with a simple, gentle practice that helps you reconnect with your in...

Do you ever feel like you’re doing everything right… but still feel like it’s not enough? You show up for others. You carry responsibilities. You try your best every single day… And yet, something inside still feels unseen. In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, we explore a powerful truth:  You are not missing goodness — you are missing recognition. This gentle and relatable episode walks...

Can energy healing really reduce pain, calm the mind, and restore balance naturally? More people are turning to Reiki and energy healing as a gentle, effective way to support their health—especially when traditional approaches fall short. In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, discover how Reiki works, what to expect in a session, and why it is becoming a trusted method for reducing stress...

Why do some people seem calm, energized, and emotionally balanced even in stressful times? The answer may lie in an ancient healing principle that has guided wellness for thousands of years—The Three Treasures: Jing, Qi, and Shen. In this enlightening episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, holistic health expert Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez, Licensed Acupuncturist and Usui Reiki Master, reve...

What if the answers to who you are today were hidden in the lives of people who lived 200 years ago? Your ancestors left clues throughout history—in old records, forgotten stories, and family traditions. Most people believe genealogy is simply about names and dates, but the truth is far more powerful. Family history reveals stories of resilience, migration, survival, and identity that still shape...

Take the Lead in Your Healing Journey Do you sometimes feel disconnected from your health, overwhelmed by stress, fatigue, or chronic symptoms that never seem to improve? Many people today feel powerless when facing health challenges because they are taught to treat symptoms rather than understand the deeper causes of imbalance. In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, holistic health expert...

The Hidden Reason Healing Doesn’t Respond to Effort Have you ever tried everything to feel better—only to feel stuck, frustrated, or exhausted by the effort? In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez explains why healing doesn’t always respond to willpower or intention alone. In clear, everyday language, she explores how the nervous system creates perception...

Listening to Your Body Without Fear or Judgment A Holistic Healing Conversation for Women Over 45 For many women over 45 across the United States, listening to the body can feel uncomfortable—or even frightening. There is often a quiet fear beneath the surface: What if I hear something I don’t want to know? What if listening means something is wrong? What if it means slowing down when life still d...

Your Body Is Not Broken — It’s Asking for Support A Holistic Healing Conversation for Women Over 45 Many women over 45 across the United States quietly wonder if something has gone wrong with their bodies. Energy feels lower than it used to. Stress lingers longer. Recovery takes more time. Sleep doesn’t always feel refreshing. And despite doing everything they were told would keep them healthy—eat...

Why “Pushing Through” Stops Working For many women over 45 across the United States, pushing through exhaustion, stress, and discomfort has been a lifelong habit. But at some point, what once worked begins to leave the body depleted instead of resilient. In this episode, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez explores why midlife changes make “pushing through” unsustainable and how holistic healing o...

The Cost of Ignoring Symptoms Many women over 45 across the United States live with constant fatigue, tension, or discomfort—telling themselves it’s “nothing” or something to deal with later. What if those symptoms aren’t random or a sign of weakness, but quiet messages from your body asking for support? Ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear—it often causes them to return more strongly. In thi...

Daily Holistic Healing Practices: Simple Steps to Restore Balance Naturally Many women over 45 across the United States want to improve their health naturally but feel overwhelmed by complicated routines and conflicting advice. In this episode, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez shares gentle daily holistic healing practices that support balance, energy, and well-being—without extreme diets or ri...

When Your Body Is Whispering: Why Women Over 45 Feel Disconnected from Their Health Many women over 45 across the United States feel tired, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their bodies—despite doing everything “right.” In this episode, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez explores why fatigue, pain, and brain fog are not signs of failure, but messages from the body. Learn how holistic healing ref...

Holistic Healing for Women Over 45: Daily Steps to Improve Health Naturally Many women over 45 across the United States find themselves feeling tired, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their bodies—despite doing everything they were told would keep them healthy. Hormonal changes, chronic stress, disrupted sleep, and emotional overload often show up as fatigue, pain, digestive issues, or brain fog,...

The Power of Daily Reflection: How Journaling and Reading Change Your Life Book Serenity Podcast Do you ever feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in the same patterns, even though you’re doing everything you’re “supposed” to do? In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez explores how daily reflection through journaling and intentional reading creates awar...

What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You: Wisdom Beyond Western Medicine Book Serenity Podcast Do you ever feel tired, tense, anxious, or “off”—even when tests say everything is normal? In this episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, Dr. Guadalupe Vanderhorst Rodriguez explores why symptoms are often messages, not mistakes. Drawing from holistic and traditional wisdom, she explains how the body communic...

Ancestral Stories That Were Never Written Down Book Serenity Podcast Have you ever searched your family history and felt the silence where stories should be? So many ancestors lived full, meaningful lives—yet their stories were never written down. Women, Indigenous families, enslaved people, immigrants, and everyday ancestors were often left out of official records, leaving generations wondering w...

In a world moving at relentless speed, many people feel disconnected—from their health, from their sense of purpose, and from the stories that shaped who they are. They search for answers in fragments: a symptom here, a record there, a memory half remembered. What is often missing is integration—the understanding that healing, identity, and legacy are not separate pursuits, but deeply intertwined....

A Woman Who Would Not Be Forgotten: Sarah Ellen Yerby Speaks So many women lived full, courageous lives—yet history barely remembers their names. What happens when their voices are finally heard? In this moving episode of the Book Serenity Podcast, Sarah Ellen Yerby speaks across generations, sharing the story of the Yerby family—from their Georgia roots to lives shaped by faith, resilience, and q...

Who was Robert Sweat of Colonial Virginia—and was he one man, or two? In this compelling episode of The Book Serenity Podcast, we explore the life of Robert Sweat (c.1577–1642), tracing his origins in Devon, England, and examining early Virginia records that reference his presence in the colony as early as 1618, as well as a later 1638 indenture record aboard the ship Guiding Star. Through a first...

  Much of Indigenous history was never written down—it was renamed, erased, or forgotten. The Kikotan Nation of Virginia, a small Algonquin-speaking tribe who lived where Hampton, Virginia stands today, is one of those stories nearly lost to time. In this powerful episode, you’ll hear an ancestral narrative told in the voice of the Kikotan Chief, born around 1540, whose life and lineage endured de...