Holistic Life Navigation

Camille and Luis enjoy a playful conversation about the trendiness of terms including DEI, decolonization, woke-ness, Queer, witch, and liberal. Trends are cut off from the deep rooted culture of the thing itself, and therefore come and go. Luis reveals how the appropriation of these words into trends feels in his body and why. They discuss intent and impact before conversation flows to decolonizi...

Are beans an anti-nutrient due to their phytic acid content, or are they a superfood? Come investigate what is really behind the phytic acid scare around beans. How much phytic acid IS in a 1/2 cup serving of cooked beans anyhow? Luis does the math and gives us tips on how to reduce phytic acid, why it's worth the trouble, and how a little bit can be a benefit to our health. Beans contain pro...

Ownership is the question explored in this epic podcast where Luis interviews Unique Hammond, Zeena Ismail, and Hadar Cohen to share their distinctive perspectives of being forced out of their home/land. The inspiration for the podcast arose from the ashes of the LA wildfire where Unique's home was burnt to the ground as nature evicted her.  Forced from their homelands, Zeena Ismail is a Pale...

"As of today it will henceforth be official policy of the United States Government that there are only two genders, male and female." - Donald Trump Luis explores how this policy effects transgender, transsexual, non-binary and intersex folks. He discusses the fluidity of gender,  whereas sex is biology assigned at birth. Luis reads this policy as a statement of two sexes, which Nature a...

Let's explore the often ignored connection between nutrition and trauma. Luis breaks foods down into three categories: stimulants, depressants, and balancers.  When we eat sugar there is a spike in blood sugar levels, triggering a spike in insulin, leading to a drop in glucose, resulting in an adrenaline spike. You heard that? Your body is having a stress response, and you haven't even h...

Luis shares part of his family story before weaving rich voices and interviews to explore the use and meaning of the phrase People of Color, or POC. Many questions and facets are explored: Do we take on ideas to belong? Does the phrase POC other specific groups in a condescending way? What is the story, meaning, or belief we have about the label POC?  Does 'marginalized' mean oppressed?...

Luis shares part of his intersex journey as he explores the idea of misgendering as progress. Join him as he discusses the difference between sex and gender, harm and difference in the context of free speech. He believes we all have a responsibility to orient to, and find safety in, ourselves. The more comfortable Luis is in himself, the less offend-able he has become. Feel free to be part of the...

Thanks to a listener request, Camille and Luis discuss cognitive dissonance through the lens of somatics and parts work. Cognitive dissonance, the friction between held and opposing beliefs, can result in an uncomfortable tension. The discomfort caused by this tension is usually avoided, or even "erased". Alternatively, leaning in to the tension can be an opportunity for growth, or, an i...

Join Luis as he explores the effects of sugar, starch and refined carbohydrates on the body. Journey from the first bite to blood glucose levels spiking, all the way to the body's resulting stress response. Learn the balancing nutritional recommendations to employ before eating sugar, starch and refined carbohydrates to help mitigate the effects of adrenaline in the body.  You can get instant...

On today's episode Luis is joined by Kai Cheng Thom: somatic therapist, depth psychologist, and author. Back in August, Luis put up a post on social media sharing both his personal experiences and opinions about gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and youth in the trans community. The post received a lot of attention, and started a conversation with Kai that continues here. They discuss: relat...

Luis teaches us about his latest obsession: postprandial bloodflow. He talks about what it is, how affects it, and why it matters. He explains how it relates to comfort foods, emotional eating, and binge eating. The video ends with a somatic practice to explore how we related to food and comfort. You can get instant access to all of the HLN webinars and video courses here: https://hln.thinkific.co...

On today's episode Luis welcomes Ryan Abramowitz, author and artist of the book "Elegy For An Elephant", and Melissa McConnell, who introduced Ryan's book to Luis, to have a group discussion about the grief of losing a loved one to suicide, and how powerful artistic expression can be. Ryan discusses the process of creating and releasing the book, and how the way it has shifted...

On today's episode, Luis shares his reflections on his ancestry, and the experience of his ancestors juxtaposed against his present experience. He discusses the differences between cultures, and the practice of understanding and accepting ancestors. Luis speaks about how intergenerational wisdom and intergenerational trauma are both accessible to us, and how the relationship of movement, acti...

On today's episode, Luis talks about how fawning affects your sex life, and what you can do about it. He discusses: what fawning is, and why we do it the relationship between fawning and sex the longterm impact of prolonged sexual fawning why sexual fawning can occur with or without abuse [Ep. 2] Fawning: The Most Overlooked Trauma Response [Ep. 133] Fawning Made Me Sick w/ Martha Beck [Bonus...

On today's episode, Luis sits down for a casual conversation to connect with everyone, and share what's alive and present for him. He discusses:  co-dependency capacity and desire  his upcoming book integrity & fawning personal rupture & repair work narcissism You can find the links to some of the podcast episodes Luis mentioned here: [Ep. 5] Racism Recovery Part 1: Healing Racis...

On today's episode, Luis is joined by fellow podcast host Chion Wolf, and they share an interesting and meandering conversation. While moving from topics including atheism, the existence of extraterrestrials, and manifestation, they highlight the deep and beautiful themes of being humbled, living with curiosity, and relating to difference. You can listen to Chion's podcast, "Audacio...

On today's episode, Luis shares more about his personal experience with social media, and how he approaches responses and comments that have anger or upset. He shares how you can incorporate this approach into your life if you have a public presence, or in any relational situation with strong disagreement. He discusses the role of fawning, co-dysregulation, co-dependence, and shame, and how t...

On today's episode, Luis meets with Quinn Silverleaf, and they explore sexuality, sex, and gender through a somatic lens. They share their own unique lived experiences and viewpoints. They discuss: · ideology vs. somatic experience · integrating parts · the role context plays within our culture · separating male and female from masculinity and femininity  · congruency with internal experience...

On today's episode, Luis explores what it means to be free. Freedom is messy, and full of mistakes and hypocrisy. In the United States, the diversity of people, thought, and lifestyle creates a tapestry that can be either settling or activating to our bodies and nervous systems. Through personal and ancestral story, he discusses the role of agency, working with the discomfort of difference, a...

In today’s episode, Luis explores somatic empathy and pendulation - swinging between two different sensations or experiences. He explains why we need to develop the skillset to regulate our somatic empathy to stay present while taking in media.  When you watch someone in pain, this can create the sensation of "I feel pain your pain." Luis shares steps we can take to tend to that sensatio...

How are screens - televisions, smartphones, iPads, and more -  impacting our bodies? In today’s episode, Luis breaks down how our bodies react to the news, social media feeds, and other forms of online media. Today’s society has access to more experiences than ever before. Whether we know it or not, our bodies react to these experiences - whether painful, terrifying, or upsetting, and we lose the...

In today’s episode, Luis sits down for a casual chat with herbalist Aemen Bell, who is also his wife. From sharing how she healed her lung condition as a teenager to spilling the tea on one of their first dates, Luis and Aemen touch on everything about food, herbs, and relating to the land.  Join the couple as they speak about her origins with herbal medicine and the joy she finds being a beacon f...

Do you know what the freeze response is? In today’s episode, Luis explains how this natural tension in the body happens when we’re scared, threatened, or nervous. He does so by looking at videos from the animal kingdom.  When we need it, the freeze response is helpful. It can protect us from a physical threat. But, when it results in fatigue or procrastination, it’s not so useful. It’s through som...

Today’s episode is a casual conversation with the Holistic Life Navigation Team: Luis, Camille, Evan, and Marika. The team shares their personal experiences about dissociation and what happens during that trance-like state when we ‘zone out’.  Looking at dissociation through a somatic lens, the team shares what happens to the body when we dissociate and how to attune to the sensation and give our...

In today’s episode, Luis shares what a possum protecting itself from a coyote can teach us about the ‘freeze and collapse’ response. While it is essential to survival, our bodies can turn on that same response even when there’s not a life-threatening event happening.  Allowing nature to be our teacher, Luis looks at the event through the lens of overcoupling disagreement with life-threatening dang...