Everyday Ancestral with James Barry

What if healing chronic pain was less about suppressing symptoms and more about teaching the body to remember how to heal? In part two of our conversation, I go deeper with Dr. Adam Gavine, a practitioner whose approach bridges physiology, movement, and energy in ways I’ve never seen before. Dr. Gavine shares how the Wasabi Method, a system he co-founded with Dave Asprey, uses shockwave therapy an...

Is Canadian pride a distraction from deeper truths? What if borders are just an illusion, and immigration debates miss the point entirely? In this thought-provoking conversation, I sit down with B. Lorraine Smith to explore the unseen layers of national identity, economic interdependence, and the ancestral wisdom of bioregional living. Lorraine isn’t just forward-thinking, she’s upstream-thinking....

What does poker have to do with ancestral health? Turns out, a whole lot. In this episode, I sit down with Martin Jacobson, a former chef who became a professional poker player and won the 2014 World Series of Poker. But this conversation isn’t just about cards or cash. It’s about what it takes to thrive under pressure, stay calm in chaos, and develop the kind of stillness that serves you far beyo...

Is your body trying to tell you it’s not safe to get pregnant? In this episode, I sit down with Deidre Bloomquist, functional nutritionist, founder of Always Growing Wellness, and author of Toxic Infertility, to explore the powerful idea that infertility is not failure... it’s protection. Deidre specializes in helping women identify hidden toxic burdens, restore true hormonal health, and create th...

What if the journey to true health wasn’t about the perfect diet but about reconnecting to yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Brandon Miller, a nutrition coach and personal trainer from Jupiter, Florida. At just 23, Brandon has lived a complete health transformation. He lost over 100 pounds, battled IBS, navigated the cult-like corners of diet culture, and came out the other side more grou...

What happens when we outsource wisdom, sever community ties, and forget how to truly listen to our bodies, to each other, and to the land? In Part 2 of my conversation with Mary Ruddick, we continue exploring the Feminine Blueprint, focusing on how ancestral practices might just hold the key to today’s rising rates of infertility, chronic illness, and mental health collapse. If you missed Part 1,...

What if you could walk again just two days after a serious knee injury? In Part 1 of this powerful conversation, I sit down with Dr. Adam Gavine, a sports chiropractor with a passion for real, lasting healing. We met at a conference where my wife Margaret could barely walk after a patella injury. Adam confidently said she’d be walking in 48 hours. He was right. And I knew I had to get him on the s...

What if the rise in autism and ADHD isn't just better diagnosis but a warning sign from the body? In this episode, I sit down with Julie Matthews, MS, a Certified Nutrition Consultant and published researcher specializing in personalized nutrition for complex neurological conditions, especially autism and ADHD. For over 20 years, Julie has worked with thousands of families, helping them uncov...

“I used to think overwhelm was just who I was. But what if that story was written in my DNA—and I could edit it?” In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tyler Panzner, a PhD geneticist who’s on a mission to help people understand their bodies on a cellular level—literally. We met at Mindshare and hit it off in one of those rare, spark-filled conversations between interviews. I knew I had to have him...

What if the definition of a “strong woman” we’ve been given in the West is all wrong? In this conversation with the incredible Mary Ruddick whos’ often called the “Indiana Jones of Health”, we go deep into ancestral perspectives on female health, strength, and identity. Mary has lived with and studied traditional cultures across the globe, and what she’s found challenges almost everything we think...

Today we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the least regulated health spaces out there: the supplement industry. I sat down with Melissa Crispell—traditional naturopath, nutrition specialist, and president of Pure Essentials—to uncover the dirty secrets hiding in your so-called “natural” supplements. Melissa spent over 15 years teaching practitioners how to interpret functional lab data and bu...

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with my fellow San Jose native, Sophia Nguyen, for a conversation that’s as personal as it is powerful. We go deep into what it means to truly honor your elders—especially in a culture like the Vietnamese one, where family and generational responsibility are foundational.  Sophia shares the emotional journey of caring for her father as he declines into dementi...

If you’ve ever thought you were eating “clean” and still found yourself dealing with nagging health issues, this episode is gonna crack things wide open for you. I’m joined by the legendary Mira Dessy—The Ingredient Guru—and let me tell you, this conversation changed how I look at every single label in my pantry. Mira’s journey from multiple autoimmune diagnoses and immune system collapse to compl...

What if living more ancestrally didn’t mean giving everything up—but instead meant gaining something back? In this episode of Everyday Ancestral, I’m joined by Melissa K. Norris—modern homesteader, author, and host of the Pioneering Today podcast—for a deep dive into what it really means to blend old-world wisdom with a modern lifestyle. Melissa and I are totally on the same page: we’re not trying...

What if your child’s struggles with reading, focus, or headaches weren’t behavioral—but visual? In this deeply personal episode of Everyday Ancestral, I sit down with my friend and functional eye doctor, Dr. Bryce Appelbaum—someone who completely transformed my daughter’s life and, honestly, how our whole family sees health. Bryce is a neuro-optometrist specializing in functional vision therapy, a...

Friends, this one’s a wake-up call. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Abby Kramer—a chiropractor, holistic physician, and co-founder of Fringe—to pull back the curtain on an industry that’s quietly misleading millions of health-conscious folks: the supplement world. We talk about the hidden fillers, flavorings, and proprietary “natural” blends in your favorite powders and capsules that don’t ev...

Dr. Bill Schindler is one of the most grounded and visionary voices when it comes to food—not just what we’re eating, but how disconnected we’ve become from the process. This is Part 2 of our conversation, so if you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, I highly recommend you scroll down and check that out first—the link’s below. In this episode, we go even deeper. We talk about how convenience foods ha...

Dr. Bill Schindler is a food archaeologist, chef, and ancestral nutrition expert who has traveled the world studying how our ancestors truly nourished themselves. In this conversation, we dig into how the modern food industry has stripped our meals of nutrients, flavor, and tradition—and what we can do to fix it. Bill lays it all out—most ‘healthy’ foods aren’t healthy at all, and most sourdough?...

Dr. Brandy Cummings is not your typical nutritionist. She’s a former blackjack dealer turned root-cause health expert who understands what it’s like to feel dismissed by conventional medicine. After losing her first pregnancy to severe mold exposure and battling a wave of debilitating symptoms—weight gain, vertigo, anxiety, and hormone imbalances—she hit a breaking point. That moment didn’t just s...

Will Witt is living proof that questioning mainstream health advice can be life-changing, especially when the truth is buried under layers of misinformation. For those seeking a return to ancestral wisdom and self-reliance, his journey is a wake-up call. Diagnosed with gout at just 24, he was told to cut out red meat and eat more vegetables—but that only made things worse.  Instead of following co...

For generations, our ancestors thrived without heart disease plaguing their communities—so what changed? Dr. Philip Ovadia has spent decades performing open-heart surgeries, but after struggling with obesity and losing 100 pounds himself, he realized the real key to preventing heart disease isn’t surgery—it’s fixing metabolic health before disease even starts. The modern healthcare system treats h...

Ever feel like feeding your kid is a constant battle? Like no matter what you try, they only want the same five foods? Kate Pope gets it—and she’s here to flip the script on how we nourish our children the way our ancestors did. After her own health struggles led her to uncover the power of gut health, she became a Holistic Chef, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and Certified GAPS Practitioner. N...

Kevin Ellis, aka Bone Coach™, is here to share his proven system for stopping bone loss, reversing osteoporosis, and building lifelong bone strength. Diagnosed with osteoporosis in his late 20s, he refused to accept the usual ‘take calcium and wait’ advice. Instead, he developed a science-backed osteoporosis treatment plan that has helped thousands rebuild bone density and prevent fractures. In th...

I’m beyond excited to welcome two incredible guests, David and Paige Lea, the visionary co-founders of Daring Deeply. Their expertise in somatic experiencing, attachment theory, and neurobiological healing offers a powerful roadmap for emotional transformation. Through their work, they help people reconnect with their inner strength, rewrite their personal narratives, and cultivate resilience, com...

I’m thrilled to introduce my longtime friend and incredible guest, Helane Marie Anderson. Helane is a classically trained musician, composer, and sound healer whose work bridges the gap between contemporary music and vibrational therapy. With a background in arts administration, vocal alchemy, craniosacral therapy, and meditation, she has spent years helping people unlock their voices and reconnec...