Illumined Wellness Podcast

Who was Saint Junípero Serra, and why is he so controversial? Documentary director Zach Fiedler joins the Illumined Wellness podcast to talk about the life of Saint Junípero Serra: the Franciscan friar from Mallorca who left a university professorship to become a missionary in Mexico and California. Zach spent years reading Serra’s letters and journals and tracing his route from Petra, Mallorca to...

Why do high-achieving, driven people get hit hardest by autoimmune disease — and what can you actually do about it? In this episode, Dr. Stillman (author of The End of Autoimmunity ) breaks down why autoimmunity tends to strike the most capable, conscientious people in the prime of their lives — and why chronic fatigue, brain fog, and inflammation are so often just the surface labels for deeper is...

From Tennis Prodigy to Petroleum Engineer to Mystic: Shereen Yusuff's Journey to Christ Shereen Yusuff's story defies a single category. Raised in Oman as a nationally ranked tennis player training four hours a day, she lost her sport to academics, became a petroleum engineer, and spent years chasing meaning through Ironmans, ultra-marathons, and high-altitude mountaineering across 60+ countries....

Aubrey Strobel left journalism for Bitcoin, and somehow her faith got stronger along the way, not weaker. This one's about money, AI, dying, and why none of it fixes what you actually need. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 The Changing Landscape of New York City 03:12 Aubrey's Journey to New York and Career Evolution 06:01 Exploring Bitcoin and Financial Literacy 08:44 The Complex Relationship with Money 12:0...

What does it actually mean to be a man? Paul George — author of Holy Grit — joins Andrew to break down masculinity, hard things, and why so many men bury their emotional wounds instead of facing them. 🔗 Paul George's work: 👉 Book, "Holy Grit" https://www.avemariapress.com/products/holy-grit 🔗 Andrew's work: 👉 https://www.illuminedwellness.com/ | https://www.humanality.org/ | https://www.smart-...

Dr. Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center and bestselling author of Be Healed, opens up about his own mental health struggles, decades of waiting before writing his first book, and the biblical framework he uses to help people heal. 🔗 Dr. Bob Schuchts' work: 👉 John Paul II Healing Center: https://jpiihealingcenter.org/ 👉 Be Healed: https://jpiihealingcenter.org/product/be-hea...

Should we fear AI, or trust it? Andrew Laubacher sits down with Edmund Mitchell for a raw, unscripted conversation about faith, AI, and what it means to stay human. What we cover: - Why "doom vs. boom" is a false choice when it comes to AI - The requisite organization theory of thinking in nuance instead of certainty - ADHD, entrepreneurship, and why intrinsic motivation matters more than ever - W...

What is the internet actually doing to the human person? Ave Maria University  professor Justin Bonanno joins Andrew to trace how every major communications  technology has reshaped what it means to be human. - The "tech idiot paradigm" — why saying "it's just a tool" keeps us blind    to what technology actually costs us - Walker Percy and Susan Sontag saw the photograph problem coming long befor...

Discernment isn't a clean, step-by-step process — and Catholic mentor Bobby Angel says the biggest mistake people make is trying to figure it out alone. - Why discernment feels like agony — and why that's actually the point - How your childhood experience of love shapes your image of God (and your ability to trust Him) - The trap of making your vocation the idol instead of seeking union with God -...

Are screens quietly reshaping who we are — and are we past the point of no return? Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, one of America's foremost addiction experts, breaks down the real mental health crisis unfolding right now. Why young people are being diagnosed with personality disorders that disappear after 4 weeks offline? How social media algorithms deliberately exploit your psychological vulnerabilities....

Could light be the most important thing you're getting wrong every day? Tristan Scott is an Electrical Engineer (M.S.) and current Head of Operations & Hardware at Daylight Computer Co. He has deeply researched the connection between electromagnetism and human biology, with a specific interest in how man made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) could be negatively impacting human health. He is now a...