Self-Care with Jean

This week, we're spending time together in the kitchen, and we're talking about something small, wonderful, and mighty: spices. Not just for flavor — though the flavor is glorious — but for nourishment, healing, and tradition. When I open my spice cabinet, I see a map of the world. Cinnamon from tree bark, turmeric from a root, cumin from the tiniest seeds. Every jar carries a story. And here's wh...

This week on Self-Care with Jean, we're talking about something I know we all long for: peace within ourselves. Not the kind that only shows up when everything is going right — but the deep, steady kind that stays with us even when life feels uncertain, noisy, or hard. In this episode, I'm sharing seven gentle practices to help you return to that peace — again and again, no matter what's happening...

Spring is here, the gardens are blooming, and I have something so wonderful to share with you this week — and it may already be sitting right in your refrigerator. I'm talking about fresh herbs. I'll be the first to admit — growing up Italian and Irish, I knew exactly two herbs: parsley and basil. That was it! It wasn't until my macrobiotic and plant-based journey that I discovered the whole beaut...

This week we're wrapping up April with something I believe so many of us need to hear right now — a gentle invitation to stop pushing and start allowing. We live in a world that rewards striving, achieving, and staying on top of everything. But what if the most powerful thing you could do this week is simply loosen your grip? In this episode, I'm sharing why allowing is not giving up — it's actual...

This week's episode is a JOURNEY—literally and figuratively. We're diving into Part 4 of our conversation with Dr. William Li, physician, scientist, and bestselling author of ⁠⁠Eat to Beat Disease and Eat to Beat Your Diet.⁠⁠ Here's what you're about to discover: What an incredible journey we've had with Dr. William Li in this fourth and final part of our conversation. I am just so grateful to sha...

This week's episode is a JOURNEY—literally and figuratively. We're diving into Part 3 of our conversation with Dr. William Li, physician, scientist, and bestselling author of ⁠Eat to Beat Disease and Eat to Beat Your Diet.⁠ Here's what you're about to discover: Dr. Li opens my eyes (and yours!) to the idea that there is no single "superfood" — what's truly super is your own body and its remarkable...

This week's episode is a JOURNEY—literally and figuratively. We're diving deep into Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. William Li, physician, scientist, and bestselling author of Eat to Beat Disease and Eat to Beat Your Diet. Here's what you're about to discover: Dr. Li takes us from the halls of medical school (where nutrition training is shockingly minimal) to the ancient monasteries of Greece,...

I am so excited to share this very special conversation with you! In this first episode of a four-part series, I sit down with the brilliant Dr. William Li — physician, scientist, and bestselling author of Eat to Beat Disease and Eat to Beat Your Diet — for a conversation that I truly believe will change the way you think about food forever. 🌿 Dr. Li and I connected at the opening of the Edelman...

This week on Self-Care with Jean, I'm talking about one of the most essential — yet most overlooked — pillars of good health: hydration. It's so easy to fall behind when it comes to drinking enough water, especially when life gets busy. But our bodies are constantly sending us signals when we're not drinking enough — from headaches, dizziness, and muscle cramps, to constipation, dry skin, mood swi...

This week, I'm sharing one of nature's oldest secrets — fermented foods — and why I believe they are truly traditional medicine for the body and soul. From my days studying macrobiotics, I discovered that foods like miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and tempeh are so much more than a wellness trend. They are living foods packed with probiotics, enzymes, and powerful postbiotics that work quietly an...

In this episode of Self Care with Jean, I'm sitting down with you to talk about one of the most important — and often overlooked — parts of our wellness journey: honoring our emotions. So many of us have been taught to push our feelings aside, to stay strong, to keep moving. But what happens when we do that? Those emotions don't disappear — they get stuck in our bodies, showing up as tightness in...

Happy Spring, Dear Friends! 🌸 In this episode, I'm welcoming you into my kitchen as we step into March and embrace the beautiful, renewing energy of the season. Just like the daffodils and violets beginning to peek through the ground, it's time for us to bring that fresh, vibrant energy into the way we cook and nourish our bodies. I'm diving into the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) a...

In this episode, I'm opening up about something we all struggle with but rarely talk about—that constant conversation we have with ourselves every single day. You know the one I'm talking about. From the moment we wake up to when our head hits the pillow at night, we're our own biggest audience. I'll share a personal moment when I caught myself standing in front of the mirror, about to go down tha...

It's mid-February, and I want to talk with you about something close to my heart—winter meals that truly nourish us during these cold months. In this episode, I'm sharing why the season matters so much when it comes to what we eat. Drawing from my studies in macrobiotics, I'll explain how our bodies need warm, comforting foods during winter—not heavy, dairy-rich dishes, but meals filled with color...

This week, I'm inviting you to slow down and have a cup of tea with me as we talk about grief and missing our loved ones. I'll be sharing a deeply personal story about how I heard those exact words—"have a cup of tea with me"—from our beloved friend who passed five years ago, and how that moment of magic reminded me that our loved ones are still close by if we can just get quiet enough to listen....

This week I'm diving into everything hummus – one of my absolute favorite foods and one of the first things I learned to make during my macrobiotic studies. Did you know that chickpeas, the star ingredient in hummus, were domesticated in the Middle East over 7,000 years ago? We're literally eating ancient history! I'll take you through hummus's fascinating journey from a 13th-century Cairo recipe...

In this episode of The Kitchen, I'm diving deep into the world of hearty soups and stews, and more specifically, the powerhouse ingredients that make them so nourishing—lentils and legumes. I'll be honest with you: when I started my macrobiotic journey, lentils and legumes were completely foreign to me. I had never cooked them, didn't know how to prepare them, and faced quite the learning curve. B...

In this episode, I'm taking you on a journey through the wonderful world of sesame seeds – a food I discovered during my macrobiotic journey that completely changed how I cook and nourish my body. I'll walk you through the incredible health benefits these tiny powerhouses offer, from supporting our bone health with calcium and magnesium, to protecting our hearts with healthy fats, to something rea...

Hello, dear friends! Welcome to 2026! Before we dive into our conversation about balance, I want to share something personal with you that ties into my Ring of Fire episode from January 1st. Throughout my life, I've worked with psychologists and psychiatrists when I really needed help, and I'm never afraid to talk about it or ask for support. Our Ring of Fire practice brings together all those pie...

In this episode, I'm so excited to kick off the new year by introducing you to one of my absolute favorite ingredients from my macrobiotic studies—adzuki beans! These small, reddish legumes from East Asia are about to become your new kitchen best friend. First, we'll take a quick trip down memory lane and recap the six elements of health we explored together last year—from building awareness and c...

In this special episode, I'm sharing a profound meditation that came to me on November 11th, 2025—a journey I call the Ring of Fire Meditation. I believe that throughout our lives, during traumatic or stressful moments, we lose pieces of ourselves. These fragments can be from any age—childhood, our teens, twenties, thirties, and beyond. They remain stuck in those moments, in those interactions, in...

As we close out 2025 and step into 2026, I'm inviting you to pause with me for some deep reflection and gentle intention-setting. In this special year-end episode, we're going to honor where we've been and lovingly prepare for where we're going. I'll guide you through three powerful reflections: celebrating the growth you've experienced this year (even through the hard moments), honoring what you'...

The holidays are almost here, and while I absolutely love this season of connection and celebration, I know how heavy and sluggish all those rich, traditional dishes can make us feel. So this week, I'm inviting you to try something different with me. I'm sharing three of my favorite plant-based holiday recipes that will bring brightness and nourishment to your table without the guilt or heaviness....

In this episode, I'm inviting you to pause with me as we explore winter through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine and self-care. I know this time of year feels impossible—the holidays are here, our calendars are packed, and everyone expects us to keep pushing through. But here's what I want you to understand: nature is asking us to do the opposite. The trees are conserving energy, animals a...

In this cozy episode of The Kitchen with Jean, I'm inviting you to slow down and embrace winter's gentle wisdom through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Winter is the season of stillness and deep restoration—a time when nature rests beneath the surface, and we're called to do the same. In TCM, winter is connected to our kidneys, which hold our body's vital energy reserves. That's why I'm...