Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast

Fitness is at the very center of personal growth: by all accounts, it offers a positive impact on one’s mood, sleep, stress, energy levels, and mental health. In this episode of Self Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Sabrina Oktavelia interviews fitness instructor Sarah Hentges. Teaching community yoga classes at the UMA Bangor campus and dance and fitness classes at B...

As science expands and more studies are finally conducted on women’s health, more and more interesting connections are being made on the impact of the menstrual cycle on overall health. In this episode, expert Lyssandra Guerra joins host Joahanna to talk about something everyone goes through - stress - and how it might be connected to the cycle.  Lyssandra Guerra is a Certified Nutrition & Wel...

There is now a growing body of research that’s shown strong connections between mental and physical health, but little is known about the pathways from one another. On this episode of Self-Improvement Atlas, host Joahanna is joined by Jarryd Heasman to learn more. Drawing on his background in sports science, research, and mining industry wellbeing, Jarryd Heasman translates multidimensional expert...

Prioritizing health in our mile-a-minute days can feel like an impossible task. Between work, family, social obligations, and personal interests, we’re often left feeling drained and out of sync with our own well-being. Yet, it remains all the more crucial for us to treat our health as a priority. So, in this episode, host Marie Stella is joined by health coach Sharon Gleeson to explore routines t...

Self-care is a term that’s been trending everywhere from the early stages of social media, but what does it truly mean? Beyond the aesthetically pleasing Instagram posts of bubble baths and scented candles lies the psychology explored in this episode of Self-Improvement Atlas. Joining our host Marie Stella is clinical health psychologist Dr. Samantha McLeod, who’s been running her own wellbeing ce...

Emotions can often affect our demeanor, and even our health. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by psychology professor Benjamin D. Rosenberg, Ph. D. to explore the world of emotions, and about how they affect us and we affect them. An associate professor and department co-chair at the psychology department at Dominican Unive...

Meditation has often been a topic of discussion when it comes to inner peace, but rarely discussed are the effects of meditation on our workplace productivity. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by meditation teacher Tom Cronin to learn more about what meditation can do for our focus and efficiency. Having spent 26 years in f...

Society’s beauty standards can be crushing to the self-worth, affecting adolescents and adults alike. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by dietitian and wellness coach Kathy Ožaković to learn more about how embracing authenticity is the first step toward improving body image. Grounded in her personal triumphs over mental hea...

The effects of meditation on our well-being are widely recognized, but lesser known are its role in improving our relationships and social connection. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella sits with functional medicine health coach Bridget Pennington to learn more. As principal health coach at Melbourne Functional Medicine, Bridget Pennin...

It is well-known that getting sufficient sleep is vital for health and well-being, but did you know that it also plays a massive part in cognitive functionality and overall performance? This week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by naturopathic nutritionist and health coach Carolina Ramuski to find out more. With a firm belief in the tra...

Metrics and data often serve as reliable approaches to business, yet intuition stands as a common denominator among the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by business consultant Laetitia Andrac to learn the very secrets behind making intuition work for business. Having coached individual...

With a rapidly increasing number of artificial intelligence software applications and devices populating the world, existential questions become even more pressing. This week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Dina Sargeant consults psychologist Dr. Mike Brooks to examine the philosophical implications of AI and more. With a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing t...

In today’s fast-paced world, quality sleep is often elusive. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Dina Sargeant chats with sleep coach Nicholas Stewart, MBA, CSSC on what it takes to get a good night’s rest. With expertise in helping professionals achieve peak performance through improved sleep, Nicholas Stewart, MBA, CSSC is the brains behind bestse...

Faces are merely a canvas upon which emotions are painted. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Dina Sargeant sits down with world-renowned facial expression expert Erika Rosenberg, Ph. D. to investigate the science behind how we communicate our feelings through subtle cues. As a scientist, author, and teacher, Erika Rosenberg, Ph. D. seeks to help p...

You often hear about volunteering as a selfless act, but what if, in the best of ways, it can be entirely selfish? This week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella chats with preventative medicine professor Stephen G. Post, Ph. D. on how doing good makes you feel good. An opinion leader and public speaker, Stephen G. Post, Ph. D. is author to an estimat...

Virtual environments and digital interactions are becoming increasingly central to our lives, and with that, comes a host of questions: Do online communities influence our identity? To what extent? So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella Quek is joined by Dr. Vanessa Dennen to learn more about online communities and its effect on our self-i...

Have you ever felt yourself dissociating from being the shoulder to cry on for the hundredth time? The weight of others’ emotions can sometimes turn empathy into vicarious exhaustion. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella chats with clinical psychologist Shannon Swales to learn about compassion fatigue. Drawing from both professional expe...

Meditation is taking the world by storm, with information available on social media outlets and blogs alike. But, understanding the fundamentals of meditation and what types might be suited for your goals and lifestyle is key to making it work. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by meditation teacher Giovanni Dienstmann for b...

In an age where financial literacy is paramount, knowledge of how money works in the 21st century can make all the difference in financial planning. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by economics professor Richard Holden to get a grasp on our rapidly changing economic landscape. A professor of economics at UNSW Business Scho...

Between boardroom meetings and date nights, the key to nailing style and practicality boils down to wardrobe versatility. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by wardrobe consultant Paula Newlands. With 19 years of experience in the fashion industry, Paula Newlands top passion is styling and educating clients. Her previous stin...

Trauma tends to leave deep scars on the psyche and spirit, yet there exists a path to healing, especially when accompanied by meditation. So, in this week’s episode of Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by professor Dessa Bergen-Cico, Ph. D. As a professor in the Department of Public Health, as well as faculty in the Interdisciplinary Neurosc...

It is common knowledge that eating well and exercising are the hallmarks of a healthy lifestyle. But what about sleep hygiene? This week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella chats with sleep consultant Samantha Sadighi about all the work that goes into becoming a successful sleeper. As a psychology graduate and former insomniac with over 20 years of c...

Our world is saturated with distorted ideals of beauty, and so many of us have grappled with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt at some point in our lives. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by psychologist Dominique Mulhane to discuss what self-acceptance can do for positive body image. With an interest in eating disorder...

As plenty of us embrace remote work, the lines between profssional and personal spaces tend to blur. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella chats with interior architect Iva Durakovic for advice on creating a work environment at home that can sustain both our well-being and the planet. With over 10 years of experience working on high-profi...

The simple act of putting pen to paper can offer incredible catharsis, especially for the easily stressed. So, this week on Self-Improvement Atlas: The Personal Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella is joined by journaling coach Carol Brennan to learn about everything that makes journaling work. Hailing from Scotland, United Kingdom, Carol Brennan specializes in helping female entrepreneurs...