Strong + Unfiltered: Perimenopause, Hormones, Gut Health + Metabolic Optimization

Sal Di Stefano is one of the hosts of the #1 fitness podcast Mindpump. He has been in the fitness space for over 20 years and is one of my favorite people to hear interviewed. In addition to fitness he is likely one of the most ambitious individuals about educating himself regarding anything from the stock market, government, nutrition, gut health and ANYTHING in between.  On this episode we talk...

Ariana Golchin is a physician assistant who works in acute care psychiatry and who shares my passion for mental health and wellness. She is brave, intelligent, kind and a FIERCE individual.  I am proud to call Ariana my colleague and of all of the hard work she is doing to benefit the mental and physical health of her patients and those around her.  We talk anxiety, depression, medications-- EVERY...

Amy Ben-Horin is the executive director of The Wander Project and an absolutely stellar human being.  We sit down and talk about TWP- what it is and how it is serving communities of the athletes who do the fundraising. TWP is associated with vacation races , navajo yes and virtual running club.  We talk about joy, meditation and life in general!  Please be kind in dealing with me eating my pseudo...

Marcus and I sat down to talk about some of the biggest things we wish we would have known when we were choosing colleges, majors and careers.  We also get into a big discussion about finances! Financial health is incredibly important. It is something not a lot of people discuss cause "money". I talk about things I wish I would have done different financially and Marcus talks about the things he h...

My friend Erin Troup is BACK (and by popular demand!) Erin earned her masters in counseling psychology from Chatham University and BA in Psychology and Child Development from IUP. She is the owner and Lead Therapist at the Sprout Center for Emotional Growth and Development. Today we talk about trauma, grief and loss.  What is trauma? Who suffers? How do we cope and how does it affect us?  How does...

Ashley Reaver is a Registered Dietitian (2 t's NO C!) who has previously worked in both inpatient and outpatient health care, currently teaches at UC Berkley and also worked full time for inside tracker. Currently, she operates in private practice helping patients lower their cholesterol without medication!  She sits down with me to educate everyone on what cholesterol is, how it works, how to int...

Solo episode today!  I sit down and talk about all of the landmarks of how to gauge your health!  1. Sleep 2. Stress Management 3. Movement 4. Nutrition 5. Relationships 6. Menstrual Cycles/Male Hormones 7. Mental Health I go into detail about each component of health and also talk about biomarkers and how I generally measure health for myself as well as my patients!  Enjoy y'all! As always if you...

Today I sit down with one of my best friends Doug Mennen.  He is the husband of Cassidy Mennen from episode 12! We sit down and talk about how important it is for men to be dope fathers, the expectations on men vs. women in parenthood and how all men need to smash it and be awesome Dads! We also talk about some challenges in being a Dad, what it was like transitioning into fatherhood and fears he...

My better half and I sit down and talk about our first experience skydiving! Hear all of the nonsense and get some tips if you're thinking about going for the first time! Also we give some exciting life updates, talk about some current events, adversity and coping with anxiety.  If you haven't already please go over to itunes or wherever you get your podcasts and give a rating and review!

Adam DeRito is a former firefighter, EMT and search and rescue technician from New Jersey. He was a member of the Air Force Academy Class of 2010.  During his time in the Air Force Academy he personally experienced sexual assault and also worked as an undercover informant for the Air. Force Office of Special Investigations. Since that time he discovered falsified information of his medical records...

Nicole Jardim is a Certified Women's Health Coach, writer, speaker, mentor, and the creator of  Fix Your Period , a series of programs that empower women to reclaim their hormone health using a method that combines evidence-based information with simplicity and sass. Her work has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of women around the world in effectively addressing a wide variety of period pr...

Frank Wallace is a former Marine Sergeant.  He served three tours including Iraq and Afghanistan. While serving in a combat zone he had a vast array of jobs and duties--everything from setting up voting booths to searching for IED's. He sits down to talk with me today about what it is like being in the military, what TRUE war zones look like, the devastation of what it is like living in a third wo...

I am SO STOKED to sit down for todays episode with the one and only Laura Ligos. She is a registered dietitian who is passionate about cutting through the bullshit of diet culture and educating her clients and followers for fuel their bodies. Today is a spicy one. You can expect truth and sass about: - Expectations for postpartum women (and how they're ridiculous) -1200-1600 calorie diets are comp...

I have been DYING for this episode to release. Erin is a licensed professional counselor (with MANY other credentials) who sits down with me to discuss what attachment styles are, how they form and how they effect EVERY relationship we have! Our ability to form-- or even EARN secure attachment through our experiences and relationships can start even before we can talk. Attachment is determined by...

Deejay Brown is a certified PA, partner, dog mom and a bright light in this world. She is the owner of The PA professional where she offers all types of pre-PA and PA-S services (www.thepaprofessional.com) . She graduated PA and entered into a profession everyone thought would be pandemic or recession proof (spoiler alert: she isn't alone this is pretty common right now). Despite many months of no...

Today we welcome back my friend Ashley Broderick.   She was back on EP4 when we talked about my nutrition journey.   Today, we are NOT talking nutrition.   We are talking about who is really in your corner in your life.   Who are real friends? Why do people walk away? Do people show their true colors more when things are difficult for you or when you are having success?   What does it look like wh...

Special episode! My friends Devon, Dez and I hiked Mt. Whitney (aka the highest peak in the lower 48 of the United States).  We have a fun time sitting down talking about our experience, how we prepared, what went well, what went not so well and just have a great time laughing about it.  We also give tons of advice for longer day hikes-- how to prepare mentally, physically and what you need to bri...

Solo episode time before we get into a long string of AMAZING guests!  Today I sat down and basically recorded my relationship history.  The good. The Bad. The Ugly. I talk openly about how difficult relationships can be, especially when they end. I also talk about my evolution as a person through the lessons I learned through relationships, heart break and people I will appreciate for the rest of...

Today I sit down with one of my best friends Dr. Cassidy Mennen. She is a DMD, wife, mom and amazing friend.  She is level headed, successful, grounded and one of the kindest individuals I have ever met. We sit down and talk about her story of growing up with an alcoholic parent, being a parentified child and what happens when you have a life as a child where you have to grow up too fast.  TUNE IN...

I sit down with one of my good friends (credit to my man as she was his friend first and I STOLE HER!)  Like me, she spent 3 years traveling for her role in the medical field as a licensed occupational therapist (me as a physician assistant). Today we sat down and talked ALL about what it is like to do travel work, who might like it, answer common questions, talk about long distance relationships...

Today we sit down and talk about how convenience culture AKA instant gratification is impacting us as individuals as well as a society.  Don't worry, we aren't saying get rid of amazon prime, but we are suggesting people remember the long game aka long term gratification.  Tune in and if you are enjoying the content PLEASE give a rating and review wherever you grab your pods! 

Today I sit down for a follow up from EP3 on family estrangement. This episode gets really personal and vulnerable and a lot of the things I talk about might be difficult for some people to hear (you've been warned).  My childhood. My father. My parents marriage. And finally getting the answers and validation I sought for so long.  Contact Me: E-Mail: danielle.marie.pac@gmail.com Instagram: @danie...

Today I sit down with my favorite person! It's also my first in person interview (yay technology!) Marcus and I sit down to talk about how we met, how our relationship started and evolved. How we make it work, things we have been thorough and some other insights to our relationship. There are also some really good tid bits and life lessons smashed into the conversation-- of course!  Website: www.s...

On EP7 I sit down with my good friend Derrick Ball and we get into debunking the garbage out there in the fitness and nutrition industry. Buckle up people. This is a good one! Derrick is the co-founder of Ballistic Performance. He and I met when I was living in Pittsburgh at a CF gym where he was head coach.  He is my friend and also in charge of my programming.  He has a Masters in Health and Phy...

On this weeks episode I dive into the steps I took to get into PA school and the foundations for how I practice medicine. The first half of the conversation while directed towards PA school is applicable to ANY goal in life! In the second half of the conversation I talk about the principles I approach my patients with and also what patients should look for in a solid medical provider.  Contact : E...