The Lushness Podcast

Heart disease is the number one killer of Black women in America, responsible for one in every four deaths.   In this episode, Dr. Mary Branch, board-certified cardiologist, breaks down exactly what's happening in the body when blood pressure rises, why Black women are consistently under-diagnosed and under-treated, and the specific numbers everyone should know to protect their heart. We cover wha...

Your hormones are talking. Do you know how to listen? Black women enter perimenopause earlier, experience more severe symptoms for longer, and are the least likely of any group to receive hormone therapy. In this episode Dr. Nicole Peoples breaks down what is actually happening in your body and what you can do about it. In this episode we cover:  Why Black women's perimenopause symptoms are more s...

Nobody taught us to connect our bleeding gums to chronic disease. Your mouth has been sending signals about what's happening inside your entire body and no one told you how to read them. Dr. Brigette White changes that today. In this episode we cover: Why chronic inflammation in your mouth is a red flag for diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's How stress, cortisol, and hormonal shifts show up...

Six episodes. Six experts. One season dedicated to Black women's longevity and whole body health. Before Season 2 kicks off we are bringing you the most powerful moments from Season 1 of The Lushness Podcast. From sleep deprivation to chronic stress, gut health, lab work, movement, and community, every conversation was designed to give Black women the health information they deserve but rarely rec...

Social isolation carries the same risk to your body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For Black women who have been conditioned to carry everything alone, that statistic is not just alarming. It is personal. Trauma therapist Tacha Fletcher, LCSW, reveals why Black women were not designed to carry life alone, how social isolation is silently destroying our health, and the practical steps to build a c...

Your back pain, your stiff neck, your tight shoulders are not signs that your body is breaking down. They are signs that your body is talking to you. And if you are a Black woman living under chronic stress, it has been trying to get your attention for a long time. In this episode of the Lushness Podcast, host Laura sits down with Dr. Amber Jackson, Doctor of Chiropractic, clinical researcher at L...

Your labs say normal. But your body is telling you something different. Clinical pharmacist Dr. Ashley Griffith breaks down why the reference ranges used to determine what is normal were not built with Black women in mind, what biomarkers you should actually be tracking for longevity, and how to walk into your doctor's office and get the labs you need without being dismissed. Black women are dying...

Naturopathic Doctor and gut health expert Dr. Firlande Volcy reveals why your digestive health is the foundation of everything: your mood, your energy, your hormones, and your immune system, and why so many Black women are suffering without real answers. In this episode we cover: Why Black women are disproportionately misdiagnosed when it comes to gut health The gut-brain connection and why your m...

Your stress is not just exhausting you. It is aging you at the cellular level. In this episode, licensed counseling psychologist Dr. Natasha Manning-Gibbs breaks down the science of weathering, what it is, why Black women carry a disproportionate biological burden, and what you can actually do to slow it down. This is not a burnout conversation. This is the science of what chronic stress from raci...

Your sleep is costing you years. And if you're a Black woman in America, the odds are already stacked against you. Board-certified physician and sleep specialist Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell breaks down what's really happening to your body when you don't sleep, why Black women are the most affected, and the tools you can start using tonight to sleep better and live longer. If you are experiencing chro...