Vanessa G Fitcast

Check Out Sahil Bloom's Newsletter That Inspired This Episode What if having more choices is actually making you less satisfied with the life you're building?  In this episode, we explore a fascinating psychological study from Harvard that challenges the common belief that keeping your options open always leads to better outcomes.  You'll discover why our minds respond differently to permanent dec...

What if the biggest thing holding back your gut health isn't the supplement you're missing but the habits you repeat every single day? In this episode, I'm breaking down the simple, foundational practices that support healthy digestion long before you ever consider probiotics, parasite cleanses, or specialized gut testing. We often get asked which supplements or lab tests someone should start with...

What if the reason tracking macros isn't working anymore has nothing to do with your discipline? In this episode, I break down one of the most common frustrations I hear from women: "I used to track macros, lose weight, and see results. Now I do the exact same thing and nothing happens.".  I want to share the story of how I once believed macros were the magic solution to fat loss, only to realize...

Everyone wants to know how "bounce back" after having a baby. The truth is, that's not the goal. In this episode, I'm sharing my postpartum fitness plan and the approach I'll be taking during those first weeks and months after birth. Instead of jumping straight into workouts, fat loss, or trying to get my body back as quickly as possible, I'll be prioritizing recovery, sleep, healing, and listenin...

What if the amount of exercise you actually need for long-term health is far less than you've been led to believe? In this episode, I'm breaking down some fascinating claims from longevity expert Dr. Amy Killen that completely challenge the "more is better" approach many women have been taught when it comes to fitness. One statistic in particular caught my attention: her claim that women may achie...

Most women who struggle with binge eating never talk about it. I'm changing that today. In this episode, I get personal about my own journey with binge eating, tracing it back to my early twenties and walking through the slow, nonlinear process of working through it over the past decade. This is not a quick fix episode. There is no finish line moment, no single breakthrough that made it all click....

What if burning more calories had less to do with punishing workouts and more to do with how you live your everyday life?  In this episode, we’re breaking down 10 low-effort ways to support your metabolism without adding hours of cardio or exhausting yourself in the gym. Because the truth is, your metabolism is running 24/7 and small habits repeated consistently can have a much bigger impact than...

In this deeply personal episode, I'm sharing the full arc of my health journey, from my days as a Division I equestrian athlete at UGA to the years of frustration, confusion, and rock bottom moments that ultimately led me to functional health.  I open up about how the pressure to maintain a certain body composition as a college athlete first pushed me toward disordered eating habits, setting the s...

The best athletes in the world aren't consistent because their lives are calm. They're consistent because they've learned how to get back on track, fast.  In this episode, we're breaking down the one trait that actually separates the ultra consistent from everyone else, and it has nothing to do with willpower or discipline. We're diving into the real reason you keep falling off your health routine...

What if the constant thoughts about food you deal with every day aren’t a lack of discipline… but your body trying to tell you something important?  In this episode, we'll break down what “food noise” actually is and why it’s become such a common struggle for women who feel like they’re always thinking about their next meal. While the current conversation often points to quick fixes or appetite-su...

What if all the “random” symptoms you’ve been dealing with… aren’t random at all? In this episode, we unpack one of the most overlooked drivers of stubborn weight gain, hormone issues, and chronic inflammation: immune dysfunction. If you’ve ever felt like your body is working against you despite eating well, exercising, and doing everything “right”, this conversation will start connecting the dots...

Most women don’t realize they’re stuck until they’ve already tried everything that was "supposed" to fix them. In this episode, we unpack one of the most frustrating experiences women face: going beyond conventional medicine, investing in functional medicine, and still feeling stuck. I introduce the two common paths women take: traditional healthcare and functional medicine and explain why both ca...

What if the most frustrating message in your health journey isn’t wrong… it’s just incomplete? In this episode, we unpack the moment so many women know all too well. Finally getting the courage to ask for help, only to be told “everything looks normal.” I share why this experience is far more common than it should be, and why it often leaves women feeling more confused, dismissed, and alone than b...

I want to tell you about a woman who was doing everything right.  Eating clean, working out consistently, tracking everything, taking all the supplements. She'd been doing this for two years. And in those two years her weight had gone up, her energy had gotten worse, and she'd started waking up every morning with this low-grade dread about her body that she just couldn't shake.  She went to her do...

What if the reason your hormones feel “off”… has nothing to do with supplements, diets, or doing more and everything to do with what you’re not doing daily? In this episode, we break down the five simple but powerful habits that can dramatically improve your hormone health in as little as 90 days. These aren’t trendy hacks or complicated protocols. They’re foundational lifestyle shifts that most w...

What if the reason your body isn’t responding… isn’t because you’re doing something wrong? In this episode, I sit down with Vital Spark coach Lindsey Newman to unpack the story behind her journey from “doing everything right” to realizing her body was breaking down beneath the surface. Coach Lindsey shares what it looked like to chase the “fit mom” identity of training harder, eating less, and try...

What if the very habits you believe are making you healthier are actually breaking your body down? In this episode, I sit down with functional health coach Lacey Iskra in our new home and podcast studio (hehe) to unpack the powerful and complicated journey that led her from bodybuilding and extreme dieting to true root-cause healing. Lacey shares how years of intense training, restrictive nutritio...

Most women will research every stroller, bottle, and sleep schedule for their baby but spend almost no time thinking about how to support their own body during pregnancy.  In this episode, I’m sharing a “half baked” pregnancy update and pulling back the curtain on what I’ve actually been doing to support my body while growing this baby.  The reality is that most prenatal care is focused on monitor...

You are not failing because you lack discipline. You’re struggling because you’re trying to live like a machine.  In this episode, I’m breaking down why most systems fall apart the moment life gets hard and how to rebuild yours so it actually works for a human nervous system.  We’re taught to design routines assuming endless energy, focus, and motivation, but real life doesn’t operate that way. Yo...

If you’ve ever felt like your body is fighting you no matter how “perfect” your nutrition or workouts are, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.  Today, I’m sitting down with Soraya Rufener , one of our coaches at Vital Spark , to share the story behind the safety, trust, and results her clients feel from day one.  Soraya isn’t just highly credentialed as a registered nurse and functional hea...

We wanted to bring back one of our favorite interview episodes this week!   Justin Su'a is a mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team and host of our daily favorite podcast, Increase Your Impact. He has worked with top NFL, PGA, MLB, and NCAA athletes, as well as top corporate leaders to improve their mental performance game.    In this episode, we cover the importance of ment...

If fat loss feels harder than it should and healing seems slow no matter what you try, the problem may not be your discipline. It may be your nervous system.   In this conversation, I explain why a chronically dysregulated nervous system can block healing, fat loss, and hormone balance no matter how perfect your protocols look on paper.    Your body is always choosing survival first, and when it p...

Struggling with motivation lately? You’re not broken and you’re definitely not lazy.    In this episode, I share a real-time reflection on why motivation feels shaky during seasons of massive identity transition, especially when life, work, and motherhood are all evolving at once. When our identity is clear, action feels easy but when we’re questioning who we are becoming, everything can feel heav...

In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Krista Moreland, one of our incredible functional health coaches here at Vital Spark, to share her story, her breaking point, and the moment that changed everything.  Krista joined our team in early 2025 with over a decade of coaching experience, but her journey goes far deeper than credentials. Before motherhood, she was a two-sport college athlete whose...

If you’re getting everything done on the outside but feel exhausted, foggy, and feel like giving up on the inside, this episode is for you. High functioning burnout is the state where your nervous system stays on constant alert while your life keeps demanding more. It shows up most often in high achievers like entrepreneurs, corporate women, and medical professionals who are praised for pushing th...