Taboo: All the things people don't want to talk about.

Breathe. Rest. Be still. Tune in.

This episode is a deep dive with personal shares about anxiety/fear/cold feet about marriage and long-term commitment. I explore societal beliefs, romanticization of weddings and thoroughly asking yourself what is true for you. Reach at @kryselek or email me at krystenholisticwellness@gmail.com with feedback, questions, concerns. Much love!

A different way to think about ADHD-- including better sleep, improving your diet, exercising, meditation, yoga, etc.

This episode talks about what anxiety is, why it happens, how we can improve it, herbs that help remedy anxiety and how to change our perspective of the world around us. Remember, you are never alone. Much love!

In this week's episode of Taboo, we discuss the trend of assigning labels to ourselves and diagnoses based off social media. We also talk about the importance of diagnosing, the pros and cons and tie it to modern day examples in western medicine and psychotherapy.  Here's a brief bio about Amanda Vazquez & her work: She's worked with hundreds of women over the years in the form of yoga classes, reiki sessions, group circles, and psychospiritual coaching sessions. ​She combines all of the knowledge and wisdom that she's gained from being fully immersed in ancient healing traditions alongside her western education to help you heal at the soul level through 1:1 sessions and group programs! Amanda holds the following certifications and experience: M.A. of Psychology in Education from the Spirit, Mind, Body institute within the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University 1000+ hours of Yoga Teacher Training Reiki Master Teacher (Over 5 Years In Practice!) Student of the Inca Medicine Ñusta Paqo Pampamesayoq Path Student of the Indigenous Medicine Path You can connect with her or learn more about working with her @thepsychospiritualcoach on Instagram or www.thepsychospiritualcoach.com Thank you for tuning in! Have a wonderful day or night wherever you may be. Sending you so much love! Until next time. Krysten

In this episode we talk about miscarriages with Michelle Morales. Michi had a spontaneous miscarriage and was told on an ultrasound appt at 13 weeks, when the nurse and doctor realized there was no heartbeat. Michi was told she would need a procedure to remove the fetus, since it was no longer alive. Michi was shocked, devastated and confused. Tune in to hear about her story, pregnancy process and an amazing discussion on the need for normalizing talking about miscarriages. Miscarriages typically happen during the first trimester of pregnancy. Statistics reveal 10-15 women out of 100 will experience a miscarriage in the first trimester. During the second trimester, that number drops to 1-5 out of 100 women. If you've had a miscarriage, please note this is a trigger warning. But also note, you are not alone. If you want to connect with Michi, her instagram is @michestefania and I'm sure she'd love to hear your thoughts and connect with you as well. Have a wonderful day or night wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten

An introduction to the magic of cacao, discussing health benefits, history, origins and the way cacao can be used ceremonially to connect with the heart space. Cacao is a powerful plant teacher that allows us to quiet the mind and listen and move from the heart. Exploitation of cacao is also mentioned, how to source cacao ethically and how to purchase ceremonial cacao. If you're interested in exploring cacao, message me on instagram @kryselek. Feel free to check out cacaolaboratory.com which is my teacher, Florencia's website. You can use promo code 'krystenv10' for 10% off any purchases.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of listening to life from an Iranian/Armenian perspective with our beautiful guest, Edith. Edith is an incredibly powerful soul, whose family is Armenian. She was raised in Iran and came to the US alone at the age of 22, seeking asylum. She was able to sponsor her mother and sister who now also get to enjoy the freedoms of the United States. She shares intimate details about what life growing up in Iran as a female was like, the structure of society, the expectations of women to be submissive. She also shares insight about the historically changes in Iran, the current protests happening which are female led, her dreams and aspirations for Iran and what we can do to help the women and future of Iran. To reach out to Edith-- with questions, loving comments or support, feel free to reach out to her on Instagram @eddavtyan Thank you all for tuning in! Have a wonderful day or night, where ever you may be. Sending you so much love. Krysten

Money is such a taboo topic in society. People always start to tread so carefully in the workplace with coworkers and asking their salaries, with friends when asking how much they make. Topics like how much is your rent or your mortgage? What's your cost of living? How can we minimize debt? What does my retirement plan look like? Are all such valuable topics that offer insight, learning and teaching points and add a layer of vulnerability to create connection with others. In this episode we explore things like passive income, savings accounts, side hustles, retirement plants, income disparities between men and women, discussing salaries with coworkers. All this in the hopes that we can really start having these conversations with each other and shattering these barriers to connection. Together, we can be each other's greatest teachers, as well as offering different perspectives, methods and opinions for how to achieve maximal financial success. If you have any feedback, questions, suggestions, message me on IG @ kryselek. Thank you so much for tuning in, until next time!

This episode dives into ways to ACTUALLY improve workplace wellness in corporate america. If you work a desk job for 8+ hours a day, this episode is for you. While it may seem daunting, sometimes preparing a plan and taking it to your employer can be a catalyst for huge growth and change. You never know who you are inspiring. Listen in for ways to create a true team feeling, eat healthier, reduce stress levels, move your body more during the workday and set boundaries for your private life and personal time. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please DM me @kryselek. Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for next week's episode.

Hello, hello! This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Rudy Leal McCormack, a PhD Candidate at Colorado State University. Currently conducting research in the fields of Political Theory, International Relations and Environmental Politics, Rudy received his B.A in Political Science and Philosophy from Florida International University. He then received his M.A in Political Science, also from FIU. Rudy is a first-generation Cuban-American, who emigrated to the US at 7 years old. He was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida. Rudy's research interests fall within a Critical Theory approach, concentrating on a cross-disciplinary framework in understanding the effects of capitalism through climate change and psychological pathologies. In addition, the theoretical traditions of psychoanalysis, world-ecology, eco-psychology and non-indigenous de-colonial praxis are particular frameworks that he uses to complement his current research on eco-anxiety and eco-neurosis. In this episode, we explore how technology, industrialization and lack of community are contributing to mental health and the current state of the world. If you want to get in touch with Rudy, feel free to contact him via email at rudymc@colostate.edu Thank you so much for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, leave a comment a review or give us a like or follow. Have a wonderful day or night wherever you may be! Sending you so much love, Krysten

If you suffer from bloating, abdominal cramping, frequent intermittent episodes of diarrhea, alternating with constipation or a lot of gas, you may suffer from IBS. IBS also known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion in the medical world. This means we've done a thorough workup with imaging, and endoscopy, blood tests and cannot find any cause for your symptoms. Instead of taking an antidepressant or antispasmodic, try mitigating stress levels, exercising and improving your diet with fiber-rich and plant based foods to see how you can improve your gut health and your mental health. If you have questions, comments or concerns, feel free to DM me @kryselek. If you're interested in working with me one-on-one for optimizing your overall wellness, visit krystenholistichealth.com for more information. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love!

In a world where we are always plugged in-- both physically and metaphorically, to our phones, our watches, our emails, our jobs-- how can we find time to disconnect? When was the last time you were "off the grid" for a bit? I highly encourage you to challenge yourself and connect with nature this week. Just 20 minutes can do you wonders. For your mental health. Physical health. Emotional well-being. Tune in for some ways to connect with nature. If you have any feedback, comments, questions, concerns, DM me @kryselek. If you're interested in going to the Amazon in Feb 2023, email me at krystenholisticwellness@gmail.com. My sister and I will be leading a plant medicine retreat there at the end of Feb/early March 2023 to the Peruvian Amazon. Til next time!

Whether friends, family or significant other, these are some tips for cultivating healthy relationships. Thinking about ways to invest your energy, taking your time while dating, building a solid foundation, supporting each others goals, dreams, ideas. It is so important to develop amazing communication skills, be open, vulnerable and honest. Treat your partner with kindness and respect! Thanks for tuning in. You can DM me @kryselek on instagram if you have any questions or comments. Til' next time!

This week talks about challenging the comfort zone. If you've been stagnant with your growth and life journey, really asking questions to look at WHY? Societal programming? Stress? Environmental factors? Economic factors? Stay tuned for some raw, honest, REAL conversations and thank you for joining me on this journey. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek. If you're interested in working with me as a personal coach, reach out to me on instagram. Or email me at krystenholisticwellness@gmail.com Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

Society has conditioned us to think that failure has a negative connotation. This week, I encourage you to challenge yourself. To step out of your comfort zone. To try something you normally wouldn't try. Whether it's a workout class, a networking event, a food, a trip-- whatever that looks like for you. Let's reframe our perspective on failing. Failure is growth. Failure is awareness. Failure is a new opportunity for you to learn something about yourself and come back stronger than before. As always, if you have any feedback, questions, comments-- please DM me @kryselek on Instagram. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love! Until next time.

This episode explores PCOS. What classifies as a diagnosis, what are the symptoms, what are the causes. And most importantly, how can you fix it? I challenge you to empower yourself to take control of your health and wellbeing. The majority of women who are diagnosed with PCOS can reverse and improve their symptoms with diet, exercise and naturally balancing their hormones with the right foods. PCOS is not a permanent diagnosis. Like all episodes, this does not replace a medical consultation. if you have any comments or feedback please DM me @kryselek. If you have any specific medical questions, please consult with your primary care provider.

A brief introduction to plant medicines, focus on ayahuasca. How an ayahuasca ceremony works. Why it's important to facilitate these with integrity and respect. What is a plant dieta? What is a master teacher? Some brief nuggets of my journey to the Amazon this year.

Hello beautiful soul. This week, I felt inspired to create a meditation to rekindle the inner collective. This meditation will leave you feel grounded, connected and loved. So if you need any help with these areas, feel free to drop in. As always, feedback and questions are always welcomed @kryselek on Instagram. Have a wonderful day or night wherever you may be. Until next time.

In summary, what are some of the easiest ways you can eliminate sugar from your diet? Cut out soft drinks like sodas, iced teas, energy drinks, flavored beverages. We're made of 70% water, that's really the only thing you need to drink Look at the nutrition labels of the foods you're eating. How much added sugars are in there? Ideally you want 0g of added sugar in everything you're eating. Or as close to that 0g as possible. If you see 35g of added sugar, that is not helping you, my friend, not one bit. Aim to keep your daily sugar level below 25g of sugar for women, and less than 36g for men, which comes out to roughly 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. Limit your consumption of white starches like white rice, white bread, white pastas and potatoes. Pick one or two different ones MAX, eat a NORMAL portion size of them, and call it a day. Try to eat foods containing sugar in the morning or early afternoon, when you have plenty of time to use the fuel and burn them off during the day– instead of eating a pint of ice cream right before bed. Cut back on cocktails, alcoholic beverages and just alcohol in general– all of them, even beer, have calories or artificial sweeteners that hurt us and don't help us. Stay tuned for some raw, honest, REAL conversations and thank you for joining me on this journey. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek.  Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

Mental health starts with each one of us. The way we go out into the world every morning when we leave our homes. The way we show up for others. The way we talk to those we come into contact with. Never underestimate the power of a smile and a simple “Good morning”. Especially with the elderly, many of whom are alone and missing loved ones and seeking the company of others. Taking care of YOUR mental health is paying it forward for others. It creates a domino effect into the world. Like the “pay it forward movement”. You buy someone their cup of coffee and make their day and those seemingly small acts of kindness create a beautiful ripple effect into the world. Be the change you want to see in the world. Seek help if you need it. Don't be afraid to reach out to others for support. No matter how busy people seem, they can always make time if need be. If you try any of these suggestions, feel free to let me know how they work for you! Stay tuned for some raw, honest, REAL conversations and thank you for joining me on this journey. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

This episode skims the surface of why working in medicine is tough. From difficult patients, to increasing anxiety about health, to lack of basic healthcare literacy-- it highlights why a lot of people are burned out from working in medicine and switching to other careers or retiring early. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

Ahh modern dating-- such an interesting field. In this week's episode we discuss why healing yourself first is SO important. Why modern dating and ignoring baggage becomes so difficult. How sitting down and doing the inner work is SO important. Why people are so quick to jump from relationship to relationship. We also question societal standards. Why do you have to get married? Why do you have to have kids? Do you REALLY want these things? Tough questions, huh? Stay tuned for some raw, honest, REAL conversations and thank you for joining me on this journey. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek.  Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

This episode is all about alcohol. The way everything in society revolves around it. The fact that alcohol is actually not good for our bodies. Peer pressure, sitting at the wrong tables, escapism and why we even drink alcohol. This may be a triggering episode for many people. But I encourage you to ask yourselves the questions I present at the end: So the next time you're drinking, look closely at the drink. Take the time to savor the flavor profile. Does that alcohol ACTUALLY taste good? Does that alcohol help you grow? Are you drinking because you ACTUALLY want to? Or are you drinking because someone is pressuring you to? If you weren't drinking alcohol right now, what could you be doing with that time and energy? If you weren't spending money on that drink right now, what could you be saving up for or purchasing instead? What activities could you do with friends or family that DON'T involve alcohol? These are some serious questions that people often never stop to ask themselves. But like many things in life, once you know or you see it– you can't UNKNOW or UNSEE it. Everyday we wake up and put our feet on the floor, we make choices. Whether these choices are going to help us or hurt us, we already know the answer, but it's now up to YOU to make that choice for yourself. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

This episode is about job satisfaction and burnout. Why do we work jobs we hate? How did we get to these societal standards? Focusing on mostly immigrant families and children of immigrants. Explaining Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the increase of younger generations to focus on self-actualization. Some great questions and food for thought at the end for you to introspectively evaluate your job and life and career choices. Stay tuned for the next episode and please like, rate and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you have questions, comments, feedback, please feel free to DM me on Instagram @kryselek. Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. Sending you so much love, Krysten.

In this episode -- we focus on women's health. If you're having all sorts of period symptoms from bloating, to acne to back pain and severe cramping, your body is letting you know something is off. Most likely some kind of hormonal imbalance due to stress, diet or lack of exercise. We explore the different types of birth control offered, how our periods and menstrual cycles work and go over the side effects of birth control methods. Please feel free to share any feedback either good or bad via Instagram @kryselek. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day!

A revamped introduction to the new look of this podcast. As I focus on transitioning out of medicine, here's some background on my journey to medicine and the spiritual world and how I landed where I'm at today. Please rate, like and subscribe if you enjoy this content. If you have any feedback or suggestions, let me know on IG @kryselek

15 minute meditation for relaxation, winter blues and gratitude.

This episode gives a brief history about why Western medicine doesn't involved plant medicine and holistic remedies. It also delves into phytomedicine, exploring the uses of licorice root, asafoetida, peppermint oil, fennel and ginger for your basic, everyday GI complaints such as bloating, nausea, IBS, gastritis (epigastric pain), acid reflux or GERD. The end briefly touches on Western medicine-- Including available OTC products you can buy at a pharmacy such as Tums, Famotidine and Omeprazole, with explanations as to how they work for GI symptoms. As always, thanks for listening! Hope to see you next week!

A look at why our gut microbiome is so important. The connection between your brain and your stomach. Ways to improve your gut health.

Here's a little bit of a backstory as to what inspired "Let the Beet Drop". Some information about who I am, what I do for a living and why I'm passionate about sharing knowledge with others. Excited to see where this goes and I hope some of you will come along for the ride.