You know those people who are fiercely honest? Who hold nothing back in the most authentic, human way? Allow me to introduce you to Candice Kumai, the epitome of these traits. Candice is someone who I have admired from afar both for her compassion and willingness to grow but also because she doesn't glaze over the hard stuff. I'll be honest, I'm about to quote from a Queer Eye episode I watched this weekend but the sentiment resonates exactly with who Candice is: "Failure is not the opposite of success, it's a part of it". Candice has hard her fair share of failures but all of them 100% contributed to her success. Thank you Karamo for that nugget of wisdom!

Candice has written many books and cookbooks on the art of wellness, but her latest book and venture is a total departure from her previous writing. After a trip to Japan last year for her Grandmother's passing, she dove deep into the art of Japanese wellness and from this she's sharing what she's learned in her latest book, Kintsugi Wellness and her new podcast, Wabi Sabi.

Here are some other things we chatted about:

• Candice's upbringing with her Japanese mother and Polish-American Father
• Her career and how she went from Fit Modelling to ending up on Top Chef
• What it took to build her career in food and wellness and the struggles she faced
• Is success on social media really worthwhile and what it really means to get gritty
• Gaman, and what it truly means to be resilient in our modern-day world
• All about Wabi Sabi and accepting our imperfections as not only real but also beautiful
• Blue Zones and how they connect to Japanese culture
• What is forest bathing and how can it benefit us?
• The one health habit she can't live without

Mentioned in this episode:

• Today's sponsor, Kettle and Fire Bone Broth: https://offers.kettleandfire.com/thehealthymaven

Join The Healthy Maven Tribe to ask guest questions and to find out who will be on the show before anyone else!

http://facebook.com/groups/THMTribe

Please don't forget to rate + review in iTunes if you love the podcast. Your comments and subscriptions help us make the podcast best for you!

Follow Candice:

Website: http://candicekumai.com/

Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wabi-sabi-perfectly-imperfect-podcast-candice-kumai

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CandiceKumai/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CandiceKumai

I'm so excited to welcome our first ever repeat guest back onto the show! It's crazy to think we're already on 65 episodes so I thought it was due time to bring back some of our highly requested and most popular guests from past episodes!

Dr. Will Cole made his first appearance on the show in episode #37 where we discussed a whole range of topics including what functional medicine is all about, adrenal fatigue and hormone health. We also discussed a little bit about inflammation, but since it's such a vast topic we couldn't cover it all. Luckily Dr. Cole was willing to come back on the show to expand on this conversation about inflammation and everything we need to know.

On today's episode we're getting to know Dr. Cole a little bit more as well as jumping deep into inflammation and discussing his new book coming out soon (!!!). Here are some other things we discussed:

• A little bit more about functional medicine and how Dr. Cole became a functional medicine doctor
• What is inflammation and why it's not all bad
• What constitutes stress and how mental, physical and lifestyle stress is inflammatory to the body
• The goldilocks principle and how to regulate inflammation properly
• The different ways inflammation appears in the body e.g. fatigue, brain fog, acne, joint pain etc...
• Why is inflammation there in the first place and how to test for it
• The microbiome and how it's related to inflammation
• Probiotics and how they can help your microbiome
• Foods that help inflammation
• MTHFR gene mutation - what it is and what to do if you have it

Join The Healthy Maven Tribe to ask guest questions and to find out who will be on the show before anyone else!

http://facebook.com/groups/THMTribe

Please don't forget to rate + review in iTunes if you love the podcast. Your comments and subscriptions help us make the podcast best for you!

Follow Dr. Will Cole:

Website: https://drwillcole.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drwillcole/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorwillcole/

Thank you so much for your kind words on last week's episode. I know this past week has been tough for many people and mental health has been a huge topic of conversation (as it should be) so I'm glad the episode could help educate and hopefully encourage you to seek out your own support.

Speaking of which, this week's guest has spent the last year seeking out her own support system. Cassie Johnston, the blogger and entrepreneur behind Wholefully started developing some strange symptoms last summer. After many months of tests and new symptoms, she was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease. It's been a long road since then.

On today's episode we're chatting about her diagnosis and some of the lessons she's learned along the way. It's definitely a raw and vulnerable episode and I'm so grateful for Cassie's openness. Here are some other things we discussed:

• Cassie's journey and how she started Wholefully
• Buying their hobby farm and why that was the right choice for their family
• The challenges that come with owning acreage and why it isn't right for everyone 
• Her diagnosis of Lyme Disease and what her initial symptoms were
• The challenge of getting diagnosed for most people with Lyme
• Some myths about Lyme Disease and what she wished all people knew
• Treating Lyme Disease - the different options available
• "Worry Time" and how therapy has helped her navigate her diagnosis
• An unexpected by-product of Lyme Disease and why you shouldn't comment on people's weight

Join The Healthy Maven Tribe to ask guest questions and to find out who will be on the show before anyone else!

http://facebook.com/groups/THMTribe

Please don't forget to rate + review in iTunes if you love the podcast. Your comments and subscriptions help us make the podcast best for you!

I'm back! My first official blog post and podcast episode as a married woman! Okay that just sounds weird, but I wanted to acknowledge the fact that I've been gone for the past 2 weeks and that my amazing and wonderful team took over the blog to show off their skills. Clearly I'm a lucky woman having Tanya and Georgia by my side! Oh and C :) He's pretty great too.

Today's podcast episode is near and dear to my heart. I've invited the incredible Kat Dahlen onto the show to chat about therapy, how it benefits us and why everyone should have a therapist. Kat is a holistic psychotherapist who has her masters in Integral Counseling Psychology. She takes an individualized approach while incorporating the best of both eastern and western techniques. She's incredible!

Having been in therapy for most of my adult life, I can 100% vouch for its benefits. That being said, there is still so much stigma around therapy and mental health so I hope today's episode can help dispel the myths out there and bring some light to a very important conversation. Here are a few other things we cover in today's episode:

• Kat's journey and how she became a holistic pyschotherapist
• What is "holistic psychotherapy" and how does it differ from other types of therapy?
• Mental health stigma and why therapy isn't just for those who struggle with their mental health
• Who should be in therapy and when should you start going?
• How Kat incorporates eastern and western techniques into her practice
• "Emotional fluency" and why its important to identify your emotions
• Anxiety and why it isn't an emotional state but a clue to your emotions
• Isolation and why so many people struggle with anxiety and depression
• What advice she would give to her 20 year old self

Join The Healthy Maven Tribe to ask guest questions and to find out who will be on the show before anyone else!

http://facebook.com/groups/THMTribe

Please don't forget to rate + review in iTunes if you love the podcast. Your comments and subscriptions help us make the podcast best for you!

Follow Kat:

Website: https://www.kdahlentherapy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapywithkat/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdahlentherapy/