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TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z

Dr. Z

Welcome to TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z—where we are redefining health and empowering change. Hosted by Dr. Z, creator of the T.R.U.E. Wellness Framework, this podcast is your gateway to unlocking true health and vitality.

Each episode explores the foundational components of TRUE Wellness, including personalized health protocols, connecting with your body, balancing hormones, managing stress, and cultivating emotional well-being and self-growth. Through thought-provoking interviews with leading experts, inspiring healing stories, and actionable insights, TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z uncovers new ideas and practical strategies to empower your journey toward a healthier, more vibrant life.

Whether diving deep into the root causes of dis-ease or discovering groundbreaking approaches to holistic living, this podcast invites you to rethink wellness and embrace lasting transformation.

Dr. Z, PhD, is a passionate advocate for holistic health and natural solutions. With expertise in functional medicine, nutrition, bioenergetics, and mindset transformation she holds a PhD in Natural Medicine, a MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, an MBA, and a BA in Psychology and Education. Dr. Z is the owner of South Bay Wellness (www.SouthBayWellness.com) and has been in practice for nearly two decades. She has helped countless individuals reclaim their health and embrace balanced, vibrant living. Her mission is to empower you to unlock your true potential and thrive.

If you’re ready to explore new perspectives, uncover hidden opportunities for growth, and thrive in every aspect of your life, tune in and join the conversation today.

Visit www.DrZTRUEWellness.com to learn more.

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S2 · E89
Yesterday · 23 min
"It Sounds Like Anxiety" — 5 Labels in 6 Years
She went in because her heart was racing at 3am and she was too exhausted to get out of the car after work. Fourteen minutes later she left with a prescription and a word. The word was anxiety. She believed it for six years. In this episode I walk through five labels women get handed — anxiety, depression, insomnia, health anxiety, and the last one that isn't a diagnosis at all: "this is just where you are right now." For each one: what believing it cost her, and the question nobody in that appointment asked. Because there's something all five have in common, and it took six years to see it. This is a follow-up to "I've Tried Everything" — that episode was about being told nothing is wrong. This one is about being told the wrong thing, which in some ways is worse. Being told nothing's wrong leaves the question open. A name closes it. Who this is for: women whose lab results keep coming back normal, who've been told it's stress, hormones, anxiety, perimenopause or "just your age," and who know something is still not right. An important note. Nothing in this episode says mental health diagnoses aren't real, and nothing here is medical advice. Anxiety and depression are real, treatment helps enormously for many people, and nobody should change or stop a medication because of a podcast. The argument is narrower than that: a label can be accurate and still not be the whole answer. You're allowed to accept treatment and keep the question open. If this is the kind of thing you want more of, subscribe. New episode every week. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E88
Yesterday · 24 min
I've Tried Everything — Why Nothing Has Worked Yet
She said it flat, like a weather report: "I did every diet you could possibly think of. And it would all come back." Twelve diets. A hundred miles a week on a bike. Six years of specialists and a folder of results that all came back the same way: everything's fine. This episode walks through the five things she tried, in order — diets, exercise, medical testing, supplements, and finally sitting up at 11pm doing her own research because nobody else would. And with each one, the thing nobody ever told her: what that attempt actually proved. Because five failed attempts aren't five failures. They're five results. Nobody had ever read them back to her. If you've got your own version of that folder, this one's for you. A note on what this episode is not: there's no protocol here and nothing to buy. It's also not medical advice, and it's not a reason to stop working with your doctor. It's one conversation about why the things you've already tried didn't work. Tell me your line. Not the whole ten years — one sentence. The thing you said to a provider that got waved off. The number that was inside the range while you were sitting there barely functioning. Leave it in the comments. You don't have to use your name. I read them, and the ones I hear most often become the next episode. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E87
July 27 · 1 hr 4 min
Why Probiotics Fail: The Gut-Brain Truth About Anxiety, Bloating & Burnout
Your gut isn't just influencing your mood, your stress, and your sleep. According to today's guest, it's running the show. On this episode of TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z, Dr. Z sits down with nutritional scientist Dr. Oscar Coetzee, who holds master's degrees in both psychology and nutrition plus a PhD and a doctorate in clinical nutrition, for a clear, genuinely eye-opening conversation about the gut-brain connection. If you've eaten clean, taken the probiotic everyone swears by, and still felt bloated, wired, and exhausted, this episode explains why. Dr. Oscar walks through why most standard gut advice quietly fails, why not all probiotics are created equal, what "leaky gut" actually means, and why the microbiome may be the missing foundation underneath anxiety, low mood, and chronic disease. What you'll learn: 1. Why your mood problem might actually be a nutrient problem. 2. The difference between transient and engrafting probiotics, and why it changes everything. 3. What "leaky gut" really means, in plain language. 4. The three types of stress, and why eustress burns you out just like distress. 5. Why fiber, color, and real food do what no single pill can. Strains discussed in this episode (for education, not as a protocol): Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia intestinalis, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Bifidobacterium longum. Start here with your gut health journey: https://www.designsforhealth.com/u/daniellezanzarov/checkout FREE RESOURCE FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E86
July 23 · 1 hr 7 min
How to Love Someone Who Is Gone | The Heart of Grief with Thomas Attig
Everyone knows the five stages of grief. The man who has spent fifty years studying grief says they were never about grieving at all. Dr. Z sits down with Thomas Attig, PhD — applied philosopher, co-founder of the world’s first PhD program in applied philosophy, and one of the most decorated voices in grief studies. His new Oxford University Press collection, Seeking Wisdom in Death’s Shadows, distills a lifetime of listening to mourners, caregivers, and counselors. Together they trace what loss actually does to a life — and why grieving is something we actively do, not something that simply happens to us. In this conversation: 1. Where the “five stages” really came from — and why thousands of student essays about real loss never mentioned a single one. 2. The difference between grief reactions and grief responses, and why that distinction changes how you heal. 3. A simple thought experiment that proves you already know how to love someone in their absence. 4. Why healing means reweaving the web of your life rather than returning to who you were. 5. Sorrow-friendly practices — conversation, journaling, ritual, time in nature — for anyone who feels stuck. Resources • Seeking Wisdom in Death’s Shadows by Thomas Attig (Oxford University Press) — 30% off with promo code AUFLY30: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/seeking-wisdom-in-deaths-shadows-9780197776094?promocode=aufly30 • Tom’s website: griefsheart.com • Free 21-Day Nervous System Calibration with Dr. Z: https://go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E85
July 16 · 1 hr 2 min
Why You Eat When You're Not Hungry: Ending Emotional Eating with Tricia Nelson
You can know exactly what to eat and still find yourself standing at the pantry at 9 PM. That is not a willpower problem, and treating it like one is why the cycle keeps repeating. Emotional eating, food noise, and the diet-binge cycle are the focus of this conversation between Dr. Z and Tricia Nelson, an emotional eating expert who lost 50 pounds by identifying and healing the root causes of her own eating patterns. Tricia has spent 30 years researching the hidden drivers of the addictive personality, is the author of the bestselling Heal Your Hunger, and hosts the podcast Confessions of a Binge Eater. Together they trace the line between an eating problem and a living problem, and what changes when you get curious about why you eat instead of obsessing over what you eat. What you will take from this conversation: 1. How to tell physical hunger from emotional hunger, and why that distinction is the first step out of the cycle. 2. What “food noise” actually signals, and why quieting it starts with your emotional state rather than your plate. 3. The PEP Test: the three roles food plays when a feeling needs somewhere to go — painkiller, escape, and punishment. 4. Why diets reliably fail emotional eaters, and what a long-term approach looks like instead. 5. Where support, community, and spirituality fit when willpower has already been tried. Disclaimer: Tricia’s framework reflects her personal recovery and three decades of client work; it is shared here as education, not medical or mental health treatment. Dr. Z holds a PhD in natural medicine. Resources • Take Tricia’s free quiz — Are you an emotional eater, a food addict, or somewhere in between? https://www.healyourhunger.com/are-you-an-emotional-eater-or-food-addict/ • Tricia’s book: Heal Your Hunger: 7 Simple Steps to End Emotional Eating Now • Tricia’s podcast: Confessions of a Binge Eater — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confessions-of-a-binge-eater/id1858632856 • Connect with Tricia: Website: https://healyourhunger.com Instagram @tricianelson_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tricia.g.nelson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciagreaves/ FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E84
July 9 · 1 hr 2 min
She Died, Met God & Came Back to Change How You Heal | Rev. HoniB Borden
What if the endless healing journey — the next protocol, the next program, the next thing to fix — was never the point? In 2012, Rev. HoniB Borden's heart stopped. She says she crossed fully into the afterlife, met the presence of God and Yeshua, and was sent back three days later with one message: stop healing, and start remembering who you already are. It's one of the most extraordinary conversations we've ever had on TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z — and whether or not you share her faith, what she reveals about your body, your nervous system, and the difference between your feelings and your truth will stay with you long after you hit pause. Rev. HoniB is a Johns Hopkins–trained clinician, a 20-year meditation teacher, and the founder of Washington D.C.'s first holistic wellness medi spa — who walked away from all of it to answer a calling she never asked for. In this episode, she and Dr. Z reconnect two decades after first meeting, and go somewhere most wellness conversations never dare to. In this episode: What she experienced when her heart stopped — and the message she was sent back with Why "stop healing, start remembering" might be the shift you've been missing How to treat your body as a temple instead of a problem to solve Why your feelings are not the same as your truth (and how women get this backwards) The role of the nervous system, coherence, and why biohacking alone won't sustain you The Four Living Declarations — her free gift for grounding yourself in seconds of stress CONNECT WITH REV. HONIB BORDEN Website: https://www.AscensionAlchemists.com Free gift — The Four Living Declarations™ (sign up for the newsletter on the homepage) Podcast: Ascension Alchemists™ — on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music & more Book: The Day I Became A Superhero: A Story About the True Power Within Instagram: @revhoniborden | @ascensionalchemists Facebook: @revhoniborden | @ascensionalchemists YouTube: @revhoniborden | @ascensionalchemists Booking: Info@AscensionAlchemists.com FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E83
July 2 · 51 min
Why Your Unresolved Arguments Are Keeping Your Nervous System Stuck — With Conflict Resolution Coach Rod Jeter & Dr. Z
The fight that won't close isn't behind you — it's inside you. Every unresolved argument stays in the body as a low-grade stressor. It shows up as 3 AM wake-ups, tight chest, and exhaustion with no clear source. In this conversation, Dr. Danielle Zanzarov, PhD, sits with conflict resolution coach Rod Jeter — creator of YBAngry — to talk about what unfinished conflict actually costs the nervous system, and how his structured game helps couples resolve decades of disagreements in under an hour. What this episode covers: 1. Why every unfinished argument registers as a stressor your nervous system is still running. 2. How the YBAngry game removes emotional charge from the most loaded conversations. 3. The specific steps that finally make people feel heard — sometimes after 30 or 40 years. 4. Why most people are worse communicators than they think, and what the game does differently. 5. Rod's three free tips to stop arguing, available now at ybangry.com. About | Roderick "Rod" Jeter — Conflict Resolution Coach & Creator of YBAngry After traditional counseling failed, Rod created YBAngry (pronounced "Why Be Angry") — the relationship game where all you have to do to win is play. He designed YBAngry to help couples stay together, one issue at a time. Rod's game approach helps couples overcome seemingly insurmountable disagreements that have lasted decades, in just minutes. No fuss. No drama. Resources mentioned: Order the YBAngry Game: https://ybangry.com/?ref=DANIELLE-753B YBAngry Website: https://ybangry.com/ 3 Free Tips to Stop Arguing: Visit ybangry.com and scroll to the '3 free tips' link — enter your first name and email to receive a short video. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrrodjeter/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrrodjeter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrrodjeter FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E82
June 25 · 32 min
The Real Reason You Wake Up at 3 AM (It's Not Insomnia)
Why do you wake up at 3 AM every night and struggle to fall back asleep? It's not insomnia the way you've been told — and it's not a character flaw. Your body is doing something specific in the early morning hours, on a clock. If you fall asleep fine but snap awake at 3 or 4 AM with a racing mind — the to-do list, the worry, the thing you said years ago — this episode is for you. Dr. Z walks through what's actually happening: the early-morning cortisol rise, the overnight blood sugar dip, and a nervous system stuck in "survival mode" that reads all of it as a threat and pulls you wide awake at the lightest stage of sleep. You'll learn why melatonin, blackout curtains, and "just relax" haven't worked, what your 3 AM wake-up is really signaling, and the daytime and evening shifts that actually lower the alarm — so your body stops treating a normal night like an emergency. This isn't about forcing sleep. It's about helping a dysregulated nervous system feel safe enough to keep it. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E81
June 18 · 33 min
Why 80% of Menopausal Women Get Dismissed (And It's Not Their Fault)
More than 80% of women in perimenopause and menopause never get adequate care — and the most common explanation for that number is almost entirely wrong. The story we tell is that these women didn't advocate for themselves. That they stayed quiet, put everyone else first, didn't make the appointment. Dr. Z has sat across from thousands of these women over nearly 20 years in practice. Most of them did go. They made the appointment. They sat in the chair and said the hard thing out loud. They just got sent home with nothing. In this episode, Dr. Z, PhD — functional medicine and nervous system regulation practitioner at South Bay Wellness — walks through what's actually behind the data, why the conventional system is structurally unable to see what perimenopause looks like on labs, and what it costs a woman psychologically when she's told everything is normal when her body is clearly saying otherwise. In this episode: 1. Where the 80% figure actually comes from — including findings from a 2025 Mayo Clinic study on midlife women and menopause symptom treatment gaps, and what the lead researcher said about the current state of care. 2. Why women who did seek help still appear in the data as women who never sought care — and what that gap reveals about how the system counts what it misses. 3. What conventional labs are built to detect and why perimenopause falls structurally outside the range of what standard diagnostic panels can see. 4. The psychological cost of medical dismissal — why being told 'everything looks normal' doesn't just leave women without answers; it trains them to disbelieve their own internal signals. 5. What body-led care actually looks like: treating symptoms as signals worth reading, not malfunctions to silence or performance metrics to optimize. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E80
June 11 · 28 min
Why You Keep Quitting Your Health Goals (It's Not What You Think) | Dr. Z
Most people have tried to change something about their health and watched it quietly fall apart by day nine — or day two. Not from a dramatic failure. Just a slow fade. The common conclusion? You don't have enough discipline. You're not motivated enough. Something's wrong with you. Dr. Z is here to correct the record. In this episode, Dr. Z breaks down the actual mechanism behind follow-through — and it has nothing to do with willpower. Using the most boring example possible (brushing your teeth), she unpacks why the habits that stick are the ones you've stopped deciding about, and exactly how to apply that same logic to the health goals that keep falling apart. What You Will Learn From This Episode: 1. Why willpower is a terrible foundation for any health plan — and what the research actually says about self-control fatigue 2. The daily decision trap: how turning your commitment into a recurring vote is a guaranteed path to quitting 3. Why "I'll do it when I feel motivated" is functionally a plan to fail 4. The five practical steps to make a new health habit automatic — starting embarrassingly small 5. The single most important rule when you miss a day (and you will miss a day) If you've ever started a wellness program with real momentum and watched it dissolve into nothing — this episode is about what actually happened, and what to do instead. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E79
May 21 · 40 min
Foundayo™, Ozempic, and the Question No One Is Asking
Foundayo just got FDA approval. Which means a lot of women who never thought about a GLP-1 medication — because the needle was a hard no — are now thinking about one. The conversation in midlife wellness changed overnight. In this solo episode, Dr. Z is not here to tell you whether to take a GLP-1. She's here to give you what she has not seen anyone else give you: a clinical, body-led framework for how to think about this decision before you make it. Not after. What you'll discover in this episode: Why the shift from injectable GLP-1s to an oral pill is changing who considers them, and why convenience is not a framework. What these medications actually do in the body, what they cannot do, and why a quieter appetite is not the same thing as a healed system. The numbers no one is putting in the marketing — including how much weight returns within a year of stopping, and what portion of what you lost was muscle. Why midlife weight gain is rarely just about weight, and what a body-led conversation about it actually sounds like. The five questions Dr. Z wants every woman to sit with before she makes a decision about a GLP-1 — so that whatever she decides, she decides it clearly. Download The GLP-1 Conversation — Dr. Z's full briefing on the research, the lawsuits, what these medications do in the body, and what your body already knows how to do on its own: https://go.southbaywellness.com/glp FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E78
May 14 · 40 min
Why Your Body Won't Heal (Even When You're Doing Everything Right)
Energy healing, emotional blocks, and nervous system release — what if the reason nothing is working isn't a strategy problem? What if you are not stuck — you are just blocked? In this conversation, Dr. Z sits down with Stu Weintraub — shamanic and Reiki energy healer, TEDx speaker, founder of Waves of Love Wellness, and the creator of the Center for Child-Safe Divorce. Stu's work lives at the exact intersection of everything True Wellness explores: the body, the nervous system, emotional patterns, relationships, and the deeper question of what it actually means to live from the heart. His message is simple and profound: you are not broken. You are not stuck. You are blocked. And when those blocks are cleared — everything else the functional medicine, the supplements, the strategies — can finally work. This is one of those episodes that meets you exactly where you are. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER • Why unresolved emotion — grief, resentment, fear, heartbreak — can block physical healing even when you are doing everything else right • What energy healing actually is, why the body is an electrical being, and how emotional splinters get embedded in the system over years of unprocessed experience • Why self-love cannot be the starting point — and what has to come first before it can take root • The hidden cost of identity collapse: what happens to high achievers when the title, the role, and the relationship are suddenly gone • Why disconnection — from source, from each other, from the earth — is the root of most modern suffering, and what Stu's Waves of Love method does to restore it ABOUT STU WEINTRAUB STU WEINTRAUB is a shamanic / master reiki energy healer, social impact entrepreneur and TEDx speaker. In addition to being a “Warrior Peace-Advocate for Kids Caught in the Crossfire, Stu is the Founder of Waves of Love Wellness, The Center for Child-Safe Divorce and Waves of Love, International. His mission is to help people live, love and lead from their hearts. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E77
May 7 · 1 hr
Done Pretending: How to Reclaim Your Identity in Midlife | Susan Houston & Dr. Z
Limiting beliefs, midlife reinvention, self-sabotage, and inherited fears — what if the voice telling you to stay small was never even yours to begin with? In this episode of TRUE Wellness with Dr. Z, Dr. Z sits down with Susan Houston — TEDx speaker, podcast host of Done Pretending, and the woman who walked away from a 19-year career to finally stop living under someone else's ceiling. Susan's work focuses on one of the most invisible forms of self-sabotage women experience: the secondhand beliefs, inherited judgments, and borrowed fears absorbed from parents, partners, and authority figures — mistaken for personal truth and carried for decades. The perfectionism that started with a B+ on a third-grade report card. The identity swallowed by years of people-pleasing and caregiving. The inner critic that says you are too old, too much, or not ready — that belief was never yours to carry.This episode is for every woman in midlife, perimenopause, or menopause who feels that quiet inner nudge saying there is more — and has not yet given herself permission to go after it. What You'll Discover: 1. What secondhand beliefs are — and how to tell the difference between an inherited limiting belief and an actual personal truth 2. Why the most dangerous inner critic is the one that sounds exactly like your own voice — and how to trace it back to its real source 3. How women in midlife are uniquely positioned to break free from self-imposed ceilings, reclaim their identity, and stop outsourcing their self-worth 4. Susan Houston's Four Truths framework for women who are done pretending — and what each truth reveals about where you actually are in your reinvention 5. Why fear is not a stop sign — it is often the clearest signal that you are walking directly toward your real purpose Connect with Susan Houston: Done Pretending Podcast — available on all major platformsMasterclass + 60-Day Cohort: thesusanhouston.com FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E76
April 30 · 54 min
Why Your Diet Isn't Working — Your Genes Have the Answer
Personalized nutrition, DNA testing, and nutrigenomics — the science that finally explains why the same diet, supplement, or caffeine habit works beautifully for one person and completely backfires for another. Dr. Z sits down with the researcher behind it all. If you have ever followed all the right advice, eaten clean, taken the supplements, and still not gotten the results you were promised, this episode is the explanation you have been waiting for. Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and Founder of Nutrigenomix Inc., breaks down the science of nutrigenomics in plain language: how genetic testing is changing the way practitioners personalize care. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER What nutrigenomics actually is — and why it finally explains the maddening inconsistency of nutrition research The caffeine gene: why coffee increases heart attack risk in 50% of the population and lowers it in the other 50% MTHFR demystified: what this overhyped gene actually means, what it does not mean, and why folate intake can completely eliminate its risk Why your genes are not your destiny — and how the right dietary information can abolish even significant genetic vulnerabilities The micronutrients most people never test for — vitamin C, D, B12, choline — and why not knowing your genetic risk for deficiency is silently affecting your long-term health ABOUT DR. AHMED EL-SOHEMY With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and more than 400 invited talks delivered worldwide, Dr. El-Sohemy is one of the world's leading researchers in identifying genetic markers that predict individual response to dietary factors. He has served on Health Canada's Scientific Advisory Board and multiple international expert panels, and is the recipient of awards for research excellence from the Canadian Nutrition Society, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Nutrition Association. Check out nutrigenomix.com You can order your Nutrigenomix genetic test here: https://go.southbaywellness.com/geneticstest Use coupon code TRUEWELLNESS at checkout to get $50 off your test. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E75
April 23 · 52 min
Why High Performers Burn Out & How to Come Back Stronger | Stacey Kulongowski, Former Google Director
Burnout, executive coaching, and high-performance leadership — this conversation with former Google Director Stacey Kulongowski is for every woman who has built something impressive and still felt completely disconnected from herself. Stacey Kulongowski spent 13 years at Google, built a team of nearly 200 people, oversaw a $2 billion revenue imprint — and ended up under her desk, crying, after a revenue call went sideways. She also went through breast cancer twice, the first time without telling a single soul at work, doing radiation every morning before going in to lead her team. What she built out of those two intensity points became the framework she now uses to help high-performing leaders and professionals find their way back to themselves. In this conversation with Dr. Z, Stacey breaks down what it really means to Bring Your Big Energy — and why it has nothing to do with being the loudest person in the room. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER What intensity points are — and why burnout, disruption, cancer, and career pivots all qualify as the same kind of wake-up call Why high-performing women are the last to hear the whispers their body and life are sending them — and what happens when those whispers become screams The SPARK Process: Stacey's five-step framework for rebuilding after burnout, career transition, or any major life inflection point What Stacey learned going through breast cancer twice — and why she treated them completely differently, with radically different outcomes ABOUT STACEY KULONGOWSKI Stacey Kulongowski is a PCC-certified executive coach, former Director at Google, and author of Bring Your Big Energy. After 13 years at Google — where she built a team of nearly 200 people and a $2 billion revenue imprint — Stacey took a six-month health leave after burnout and two rounds of breast cancer. Out of that journey, she built the SPARK Process: a framework for helping high-performing leaders and professionals navigate burnout, career transitions, and major life inflection points. Find her at bringyourbigenergy.com and on Instagram @bringyourbigenergy. FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E74
April 16 · 34 min
The Stages of Grief Nobody Talks About in Dietary Change | Celiac Disease, Food Identity & Healing
Celiac disease, dietary change, and the grief nobody tells you about — this conversation with Rebecca Stanevich is for anyone who has ever felt like a diagnosis or a dietary shift just blew up their entire life. Because here's what the wellness world almost never addresses: when you have to change the way you eat — whether from a chronic diagnosis, a sensitivity, or a health decision — you don't just change your diet. You grieve. You go through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance. And the order is never what you expect. Dr. Z sits down with Rebecca Stanevich — nutrition student, former veterinary professional, and celiac disease warrior — for one of the most honest conversations about food, identity, and body trust that this podcast has ever had. Rebecca's journey started with an unexpected observation at work: the dogs with chronic skin conditions were reacting to their food. That one realization changed the questions she started asking about her own body. What followed was years of dismissed symptoms, a celiac diagnosis at 23, nine polyps removed, and a complete rebuilding of her relationship with food — and with herself. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER How working in veterinary dermatology led Rebecca to question everything she thought she knew about food, allergies, and her own chronic symptoms The five stages of grief as they actually show up in dietary change — and why you rarely move through them in order What celiac disease really costs the body when it goes undiagnosed for years: fatigue, inflammation, polyps, and a small intestine fighting for its life The social pressure of dietary change — why the people closest to you can be the hardest part — and how to hold your ground from a place of empowerment, not victimhood Why education is the most powerful way to move through grief, build commitment, and stop relapsing on the foods that are harming you FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E73
April 9 · 41 min
The New Weight-Loss Pill: What Women in Menopause Need to Know
GLP-1 weight loss pills, menopause weight gain, and midlife hormone chaos — the conversation just got louder. FDA-approved Fondeo is here. And Dr. Z is not here to tell you it's evil. She's here to make sure you think before you decide. Because the real question is never just: will this make me lose weight? The real question is: what is your body actually asking for? In this solo episode, Dr. Z cuts through the social media noise around the newest oral weight loss medications and gives every woman in perimenopause and menopause a body-led framework for making one of the most personal decisions of her health journey — with clarity, not panic. What you'll discover in this episode: 1. Why the shift from GLP-1 injections to an oral pill is making millions of women reconsider a decision they weren't considering before — and why exhaustion and convenience are not a framework 2. What these medications can genuinely do, what they cannot do, and why a quieter appetite is not the same thing as a healed system — especially when sleep, stress, hormones, blood sugar, and nervous system dysregulation are still unaddressed 3. The truth about midlife weight gain: why it is almost never just about weight, and why reducing a whole-body conversation to one question — will this make me lose weight? — is the most expensive mistake a woman can make 4. Dr. Z's 5 body-led questions every woman must sit with before making any decision about a weight loss medication — including what to pair with it if you do choose it, so you don't lose yourself in the process 5. Why the midlife body is not just changing hormonally — it is refusing to be treated like an afterthought any longer, and what that shift means for the kind of healing that is actually possible now FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E72
April 2 · 46 min
Why Doing Everything Right Still Isn't Working — The Real Reason High Performers Stay Stuck
Fatigue, bloating, hormone chaos, and weight that won't budge — even when you're eating clean, taking supplements, and doing all the right things. Dr. Z is naming what nobody else will say out loud. In this solo episode, Dr. Z dismantles one of the most damaging patterns she sees in high-performing women: the override pattern. The cycle where more discipline, more restriction, more pressure is the answer to a body that's already exhausted from being overridden. Because there is a massive difference between supporting your body and forcing it to comply. And if you've been doing the latter — even with the best intentions — this episode is going to change the way you think about your health entirely. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER • Why doing everything 'right' can still leave you exhausted, inflamed, and stuck — and what that's actually telling you • The override pattern: how high performers unknowingly turn health into another performance metric • Why your body isn't broken — it's burdened, and that distinction changes everything • How the nervous system's survival mode sabotages even the best protocols — and why pressure-based health always backfires • The truth about intermittent fasting, intense workouts, and clean eating during perimenopause and menopause • How to shift from reactive health to interpretive health — and why that's where real trust begins • What body-led nutrition actually looks like (hint: it's a conversation, not a control strategy) The body is not a machine to be bullied into wellness. It is a living system that responds to conditions. Stop asking: How do I make my body comply? Start asking: What conditions does my body need in order to respond? FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E71
March 26 · 38 min
Your Body Already Has the Answer — You Just Stopped Listening
Health misinformation, toxic supplements, and social media wellness trends are costing women their health — and their trust in their own bodies. Dr. Z is done staying quiet about it. In this solo episode, Dr. Z delivers one of her most important conversations yet — a frank, 20-years-in-the-making breakdown of what's really happening in the wellness industry. The algorithm rewards what stops your scroll, not what's true. And the most powerful health tool you have isn't a supplement, a protocol, or a trending morning routine. It's your body. It always has been. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER • Why the wellness industry is experiencing a slow, dangerous drift away from integrity — and how to protect yourself • The real reason health content on social media is designed to make you distrust your own body • How to spot a fake health expert online (including the Facebook transparency trick Dr. Z uses) • The truth about supplement quality: what magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, and fillers are doing in your bottle • Why $200 supplements can still be garbage — and what to look for instead • Body-Led Intelligence: Dr. Z's framework for using your nervous system as your first opinion on any health claim • 3 questions to ask before you screenshot, share, or add to cart — ever again DR. Z'S 3-QUESTION FRAMEWORK Before you try any new health protocol, supplement, or claim, ask: • Does this claim require me to distrust my own body? • Does this promise a transformation in a timeline that doesn't match how my biology actually works? • Who profits if I believe this? FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.
S2 · E70
March 19 · 33 min
Why High-Achieving Women Burn Out — Self-Awareness, Core Values & Mental Health Reset
You've tried the diet. The supplements. The routine. But the exhaustion is still there — because none of it addressed what's actually running the show: the gap between who you are and how you're living. In this conversation, Dr. Z sits down with Danielle Zilg — coach, motivator, and Marriage and Family Therapist in the making — to dismantle the idea that mental health is a mind problem. It's a whole-body problem. And the solution isn't more willpower. It's alignment. WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER • Why your body started sending distress signals long before your burnout became impossible to ignore • The core values exercise that functions as your internal GPS — and how to actually use it • Why most women have never truly defined their values (and why that single gap is costing them their health) • The Internal Family Systems framework: how to stop treating anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt as personality flaws • "I am anxious" vs "I feel anxious" — why that one-word shift is the difference between identity and experience • Boundaries reframed: from a wall you put up to a bridge you build — together • The self-talk loop that keeps high performers stuck — and how to interrupt it ABOUT DANIELLE ZILG Danielle Zilg is a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in the Making, Motivator, and Mental Health Maven. She is a coach who believes that when self-awareness, core values, and actions align — that's when real change happens. After leaving a successful corporate marketing career that looked polished from the outside and felt hollow on the inside, Danielle went through her own profound reset — and turned that experience into a coaching practice dedicated to helping others reconnect with themselves before life forces them to. She works with clients on values-based living, anxiety management, relationships, and the kind of self-awareness that actually holds up under pressure. Find her at daniellezmft.com and on Instagram @DanielleZMFT. Here's the SPECIAL GIFTS: https://go.southbaywellness.com/calibrationregistration FREE GIFT: The 21-Day Nervous System Calibration is designed to help you begin shifting out of survival mode and back into a state of regulation. 👉 go.thisisdrz.com/nervoussystem Schedule a FREE discovery call with Dr. Z and our team: https://go.southbaywellness.com/schedule-call Thanks for listening to T.R.U.E. Wellness with Dr .Z, follow us on social media for more wellness inspiration. Watch the full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisIsDrZ Instagram: ThisIsDrZ Facebook: ThisIsDrZ YouTube: @ThisIsDrZ LinkedIn: ThisIsDrZ TikTok: @ThisIsDrZ Website: www.SouthBayWellness.com The information in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Dr. Z and her guests share perspectives and suggestions, not diagnoses or treatment. Always consult your own qualified provider.

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