Vanessa Cook was hospitalized for severe asthma at eighteen months old. By her late twenties she was living with asthma, eleven years of fibromyalgia, and a heart condition nobody had found yet — and she'd been told to expect a pacemaker by forty-five. She's thirty-seven now. No pacemaker, no heart medication, no asthma medication, and a résumé that includes ultramarathons.

In this conversation with Michael Scott Eger, Vanessa traces the turning point: the night her husband told her, through tears, that he was afraid he'd end up raising their children alone. What followed wasn't one fix. It was a five-mile obstacle course she had no business entering, two and a half hours of vomiting and crying, and a finish line that taught her she could do hard things — as long as she stopped trying to do them all at once.

We get into why the trendy protocols failed her, how she learned that even a "healthy" food can be the wrong food for a specific body, and why she now reads symptoms as messages rather than problems to silence. Vanessa also makes the case for whole-person care — the emotional and spiritual work a fifteen-minute appointment will never reach — and for walking into that appointment educated enough to ask, "can we try this first?"

Vanessa Cook is the founder of Starlight & Sage Wellness. Learn more at starlightandsagewellness.com.

Eager to Be Healthy is listener-supported and ad-free. Support the mission at eagertobehealthy.com/support.

• A symptom is a signal. Medicating it away can cost you the information underneath it.
• No protocol is universal. Vanessa's turnaround started when she stopped chasing trends and started paying attention to her own body.
• Your doctor gets fifteen minutes with you a year. You get 24/7. Showing up educated changes the conversation.
• Capability is built in small decisions, not dramatic ones. The finish line mattered less than the eight years after it.

Nahrin Chowdhury — founder, Unstressified Instagram: @unstressified — https://www.instagram.com/unstressified LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahrin-chowdhury-73559b120 TikTok: @unstressified Website: https://www.unstressified.com

Takeaways

• Reframing trauma and stress can lead to personal growth and resilience.
• Embracing discomfort and stepping out of comfort zones can lead to new levels of happiness and fulfillment. Self-confidence is built by collecting evidence of overcoming unknown situations.
• Physical and mental strategies are essential for managing stress effectively.

Chapters

• 00:00 Unstressified: A Stubborn Premise
• 03:00 The Pursuit of Happiness
• 04:29 The Good and Bad of Stress
• 08:03 Reframing Trauma and Stress
• 11:30 Embracing Discomfort for Growth
• 15:40 Stepping Out of Comfort Zones
• 18:13 Adventurous Spirit and Openness to Change
• 25:23 Coping with the Unknown
• 30:12 Calming the Storm
• 37:51 Overcoming Fear and Embracing New Experiences
• 38:27 Pursuit of Happiness and Health

Matt Robinson, a writer and boxing teacher, shares his journey in health, wellness, and teaching in the prison system. He discusses his genetic health challenges, mental health techniques, and the impact of his work on his well-being. Matt also talks about his writing projects, ADHD, and his passion for boxing.

Takeaways

• Genetic health challenges
• Mental health techniques
• Impact of work on well-being
• Writing projects and ADHD
• Passion for boxing

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Matt Robinson
• 00:56 Health and Wellness Journey
• 03:09 Teaching in the Prison System
• 06:02 Mental Health Techniques
• 09:44 Writing Projects and ADHD
• 25:06 Passion for Boxing

Eager to Be Healthy — Allie Chandler — From Lyme to Wellness

At twenty-five, Allie Chandler left for a backpacking trip through Europe as a healthy young teacher, and she came home with thirty to forty rotating symptoms that arrived all at once and refused to be named. It would take four more years to learn that a cluster of bug bites at the base of the Swiss Alps had sent her home with Lyme disease and several co-infections.

In this conversation, Allie walks Michael through what those years asked of her — the specialists who ruled things out one by one, the heart rate that leapt from 55 to 160 the moment she stood up, and the energy healer who finally asked the question no physician had thought to ask. She shares what actually moved her toward wellness, too: a physical protocol built on drainage support, six months of daily limbic system retraining, and a slow rebuild of strength that started with putting on a pair of tennis shoes and sitting back down. None of the three worked alone. Together, over time, they gave her body somewhere safe enough to heal.

Allie is now the founder of Upsell Health, where she helps practitioners and wellness brands speak to people who are sick in a way that leaves them feeling seen. She calls it empathy-led marketing, and it comes straight from the years she spent wishing that someone would look at her and say, in her words: "You're not crazy. There's something going on."

Takeaways

• Healing rarely moves in a straight line — and the good weeks still count
• Nervous system regulation as the ground that lets a protocol take hold
• Limbic system retraining, neuroplasticity, and the brain's capacity to rewire
• Rebuilding strength in the smallest increments a body can accept
• The real out-of-pocket cost of functional medicine, and the value of talking openly with providers about it
• Empathy-led marketing: education and honesty in place of urgency

Chapters

• 00:00 The Onset of Illness
• 13:37 The Healing Journey
• 40:12 Transition to Marketing

Find Allie upsellhealth.com · Free archetype quiz: upsellhealth.com/archetype · @upsellmarketing

Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes based on health content.

The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including health, happiness, neurodiversity, mental health, physical fitness, life coaching, success, and global reach. The guest shares insights on consciousness, defining happiness, and success. The conversation also touches on the guest's work with Schools for Nepal and his music endeavors.

Takeaways

• Consciousness and self-awareness are fundamental to mental well-being.
• Physical health and fitness play a crucial role in overall well-being.
• Defining success and happiness is a personal journey that requires self-awareness and alignment with individual values.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
• 05:22 Neurodiversity and ADHD
• 14:04 Physical Health and Fitness
• 22:25 Life Coaching and Success Definition
• 36:18 Defining Happiness and Success

Hannah Ashwell, a psychologist, counselor, coach, and therapist, discusses the importance of emotional well-being, resiliemotnce, and processing emotions. She also highlights the impact of modern-day addictions and the role of peer support in mental health.

Takeaways

• Emotional well-being is impacted by various factors such as diet, exercise, and fresh air.
• Peer support can be as beneficial as therapy, providing hope and understanding.
• Hannah's book on pornography addiction is written for a wide audience, offering standalone self-help guides and resources.

Chapters

• 00:00 Hannah's Book on Pornography Addiction

Growing up on a farm in Portugal gave Ana Melikian a head start on healthy living she didn't fully appreciate until years later. In this episode of Eager to Be Healthy, Ana — a psychologist-turned-life-coach and host of The Mindset Zone podcast — joins Michael for a conversation about how culture, real food, and mindset coaching all connect in the pursuit of feeling your best.

Ana shares how her upbringing shaped her relationship with food: cooking from scratch, eating what the family grew, moving naturally every single day. She and Michael dig into why preparing your own meals — even simple ones — helps your body digest better and gives you a natural sense of how much is enough. They even get into why cracking nuts out of the shell is a surprisingly good health strategy.

From there, the conversation shifts to mindset. Ana explains how the thoughts running on autopilot in your head shape your choices in ways you don't even notice — and how focusing on wellness, rather than what's going wrong, literally pulls you toward healthier patterns. This isn't abstract philosophy: it's practical, warm, and immediately usable.

If you've ever felt stuck knowing what to do but struggling to actually do it, Ana's perspective on choice, habit, and personal history will meet you right where you are.

Follow Eager to Be Healthy on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and never miss a conversation that helps you live well from the inside out.

Takeaways

• Cultural diversity shapes individual experiences
• Healthy habits are influenced by upbringing and lifestyle
• The ritual of eating and digestion impacts overall health
• Transitioning from clinical psychology to life coaching
• International differences in mental health care
• The relationship between happiness and health
• The power of choice and mindset
• Creating new perspectives and overcoming change
• The Mindset Zone Podcast and meditation
• Embracing uniqueness and entrepreneurship

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Cultural Diversity
• 05:45 The Ritual of Eating and Digestion
• 13:23 Transition from Clinical Psychology to Life Coaching
• 18:36 The Power of Choice and Mindset
• 24:08 Creating New Perspectives and Overcoming Change
• 31:13 Embracing Uniqueness and Entrepreneurship

Mike Dyson shares his personal journey of overcoming rejection, finding purpose, and experiencing a health crisis. His story is a testament to the power of faith, resilience, and the pursuit of healing.

Takeaways

• Overcoming rejection
• Finding purpose through faith

Chapters

• 00:00 Reflections on the Journey and the Book 'The Shadow'