What if the single most powerful health intervention isn’t a supplement, workout, or therapy, but sleep?

In this conversation, former Navy SEAL and leading sleep expert Dr. Kirk Parsley joins Susan to share how years of working with the world’s most elite warriors revealed the devastating impact of sleep deprivation, and the extraordinary healing that happens when we finally rest.

From Ambien addiction to brain inflammation, hormones, aging, stress, and recovery, Dr. Parsley pulls back the curtain on what happens when we neglect our body’s most essential repair mechanism. He explains why sleep is the foundation of every other “pillar of health,” how it regulates hormones and epigenetic expression, and why six hours a night is slowly destroying your energy, focus, and longevity.

You’ll hear:

• The fascinating story of how a high school dropout became the Navy SEALs’ go-to medical doctor
  
  
  
• What happens in your brain when you use sleep aids, and why they don’t work
  
  
  
• The connection between sleep, hormones, metabolism, and aging
  
  
  
• Why stress, inflammation, and sleep deprivation are at the root of nearly every chronic issue
  
  
  
• How to repair your sleep cycles naturally, and finally wake up feeling restored
  
  
  

This episode is raw, real, and life-changing. If you’ve ever thought “I can get by on six hours,” this conversation will change your mind, and maybe even your future health.

P.S. Stay tuned for part 2 on sleep next week with Chris Winters!

Learn more about our guest Dr.Kirk Parsley

Kirk Parsley completed SEAL training at the age of 19 and served as a 60-gunner on SEAL Team Five in Coronado, California. He left the SEAL community in 1994 to pursue a college education. Later, he re-entered the US Navy to attend the military's medical school in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was commissioned as a Navy Officer in 2000.

After completing medical school, internship, and residency, Kirk returned to the SEAL teams as the physician for the West Coast SEAL teams. Kirk was tasked with helping the world's most elite warriors optimize and maintain their performance after eight years of sustained combat. It was during this period that he noticed a significant gap between "healthcare" and true "health optimization."

Read Dr. Kirk’s full bio on the show notes!

RESOURCES:

Connect with Dr. Kirk Parsley:

Website: https://docparsley.com/

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

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

Find all of Kate and Susan’s Resources and links in the show notes:

https://healthyawakening.co/2025/11/03/episode89

Connect with Susan: https://healthyawakening.co/

Connect with Kate: https://theradiantlifeproject.com/

Visit the website: healthyawakening.co/podcast

Find listening links here: https://healthyawakening.co/links

P.S. Want reminders about episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, you can find the link on our podcast page! https://healthyawakening.co/podcast

Some friendships lift you up. Others leave you drained, itchy, or a little emotionally swollen.
(Think of it as a friendship allergy.)

In this fun-yet-insightful mini, Susan and Kate unpack what “friendship allergies” are, those subtle relationship dynamics that your system just can’t tolerate anymore. From lack of reciprocity to emotional one-way streets, they explore how tuning in to what irritates your energy can actually lead you to deeper, more aligned connections.

In this episode:

• What a “friendship allergy” is and why it matters
• How to spot the relationships that drain rather than nourish you
• Why self-awareness is the cure for repeating old dynamics
• How aligned friendships support healthy hormones, mood & genetic expression
  
  
  

This mini will make you reflect, and maybe rethink the company you keep, so you can surround yourself with people who feel like medicine, not hives.

RESOURCES:

Show notes: https://healthyawakening.co/2025/10/31/episode88

Visit the website: healthyawakening.co/podcast

Find listening links here: https://healthyawakening.co/links

Connect with Susan:

• Check out Susan’s NEW E-book! Download it FREE here: https://healthyawakening.co/ebook-signup
• Contact me for your DNA testing or epigenetic coaching! To schedule a FREE Personalized Health Strategy Session, send an email to susan@healthyawakening.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanrobbinshealthyawakening
  Instagram: @susanrobbins_epigeneticcoach
• Susan’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/susanrobbins

Connect with Kate King:

• Kate’s Website: https://TheRadiantLifeProject.com

Kate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theradiantlifeproject

P.S. Want reminders about episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, you can find the link on our podcast page! https://healthyawakening.co/podcast

Did you know your friendships are shaping your biology every single day?

From the way your genes express themselves to how your body handles stress, your connections literally change your chemistry.

In this episode of Everyday Epigenetics: Raw, Real, Relatable, Susan Robbins and Kate King explore the fascinating science of how friendship affects your mental, emotional, and physical health. They unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface when you feel seen, supported, or stressed in your relationships, and how those interactions send powerful messages to your genes.

Here’s what they dive into:
How healthy friendships boost feel-good hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, and why that matters for longevity and resilience.

Why conflict, disconnection, and toxic friendships can actually increase cortisol and inflammation in the body.

The importance of reciprocity and emotional safety, and how honest communication helps regulate your nervous system.

How different “health types” experience connection, from the social connector to the solo recharger.

Simple ways to strengthen your social ecosystem and nurture friendships that truly support your biology.

This conversation bridges heart and science, reminding us that friendship isn’t just nice to have, it’s a vital part of our epigenetic health. The people you surround yourself with can either activate your stress genes or your thriving ones.

So, who in your life helps your genes feel safe enough to flourish?

RESOURCES:

Check out Susan’s NEW E-book! Download it FREE here: https://healthyawakening.co/ebook-signup

Show notes: https://healthyawakening.co/2025/10/27/episode87

Visit the website: healthyawakening.co/podcast

Find listening links here: https://healthyawakening.co/links

Connect with Susan:

• Check out Susan’s NEW E-book! Download it FREE here: https://healthyawakening.co/ebook-signup
• Contact me for your DNA testing or epigenetic coaching! To schedule a FREE Personalized Health Strategy Session, send an email to susan@healthyawakening.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanrobbinshealthyawakening
  Instagram: @susanrobbins_epigeneticcoach
• Susan’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/susanrobbins

Connect with Kate King:

• Kate’s Website: https://TheRadiantLifeProject.com

Kate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theradiantlifeproject

P.S. Want reminders about episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, you can find the link on our podcast page! https://healthyawakening.co/podcast