In this week’s episode of Routes of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa sits down with Dr. Diana Londoño, a board-certified urologist, physician coach, and integrative healer whose work bridges surgical excellence with deep attention to dignity, trauma, burnout, and the mind–body–spirit connection.

Together, they explore what happens after the early years of medical training, when clinicians reach mid to late career and begin reckoning with burnout, identity, values, and the quiet realization that the system that trained them may no longer sustain them.

This conversation moves through Dr. Londoño’s journey from growing up in Mexico City to training in Los Angeles, from surgical culture to whole-person care, from repeated burnout to leadership, coaching, and spiritual healing practices. They discuss dignity in clinical encounters, the nervous system’s role in urologic symptoms, the unspoken trauma held in the body, and why curiosity, presence, and love belong at the center of medicine.

Whether you’re a clinician navigating burnout, a physician questioning traditional practice models, a healer exploring integrative approaches, or someone longing for a more humane experience of care, this episode offers grounded wisdom, compassion, and permission to evolve.

If you’re inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast uplifting the wisdom and lived experience of integrative & lifestyle medicine doctors, subscribe to receive new episodes weekly.

• Mid- to late-career medicine: What happens after the first decade of training and practice.
• Burnout as a wake-up call: Recognizing cynicism, depersonalization, and chronic stress as signals for change.
• Identity & integrity: Staying true to personal values in systems that reward conformity.
• Growing up between cultures: How Dr. Londoño’s upbringing in Mexico shaped her openness to holistic healing.
• Dignity in care: Small clinical choices that profoundly impact patient safety and trust.
• Trauma & the pelvic floor: How stress, grief, and nervous system dysregulation manifest physically.
• Listening as medicine: Why patients often heal simply by being truly heard.
• Integrative urology: Addressing diet, movement, stress, constipation, and emotional health alongside medications and procedures.
• Energy healing practices: Salt baths, Reiki, and pranic healing as tools for nervous system regulation.
• Direct specialty care: Moving away from insurance-driven care toward time, transparency, and prevention.
• Boundaries & burnout recovery: Why learning to say no is essential for physician wellness.
• Morning & evening rituals: Creating parasympathetic safety through routine.
• Scarcity vs. sufficiency: Reframing “I don’t have time” as a mindset, not a fact.
• Curiosity as healing: Staying open, asking “why,” and allowing practices and identities to evolve.
• Love in medicine: Reclaiming compassion, presence, and humanity as foundational clinical skills.

00:00 — Introduction and Welcome

01:09 — Why These Conversations Matter

02:33 — Training, Burnout & the Forgotten Meaning of “Healer”

05:02 — The Myth of “Five Years Out”

07:04 — Growing Up in Mexico City & Medical Training in LA

09:44 — Origin Stories & Cultural Roots of Healing

10:27 — Feeling Different and Staying True to...

In this week’s episode of Routes of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa sits down with Dr. Nishi Bhopal, a triple–board-certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine physician, and integrative holistic medicine doctor who has become a leading voice in translating sleep science into accessible, actionable tools for clinicians and patients.

Together, they explore the winding journey that brought Dr. Bhopal from family expectations in medicine to psychiatry, from burnout to yoga and Ayurveda, from clinical curiosity to entrepreneurial leadership in sleep health education.

This conversation moves through identity, cultural expectations, circadian rhythm biology, women’s sleep health, long COVID, integrative approaches to insomnia, and the gaps in medical training that leave most clinicians unequipped to treat one of the most universal human experiences: sleep.

Whether you're a practitioner wanting a deeper understanding of circadian medicine, a clinician exploring integrative training, a patient navigating insomnia, or a healer attempting to reclaim your own rhythms in a fast-paced world, this episode offers compassionate, evidence-informed insight.

If you're inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast uplifting the wisdom and lived experience of integrative & lifestyle medicine doctors, subscribe to receive new episodes weekly.

• The origin story: How family expectations influenced Dr. Bhopal’s entry into medicine, and how curiosity, not certainty, ultimately guided her path.
• From Internal Medicine to Psychiatry: Seeking deeper human connection and more time to understand patients.
• Ayurveda, yoga, and meditation as turning points during residency and antidotes for burnout.
• Sleep Medicine: Why circadian rhythms matter more than we teach, and how modern sleep training overlooks essential foundations.
• Insomnia isn’t always insomnia: Many patients are treated for the wrong problem.
• Women’s sleep health: Why women are dismissed, underdiagnosed, and mismanaged within traditional models.
• Personalizing care: No one-size-fits-all approach—sleep timing, fasting, activity, and routines must fit the individual.
• Long COVID: How persistent sleep architecture disruptions present distinct clinical challenges.
• Entrepreneurship & medicine: The creation of IntraBalance, clinician education, YouTube content, and online sleep courses.
• CSH Framework (a practical model for unpacking insomnia)
• Circadian rhythm
• Sleep drive
• Hyperarousal
• Clinical training gaps: Most physicians receive 2–4 hours of sleep education in medical school.
• Creative practice-building: The courage to pivot, niche, and design programs that match your strengths.
• Self-discovery in medicine: Noticing what brings joy and letting your practice evolve accordingly.

00:00 — Introduction and Connection

00:58 — Technical Difficulties and Adjustments

01:09 — Healing Journeys & Integrative Roots

03:56 — Family Influence and the Medical Path

07:15 — Navigating Family Expectations

10:37 — Cultural Context and Choosing Medicine

11:56 — Medical Training: Canada vs. Ireland vs. U.S.

14:46 — The Art of Listening and Clinical Diagnosis

16:33 — Yoga, Ayurveda & Personal Awakening

19:16 — Integrative Medicine Philosophy

20:58 — Dr. Bhopal’s Current Practice & Approach

26:22 — Circadian Rhythms in Healing

28:21 — Body Clocks, Misalignment & Sleep...

In this episode of Roots of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa speaks with Dr. Michelle Thompson, an osteopathic family physician, integrative and lifestyle medicine leader, and founder of Wholehearted Medicine. Together, they explore what happens when we stop seeing ourselves as the healer and begin to recognize that every patient is their own best healer.

Dr. Thompson shares her unconventional journey from stepping away from medical school to become the director of a massage therapy school, where she immersed herself in reflexology, aromatherapy, neuromuscular therapy, sound healing, and art therapy then returning to osteopathic training with a completely different lens on what true healing could be.

From being labeled “the integrative one” in a 100,000 employee health system to designing lifestyle medicine residency curricula and launching mind-body group visits, Dr. Thompson has quietly been reshaping what care can look and feel like for both patients and clinicians. She also opens up about grief, losing her grandmother, Ayurvedic support during a silent retreat, and how unprocessed stress can live in the body as chronic illness, burnout, and mysterious symptoms.

Whether you’re a clinician on the edge of burnout, a patient seeking trauma-informed, whole-person care, or a healer who needs permission to put yourself back into the center of your own life, this conversation is an invitation to return to self-love, nervous system healing, and the simple, radical act of listening to your own body.

If you're inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast that brings forward the unique voices and lived experiences of lifestyle and integrative doctors, subscribe to get new episodes shared with you weekly.

• “You are your own best healer” – shifting power back to the patient
• Leaving medical school, leading a massage therapy school, and returning with a new integrative lens
• Learning reflexology, aromatherapy, neuromuscular therapy, sound therapy, and art therapy as foundations of future practice
• Turning a “traditional” family medicine practice into an integrative, lifestyle-focused clinic
• Why Dr. Thompson stopped saying “alternative and complementary” and insists on integrative and evidence-based
• Building lifestyle medicine into residency curricula across multiple programs at UPMC
• The six pillars of lifestyle medicine as a starting point for every patient visit
• Asking: “What’s going really well, and what are you struggling with?” as a doorway to root-cause discovery
• Grief, losing her grandmother, and how Ayurveda helped her see stress, digestion, and sympathetic overdrive differently
• “You cannot live being chased by a tiger your entire life” – the cost of chronic sympathetic activation
• Mind-body skills, James Gordon, and the Center for Mind-Body Medicine influence on her clinical work
• Group medical visits as a powerful vehicle for healing, connection, and reclaiming time in conventional systems
• How massage, sound therapy, yoga, and breathwork became essential, not optional, in her own self-care
• Physician well-being, trauma in training, and why self-care must sit at the center of healthcare
• Teaching medical students and residents to honor their bodies, stories, and inner wisdom
• Viewing self-care as an act of service: when we care for ourselves, we care better for others

00:00 — “I tell every patient, you are your own best healer.”

00:21 — Welcome to Roots of Healing

01:32 — Introducing Dr. Michelle Thompson and her role at UPMC and beyond

03:17 — Leaving medical school, leading a massage therapy school, and discovering integrative...

From Gastroenterology to Game Beyond the Game: Rediscovering Dreams, Healing, and High-Performance Living

In this episode of Roots of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa speaks with Dr. Leybelis Padilla, a gastroenterologist, lifestyle medicine physician, and co-founder of Game Beyond the Game. Together, they explore what happens when a physician realizes she’s stopped dreaming and what it takes to reclaim vision, purpose, and a life that feels truly aligned.

Dr. Padilla shares the moment of awareness when she realized that becoming a physician had quietly become the end point of her dreaming. From there, she takes us through her journey of self-development, mindset work, and courageous career shifts. From Navy hospital GI practice to locums, to founding Unlocking GI, a telemedicine practice rooted in her 4M framework: Medicine, Meals, Mindset, and Movement.

They also dive into her work with her husband, Prince who was once a professional athlete, through Game Beyond the Game, where they host intimate, luxury events to help high performers reconnect with their vision, values, and inner landscape beyond career achievements.

Whether you’re a clinician who feels stuck on autopilot, a high performer navigating relationship and identity shifts, or someone who suspects you’ve quietly stopped dreaming, this conversation offers language, tools, and inspiration for beginning again.

If you're inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast that brings forward the unique voices and lived experiences of lifestyle and integrative doctors, subscribe to get new episodes shared with you weekly.

• Realizing: “I had stopped dreaming” after becoming a physician
• The power of being given permission to dream again
• How self-awareness and mindset work opened new paths in medicine and in life
• From Navy hospital GI practice to locums to building Unlocking GI
• The 4M Framework: Medicine, Meals, Mindset, Movement as pillars of digestive and whole-person health
• Functional vs. inflammatory bowel disease, and how lifestyle and nutrition fit in
• Why culturally sensitive nutrition matters (and why rice and beans aren’t the enemy)
• Creating Game Beyond the Game and luxury mindset events with her husband
• Relationships, co-regulation, and the behind-the-scenes work of growing together
• Why physicians need spaces to be seen as whole humans, not just roles
• The cost of autopilot in medicine—and how to step off the conveyor belt

00:00 — Cold Open: “I had stopped dreaming.”

00:37 — Welcome to Roots of Healing

02:34 — “Is that me?” Owning Your Story on Paper

03:13 — Childhood Curiosity, Nutrition, and Early Seeds of Medicine

05:49 — CTE, the NFL, and Advocating for Family Through the Medical System

09:11 — From Internal Medicine to Gastroenterology & Loving the Big Picture

14:40 — Navy Hospital, IBD Clinic, and Constraints in Federal Systems

17:40 — Tony Robbins, Landmark, Dispenza: Entering the World of Self-Development

20:42 — Visioning Exercises & The Moment She Realized She’d Stopped Dreaming

24:28 — Game Beyond the Game: Intimate Events for Mindset, Vision & Wealth

27:04 — The Power of the Five Senses, Community, and Being Seen

30:33 — Loneliness, Connection, and Community as Medicine

32:11 — Partnership, Communication & Co-Growth in Marriage

38:54 — Physicians, Autopilot,...

In this episode of Roots of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa MD speaks with Dr. Stacey Funt, a radiologist and wellness travel curator who designs nature-based, lifestyle-medicine-inspired adventures for women and couples. Together, they explore how holistic healing, purposeful travel, and community can help us move through grief, prevent burnout, and reconnect with what restores us.

Stacey shares her journey from decades in radiology to creating transformational travel experiences grounded in integrative medicine, nature, and human connection. They discuss the neurobiology of new experiences, the importance of awe, and why intentional time in nature supports nervous system healing and long-term physician wellness.

Whether you are a clinician seeking renewal, someone navigating transition, or a traveler drawn to healing experiences, this conversation offers inspiration, grounded insight, and evidence-based guidance.

If you're inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing a physician led podcast that brings forward the unique voices and lived experiences of lifestyle and integrative doctors subscribe to get new episodes shared with you weekly.

• How personal loss opened the door to a calling in wellness travel

• Travel as a modality of holistic healing and personal transformation

• The relationship between burnout, grief, and midlife reinvention

• Why nature and awe shift physiology and support integrative medicine

• How community and shared adventure enhance healing

• The neurobiology of novelty: travel as a moving meditation

• Designing intentional travel through the lens of lifestyle medicine

• How radiology and wellness travel can coexist in one meaningful career

• What goes into curating safe, supportive group travel experiences

• Following energy, passion, and alignment in career transitions

00:00 — Cold Open

01:46 — Welcome to Roots of Healing

03:10 — The Birth of LH Adventure Travel

06:19 — Grief, Loss, and New Beginnings

09:22 — From Radiology to Wellness Travel

13:07 — Travel as Healing and Holistic Medicine

15:53 — Balance, Creativity & Midlife Reinvention

18:42 — Health Coaching Roots & Lifestyle Medicine

20:34 — What Makes Travel Transformative

25:58 — Community and Women’s Group Travel

26:37 — Novelty, Awe & the Nervous System

28:09 — Psychological Safety in Adventure Travel

29:46 — Nature as a Healing Modality

32:47 — Upcoming Wellness Travel Adventures

34:37 — Behind the Scenes of Travel Planning

39:03 — Navigating Different Travel Styles

43:14 — Redefining Luxury Through Presence

46:58 — Following Your Passion and Energy

Radiologist • Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach • Founder, LH Adventure Travel

Dr. Stacey Funt is a practicing radiologist and nationally certified health and wellness coach who founded LH Adventure Travel, a company dedicated to creating transformative, lifestyle medicine inspired travel experiences. She curates and leads women’s global wellness adventures in breathtaking natural settings and diverse cultures, and also designs private and couples’ itineraries.

Each journey is intentionally crafted around pillars of Lifestyle Medicine, movement, nourishment, restorative

Episode 2: Becoming the Kind of Doctor I Want to Be | Dr. Amanda Scott on Lifestyle Medicine and Whole-Person Care

In this episode of Routes of Healing, host Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa sits down with Dr. Amanda Scott, a board-certified internist and lifestyle medicine physician redefining what modern medicine can be. From her early studies in physical anthropology at UCSB to medical school at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dr. Scott’s path has been guided by curiosity, connection, and a passion for whole-person care.

After more than a decade in primary care, including serving as Medical Director of the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic and later as a Lead Physician and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA Health, Dr. Scott realized that healing required more than procedures and prescriptions. Her transition into lifestyle medicine reflects a deeper commitment to prevention, plant-forward nutrition, and behavior change grounded in compassion and evidence.

Together we explore Dr Scott's unique journey through medical training in Ireland, the challenges of student loans, and the importance of building trust with patients, especially in indigenous communities. Dr Scott shares her transition from traditional medical practice to a more holistic approach, emphasizing the significance of lifestyle medicine in patient care. We dig into PSLF, burnout recovery, and building a consultative practice that centers on plant-forward food, sleep, movement, stress management, resilience, and the healing power of community.

• How physical anthropology shaped Dr. Scott’s approach to healing
• Lessons from training in Ireland and working within tribal health systems
• The transition from traditional primary care to integrative practice
• The importance of behavior change, positive psychology, and motivational interviewing
• How plant-forward nutrition and movement support resilient living
• Creating a practice that aligns with personal values is important.
• The healthcare system is evolving, and so must the roles of physicians.

00:00 Investing in yourself as a clinician

00:40 Welcome and podcast intro

02:45 Growing up in Pasadena and discovering anthropology

07:30 Medical school in Ireland and global perspective

15:20 Returning to California and life on the Central Coast

20:45 Student loans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness

24:48 Lessons from the Chumash Tribal Health Clinic

31:09 Recognizing burnout and rediscovering alignment

34:43 Discovering Lifestyle Medicine and the Six Pillars

41:36 Creating Santa Barbara Lifestyle Medicine

45:56 Explaining integrative care to colleagues and community

52:27 Coaching, therapy, and investing in your own growth

55:24 Where to find Dr. Scott online

Amanda Scott, MD

Board Certified in Internal and Lifestyle Medicine | Founder, Santa Barbara Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Amanda Scott grew up in the foothills of Pasadena and earned her degree in Physical Anthropology from UCSB before attending the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She has served as Medical Director of the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic and as Assistant Clinical Professor and Lead Physician at UCLA Health. In 2024 she became...

Healing the Healer: Integrative Psychiatry and Whole-Person Care with Dr. Arwen Podesta, MD

In this inaugural episode, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa welcomes Dr. Arwen Podesta, a psychiatrist and addiction-medicine specialist whose career bridges biochemistry, forensic psychiatry, and integrative care. They explore how mind–body connection, lifestyle medicine insights, breathwork, community, and compassion help clinicians and patients heal. Expect grounded science, spiritual healing practices, and refreshingly practical steps for physician wellness and holistic health.

Keywords: Podcast, Stories of Healing, Ayurvedic Lifestyle, Physician Wellness, Holistic Health, Mind-Body Connection, Plant-Based Healing, Women in Medicine, Spiritual Healing Practices, Lifestyle Medicine Insights

• 00:00 Welcome & show framing — Routes of Healing vision (Podcast, Stories of Healing)
• 00:27 Disclaimer & season theme: Healing the Healer
• 02:15 Arwen’s origin story: commune roots → massage therapy → biochemistry → medicine (Holistic Health)
• 09:05 Parallel journeys: Siri’s early integrative path & the “wake-up” moment
• 10:37 Mentors, capacity building, and choosing MD over PhD
• 12:59 Bridging upbringing & medical training; agency and modifiable risk factors
• 14:18 Where med school fell short; early CAM research and mindfulness science
• 16:46 Biomarkers, meditation, breathwork; when science catches up (Mind-Body Connection)
• 19:41 Siri on Ayurvedic lifestyle principles and interconnected systems
• 21:31 Inflammation, insulin resistance, and mental health (Lifestyle Medicine Insights)
• 25:24 GLP-1s, cravings, cognition; nuance & limits (Physician Wellness)
• 29:09 Long-COVID, gastric emptying, and individualized care
• 30:08 Agency, community, and why group care matters
• 31:10 Counter-/transference as diagnostic skill; finding fit in care teams (Women in Medicine)
• 36:26 Breathwork, yoga, polyvagal tone; practical protocols (Spiritual Healing Practices)
• 42:45 Courage in integrative practice; rising existential distress
• 45:03 Treating existential dread: groups, life-skills, and support networks
• 47:04 Care extenders: therapists, coaches, async tools; collaborative care
• 49:38 “Like-for-like” paradigm; mechanisms before meds
• 52:11 Whole-team referrals, labs, supplements; trauma-informed specialists
• 55:28 Measurement-based care, WHO-5, HERO scale; neurofeedback mindset
• 1:00:15 Professional buoyancy: conferences, peer groups, oxytocin of IRL connection
• 1:02:02 Where to find Dr. Podesta & her courses; patient availability
• 1:03:40 Close & gratitude

1. Integrative Approaches: Pair conventional psychiatry with breath-work, community, nutrition, sleep, and movement for better outcomes.
2. Inflammation matters: Glucose spikes and systemic inflammation can worsen mood and anxiety; stabilizing them supports mental health.
3. Measure what you...