What if real healing this year has less to do with trying harder and more to do with listening differently?

In this episode of The Root of the Matter, Dr. Rachaele Carver explores why New Year’s resolutions so often fail and what actually creates lasting change in the body.

Instead of focusing on goals, this conversation centers on values, nervous system regulation, and the foundational pillars of health that support true healing from the inside out.

Drawing from clinical experience, personal health challenges, and a powerful reminder from time spent in Italy, Dr. Carver explains how safety, rest, and emotional regulation directly impact digestion, inflammation, detoxification, and overall resilience.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, realign, and build health in a way your body can actually sustain.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why most New Year’s resolutions do not stick
• The difference between chasing goals and living in alignment with values
• The five core pillars of health that influence oral and whole-body wellness
• Why nervous system regulation is the foundation of digestion, immunity, and detox
• How stress disrupts minerals, enzymes, and gut health
• Why detox does not work when the body does not feel safe
• How relaxation and environment can dramatically change inflammation and symptoms
• Simple ways to support your nervous system before changing your diet or routine

Key themes discussed:

• Nervous system health as the missing link in chronic symptoms
• Diet, sleep, movement, and minerals as supportive tools, not fixes
• Emotional and mental health as drivers of physical healing
• Consistency and planning as acts of self-respect, not discipline
• Listening to the body instead of forcing it to comply

A grounding takeaway

Your body is not broken.
It is responding exactly as it was designed to.

Healing happens when we stop fighting symptoms and start creating the conditions where the body feels safe enough to repair, digest, and release.

Maybe the first step this year is not a new plan, but a slower breath.

Your body already knows the way.

Connect with Dr. Carver

Join the 6-Week Gum Disease Course: https://reversegumdiseaseinsixweeks.info/optinpage

Book Your Personalized Consultation: https://calendly.com/drcarver-1/health-coaching-consult?month=2025-10

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner. Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider. This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed. Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests. We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

After a brief pause at the end of the year, Dr. Rachaele Carver returns with a powerful solo episode to open 2026, inviting listeners to rethink the way we approach change, healing, and personal growth.

Instead of setting New Year’s resolutions that often fade by February, this episode explores a deeper and more sustainable framework: living in alignment with your values.

Dr. Carver unpacks why so many goals fail when they are driven by “shoulds” rather than meaning, and how shifting toward values-based living can transform not only oral health, but energy, confidence, relationships, and overall well-being.

This conversation blends personal stories, clinical insight, and reflective questions to help listeners begin the year with clarity, compassion, and intention.

In this episode, Dr. Carver discusses:

• Why traditional New Year’s resolutions rarely stick
• The difference between goals and values, and why values matter more
• How living out of alignment drains energy and fuels burnout
• The connection between values, nervous system regulation, and health
• How thoughts become beliefs, and beliefs shape reality
• Parenting, anxiety, and helping children live in their own values
• Recognizing physical and emotional signals from the body as guidance
• Questions to help identify your core values
• Signs you may be living out of alignment
• How values-based living improves decision-making, boundaries, and fulfillment
• Why integrity and empowered teaching are central themes in Dr. Carver’s life and practice
• Setting intentions for the year ahead through alignment rather than pressure

Resources mentioned:

• Firefly Therapy Austin
• Dr. John Demartini’s Values Assessment (drdemartini.com/values)
• Podcast: Energized with Dr. Mariza

Closing reflection:

Healing doesn’t come from pushing harder or chasing outcomes. It comes from slowing down, listening deeply, and allowing our actions to flow from what truly matters.

When we live in our values, the body responds.
And everything we want begins to unfold naturally.

Thank you for being part of The Root of the Matter.
Here’s to a grounded, aligned, and nourishing year ahead. 🌿

Connect with Dr. Carver

Join the 6-Week Gum Disease Course: https://reversegumdiseaseinsixweeks.info/optinpage

Book Your Personalized Consultation: https://calendly.com/drcarver-1/health-coaching-consult?month=2025-10

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner. Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider. This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed. Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests. We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

In today’s episode of The Root of the Matter, I sit down with Jennifer Rankin, owner of Wonder Oral Wellness, to explore a question I get almost daily:

“What toothpaste should I use?”

And more importantly…
“Does it actually help my teeth remineralize?”

Jennifer’s story is one of my favorites because it is so real. She started out as a customer who was simply trying to help her child avoid a cavity and ended up buying the company that changed her family’s oral health. Yes, really.

Together, we unpack:

🌿 Why tooth powder is making a comeback

Powders were the original way humans cared for their teeth. They are mineral rich, gentle, and free of the preservatives that paste requires. And honestly, your enamel loves them.

🦷 What actually remineralizes your teeth

No, it is not fluoride.
Your teeth are not made of fluoride. They are made of minerals.

Inside this episode, we break down ingredients that actually rebuild enamel, including:

• bentonite clay for detox and natural minerals
• micro hydroxyapatite from grass fed sources
• calcium and phosphorus in bioavailable forms
• baking soda for healthy pH
• essential oils and cacao powder for gentle antimicrobial support

Your body recognizes real nutrients and it knows exactly what to do with them.

👶 How Jennifer reversed her son’s early cavity

This part of her story still gives me chills.
Within months of using Wonder’s tooth powder, a cavity that was headed toward a filling simply disappeared. The power of minerals, saliva, and the right environment never stops amazing me.

🌬️ Why the oral microbiome matters more than ever

We talk about:

• the problem with mouthwash
• how minerals fuel a healthy microbiome
• why foaming agents like SLS disrupt enamel
• and why kids’ teeth are struggling more today

At the root of it all, your mouth is an ecosystem, not a war zone.

🧠 Nano vs. Micro Hydroxyapatite

Jennifer explains why Wonder chooses micro, non synthetic hydroxyapatite sourced from New Zealand cattle and why you want your enamel support to come from something that looks like real food, not a lab.

🍓 Flavors that support the oral microbiome

From peppermint to citrus berry to the new cacao mint blend, every flavor uses real food grade ingredients with no natural flavors.

The chocolate one also makes an amazing stocking stuffer.

✨ Resources Mentioned

• Wonder Oral Wellness tooth powders and oral care
  https://wonderoralwellness.com
• Breath by James Nestor
• The Dental Diet by Dr. Steven Lin
• Bamboo toothbrushes, silk floss, and pH strips

Your teeth were designed to heal.
Your body is always communicating with you through your gums, your saliva, your breath, and your energy. When we give it minerals, calm, and the right environment, it knows exactly how to repair.

Maybe today’s step is simply checking

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner. Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider. This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed. Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests. We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.