Rooted in Wellness with Mona Sharma

Most of us know when our period is coming because we have learned how to prepare for it. But how much do we know about what happened in the weeks before it arrived? Would we recognize whether we ovulated, understand why the same symptoms return at the same point each month, or know when pain has crossed from common to something that needs attention? We are taught to handle each symptom as it appears. We take something for the cramps, cover the breakout, push through the exhaustion, and wait for the mood shift to pass. The cycle itself is rarely treated as one connected story. Yet if it is considered a fifth vital sign, how much information have we learned to ignore? In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with Kaya Purohit and Yasmin Nouri to question what many of us have been told about our periods. Can food meaningfully change how a cycle feels? What can be missed when symptoms are quieted before they are understood? How can stress, undernourishment, and blood sugar changes show up in the cycle? And what do women need to know as their hormones begin shifting through perimenopause and beyond? Kaya and Yasmin are the co-founders of Beeya Wellness. Kaya holds a master’s degree in nutrition and leads product development and education at Beeya. Yasmin spent a decade in finance before her experience with painful periods and more than a decade on birth control led her back to a practice she had dismissed for two years because it sounded too simple to make a difference. What happened when she finally tried seed cycling changed the direction of both of their lives. This conversation may change the questions you ask before calling a symptom normal. What We Discuss: (11:41) Why period pain should not automatically be accepted as part of being a woman. (14:24) Why seed cycling may be a more accessible first step than hormone testing for some women. (19:23) How the menstrual cycle can act as a fifth vital sign and a monthly report card. (23:20) What irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, severe cramps, and acne may be signaling beyond reproductive health. (28:04) How seed cycling works across the follicular and luteal phases. (30:40) What changed after Yasmin tried the practice she had ignored for two years. (36:18) Why women also use seed cycling through perimenopause and other hormonal transitions. (42:55) What women should understand before starting or stopping hormonal birth control. (48:09) How chronic stress, undernourishment, and blood sugar instability can disrupt the cycle. (57:44) The everyday products that may increase exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. (1:01:59) How to begin seed cycling and why consistency matters more than perfection. (1:07:26) Why magnesium became the second product in the Beeya line. (1:12:05) The free habit that can help women understand their hormonal patterns. Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide, 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona’s website: monasharma.com Follow Mona on Instagram: @monasharma Learn more about Kaya Purohit, Yasmin Nouri, and Beeya Wellness: Website: beeyawellness.com Instagram: @beeyawellness

For many people, taking care of their health has started to feel like a second job. There is always another number to track, habit to add, or routine to perfect. More discipline seems like the answer, but constantly trying to optimize the body can make it harder to hear what the body has been saying all along. In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sat down with Justin Roethlingshoefer to talk about the line between caring for the body and controlling it. Our conversation gets into how discipline can become tied to self-worth, how tracking can slowly replace self-trust, and why even healthy habits struggle to last when the rhythm of life cannot support them. Justin has lived this contradiction himself. He spent years studying human performance and working with elite athletes, yet at 32, he was dealing with precancerous colon polyps and a bleeding ulcer while still appearing incredibly healthy. Being told he might not live past 35 forced him to reconsider what health actually meant. Today, Justin is a Human Health and Performance Expert, data-driven health strategist, USA Today bestselling author of The Power of Ownership, and author of Holy Health. What We Discuss: (17:12) Why losing 100 pounds left one client wondering why he did not feel happier. (21:48) How living by default affects the body, relationships, and daily choices. (26:27) When healthy habits become part of someone’s identity. (34:06) How HRV can provide useful feedback without controlling the day. (59:09) How Justin looked healthy while his health was falling apart. (1:15:24) Why good habits rarely last inside a life that cannot support them. (1:27:22) The 3-2-1 nighttime rule for making room for real rest. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn more about Justin Roethlingshoefer: Website: justinroethlingshoefer.com Instagram: @justinroeth Justin’s new book, Holy Health, brings science and faith into the same conversation, offering a new way to approach health as an act of stewardship rather than another pursuit of perfection. Learn more at holyhealthbook.com

Have you ever caught yourself repeating a pattern you were sure you had already healed? The person or situation may change, but somehow you end up in the same kind of relationship, carrying the same fear, or reacting in the same way. You understand the pattern, so why does it still have so much power over you? In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with Manex Ibar to explore why certain patterns can feel impossible to break, how the subconscious may influence the way we see ourselves, and what those recurring struggles may be trying to reveal. We also talk about the Sphinx Code, destiny versus free will, spiritual bypassing, modern distraction, and what nature can show us when we finally become quiet enough to listen. Manex Ibar is a modern mystic, spiritual innovator, and creator of the Sphinx Code. Described by the Financial Times as “The Extreme Spiritual Guide” and known as the Doctor’s Shaman and the Billionaire’s Mystic, he has spent more than two decades blending ancient shamanic traditions, depth psychology, human energetics, and nature-based practices to guide people through profound inner transformation. What’s Discussed (10:05) Why so many people feel disconnected from themselves. (12:18) Destiny, free will, and whether our patterns can change. (17:23) What the Sphinx Code reveals about the subconscious. (23:41) What happens when a wound becomes part of your identity. (42:14) Why the wound may also contain the way forward. (53:12) How modern distraction keeps us from seeing ourselves clearly. (1:22:13) The questions that can reveal what a recurring pattern is protecting. Listen to this episode to understand why recognizing a pattern is not always enough to break it, and what may be hiding underneath the part of your life that keeps repeating. 🎧 Thank You to Our Sponsors: Timeline: Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a new, lower price. Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/MONA Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn more about Manex Ibar & Sphinx Code: Sphinx Code: sphinxcode.com Manex Ibar: manexibar.com Wisdom Quest: wisdom-quest.com Download Sphinx Code on Apple: apps.apple.com/us/app/sphinx-code/ Download Sphinx Code on Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/sphinxcode

Mushrooms are suddenly everywhere, and honestly, I love seeing this ancient medicine finally getting the attention it deserves. But between lion’s mane lattes, mushroom gummies, fruiting bodies, mycelium, and microdosing, how do you know what is actually supportive and what is simply great marketing? In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with my sweet friend Alli Schaper to take you into the incredible world of fungi. We talk about the mushrooms that may support your brain and body, what to look for before buying a supplement, and how microdosing is changing conversations around our habits, grief, joy, and even our fear of death. Alli Schaper is the CEO and cofounder of SuperMush, host of Into the Multiverse, and cofounder and board member of Microdosing Collective, the first U.S. nonprofit dedicated to legal microdosing advocacy. She has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Goop, Bloomberg, and Summit Series. What’s Discussed: (08:16) Why functional mushrooms may be difficult to feel when your body is already running on overdrive. (19:06) Alli’s journey from chronic gut issues and multiple prescriptions to taking her health back into her own hands. (29:56) The difference between culinary, functional, and psychedelic mushrooms. (36:02) Fruiting body, mycelium, extract ratios, and what actually matters on the label. (54:52) Why mushrooms have remained part of human healing for thousands of years. (01:05:16) How mushrooms became what one of Alli’s teachers calls “instruments of joy.” (01:09:47) What to understand about microdosing, protocols, sourcing, and responsible exploration. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Timeline: Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a new, lower price. Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/MONA Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn More About Alli Schaper & SuperMush: Website: allischaper.com Instagram: @allischaper Website: supermush.com Instagram: @supermush

There is a reason brain health feels so urgent right now. So many people are watching parents, grandparents, partners, and loved ones face Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, dementia, depression, anxiety, or cognitive decline, while quietly wondering if the same future is waiting for them. With Alzheimer’s projected to affect nearly 14 million Americans by 2060, this is not a conversation we can keep saving for later. Most of us think about the brain only when something starts to feel different, but cognitive decline can begin 20 to 30 years before a single symptom appears. That means the way we eat, move, sleep, manage stress, support blood sugar, and care for our metabolism may be shaping the brain long before memory starts to slip. And with only about 6% of American adults considered metabolically healthy, the connection between insulin resistance, inflammation, and brain aging becomes much harder to ignore. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. David Perlmutter to talk about why prevention has to begin while you still feel fine, which metabolic number he wishes more people knew, and what daily choices may be protecting or threatening your brain without you realizing it. Dr. Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist, six-time New York Times bestselling author, and author of Brain Defenders, with decades of work connecting the brain to the body, gut, metabolism, inflammation, and the way we live every day. What’s Discussed: 04:45 How Dr. Perlmutter thinks about connection, gratitude, and what it means to be rooted. 12:20 The daily habit he says may be one of the worst for your brain. 17:54 Why brain decline does not begin the moment memory fails. 24:17 What ultra-processed food may be doing to long-term brain health. 27:08 How inflammation connects depression, anxiety, and neurodegeneration. 31:20 What “I feel fine right now” can miss about the future of the brain. 39:59 The key metabolic labs Dr. Perlmutter wants people to know. 46:50 Why your gut bacteria may act like a signal system for the brain. 57:17 How inflammation can shift the brain’s immune cells from protective to destructive. My hope is that this conversation helps you stop waiting for symptoms before you care about your brain. The choices you make today are not small. They are signals, and your brain is listening. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Timeline: Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a new, lower price. Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/MONA Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn more about Dr. David Perlmutter: Website: drperlmutter.com Brain Defenders: drperlmutter.com/books/brain-defenders Instagram: @davidperlmutter

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from spending years trying to heal yourself and still feeling like you have not arrived. You go to therapy, journal, regulate your nervous system, learn your patterns, and keep looking for the next thing that will finally help you feel peaceful. Then an old emotion returns or you find yourself in a familiar pattern, and it can feel like proof that there is still something wrong with you. The part we rarely question is what all that effort may be teaching us. When every difficult emotion, symptom, or setback becomes another problem to solve, healing can begin to reinforce the feeling that we are still incomplete. So what changes when we stop approaching ourselves as a project that always needs work? In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with Panache Desai to talk about why “doing the work” can become its own source of pressure, what acceptance actually asks of us, and why being human was never something we needed to overcome. Panache is a bestselling author, transformational speaker, and former guest on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday who has spent over three decades helping people move beyond endless self-correction and reconnect with the peace and wholeness already within them. What’s Discussed: 05:52 Why accepting your humanity can change the way you relate to yourself. 11:58 The emotion many people suppress because they believe it makes them less healed. 14:12 Why doing more healing work can leave you feeling even further from peace. 19:49 What happens when self-improvement begins from the belief that you are incomplete. 21:26 How healing can become an identity that keeps you searching for the next thing to fix. 37:05 Why changing your circumstances does not always create the safety you are looking for. 59:14 Why simple practices repeated consistently may matter more than another healing method. Listen to this episode if you are tired of turning every emotion, setback, or symptom into another reason to work harder on yourself. Thank You to Our Sponsors: Timeline: Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a new, lower price. Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/MONA Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn more about Panache Desai: Website: panachedesai.com/call-to-calm-meditations/

Why do we sometimes pull away from the people we love most? Why can closeness feel comforting one moment and overwhelming the next? And why do certain patterns keep repeating even when we know we want something different? In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with Thais Gibson to look at the patterns underneath how we love, cope, shut down, chase, self-soothe, and respond when our nervous system does not feel fully safe. We talk about attachment styles, core wounds, subconscious beliefs, emotional triggers, and why the way we learned to protect ourselves can quietly shape our relationships, stress, habits, and healing. Thais Gibson is a bestselling author, PhD, and founder of Integrated Attachment Theory™, a neuroscience-backed framework designed to help people understand and rewire attachment patterns. With over a decade in private practice and more than 30,000 students across 115 countries, she brings a clear, compassionate, and deeply practical lens to why these patterns form and how they can begin to change. What’s Discussed: (19:43) Why old habits and instant fixes may point to something deeper beneath the surface. (24:07) Rapid-fire truths on attachment styles, trauma responses, therapy, conflict, and relationship healing. (31:00) What attachment style really means and why it matters beyond romantic relationships. (50:01) The deeper needs that can drive chasing, withdrawing, shutting down, or searching outside yourself. (56:48) How self-soothing patterns can show up through cravings, numbing, and comfort-seeking habits. (1:00:15) Why early beliefs can quietly shape the way we love, react, and protect ourselves as adults. (1:20:07) How attachment wounds can connect to burnout, anxiety, emotional eating, and the body’s stress response. Listen to this episode if you have ever wondered why you keep repeating a pattern you thought you had already outgrown. This conversation will help you see attachment through a more compassionate lens and understand why healing begins with what your nervous system learned long before you had words for it. 🎧 Thank You to Our Sponsors: CAROL Bike: Visit carolbike.com/mona and use code MONA for a special discount. Learn more about Mona Sharma: Download Your FREE Guide - 12 Wellness Tips to Unlock Your Best Health Now: Ready to reclaim your vitality? Download Mona’s 12 Wellness Tips and take actionable steps to transform your health, energy, and mindset. Get started now at monasharma.com/12tips Visit Mona's website: monasharma.com – Unlock powerful tools and wisdom rooted in wellness to elevate your health, energy, and clarity. Mona blends ancient healing practices with modern science to help you achieve lasting transformation. Follow Mona on Instagram: Stay connected with Mona for daily inspiration, holistic health tips, and personal growth. Join the conversation on Instagram at @monasharma Learn more about Thais Gibson: Instagram: @thepersonaldevelopmentschool Podcast: Breakthrough with Thais Gibson Podcast