EP 76 - How to Get Out of Health Debt + Start Your Day Calm

Hi friend, welcome back to The Habit Within! Today’s conversation is one I know so many of us need — especially if you’ve been running on fumes, feeling behind on your health, or waking up already stressed before the day even begins.

I sat down with two incredible women — Dr. Tabatha Barber and Bria Gadd — to talk about two things we don’t hear nearly enough about: health debt and calm mornings.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Dr. Tabatha’s simple 10-minute morning practice rooted in Lectio Divina — a meditative way to set your tone for the day, reduce reactivity, and step into peace before life gets busy
• Why how you start your morning impacts everything from your food choices to your patience with your loved ones
• Bria’s practical approach to getting out of health debt — those seasons where stress, lack of rest, and burnout pile up and leave you feeling depleted
• Foundational daily habits that act as anchors, even in chaotic seasons, and help you feel resilient again
• How both women use perspective, joy, and nervous system regulation to stay present and vital without adding more to their plates

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin or stuck in cycles of exhaustion, this episode is here to remind you that healing doesn’t have to be complicated — and that simple, consistent practices can completely shift your energy.

Learn More from Dr. Tabatha Barber

Instagram: @gutsydrtabatha

Learn More from Bria Gadd

Website: briatheperiodwhisperer.com
Instagram: @bria_period_whisperer

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Transcript

(0:00 - 0:22)
Hey friends, welcome back to the habit within podcast. I am Camille Kinsler, your host, and you may have noticed that last week we took a break from the podcast meeting. I was in New Mexico visiting my father-in-law along with my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law, their children, and our kiddos.

(0:22 - 0:40)
We were there to be with each other for the year anniversary of my mother-in-law's passing. And it was just so beautiful to be together. We actually went to a casino in New Mexico that she liked to go to occasionally and play the slots.

(0:41 - 1:02)
So we all took $10 to $20 and played slots. Interestingly enough, we all lost, I think, collectively like $65 in two minutes, two minutes. We gave our kids each $10 to play in the video game room they had on the reservation at this casino.

(1:03 - 1:13)
And their money lasted longer than ours. And for those of you who have ever been to an arcade, usually that money goes really fast too. But I couldn't believe it.

(1:14 - 1:25)
A funny story. My husband and I used to, before we got married, we actually enjoyed gambling. We loved playing blackjack and craps.

(1:26 - 1:32)
My husband liked playing craps. I liked playing blackjack. And actually, I mean, we always came out even our lost money, but it was fun.

(1:32 - 1:54)
We could maintain our budget for quite a few hours. Well, when we got married and then we went gambling together, it was way less fun when our, the money was coming out of the same account. So we pretty much stopped gambling and hadn't gambled in probably 15 years or so.

(1:54 - 2:11)
So anyway, it was really fun. And I couldn't believe looking around at all of the people there playing slots and realizing that I lost $20 in two minutes. And so I calculated that in my head and I was like, Oh Lordy, people are losing a lot of money in this place.

(2:12 - 2:26)
Although, you know, for those of you who might enjoy gambling, I hope you much better luck. I hope lady luck is on your side. Anyway, so I took last week off and now this week, my kids are back in school.

(2:27 - 2:39)
Wednesday, they returned to school. I'm recording this on a Friday, and this is really my first day to be in our new house by myself. And I hope this recording comes out okay.

(2:39 - 2:54)
I'm in a new office space that's high ceiling. And even though I have a carpet or a rug on the floor, it's echoey in here. So shout out to my one and only podcast editor, Precious.

(2:54 - 3:03)
She does such magic on her side. So maybe you guys won't notice the echo that is in the room. She has been such a godsend.

(3:03 - 3:09)
So shout out to Precious there. Um, yeah. So now I'm in this new home.

(3:09 - 3:33)
And if you've been following along on my story at all, we were trying to figure out whether we were going to buy a house or to rent a house closer to our kids' school. And we ultimately decided to rent a house that is really like 30 minutes from downtown Austin. And we've always been around 10 minutes from downtown Austin.

(3:33 - 3:46)
So instead of buying something, we decided to see if we could actually be rural folk, if we could actually live outside the city this far. And we shall see. It's interesting.

(3:46 - 3:56)
I mean, we're in a neighborhood. So it's definitely not like in the country, but it is definitely far from Austin. So I'll let you know.

(3:56 - 4:11)
I'll let you know in a year when our lease is up. And this house is huge. So we come from a bungalow in central Austin that was about 1,400 square feet.

(4:11 - 4:24)
It had an additional space out back, but the primary property was 1,400 square feet generously. And we're in a 3,000 square foot house right now that we're renting. And there is so much space.

(4:24 - 4:35)
And I have to say, yeah, it's quite luxurious. There's many places to sit. I can work in this corner or in that corner.

(4:35 - 4:41)
And we can eat at this large table. Or we can eat at the kitchen table. Anyway, it's the small things in life.

(4:41 - 5:06)
I'm very grateful that we are able to have this moment where we're enjoying bigger property, bigger house, bigger all those things, and also being nine minutes away from the school, which has been so beautiful. Speaking of back to school, my 10-year-old is so freaking cute. And when I picked him up from school on Wednesday, he emphatically said, oh my gosh, he was like, I had the best day.

(5:06 - 5:21)
It was so awesome, so fantastic. I'm so glad I decided to go, which cracked me up because it was like he had a choice. It's not like he was talking about all the ways he could get out of going to his first day of school.

(5:21 - 5:35)
But the way he said it made me think that in his mind, he was like, you know, mulling it over. He was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to go to school that day and at the last minute decided, hey, why not? You know, it might be fun. It was really cute.

(5:36 - 5:42)
Yeah. And then so I have a fourth grader and an eighth grader. And time will tell.

(5:42 - 6:07)
They seem to be pretty excited right now. And we will see as the homework and expectations and really, I think more than anything, it's the social dynamic that happens when you're in school can be pretty draining. So I'm, you know, putting my vision that they will have a really beautiful year and any challenges that come their way, they'll be able to get through it and expand.

(6:08 - 6:53)
So anyway, today y'all, it's the last of the interview series that I did where I followed up with some of my favorite speakers, your favorite speakers from the series that I hosted, gosh, back in May. And we really, you know, I wanted to talk and interview these women just one-on-one in a really quick 10 minutes or less and have them share what really has helped them stay on purpose and share their real life experiences and practices that really keep them grounded and energized and aligned in their own life. Even when life is extremely full, like it tends to be, especially when we're ramping back up into the fall where, yeah, our schedules become really busy again.

(6:53 - 7:06)
So today's guests, we're going to talk with Dr. Tabitha. She's a triple board certified OBGYN and the creator of Fast to Faith program. Her conversation that I had during our summit was really profound.

(7:06 - 7:41)
She was very direct in what she believes in the direction of taking hormone replacement therapy if you've had breast cancer in the past. So I'm actually considering sharing that conversation in the podcast in the next week or two to let me know if that's interesting to you at all. But she was more direct in her response than most other women during the series who have the expertise that she does as being a triple board certified OBGYN.

(7:42 - 8:06)
So let me know if that interests you to share the full conversation that she and I have. Otherwise, we're going to just take about 10 minutes to where she can share or where she shares her beautiful and simple practice that shifts how she shows up every day. And what she calls it is Lacteo Divina, a way of meditating on scripture that takes just 10 minutes.

(8:06 - 8:46)
So you're going to hear about this in 10 minutes and you'll notice how quickly that 10 minutes can go by. So carving out 10 minutes for yourself during the morning can really help change your mindset, your energy and even your relationships. So she will talk about how starting your morning in a calm, intentional way will reduce the reactivity and the cortisol spikes that can occur if we don't start our day intentionally and how that can really starting our day and calm can set the tone for everything from food choices to being patient with the ones that you love.

(8:47 - 9:35)
And Dr. Tabatha explains how this process invites more peace and perspective and positivity into your life while helping you step into your role as an energetic leader of not only your home, but your community. So even if faith or scripture isn't part of your daily practice, the wisdom and morning ritual she shares can be adapted to whatever inspires you or whatever you feel most connected to and can be a powerful tool for regaining control of your day instead of letting it control you. And if you have followed along at all, you know how important this is to me too, where we recognize that we are the driver of our day, that we don't let the world tell us how we're going to act and respond.

(9:36 - 9:48)
We are the ones who set that tone. We're also going to meet with Brea Gadd. She is also one of the fan favorites from the summit, and I may share her whole interview if that's something that interests you as well.

(9:49 - 10:03)
She's a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and the host of the Period Whisperer podcast. So if you've ever felt like you're running on empty, pushing through fatigue, burning the candle at both ends, I think that's kind of all of us. Then you're going to love this conversation.

(10:04 - 10:35)
Brea and I dive into the concept of what's called health debt, and she talks about what that is and how to get out of it and the key foundational habits that help you stay resilient even when life throws you those curveballs. And we also talk about reclaiming the magic that's possible when you're no longer at war with your body. Oh gosh, that really hits home and how simple daily practices can be your anchor even when you're in this chaotic season of your life.

(10:35 - 11:01)
And it happens, y'all. We go through these seasons as women and as people where occasionally it's more chaotic than others, but we can still try to find ways to anchor within that chaos. So whether you're craving more energy, wanting to feel confident in your body again, or just simply looking for ways to stay in alignment without adding more to your to-do list, then this episode is going to leave you with these practical steps.

(11:02 - 11:15)
And as always, I really want to know what you loved, and I hope you really just love this episode as much as I loved putting it together for you. All right. Until next week.

(11:17 - 11:47)
Hey, Dr. Tabatha. Thank you so much for coming on this really special series where we follow up with our favorite speaker from the summit, and I know you are going to be one of them. And so I would love to ask you, how do you stay on purpose in your own life? I know that during the summit, we talked a lot about the importance of faith in your journey and how meditating on scripture, I believe during the day in the morning times, or like teach us how you do that.

(11:47 - 11:57)
Because I know that a lot of people are like, how do I have time for that? Or I have kids or I like to sleep in. So just share with us your tips and tricks. Yeah, absolutely.

(11:58 - 12:13)
So the foundation of my fast to faith program is this meditative process called Lectio Divina. And it's where you read one scripture. It's best to read it aloud because words actually have power.

(12:13 - 12:37)
And when you put those words out in the universe and you hear them back yourself with your own ears, it's really powerful. But you read it and you ask God, what are you trying to say to me right now through this scripture? Because the Bible wasn't for, you know, some ancient men 2000 years ago. It is a living, nourishing word for you personally right now in your life.

(12:37 - 12:46)
And it's so dynamic. I've read the same scripture so many times and heard something completely different. It's that powerful.

(12:46 - 13:16)
And so you read it and you ask God, what are you trying to say to me? And then you start to journal because there's something really cool that happens when you put a pen to paper. When your thoughts are in your brain, they're kind of circling around like a toilet bowl spinning down. But you can't really move forward or make any sense of them until you get them to flow through you and out of that circle.

(13:17 - 13:41)
And so journaling, getting those words on paper actually will start to flow solutions out instead of just swirling on the problem over and over. Women get so many insights when they start to journal like, oh my gosh, I didn't realize I could do that. I didn't see that possibility before.

(13:41 - 13:59)
Because if you're just stewing on the problem in your brain, you're never going to see the solution. Our brain is wired to stay focused on the negative. So if you start asking God and he's speaking positivity over you, all of a sudden what you journal is going to be big breakthrough.

(13:59 - 14:17)
So I know it sounds like a lot, but it takes like five to ten minutes. And you read it two or three times because there's something powerful about the repetition of going deeper with it and hearing the next level. It's like an onion being peeled.

(14:17 - 14:30)
There's more layers and depth to this conversation God wants to have with you. And so I do that for ten minutes in the morning before anything else. And that sets you up for the rest of your day.

(14:30 - 14:56)
Because I promise you, if you're sleeping in, hitting the snooze button, checking your emails as soon as you wake up, you're going to be stressed for the rest of the day. Because you're starting out with a cortisol spike, your stress hormone, and then you're adding in some adrenaline and those types of chemicals. And you're going to be in that fight or flight, stressed out mode the rest of the day.

(14:56 - 15:12)
But if you start in the parasympathetic rest, digest, repair mode, you're going to start to create good healing chemicals. And then you're going to desire to make good choices. You'll make good food choices.

(15:12 - 15:33)
You will probably have more patience with your children or your co-workers or whatever. So you really do have so much control about how your day plays out. And it really starts with setting those intentions in the morning, inviting God into that conversation, and to be with him all throughout the day.

(15:33 - 15:50)
So once you meditate on the scripture, then those words are kind of flowing in your brain. And what you can do is try to think of them throughout the day, especially when you get stressed like, oh, God said I'm more than a conqueror. And I'm just going to keep saying that to myself.

(15:50 - 16:09)
And you just start speaking life and healing over your body through these scriptures. And it's really powerful to hear the women's testimony in my group that have just their entire lives have changed. Some women have quit their jobs or they have realized that they belong in a different department.

(16:09 - 16:30)
They've healed relationships with their husband or they've had improved relationships with their kids because they no longer feel like overwhelmed in the morning and end up, you know, screaming at them. They're just their day goes different. And so I want that for every woman because it's so powerful.

(16:30 - 16:50)
We really are the caretakers and influencers in our home. And however we feel is how the home is going to feel. We are almost always responsible for the food that's in our kitchen, right? Or the meals that get made and the attitudes and the atmosphere and the energy.

(16:51 - 17:08)
So it is up to you to really take control, take that control back and shift everything for yourself and your family. Thank you so much for that. Yeah, we do have a massive ripple effect on the people around us, not even in our home, but outside of our home.

(17:08 - 17:24)
So really setting ourselves up where we're in control of the day more than the day just taking control of us is brilliant. So thank you so much for joining us. And you can find all about Dr. Tabatha in the show notes.

(17:24 - 17:42)
So make sure you head on over there. Hey Bria, thank you so much for joining the podcast where we follow up with our favorite speaker from the series from the summit. And I really loved our conversation around health debt and how we can get out of it specifically.

(17:42 - 17:52)
So go over to Bria's Instagram page. She has so much really invaluable information there. And you'll know more about that as well if you go and follow her.

(17:52 - 18:45)
But today what we're going to do is talk about what really keeps you on purpose in your own life. How do you stay vital and running a business and all the things that you do without getting into health debt? You know, I think it's always important to say it is a practice, right? It's, you know, just like debt in real life, right? It has to be a consciousness of like, okay, am I, you know, what am I investing in? Am I overspending? What do I need to do here? So it still needs to be a practice, even though I've been doing it now for so long. But what I have learned that I think is so helpful, you know, to kind of answer this on purpose is that when you start to solidify these key foundational health pillars, like the things that you need to do every day that bring you energy and keep you solid.

(18:46 - 19:09)
When life throws you windy moments, as we know they will, and they'll probably be coming more frequently as we get older, we start to, I start to lean on these habits. Like no matter what I get up every day, I drink my greens, I go for a walk, I get sunlight in my eyes. And that is now a very grounding experience for me, you know, having like a really nourishing breakfast, like taking time to cook my food.

(19:09 - 19:36)
These things are now pieces that I lean on as comfort, as opposed to things that feel like work in the beginning. So I think when I think about on purpose, you know, those are the pieces that they help keep me going and remind me how simple our bodies can really be as beautiful machines. They just need these foundational pieces of health, the same way we provided our children when they were babies, when they were going off to kindergarten, like routine.

(19:37 - 19:54)
So I think that is one aspect of it. And the other is just recognizing the magic of women. I think women are completely magical and that they have so much opportunity to make big impact in their lives, whether on a micro level or a macro level.

(19:55 - 20:12)
And when we get out of our own way, when we're stopped, we're no longer consumed by how our body looks, when we're less consumed by how our body feels because it just feels good. And we trust it. I think that really helps us unlock the magic that we're capable of.

(20:12 - 20:53)
And that's a real purpose driver for me. So how do you remind yourself that you are a magical being, you know, because life happens, right? We have some of the thoughts, even if we're even if we feel like we're extremely aware of the thought patterns that we might have or the way that we're showing up in life still have days, right, where it might sneak in. So what do you what happens on days like that? Like, how do you course correct? I think one of my favorite things to do is to get outside somewhere that's bigger than me, you know, whether and whether it's just, you know, again, going for a walk, that can be one of the easiest things.

(20:54 - 21:47)
You know, if I can get away somewhere where there's like a mountain or an ocean or open water, things that remind me that I am small in this great big world. And that's one of I think, ultimately, it's just taking a moment, I think, Camille to recenter and restill and gain a little perspective on where things are at and remind myself that I'm human, that this is part of our human experience, right? We're not we can't keep up Olympic levels of output without addressing, you know, the needs of an Olympian. And part of the needs of an Olympian is massage and relaxation and rest days and cross training, things like that, that give space not just for the high achieving productivity that I think we push ourselves to have as women.

(21:48 - 22:03)
And like we mentioned in the interview in the summit interview about the importance of pleasure and joy in our lives on a daily basis. Yeah, absolutely. There's an amazing book called it's called Pussy a Reclamation by Regina Thomas Howard.

(22:03 - 22:12)
I don't know if anyone's ever heard it. I highly recommend all women read it. But she talks about this concept of rupturing, and it has always stuck with me.

(22:12 - 22:37)
This idea of like getting out the sludge so we hold so we have space for pleasure to even come into our lives. And that I think is such an important thing. So if I am stuck on these dark days, even just having a good scream in the shower into a pillow or like screaming out a song in the car on my way to school pickup, those little things can just completely change the energy of self for me.

(22:38 - 22:41)
Yeah, get out the sludge. I love that. Bria, thank you so much.

(22:41 - 22:47)
And you can find all of her contact information in the show notes. Thank you so much.