It Starts at Vagus: Holistic Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety
Welcome to It Starts at Vagus – the ultimate podcast for women ready to reclaim their calm and reset their health, starting from the root cause: the vagus nerve. Here, we dive deep into holistic strategies, natural remedies, and actionable tips to support your body's natural healing process. Whether you’re managing stress, anxiety, or just looking to improve your overall well-being, our expert insights and practical advice are designed to help you feel empowered and connected.
Subscribe for weekly content on the mind-body connection, lifestyle tips, and simple yet effective practices to bring more peace, relaxation, and balance into your life. It all starts here – with your vagus nerve.
Episodes
39 episodes
Rewiring Stress Through Body Awareness
Massage isn't just about working muscles—it's a profound "brain game" that retrains our nervous system to recognize and release tension we didn't even know we were carrying. In this enlightening conversation with returning guest Melissa Kary, w...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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16:53
The Vagus-Sleep Connection: How Rest Recharges Your Nervous System
Your emotions feeling out of control? Your reactions a bit over the top? Before you blame yourself, check your sleep quality. That irritability, anxiety, and emotional rawness might not be character flaws—they're classic signs of a sleep-depriv...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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8:33
Reply to 9518 & a Thank You!
This mini episode is to reply to the phone number with 9518 from California. Also, to give Stephanie a big THANK YOU!
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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1:18
The Vagus & Nature Connection: Take a Walk, Calm Your Nerves
Your vagus nerve—essentially your body's emotional thermostat—responds remarkably well to green spaces. When you step outside mindfully, cortisol levels drop, heart rate variability improves, and your body receives the safety signals it needs t...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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6:44
Friends & Foes of Your Vagus Nerve
Ever feel like your body's stuck in stress mode no matter what you do? The secret might be hiding in plain sight: your vagus nerve. This fascinating "wandering nerve" serves as your body's superhighway to calm—when it's functioning well. But mo...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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10:59
When Calm Feels Stressful: Why We Cling to Chaos
Your pulse races. Your mind spirals. But strangely, this isn't happening during a crisis—it's happening during those rare moments when everything is finally calm. Sound familiar?As a neuromuscular massage therapist, I've noticed an alar...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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6:45
Accidentally Sabotaging Your Wellness Journey?
Our urgency to heal can keep us trapped in sympathetic nervous system dominance, preventing the very healing we seek. The pressure of constantly adding more wellness practices often backfires when it creates another stressful to-do list that tr...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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6:11
Embracing a Slow Calm Life: Why Your Vagus Nerve Craves Simplicity
Your vagus nerve is quietly begging you to slow down, and science proves it's one of the smartest moves you can make for your physical and mental wellbeing. This episode reveals why choosing simplicity isn't laziness—it's a biologically sound a...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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11:56
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Handling Dismissive Comments About Anxiety
We explore what happens when well-meaning people say the wrong things about anxiety and how those dismissive comments impact your nervous system. Learn practical strategies to protect your wellbeing when others minimize your experience, from va...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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7:07
Reclaiming Energy: The E.A.S.E. Method for Nervous System Healing
Persistent fatigue despite doing everything "right" often stems from an overtaxed nervous system rather than physical exhaustion. The vagus nerve, focused solely on survival, diverts energy to keeping us alive when it perceives even...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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11:55
Coffee, Scrolling & Netflix: The Calm We Borrow But Never Keep
Are you trapped in the cycle of reaching for quick fixes to calm your stressed nervous system? That third cup of coffee, mindless scrolling, or end-of-day glass of wine might offer temporary relief, but they're actually teaching your body to ou...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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10:25
3 Calming Micro Actions
Feeling like you're carrying invisible bricks all day long? When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, even the most well-intentioned self-care practices can feel like unwelcome demands rather than relief. "You want me to do a full mor...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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7:10
Rewire Your Inner Voice
Your body is throwing an emergency brake while you're still trying to climb uphill—that's burnout. And the most alarming part? Most women don't realize they're experiencing burnout until their bodies physically force them to stop.Burnou...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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11:48
Rediscovering Yourself: Simple Creative Practices for Busy Women
Bring creative joy into your day (without adding anything else to your plate).Creativity is essential for women to reconnect with themselves and express who they are in a world that often tells them to be quiet and helpful. This episode ...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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9:32
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Why Is Resting Hard?
Ever finally sit down after a long day only to find yourself more tense than before? Your racing mind and clenched jaw aren't signs of failure—they're evidence of your body's remarkable survival system working overtime. The truth a...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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8:21
Mental Load Fatigue: The Invisible Source of Women's Stress
The quiet background hum of your mental to-do list gets louder right when you're trying to relax—that's mental load fatigue, and it's hitting women particularly hard. This phenomenon isn't about a lack of organization or efficiency; it's the in...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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12:45
How Survival Mode is Shutting Down Your Digestion
Anxiety manifests physically throughout your body, affecting everything from swallowing to nutrient absorption when your nervous system gets stuck in survival mode. We explore how stress creates a domino effect in your digestive system and shar...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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10:44
Melissa K.'s Stress & Anxiety Journey
The path to healing often begins when we feel safe—when our nervous system can finally relax and let down its guard. In this intimate conversation, I sit down with my dear friend and fellow massage therapist Melissa Kary to explore the transfor...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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28:47
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The Silent Burnout: My Journey to Healing
Have you ever felt "fine" while your body was silently screaming for help? That was my reality – the calm, high-functioning massage therapist whose world came crashing down with a debilitating gallbladder attack on Thanksgiving Day.
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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20:32
Toxic People, Tense Bodies: How Negativity Affects Your Nervous System
Your nervous system has a hidden vulnerability that few people discuss: the company you keep. When you surround yourself with chronically negative people, your body's emotional radar—neuroception—picks up subtle cues that trigger a low-level th...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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12:08
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Clearing Brain Fog: A Nervous System Reset
That moment when you've read the same paragraph three times and still can't remember what it said? Your brain isn't broken - it's likely in low power mode, signaling your nervous system needs attention. Brain fog manifests as that ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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10:44
Voice Tone: A Vagus Nerve Approach to Social Anxiety
Voice tone, controlled by the vagus nerve, plays a crucial role in how we experience social anxiety and how others perceive our emotional state in conversations.• The polyvagal theory explains how our autonomic nervous system regulates ...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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15:12
How to Listen to Your Body and Restore Balance
Unlock the secrets of your body in this episode as we delve into the intriguing messages sent by your nervous system. Learn how to recognize and respond to the signs of nervous system dysregulation and the simple yet transformative changes you ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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19:09
3 Mental Health Myths
Unlock the secrets of holistic health as Emily, a passionate massage therapist, challenge the myths surrounding mental health. Ever thought mental health issues stop at the brain? Think again. Join me to explore how the vagus nerve ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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13:07
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Sneaky Stress: How It Silently Hijacks Your Health
Is stress silently sabotaging your health without you even knowing it? Discover the surprising ways sneaky stress infiltrates our daily lives and takes a toll on our well-being. This episode of "It Starts at Vagus" with your host Emily uncovers...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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14:58
