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
50 episodes
Your Hidden Calm Hack: Subconscious Cues & Subliminal Messaging
Discover the powerful connection between everyday subconscious cues and subliminal messages as mindset-upgrading tools. We explore how these hidden messages bypass your conscious mind's resistance while reinforcing the positive changes you desi...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 46
•
13:18
Finding Calm
Designed to quiet your nervous system and gently rewire your subconscious for peace. Layered with soothing affirmations beneath calming soundscapes, this track supports you in carrying calm into your everyday life—helping you reset ...
Subscriber Episode
•
•
Season 2
•
Episode 3
•
22:01
Aligned Habits
Messages in Audio Track:I naturally choose habits that bring me peace.My body feels calm when I care for it.Rest and balance come easily to me.I enjoy...
Subscriber Episode
•
•
Season 2
•
Episode 2
•
22:38
Body Awareness & Nervous System Regulation
Track Messages: I naturally listen to my body.I feel safe tuning into my breath and body.I am deeply connected to my body’s wisdom.My awareness g...
Subscriber Episode
•
•
Season 2
•
Episode 1
•
18:33
Micro-Shifts for Maximum Calm
Feeling overwhelmed by complicated self-care routines? This episode reveals a revolutionary approach to finding calm – through micro-inputs that create maximum shifts in your nervous system state.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 45
•
5:52
Hamster Wheel Brain? Your Vagus Nerve Holds the Exit Door
Rumination keeps us stuck in cycles of unproductive worry, but understanding how our vagus nerve functions as the body's reset button can help us break free from these mental loops.
•
Season 1
•
Episode 44
•
5:08
Creating Calm Corners: How Your Environment Shapes Your Nervous System
Your body knows what your mind might miss: the spaces around you are constantly sending signals to your nervous system. Walking into certain environments immediately changes how you feel, and there's solid science behind thi...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 43
•
8:43
How Anxiety Shows Up in Your Body (Not Just Your Mind)
Anxiety isn't just in your head—it's a physical experience happening throughout your body, communicating through your vagus nerve and nervous system. By understanding how anxiety manifests physically, we can respond with effective tools that ca...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 42
•
5:59
Joy Spotlights: Rewire Your Brain's Focus
We explore how to retrain your brain's spotlight to naturally find moments of joy instead of stress. By understanding your reticular activating system (RAS), you can break anxiety loops and build joy loops that fuel your healthiest habits.<...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 41
•
7:57
.png)
Pet Therapy for Your Nervous System
Pets offer more than companionship—they provide natural nervous system regulation through the vagus nerve, helping us switch from stress to calm. The simple act of interacting with animals releases oxytocin, activates our parasympathetic system...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 40
•
7:02
Training Your Nervous System: Why Calm Takes Daily Practice
Calm isn't a state we can simply decide to feel but rather a skill we develop through consistent practice, similar to building a muscle. When we understand that our stress responses are patterns developed over time, we can begin to retrain our ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 39
•
6:02
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 38
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 37
•
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!
•
Season 1
•
Episode 36
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 35
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 34
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 33
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 32
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 31
•
11:56
.png)
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 30
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 29
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 28
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 27
•
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...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 26
•
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 ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 25
•
9:32
.png)