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From Exhausted to Empowered: Environmental Medicine & Nervous System Regulation
Thursday Tea with Sami
Hi everyone, and welcome back to Thursday Tea with Sami! ☕ This week I'm sitting down with Dr. Hilary Claire — clinical psychologist, holistic parenting mentor, and host of the Wild and Well podcast — for a conversation that goes way beyond burnout. We're talking about depletion, emotional regulation, environmental medicine, and why picky eating is so much more than a "difficult phase."
Dr. Claire specializes in nutritional and environmental medicine, and her holistic lens on mental health completely reframes how we think about exhaustion, mothering, and even mealtime struggles. Whether you're a parent or just someone running on empty, this episode is full of practical, doable shifts.
In this episode, we cover:
→ Why burnout has become so normalized — and why that's a problem
→ How to identify the beliefs about "busyness" and productivity that are secretly running your life
→ The real signs of depletion (physical, emotional, and cognitive) that are easy to miss
→ Why high achievers often struggle most to recognize their own burnout
→ How sleep, nutrition, and gut health directly shape our mood and anxiety
→ Environmental medicine 101: reducing toxins in your home, cleaning products, clothing, and lighting
→ The surprising link between screen time, blue light, and nervous system stress
→ The root causes behind picky eating — including nutrient deficiencies, airway/jaw development, and nervous system dysregulation
→ Simple "micro shifts" (gratitude, long exhales, movement, true breaks) to calm your nervous system in under two minutes
Dr. Claire's honesty and holistic approach make this such a validating listen — you'll walk away with real tools, not just more things to feel guilty about.
Connect with Dr. Hilary Claire:
🌐 Website: drhilaryclaire.com
📸 Instagram & Facebook: @drhilaryclaire
🎙️ Podcast: Wild and Well (available wherever you listen to podcasts)
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a replacement for medical or mental health care.
Find Samia Estrada of Dignus Wellness on social media @DignusWellness
Enjoying the show? Your support means the world to me. ☕ buymeacoffee.com/thursdayteawithsami
🎶Special thanks to Nothing Short of Tragic for creating the amazing music you hear in our intro and outro—bringing the perfect vibe to each episode!
Curious about more? Check out everything I’m working on at Dignus Wellness. https://DignusWellness.com
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Email me at: SamiaEstrada@DignusWellness.com
Disclaimer:
This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or mental health care. Listening to this podcast does not create a therapeutic or clinician–patient relationship.
The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, Dr. Samia Estrada, Psy.D., DipABLM, or Dignus Wellness. Content discussed on this podcast reflects general wellness, lifestyle medicine, and mental health education and may not be appropriate for everyone.
Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalized advice or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or are in crisis, please seek immediate support from local emergency services or a trusted crisis ...
