Master Stress with Dr. S
Welcome to Master Stress with Dr. S, the podcast that empowers high-achievers to unlock their full potential by mastering stress and achieving burnout-proof success. Hosted by Dr. Safia Debar, a renowned stress expert, medical doctor, speaker and coach. Each episode dives deep into the neuroscience of stress, blending logic and intuition to give you practical tools for thriving in a fast-paced world. Whether you’re navigating the pressures of leadership, striving for peak performance, or yearning for a life of balance and freedom, Dr. Safia Debar will guide you through powerful strategies, expert insights, and personal stories to help you regain control, nurture your well-being, and live authentically. Tune in to discover how to stop stress from holding you back and start living your best, empowered life.
Episodes
66 episodes
How to Love Without Losing Yourself
Dr. S continues the addiction series by focusing on loved ones and the central question of how to love someone with addiction without losing yourself, staying compassionate without becoming responsible, and stepping out of the rescuer role. The...
Why Do We Stay for So Long?
Dr. S continues a series on addiction by exploring why empathic, responsible people stay in rescuer dynamics and why leaving can feel so hard, framing it through attachment patterns, nervous-system regulation, and behavioral psychology. She exp...
Who Loves Someone With Addiction?
Dr. S introduces a 3–4 episode series sparked by a conversation with Charlie Engle, focusing not on demonizing “the addict” but on what happens to those who love someone with addiction. She describes how a partner, parent, or friend can become ...
REPLAY: The Fundamentals of Gut Health
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. Safia Debar delves into the critical importance of gut health and its fundamental role in overall wellness. She begins by stressing the interconnected nature of gut health with various body sys...
Why Can’t People Just Stop? The Medical Reality of Addiction
Dr. S continues the podcast’s addiction theme by reframing “why can’t they just stop?” through a medical lens, emphasizing addiction as stress, attachment, and reward dysregulation rather than a simple substance problem. She explains how addict...
The Addict Within: The Science Behind Why You Can't Stop Chasing
Reflecting on episode 58 with Charlie Engle—who moved from crack and alcohol addiction to endurance running—the host focuses on the process of moving from despair to thriving by understanding dopamine, addiction, and stress physiology. Dopamine...
Running from the Dead Sea to Everest: Why Charlie Engle Does Hard Things on Purpose
Dr. S continues a conversation with ultra-runner Charlie Engel about addiction as part of human evolution, the loss of identity and belonging that can come with quitting substances, and the need to develop skills for grief, transition, and lone...
Why Rock Bottom Looks Different Every Time: Addiction, Survival, Adrenaline & Sobriety with Charlie Engle
Dr. S interviews ultrarunner and author Charlie Engle about addiction, wellness, and the choices people make in response to hardship. Engle recounts his years of crack cocaine and alcohol addiction, prison time, and later extreme endurance runn...
The Gut Tests Worth Your Money (And the Supplements You Should Stop Taking): Part 3 with Hayley Paul
In the final episode of a three-part series on gut health, Dr. S and guest Hayley Paul discuss preferred gut tests, how to choose them based on clinical needs and budget, and principles of supplementation. Hayley compares tests including GI 360...
Your Gut Symptoms Are Clues, Not Conditions (Constipation, Reflux, Hormones & What to Actually Do Next): Part 2 with Hayley Paul
Part two of Dr. S’s three-part gut health series with guest Hayley Paul focuses on common digestive issues and practical, individualized approaches. They discuss constipation and why it’s not always just a lack of fiber or water, emphasizing ex...
Everything You've Been Told About Gut Health Is Backwards: Start Here (Part 1 with Hayley Paul)
Dr. S introduces a three-part gut health series on the Master Stress podcast with guest Hayley Paul, a nutrition and functional medicine practitioner trained in root-cause analysis. Hayley shares her background, including her own gut health str...
Personalised Gut Health: Why One-Size-Fits-All Fails
In this episode of Master Stress with Dr. S, the focus is on where to begin with gut healing and why a personalized approach matters because there is no universal gut, immune system, or nervous system. Dr. S explains that common symptoms are no...
The Gut Brain Connection: Mental Health and Beyond
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' we delve into the profound connection between gut health and mental health. Dr. S explains why digestion, mood, anxiety, and burnout are biologically inseparable, emphasizing the bi-directional com...
Recognising Gut Symptoms: Common Doesn't Always Mean Normal
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' we dive into the importance of gut health and its foundational role in overall well-being. Dr. S discusses the common yet often misunderstood symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and fatigue af...
The Integrative Approach To Gut Health
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' the focus is on understanding gut health through the lens of both conventional and integrative medicine. Dr. S discusses the limitations of conventional medicine, which often take a symptom-driven ...
The Fundamentals of Gut Health
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. Safia Debar delves into the critical importance of gut health and its fundamental role in overall wellness. She begins by stressing the interconnected nature of gut health with various body sys...
REPLAY: The Science of Breathwork—Rewiring Stress & Healing Trauma
The Power of Breath Work: Science, Benefits, and PracticesIn this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. Safia Debar delves into the transformative power of breath work, despite battling pharyngitis. She highlights the significant r...
REPLAY: Hormones 101
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. Debar dives into the foundations of hormone health, explaining the critical role hormones play in our bodies. She outlines the four major hormonal axes: HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), HP...
Mastering New Year Transformations: Aligning Goals with Identity
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' the focus is on why most New Year's resolutions fail and how to achieve lasting change by aligning goals with one's identity. Dr. S discusses the science behind successful goal setting, emphasizing...
Stop Chasing Next Year — Complete This One First
In the final episode of 2025, Dr. S emphasizes the importance of reflection and integration as the year comes to a close. Instead of rushing into new beginnings and resolutions, Dr. S encourages listeners to reflect on the past year, recognizin...
Money, Guilt & Generosity
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S', we delve into the complex relationship between money, guilt, and generosity. We explore how money, often a source of stress and freedom, impacts our emotional and physiological state. Dr. S unpacks...
Emotional Hangovers: How to Recover After Conflict, Overstimulation or Overgiving
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. S discusses how to manage emotional stress and 'emotional hangovers' that arise from conflicts, overgiving, and overstimulation, especially during the holiday season. The episode explores the p...
The Comparison Trap
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S', the focus is on handling the stress of comparison, especially heightened at the end of the year. Dr. S delves into the neuroscience behind why we compare ourselves to others and how it triggers rew...
Family Triggers 101
In this episode of 'Master Stress with Dr. S,' Dr. Safia explores the theme of family triggers and how they can resurface old emotional patterns during holiday gatherings. Titled 'Family Triggers 101: How to Stay Regulated Around the People Who...
The Overcommitment Season — Why You Say Yes When You Mean No
In this episode of Master Stress with Dr. S, listeners are guided through the complexities of people pleasing, especially during the chaotic holiday season. Dr. S unpacks the neuroscience and somatic cues behind the inability to say 'no,' explo...