Path Positive Approaches To Health

The ladies of the PATH Pod stay put for this episode on mental health in honor of mental health awareness month. Toni and Jenny talk about mental health and share some statistics on the state of things in the US. Although this is not an official road trip, they do wind through the many journeys they have taken, focusing on the multiple conversations they have had which are steeped in mental health and self-care. They mix things up by sharing some music before they get into the heart of the episode and of course have some more musical reflections on the back end. Get something out to take notes on – there are a ton of episodes to go back and take an extra listen to!

The ladies of the PATH Pod stay put for this episode on mental health in honor of mental health awareness month. Toni and Jenny talk about mental health and share some statistics on the state of things in the US. Although this is not an official road trip, they do wind through the many journeys they have taken, focusing on the multiple conversations they have had which are steeped in mental health and self-care. They mix things up by sharing some music before they get into the heart of the episode and of course have some more musical reflections on the back end. Get something out to take notes on – there are a ton of episodes to go back and take an extra listen to!

The PATHPod ladies head to CHICAGO during this long (Buckle Up!) but incredible episode with the co-hosts of another amazing podcast, Popcorn Psychology. Toni and Jenny sit down with the ladies of Popcorn Psych – Hannah Espinoza and Brittney Brownfield. Hannah and Brittney, along with their third co-host, Ben Stover are the mental health therapists who host this insightful and helpful podcast. Popcorn psychology was born out of a discussion in their office in 2017 about the psychological presentation of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. They examine the psychological themes presented in popular media and evaluate what is presented from the perspective of a trauma therapist, a child therapist and a marriage and family therapist. They cover a broad spectrum of films and psychological issues in order to provide fact, fiction and fun all while working to make mental health issues more accessible to all through the universal medium of film. Their conversations with guests and each other are educational, hilarious a

Toni and Jenny are on the road again for their second road trip during National Nutrition Month! This time they find themselves in Cincinnati, OH with Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, AKA Nutrigirl. Lisa is a registered dietitian who enjoys eating and believes in balance, not restriction and she works hard to sing that song to the masses. The three of them have a conversation around impactful strategies for communicating nutrition information. Lisa’s business, Sound Bites Nutrition does just that! She works with brands to elevate key product messages, she presents on a variety of nutrition topics to local and national companies and she engages in freelance nutrition & health writing. The most impactful and FUN part of her business is what they spent the majority of their time talking about – Lisa’s lettuce beet hunger food pun merch! The best part about it? A portion of each food pun purchase supports programs that provide food and/or nutrition education in the Cincinnati area. While Lisa is spreading the word a

Toni and Jenny pack their bags and head out on the road once again! This time they find themselves in Maryland with Registered Dietitian, Theresa Yosuico Stahl. Theresa is the author of I’m Full, Remindful Eating – Tips To Feel Great and Make Peace With Your Plate. Her wonderful book is packed with tools and strategies for eating well, changing lifestyle behavior and generally improving health & wellbeing. Theresa explains how she has taken her many years of practicing nutrition and mind-body medicine and distilled it down to 52 practical sections in her book. There are so many ways to tackle the information she has laid out and the three of them talk through some of her favorite approaches. Theresa’s book, as the title suggests, is a helpful companion for anyone trying to create a better relationship with body, mind and spirit around food and eating. Visit her website to learn more about Theresa and the work she engages in, sign up for her monthly newsletter or purchase her book. Check out the Center for

The PATH Pod heads to Houston, TX for this super-informative episode where they meet up with Andrew Hollar who is Co-Founder of FIG, Food Is Good. FIG is an app that allows people with ingredient-based diets to easily seek out foods that safely fit into their lifestyle. Andrew and their team at FIG work to improve the quality of life for anyone who has a dietary restriction by unlocking the confusion around food product ingredients, allowing their users to safely and easily understand what foods they CAN have. With their App, they have opened possibility for hundreds of thousands of users who suffer from an allergy, intolerance or need to limit an ingredient(s). Andrew’s mission for starting FIG and their passion for this work, along with their big heart and brain shines through during their conversation. The community they have created within FIG is a lifeline for so many who suffer in silence and feel so alone. This episode is for everyone – whether you have an issue with food or know someone who does, it a

 The ladies of the PATHPod head south for another trip to New Orleans! They once again had the absolute pleasure of talking with Molly Kimball, nutrition journalist & registered dietitian. This time, the conversation was all about zero-proof cocktails and Molly’s new book Craft, The Eat Fit Guide To Zero-Proof Cocktails. Toni and Jenny gleaned so much from Molly and her work in this space. Molly discusses metabolic & physical changes that occur after going alcohol free for 40 days during their yearly abstinence program alcohlfreefor40. Molly shares her favorite cocktails from the book and the three of them take a spin through the amazing resources in the book – plant-based sugar substitutes, using herbs, zero-proof spirit brands they love and more. This episode is for anyone who is thinking about cutting down on alcohol, sober-curious or even working the program and living alcohol-free. There is something to gain from the conversation – they even dive into what can be gained from travel and dealing wi

To continue their celebration of the New Year, Toni and Jenny take a trip up to Cleveland, Ohio to visit their new friend and colleague Anthony Beard. Anthony is a Registered Dietitian with a vast array of personal and professional experiences, including clinical, food service and community nutrition. His private practice focuses on but is not limited to, African American families. By targeting this population he is helping those who may be in need of being freed from the confusion over what to eat and may suffer from an array of adaptive behaviors associated with lifelong, absorbed trauma. The three of them have a very eye-opening conversation about social determinants of health and the intersectionality with racialized, generational trauma and the perfect storm brewing at that very intersection. They discuss heritage diets, what they are and how Anthony is using the African heritage diet experientially in his practice, Heritage and Health Foundation. This is the place where he works his magic incorporating

The ladies of the PATH Pod kick off 2023 by having a conversation around POSITIVE, can-do behaviors to engage in as we start the new year. Instead of the focus being on goal setting and outcomes, the two of them talk about strategies that are focused on behaviors we can control and how to weave these into our current lifestyle. They provide many resources if something piques interest for further exploration and thought. They share their own ideas about what works for them, their struggles and their hopes for 2023. The conversation includes approaches for making small changes in the areas of nutrition, movement, sleep, connection and more! The PATH Pod gals would love to hear from you – what are you working on, thinking about or showing up differently around for 2023? DM thepathpod on Insta!!!

No road trip for the last episode of the year – just a conversation between The PATH Podcast co-hosts, Toni Toledo and Jenny Pitcher. They reflect on the year and the episodes that stood out to them for various reasons. The two of them share what they have learned from and about their guests and each other during this extended road trip that is now going on 6 years. Lastly, they talk about their hopes for 2023 and give a little bit of a peek into what listeners can expect from the PATH Pod in the upcoming year. As always, there is music, laughter and an invitation to connect. Join the PATH Pod on this 2022 recap and maybe glean a strategy to drop in your Positive Approaches To Health toolbox to experiment with in the year ahead. 

Toni and Jenny head up to Canada to talk with another duo who live in the nutrition & psychology space.  Dr. Colleen Cannon and Wendy Shah, RD founded Craving Change, Inc in 2008. Craving Change is a licensed cognitive-behavioral program for emotional eating. This transformative program digs in to the why, what and how along with what it takes to maintain the practice. The four of them have a great conversation about the tangible tools the Craving Change program provides to both clinicians and patients. The themes of normalizing, validating and self-efficacy come up again and again within the larger discussion of cognitive behavioral therapy and disordered eating. Heads Up – this is a long listen with a few audio glitches due to bandwidth issues during the recording. If you have dealt with emotional eating or know anyone in your life who has been impacted by it, this is a cannot-skip episode. Please share with loved ones! Collen and Wendy have graciously offered a discount - To receive 25% off the Craving

Toni and Jenny head to Phoenix on this leg of the PATH Pod road trip. They meet up with Joshua Becker, author of Things That Matter: Overcoming Distractions to Pursue a More Meaningful Life. Joshua shares his incredible story of happiness and purpose that lead him to engage in this life-changing work. In his latest book, he shares the eight common distractions to a meaningful and no-regrets life. During their conversation he breaks down very practical steps we can all begin to experiment with as we move towards living a more intentional and worthwhile life with less distractions. This is yet another can’t-miss episode to share with friends and family during this holiday of giving thanks. The PATH Pod cannot thank Joshua enough for taking the time to engage in such a rich & significant conversation. Toni & Jenny believe this conversation is an incredible gift and they are grateful to share it with their PATH Pod family this Thanksgiving holiday. Find out more about Joshua’s work, where you can order hi

During this episode, the ladies of the PATHPod head to Reno, NV where they connected with Bridget Wood, a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, recipe developer, and media dietitian living with type one diabetes. The three of them talked a lot about inclusivity and belonging, focusing on person-first language and why it is so important for healthcare practitioners to adopt. Bridget talked about the significance of connection and the tribe she is creating through her social media presence along with her role as an advocate and positive role model. One of the biggest myths she busted was people living with diabetes cannot eat certain foods – she spoke a lot about normalizing the notion all foods fit and the value of having a good relationship with food and flavor. And of course, living in the grey came up quite a bit, as it does during many of these road trips. If you are living with diabetes or know someone who is, this episode is sure to hit many notes! You can f

The PATHPod has been on the road trip of a lifetime during this episode. They are in National City, CA near the southern border between California and Mexico. National City is home to Olivewood Gardens, an interactive, indoor-outdoor classroom for children and adults from around San Diego County. Olivewood Gardens is the birthplace of the Cooking For Salud program and the graduates of that program, The Kitchenistas. This program has been so successful and impactful it has been made into a documentary film short streaming now on Apple TV and other home streaming devices. It has been accepted by ten film festivals including Global Health Film Festival (London). The film illustrates the struggles and triumphs of families in National City living with Diabetes, Obesity, and other health conditions related to food. Toni and Jenny had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with 3 women who have been instrumental in making these programs come to life – Dr. Sabrina Falquier Montgrain, Patty Corona and Mary Ann Be

The ladies of The PATH Pod are on the road again! This week they head back up to the pacific northwest to spend time with their friend Ginger Hultin. They first met Ginger on episode 70 during one of their road trips to Seattle. That conversation focused on meal planning and her book, The Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep Cookbook. This conversation revolved around her new e-book, Meal Prep For Weight Loss 101. The three of them dove into the world of managing weight and discussed the contentious nature of that space right now. Ginger explained how at the heart of her integrative nutrition practice is the importance of meeting people where they are which sums up her gentle approach and philosophy. Just like their first conversation, everything comes down to planning ahead and using the templates and tools in her e-book make it super-easy and helpful to get started! Learn more about Ginger, Ginger Hultin Nutrition and how to get her new e-book here. And, follow her on Instagram @gingerhultinnutrition.

The PATHPod Gals head to Pittsburgh, PA on their latest journey to meet up with Laura Ali, Registered Dietitian and author of the Mind Diet For Two. They jump right into the MIND diet, or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet. Although it is a mouthful, Laura was able to break it down very easily and concisely, explaining how following this type of eating plan even just moderately can result in a 35% reduction in Alzheimers disease risk. They swooned over the recipes, honing in on the Grilled Pork Chops with Blueberry Barbeque Sauce, Shakshuka and Poached Cod with Tomatoes and Beans over Polenta. Laura shared her greatest wishes for the consumers she works with when it comes to cooking – to make it low stakes and to decrease fear. Her perspective is driven home after hearing her personal Positive Approach To Health! Give this a listen and share far and wide because this way of eating can impact EVERYONE – whether you are 25 or 65! Check out Laura’s website for her blog and recip

Toni and Jenny make a road trip once again visiting our neighbor to the north – Toronto, Canada. They were able to spend some time with pal of the PATHPod, Andy De Santis. Andy was on the Pod back in December of 2020 to talk about using humor as a means of communicating nutrition information. He is back at it again – with more humor and another cookbook! This time it is all about Fatty Liver, an interesting topic considering its novelty and the lifestyle implications. Andy does a beautiful job unpacking this disease introducing topics such as fat transport to the mitochondria, the gut-liver axis and symbiotic supplements. He lays out some easy strategies for how to fit more of the foods we need to fight this disease into our diet without feeling like it’s a huge and overbearing stretch. He calls out what he terms the path of least resistance – the afternoon snack and how it can be used to our advantage. Since 1 in 4 people have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a large majority of people don’t even know i

The Ladies of the PATHPod are on the road again headed south to Atlanta, GA. During this road trip they take a deep dive into the world of Food Is Medicine with Registered Dietitian Kristen Avera. Kristen works for Open Hand Atlanta as the Nutrition Services Coordinator, providing group nutrition education as well as medical nutrition therapy to a variety of populations throughout the metro Atlanta area. Open Hand’s prepared meal programs serve vulnerable low-income clients in a variety of settings, providing freshly cooked, home-delivered meals, combined with snacks or supplements, to meet their daily nutrition needs. Meals are designed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists to meet individual clients’ dietary requirements and tailored to their specific health conditions. This is an important part of the treatment portion of the Food Is Medicine initiative which includes a variety of services and interventions that realize and respond to the critical connection between nutrition and the illnesses that so many

The ladies of the PATHPod head west once again, finding themselves in LA talking with an amazing researcher and clinician. Dr. David Wiss is a Registered Dietitian who founded Nutrition In Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders in 2013. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in 2022 by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. The three of them talked about nutrition and its role in substance use disorder and the recovery process. That lead them to dig into the role of nutrition in mental health, food addiction and the relationship between eating disorders and substance use disorder, adverse childhood experiences and the role social determinants of health play in all of it. Dr. Wiss tackles challenging information and his brilliance is in synthesizing it, communicating in a way that can be easily understood and impactful. This is an episode to share

Toni and Jenny of The PATHPod head out on the road again, this time making a beauTEAful stop in Arlington, VA to talk to the Minister of Commerce and Enlightenment at Republic of Tea, Kristina Richens Tucker. Kristina shares her vast knowledge about Republic of Tea, the mythical place she has been a citizen of since the 1990’s and defected to in 2003. Since that time, she has been steeped in Camelia Sinensis and the incredible properties this plant has to offer, both physically and spiritually. The three of them talk about the art and science of drinking tea, the incredible health benefits of flavonoids and the calm yet alert state one can reach with the caffeine and L-Theanine inherent in tea. Kristina shares what is trending in the world of tea and how Republic of Tea keeps evolving with over 350 varieties of tea to their name. Kristina teaches Toni and Jenny about Ta Shun – the great harmony and well-being of the collective whole and how the ritual of having tea together creates a sense of presence allowin