The Fourth Trimester: Postpartum Healing, Nourishment, and Finding Your Strength with Mary Skinner

The Fourth Trimester: Postpartum Healing, Nourishment, and Finding Your Strength with Mary Skinner

Giving birth is more than bringing a baby into the world, it's the transformation of a woman into a mother. In this episode of Discovering The Wellness Formula, hosts Ashley Glantz, MS, RDN, and Dustin Mesick, RDN sit down with Mary Skinner, founder of Lotus Doula Tribe, birth and postpartum doula, yoga instructor, and holistic birth worker, to discuss postpartum recovery, maternal wellness, and the support mothers need during one of life's most transformative seasons. Drawing from her family legacy in birth work and years of experience supporting families, Mary shares practical and compassionate guidance for navigating the fourth trimester. In this episode, you'll learn: • Common challenges mothers face during postpartum recovery • What to prioritize during the first six weeks after birth • Signs that additional physical or emotional support may be needed • Ways partners, family, and friends can support a postpartum mother • How nourishment, movement, breathwork, and nervous system regulation support healing • How women can create their own personalized wellness formula during motherhood Whether you're an expecting parent, a new mother, a healthcare professional, or someone supporting a loved one through pregnancy and postpartum recovery, this episode offers practical tools and empowering insights to help mothers thrive. This episode is sponsored by the Wellness Roots Foundation, dedicated to improving community health through nutrition education, food access, and evidence-based wellness programs. Connect with Mary Skinner: Website: www.lotusdoulatribe.com [http://www.lotusdoulatribe.com/] Instagram: @lotusdoulatribe

Burnout, the Caretaker Archetype & Coming Home to Yourself with Jessica Herron

In this episode of Discovering the Wellness Formula, we’re joined by Jessica Herron, a mental health leader, trauma survivor, and self-described caretaker; who brings both professional insight and lived experience to the conversation around burnout. Jessica shares her personal journey into the mental health field and how identifying with the “caretaker archetype” shaped her life, work, and eventual reckoning with burnout. Together, we explore what burnout really looks like beneath the surface, why helpers and healthcare professionals are especially vulnerable, and how trauma, people-pleasing, and self-sacrifice often intertwine. This conversation gently guides listeners toward reconnection; through self-awareness, self-compassion, grounding practices, and small but meaningful shifts that help us move from chronic over-giving to self-alignment. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from yourself while caring deeply for others, this episode offers validation, insight, and hope. This episode is brought to you by the Wellness Roots Foundation. wellnessrootsfoundation.org

Your Wellness Formula Starts with Food with Gary Sardina, RDN

In this episode of Discovering the Wellness Formula, we sit down with Gary Sardina, RD, a clinical dietitian and Co-Founder of the Wellness Roots Foundation, to explore what real-world nutrition looks like inside the hospital and how we can use those insights to stay healthier outside of it. Gary shares his journey into dietetics, from his early days in food service to his current role focusing on the assessment and treatment of malnutrition in acute care. He explains why early identification of nutrition risk is critical, how interdisciplinary healthcare teams collaborate to support recovery, and what common patterns he sees among hospitalized patients. We dive into practical, evidence-based discussions around gut health, cancer nutrition myths, sugar and fasting, omega-3s, and the pros and cons of popular diets like low-carb, keto, and smoothies. Gary also offers actionable strategies people can use today to reduce their risk of hospitalization and improve long-term wellness. As Co-Founder of the nonprofit Wellness Roots Foundation and sponsor of this podcast, Gary shares why he felt called to start an organization dedicated to nutrition education, food access, and community wellness, and what impact he hopes to create. Finally, Gary reveals his personal Wellness Formula, tying together clinical experience, prevention, and purpose-driven work. This episode is brought to you by the Wellness Roots Foundation. wellnessrootsfoundation.org

Part 2 The Evolution of Healing: Dr. David Lee’s Journey and Acupuncture Practice

In Part 2, we dive deeper into Dr. David Lee’s personal story and the groundbreaking system he developed through his own healing journey. After facing significant health challenges early in his career, Dr. Lee discovered a unique integration of acupuncture, diet, and herbs that not only restored his health but reshaped his entire approach to medicine. We explore his innovative frameworks — including the Tetrasoma Diet, Tetrasoma Acupuncture, and Bisoma Technique — and how they help patients identify their body types, personalize nutrition, and activate the body’s innate healing intelligence. Dr. Lee also shares practical steps for beginners: how to identify your body type, how to choose foods that support rather than stress your system, and what to look for when choosing a qualified practitioner.

Part 1: The Ancient Roots of Acupuncture with Dr. David Lee, PhD

In this episode of Discovering The Wellness Formula, we explore the deep roots of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with Dr. David Lee, a renowned acupuncturist, researcher, and educator with over 26 years of clinical experience. Dr. Lee takes us on a journey through acupuncture’s 5,000-year-old history, from the discovery of ancient meridian points to its legalization in California in the 1970s. We discuss the meaning of qi (energy), the intricate system of meridians, and how the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—reflect the balance between body, mind, and nature. Whether you’re curious about how acupuncture works or interested in how modern medicine is beginning to appreciate these time-tested systems, this episode offers both clarity and context. Join us as we uncover how this ancient practice continues to shape modern approaches to health and self-healing.