In this episode, we're cutting through the noise of diet culture and bringing it back to the basics—because nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. After trying every diet under the sun (yes, even keto), I realized something critical: the secret to sustainable health isn’t restriction—it’s rebuilding a healthy relationship with food and learning how to nourish your body consistently.   Meal prep link:  https://go.connectedhabits.com/meal-prep-like-a-pro-1891700176

In this value-packed Q&A episode, I’m answering your most pressing health questions—from why weight loss feels so hard (especially as you age or deal with hormone issues), to the truth about GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, to navigating gut imbalances, food sensitivities, and how to know which supplements are actually worth taking.

we explore the seven pillars that support your body’s natural ability to heal: Mindset, Nutrition, Movement, Sleep, Stress/Rest, Emotional Wellbeing, and Detoxification. These are the habits I return to again and again.

 You’ll learn how your body already contains every system it needs to fight disease, inflammation, and imbalance—and how environment, lifestyle, and daily choices either support or sabotage those systems.

This final episode in the habit series breaks down the brain science behind why habits stick—or don’t. If you’ve ever felt like your intentions are strong but your follow-through falls apart, this is the missing link.

Why do we know what to do to be healthy, but still struggle to do it? In this powerful follow-up to the habit series, Vanessa pulls back the curtain on what's really happening underneath the surface—introducing the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework and the “Parts” of you that influence your choices, reactions, and resistance.

In this episode of The Connected Health Podcast, we’re digging into the psychology of behavior change and how to go from start-stop habits to sustainable routines. You’ll learn why willpower isn’t the answer, how your brain actually builds (and breaks) habits, and how to create a system that supports your health long-term—even when life gets busy.

Most women have been taught that painful periods, mood swings, and hormonal birth control are just part of being a woman—but they’re not. In this episode, Vanessa breaks down the real signs of hormone imbalance, how birth control impacts your natural cycle, and what you can do to improve period symptoms naturally.

Cortisol gets a bad rap, but the truth is, this misunderstood hormone is trying to protect you. In this episode, we break down what cortisol really does in the body, how it responds to stressors, and why your body treats them the same as real danger. You’ll learn how cortisol impacts energy crashes, stubborn belly fat, burnout, anxiety, and hormonal chaos — especially in women juggling a busy lifestyle. 

Our first episode will start a series talking about your key hormone players in your body, what drives metabolism, energy, mood, and what can happen when they're out of balance symptoms that you can pay attention to, and real world solutions that will help you get those hormones back into balance.