Replay - Is cortisol the cause of your insomnia?

In this short solo episode, I share what my plan is for the next 2 months and how you can fix your sleep in the meantime!   If you're someone who falls asleep fine but wakes up in the night and struggles to get back to sleep, take the Break Up With The Wake Up Quiz here (https://leighasaundersnd.com/quiz).    Ready to fix your broken sleep now? I share all my secrets at www.thesleepfix.com

Wondering where I’ve been over the past 6 weeks?  In this short episode, I share a little life update (it’s actually a big one), the 3 things I’ve learned and encourage you to take away as well.  Are you someone who falls asleep fine but wakes up in the night? Take the Break Up With The Wake Up Quiz here: www.leighasaundersnd.com/quiz

Do you find it difficult to quiet your mind at night, or turn off your busy brain? Maybe you have restless, ruminating thoughts that repeat over and over when your head hits the pillow or when you wake up in the middle of the night. While our tendency can be to ignore this inner voice, my guest, Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur ND, encourages women to listen in. In this episode, we talk about how women too often ignore their inner voice and intuition, which becomes a huge source of stress that ultimately keeps you up at night. Instead, Dr. Sarah has a powerful message to encourage women to reconnect with their bodies, tune into their inner voice and intuition and speak their truths to ultimately reclaim their health. This was such an incredibly open and empowering conversation - I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved recording it and it inspires you to use your own voice, too! You can reach Dr. Sarah on social, @drsarahvadeboncoeur, https://www.instagram.com/sarahvadeboncoeur/ or on Facebook Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur ND; https://www.facebook.com/DrSarahVadeboncoeurND

If you are someone who struggles with anxiety - or the “busy brain” - or what I like to call “Monkey Mind” at night, this episode is for you. I’m joined by my friend and colleague, Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken. Katie has a clinical focus in treating anxiety and is the creator of The Tranquil Minds Program and author of Create Calm - and has graciously shared a free copy of her audiobook with you! In this episode, Katie and I have a beautiful conversation about anxiety and sleep. We went deep and talked about:  The 3 archetypes of anxiety and how where they come from Why we’re really feeling anxious What we actually need to do during the day to get better sleep at night How to quiet our busy brains to create calm and invite sleep Katie also shares her story of sleep struggles through postpartum depression and grief after experiencing a stillbirth, and what tools and techniques she found helpful to heal through that journey. Connect with Dr. Katie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tranquilmindnaturopath And download her free audiobook, Create Calm here:   https://katiethomsonaitken.com/createcalm-audiobook/ Dr. Katie Thomson Aitken is Naturopathic Doctor & a Mental Wellness Advocate. She is the author of Create Calm: The Professionals Guide to Overcoming Anxiety from the Inside out, and the founder of the Tranquil Minds Anxiety Programs. Katie creates calm in her own life by singing in her church choir and spending time with her husband and daughter. 

What if you reframed your trouble sleeping as something positive? Say whaaaaat?! My guest on this episode is Adele Tevlin, my very own mindset coach, and biz mentor. Adele is known for her ability to bust limiting beliefs that keep people stuck and experiencing limited success in their health, relationships, careers, and finances. She is a master at reframing our experiences into opportunities. Adele can see people’s blind spots and all that gets in the way of their ability to accomplish their goals. She's a pattern interrupter and behavioral expert and can help shift any undesired behaviors over time to create sustainable change. How does she do this? Well… If you are someone who has: Been “on and off” of any plan or protocol  Been spinning your wheels, feeling like you’re trying “everything” to get where you’re wanting to go in any aspect of your life Paused or given up on a goal because “something” gets in your way, then listen to this episode to learn more. Adele and I had a beautiful conversation and I shared my experience in working with Adele over the past year as well. If I could make this episode mandatory to listen to, I would. So, enjoy! Follow Adele on Instagram @adele_tevlin Find out more about the next C.E.O Blueprint Masterclass, happening on October 20 here. Adele Tevlin is the CEO and Founder of C.E.O Blueprint, a Transformational Leadership Development Company. Over the past 20 years, Adele has specialized in helping business leaders in North America create and produce massive elevations in their leadership and performance. Not only does her work apply to the business environment, but it also allows her clients to incorporate her methodology into their personal lives and relationships. "How you do one thing is how you do everything." She is a behavioral expert and pattern interrupter that uses a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), neuroscience, and psychology to ensure clients achieve the transformation and breakthroughs they are committed to making in their lives. Superpower: Adele can see people’s blind-spots and all that gets in the way of their ability to accomplish their goals. She's a pattern interrupter and behavioral expert and can help shift any undesired behaviors over time to create sustainable change. Adele is also a lifelong learner and is now enrolled in her dream program at Harvard University in the Masters of Psychology program. That is after already attaining a B.Sc in Neuropsychology, a certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and a Diploma in Applied Holistic Nutrition.

If you are a woman or a person with ovaries, this episode is a must-listen. Peri-menopause and menopause often leave women feeling that they’re in unchartered territory. But my guest today, Dr. Kara Dionisio, Naturopathic Doctor, is here to guide you on your way. At least 40-60% of women will report sleep disturbances across their lifetime, with a particular increase in incidence around menopause. We’re here to tell you, you don’t have to just live with it. Dr. Kara walks us through what’s really happening in peri-menopause and menopause, how your hormones impact almost every aspect of your health, and why sleep - both getting it and making sure you’re not losing it - is crucial to thriving, not just surviving, through this life stage. Dr. Kara drops the following: What’s really happening with your hormones in peri-menopause and menopause How hormone changes in this life stage impact your sleep How to advocate for a full and complete workup in menopause Why we need to stop settling for dismissal of concerns, particularly sleep, in menopause Dr. Kara is an absolutely incredible naturopathic doctor with a busy clinical practice focused on women’s health and has additional training and certification in treating menopause. Whether you’re post-partum or already through menopause, this is a conversation you will find so informing and empowering. With that, I bring you, Dr. Kara...   Episode Resources: Book Series - Sarah Mass - A Court of Thorns and Roses Connect with Dr.Kara on Facebook and Instagram @drkarand Website: www.drkarand.com Dr. Kara Dionisio, B.Sc, M.Sc, ND, NCMP is a sparkly-geeky-lady-doctor-in-heels with a clinical focus in women’s health and hormones. Equipped with expert hormone detective skills, she helps women understand (and even fall in love with) their hormones. She has particular street cred in hormones, period problems, vaginal issues, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy. After owning a large and successful integrative health clinic in Owen Sound, Health Squad, she gave it up to focus solely on her clinical practice and to forge new directions in women’s health. She sees patients in person and virtually all over Ontario. Dr. Kara is one of only a few Naturopathic Doctors in North America accredited as a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Practitioner (NCMP). She is a mom to two adorable feisty kids and wife to her sexy red-bearded Irish dude.

Stress is likely not a stranger to you; it can have a HUGE impact on your sleep and for many people is the cause of their insomnia. You’re stressed and you can’t sleep. You can’t sleep and you get stressed. Sound familiar?  In this episode of The Word On The Sleep, I break down: The top signs and symptoms that your cortisol is out of whack and causing your sleep issues Why cortisol levels become dysfunctional and out of balance My Top 3 Tips for controlling cortisol to get better sleep   If this episode describes you, how stress is impacting your sleep and how cortisol might be the cause of your insomnia, let’s fix that!  Learn how to Control Your Cortisol in my signature program, The Sleep Fix. Learn how to lower your cortisol to fall asleep faster and stay asleep all night here: www.thesleepfix.com  In the meantime, connect with me, Dr. Leigha, over on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/drleighasaundersnd.com

Isn’t it ironic that we can work ourselves into exhaustion that causes us to struggle to sleep? But that’s exactly what can happen in burnout - and something we need to talk more about! In this episode, I’m joined by one of my closest friends and incredible colleague, Dr. Michelle Peris. Dr. Michelle is on a mission to disrupt the healthcare model by creating connections and using community medicine. She is the creator of The Wild Collective, a transformational women’s health care program that as a facilitator, has also changed my life. If you’re someone who finds the idea of taking a break or slowing down daunting or downright scary, you’ll want to listen up. If you’re someone who is on the edge of burnout or who is already there - or who doesn’t want to go back - we get real in this conversation. Michelle dishes all the details on her own experience with burnout shares her past sleep struggles and gives us a full breakdown of her amazing (but quirky!) sleep routine. This conversation is one you will want to listen to right until the very end and I sincerely hope this episode leaves you feeling inspired and empowered in your healthcare journey. With that, I bring you, Dr. Michelle Peris… Do you feel empowered in your healthcare journey after listening to this conversation? Start your journey to health advocacy with your free guide to 7 Essential Blood Tests for Thriving Health found here,  https://learn.the-wild-collective.com/essential-tests-1.  Connect with Dr. Michelle Peris on her IG @drmichelleperis https://www.instagram.com/drmichelleperis/ or through her website www.michelleperis.com; http://www.michelleperis.com

The most common sleep complaint I hear my patients describe is that middle of the night wake up in which their mind starts racing.  If this happens to you too, how many of those nights do you spend thinking about your work stress? Pssst if it’s most of them, you’re not alone! So then the question is - what can you do about it? Maybe you can’t change your job, but maybe you can change the way you feel and function within it.  So I called in my friend and colleague, Dr. Emily Bennett, ND, who is incredibly passionate about helping both employees and their workplaces treat and ideally, prevent the upstream reasons most people find themselves overwhelmed and burning out at work.  After listening to this episode, you will learn:  The 3 key signs you’re burnt out (you will find them surprising!) How you can build your own resiliency to manage stress at work The one next step to take to prevent burnout from happening again in the future Connect with Dr. Emily online at www.dremilybennett.com or on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/dremilybennett  Resources: Want to know if your organization is burnout-prone? Take the quiz: https://dremilybennett.com/quiz Well Being At Work by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter Bio Dr. Emily Bennett, ND is a coach, consultant and creator of the Kindling Framework, a strategic approach to wellbeing & burnout prevention designed specifically for nonprofit and social service organizations. After years of serving folks working in the nonprofit and social service sector in her one-on-one naturopathic medical practice, Emily was concerned about the number of her patients for whom leaving their job seemed the only solution to resolving the symptoms of their stress and mental health concerns. She became dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations create workplace wellness programs that work for them and keep their dedicated, mission-driven staff healthy & burnout free. 

Honest question - do you try and tackle your overwhelm by doing MORE? Maybe you haven’t thought about it that way… but if you are someone who is:  A people pleaser A yes person A perfectionist  Go-go-go (at the cost of your sleep, perhaps?!) Yet, you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and maybe even burnt out, you might have something called high-functioning anxiety (even if you don’t think you’re the anxious type!). The good news is that there is a way we can interrupt the cycle.  In this episode, I’m joined by my colleague Dr. Ellen Wong, ND, who has had personal experience with high functioning anxiety and now works with women who want to feel calm and collected.  We cover:  What high functioning anxiety actually is and how it differs/shows up differently than regular anxiety The different types of high functioning anxiety - find out what kind you might have How you can effectively manage high functioning anxiety and all the body systems it effects Because we both believe when women are equipped with healthy bodies and happy minds, they have the inner peace, confidence, and courage to create more joy in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Connect with Dr. Ellen online here https://drellenwong.com and on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thejoyavenue Want to know how much is High Functioning Anxiety affecting your life? Take the quiz! www.drellenwong.com/quiz Bio After years of living with high-functioning anxiety, Ellen eventually reached a tipping point after two hospitalizations related to burnout. Although she appeared like she "had it all together", she struggled internally with never-ending negative self-talk, difficulty saying no to others, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. Determined to find a solution to high-functioning anxiety, Ellen combined her clinical expertise, and love for women's psychology and even traveled to the happiest countries on earth to learn about happiness.  As a Naturopathic Doctor and Happiness Ambassador, Ellen works with professional and entrepreneurial women who feel like they’ve lost their “zest” in life and helps transform their overwhelm, stress and anxiousness into calm, mental peace, and happiness. Ellen firmly believes that women are powerful forces of positive impact. When we equip women with healthy bodies and happy minds, they will have the confidence and courage to create joy in every aspect of their life. And when one woman creates more joy in her life, she causes a ripple effect that creates more joy in the world. Resources:  Think Like a Monk - Jay Shetty