
Hosted by Holistic Life Navigation · EN
This podcast explores holistic stress and trauma recovery. I am your host, Luis Mojica. My work, Holistic Life Navigation, was modeled after my own journey in healing myself from chronic illness and PTSD. I share this podcast with many brilliant minds who, like me, healed themselves through unique, unusual, and unorthodox ways.
For more information, please visit: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com
Written, produced and recorded by Luis Mojica. Edited by Fredo Viola. Intro song: "Wood Smoke" by Fredo Viola.

Luis drops a brief announcement about his upcoming visit to the U.K.!You can read more about the upcoming events below:8/29: Alternatives Workshop09/06 - 09/02: Broughton Sanctuary Retreator send us an email at info@holisticlifenavigation.comYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Today's podcast is an audio version of the mid-month newsletter.Not a part of the HLN newsletter? You can join here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/join-my-newsletterYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Marika, Camille, Evan and Luis reminisce about the 7 week course, how it started, and what their individual entry points were: Marika’s was admin in the very early days, Camille’s was the famous ant crawling on Luis as he taught, and Evan, as a long time musician friend, started in podcast production. Each recounts their experience of the 7 week course. The course was the first offering HLN ever offered, and after teaching it so many times, the time has come that it's ready to evolve into a more robust self led course. So, while the live course chapter is ending, it’s just the beginning of a more accessible program. The podcast was recorded with a live audience of Community Members, who share their experiences of the course, and being in HLN spaces.You can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Luis and Camille riff on GLP-1s. They are not a silver bullet, nor do they teach you how to relate to food, but they can be a great temporary auto regulator and bridge while a new food relationship is built. In an era of overfed and undernourished people, Luis and Camille talk about how to get nutritional needs met. Resmaa Menakem speaks about culture vs strategy. Diet culture is a strategy. Our six month Embodied Nutrition Slow group, starting July 7, slowly and sustainably shifts the culture of how you relate to your body and what you consume. https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/slow-practice-nutrition-groupContact us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com if you have any questions about the Embodied Nutrition Slow Group. You can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Stress is a short term experience that results in elevated adrenaline that often manifests with higher blood pressure, increased heart rate, muscle tension and anxiety. Certain foods can increase our fight-or-flight stress hormones, putting our body on a hormonal rollercoaster, while other foods can increase our capacity for peace. Luis’ book, Food Therapy, has more of the philosophy and practices around how the body is a barometer for what to eat. Look for his bestselling book in libraries, bookstores, and as an audiobook: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-bookIf you want more in person structure around the philosophy and how to eat relationally, join our Embodied Nutrition Slow Group starting July 7th 2026. https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/slow-practice-nutrition-groupYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Luis and Nicole Sachs dig into the depths of pain. She believes pain is caused by fear, and the meaning we assign to the pain, keeping the nervous system in fight or freeze. If we think something is wrong with us, a stress response results, because we become our own threat. Nicole lived in her own cage of pain, fear and shame until she found Dr. Sarno’s work. He believes back pain is due to bottled up rage that is not societally acceptable. His work prompted Nicole to pause when the pain arose and ask herself if she was angry, and what was angering her. But she didn’t limit herself to anger. She played with it, and explored emotions. The pain dissipated with her practice. A reoccurrence of the pain in the early years of motherhood shook her to the core and led her to work with Dr. Sarno in person. In her journey she developed Journal Speak, built on Dr. Sarno’s foundation. Her formula is Journal Speak + science + the dissolution of shame = freedom. Tune in to hear more of her process and journey, plus how to start your own Journal Speak practice. You can find Nicole and her work here: https://www.yourbreakawake.comYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Feeling anxious? Your body might need to down-regulate. Feeling depressed? Your body might need to up-regulate. This modulation of finding balance can be achieved in two ways, through a simple supportive practice Luis offers, and through food. Food affects our biology 24 hours a day. What we eat can activate us into a fight-or-flight response, effectively inducing stress. Or, we can consciously alchemize our food to support our body to be in a place of balance. No shame either way. Eating to balance the nervous system helps the body build capacity to be seen. Luis recommends a snack practice to experiment with and see how your body responds. Here are a few ways to learn more: Luis's book Food Therapy, find it at your local bookstore, library, or as an audiobook: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-bookThe next six month Embodied Nutrition Slow Group, starting July 7 https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/slow-practice-nutrition-groupYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

PSA: psychiatry does not have any case reports of diseases that are validated! This shortcoming of the DSM is why Luis dropped out of psychology and instead chose holistic psychology. As Luis sees it, behavior is not a fixed identity. There is no biochemical data proving “mental disease”. What we can track is neurotransmitters, like seratonin. 50-90% of these are made in the gut. Cue nutrition. Food is a shortcut to influencing change in the brain’s biochemistry. Carbs influence glucose, which plays an active role in our mood. If you would like to track your glucose consider getting a glucose monitor like hellolingo.com for two weeks to gather data. Notice what you eat, how you feel, your activities, and your mood, all relative to the continuous glucose monitor’s data. If you would like to see Luis’ hellolingo.com glucose charts, tune in to the YouTube video version of this podcast. If you are curious about using nutrition to support your mental health, check out our 6 month Embodied Nutrition Slow group, starting July 7th 2026,:https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/slow-practice-nutrition-groupYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

He lost 10 pounds in a month. She lost 125 pounds in 4.5 years. Why? Because they didn’t focus on the weight. Camille and Luis focused on tending to their nervous systems so that their bodies could shift from fat storage mode to fat burning mode. Camille credits her shift to focusing on ease, energy, and flow. She also focused on reducing her adrenaline overload, then she worked on reducing her insulin. She changed her relationship to food: instead of dieting and shame she learned how to tend to her adrenals. Luis noted that his body didn’t actually want breakfast, so he focused on intermittent fasting, at his body’s request. The liberation is in enjoying what you choose to eat because you want it, not because you crave it. Join Luis and Camille for the next Embodied Nutrition Slow Group starting July 7th 2026. Click here for the details: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/slow-practice-nutrition-groupIn the Slow Group Camille and Luis will discuss building a conscious awareness about the impact food has on the body. And they will help resource participants to explore how they want to be in relationship with food to cultivate the life they want to live. You can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com

Michaeleen Doucleff joins Luis for an effervescent meeting of minds in this joyful podcast. A reporter and an author with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, Michaeleen’s knowledge base is vast and fascinating. In 2021 she published Hunt Gather Parent, and in March 2026 she published Dopamine Kids. Luis credits her work as changing his family’s life because of fundamental parenting shifts she shares that they implemented. Michaeleen learned from indigenous families to include kids into the family ecosystem happenings instead of building a family schedule ladened with play dates and extracurriculars. At the center of the dopamine discussion are screens and processed foods that crank up our dopamine, but not our pleasure. Kids and adults actually get addicted to the WANTING. Limiting our kids, and our own, time with dopamine magnets does not deprive us of pleasure, instead it allows us to reclaim pleasure.Can we feel the difference between wanting and pleasure in our own bodies? Can we teach that difference to the next generation? You can sign up for Michaeleen’s newsletter at MichaeleenDoucleff.comYou can register for August's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics You can register for the Embodied Parenting webinar here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinarYou can also read more about, and register for, the 6 month program here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at info@holisticlifenavigation.com