Medical Medium Podcast

Episode 129: A Chat With My Dad – Part 3

Host: Anthony William
Guest: Anthony’s Dad
Date: March 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This heartwarming episode continues the "A Chat With My Dad" series, where Anthony William shares a personal and insightful conversation with his father. The episode is a nostalgic journey through family stories, focusing on heritage, the magic of homegrown gardens, life lessons from nature, ancestral wisdom, and the deep generational ties connecting food, healing, and family. The tone is candid, warm, and filled with laughter, touching on moments of vulnerability as well as fun.

Anthony and his dad recall childhood memories—mischievous fruit-picking adventures, the challenges of growing up, cultural heritage, and the roots of Anthony’s passion for healing with food. The episode acts as both an oral history and practical guidance for healing and connecting to the nourishing power of nature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Magic of Homegrown Fruit (00:47–13:39)

• Fresh Citrus Ritual:
  Anthony’s dad talks about juicing Valencia oranges straight from his trees, describing a backyard filled with diverse citrus species.
  “I picked them and I juiced them.” (01:48, Dad)

• The Legendary Ponderosa Lemon:
  Dad reminisces about the giant, thick-skinned lemons from his yard and explains why Ponderosa is his favorite.
  “It’s the size of a softball. The taste… Not too tart, not too sweet…” (02:56, Dad)

• Wild Childhood Fruit Foraging:
  Sharing a humorous but painful story, Dad tells of sneaking into a lemon orchard as a child and getting pricked by thorns, leading to a bloody trip home and a lesson in “karma.”
  “It’s called karma.” (06:20, Dad)
  The story weaves in cherished memories of picking wild berries and fruits—cherries, mulberries, black raspberries—growing up with a sense of adventure and wonder for nature.

2. Generational Gardens: Heirlooms, Healing, and Heritage (09:47–15:01)

• Great Grandpa’s Italian Garden:
  Dad fondly recalls his immigrant father’s garden—grapevines forming a tunnel, wine grapes, heirloom pears, figs against a stone wall, lush tomato varieties, and an array of vegetables and berries.

  • “My grandfather was from Italy and he was a landscaper by trade… His entrance was a tunnel of grapevines.” (10:11, Dad)

• Grape Tunnel Memories:
  “The smell of the grapes when you're walking through is something you can't forget.” (13:23, Dad)

  • Grapes were mainly for homemade wine, but young Anthony insisted they could be healing as grape juice.
  • “Spirit was telling me, use it for fresh grape juice. That’s where the healing is.” (14:38, Anthony)

• Pears for Healing—A Life-Saving Story:
  As a child, Anthony once suffered from serious food poisoning. Spirit directed him to eat only pears from his great grandfather’s tree, leading to rapid healing.

  • “‘Spirit says I’m to eat nothing but these ripe pears and I’ll heal.’ … And I recover rapidly.” (17:17, Anthony, quoting from Medical Medium)

3. The Lineage of Peppers & Family Food Traditions (15:19–23:16)

• The First Hot Pepper Tale:
  Anthony remembers his first encounter with a homegrown hot pepper (despite Spirit’s warnings not to eat it), resulting in burning pain relieved by fresh tomato from the garden.

  • “I’m my own person. I didn’t care what Spirit said.” (20:05, Anthony)
  • “Spirit said, grab a ripe tomato right off the vine. Right there in the same garden. … It started calming it down.” (20:32, Anthony)

• Three Generations Learning the Hard Way:
  Dad reveals that his own introduction to hot peppers as a child was similarly traumatic—which happened to his father before him as well.

  • “That’s three in a row.” (22:18, Dad)

• Becoming a Pepper Keeper:
  Saving heirloom seeds becomes a mission of legacy.
  “I want to keep these seeds going. I inherited them, so I want to, generation after generation, keep the seeds going. Like a legacy.” (23:16, Dad)

4. Everyday Healing from the Garden (23:33–27:48)

• Hot Peppers in Daily Life:
  Dad describes his signature guacamole, made with homegrown “heaterator” peppers—a variety developed and named within the family.
  “The peppers I use in my guacamole are called heaterators.” (24:59, Dad)

  • These peppers are “hot” with a “sneaky sweet edge,” burn the mouth but are gentle on the stomach.

• Avocado Appreciation:
  The discussion turns to the many varieties Anthony grows, especially the “bacon” avocado, Dad’s favorite.
  “At least I’m always learning. Spirit helps a lot.” (26:23, Anthony)

• Intergenerational Gardens:
  Both father and son share their roles in each other’s gardens, exchanging knowledge, seeds, and support.

5. Life Wisdom & Encouragement (27:48–28:10)

• Healing Takes Steps
  Dad offers comfort to struggling listeners:
  “There’s an old saying, step at a time. That’s how you have to go through life. Step at a time. Like healing. Healing takes step at a time. You’ll get there.” (27:48, Dad)

• Father-Son Connection:
  The section closes with a simple, resonant exchange:
  “Love you, Dad.” (28:09, Anthony)
  “Love you too.” (28:10, Dad)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Living with symptoms has become the new normal. So no more guessing games. It's time to get answers.” (00:01, Anthony)
• “We probably could have asked him for some lemons, and he probably would have gave them to us… Instead, we got pricked by thorns.” (05:00, Dad)
• “It's nature that teaches you the most and means the most.” (09:14, Dad)
• “Spirit said I’m to eat nothing but these ripe pears and I’ll heal.” (17:17, Anthony)
• “I want to keep these seeds going… Like a legacy.” (23:16, Dad)
• “There's an old saying, step at a time. That's how you have to go through life. Like healing. Healing takes step at a time.” (27:48, Dad)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47–03:14 — Fresh citrus stories and the allure of the Ponderosa lemon
• 03:33–06:33 — Childhood lemon tree adventure and its lesson
• 07:08–09:37 — Wild fruit foraging memories; life lessons from nature
• 10:11–14:38 — Great Grandpa’s garden: grapevines, pear trees, healing family traditions
• 15:19–17:33 — Anthony’s childhood food poisoning and healing with heirloom pears
• 19:15–22:37 — The first hot pepper: family tales through three generations
• 23:16–24:46 — The heirloom pepper legacy and seed-saving mission
• 24:52–26:06 — Guacamole ritual: “heaterator” hot peppers and avocado types
• 27:48–28:10 — Dad’s advice: “Healing takes step at a time”

Tone & Language

The conversation is approachable, storytelling, occasionally humorous, and always heartfelt. Anthony is candid about his childhood sensitivities and spiritual guidance, while his dad offers reminisces that are both playful and sincere. The mood is light but never trivial, inviting listeners to find meaning in personal and family history while encouraging hope and patience in the healing journey.

For New Listeners

This episode offers:

• Practical wisdom for healing from chronic symptoms, rooted in time-honored family traditions.
• Inspiration to connect with nature, garden, and the generational stories that shape health and resilience.
• A rare glimpse into the family roots and personal side of the Medical Medium, emphasizing the healing power of simplicity, patience, and home-grown food.