Health & Fitness
**Fully Nourished®**

The Fully Nourished® podcast, hosted by functional nutritionist and integrative health coach, Jessica Ash, is an evidence-based wellness podcast dedicated to empowering women with the tools and knowledge they need to tune into their body, understand their physiology, and truly nourish themselves inside and out.

Join Jessica as she explores the principles of bioenergetics and the unique needs of female physiology. Each week she shares her candid and thoughtful insights on women’s health, nutrition, mindset, body image, embracing the divine feminine, stress addiction, and more! In a world that is constantly wrapping everything in rules, restriction, shame, and fear, this podcast aims to help women let go of control and perfection, and learn to nurture their body with awareness and intentionality.

Think of each episode as your weekly coffee date with your BFF who is both your trusted ally and steadfast cheerleader as you both navigate your personal journey towards your strongest, most confident, and radiant self.

Latest Episodes:

Healing As An Initiation Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

We talked last time about balancing our blood sugar, what an important role it plays in the nourishment of our bodies, and the impact it has on how we manage our stress. Glucose is key to the body’s function, and we need carbohydrates for our cells to function appropriately to allow us to go deeper in our journey to healing.

Nourishment is an initiation. It is just the beginning of the healing that our bodies need to experience, but we can’t begin to heal without being in a place of nourishment. Sometimes, these healing experiences can feel like a roller coaster. Sometimes, we feel better; other times, we feel worse. But you have to trust the process, trust your body, and surrender to the healing that your body is crying out for.

Tune in today to hear more about where our nourishment can take us and what you can expect as you begin your path to healing. You’re not alone on this journey!

In this episode:
[00:46] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[01:19] We’re continuing our discussion on blood sugar and nutritional nourishment.
[04:01] You must nourish on a cellular level to be able to go deeper.
[07:12] The practice of anchoring your blood sugar.
[09:06] Nourishment is the beginning of healing.
[12:00] Healing is a journey, not a destination.
[14:11] The messages that our bodies are sending us and the work that change requires.
[19:20] True healing can feel very uncomfortable as you transition away from a hypometabolic state.
[24:01] Your body is constantly telling you what it needs; you just have to decipher the language it uses.
[26:03] The journey to healing can sometimes start with chaos as you disrupt the current system, but you have to trust the process.
[28:33] Nourishment is the beginning of inviting your body to address some of the functions that have been neglected.
[32:38] Healing is not about fixing the individual broken pieces but trusting our bodies as it takes us on the healing journey.
[34:13] The realization of healing in your physiology and what it looks like.
[38:08] Life will push you out of your comforts to find growth.
[40:08] Nourishment is the initiation of your healing journey, and you’re not alone.
[42:26] Thanks for listening to the Fully Nourished Podcast!

Links and Resources:

Araza Beauty https://arazabeauty.com/

Use promo code fullynourished for 15% off your next purchase!

Check out Kossma Beauty and get 10% off your order: https://kossma.com?sca_ref=3234045.RbRkbQw19u

Episode 2: My Health Hourney & having a Meaningful Nutrition Philosophy

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7imvHxMvlx9pJhWCQwfnOc

Burnout Episode: How to Get Out of a Rut: Let’s Talk About Burnout

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6tPdgftY514D0ixqHyIrR7

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Low Blood Sugar IS Stress Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

With the rise in diet fads such as fasting and ketogenic diets, it is crucial to understand the role that glucose plays in our bodies and how nourishing our cells at a metabolic level is the key to moving away from stress and burnout.

Balancing your blood sugar appropriately on a cellular level is different from how social media trends tell you to manage your blood sugar. They almost want you to think of blood sugar and insulin as bad. But there are no bad hormones! Insulin is responsible for helping our cells use glucose for metabolic function - which is necessary for survival.

Listen in today to hear more about the key to managing your low blood sugar and how it can help you manage your stress, step away from burnout, and get back to a place of healing!

In this episode:
[00:41] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[05:16] We are diving into blood sugar in this episode and how managing your blood sugar can help you manage your stress.
[10:26] While low blood sugar is a large component to stress, it’s not the only factor.
[15:15] The physiology behind balancing your blood sugar and the actions that take place in your liver.
[21:32] Glycogen storage in your muscles is not used for blood sugar metabolism.
[22:37] The impact of fasting and exercise on glycogen stores.
[24:51] Our Central Nervous System uses more glucose than any other system in our bodies, and the impact of low blood sugar on the brain.
[28:18] This is what happens in your body when it has to make its own glucose in response to low blood sugar and why it’s metabolically destructive.
[35:13] How the keto diet actually impacts your physiology.
[36:49] Insulin and glucose in your cells.
[38:26] Our state of being impacts our utilization of food.
[39:59] These are the factors that impact our carbohydrate tolerance.
[41:23] Healing must occur both physically and spiritually because our structure and energy are intertwined.
[44:42] Thanks for listening today! Join us in part 2, where we talk more about nourishment as we begin to balance our blood sugar.

Links and Resources:
Checkout Jigsaw Health and use code Jess10 for $10.00 of your order:

https://www.jigsawhealth.com/?rfsn=5551016.9830c5&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=5551016.9830c5

Episode 2: My Health Hourney & having a Meaningful Nutrition Philosophy:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7imvHxMvlx9pJhWCQwfnOc

Episode 3: Energy is Everything: An Introduction to Bioenergetics:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kA0lwKdIh8P1MM6nta2u1

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Vanity vs Wisdom Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

We’re back for Part 2 of our discussion on Beautiful vs The Beauty Standard, and today, we’re talking about Vanity vs Wisdom and how the beauty standard has upended our values as a society.

In many of my episodes, I talk about social media and the damage it has on us as women for many reasons, and the standard of beauty is absolutely one of them. The culture of vanity that we see from influencers on social media is one that shapes our perspectives of ourselves.

These influencers genuinely believe that their following and their social appearance are what defines their value, and they put themselves on a pedestal, with their followers worshiping them as such. When we are engaged with these followers and are trying to mimic their looks and behaviors, we are allowing someone else to shape our vision and perspective of ourselves, and it significantly impacts our values and life trajectory.

If we can begin to celebrate ourselves for who we are and bask in the wisdom that we bring to society as a privilege of aging as opposed to chasing after youth, we will find the true meaning of beauty and redefine our values. Tune in today for a deeper dive into vanity and wisdom and the shift that the women in our society need to make to begin to truly value themselves and define what beauty is to them.

In this episode:

[00:51] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[01:25] We’re jumping into Part 2 of Beautiful vs The Beauty Standard and how it relates to Vanity.
[02:41] Social Media is at the core of vanity culture.
[05:39] The signs of rapid aging and how the beauty standard exacerbates rapid aging in women.
[10:16] Our vision is being shaped by other people’s lives and impacting our values and life trajectory.
[13:30] It’s not new to care about beauty. The difference is the way we embody the pressures of society’s standard of beauty.
[18:28] Why youth is truly sought after.
[20:35] Societal values have shifted to vanity as opposed to the wisdom that comes with age.
[24:11] Stress shapes your skin and body, and much of our struggle for beauty is trying to hide the impacts of our stress.
[25:56] The opportunities and power that your thoughts hold.
[30:01] Negative thinking and the impact it has on the mind and body.
[31:18] The real link to beauty is nourishing and replenishing and shifting our perspectives to shape a new reality for ourselves.
[36:24] Thanks for joining me today as we redefine beauty!

Links and Resources:

Check out Kossma Beauty and get 10% off your order https://kossma.com?sca_ref=3234045.RbRkbQw19u

Links for thought studies:

https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/discovery-thought-worms-opens-window-mind

https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/how-many-thoughts-per-day/

Facial Diagnosis of Cell Salt Deficiencies by David Card: https://amzn.to/3FqscGx

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Beautiful vs The Beauty Standard Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

The pressure to be beautiful has been a battle that women have been fighting for the last century. Beauty standards have shifted in so many different ways over the last several decades, and women have always been searching for ways to fit the standard that society has created for them to be identified as “beautiful.”

Tune in today to dive deeper into what true beauty is and how it contrasts with the beauty standard of society. You are beautiful, regardless of how you align with today’s beauty standards. Own it!

In this episode:

[01:30] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[02:06] I share a glimpse of living life from our RV.
[06:15] We dive into the beauty and body image standards that social media places on us and the impact it has on our perception of ourselves and our worth.
[08:49] The history and background of society’s beauty standard for women.
[15:28] In the past 10-15 years, women have been leaning on enhancements to meet the beauty standards of society because it is impossible to achieve naturally.
[18:10] Beauty standards are not true beauty.
[20:09] Hurting yourself and manipulating your body is not beautiful.
[21:14] Comparison in a state of masculine energy becomes unhealthy competition and mass conformity.
[22:51] The women who identify as “average” are typically the most beautiful because they have not conformed to the social norms of beauty.
[25:47] We, as women, can internalize what men find beautiful and let men’s beauty standards shape our worth and value.
[27:07] The necessary amount of body fat for optimal ovulation cycles and how our fat percentage impacts our overall health.
[30:37] The role of pheromones and hormones in beauty and attraction.
[32:36] Fat is a source of safety to the body.
[33:47] We must define what beauty is for us and set it apart from society’s standard of beauty.
[38:25] Thanks for joining me today! Come back for part 2 to dive deeper into beauty with me!

Links and Resources:
Araza Beauty https://arazabeauty.com/
Use promo code fullynourished for 15% off your next purchase!

Beauty Standards: See How Body Types Change Through History. https://www.scienceofpeople.com/beauty-standards/

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

The Feminine Libido - Part 2 Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

We’re back for part two of our discussion about feminine libido!

In our last episode, we touched on many of the spiritual factors that need to be taken into account when we’re looking at our libido. If we are not in a state of feminine energy, we will struggle with our libidos. This is a constant struggle with the pressures that have been pushed on us by society over the past several decades.

In order for us to truly understand our libido, we must first nourish ourselves on a nutritional level to support our metabolism and the role it plays in our ovulation. For women who find themselves in a state of burnout and masculine energy, we must shift back into our feminine energy to truly experience the vulnerability and surrender that is necessary for sexual pleasure.

Join me today as we get down to the nitty-gritty of the feminine libido and the steps that you can take to get back on track with your nourishment, your feminine energy, and your partner.

In this episode:

[03:00] The tissues of the female physiology, how they retain tension and stress, and the hormones responsible.
[07:43] The different drivers between male and female libidos and the impact of pheromones.
[11:02] A breakdown of the infradian rhythm and its impact on the female libido.
[13:40] The differences between male and female arousal and the role it plays in the female pleasure in sex.
[19:38] Understanding the impact of ovulation on the female libido and the hormones that are involved.
[23:58] Estrogen imbalances and the impact it has on sex and libido.
[26:17] Our bodies must be nourished for our physiology to perform appropriately and contribute to our libido.
[30:57] The relationship dynamic between men and women and some of the factors that may be impacting our libido and sexual relationships with our partners.
[34:00] Women being in a state of masculine energy can often be the catalyst for relationship breakdowns.
[36:20] Thanks for joining me today on the Fully Nourished Podcast!

Links and Resources:

Check out Jigsaw Health
Use code Jess10 for $10 off
Check Out Kossma Beauty

This is Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah Hill

Episode 2: Energy is Everything: An Introduction to Bioenergetics

Episode 5: Unleash the Rhythm: How to Respect and Optimize Your Unique Physiology

Episode 6:Trading Fertility for Fantasy Part 1: History of Female Physiology and Forging a New Path for our Daughters

Episode 7:Trading Fertility for Fantasy Part 2: The Prosperous Power of Progesterone & the Double-Edged Sword of Estrogen

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

The Feminine Libido - Part 1 Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

The female libido is one of the most requested topics in this community, so we’re diving in head-first today to look at the deeper intricacies of the female libido and the different physiological factors that influence it.

It’s no secret that hormones play a huge role in our physiology and, likewise, in our libido. While much of society is experiencing difficulties with sex drive and libido, they are often looking for a band-aid fix rather than diving deeper to understand the “why” behind our troubles with libido.

In our society, it’s easier to take a pill or a supplement to “fix” our libido than it is to take a good hard look inward to see where our bodies are out of balance and the necessary steps that we need to take to bring ourselves back into alignment, not just with our sense of self, but to allow us to be vulnerable and soft with our partners.

Societal pressures have steered us away from understanding feminine physiology on a deeper level, and they have blurred the lines between lust and female libido and natural sexuality.

Join me today in this episode, where we dive deeper into the roots of the feminine libido and the changes we need to make to re-align our bodies with our feminine energy. You won’t want to miss it!

In this episode:

[00:00] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[00:35] We are diving into the Female libido today and the roles that hormones and physiology play in our libido.
[03:06] The question for boosting our libido isn’t in the “how” but needs to be shifted to the “why.”
[05:16] You have to define what “libido” means to you and how it coincides with your feminine energy.
[08:23] The female body is spiritual in essence, with a driving reproductive life force.
[10:57] The phases of our reproductive cycle are a reflection of the life/death/rebirth cycle.
[13:51] The dominant female hormones and the role they play in libido and your feminine energy.
[17:40] How the male and female physiologies complement each other and mirror libido.
[20:08] Societal pressures that impose on libido and the confusion between libido and lust.
[26:44] We must remove the societal beliefs and confusion surrounding sex and libido to truly understand our physiology and experience vulnerability and pleasure.
[29:34] Your libido is a reflection of your feminine energy.
[31:14] Thanks for listening today! Come back on Thursday for more talk about the female libido!

Links and Resources:

Episode 2: Energy is Everything: An Introduction to Bioenergetics
Episode 5: Unleash the Rhythm: How to Respect and Optimize Your Unique Physiology
Episode 6:Trading Fertility for Fantasy Part 1: History of Female Physiology and Forging a New Path for our Daughters
Episode 7:Trading Fertility for Fantasy Part 2: The Prosperous Power of Progesterone & the Double-Edged Sword of Estrogen

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Boundaries, Stress & Beyond Saying “No” Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Boundaries have been a hot topic for quite a while in the health and wellness space. One of the ways that we misunderstand boundaries is that, rather than imposing our feelings on someone else under the guise of a “boundary,” boundaries should really be more about understanding where the line lies between one person and another.

A prime example of having a firm boundary is when it comes to our feminine power. There are so many mixed messages on social media that portray femininity that do not represent what true feminine power is. Enforcing a boundary is drawing a line between how you interpret your feminine power and how someone else is portraying it.

We can still acknowledge and respect someone else’s view of what feminine power is without embodying it ourselves. Ultimately, nobody but you can define your feminine power, and what is right for you may not feel right for someone else. So much of our feminine power comes from us being in alignment with ourselves, and that requires kind but firm boundaries.

Boundaries may also be something that you will have to identify within yourself. We need to begin to hold each other accountable when we see one another acting in ways that would cross the boundaries that we’ve identified for ourselves. If there are actions or behaviors that we exhibit that knowingly induce stress, we must hold ourselves accountable for those behaviors and the impact they have on our overall physiology.

Tune in today to hear more about what it really means to have boundaries that go beyond just saying no and help us truly tap into our feminine power and potential.

In this episode:

[00:00] Welcome back to the Fully Nourished Podcast!
[01:09] A recap on the discussions in previous episodes surrounding burnout, lack of nurturance, and mother wounds.
[02:52] We are all so different, and yet, still the same.
[05:28] We need to draw a boundary around what true feminine energy is and not confuse it with what social media attempts to portray it as.
[10:20] Understanding our boundaries and how we impose them with vulnerability in our lives.
[15:41] What does true femininity mean, and how is it different from the “wild woman” behavior?
[19:55] You must hold yourself accountable for behaviors that induce stress or physiological consequences.
[25:08] Feminine boundaries in different cultures and beliefs.
[32:19] We need to use our feminine power to build a better future for our men and our families.
[37:52] We have to decide what natural womanhood looks like for ourselves and set healthy boundaries around our feminine power.
[39:44] Thanks for joining me today!

Links and Resources:

Episode 5: Unleash the Rhythm: How to Respect and Optimize Your Unique Physiology

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Hungry For Presence Part 2 Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

In our last episode, we talked about this overarching, deep, insatiable hunger for nurturance, guidance, and presence. So many of us desperately needed that growing up, but we lacked the mothering or community that was necessary for us to learn how to nurture ourselves.

As women, we often struggle with the fundamental feeling that we are not good enough or we are not doing enough. We operate and behave from what we have learned from previous generations or society, and it puts us on a deeply ingrained autopilot of the things we believe that we should be doing.

With the influence of mothers on social media, we may find ourselves feeling the pressure to have children. When we are operating in a state of masculine energy, social media can put us in a state of competition. When we see other mothers having babies, we might feel like we should too. Instead, we should be reflecting inward and asking ourselves if we truly want to be a mother.

Tune in to this episode to hear more about the needs we have for community, guidance, and nurturing and how we can find our way back to our feminine energy by focusing on being present and focusing on what truly matters.

In this episode:

[00:35] We continue our investigation into the deep burnout we find ourselves in and what’s driving this intense need to stay in our masculine energy.
[02:14] So many women have an insatiable hunger for nurturance, and we lack the patterns or behaviors that are necessary to nurture ourselves.
[05:20] Women lack the community that we need for guidance and nurturance that then teach us how to nurture ourselves, and it is a huge gap in our society.
[11:04] Generational ideas and beliefs warp our sense of reality and must be reprogrammed to what is true.
[16:20] Our communities are shaped by the women that we are seeing on social media who are leading extremely shallow lives and do not deserve to influence our sense of reality.
[20:52] The roles that our hormones play in our physiology when we are in an active state of masculine energy.
[26:05] Living within the rhythms of your body allows you to feel fulfilled and in alignment.
[27:16] We need to seriously ask ourselves if we want to be a mother or if we are choosing to have children because we feel that we are supposed to.
[30:48] Stop glorifying shallow womanhood and stop allowing social media to shape your perception of yourself.
[34:16] How do we come into our feminine energy?
[38:00] Nurturing someone or something else can help bring you out of the hyper-focus on yourself.
[40:13] Showing up present and focused on what matters can make a huge hormonal impact on our physiology.
Links and Resources:

Episode 5: Unleash the Rhythm: How to Respect and Optimize Your Unique Physiology
Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel: https://amzn.to/3REryfY*
Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton: https://amzn.to/45bpW0j*

*Some of the links above are affiliate links. Your purchase may provide a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

Hungry For Nurture - Part 1 Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Healing from trauma is a process that requires a nourished body and a shift into your feminine energy. Many women are finding themselves in a state of burnout in high masculine energy and are struggling to heal from their trauma as a result. We have to shift back to our core nature as women to truly process and heal from our traumas.

As women, we desire to feel safe and secure and to have stability in our lives. We often look at our symptoms, such as thin hair, dull skin, and infertility, and we do not see the underlying issue that our metabolism is out of whack. We’ve been stuck in burnout, and we are not nourishing our bodies to operate at the capacity that they should.

Our relationship with our mothers has taken the main burden of shaping how we interpret feminine relationships and how we shape our sense of self. For those of us who are struggling with generations of mother wounds from abandonment, it can be difficult to find and embrace your feminine energy to nourish ourselves.

This episode is such a deep cleansing dive that can help us take a deeper look at why and how we operate the way that we do and start to lean into the importance of nurturing ourselves, even if we never really learned how to.

In this episode:

[02:35] There is a connection between burnout and your identity and sense of self.
[05:10] Healing our trauma is a physical process and requires nourishment to accomplish.
[09:19] There are lasting effects of chronic adrenaline and cortisol on your fat and muscle tissues.
[15:57] At our core, women desire to feel safe and to have stability.
[19:12] The deep Mother Wound in our generation and the role it plays in our metabolism and how we nourish our bodies.
[28:56] The relationship we have with our mothers shapes our sense of self.
[37:55] We need to listen to our bodies and understand the consequences of ignoring what feels right in our bodies and the impact it can have on our children.
[39:32] The metabolic process and symptoms of the mother wound and where we see it in society.
[42:15] Thanks for listening today. Join us next week for Part 2!

Links and Resources:

Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel: https://amzn.to/3REryfY*
Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton: https://amzn.to/45bpW0j*

*Some of the links above are affiliate links. Your purchase may provide a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/

The Missing Piece of "Healing Trauma" Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Over the last few years, trauma healing has come to center stage and gotten a lot of attention. So much so that we’re beginning to label any experience that proved to be difficult as ‘trauma.’ And for experiences that we’ve had that are traumatic, we aren’t healing from it or processing it appropriately.

Because of this, our trauma starts to become part of our identity, and instead of moving on, we hold it with us as we move through life.

When we are in a state of burnout, we think that healing from our trauma is the magic fix to our problems, when we actually have to be in a different state of mind entirely to heal from our trauma.

You can not heal from your trauma while in burnout. You have to nourish yourself first. You also can’t recover from something you haven’t removed yourself from. Part of nourishing our bodies is considering the environment that surrounds us and the relationships we are in.

Tune into this week’s episode to hear more about the mistakes we often make while we try to heal from our traumas while surviving in a state of burnout and the steps you can take to nourish yourself through it!

In this episode:

[00:00] Welcome to the show!

[07:23] Why is the way we heal from trauma causing us to become less resilient?

[12:37] How trauma becomes part of our identity when we don’t heal from it properly.

[14:59] Establishing a strong sense of self is crucial to being healthy.

[22:08] Balancing your nervous system is the first step to healing from trauma.

[24:25] You must nourish your body to appropriately heal from your trauma.

[29:01] You can’t heal in a toxic environment, and you can’t recover from what you haven’t removed yourself from.

[32:47] Thanks for tuning in today! Come back on Thursday to dive deeper into this topic!

Connect:

Follow me @jessicaashwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaashwellness/