This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Why do the Health Geeks dive into wellness books? To create healthier, happier lives for ourselves—and to share that inspiration with you! In this episode, Kristen and Eleanor share their top Healthy Holiday Tips, inspired by the books they’ve read and their own experiences. Joined by Tim and Sal, they reminisce about favorite reads, swap practical advice, and share plenty of laughs....

Do you want a new perspective on wellness? Did you know that your well-being, or lack of it, depends on the quantum field and is outside of your conscious control? If you are ready to stretch your understanding of how your body takes care of you, listen in.  Deepak Chopra MD, Jack Tuszynski PhD, and Brian Fertig MD have written a book that challenged both Eleanor and Kristen. In QUANTUM BODY: The New Science of Living a Longer, Healthier, More Vital Life...

Do you feel guilty if you relax or take time and do nothing? Is it OK to do nothing? Maybe we should dare to be idle.  Kristen and Eleanor discovered this fun little book focusing on a health behavior many overlook. They enjoyed discussing Annette Lavrijsen’s 2020 book NIKSEN: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing. Join them for a new perspective on how we spend our time and get some tips for finding Niksen. We would appreciate it if you would...

This episode is brought to you by First Bank. Contact Felicia or Karen for all your banking needs! Have you ever overeaten and blamed your lack of willpower? How often do you look at the ingredient lists on your food? Chris Van Tulleken has written a book about why we should think about what's in our food, who is marketing it to us, and how it's not our fault that we can't stop eating it. Ultra-Processed PEOPLE: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t...

This episode is brought to you by First Bank. Contact Felicia or Karen for all your banking needs! Do you hum intentionally? What happens when you do? What if humming could help your health? Jonathan and Andi Goldman have written a guide, THE HUMMING EFFECT: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness (2017), presenting some fascinating ideas about the benefits of humming. They provide some basic principles and instructions on how to hum and how to hum...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. What do you know about indigenous wellness practices originating here in America? Could there be some lessons for us if we take the time to learn about them? Maybe our current wellness models need a review? Chelsea Lugar and Thosh Collins provide some American history and their perspectives on it. They share some of their well-researched native wellness wisdom...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Do you have a healthy relationship with food? How many diets have you tried or heard of? Have you ever referred to your body as a “Meat Machine”? Do you know anyone who thinks about food ALL the time and wonder why? In the book FOOD,  WE NEED TO TALK: The Science Based, Humor-laced Last Word on Eating, Diet and Making Peace with Your Body (2023) Juna Gjata and Edward...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Does proximity to greenspace affect our health in a positive way? Why is being in a natural space restorative to some of us and not others? Is there a healthy dose of nature that we could take on a schedule? Florence Williams has written a wonderful book, NATURE FIX: Why Nature Makes Us Happier. Healthier, and More Creative (2017). She explores what we are learning...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Do you ever think if you could control your thoughts a little more, you’d be happier? Perhaps positive thinking is the key? Russ Harris has written an interactive book, THE HAPPINESS TRAP: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living (2nd Ed  2022), in which he challenges common ideas about happiness and provides several activities to help you live the life you want. He advocates...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones What is Wellness, and what is Burnout? Do we know the difference? How do we know if we have burnout, and how can we learn to recover from it? Sister authors Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, have written a book titled BURNOUT: The Secret to Understanding the Stress Cycle. Their insight is based on their special expertise, personal experiences, and belief that women...

This episode is brought to you by Sal Valencia III, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. How many emotions can you name? Just what is Emotional wellness anyway? Lisa Feldman Barrett has written a revolutionary book about our emotions, HOW EMOTIONS ARE MADE: The Secret Life of the Brain (2018).  It is comprehensive in its scope and challenges the classical theory we have all embraced and on which we have built our society/culture. Kristen and Eleanor agree that it...

How fit is your gut? Are you racking up your plant points this week? If you have gut issues and are confused by elimination diets, Fiber Fueled (2020) by Will Bulsiewicz, might be a good read. Listen in as Eleanor and Kristen start a critical conversation about his Plant-Based Gut Health Program for losing weight, restoring your health, and optimizing your microbiome. We would appreciate it if you would subscribe/follow the podcast to hear more about this book!...

White chocolate and anchovies, anyone? This week, we opened a book by Bob Holmes, FLAVOR: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense (2017).  He takes us on an exploration of the sum of all the sensations we get when we have food in our mouth. He goes all over the world to talk to researchers, food corporation executives, chefs, and “home cooks.”  Kristen and Eleanor had fun talking about Holmes' insights on flavor pairings, wine tasting, how we can experience...

Are you actively engaged with your money? A hoarder/ a spender? A money addict?  Or are you indifferent and try to have nothing to do with money? Or do you actively stay as far away from money as possible? A monk? Do you need a checkup on your Money IQ (Intelligent Quotient) and your Money EQ (Emotional Quotient)? Is your money infected with Happiness?  Eleanor and Kristen review a fun book about our relationship with money and how it might be affecting our...

How long do you want to live? Is your goal to live without disease? How could you do that? If you are intrigued, this book might be for you. Dr. Peter Attia, MD, describes his vision of a new medical model (Medicine 3.0) that is very exciting because it is based on preventing disease or reducing our risks. Kristen and Eleanor tip-toe through some of the highlights of the book OUTLIVE: The Science & Art of Longevity by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford (2023)....

Bring the balloons and sound the horns—it’s a celebration. Tune in as Kristen, Eleanor, and Tim celebrate the THIRD year of the Health Geeks Book Club Podcast. They are still committed to bringing you wellness book reviews and sharing what’s up next on their reading list! We would appreciate it if you would subscribe/follow the podcast to hear more about these books! And you can purchase them via an affiliate link by visiting the "Bookstore" tab above. This episode is sponsored by: 360...

Do you ever think about the relationship of pleasure and pain in your life? Dopamine is getting more attention in the scientific and medical community as well as in "Corporate America." We have unprecedented access to gambling, shopping, food, drugs, social media, news media, video….  In her book, DOPAMINE NATION: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (2021), Anna Lembke, Ph.D. explores and reveals the trauma that is unfolding. She skillfully condenses our complex...

Have you made what you thought was a commitment to improving your exercise, or other health-related behaviors, only to give up and disappoint yourself? Michelle Segar has written a book to help us understand the science-based reasons why it’s not our fault that we have failed to stick with those plans. She gives us a new and simple framework for SUSTAINABLE success! Kristen and Eleanor jump into a robust discussion of this “on point” book-- NO SWEAT: How the Simple Science of...

Do you, or someone you know, have an autoimmune disease? Have you ever heard of Lupus? Amanda Chay has written a book about her tortuous journey to a diagnosis and her experience living with Lupus. Her book, THE GIRLFRIEND’S GUIDE TO LUPUS: How to Control Your Sh^tty Diagnosis (2023) is “an honest exploration of the challenges of coping with a chronic illness: (Liz S. Lupus Warrior).  Kristen and Eleanor were so pleased to have Amanda join us on our podcast. We talked...

Have you been told by a doctor that you need to lose weight? Do you need caffeine to keep you going throughout the day? Is your mood variable? Do you experience brain fog? Do you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes? Do you have trouble sleeping? This book might be for you. Maybe your blood glucose levels are out of whack?  Kristen and Eleanor dig down into a central topic of our health as Jessie Inchauspé leads us through her 2022 book GLUCOSE...

Have you experienced a moment of awe recently? Did you make a “vocal burst” when you did? Did you get teary or goosebumps? How did you feel right after experiencing awe?  Dacher Keltner shares what he has learned about the experience of “awe,” an emotional state that deserves attention. He examines it through the lenses of science, culture, and personal stories. He speculates on the evolutionary influence of awe and the importance of awe to our good...

If you could have a biometer that tells you the nutrient content of your fresh food, like a carrot, would you use one at the grocery store? Do you buy organic produce? Do you know how your food is grown? Do you think it makes a difference to your health? And what is this about grass-fed beef?  Kristen and Eleanor let Robert R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle take them on a tour of the history of regenerative farming and why we SHOULD focus on the health of our soils....

Are you a “good” housekeeper”? Are you just lazy, or is your mother-in-law? Is there a relationship between the condition of our house, our home, our  “space,” and our health? Jennifer Hammon, owner of Monarch Living LLC and a professional organizer and move manager joins Kristen and Eleanor to talk about KC Davis’s simple little book HOW TO KEEP HOUSE WHILE DROWNING: a gentle approach to cleaning and organizing (2020).  This book is so much more than you might...

Do you drink coffee and forget to exercise? We invited one of our favorite authors, Health Skeptic Robert J. Davis, PhD back into the studio to discuss TWO more of his books. We started with Coffee is Bad Good for You (2012), a book where he reviews scientific evidence on drinks (coffee/wine/milk), dietary fats, carbohydrates, sugars, spices, chocolate, garlic meat, fish, vegetarian diets and so much more. We couldn’t cover all those topics, but we picked some to...