Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 160
Date: February 18, 2025

Participants: John Webster, Isabelle Sinclair and Sheila Webster
Guest: Tom Swales

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:17] What’s On Your Mind: Reading fiction benefits our wellbeing. Examples include breaking from the world of data and social media and sharing experiences of characters vicariously.

[0:11:30] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental and Physical Wellness] Tom Swales talks about the importance of belief systems in the physical rehabilitation process. You see it in your head before you can do something. If you can see yourself doing it, then you’ve already pre-set your biology and nervous system and psychology that you have an end goal. You just need to reverse engineer how to do it. Then you need to find the best way to do it without hurting yourself. That’s where health professionals and coaches come in. Mindset is important. People who have more of a positive outlook will have far less pain than someone who has a negative outlook. When Tom kids say I can’t do something, he tells them, “If you believe you can, you’re right. If you believe you can’t, you’re right. Either way, you’re right. I’d rather that you choose that you can, then find out if you cannot and then make adjustments.”

[0:30:32] Flipside of the Coin: Sheila said a couple years ago that she would start saying “no” sometimes, because she always said “yes” when asked to do things. It took time, but she’s finally starting to do that and to see the benefits.

Guest Information: Tom Swales earned his Bachelor of Arts in Athletic Training and later completed his Master of Physiotherapy at the University of Western Ontario. He secured advanced certifications in areas such as manual therapy, strength and conditioning, acupuncture, and neurology. Tom’s expertise is highly sought after by health professionals looking to improve their practice in areas like injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance training. He’s a trusted clinician and mentor in orthopedic healthcare. He’s the Founder of the Advanced Movement Therapist (AMT) Certification. He’s Passionate about empowering health professionals with practical, results-driven education.
Instagram: @swales.tom
Facebook: Advanced Movement Therapy System
Website: amtcertified.ca
YouTube: @Tommyswales

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 158
Date: February 4, 2025

Participants: John Webster, Riley Thompson and Sheila Webster
Guest: Dr. A. Wade Wilson

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Living in a clean house makes us feel better. We talk about keeping it clean, decluttering and a connection to our wellbeing.

[0:11:48] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We interviewed Dr. A. Wade Wilson about mental performance on Episode 135. This week, he’s back to tell us about the launch of the online resource called The Mentor Magazine. It bridges the theory-to-practice gap, by providing athletes and others with mental performance insights. Coaches and parents and supporters can create a positive environment and a sense of psychological safety, where performers/ athletes can make mistakes without being ridiculed. They can foster a positive learning environment. They can help athletes to learn about imagery and visualization, to show how they can reframe their self-talk to boost their confidence or manage their emotions or show how to create more self-awareness. There are many ways they can help influence and have a good impact.

[0:25:37] Move That Body: Three wins we can achieve each day to feel great.

Guest Information: Dr. Austin Wade Wilson has a number of degrees, including a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in Recreation and Leisure Studies and a master’s degree from University of Windsor in human kinetics with a focus in Applied Sport Psychology. He has a CMPC certification as a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and close to 20 years of experience in the field of sport psychology and mental performance. Wade is currently working on a digital publication called Mentor Magazine, which he aims to launch by January 2025.

Online Magazine: The Mentor Magazine

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 157
Date: January 28, 2025

Participants: John Webster and Sheila Webster
Guest: Dr. Tracy McCarthy

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:17] What’s On Your Mind: Sheila found a post about people with great qualities, who are good to be around.

[0:09:35] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical Wellness] Dr. Tracy McCarthy talks about practical steps we can take in the context of functional medicine. Reducing inflammation is important. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet is a good place to start. Stay away from foods that are universally inflammatory to everybody, for example highly processed foods with lots of sugar or highly damaged fats. Some foods are inflammatory to some people and not others. Another tip is to eat nutrient rich foods, such as organic proteins and food that will fuel you and has lots of vitamins. Exercise helps reduce inflammation, but there’s a caveat. You need exercise in the right dose. It’s a stressor if it’s too much and it’s a stressor if it’s too little. You need the sweet spot. The microbiome includes bacteria, fungi and more. Microbiome bacteria are doing many jobs for us. We co-evolved with them. We need the right kind of microbiome.

[0:28:20] Flipside of the Coin: John and Sheila share their initial impressions after becoming grandparents for the first time.

Guest Information: Dr. Tracy McCarthy, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and Institute of Functional Medicine certified physician with over two decades of experience. She is the creator of the Natural Mood Solution Online Program and the Founder and medical director of Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine, where she has supported thousands in transforming their health. As a wellness thought leader and in her practice, Dr. McCarthy is dedicated to helping adults suffering from depression, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances by identifying and addressing the overlooked causes of these chronic symptoms. Her approach focuses on underlying issues including mold toxicity, microbiome imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies, empowering her patients to regain their health and vitality.

Website: Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine: https://www.drtracymccarthy.com/
Instagram: @drtracymccarthy

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 156
Date: January 21, 2025

Participants: John Webster, Riley Thompson and Cameron Earnshaw
Guest: Cris Duval

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Riley got a new wearable fitness tracker. How do they affect us, especially when it comes to fitness and whether we can disconnect?

[0:09:58] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] Cris Duval and her family experienced tragedies and challenging situations. She realized that it’s possible to reframe something that is hard into something that is positive. There’s something positive in every single event that happens, even if you need to slice things very thin. That’s what she looks for – the positive. There is a dramatic positive impact on our brain when we accomplish a hard thing. Resilience includes an ability to bounce back after hard things happen. We should think about our resilience in life, including about challenges that we can give ourselves to increase our ability to do hard things. Growth is important and it happens when you get out of your comfort zone and do something you haven’t done before, or is difficult for you.

[0:28:00] Running Popup: A recent interview about functional medicine led to a new approach to wellness – functional wellness and balance.

[0:30:28] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron is off to a fresh start as 2025 kicks into gear.

Guest Information: Cris Duval is a Registered Dental Hygienist, patient-health advocate and a wellness coach. She spent more than four decades in patient care. As founder of the LifeGuard Approach, Cris focuses on helping dental and medical teams shift their mindset from repairing the damage to preparing patients for health. She describes herself as an “architect of change” in dentistry’s approach to oral-systemic health. Her ultimate goal is saving lives by both guarding and guiding health and wellness.

Website: www.thelifeguardapproach.com

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 14
Date: January 14, 2025

Participants: John Webster, Noura Saad and Sheila Webster
Guest: Gord Harris

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Noura and John share why they enjoy long walks in nature.

[0:11:45] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social Wellness] In an exercise of Social Wellness, we asked personal injury lawyer Gord Harris for dangers to avoid and things to think about for driving safely and preventing accidents and injuries to ourselves and others. In Gord’s experience, most accidents are caused when people move from a position of safety, then create a danger. They make an unsafe move from a position of safety. This could happen in many situations. It could be an unsafe lane change. You could be stopped and waiting to turn. Accidents can happen when people don’t shoulder check, or make sure the lane is clear, or don’t check their mirrors, or don’t look both ways, etc. They’re often in a hurry. Speed affects reaction time. It might prevent you from recovering from a driver error. It will definitely increase the amount of damage caused when you collide with someone.

[0:31:30] Move That Body: Sheila found a great list of 25 activities to work on in 2025. They’re practical and doable.

Guest Information: Gord Harris grew up in Waterloo. He obtained an Arts degree at Wilfrid Laurier University, then Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Business Administration degrees at the University of Alberta. He worked in Alberta for seven years, then came back to Ontario. His firm Harris Law is located in KW. It's a highly respected personal injury firm, where he, his partners, associates and colleagues help people from all walks of life, typically acting against insurance companies or other corporate defendants. He's dedicated to helping address issues and problems faced by people who have been injured because of others or denied benefits from their insurer. He takes satisfaction in knowing that he has helped someone find an acceptable resolution during such a difficult period in their life. Gord gives back to the community in many ways. He's married and the father of three beautiful daughters.

Website: Harris Law Personal Injury Lawyers
Gord’s Page: Gordon W. Harris

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 154
Date: January 7, 2025

Participants: John Webster and Sheila Webster
Guest: Dr. Tracy McCarthy

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: After 2023, we looked back real changes we made in our lives because of this podcast and the approach to wellness we talk about. It’s time to do the same for 2024 activities.

[0:10:39] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We meet Dr. Tracy McCarthy, a psychiatrist and physician, who has never been comfortable with a “diagnose and prescribe” approach. Medication has its place, but Dr. McCarthy digs deeper. She works with patients to investigate underlying issues, then treats them. Functional medicine is about identifying root causes of symptoms and understanding the body as a whole, taking a systems-based approach. Inflammation can affect the body in many ways. Systemic inflammation affects the brain, e.g. it could affect how neurons are working and how well they’re firing. Therefore, it can affect mental health.

[0:27:01] Flipside of the Coin: We disagree with a tip we heard – don’t start into a relationship unless you’re in love. Our experiences are different. Maybe the person meant don’t get married or don’t start into a serious phase unless you’re in love. A relationship can grow and turn into love even if it doesn’t start there.

Guest Information: Dr. Tracy McCarthy, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and Institute of Functional Medicine certified physician with over two decades of experience. She is the creator of the Natural Mood Solution Online Program and the Founder and medical director of Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine, where she has supported thousands in transforming their health. As a wellness thought leader and in her practice, Dr. McCarthy is dedicated to helping adults suffering from depression, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalances by identifying and addressing the overlooked causes of these chronic symptoms. Her approach focuses on underlying issues including mold toxicity, microbiome imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies, empowering her patients to regain their health and vitality.

Website: Dr. Tracy McCarthy Functional Medicine: https://www.drtracymccarthy.com/
Instagram: @drtracymccarthy

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 153
Date: December 31, 2024

Participants: Sheila Webster, Elise Seifert, John Webster and Cameron Earnshaw
Guest: Dr Fredric Schiffer

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Cleaning can be an underappreciated chore, but it’s great for wellness to live in a clean house, in many ways. Sheila and Elise found an article with ideas to keep a clean house, including jobs that work well doing daily, weekly and monthly.

[0:12:00] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] Dr. Frederic Schiffer introduced us to dual brain psychology on Episode 147. Split brain studies show that each brain hemisphere can have a mind of its own. One of them could be troubled by past traumas, while the other is quite healthy. This time Dr. Schiffer talks about things we can try for ourselves, and about successes in helping clients by usingRee dual brain psychology.

[0:29:59] Running Popup: Looking back and appreciating what I got out of reading more than 50 books of fiction this year. So many benefits!

[034:12:] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Taking time and enjoying creating new music.

Guest Information: Dr Fredric Schiffer has a wealth of experience in psychiatry and is a best-selling author, psychiatrist and part-time assistant professor at Harvard. He’s on a mission to help people understand their anxiety, addiction and trauma and to offer them a proven method to improve their wellbeing. Problems arise from early traumas. Very often, the trauma is not recognized. Dr. Schiffer wrote the book Goodbye Anxiety, Depression, Addiction & PTSD: The Life-Changing Science of Dual-Brain Psychology. He takes an in-depth look at the science behind Dual-Brain Psychology while offering practical tips and tools to try it for yourself. he discovered that the brain is made up of two minds which are competing for dominance. When the immature and troubled half of the brain is treated, Dual-Brain Psychology techniques can curb anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction, and improve psychological wellbeing.

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley