Passage 1: On Endings (and the body’s first response to change)
The body often knows before we do. An email lands, a conversation shifts, a familiar rhythm we've relied on starts to fray. And even before we name it as an ending, something in us has already registered the change, signaling that we've stepped out of accustomed territory and into the unknown. Sleep patterns break. Appetite loses its usual shape. There's a hum of vigilance just under the skin.
Anatomy of Transition: Your Introduction to this Limited Series
The body tells the truth about change before the mind has words for it: sleep alters, appetite wobbles, attention narrows or scatters. That's because transition isn't just an event; its a process with its own anatomy. Something ends. There's a middle that asks more of us than we first imagined.
Functional Nutrition vs. Dieting: What Actually Works
In this episode, Andrea shares how digging deep into the root causes of health challenges and moving beyond the one-size-fits-all approach so common in mainstream nutrition can help you on your health journey. She explains why you need to look at your whole story, your habits, symptoms, lifestyle, and not just the numbers or trendy diets.
Why Your Patients Need More Than Medical Care
In this episode, Andrea breaks down the often confusing world of functional nutrition and explains how it can transform healthcare practices. Andrea also shares how practitioners can integrate these services into their practices to better serve patients with chronic health issues, while working collaboratively within appropriate scopes of practice.
Field Notes: Shapes of Sorrow
Today. July 16th marks my birthday. And later this week, the anniversary of Isamu’s death—twenty-three years ago.
These two dates live in tandem on the calendar. Just two days between them. And every year, I feel it—an invisible weight pulling through my chest, my breath, my skin. A kind of cellular knowing that this week hints at more than a passage of time. It’s another threshold.
Functional Nutrition & Aging with Vitality
In this episode, Andrea discusses what’s missing from today’s longevity conversation, why vitality is more important than just living longer, how over-testing and cookie-cutter protocols fall short in functional medicine and more!
A Holistic Approach to our Health
In this episode, Andrea discusses the 3 tiers of nutrition —the first one being the non-negotiables that includes sleep, poop, and blood sugar balance in-line with other tiers. She also reminds us that we have our own pharmacy within and it is a powerful tool we can all unlock!
Field Notes: The Arc of Aging
In the early morning hours—when the world is quiet and the page is still listening—I often find myself returning to the stories I’ve inherited, those I’ve told many times, and others I’m only just beginning to reclaim. Lately, as I explore the world of longevity, those stories have circled around aging—not simply as a biological process, but as a reflection of culture. A culture that tells those in midlife and beyond: you’re disappearing. Your symptoms are glitches. Your wisdom has an expiration date.
Field Notes: The Quiet Hours & The Stories They Reveal
Last time I wrote to you, I shared some thoughts about the stories we carry—about health, aging, and what it means to live inside a body that doesn’t always follow the script.Lately, I’ve been trying to listen more deeply to my own.
Why One-Size-Fits-All Health Solutions Don’t Work
In this episode, Andrea discusses how she discovered that lasting health requires more than symptom management—it calls for curiosity, compassion, and the courage to slow down and truly listen to your body. Her message invites us to stop chasing quick fixes and instead embrace the transformational power of understanding our own biology, one small shift at a time.
The "Yes, And" in Healthcare
In this episode, Andrea discusses why chronic conditions require more than just a diagnosis and a prescription. She shares her “three roots, many branches” model, revealing how digestion, inflammation, and genetics lie at the heart of chronic illness—and how nurturing the "soil" around them can lead to true healing.
A Conversation with Andrea Nakayama
In this episode, Andrea discusses her personal and professional journey into the world of functional nutrition. She explains the principles of functional nutrition and the importance of addressing the root causes of chronic conditions through systems biology and therapeutic partnership.
Food as Medicine
In this episode, Andrea discusses the power of food as medicine and a path to healing; how grief can crack us open and redirect our purpose; simple, transformative nutrition tips you can use right now and the deep connection between nourishment, love, and presence.
The Root of Wellness
In this episode, Andrea discusses how Functional Nutrition empowers you to take control of your health; why traditional medicine focuses on symptoms while functional medicine addresses root causes; the powerful role of food in healing and disease prevention and more!
Personalized Medicine
In this episode, Andrea discusses personalized medicine, based on the mantra "everything is connected, we are all unique, and all things matter" vs. protocol-driven approaches was explored in this chat among many other great topics.
Turning Loss into Purpose
In this episode, Andrea discusses how loss, motherhood, and purpose intersected to shape her work and how she now empowers others to take control of their health.
More Than a Meal
In this episode, Andrea discusses her journey through love, loss, and resiliency and how it led her to a life-changing career in functional medicine, helping others heal in their darkest moments.
Awaken Your Wise Woman
In this episode, Andrea discusses the healthcare journey for highly sensitive women.
Why Deep Listening Holds The Key To Your Autoimmune Recovery
In this episode, Andrea discusses why deep listening might be the missing piece in your healing journey. Whether you're feeling stuck with protocols that aren't working or just starting your recovery journey, you'll learn practical ways to tap into your body's wisdom and become the expert of your own health.
The Hidden Power of Fundamentals to Balance Hormones (Pt 2)
In this episode, Andrea discusses critical basics like blood sugar balance, digestion, and sleep, and how these can truly revolutionize our overall well-being, especially when it comes to hormone and cardiovascular health.