Nourish Me: Integrated Wellness Conversations

EP 036 The Flow Habit with Laurie Smith: Reclaiming Your Spark in a Distracted World

What if the answer to stress, burnout, and constant distraction isn’t doing more—but learning how to come back into flow?
In this episode, I sit down with Laurie Smith, author of The Flow Habit, to explore how we reconnect with our natural state of presence, creativity, and ease—even in a world that pulls us in a thousand different directions.
Laurie shares how a simple 5–10 minute daily practice became a global flow movement, along with the science behind flow states and why they are essential for our nervous system, our creativity, and our ability to perform at our best.
We explore:
What it really means to be “in flow”
The neuroscience behind flow and why it feels so good
How to reconnect with your spark through small, daily practices
Why joy is a powerful driver of performance and clarity
How flow impacts leadership, wellness, and the way we show up in our lives
Laurie also shares a powerful life-changing story that brought her into a deep state of peace in the midst of chaos—and ultimately shaped the work she does today.
Follow Laurie:
Buy The Flow Habit: Creating Peace, Passion, Purpose & Everyday MiraclesSign up for Laurie's FREE 28-Day Flow ChallengeSign up for Laurie's email newsletter -- Let Life Flow
Follow Laurie on https://substack.com/@flowhabit
Follow Laurie on Instagram – @LaurieSmith_inspired
Follow Laurie on LinkedIn – @laurie-smith-inspired
Visit Laurie's website: www.LaurieSmith.com
or www.TheFlowHabit.com
Follow JoAnne Pavin:
Website: https://www.joannepavin.com/
Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 

Awakening, Meditation, and Intuition: Coming Back to Yourself with Bonnie Piesse

In this episode of the Nourish Me Podcast I’m joined by Bonnie Piesse a soul alignment and manifestation coach, singer-songwriter and actress - best known for her role as Aunt Beru in the Star Wars series. Bonnie is the host of Your Quantum Life podcast, and is also known as one of the NXIVM whistleblowers featured in the HBO docu-series The Vow. 
Together, we explore what it really means to come back to yourself in a world that constantly pulls you outward.
Our conversation goes beyond traditional wellness. Bonnie shares her journey from Hollywood and music into profound spiritual awakening, and how meditation, breathwork, and deep presence opened the door to intuition, healing, and transformation.
In this episode, we explore:
– Why so many people feel overwhelmed and disconnected
– The role of the nervous system in stress and healing
– What it means to soften, surrender, and trust yourself
– Simple ways to ground your energy and come back to your body
This episode is especially aligned with Stress Awareness Month—a reminder that the most powerful shift isn’t doing more, but reconnecting to what’s already within you.
✨ Stay until the end for a guided meditation with Bonnie to help you regulate your nervous system, release tension, and return to a place of calm.
Follow Bonnie Piesse:
Website: https://www.bonniepiesse.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonniempiesse/
Your Quantum Life Podcast:https://www.instagram.com/yourquantumlife/
 
Follow JoAnne Pavin:
Website: https://www.joannepavin.com/
Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 

EP 034 Beauty in Balance: Beyond the Chair with Kelly Stobart

In this episode, JoAnne is joined by her lifelong friend, Kelly Stobart—an incredibly talented stylist, educator, and creative force in the beauty industry with over 35 years of experience. Kelly’s journey has taken her from some of Chicago’s most prestigious salons to international training with the most respected names in the industry, including Vidal Sassoon and the legendary Oribe Canales. Her work has even extended to styling for runway shows in Paris and New York, bringing a global perspective to everything she does.
But beyond her impressive credentials, Kelly brings something even more powerful to her work—a deep understanding that what happens behind the chair is about far more than hair. It’s about connection, healing, creativity, and helping people feel seen.
In the upcoming episode we talk about self-care for caregivers, energy exchange, burnout, healing rituals, creativity, and why taking care of yourself first is essential if you want to truly serve others. This is an inspiring conversation about resilience, friendship, feminine wisdom, and the kind of transformation that happens from the inside out.
Follow Kelly:
www.kellystobart.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kellystobart/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kelly.stobart
 
Follow JoAnne Pavin:Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 
 

EP 33 Stop Struggling, Start Thriving: Build Health Habits That Lasts with Michele Piedmonte

In this episode of the Nourish Me podcast, JoAnne Pavin sits down with Michele Piedmonte, Certified Health and Nutrition Coach and founder of JerseyRooted Health Coaching. Michele shares her journey from a conventional corporate life and party-driven city lifestyle to becoming a mom, navigating weight struggles, and ultimately finding a path to sustainable health.
 
They dive deep into why so many people stay stuck—not from lack of information, but from missing structure, consistency, and identity. Michele explains how she helps clients rebuild energy, restore metabolic health, and create lasting progress through habit-based coaching and personalized strategies that go beyond the scale.
 
If you’re ready to stop outsourcing your health, rebuild trust in your body, and become the kind of person who follows through, this conversation is for you. Your next step toward predictable, lasting results starts here.
Follow Michele on Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/michele_jerseyrooted/
on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/michele.coynepiedmonte
Follow JoAnne Pavin:
Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
 
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
 
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 

EP 032 Letting Go of 70 Pounds: A Nurse’s Personal Transformation and the Truth About GLP-1 Medications with Melanie Bassel

Nurse and mom of three, Melanie Bassel shares the powerful story behind her 70-pound health transformation. In this episode, we explore the science, stigma, and real-life experience behind GLP-1 medications—and what it truly takes to rebuild health from the inside out.
Melanie shares her personal journey with GLP-1 medication, weight loss, and reclaiming her health. As a nurse, mother, and caregiver, she opens up about how years of putting everyone else first, combined with PCOS, hypothyroidism, night shift work, and lifelong body image struggles, left her feeling exhausted, unhealthy, and hopeless.
Everything shifted after a doctor’s visit forced her to confront the reality of her health. From there, Melanie began using a GLP-1 medication as a tool, not a shortcut, and started making the lifestyle changes that supported real transformation. She explains how these medications work in the body, how they affect appetite, blood sugar, inflammation, and “food noise,” and why strength training, protein, hydration, sleep, and mindset are essential for lasting success.
The episode also explores the emotional side of change: childhood wounds around body image, the stigma surrounding GLP-1s, the fear of judgment, and the mental shift required to stop seeing weight loss as vanity and start seeing it as healing. Melanie shares what helped her navigate side effects, why “go low and slow” matters, and how losing over 70 pounds in less than a year has changed not just her body, but her confidence, energy, family life, and future.
This is a conversation is about more than weight,  it’s about identity, self-worth, modern women’s health, and what becomes possible when you finally decides to care for yourself as deeply as you care for everyone else.
You can find Weightless by Rocio Salas-Whalen MD, Allyson Ryan here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806992/weightless-by-rocio-salas-whalen-md/
Follow Melanie on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/melanie_bassel
Follow JoAnne Pavin:
Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 
 
 

The Courage to Change: Women, Health & Reinvention (National Nutrition Month Series)

March is National Nutrition Month and Women’s History Month, and this month on the Nourish Me Podcast we’re exploring one powerful theme: the courage to change.
In this solo episode, JoAnne introduces a special March mini-series featuring conversations with women who have had the courage to transform their health, rethink their identities, and begin new chapters in life.
You’ll hear previews of upcoming episodes including:
• Melanie, a NICU nurse who lost nearly 70 pounds and shares her honest journey using GLP-1 medications alongside strength training and nutrition.
• Michele Piedmonte, a health coach who discovered that lasting change often requires accountability, confidence, and rebuilding trust in yourself.
• Kelly Stobart, a stylist and entrepreneur whose story of reinvention shows how unexpected life changes can open the door to new purpose.
JoAnne also shares a reflection on her own nutrition journey, including using advanced testing through Function Health, and introduces the evolving theme behind the podcast: Connection, Ritual, Wellness, and the Human Advantage.
Plus, save the date for an upcoming Spring Renewal sound and movement gathering with Lori.
This episode sets the stage for a month of conversations about courage, transformation, and what it truly means to nourish ourselves in a distracted world.
• Join the Nourish Me community on Substack → https://substack.com/@joannepavin
• Learn more about Function Health → Get 25$ off here
• Save the date: Spring Renewal Sound & Movement Experience – April 18 https://www.joannepavin.com/events-and-classes.html
 
 

EP 030 Year of the Horse: The Courage to Shed Your Fake ID

In this episode JoAnne shares a raw turning point — shedding her “fake ID” and stepping fully into her true voice after nearly three years of podcasting.
In this Year of the Horse episode, she explores why courage is the missing link between setting goals and living them, why this time of year can feel discouraging, and why it’s actually the middle — not the end — of your transformation.
She also shares the deeper origin of The Meal — Nourishment Beyond Food, inspired by her time in India, and how it’s evolving into something much bigger.
Follow JoAnne Pavin:Substack:  https://substack.com/@joannepavin
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C
 
 

EP 029 Beyond Resolutions: Your New Year Activation with Suzanne Madden Human Performance Coach

It’s the NEW YEAR! Time to clear the mental clutter, reset your energy, and intentionally step into what’s next.
In this episode, Suzanne and JoAnne dive deep into what it really takes to activate goals—not just set them. From human performance coaching and identity-based habits to accountability, visualization, and resilience, this conversation goes beyond vision boards and New Year’s resolutions.
Suzanne shares her journey from corporate leadership into human performance coaching and how training for a Spartan Race became a powerful metaphor for navigating life’s obstacles.
Together, they explore how small, consistent actions compound over time, why identity drives behavior, and how accountability can increase your chances of success up to 95%.
You’ll also hear about:
Why most goals fail—and how to activate them instead
Using physical challenges to fuel mental and emotional growth
The power of character strengths (VIA) and living in alignment
Building strong foundations that help you weather life’s setbacks
Why celebrating progress is essential for long-term success
Whether you’re resetting for the new year or simply feeling ready for your next evolution, this episode will help you gain clarity, momentum, and confidence to move forward with intention.
If you’re in the Chicagoland area, go a step further and
Join them for their JANUARY 10th Activation Event:
https://www.joannepavin.com/new-year-activation-workshop.html
Follow Suzanne Madden on Linked In at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannemadden
Follow JoAnne Pavin:
 
Linked In:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannepavin/
 
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/joanne.pavin/
 
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/lamJoannepavin
 
YouTube:https://youtube.com/@joannepavin?si=HA2a7ySsYKwWMw4C