Healing Charlotte Podcast: Hannah Anderson, Registered Dietician Nutritionist

In this episode, we are talking all things nutrition with Hannah Anderson. She is the Registered Dietician for the dining program at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Hannah wears many hats with this role and really enjoys working with students around wellness. In high school, she developed an interest in healthy eating, exercise, and experimenting in the kitchen. She discovered that she could study Public Health in undergrad and became fascinated with the nutrition aspect during a project researching chronic illnesses. The class found that all chronic diseases had a direct correlation to obesity and diet. During the same time, she developed a chronic illness that took over her life. She began noticing gastrointestinal symptoms that she later found were related to the long term use of antibiotics prescribed by her doctor. She later struggled with environmental allergies and sinus issues and then diagnosed with uveitis, an auto-immune disorder that presents like pink eye and can eventually lead to blindness. After exhausting her options with traditional medicine and finding little relief, Hannah started working with a Functional and Integrative medicine practitioner. She describes Functional and Integrative medicine as a modality to help find the underlying causes of disease for optimal health. These modalities believe in the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Hannah reports that 50% of adults in the United States have been diagnosed with 1 chronic illness. Most find little relief in traditional medicine and are just told to deal with the symptoms or given a prescription for the pain associated.

Hannah goes into depth for understanding of the microbiome as it is a part of the entire picture of health. She says our body is home to trillions of micro-organisms(bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc) that all have a placement and purpose. The gut microbiome are the ones residing in the digestive system and can weigh anywhere from 2-5lbs! These organisms help regulate hormones, create neurotransmitters, among other purposes. A healthy gut microbiome has a delicate balance between the two and can be thrown off by medication, lack of sleep, and environmental factors. A dysbiotic state is when there are more bad bacteria than good and commonly called “leaky gut.”

“We can’t just look at our diet alone without looking at our sleep, and our social relationships, and our stress management, and our connection with nature. All of these things really do such a profound job at impacting how our gut functions and in turn they way we are able to prevent disease or not.”

Hannah discusses how food and nutrition is just one part of the overall picture and that other areas are worth exploring as well. She talks about balance with sleep, stress management, movement, and diet. She talks about the “Standard American Diet,” or S.A.D. that is made up of mostly processed food or food that lacks the nutrients we need by the time it reaches the table. Many people are deficient in Vitamin D, which could look similar to depression, B12 which causes fatigue, memory loss, and depressive symptoms. Adults need 8-9 hours of sleep and are not getting that which could cause insulin resistance, cardiovascular and immune issues, hormonal imbalance, and mood swings. Effective and regular stress management can lower inflammation. Moving the body consistently can increase insulin sensitivity, brain health, and enhance detoxification.

Some suggestions Hannah offered:

  • be your own “Health CEO”
  • buy from local farms
  • eat more whole foods in their natural state and a large variety
  • pay attention to packages; reading labels for ingredient(fewer is better, ones you can pronounce) and check for added sugar which is pro-inflammatory
  • add more fiber
  • utilize adaptogens(class of plants that can reduce stress response in the body). Mushrooms(lions mane, rishi), Ashwagandha, Ginseng, and Maca, to name a few.

Other resources Hannah recommended:

Documentary mentioned:

“The Biggest Little Farm”

Healing Charlotte Podcast: India Soloman, The Bulb Mobile Market

Today’s conversation is with India Soloman, the Executive Director of The Bulb Mobile Market. It’s a non-profit mobile farmer’s market that provides and facilitates access to fresh local produce to food insecure neighbors. The Bulb is grant and donation based by receiving produce leftover from Farmer’s markets and Trader Joe’s. India calls them the “unsellables but edibles” as they may have a blemish and a grocery store can’t sell them but The Bulb will put them through their own inspection process before deciding if they will use or compost it. India started out as a patron at The Bulb when they were set up at the Rosa Parks Farmer’s Market when she saw a sign that said “Take what you need, pay what you can.” She was immediately drawn to Alisha Pruett, the founder, signed up as a volunteer immediately, and in March of 2020, came on as the full-time Executive Director.

“It’s for the whole family, it’s for the children, it’s for the working folx, it’s for our seniors. Everybody needs food to survive, I mean it’s not something we have the option to do, food is right, food is required for us to live.”

The Bulb has different pricing models; their grant funded food is pay what you can, they offer suggested pricing for purchased food, ask for donations on the donated food, and also accept EBT and are part of the “double up bucks” program. The Bulb also offers nutrition education in their newsletter including videos, recipes, and teaching how to grow food. They are currently accepting applications for an internship program for 3 recipients in the communities they serve in conjunction with Lomax Farms.

Their current schedule is as follows:

TuesdayWednesdayThursday
Bruns Elementary Tuckaseegee ElementaryRenaissance West Community
Cokesbury United Methodist ChurchBelmont CommunityNorthend Community
Cokesbury United Methodist Church

When COVID hit, the Bulb had to quickly move the office space as they were sharing space in a senior center. Catawba Brewery has been their temporary location where they moved to a pre-bagged delivery service and then a pre-bagged pickup service. They have hired 4 people during this time due to the need and are in the process of signing a lease for their own space.

Food has been a constant in India’s life starting from growing up on land that had been farmed by her family. After she received her degree in Public History, she began researching land and found the deed for the land that her great, great-grandfather purchased after emancipation. Her family grew tobacco, soybeans, and corn. They lost a good bit of their land in the 1980s when black farmers were denied bank loans. More recently, India has shown more interest in farming the land once again and especially after she found out what Soul Fire Farm in New York has been doing.

“That’s why these conversations of racial injustice and food injustice and all of that is important because it’s not just one thing. It’s a whole system that has removed people from that concept of land and ownership and creating and cultivating on their own.”

An influential book and movie for India is “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. She always reminds herself the message of loving yourself in order to persevere. In the Charlotte community, India is inspired by Kelley Palmer. She first met her as a loctician many years ago and loved how she brought people together in the community. Since then Kelley has continued to bring together people in the community through her organization Sanctuary in the City.

“I just love being amongst people. I say people are my passion. If you don’t love yourself and you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t fill others will an empty cup.”

There are ways you can support The Bulb. You can volunteer, they accept donations(supplies and food from farms), they have an Amazon Wish List, are accessible on Share Charlotte, are connected to Street Fare Farms which you can support as well, or you can join them at a market!

Healing Charlotte Podcast: Jillian Longsworth, Yoga Studio Owner & Yoga for Veterans

In this episode, we meet Jillian Longsworth. She’s the co-owner of Noda Yoga, co-teacher of Bella Vita Yoga Teacher Training, and has a passion for creating a space where yoga is accessible for everyBODY especially Military Veterans. Jillian found yoga as a way to help with her symptoms of anxiety and trauma after living in New York during the terrorist attacks of September 11th. She discusses her transformation as a teacher starting with creating challenging sequences, cool playlists, and fancy poses to understanding how impactful yoga can be for Military Veterans and diving deep to understand how to support them in a yoga space.

Jillian decided to open her studio when she saw a gap in the yoga community. She wanted a space that had a community feel and offered a variety of classes. It was important that her space offered safe and evidenced-based class structures to support veterans. Her journey of ownership took her through various partners and locations to the place where she believed in herself enough to open a 2nd location. Her original location is in the Noda neighborhood of Charlotte and her next location will be in the Oakhurst neighborhood hopefully in the future. She chose this area because of the up and coming feel of the neighborhood as well as the options for accessibility.

She is the co-teacher of Bella Vita Yoga Teacher Training with Carrie Wren. She describes their desire to offer a training in Charlotte that offers all styles of yoga including vinyasa, gentle, accessible, kids, restorative, yin, and trauma-sensitive. She enjoys seeing the “mini-wakes” her students have throughout the program while being exposed to various styles of yoga.

“What I care about is that I can see, I can hear, I can understand even a little bit of what these people might be going through, and that I can offer a space. I can just offer space.”

Jillian has been the most influenced by the veteran’s she has worked with throughout her teaching career from armories to her studio space to the VA Clinic. She is passionate about providing the container for them to do the work. She has taken multiple trainings geared towards working with vets and recently completed her 300-hour teacher training focused on therapeutics.

“I have so much gratitude that they {veterans} allow me to be in that space.”

Her recommendations for anyone interested in beginning a yoga practice is to talk to their doctor to make sure it’s indicated and safe for them and to find an instructor with a specialized background. She offered for anyone to reach out to her via email or visit with her at the studio. She has a great lobby area to share a cup of coffee.

In the Charlotte community, Jillian is inspired by Alison Pulito of LightPath Energy Healing. She has enjoyed the Reiki and Intuitive Healing work she has done with her. She believes she is a gift to our community.

Healing Charlotte Podcast: Jeffrey Shoaf, Yoga Therapist & Massage Bodywork

In this episode, we meet Jeffrey Shoaf; an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist and a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist. His interest in the human form began at the young age of 8 years old when he would open up encyclopedias and learn about and practice drawing anatomy. As a young adult, he followed in his family’s footsteps and became a Carpenter, Builder, and eventually a General Contractor. Around 2003, he shifted his career focus to become a Massage Therapist and was a student of yoga. He recognized that Yoga teacher training did not provide enough depth of anatomy. In 2005 when he spent time in a cadaver lab his fascination continued to grow.

“Everyday I get up and I’m really happy that I do what I do and I find that there are so many areas that I’m still interested in and they all seem connected.”

In his practice today, he intuitively combines Yoga Therapy and Bodywork for each client he works with. Specifically with Bodywork he uses myofascial release techniques. He describes fascia as a biologic fabric that all over the body. It has a memory of its own and holds where the body puts it. He uses static pressure to release “trigger points” of fascia that are stuck or dry due to inactivity. Yoga therapy he describes as the science of using yoga principles to help in therapeutic applications with a combination of movement, meditation, and/or breath work. Jeffrey also teaches therapeutically based studio classes at Noda Yoga and the Cornwell Center. He also is part of a 300-hour Therapeutic Yoga teacher training(Integrative Yoga Studies) where he leads many of the modules.

“We are looking at yoga as a model of total wellness. It’s not just asana(movement), it’s not just the postures. It’s looking at the body as a holistic organism. And really offering that question to ourselves as teacher is “how can I get this person to function better in their body.”

He has recently partnered with Novant Cancer Center to lead a pranayama(breath work) program for patients with cancer. Jeffrey is excited about the partnership and providing support to those battling cancer. He also loves working with yoga teachers as they have a deep understanding of the body. He cannot wait to get back into the dissection lab as he has joined the local club “Experience Anatomy.”

Jeffrey is inspired by Dr. Gil Hedley who is an anatomist and researcher and one of the most well-known dissectors of fascia. He is also inspired by all of the yoga teachers at Noda Yoga and especially the co-owner, Jillian Longsworth, for her kindness and generosity. In Charlotte he is also inspired by Acupuncturist, Dr. Kevin Kim who did his first treatment on his grandfather at the age of 5.

Healing Charlotte Podcast: Tesia Love, Ayurveda Practitioner & Massage Therapist

We have the pleasure of meeting Tesia Love to today’s podcast. She is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist who specializes in Ayurvedic body therapies. She describes Ayurveda as Indian traditional medicine that is a cousin to traditional Chinese medicine. The main principle of Ayurveda is living in harmony with nature; your own constitution and outside. She recommends an Ayurveda consultation as a first step but some of her clients come to massage first. Ayurveda massage uses lots of warm oil which is very grounding. The focus of the work is with energy and the lymphatic system which is purifying and detoxifying. These massages can be customized to your own constitution. These massages differ from other massages in that they are deeply relaxing and grounding. So much so that Tesia recommends taking it easy for the rest of the day after. An Abhyanga massage will work on the subtle body and use lots of oil rubbed over the entire body. A Shirodhara massage will have a constant stream of oil poured over the forehead.

“That treatment {Shirodhara}, you are laying on the table, the oil is streaming down consistently. It’s almost like a mother gently rubbing her hand over a child’s head.”

Tesia’s journey to her current work started as a life-long passion and curiosity of all things health and wellness. She found out about Ayurveda in 2000 and was interested in it for it’s ability to getting to the root cause of ailments. In 2010, she completed her 200-hour Yoga teacher training and started studying with the California College of Ayurveda in 2011. A Charlotte native, Tesia moved back in 2014 and completed Massage Therapy School at TMTI. Currently, she is finishing up her 300-hour Yoga teacher training with Lisa Moore, focused on Ayurveda Therapeutic Yoga.

Tesia describes Ayurveda as comprehensive. It takes in account what you eat, your lifestyle, how you eat, what time you go to bed and wake up, herbs, bodywork, and yogic practices. Ayurveda comes from nature and considers the 5 elements(ether, air, fire, water, and earth) the building blocks of life. Each Dosha(vata, pitta, kapha) are made up of 2 elements. Vata is the quality of movement; dryness, coldness, circulation, elimination, thoughts. Pitta is the quality of transformation; metabolism, digestion. Kapha is the quality of heaviness; cohesion, growth, building. She describes the process of Doshas getting into excess and that is where imbalances are formed and using opposites to heal. For example, warm oil and slow strokes with a massage can counteract a Vata imbalance.

“That’s a huge motivation behind my work is helping to empower people to be well so they can do what it is they are here to do.”

Tesia is one of the few people in Charlotte who do this work. She is passionate about working with women and their health; fertility, postpartum, perimenopause). She has specialized training in Pregnancy and Postpartum massage. Many practitioners have been influential in her work over the years including: Dr. Andrew Weil, an Integrative Medical Doctor, Dr. Lad, an Ayurveda Doctor in New Mexico, Deepak Chopra, Maya Tiwari, focused on women’s health, and KP Khalsa, an herbalist. In the Charlotte community, Tesia is inspired by Gracienne Jean Pierre who is a Nurse Practioner and Integrative Health Consultant, Lisa Moore who is a therapeutic Yoga teacher and Ayurveda Practioner, and The Sanctuary in the City organization who make wellness resources available to the Black and Indigenous populations.

Connect with Tesia on her website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Insight Timer.