What If Your Gut Could Heal Your Mind?
In this deeply personal episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with functional medicine pioneer and bestselling author Dr. Will Cole. From growing up with a bodybuilding dad in the '80s to building the first functional medicine telehealth clinic, Dr. Cole shares his unconventional path to becoming one of the most trusted voices in holistic health. He opens up about the gut-brain connection, why psychiatry still ignores the organ it's treating, and how he practices what he preaches. If you've ever felt dismissed by traditional medicine, struggled with anxiety, or wondered why your mental health and digestive issues seem connected, this conversation will validate everything you've suspected and give you the tools to finally heal.
Can you heal your mind by healing your gut?
True healing requires looking at root causes, not just symptoms. Mental and physical health aren't separate—they're the same conversation.
(00:00) From Bodybuilding to Functional Medicine Pioneer
● Growing up in the '80s with a Gold's Gym-owning bodybuilder dad
● How his childhood of "crunchy granola" health became his life's work
● Starting the first functional medicine telehealth clinic 16 years ago
(08:00) Why Doctors Told Karena They "Don't Deal With Mental Health"
● The devastating disconnect between mental and physical health in conventional medicine
● Why psychiatry is the only field that doesn't test the organ it's treating
● The gut-brain connection: how inflammation, microbiome imbalance, and stress show up as anxiety and depression
● Breaking down the stigma and siloed approach to healthcare
(15:00) The Shame-Inflammation-Trauma Loop No One's Talking About
● How toxic shame inflames your body and destroys gut health
● The science behind stress, trauma, and autoimmunity
● Why unresolved emotional pain manifests as physical symptoms
● Dr. Cole's personal struggle with anxiety and overthinking
● The tools that work: vagus nerve stimulation, peptides, nature, and movement
(25:00) When Everything Hit at Once
● His father's sudden death
● The "Gwyneth bone broth" controversy
● Navigating professional chaos while grieving
(33:00) The Real Tools for Anxiety, Stress & Staying Grounded
● Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation: what it is and why Dr. Cole wears it daily
● The role of peptides in healing and stress management
● Nature as "God's medicine"
● Why optimization and healing are messy, nonlinear processes
(40:00) Healing Is Nonlinear: Permission to Be Imperfect
● The importance of having tools ready when tragedy inevitably strikes
● Feeling your feelings instead of numbing or distracting
● How stress and trauma get stored in the body and how to release them
Thanks for the support from our partners, including:
Guest Resources
● Visit Dr. Will Cole's website
● Listen to The Art of Being Well podcast
● Explore Longevity RX supplements
● Check out his books, including Gut Feelings
If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources:
Connect with The Big Silence Community
● Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook
● Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection
● Donate to The Big Silence Foundation
● Find exclusive offers from our supporters: https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners
Show Resources:
Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!
Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn
