Join my community and receive my free ebook! Subscribe now >>
- Home Page of Holistic BP Health
- Holistic Health for Women of Color Podcast
- The Gratitude Challenge
- Season's Eatings Healthy Holiday Recipe Series
- About Me Overcoming HBP
- Healthy Crocktober Recipe Series
- Solo Build It Affiliate Program
- The Stress Solution Workshop
- Introducing The Weekly Stress Edit
- Eat to Listen: The Body Led Elimination Cooking Kit
The Lifestyle Reset: Wellness Without Guilt!
Holistic Health For Women of Color Podcast, Episode #111
If you’ve been carrying everyone else and putting yourself last, The Lifestyle Reset is for you. Welcome to The Lifestyle Reset: Wellness Without Guilt a space made with women of color in mind, especially those of us in our 40s, 50s, and 60s who are tired of doing “all the right things” and still feeling drained, stretched, or silently struggling.
Here, we’re not chasing perfection or punishing our bodies we’re choosing a kinder, more sustainable way to feel good again. Think of this as your exhale and your permission slip to reset your habits, your mindset, and your energy without shame.
Subscribe To These Episodes
Apple Listen on Apple Podcasts Spotify Listen on Spotify YouTube ChannelHolistic Health for Women of Color Podcast, Core Value - Empowerment!
Welcome to the Holistic Health for Women of Color podcast, where confusion turns into clarity and your daily choices become a powerful path to lasting heart health.
I’m Donna Williams, certified holistic health coach and founder of holisticbphealth.com. I created this space for busy women of color, professionals, mothers, and women 40 and over who are tired of quick fixes, cookie-cutter advice, and feeling like their real lives are never part of the health conversation.
Here, your lived experience is the starting point, not an afterthought.
Each episode, we’ll cut through the noise and focus on what actually works for *your* body, *your* culture, and *your* season of life. My approach is culturally aware, practical, and grounded in real life. Together, we’ll turn your own wisdom into simple, sustainable habits so heart health feels less like a struggle and more like an act of self-respect.
You’ll get clear guidance, doable steps, and compassionate accountability to help you build more energy, more confidence, and more consistency on your terms.
This is your safe, judgment-free space to learn, unlearn, and reclaim your health story. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.
Welcome to Holistic Health for Women of Color. Let’s begin your journey at holisticbphealth.com.
Our topic today is “The Lifestyle Reset: How Everyday Choices Prevent and Reverse Chronic Disease”.
Introduction of Dr. Ann Hester, Honored Guest
Today I’m truly honored to introduce our guest, Dr. Ann Hester a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine.
And here’s a powerful perspective: fewer than 0.4% of doctors in the U.S. hold Lifestyle Medicine certification. Dr. Hester is part of that small group, and her work centers on something both practical and life-changing helping people use daily habits as real tools for long-term health, energy, and wellbeing.
Dr. Ann will be sharing more about her story and the work she does, but for now, Dr. Ann, welcome to the show. It’s a genuine pleasure to have you here. Thank you for joining us.
The Lifestyle Reset - Wellness Without Guilt Podcast Introductory and Summary, Episode #111
Somewhere between the hustle we brag about and the exhaustion we hide, many of us have learned to “push through” like it’s a badge of honor until our bodies, relationships, and spirit quietly send the bill.
A lifestyle reset isn’t a trendy makeover or a January promise; it’s the brave, deeply personal decision to come back home to yourself to unlearn survival habits passed down as “strength,” to trade constant grind for daily peace, and to rebuild your routines around what actually matters.
It’s choosing rest without guilt, food without shame, movement without punishment, and boundaries without apology because the life you’re building should feel like it’s yours, not just something you’re enduring.
Lifestyle Medicine - Preventing Chronic Diseases
Dr. Ann, an experienced internal medicine doctor, discussed lifestyle medicine's distinct approach to preventing and reversing chronic diseases.
Unlike general health advice, lifestyle medicine provides specific, evidence-based recommendations for diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, social connections, and toxin avoidance.
Dr. Ann emphasized that while traditional medicine focuses on treating symptoms, lifestyle medicine addresses the root causes of diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. She highlighted the importance of understanding health disparities and empowering individuals to take control of their health through targeted lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle Medicine and Sleep Health
Donna and Dr. Ann discussed the importance of restorative sleep and its impact on health, where she explained how poor sleep can lead to various health issues, including chronic inflammation and increased risk of diseases.
We also talked about stress and its connection to sleep and health.
Dr. Hester emphasized the power of lifestyle medicine to prevent and even reverse certain diseases.
Donna then asked about simpler ways to explain insulin resistance and common habits that contribute to inflammation.
The doctor highlighted the importance of individual choices in managing health, regardless of genetic predispositions. They also touched on how women of color can apply lifestyle medicine without giving up cultural foods.
Lifestyle Changes for Insulin Resistance
Discussed lifestyle changes to manage insulin resistance, cortisol, and blood sugar levels, emphasizing the benefits of intermittent fasting, regular exercise, and a whole food, plant-based diet.
We advised avoiding ultra-processed foods and seed oils and suggested using alternative cooking methods like air frying with healthier oils.
Emphasizing the importance of consulting a doctor before making significant lifestyle changes or adjusting medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension and recommended keeping track of blood sugar and blood pressure levels to monitor improvements safely.
Lifestyle Reset Program Basics
Dr. Ann advised Donna on a lifestyle reset program, emphasizing three non-negotiables: hydration, a whole food, plant-based diet, and exercise. Explaining the benefits of these habits, including improved health outcomes and disease reversal.
Donna shared her experience with lemon water and agreed to start with these habits in a balanced manner.
Healthy Cooking and Lifestyle Changes
The discussion focused on dietary recommendations, where the Dr. Ann advised avoiding high fructose corn syrup and seed oils, recommending extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil instead.
Discussed cooking methods, noting that air frying is a healthier alternative to frying, and shared the tip of using Greek yogurt as a substitute for butter in cooking and baking.
Dr. Ann Hester promoted her PTR Reset program, which offers on-demand courses and a free lifestyle medicine overview video, emphasizing how dietary changes can improve health and potentially allow people to reduce or eliminate medication under medical supervision.
Access Patient Empowerment 101 Book
Dr. Ann M. Hester recently shared her book, Patient Empowerment 101”, and it’s all about helping you feel more confident in your healthcare choices, while also keeping medical costs under control.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
- Make the most of every doctor’s visit and get your questions answered.
- Ask the specific questions doctors want to hear about common symptoms.
- Speed up your diagnosis and avoid unnecessary tests or procedures.
- Choose the right doctor for your needs.
- Navigate health insurance and understand what your plan actually covers.
- Create and organize your own personal health records (it’s easier than you think)
- Stay safer during a hospital stay.
- Use technology to support and improve your health.
- Understand why having an advocate can make a huge difference in your care.
- Decode common medical tests, terms, and abbreviations your doctor may use.
Subscribe to The Lifestyle Reset Wellness Without Guilt Podcast
Subscribe to The Lifestyle Reset - Wellness Without Guilt podcast, Episode #111 now! And thank you for listening to today’s topic on that's all about how everyday choices can prevent and reverse chronic Diseases.
If this episode helped, share it with someone who you know might benefit from the information included here, and I’ll talk to you next week.
Return from The Lifestyle Reset to Creating A Self-Care Routine
Newsletter Opt-In And Thank You Gift
Latest Podcast Episode
Listen to the most recent episode of my Holistic Health for Women of Color Podcast
Recent Articles
-
The 30-Day Calm and Pressure Reset for Midlife Women of Color 40+
Feb 09, 26 06:35 PM
A 30-day calm and pressure reset for midlife Women of Color 40+ daily rhythm, food support, and emotional release for real life. Feel steady again. -
Nutrient Dense Foods You Can Eat
Feb 08, 26 06:58 PM
Get your FREE copy of these nutrient dense foods you can eat that are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which help your body perform at its best. -
HolisticBPHealth I Natural Blood Pressure Help for Women of Color
Feb 08, 26 02:14 PM
Natural, holisticbphealth support to help women of color manage and reverse high blood pressure while honoring culture, comfort foods, and busy lives.
Lower blood pressure naturally and activate your arteries to clean themselves. Join my community and receive my free gift of Acupressure - Fingertip Manipulation - 7 Seconds To Lower High Blood Pressure.
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.