I Choose Health with Stefan Lessie

What happens when you survive something doctors believed you had almost no chance of overcoming? In Episode 84 of the I Choose Health Podcast, host Stefan Lessie sits down with entrepreneur, author, and Until It’s Done founder Vincent Van Den Broeck. In October 2024, Vincent was hit by a car and left in a coma. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was given only a 1% chance of surviving without major damage. After waking up unable to walk, talk, or care for himself independently, Vincent began rebuilding his body, mind, and life. Although his recovery was expected to take approximately two years, Vincent left rehabilitation after only two and a half months. Vincent shares how his wife, family, friends, medical team, mindset, and daily commitment to action helped him relearn how to walk and move forward. He also explains why he stopped trying to become his old self and instead focused on becoming a better version of himself. In this powerful conversation, Vincent discusses: • What happened during the accident that nearly took his life • Learning that he had only a 1% chance of survival • Relearning how to walk after waking from a coma • The physical and emotional challenges of losing his independence • Why support, connection, and service to others matter • How the mind and body work together during recovery • Why life does not need to be easy to be meaningful • The five pillars of the Until It’s Done movement • How structure and clarity turn goals into daily action • Why everything feels impossible until it is done

What if the biggest thing standing between you and better health is not your body, but the subconscious beliefs and stress patterns you have carried for years?
In this episode of the I Choose Health Podcast, Stefan Lessing sits down with clinical hypnotherapist and holistic healing expert Dr. Tara Perry to explore the powerful connection between the subconscious mind, chronic stress, trauma, and physical health.
Dr. Perry explains what actually happens during clinical hypnotherapy, why she describes her work as "dehypnotizing," and how subconscious patterns can influence everything from anxiety and people pleasing to confidence, sleep, stress, and our relationship with food.
We also explore whether someone can be hypnotized against their will, the impact of social media on our mental state, why childhood experiences can continue affecting us as adults, and the difference between suppressing painful emotions and actually healing them.
Dr. Perry also shares stories from nearly three decades of working with clients and explains why changing the stories we carry about ourselves may be an important part of creating lasting change.
Plus, learn a simple breathing exercise you can use to help calm your nervous system.
If this conversation challenges the way you think about your mind, stress, and healing, subscribe to I Choose Health for more conversations exploring the connection between physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
 This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.

What if some conflicts can’t be resolved… but you can still heal?
 
In this powerful episode of the I Choose Health Podcast, educator, community leader, and conflict resolution expert Sara Steinweiss joins host Stefan Lessie to talk about what real healing looks like especially when closure never comes. From childhood trauma and systemic failures in education, to ego, fear, and identity in conflict, Sara opens up with incredible vulnerability and strength.
 
She also shares how she walked away from a secure career in education, lost over 200 pounds, started her own company, and now trains schools, organizations, and individuals to face conflict head-on, not with aggression, but with presence, awareness, and truth.
 
 Whether you're navigating inner conflict, family tension, or workplace toxicity this episode will give you tools to breathe, reflect, and reclaim your power.
 

For years, Danielle Pashko did everything "right."
 
She ate clean, practiced yoga, worked in one of Manhattan's top wellness clinics, and tried every advanced biohacking therapy imaginable, including peptides, hyperbaric oxygen, neurofeedback, ozone therapy, IV treatments, and more.
 
Yet she continued battling thyroid cancer, Lyme disease, long COVID, chronic fatigue, vertigo, and debilitating nervous system dysfunction.
 
In this powerful conversation, Danielle shares the unexpected path that finally helped her recover—not through another supplement or expensive protocol, but by addressing the missing piece of healing: the nervous system, visualization, prayer, purpose, Tai Chi, Qigong, and reconnecting with the soul.
 
We also explore:
 
Why stress may be more damaging than poor nutrition
The surprising limits of biohacking
How trauma impacts physical health
The role of prayer and visualization in healing
Why many chronic illnesses require a different approach
How nature, movement, and purpose regulate the nervous system
Why doing "everything right" doesn't guarantee perfect health
The importance of resilience over perfection
 
Whether you're struggling with chronic illness, burnout, unexplained symptoms, or simply want to live healthier without becoming obsessed with optimization, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on what true healing looks like.

In this deeply personal episode, we explore:
 
• The real truth about the stages of grief
• Why grief is not linear
• How to cope with losing a loved one
• Suicide, hopelessness, and finding reasons to hold on
• How dementia creates a different kind of grief
• Trauma, resilience, and learning to heal
• Why gratitude may be more powerful than we realize
• How pain can become purpose
 
Stefan also shares personal experiences with family loss, suicidal ideation, fatherhood, and navigating grief in real time, making this one of the most vulnerable and important conversations on I Choose Health.
 
If you are grieving, struggling emotionally, or supporting someone through loss, this episode is for you.
 

In this episode of the I Choose Health Podcast, Stefan Lessie speaks with Dr. Julie Merriman about women’s burnout, people pleasing, nervous system dysregulation, compassion fatigue, resentment, midlife identity shifts, somatic therapy, and why rest alone often does not fix burnout.
 
Dr. Merriman explains how many women are rewarded for overfunctioning until their bodies finally say, “enough.” She also shares practical tools for reconnecting with the body, recognizing emotional signals, and rebuilding a life that no longer requires living past capacity.
 
Julie Merriman’s Website: https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/
 
Books Mentioned:
 
In Pursuit of Soul Joy by Dr. Julie Merriman :https://tinyurl.com/23durwy3
 
Are We Gonna Have Sex Or What?: https://tinyurl.com/mumz3zwt
Podcasts: 
 
Sexy After 50: https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/sexy-after-50
 
Compassion Fatigue Cure: https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/compassion-fatigue-cure-1

Is homeopathy misunderstood — or was it deliberately suppressed?
In this powerful episode of the I Choose Health Podcast, Stefan Lessie sits down with Antonella Artemisia Di Cillo, fully qualified homeopath, homeoherbalist practitioner, iridologist, and nutrition specialist.
We explore:
The surprising role of John D. Rockefeller in early homeopathy• How homeopathy differs from herbal medicine• Why chronic disease is rising globally• The truth about integrative medicine• Emotional trauma, transgenerational healing & energetic medicine• The difference between acute and chronic care• Why nutrition is the foundation of healing
Antonella shares her personal journey from working in finance to fully dedicating her life to holistic healing — and explains why modern medicine and traditional medicine don’t need to compete… they can complement each other.If you're curious about:
Root cause healing
Autoimmune disorders
Autism & ADHD support
Integrative cancer care
Living foods & plant-based nutrition
Functional mushrooms
Emotional healing through homeopathy

David Cross opens up like never before.
In this raw and unfiltered interview, David Cross (Arrested Development, Mr. Show, Scary Movie 2) breaks down the truth about comedy, mental health, fame, and the struggles that shaped his career.
From growing up in a difficult environment to using humor as a survival tool, David shares how comedy became more than just a career, it became a lifeline.
We also dive into:
The reality of stand-up comedy lifeWhy most comedians struggle with mental healthThe truth about modern comedy and TikTok cultureBehind-the-scenes stories from Arrested Development and Mr. ShowHealth, aging, and staying grounded in the entertainment industry
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to make people laugh and what it costs, this conversation is for you.

Amber Hollingsworth is an addiction counselor with 20 years of experience and over 1,000 free videos on YouTube. But her approach is radically different from traditional recovery. She focuses on motivation over method, connection over confrontation, and helping people decide to get sober before they lose everything.
In this episode, we talk about the "villain role" — why family members often unknowingly extend their loved one's addiction, why marijuana is the hardest addiction she treats, how the need for control backfires, and why most people actually do beat addiction without ever going to treatment.Whether you're struggling yourself or watching someone you love struggle, this conversation might change how you see it.

What if your food could either heal you… or harm you?
 
In this powerful episode of the I Choose Health Podcast, we sit down with Cherie Calbom, M.S., world-renowned nutritionist, author of Juicing for Life, and former nutritionist to George Foreman to break down the truth about juicing, seed oils, and the modern diet.
 
From her personal healing journey to working alongside legends, Cherie shares how simple nutrition changes can transform your energy, mental health, and longevity.
 
 This episode covers:
 
The shocking story that started her juicing journey
Why the Standard American Diet (SAD) is destroying health
The truth about seed oils and inflammation
How juicing impacts your brain, mood, and energy
The connection between diet and mental health
Why “moderation” might not work the way you think
 
This conversation may change how you think about food forever.