The Most Counterintuitive Healing Advice You’ll Ever Hear with Wes Kress (014)
Release Date: 08/13/2025
The Vitalist
In this episode, Dr. Keiko sits down with Marina Ortega, founder of Scottsdale Hydrotherapy and Trust Your Gut, to explore the fascinating and often misunderstood world of colon hydrotherapy. Marina shares her personal journey from debilitating constipation and chronic illness to becoming a leading voice in gut health and detoxification. Together, we dive into the science, history, and surprising emotional layers of gut healing. You’ll learn why supporting your drainage pathways is essential, how the gut is directly tied to immunity and mood, and what you can expect if you’re curious about...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
From growing up in a cult religion to facing years of childhood trauma, autoimmune disease, and a body in constant distress, Wes Kress’s story is not one of defeat, but of radical transformation. In this episode, Wes opens up about the hidden feedback loops that keep us stuck, the biology of emotional pain, and why true healing has nothing to do with fixing yourself and everything to do with listening to the truth your body has been telling you all along. We explore the patterns that wire shame into survival, why most people unknowingly run from the very thing that could set them free, and...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
In this episode of The Vitalist, master life coach Micheline Green invites us into the complex terrain of true transformation. Drawing from over two decades of experience, including her early work investigating child abuse and her training in Integral Coaching, Micheline reveals what it really takes to shift deeply embedded patterns. Together, we explore: Why real change happens beneath the psychological immune system How fear shows up in disguise: as rage, anxiety, depression, or numbness The role of the “loving witness” in releasing trapped emotion Autonomic signatures beyond fight,...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
What if the stories you’ve been telling yourself—about your worth, your happiness, your healing, aren’t the truth? In this raw and revelatory episode, Brittny shares her journey from high-performing “happy girl” to a deeply embodied woman rewriting generational patterns. From hiking Mont Blanc on her honeymoon to navigating postpartum anxiety and uncovering childhood trauma through motherhood, Brittny holds nothing back. She’ll show you how a single belief like “everything is figureoutable” can become a lifeline, why you can’t outthink a dysregulated nervous system, and how...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
What if music isn’t just something we hear, but something our bodies remember? In this powerful episode of The Vitalist, Grammy-winning composer, producer, and sound healing pioneer Barry Goldstein joins us to explore music as medicine. From heart coherence to brainwave entrainment, Barry breaks down how rhythm, intention, and vibration interact with the nervous system, emotions, and even the cells of the body. He shares his journey from burnout as a mainstream record producer to becoming a “musitarian”, someone who uses sound to uplift humanity. Through personal stories, scientific...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
Let us be real with you: most people aren’t actually afraid of failure, pain, or fear itself. They’re afraid of being still long enough to feel any of it. In this episode, Dr. Keiko sits down with Akshay Nanavati, a former Marine, ultra-endurance athlete, and author of Fearvana, who went from addiction and self-harm to attempting the first ever solo ski crossing of Antarctica, pulling a 420lb sled. And no, this isn’t about becoming fearless. It’s about building the courage to face the parts of yourself you’ve been running from. We talk about: Why fear isn’t your enemy, it’s...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
In a world that praises the hustle and drowns us in noise, what if the most rebellious thing you could do… is get quiet? In this soulful conversation, Dr. Keiko sits down with Elaine Glass, author of Get Quiet, transformational coach, and former dental hygienist, to explore what actually happens when we stop doing and start listening. Elaine has sat with over 40,000 people. She’s heard their fears, their stress, their longing for peace. And what she’s found is something we all need to hear: healing doesn’t happen in the noise. It happens in the stillness. You’ll hear the story...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
If you’ve ever wondered why your cycle feels off, what your gut has to do with your fertility, or how to actually prepare your body to conceive, this episode is for you. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Sammie pulls back the curtain on what most women were never taught about their bodies. From cycle literacy and hormone balance to gut health, environmental toxins, and the truth behind “unexplained infertility,” we dive into the real, root causes that impact your ability to get pregnant and how to heal them. Whether you're just starting to think about having a baby or you've been trying...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
Your feet aren’t just for walking, they’re the foundation of your posture, your performance, and even your longevity. In this episode, Dr. Emily Splichal, functional podiatrist, barefoot science expert, and founder of Naboso, breaks down the overlooked role of the feet in whole-body healing. You’ll learn why 10 seconds of single-leg balance predicts your lifespan, how foot posture impacts your spine and pelvis, and why the way you’re walking might be limiting your mobility, stability, and overall strength. We dive into: The $0 exercise Dr. Emily gives all her patients How your feet...
info_outlineThe Vitalist
What if the most powerful meditation practice didn't require a cushion, app, or even quiet, but a single piece of chocolate? After 11 years in the Himalayas, living in a cave and studying with Tibetan masters, Lisa Reinhardt returned to the modern world with a mission: to demystify meditation and make presence feel deliciously accessible. In this insightful episode, Lisa shares how she founded Wei of Chocolate and discovered that something as simple as intentionally eating chocolate could soften the nerve system, awaken the senses and reconnect us to our fundamental goodness. ...
info_outlineFrom growing up in a cult religion to facing years of childhood trauma, autoimmune disease, and a body in constant distress, Wes Kress’s story is not one of defeat, but of radical transformation.
In this episode, Wes opens up about the hidden feedback loops that keep us stuck, the biology of emotional pain, and why true healing has nothing to do with fixing yourself and everything to do with listening to the truth your body has been telling you all along.
We explore the patterns that wire shame into survival, why most people unknowingly run from the very thing that could set them free, and how to build a relationship with your body based on connection, not control. This conversation is raw, human, and packed with insights.
Whether you’re navigating physical symptoms, emotional wounds, or the relentless drive to “do more,” Wes will challenge what you believe about healing and show you what’s actually possible when you stop trying to think your way out of pain.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Wes shares how growing up in a cult with years of sexual trauma shaped his nervous system for survival. (1:31)
Wes reveals how 70+ symptoms and four autoimmune diagnoses weren’t signs his body was betraying him. (3:30)
Why most attempts at change fail — and the shift that turns survival loops into virtuous healing cycles. (5:05)
How shame, blame, guilt, and fear are wired into the nervous system to keep us alive, but also keep us stuck. (6:06)
Why trying harder often backfires and how presence, not productivity, creates deep transformation. (6:47)
Learn why the urge to “do something” comes from not wanting to feel powerless. (8:11)
The difference between processing trauma mentally vs. metabolizing it in the body. (9:44)
Non-resistance is the direct experience of trust, and it starts with recognizing the body isn’t the problem. (11:28)
Walking into pain instead of running from it. The counterintuitive path to dissolving resistance and integrating all parts of yourself. (16:34)
Depression is often anger turned inward. (17:27)
Why psychology’s mental frameworks can only take you so far, and why connecting with the body is essential. (22:05)
The ‘body buff’ reset. The simple at-home tool Wes uses with every patient to bring them back into their body. (23:40)
How genome mapping reveals emotional and physical predispositions — and why methylation matters for emotional processing. (24:35)
Ask yourself: am I controlling my body — or connecting to it? The hidden difference that determines whether exercise heals you or harms you. (25:54)
When exercise becomes self-abuse. Why the same workout can create vitality or depletion depending on your relationship to it. (28:50)
Why five minutes a day won’t rewire your nervous system, and how to use meditation as a return to wholeness rather than another escape.(32:15)
The NeuBie technology. How this DC waveform device finds and dissolves resistance patterns your body has been holding for decades. (41:38)
RESOURCES:
Connect with Wes Kress
@breakthroughperformance_rehab
Never miss an episode. Subscribe to get notified about what's coming next.
Follow us @TheVitalistPodcast
Visit us @KinfolkOptimalLiving