Change and Growth Through Understanding & Preparation
A Quest for Well-Being
— Change is one of the few certainties of life. Sometimes we choose it, sometimes it arrives unexpectedly, and sometimes it completely changes the direction we believe our lives are taking. Today, J. Reed Durand joins me for a conversation about self-mastery, resilience, personal responsibility, and our ability to navigate change with greater awareness and intention. We explore the idea that adaptability is not simply something we are born with—it is a skill we can develop and strengthen. We look at how we recognize our patterns and blind spots, remain grounded under pressure, question the...
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When Faith Becomes Your Armor
A Quest for Well-Being
Some battles leave visible scars. Others unfold quietly within us—in fear, uncertainty, grief, anger, or the struggle to keep believing when life becomes painfully difficult. Valerie Sullivan, author of ZAY: Put on the Whole Armor of God, knows something about walking through those battles. Her journey has taken her from homelessness in Baltimore, where she arrived with a backpack and two young children, through profound challenges involving each of her three sons. Through it all, Valerie says her faith became the armor that helped her family keep moving forward. Inspired by her youngest...
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Beyond the Mind: Exploring Energy, Trauma & Shamanic Healing
A Quest for Well-Being
— Today, we’re exploring a fascinating question: What if healing involves more than the conscious mind—and more than the stories we’re able to put into words? Howard brings together the worlds of Western psychotherapy, energy psychology, and shamanic healing through an approach called Dynamic Energetic Healing, or DEH. It’s a model that invites us to look beyond traditional talk therapy and consider the deeper emotional, energetic, and spiritual dimensions of our experiences. We’ll explore how unresolved trauma may continue to influence our lives, what it means to carry energetic...
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The Path from Resistance to Resonance
A Quest for Well-Being
— Today, we're exploring a question that many of us eventually encounter: What if creating a meaningful and successful life doesn't require us to constantly push, strive, and force our way forward? My guest, Sam Kukathas, is the founder of Soul Purpose Leaders and creator of Resonance OS. His work explores the relationship between the nervous system, sound and resonance, emotional patterns, purpose, and human potential, particularly among high-performing founders and leaders. Together, we'll explore why achievement doesn't necessarily bring fulfillment, how unconscious patterns can keep even...
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Beyond Pain: The Freedom of Living Fully
A Quest for Well-Being
Today we're exploring an intriguing and often controversial topic at the intersection of innovation, energy, and wellness: Brown's Gas technology and its potential applications for health and everyday well-being. We'll discuss what Brown's Gas is, how it differs from traditional hydrogen technologies, the science and engineering behind it, and the thinking that led to the development of the . We'll also explore why so many people are interested in this technology, the questions it raises, and how innovation can inspire us to think differently about supporting health and vitality. Valeria...
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Becoming Fully Alive: A Pilgrimage of Healing, Meaning, and Joy
A Quest for Well-Being
— What does it mean to truly heal—not only mentally, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Today, we explore healing as an inner pilgrimage, bringing together ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology to understand what helps us become whole again. At the heart of our conversation is Hildegard of Bingen’s beautiful concept of viriditas—the “greening power” within us—and Alfred Adler’s teachings on belonging, courage, purpose, and our deeply relational nature. We’ll explore what happens when we feel disconnected from that inner vitality, how our struggles...
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From Cancer Survivor to Advocate
A Quest for Well-Being
— Today’s conversation explores a powerful question: What if the most difficult moment of your life became the beginning of your most meaningful work? At the heart of this episode is From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship into Impact, a book about what can happen after —when fear, uncertainty, and survival begin to transform into purpose, service, and hope. This is not simply a . It is a roadmap for anyone who has ever wondered what to do with the wisdom gained through adversity. We’ll explore how lived experience can become a form of expertise, why our stories matter, and how...
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The Fire That Transforms Us
A Quest for Well-Being
— There are moments in life that change us forever—moments when everything we thought defined us suddenly falls away. , the end of a relationship, the collapse of a career, or an unexpected life transition can leave us asking one profound question: Who am I now? While these experiences can feel like the end of our story, they can also become the beginning of something entirely new. Sometimes our greatest breakdowns become the doorway to our deepest healing. Sometimes the very challenges we spend years trying to avoid become the teachers that lead us back to ourselves. Today, we're...
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Understanding BPH: A Guide for Couples
A Quest for Well-Being
— Today's conversation is about a health issue that affects millions of families but is rarely talked about openly. While it primarily impacts men, it often becomes a shared experience for couples. If your partner is waking up several times a night to use the bathroom, struggling with urinary symptoms, or simply saying, "It's just part of getting older," this episode is for you. , or BPH, is an incredibly common condition as men age, yet many delay seeking help—even though effective treatments are available. The result isn't just interrupted sleep for them; it can affect the well-being,...
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Finding Guidance Beyond the Visible
A Quest for Well-Being
— In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to become disconnected—from ourselves, from one another, and from the natural world. We're constantly chasing the next task, the next notification, the next destination, often forgetting that some of life's greatest healing happens when we simply slow down and pay attention. But what if one of the most powerful practices for reducing stress, restoring mental clarity, and reconnecting with a deeper sense of peace wasn't another productivity hack—but simply spending intentional time among the treesToday, we're exploring the beautiful practice of ...
info_outline— What if your body has been trying to guide you all along—and the real challenge is learning how to listen?
In this episode,Dr. Angela Zeng, inspired by her grandfather, a Traditional Chinese Medicine herbalist, shares why true healing begins not with fixing ourselves, but with reconnecting to the body's innate intelligence.
We explore the lost art of self-trust, the powerful messages hidden within our symptoms, and why joy, connection, and vitality are essential ingredients for lasting well-being.
If you've ever wondered how to cultivate a deeper relationship with your body and access the wisdom that already lives within you, this conversation is for you.
Valeria interviews Dr. Angela Zeng — Founder Of Karviva Wellness Beverages, Wellness Entrepreneur, and Professional Speaker.
With nearly three decades of expertise spanning food science, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and entrepreneurship, Dr. Angela Zeng is one of the most distinctive voices at the intersection of ancient healing wisdom and modern nutritional science. Born into generations of traditional Chinese herbalists and later trained as a food scientist with formal grounding in pathology, biochemistry, and TCM, Zeng’s career was catalyzed by a defining realization: American wellness culture had become obsessed with restriction, hype, and quick fixes, while overlooking the centuries-old truth her family had always practiced: that food, when chosen with intention, is itself the most powerful medicine.
Zeng spent years inside the food and beverage industry as a scientist and product innovator before stepping out to challenge what she saw as a system optimized for marketing rather than meaningful health outcomes, grounded in the conviction that consumers deserve products built on evidence, not aesthetics, and that wellness must be measured in vitality, not deprivation.
She is the founder of Karviva, a multi-award-winning functional beverage brand headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, dedicated to bridging modern nutritional science and Traditional Chinese Medicine through clean, plant-powered drinks. Her product portfolio spans Unwined, Detox, Immunity, ACE Sport, Wellness, Sprouts of Hope, and the newly launched Energy Juice lines, translating ancient herbal philosophy into a structured, accessible framework for everyday hydration, recovery, and longevity. Karviva’s guiding philosophy, Food Is Better Medicine™, has driven more than one million bottles sold across 2,000+ retail locations, with features in Forbes, Bon Appétit, USA Today, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, and MarketWatch.
A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Zeng is a TEDx speaker, a 2025 and 2026 St. Louis Titan 100 honoree, a 2026 Titan CEO honoree, and the recipient of the 2025 World Beverage Innovation Award for Best Low/No Alcohol Beverage, with three additional Karviva product lines named finalists at the same awards in Best Energy Beverage, Best Natural/Organic Beverage, and Best Plant-Based Beverage. She is also the author of the forthcoming book The Balance Cure: Unlock Your Body & Ancient Code for Lasting Weight Loss (June 2026), a practical guide that translates Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern nutritional science into a personalized framework for matching food, movement, and habits to individual body type, including dedicated support for those using GLP-1 medications.
Learn more about Dr. Angela and her work!