Food, Mood & The Gut-Brain Connection with Dr. Melissa Mondala
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
Release Date: 09/25/2025
Mushrooms Beyond the Hype: Energy, Healing, and What Most People Get Wrong
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
Dr. Rob Downey welcomes Benjamin Bressington for a wide-ranging conversation that goes far beyond the mushroom hype cycle and into lived experience, integrity, and true therapeutic potential. Benjamin traces his path into mushrooms through years spent navigating infertility and IVF, where he witnessed firsthand the physical and emotional toll of narrow, protocol-driven medicine. That disillusionment, combined with his own struggle with depression as a high-performing entrepreneur, led him to explore mushrooms as a tool for accessing buried trauma and restoring a sense of vitality that talk...
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Surprising Facts About Your Skin and How to Care for it with Marcia Mankin
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
Heather Moon, our wonderful nurse practitioner here at Seaworthy, is taking over as host for this episode of The Field Notes Podcast! She welcomes fellow NP, Marcia Mankin, whose lifelong passion for skin health began on a Wyoming ranch and deepened through profound personal experiences with melanoma in her family. Together, they explore something I wish more people understood: your skin isn’t just a surface. It’s a living, intelligent messenger—constantly reflecting your internal health, your environment, your stress levels, your sleep quality, and even your emotional state. Marcia...
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Why Food Isn’t Enough: The Hidden Key to Healing
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes podcast, Dr. Rob Downey interviews naturopathic doctor Sarah Love about why nutrition alone often fails to resolve modern health issues. Sarah explains that despite patients following excellent diets, chronic stress, lack of breaks, and sympathetic overdrive frequently block healing. She emphasizes the importance of intentional rest, reconnecting with nature, and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Her clinical experience led her back to herbal medicine and the creation of her own caffeine-free tea blends designed to support relaxation, gut health,...
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Hypnosis + Hormones: The Unexpected Female Reset
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes podcast, Dr. Downey interviews Natalie Lund and opens up about her unexpected journey through perimenopause and how it forced her to rewrite long-held beliefs about her body and identity. She shares how she experienced medical gaslighting when her symptoms were dismissed, and how she found real relief through hormone therapy and the mindset-shifting technique of rapid transformational therapy (RTT). She explores how hypnosis and RTT helped her reclaim control over her life, reset her mental and physical state, and begin seeing her femininity and wellbeing in a...
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Stop Searching Outside Yourself for Healing—Your Body Already Knows The Way with Dr. Marissa Heisel
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes Podcast, Dr. Rob Downey speaks with Dr. Marissa Heisel—a chiropractor and midwife—about the importance of trusting our body’s innate wisdom and recognizing that true healing begins from within. She shares how modern society, particularly for women, has conditioned us to depend on external authorities rather than our own intuition. Through her experiences in chiropractic, midwifery, and holistic care, Dr. Heisel emphasizes the power of self-trust, simplicity, and returning to natural grounding practices to restore vitality and sovereignty over one’s...
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How the Power of Smell Can Heal Mind and Body
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes Podcast, Dr. Rob Downey speaks with Jodi Cohen, founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, about the transformative power of essential oils on the brain and nervous system. Cohen recounts her personal journey, showing how scent can help regulate the vagus nerve, restore parasympathetic balance, and support emotional healing. She explains the direct neurological link between smell and safety, how scent can rewire stress responses, and why essential oils like clove, lime, and rose can serve as simple yet profound tools for trauma recovery, anxiety relief, and nervous-system...
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Connect to Nature: The Simple 'Medicine' Doctors Forget
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes podcast, Dr. Rob Downey is joined by Dr. Michael Blahut, a family practice physician with integrative training, to discuss his philosophy that the life you live is your medicine. Dr. Blahut emphasizes that lifestyle and our connection to the natural world are the most potent forms of medicine, going beyond supplements and testing. The conversation centers on restoring the body's original biological blueprint by tapping into nature's wisdom through simple practices. They explore the critical roles of natural light and the circadian rhythm in health, discussing...
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The Gut–Heart Connection Your Doctor Missed
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode, Dr. Rob Downey speaks with Angie Gallagher—an exercise physiologist and integrative health coach with over 25 years of experience in cardiac rehab—about why conventional heart care is missing the mark. Angie shares how her frustration with recurring cardiac events in patients led her to explore functional medicine approaches, integrating gut health, nervous system regulation, and metabolic markers into her practice. The conversation dives into overlooked lab tests, the gut–heart axis, HeartMath for nervous system balance, and why managing stress and blood sugar may be...
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Food, Mood & The Gut-Brain Connection with Dr. Melissa Mondala
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this powerful episode of the Fieldnotes Podcast, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Melissa Mondala to explore how food, lifestyle, and the gut-brain-immune connection can transform mental health. From her own journey overcoming IBS and acne to helping her husband manage autoimmune disease, Dr. Mondala reveals how simple, evidence-based changes can spark profound healing. She shares insights on why nutrition can be as effective as antidepressants, how sleep and exercise influence mood, and the hidden impact of substances and environmental toxins. If you’ve ever wondered how lifestyle...
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Post Betrayal Transformation with Dr. Debi Silber
Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine
In this episode of the Fieldnotes podcast, Dr. Rob Downey speaks with Dr. Debi Silber, founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute, about the profound and often misunderstood impact of betrayal on physical, emotional, and psychological health. Dr. Silber shares her personal experience with family and marital betrayal that led her to conduct doctoral research on the topic, resulting in the identification of Post-Betrayal Syndrome and a five-stage healing process. She emphasizes that betrayal doesn’t resolve with time alone and presents shocking statistics on how it manifests in the...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode of the Fieldnotes Podcast, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Melissa Mondala to explore how food, lifestyle, and the gut-brain-immune connection can transform mental health.
From her own journey overcoming IBS and acne to helping her husband manage autoimmune disease, Dr. Mondala reveals how simple, evidence-based changes can spark profound healing.
She shares insights on why nutrition can be as effective as antidepressants, how sleep and exercise influence mood, and the hidden impact of substances and environmental toxins. If you’ve ever wondered how lifestyle choices shape your mind, body, and resilience, this episode offers a hopeful roadmap for lasting vitality.
Key takeaways:
- The gut produces 90% of neurotransmitters, directly linking digestion, immunity, and mood.
- Plant-based eating and stress reduction resolved Dr. Mandala’s IBS and improved her husband’s autoimmune symptoms.
- Nutritional counseling can achieve remission rates for depression equal to or better than SSRIs.
- Short, frequent “exercise snacks” throughout the day boost energy, mood, and clarity.
- Sleep, environmental toxins, and even sensitivity to noise all play major roles in mental health.