The Hidden Root of Hair Loss: Metabolism, Emotions, and a New Path to Healing with Dr. Julie Olson
Release Date: 05/12/2026
What If the Biggest Problems in Your Business Are Actually a Sign You’re Out of Alignment With Esther Wildenberg
The Story Engine Podcast
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about alignment—not just as a personal-growth concept, but as something that directly affects how we lead, build businesses, make decisions, and live our lives. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Esther Wildenberg, an executive coach, entrepreneur, consultant, and AI business owner who has spent more than 20 years helping leaders recognize when they’ve drifted out of alignment and find their way back. Esther describes alignment as the place where our purpose, passion, heart, identity, and actions are working together—and...
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The Story Engine Podcast
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The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when you’ve built the successful career, hit the milestones, created the life everyone tells you that you should want—and yet, deep down, you know something is wrong? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Melissa Marina, a subconscious healer and intuitive channel for top entrepreneurs and founders, to explore what happens when high achievers finally stop compromising their deepest desires. Melissa shares the story of graduating with honors, winning entrepreneurship awards, landing a great corporate job, and seemingly doing everything...
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When Your Business Is Thriving but Your Life Is Falling Apart With John Glon
The Story Engine Podcast
I sat down with entrepreneur and business coach John Glon for a conversation about something I’ve experienced personally—and something I see happen to so many founders: the moment when hard work, grit, and determination that once built the business start becoming the very things that hold it back. John shared his journey from running a successful electrical manufacturing business to realizing that his deeper calling was helping leaders and their teams communicate, execute, and lead better. We explored what happens when founders become the person everyone depends on, why “I’ll just...
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The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when you’re a nurse who deeply cares about helping people, but you realize the healthcare system doesn’t always give you the freedom—or the options—to provide the kind of care you believe people deserve? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Ashley Yardley, founder of Advanced Mobile IV, to unpack the personal experiences that pushed her to build a completely different model of healthcare. We talk about how her background in home health and hospice led her to see the power of bringing care directly into people’s homes and communities, and how...
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Your Brain Health Problems May Be Starting Decades Earlier Than You Think With Eric Collett
The Story Engine Podcast
In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with brain health and dementia expert Eric Collett to explore a question I think a lot of us would rather avoid: What if the problems we experience in our brain, energy, focus, and mental health today are warning signs of something deeper? Eric explains why conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can begin developing decades before obvious symptoms appear, and why things like brain fog, low energy, declining productivity, gut health issues, and memory changes deserve more attention than we often give them. We also unpack...
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The Story Engine Podcast
What if the thing we spend our lives avoiding—death—could actually become one of the most powerful tools for creating a more meaningful life? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with behavioral change expert and bestselling author Karen Salmansohn to explore why so many ambitious, high-achieving people resist self-help, stay trapped in “beast mode,” and keep telling themselves they’ll finally live the life they want someday. Karen shares her philosophy of moving from the “den of pleasure” into the “laboratory of growth,” embracing emotional diversity, and...
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The Story Engine Podcast
Most people who want to write a book are thinking about the book. What they don't see coming is what the process does to them. Steven Heumann spent 15 years as a television writer and director before founding Superhuman Creative, a ghostwriting and publishing company that helps leaders tell their stories. In this conversation, we talk about the difference between leading with principles and leading with your story, what it actually means to reach a moment of authenticity (it's not a mindset shift, it's an identity shift), and why the clients who go through his process often describe it as four...
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The Story Engine Podcast
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Wartime CEO: Disruption, Delayed Gratification, and Doing the Opposite with Chandler Bolt
The Story Engine Podcast
Chandler Bolt dropped out of college with a C in English, ADHD, and about three months of runway in the bank. He borrowed his parents' retirement savings to buy out his business partner at Self Publishing School, then paid every dollar back in 11 months. Over the last 12 years, his company has helped publish more than 7,000 books. In this episode, Chandler gets honest about what it means to lead through a genuinely hard season: flat growth years, SEO traffic down 70%, and an industry being disrupted by AI hype that he thinks is badly outpacing AI capability. He shares the framework he calls...
info_outlineHair loss is often treated as a surface-level issue—but what if the real cause runs much deeper? In this episode of the Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Julie Olson to uncover the often-overlooked metabolic factors behind hair loss, along with the profound emotional and psychological toll it can take on women. This conversation goes beyond quick fixes, shining a light on the internal imbalances that may be at the root of the problem.
Dr. Julie shares her holistic approach to restoring hair health by addressing the body as an interconnected system—offering a new sense of hope for women who feel frustrated, unseen, or stuck. If you or someone you know has struggled with hair loss and hasn’t found real answers, this episode opens the door to a more compassionate, root-cause-driven path forward.
Highlights:
(00:24) – Julie introduces her work: a triple board-certified nutritionist specializing in root-cause solutions for female hair loss
(01:03) – Kyle shares his experience with “biological anxiety” and how metabolic issues can manifest in unexpected ways
(02:14) – Why hair loss isn’t genetic destiny: the role of epigenetics and how lifestyle choices influence gene expression
(03:52) – The powerful symbolism of hair and why it plays such a deep role in identity—especially for women
(05:00) – “Hair is the crown of glory”: the emotional weight of hair loss and why it’s so devastating
(06:10) – The psychological impact: how hair loss affects confidence, relationships, and how women show up in the world
(06:40) – The stress-hair loss cycle explained: how chronic stress triggers inflammation and pushes hair into the shedding phase
(07:58) – The surprising role of the scalp microbiome—and why hair requires more nutrients than you might think
(08:57) – The vicious cycle: how emotional stress about hair loss can actually make the condition worse
(10:00) – Why common solutions fail: extensions, transplants, and treatments that ignore the root cause
(10:50) – Julie’s personal story begins: losing her hair in clumps at age 38 and being dismissed by doctors
(11:27) – “Medication is a bandage”: why most approaches miss the deeper metabolic issues
(13:30) – The problem with modern medicine: being dismissed, unheard, and pushed toward lifelong medication
(16:25) – The 5 root causes of hair loss revealed: hormonal, digestive, inflammatory, toxins, and stress
(17:03) – Hidden toxins explained: how plastics, cosmetics, and everyday products disrupt hormones and health
(19:49) – A bigger issue emerges: why modern life is creating more metabolic problems than ever before
(21:23) – Lessons from a “Blue Zone”: how lifestyle, food, and simplicity impact long-term health
(23:16) – The turning point: Julie leaves her dream job after her mother’s cancer diagnosis—and her own health begins to decline
(24:49) – Hiding in the office: the emotional reality of hair loss—shame, isolation, and desperation for answers
(25:11) – “I was humiliated”: the breaking point and frustration of getting no real solutions from doctors
(26:32) – The healing journey begins: uncovering hidden infections, food sensitivities, and internal imbalances
(28:43) – The slow victory: regaining her hair—and more importantly, control over her health and life
(29:43) – Starting her own practice: a moment of empowerment and stepping into her true calling
(31:00) – Kyle reflects Julie’s story back: a powerful narrative of transformation, resilience, and purpose
(36:18) – A deeper layer: Julie’s mother survives cancer, reinforcing the power of metabolic health and lifestyle changes
(37:13) – A heartbreaking insight: why losing hair can feel worse than chemotherapy for some women
(37:53) – The mission: giving women hope worldwide and addressing hair loss at its true root
(38:31) – Next steps: Julie shares how to identify your root cause with her diagnostic quiz