144. Sasha Vasilyuk on Family Secrets

Wellness expert Heather Grzych interviews journalist and fellow author Sasha Vasilyuk about several difficult themes from her debut novel, Your Presence is Mandatory, which is set between World War II and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict and is loosely based on the life of Sasha's Jewish-Ukranian grandfather, who was a POW and ostarbeiter in Germany during World War II. They discuss the silence, fear and shame that can come from having family secrets, and why we decide to hide things from our family or community. They also discuss how groups manipulate others through fear, propaganda and othering, and how we can still love individuals when we don't agree with what their government has done.  Sasha Vasilyuk is a journalist and author of a debut novel, Your Presence is Mandatory that spans between World War II and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Her nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, CNN, Harper's Bazaar, Time, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Telegraph, KQED, and elsewhere. Sasha grew up between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 13. https://www.sashavasilyuk.com/ Heather Grzych, AD is an American author and expert in Ayurvedic medicine who was formerly the head of product development for a multi-billion-dollar health insurance company. She is a board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner at the Ayurvedic Doctor level, serving on the faculty at Mount Madonna Institute College of Ayurveda and on the Board of Directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Heather's first book, The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility, has sold thousands of copies worldwide, and her writing has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Yoga Journal, and the Sunday Independent. Her podcast, Wisdom of the Body, holds an average rating of 5 stars on Apple Podcasts. In addition to creating, supporting her clients, and leading an organization, she's often helping out at her son's baseball practices. Visit her online at www.heathergrzych.com   Connect with Heather: Instagram.com/heathergrzych Facebook.com/grzychheather   Read the first six pages of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility for FREE: https://www.heathergrzych.com   Connect with Heather to balance your health for your fertility: https://www.heathergrzych.com/book-online   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only.