Ep. 354: Is Your Cortisol Lying to You? Burnout, “Normal” Labs & Vagus Nerve episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 27, 2026 · 58 MIN

Ep. 354: Is Your Cortisol Lying to You? Burnout, “Normal” Labs & Vagus Nerve

from The Curious Introvert · host Meredith Hackwith Edwards

What if the villain isn't high cortisol, but low? Does the idea of relaxing make you cringe? Erin Kinney, ND, is a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in helping type A patients use cortisol as a currency to generate energy, handle stress, heal, & perform. She is also the author of The Cortisol Cure: The Secret to Resetting Your Stress Response, Boosting Energy & Feeling Better Than Ever. In this episode, she describes two patients with wacked out cortisol (is this YOU?), the relationship of burnout & cortisol, how to understand your HRV, if your fasting & exercise could be making your stress worse, when stress is GOOD, free tips to rebalance your stress hormones & how to find the right doctor to work with you If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 61: REDUCING STRESS THROUGH BREATHING: HACKS FOR THE NON-HIPPY Guest:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-kinney-show/id1547023817 https://a.co/d/06TmZ6hw https://www.thekinneyclinic.com/about-dr-erin-kinney https://www.instagram.com/TheKinneyClinichttps://www.facebook.com/TheKinneyClinic Sponsors: https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/  4:20 What your labs should say6:58 The cortisol bank account9:06 The real ideal numbers11:34 Introvert vs extrovert stress14:28 CGM spikes as a clue16:10 What HRV is really telling you23:51 Two muscles: stress and rest25:21 Mold, trauma, and fight or flight27:14 The 90/10 rule31:15 Is burnout just low cortisol?31:51 The top 3 culprits37:29 Meditation and the off switch39:31 The compressed vagus nerve43:30 Why exercise isn't relaxing44:30 Are you overtraining?45:17 Fasting: his vs hers47:22 Alcohol, weed, and your bank account48:57 Free tips you can use today53:24 Finding the right doctorRequest to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/Follow me in all the places:https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/ [email protected]://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

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What if the villain isn't high cortisol, but low? Does the idea of relaxing make you cringe? Erin Kinney, ND, is a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in helping type A patients use cortisol as a currency to generate energy, handle stress, heal, & perform. She is also the author of The Cortisol Cure: The Secret to Resetting Your Stress Response, Boosting Energy & Feeling Better Than Ever. In this episode, she describes two patients with wacked out cortisol (is this YOU?)...

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Ep. 354: Is Your Cortisol Lying to You? Burnout, “Normal” Labs & Vagus Nerve

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