The Lushness Podcast

Black women are not getting breast cancer more than everyone else. We are dying from it at a 40% higher rate, and the reasons run deeper than most people realize.Breast surgical oncologist Dr. Monique Gary joins the Lushness Podcast for the most powerful breast health conversation we have ever had. From prevention to diagnosis to survivorship, she breaks down why mammograms alone are not enough, why triple negative breast cancer disproportionately impacts our community, how to advocate for yourself at every stage and why a diagnosis is not a death sentence.This is the episode you send to every woman you love.New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe and leave a review it helps more women find this show.

Your brain is changing right now and most of us have no idea. Board-certified neurologist Dr. Kimberly Idoko joins the Lushness Podcast to break down the science behind stroke, cognitive decline and what is actually happening inside your body before you ever feel a symptom.In this episode we cover why stroke death rates are two to five times higher for women between 45 and 64, how hypertension silently drives neurological decline, what labs and biomarkers to ask your doctor about and how to show up to your appointments armed with the right information.This is the brain health conversation you did not know you needed.New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full episode on Youtube @lushnessmedia

Your weight loss isn't about willpower. And today, you're going to finally understand why.Dr. Phyllis Pobee is a triple board-certified physician and the founder of GeneLean360, and one of the leading voices in genetic weight loss medicine. In this episode, she breaks down why traditional diet advice fails so many women and what to do about it.You'll get the science behind what's actually happening in your body when generic diets don't work, the truth about the genetic patterns most common in Black women, and tools you can start using today.This episode could change how you approach weight loss for the rest of your life.

Heart disease is the number one killer of Black women in America, responsible for one in every four deaths. In this episode, Dr. Mary Branch, board-certified cardiologist, breaks down exactly what's happening in the body when blood pressure rises, why Black women are consistently under-diagnosed and under-treated, and the specific numbers everyone should know to protect their heart.We cover what blood pressure actually is and why 130/80 is the number to watch, how stress, salt, and genetics silently drive numbers up, how to accurately monitor blood pressure at home (and which cuff to buy), what GLP-1 medications are revealing about heart disease risk, the heart-healthy foods that actually make a difference, and the exact questions to ask your cardiologist at your next visit. This is the conversation every Black woman needs to have with her heart before it's forced to have it with her.In This Episode:Why heart disease numbers are getting worse, not better, for Black womenThe blood pressure numbers you need to know (and the one your doctor may not fully explain)What raises blood pressure without you realizing itHow to monitor blood pressure accurately at homeThe connection between GLP-1s and heart disease riskHeart-healthy foods and small daily habits that compound over timeQuestions to ask your cardiologist to become an active participant in your careStart Here: Get a home blood pressure cuff (Dr. Branch recommends Omron), check it once a day for a week, and bring the numbers to your next doctor's visit.About The Lushness Podcast: Every conversation Black women need to have. The Lushness Podcast sits down with health experts to break down the topics that matter most for Black women's longevity, whole body health, and living well at every stage.#HeartHealth #BloodPressure #BlackWomensHealth #Cardiologist #HeartDiseaseAwareness #BlackWellness #LushnessPodcast #BlackDoctors #HealthEquity #Longevity #HeartDiseasePrevention

Your hormones are talking. Do you know how to listen?Black women enter perimenopause earlier, experience more severe symptoms for longer, and are the least likely of any group to receive hormone therapy. In this episode Dr. Nicole Peoples breaks down what is actually happening in your body and what you can do about it.In this episode we cover: Why Black women's perimenopause symptoms are more severe and what epigenetics has to do with it What progesterone and testosterone are actually doing in your body that nobody told you about The truth about hormone replacement therapy and the 2002 study that changed everything How to find the right specialist when your doctor doesn't have answers What thriving post menopause actually looks like and how to build toward it nowDr. Nicole Peoples is a board certified internal medicine physician with advanced training in integrative and functional medicine and a specialist in hormone health for women based in Atlanta, Georgia.Follow Dr. Peoples: @drnicolepeoplesFree Resources: https://go.drnicolepeoples.com/freehormoneminicoursesignupFollow Lushness: @lushness on InstagramWebsite: lushness.com

Nobody taught us to connect our bleeding gums to chronic disease. Your mouth has been sending signals about what's happening inside your entire body and no one told you how to read them. Dr. Brigette White changes that today.In this episode we cover:Why chronic inflammation in your mouth is a red flag for diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer'sHow stress, cortisol, and hormonal shifts show up in your gums and teeth firstWhat a healthy mouth actually looks like and what to ask at your next dental visitWhy oral health care was designed around the male body and what that costs Black womenHow your oral microbiome connects directly to your gut, immune system, and longevityWhy Black women avoid the dentist and how to find affirming care that actually sees youDr. Brigette White is a Princeton and Penn-trained cosmetic and restorative dentist, author, and founder of Bright Whites Oral Care. 

Six episodes. Six experts. One season dedicated to Black women's longevity and whole body health.Before Season 2 kicks off we are bringing you the most powerful moments from Season 1 of The Lushness Podcast. From sleep deprivation to chronic stress, gut health, lab work, movement, and community, every conversation was designed to give Black women the health information they deserve but rarely receive.This bonus episode is your Season 1 recap and your reminder that your body has been talking. It is time to listen.Season 2 premieres June 23. Subscribe and follow so you never miss an episode.

Social isolation carries the same risk to your body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For Black women who have been conditioned to carry everything alone, that statistic is not just alarming. It is personal.Trauma therapist Tacha Fletcher, LCSW, reveals why Black women were not designed to carry life alone, how social isolation is silently destroying our health, and the practical steps to build a community that actually pours back into you.You will learn how loneliness triggers cortisol and inflammation, why hyper-independence is a trauma response not a personality trait, how to audit your relationships, and how liberation from over-giving is the key to your longevity.Community is not just an emotional need. It is a biological one. And healing happens in community.Learn more at Lushness.comFollow us on Youtube @Lushness MediaInstagram: @Lushness

Your back pain, your stiff neck, your tight shoulders are not signs that your body is breaking down. They are signs that your body is talking to you. And if you are a Black woman living under chronic stress, it has been trying to get your attention for a long time.In this episode of the Lushness Podcast, host Laura sits down with Dr. Amber Jackson, Doctor of Chiropractic, clinical researcher at Life University, and adjunct professor in the chiropractic sciences, to unpack the direct connection between chronic stress and chronic pain, why Black women carry it differently, and what you can do today to start reversing it.Dr. Jackson breaks down why movement is medicine and not just a weight loss tool, how elevated cortisol keeps your body in a constant state of fight or flight amplifying pain, what spinal hygiene is and why your spine deserves the same attention as your teeth, and how small daily movements create real lasting change in the body.You do not have to live in pain. Your body will heal when you give it what it needs. It is time to listen.Subscribe and follow The Lushness Podcast so you never miss an episode.

Your labs say normal. But your body is telling you something different.Clinical pharmacist Dr. Ashley Griffith breaks down why the reference ranges used to determine what is normal were not built with Black women in mind, what biomarkers you should actually be tracking for longevity, and how to walk into your doctor's office and get the labs you need without being dismissed.Black women are dying from conditions that should have shown up in their blood work years before they became a crisis. This episode gives you the knowledge to change that.Subscribe and follow The Lushness Podcast so you never miss an episode.

Naturopathic Doctor and gut health expert Dr. Firlande Volcy reveals why your digestive health is the foundation of everything: your mood, your energy, your hormones, and your immune system, and why so many Black women are suffering without real answers.In this episode we cover:Why Black women are disproportionately misdiagnosed when it comes to gut healthThe gut-brain connection and why your mental health starts in your gutHow chronic inflammation shows up in your body and what's driving itThe foods and habits quietly destroying your microbiomeHow to begin healing your gut naturally with science-backed toolsDr. Firlande Volcy is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and leading gut health expert specializing in helping women heal from the inside out.

Your stress is not just exhausting you. It is aging you at the cellular level.In this episode, licensed counseling psychologist Dr. Natasha Manning-Gibbs breaks down the science of weathering, what it is, why Black women carry a disproportionate biological burden, and what you can actually do to slow it down.This is not a burnout conversation. This is the science of what chronic stress from racism, workplace pressure, and daily microaggressions does inside your body, and the specific tools to regulate your nervous system starting this week.In this episode:What weathering is and why every Black woman needs to understand itThe science of allostatic load and how it accelerates biological agingHow chronic stress shows up physically in the bodyWhy traditional self-care falls short when weathering is the root causePractical nervous system regulation tools you can implement this week

Your sleep is costing you years. And if you're a Black woman in America, the odds are already stacked against you.Board-certified physician and sleep specialist Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell breaks down what's really happening to your body when you don't sleep, why Black women are the most affected, and the tools you can start using tonight to sleep better and live longer.If you are experiencing chronic insomnia, Dr. Holliday-Bell recommends consulting your primary care doctor for a referral to a sleep medicine specialist. The number one recommended treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).Featured book: Sleeping on the Job by Dr. Angela Holliday-BellSubscribe and follow The Lushness Podcast so you never miss an episode.