In this episode, Kylie shares what she learned from third-generation Ayurvedic practitioner and bestselling author Nidhi Pandya - and filters it through her own clinical lens to pull out the practices that genuinely make sense for digestion, energy, nervous system health and sleep.

This isn't about doing everything. It's about finding the simple, low-effort rituals that work with your body's natural rhythms and actually have a physiological reason behind them.

If you've been curious about Ayurveda but didn't know where to start, or if you've dismissed it as too woo, this episode might change your mind.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: why Kylie was skeptical of Ayurveda and what changed her mind
02:30 How to think about ancient practices through an evidence-based lens
05:00 What Ayurveda actually focuses on: digestion, energy, circadian alignment, and nervous system health
07:00 Morning ritual one: warm water and warm breakfast and the physiology behind it
10:00 Why sipping slowly matters more than you think
12:00 Morning ritual two: tongue scraping and oil pulling - what the evidence actually says
16:00 The mouth-gut connection and why oral health matters for digestion and energy
18:30 Morning ritual three: morning light and circadian rhythm reset
21:00 How to make morning light work even when you're short on time
23:00 Midday: why Ayurveda recommends your biggest meal at lunch and the science behind it
27:00 Why eating a big dinner makes your body work against itself
30:00 How to transition toward a bigger midday meal without overhauling your routine
33:00 Evening ritual one: foot massage before bed and why it works for deeper sleep
37:00 The importance of transition time between the stress of the day and sleep
39:00 Evening ritual two: body oiling and what it actually does for your nervous system
43:00 Why novelty in your rituals can make them more effective and easier to stick to
45:00 Final thoughts and why these ancient practices deserve more respect than they get

About Nidhi Pandya

Nidhi Pandya is a third-generation Ayurvedic practitioner and bestselling author of Your Body Already Knows. One of today's most influential voices in modern Ayurveda, Nidhi bridges ancient lineage-based wisdom with the science of inflammation, hormones, and longevity. She has been featured in SELF, Healthline, The Resetter Podcast, and more, and has built a community of over 240,000 followers on Instagram.

📸 @my_ayurvedic_life on Instagram
📖 Your Body Already Knows

Meet Kylie:
Instagram: @within.nutrition
Apply for 1:1 coaching here.

Welcome to the Within Nutrition Podcast.

There is so much noise in the health world that often sounds so convincing but doesn't actually work for you so we're here to breakdown the science, challenge the common myths and share the strategies that truly make a difference for you.

What if your body already knows how to heal - and the only thing standing in the way is you?

That's the question at the heart of this conversation with Alayna Bellquist, marine scientist, speaker, and author of Resilient by Nature: A Memoir of Curing Chronic Lyme Disease. After nearly two decades studying how ecosystems recover from stress and collapse, Alayna found herself applying those exact same principles to her own body after a devastating battle with chronic Lyme disease.

This is not a scary Lyme episode. This is a story of full recovery, radical self-honesty, and what happens when you stop fighting your body and start treating it like the resilient, intelligent system it actually is.

Whether you're navigating a chronic illness, burnout, or just a body that feels like it's working against you, this conversation will leave you with more hope than you came in with.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and welcome
00:45 Why Alayna felt compelled to share her story and challenge the dominant Lyme narrative
02:29 How the tick bite happened in 2017 and why it went undiagnosed for three years
04:57 Peak COVID, a riding accident, and the moment everything fell apart
06:29 The terror of a chronic Lyme diagnosis and what the internet told her to expect
07:17 The deeper wake-up call: overachieving, people pleasing and a worth tied to productivity
10:25 Why burnout shows up as chronic illness and why it would have been something eventually
13:35 Finding a Lyme literate specialist and building a full treatment protocol
15:12 When the antibiotics stopped working and the emotional work began
16:31 Adding breathwork, cold therapy, Chinese medicine, EMDR, and talk therapy
17:02 Testing negative and reaching full recovery by 2024
19:26 What Alayna knew about health before Lyme and what she ignored
21:02 How diet culture and productivity culture fed the same harmful stories
22:02 Where the stories of worthiness and identity come from and how early they form
25:11 Why zero to seven is the most important window for children's belief systems
27:08 Neuroplasticity and the hope that what was learned can be unlearned
28:31 Applying marine ecosystem recovery principles to the human body
31:00 Treating the body like a degraded ecosystem: removing what jeopardizes resilience
33:03 Why humans are the only species with the belief they can exist outside of nature
34:32 The body is always moving toward healing when you stop blocking it
36:06 What even small connections to nature can do for your nervous system
38:19 Why nature does the work for you without effort or optimization
41:35 The four spheres of healing: western medicine, alternative therapies, mental and emotional work, and nature
44:15 The first dietary changes Alayna made and why simplicity was the point
46:49 What has remained the hardest pattern to break even after full recovery
48:02 Getting comfortable with discomfort as a core skill in healing
50:37 Sleep, pressure, and why trying too hard makes everything worse
54:32 The one morning habit Alayna credits for supporting sleep and circadian rhythm
57:08 About the book Resilient by Nature and where to find Alayna

About Alayna Bellquist

Alayna Bellquist is a marine science and policy expert, speaker, and author of Resilient by Nature: A Memoir of Curing Chronic Lyme Disease, available September 15, 2026. After nearly two decades studying ecosystem resilience, collapse, and recovery, Alayna turned those same principles on herself during a harrowing battle with chronic Lyme disease - and came out the other side healthier than she had ever been.

📸 @elenabelquist on Instagram
🌐 elenabelquist.com
📖 Resilient by Nature - available for pre-order now, releasing September 15, 2026

Meet Kylie:
Instagram: @within.nutrition
Apply for 1:1 coaching here.

Check out some of our recipes as mentioned in this episode here.

Welcome to the Within Nutrition Podcast.

There is so much noise in the health world that often sounds so convincing but doesn't actually work for you so we're here to breakdown the science, challenge the common myths and share the strategies that truly make a difference for you.

If your energy has been feeling flat, heavy, or just inconsistent - this episode is a breath of warm air. Kylie shares five simple, practical things she's doing this summer to feel her most energized, grounded, and well. No complicated protocols, no expensive supplements. Just real, accessible habits that work with your body and your gut to help you feel genuinely good.

Whether you're in the middle of a heat wave or just looking for ways to make the most of the longer, warmer days, these are things you can start today.

In this episode, Kylie covers five summer energy habits rooted in gut health, blood sugar balance, and nervous system support - including the truth about fruit and blood sugar that the wellness world has overcomplicated, why bookending your day with walks is one of the most underrated health tools available to you, how fresh herbs can meaningfully improve your gut microbiome diversity, the right way to build a smoothie that actually stabilizes your energy, and what the research really says about grounding.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and welcome
01:30 Why energy is such a central theme in the Within Nutrition coaching program
03:30 Habit one: eating more seasonal fruit and why fruit is not the enemy
06:00 The truth about blood sugar, fruit, and what the wellness world gets wrong
09:00 How fat intake affects insulin sensitivity and your ability to eat fruit
12:30 Habit two: bookending your day with morning and evening walks
15:00 Why a walk is a nervous system tool, not just a fitness tool
17:00 Morning light, circadian rhythm, and the gut microbiome connection
19:00 A note on intermittent fasting and women in their fertility years
21:30 Habit three: adding fresh herbs for gut microbiome diversity
24:00 How to use mint and basil practically in summer meals and drinks
25:30 Habit four: leaning back into smoothies and how to build one that works
28:00 The key three method applied to smoothies
30:00 Habit five: grounding - what the research actually says
32:00 Final thoughts and information on the Within Nutrition coaching program

Meet Kylie:
Instagram: @within.nutrition
Apply for 1:1 coaching here.

Check out some of our recipes as mentioned in this episode here.

Welcome to the Within Nutrition Podcast.

There is so much noise in the health world that often sounds so convincing but doesn't actually work for you so we're here to breakdown the science, challenge the common myths and share the strategies that truly make a difference for you.