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Sister Science Stories: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jill Novak
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- 1 weeks ago43 min
Trust the Timing: Nicole Dyck's Sister Science Story
in 2012, Nicole Dyck walked nervously into her first yoga class at Alchemy. Knowing that something needed to shift for her, a hyper independent widowed Mom, finally choosing to step out of the insular safe life she had created. From her first yoga class to the leap into Teacher Training in 2019, Nicole shares a story of being vulnerable with strangers, asking for helps, opening up, sharing, and letting her light shine. Today, she's a yoga teacher, diving into intensive Yoga Therapy studies, and living proof that your Yoga mat finds you at exactly the right moment. In this episode, Jill sits down with Nicole - one of the original 16 women in Jill & Jody's very first 2019 Yoga Teacher Training - to trace a journey that has been anything but linear. Weeks after completing that training, Nicole found a lump in her breast. By December 27th, she had a breast cancer diagnosis. And then COVID hit. What unfolded in the years that followed is a story of radical opening learning to ask for help, finding her voice in the seat of the teacher, building a beloved chair yoga community, and recently discovering yoga therapy after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees. Nicole shares how yoga gave her the one thing she didn't know she was missing: freedom. Freedom to be imperfect, to grieve, to love again, to run (yes, run!) up a flight of stairs with no pain, and to show up fully for her students, community, family, partner, and the grandbaby on the way. This conversation will move you. Grab a tissue, settle in, and let Nicole's story remind you to trust the timing of your own life. Nicole teaches at High River & District Seniors Friendship Centre and the Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex. She can be reached at lightbulbmoment2020@gmail.com. Topics explored: breast cancer survivorship, grief and widowhood, vulnerability, yoga teacher training, chair yoga for seniors, yoga therapy, neuroplasticity, osteoarthritis, and the healing power of community.
- 3 weeks ago1h 3m
Integration: How it feels to be Whole
What Does It Mean to Be Whole? A Conversation on Integration In this heartfelt episode of Sister Science Stories, Jill and Chelsea unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in personal growth: integration. Drawing from the Latin root integer — meaning whole, complete, undivided — they make the case that what most of us actually need isn't to be fixed, but to be restored to the wholeness that was always there. Chelsea opens up about one of the most painful years of her life, navigating the decision to step back from her relationship with her mother, ending patterns of over-giving, and sitting with the grief, rage, and self-shame that surfaced in the process. Together, Jill and Chelsea explore what integration actually looks and feels like from the inside — and why it's so much harder, and more rewarding, than any quick fix. They also touch on the connection between integration and physical health, the body as a truth-teller, and why perimenopause may be one of the most powerful invitations to come home to yourself that a woman will ever receive. This episode is honest, vulnerable, and deeply human. If you've been white-knuckling your way through life, managing symptoms, or quietly wondering whether there's another way — this one is for you. In this episode: Why integration is not suppression, conquering, or eliminating — it's a relationship How the body signals disintegration long before the mind catches up The role of capacity-building in any meaningful change Why menopause is a sacred threshold, not a medical problem to solve How to take the first small step when the leap feels impossible
- Apr 12, 202643 min
The Rituals That Hold You When Life Falls Apart: Ayurveda with Radhika Mukhija
What does it mean to move through life not just productively, but radically alive? In this rich conversation, host Jill sits down with Ayurvedic coach and soon-to-be author Radhika Mukhija to explore the wisdom woven into her upcoming book, Radiant Rituals (releasing 12.12.2026). Radhika shares how a divorce after a twenty-year marriage, a chance encounter with an astrologer, and a growing unease with surface-level wellness content all converged into a calling she couldn't ignore — to write the book she needed most. Together, Jill and Radhika explore the difference between habits and rituals, the healing intelligence of the three gunas, and why true self-care is never about bypassing what's hard — it's about meeting it. From mindful morning hydration to pratyahara, from the wisdom of Radhika's grandmother's kitchen to the necessity of intuitive rest, this episode is an invitation to reclaim your presence, your pleasure, and your inner resilience. This one is for the high-performing woman who is ready to stop running from stillness — and start letting rest inform what comes next. Topics covered: Ayurveda & yoga philosophy in everyday life · the gunas · dinacharya · pratyahara · seasonal living · ritual vs. habit · grief & transitions · ojas & vitality · santosha & surrender Radhika Mukhija is an author, women’s coach, and integrative wellness mentor whose work bridges Ayurvedic wisdom, yoga philosophy, and modern neuroscience to help women heal from emotional depletion and reconnect with their natural rhythm. Her forthcoming book, Radiant Rituals (Shambhala Publications / Penguin Random House, Fall 2026), explores how ancient wisdom and modern science come together to cultivate presence, intuitive awareness, and inner strength. Before founding Holistic Prana, Radhika worked in executive search, supporting C-level teams in high-growth organizations—an experience that deepened her understanding of burnout and systemic stress among high-performing women. Today, she guides professionals, executives, and creatives through mentoring, seasonal wellness programs, and meditation practices. Rooted in her upbringing in India, Radhika’s work is both intellectual and intuitive, inviting women to slow down, align with nature’s rhythms, and remember their innate wisdom. She lives in Colorado, where her daily rituals and connection to nature anchor her writing and teaching. Links Explore Radhika’s work: www.holisticprana.com Instagram: @holisticprana Free Gift: Schedule a 30-minute Clarity Session
- Mar 29, 20261h 15m
My Spine Shifted as my Life Shifted - Scoliosis with Melissa Johannes
What if your diagnosis isn't something to fix, but something your body is trying to say? Jill welcomes back Dr. Melissa Johannes, holistic health practitioner and founder of Hertz Health, for a deep and personal conversation about scoliosis - not just as a structural diagnosis, but as a map of the life patterns held within the body. Melissa shares her own healing timeline, from first awareness through unwinding, repatterning, and into a new phase of integration and self-authority. Together, they explore why Western medicine's approach to scoliosis, bracing, fusing, adjusting, often interrupts the body's own signal, and what it looks like to heal from the inside out instead. Melissa's story is raw, honest, and deeply hopeful: a reminder that the body is not your adversary. It's been keeping score on your behalf. Jill weaves in Ayurvedic wisdom throughout, connecting scoliosis to excess Vata - too much mobility, too much bending over backwards, too much doing for everyone else - and what it means to find stability, rhythm, and nourishment as the true medicine. This one ends with a sentence worth writing down: “My spine shifted as my life shifted - when I stopped living in adaptation and started living in rhythm, my body no longer needed to brace.” Dr. Melissa Johannes is a clinician trained in chiropractic and holistic medicine who helps women understand how life patterns shape physiology. Her work bridges nervous system regulation, structural integrity, and embodied leadership. Through her Hertz Health method, she teaches that symptoms are not errors - they are intelligent adaptations waiting to be renegotiated. You can find Melissa www.hertzhealth.ca and @hertzhealth
- Mar 15, 20261h 0m
Beauty, the Body, and the Rise of the Feminine: In Conversation with Hannah Levin
What does it really mean to feel beautiful - and who decided the standard in the first place? In this wide-ranging conversation, Jill and Hannah Levin (from the Vitality Circle), pull back the curtain on the cultural forces that have shaped women's relationship with their bodies: from Botox and the male gaze to beauty standards that reward looking perpetually young and prepubescent. What begins as a conversation about aging and body image opens into something much deeper: a reckoning with systemic power, the wounds of girlhood, and what it truly means to show up in a female body in today's world. Together, Jill and Hannah explore: *How beauty standards have been shaped by toxic masculinity and power imbalances - and what the Epstein files reveal about that *The "fawn response" and how both women and men are conditioned to comply rather than confront *Brahmacharya and the ancient yogic principle of responsible sexuality and why we need it back *The Ayurvedic lens on perimenopause, the adrenals, and why how you live your 30s and 40s matters deeply for your menopausal transition *The "sister wound" and how healing our trust in other women may be one of the most radical things we can do *What Ojas (essential vitality) has to do with true, lasting beauty This episode is an invitation to turn inward, reclaim your voice, and remember that the most magnetic beauty has always come from within. Find Hannah Levin at www.heartfeltwellbeing.com and on social media @heartfeltwellbeing
- Mar 8, 202650 min
Returning to Play: In Conversation with Noah Bolton
Jill sits down with Noah Bolton to talk about the ways our body shows us we are slipping out of vitality. In this conversation between two generations, who see the way the world wants us to show up, yet feel in their bodies the way that fulfills and fuels them is different. How do we account for that? How do we listen to the nudges from our body - urging us to play, get lost in our creativity, come into relationship with the moment. Immerse in the delight of the present. AND... still create a sustainable life path forward in this crazy world. You can listen more to Noah Bolton on Spotify or where ever you get your music. Finding him on instagram @noahboltonca
- Mar 2, 202654 min
Curiosity defining the Feminine: In Conversation with Cynthia Abulafia
What does it mean to truly inhabit your own body - and why has language for the feminine been so hard to find? Jill sits down with Cynthia Abulafia, author of Embodying the Goddess, to hear how she give words to the living wisdom of the Divine Feminine. Cynthia brings her background in yoga, tantra, and her devotion to transcribing ancient texts to untangle concepts that we sense, we know and feel, but struggle to put into words. Together, they unpack the difference between transcending the body and actually living inside it, why curiosity might be the most underrated spiritual practice, and how reframing "triggers" as activations can shift everything. You can find Cynthia @embodyingthegoddessbook and cynthiaabulafia.com :)
- Jan 22, 202658 min
Skin Wisdom with Melanie Nelson
In this episode of Sister Science Stories, Jill sits down with skin whisperer Melanie Nelson, founder of U Retreat in Victoria. Together, they explore skin not as something to fix, control, or perfect, but as a messenger, a boundary, and a living reflection of what’s happening inside us. Melanie shares her philosophy as a holistic aesthetician trained in herbalism, lymphatic drainage, and facial reflexology, and explains why presence - and not just products - is the missing ingredient in modern skincare. From ritual to routine, to how touch resets the nervous system, to why skin issues like acne, eczema, and dryness often mirror stress, hormones, and emotional boundaries, this conversation reframes skincare as a relationship with self. You’ll hear how simple daily practices - like cleansing your face with intention, choosing products your body actually likes, and using your hands as a listening tool - can reconnect you to your intuition, support your lymph and nervous system, and restore a sense of nourishment that goes far beyond beauty standards. This episode is for anyone who’s tired of fighting their body, overwhelmed by skincare rules, or quietly longing to feel more at home in their own skin. In this episode, we explore: Why skin is a storyteller and early warning system The difference between routine and ritual How touch helps regulate the nervous system Skin as a boundary: what’s coming in, what’s ready to go Ayurvedic parallels to holistic skincare and abhyanga Why beauty deepens in community, not comparison If your skin has been asking for more kindness, more listening, and less fixing, this conversation is for you. Listen now and let your skin teach you. You can find Melanie and her amazing team at U Retreat in Victoria, on Instagram at SkinWisdoms
About Sister Science Stories
The Sister Science Podcast is a place where we talk about that sacred mind.body.spirit connection and how we can practice that in our day to day lives. We discuss lifestyle choices, mindset, patterns and beliefs. Creating a place where acknowledging our connectedness to each other, nature, and the divine is normalized and lived. We honour being deeply supported, confident, and in-tune with our our own remarkable wisdom. We promote taking radical responsibility for how you move, sleep, eat, and manage energy. Learning to trust in your intuition and the sacred mind-body-spirit connection as you embark on a transformational, healing journey.We talk about how there is an ebb and flow to our ability to do this. The challenges that set us back, the fear that creeps in as we learn to be in the uncomfortable space of learning, figuring it out, trusting ourselves in a new way. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Watch on YouTube.
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