The Holistically Correct Podcast
The Holistically Correct Podcast is a space for open, honest, and sometimes challenging conversations about holistic wellness. What actually works, what’s accessible, how do we come to these conclusions, and how do we sort through an internet full of confident opinions and very little clinical experience?
I’m Alicia Hawes, Holistic Health Practitioner, Clinical Herbalist and Ayurvedic Health Counselor. You will hear a lot about herbs, Ayurveda, yoga, TCM, because those are my primary modalities. We’ll also engage in conversations with practitioners across modalities who bring real experience to the table, not theory. Because holistic means the whole picture and I want to examine that picture from multiple angles.
I began podcasting because I got tired of watching people suffer with bad information and no real guidance. This podcast is my way of reaching the people I can't sit across from one-on-one, sharing what a decade of study and clinical work has taught me about how the body actually heals when you give it the right resources, treat yourself like an individual instead of an algorithm, and start paying attention to what your body specifically needs.
Real healing starts with awareness. How do you actually feel? Where are you really at? But it doesn't end there. It ends with you walking your daughter down the aisle. Playing with your grandkids. Making love to your partner. Chasing whatever version of happiness you've been putting off because you didn't feel well enough to go after it.
This show is direct, factual, and comes with a spirit of open-mindedness and collaboration. No limiting dogmas. No one-size-fits-all answers. No gatekeeping. Just experienced voices and real information, shared openly in the hopes of helping you to feel better naturally.
📅 Book a session with Alicia here ---> http://l.bttr.to/xtlny
📝 Take Alicia’s free mini wellness assessment
🌐 Website: holisticallycorrect.com
✉️ Email: holisticsolutions108@gmail.com
Alicia Peterson | Holistic Health Practitioner · Clinical Herbalist · Ayurvedic Health Counselor · Yoga Teacher
I spent most of my adult life being failed by the system that was supposed to help me. Twenty years ago, chronic pain from a faulty surgery left me barely able to move, and the only answer I got was pain pills… for life. After over a decade of dependence on and addiction to pain pills, I released the narcotics, and got my body back without a single prescription. I embraced yoga instead. That practice now spans 23 years and 12 years of teaching, with a focus on breath-work and body awareness. Yoga taught me the importance of listening to my body.
In 2016, it happened again. Tachycardia, nerve pain, insomnia, anxiety, unexplained weight loss. Doctors ran labs, said I was fine, sent me home. I was already deep into my clinical herbalism studies under KP Khalsa. While I waited three months for a cardiologist, I went to my herbalist. By the time that appointment rolled around, every symptom was gone.
That was the last time I hoped herbs might work. After that, I knew.
Herbalism became my primary clinical focus, and it still is. I've been studying plant medicine in clinical and academic settings since 2014, training across Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western herbalism. I still work with my mentor and colleagues to deepen my clinical knowledge, because this work doesn't stop evolving and neither should I.
Since 2021, I've been seeing clients professionally through my practice, Holistically Correct, where I help people find sustainable solutions to anxiety, depression, hormonal and reproductive health issues, autoimmune and thyroid disorders, diabetes, chronic pain, and recovery from treatments like chemotherapy and surgery. The ones who've been overlooked, disappointed, or told to just live with the stubborn chronic conditions that get dismissed as 'stress' or 'just getting older.' My approach pulls from multiple healing traditions because the right answer depends entirely on the person sitting in front of me. If one path doesn't fit your life, we find another one.
I don't do generic protocols. I don't boss people around. I listen, I ask questions, and I help you figure out what your body's been trying to tell you. You're your own best doctor. I'm just here to help you remember that.
I started podcasting because I got tired of watching people suffer with bad information and no real guidance. The podcast is my way of reaching the people I can't sit across from one-on-one, sharing what a decade of study and clinical work has taught me about how the body actually heals when you give it the right resources, treat yourself like an individual instead of an algorithm, and start paying attention to what your body specifically needs.
Real healing starts with awareness. How do you actually feel? Where are you really at? But it doesn't end there. It ends with you walking your daughter down the aisle. Playing with your grandkids. Making love to your partner. Chasing whatever version of happiness you've been putting off because you didn't feel well enough to go after it.
Episodes
Jun 28, 2026
Jun 28, 2026
1 hr 8 min
📅 Book a session with Me ----> http://l.bttr.to/xtlny
🌐 Website: holisticallycorrect.com
📬 CONTACT THE SHOW
Have questions, guest suggestions, or feedback? I'd love to hear from you.
✉️ HolisticallyCorrectPodcast@gmail.com
📝 Take Alicia’s free mini wellness assessmenthttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUB8qEphaxXjjylg2GwgIyLPqjuKnRdefILd5GKAS9TtbBWw/viewform
Anger as Information: The Physiology, Ayurveda, and Healthy Release
I took six weeks off. Between a full practice, a vacation, and some intense trauma work, I needed the space. What I came back with was this episode, because it turns out I had some things to say about anger.
Anger is one of those emotions that gets shoved under the rug in wellness circles. Meditate it away. Find compassion. Make a gratitude list. And look, I get the impulse. But your cortisol doesn't care how many times you reframe the situation. Your body is still keeping score.
In this episode I break down what anger actually does to you, starting with the amygdala hijack and working through the stress hormones, the inflammation, the dopamine loop that makes outrage feel as addictive as stimulants, and the long-term consequences when anger goes chronic or gets buried: cardiovascular damage, metabolic dysfunction, a shrinking hippocampus, and a nervous system that can't stop scanning for threats.
Then I bring in Ayurveda. Anger and pitta. Sadhaka pitta and what happens when it gets disturbed. Rakta dhatu. How the three gunas (rajas, tamas, sattva) shape whether your anger explodes, collapses, or becomes something you can actually use. I walk through the four instruments of the mind (manas, chitta, ahamkara, buddhi) and where spiritual bypass sneaks in disguised as growth.
And then we get practical. Self-inquiry prompts. Exercise as a discharge pathway. Screaming on the freeway. Beating your mattress with a pillow. Herbs that cool the heat and move the stagnation: chrysanthemum, sariva, burdock, bupleurum, and some honest talk about kava, including why it's not one to mess with on your own.
Anger isn't the enemy. Pretending you don't feel it is.
00:00 Welcome to Holistically Correct
00:49 Why I Went Quiet
01:47 Why Anger Matters
03:46 Anger Is Fear
04:35 Amygdala Hijack Explained
07:05 Prefrontal Cortex: The Wise Adult
09:08 When Anger Feels Good (Dopamine)
10:25 What Chronic Anger Does to Your Body
14:08 Why We Suppress It
16:46 Ayurveda and Pitta Fire
18:56 Three Gunas of Anger
24:33 Sattvic Anger in Practice
26:26 Safety First, Then Inquiry
30:11 The Inner Instruments of the Mind
31:00 Manas and Sensory Training
34:32 Chitta, Memory, and Mantra
36:00 Purifying Past Impressions
36:45 When Identity Blocks Anger
38:44 Devotion and Humility
39:56 Buddhi Turns Anger into Clarity
42:01 How the Four Instruments Work Together
42:45 My Anger Breakthrough
45:06 Exercise as Discharge
48:21 Screaming and Breathwork
51:34 Mattress Beating
55:10 Herbs for Hot Anger
55:16 Chrysanthemum
57:02 Sariva (Anantamul)
58:43 Burdock
59:59 Bupleurum
01:02:04 Kava: Safety and Use
01:04:38 Truth Over Bypass
01:06:35 What's Coming Next
May 3, 2026
May 3, 2026
1 hr 10 min
👇 LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK
🌿Special Guest: ALEX MUNDT
🌐 Website: wildalexherbs.com
📚 June 6th Digestion Webinar ---> wildalexherbs.com/modalities/classes/discover-your-digestive-system
🎙️ Your Host: ALICIA HAWES
📋 Book a New Client Assessment ---> l.bttr.to/xtlny
🌐 Website: holisticallycorrect.com
📬 CONTACT THE SHOW
Have questions, guest suggestions, or feedback? I'd love to hear from you.
✉️ HolisticallyCorrectPodcast@gmail.com
🎙️Check out my colleague, Lila's new, podcast here: Herbal (R)evolution
Everybody Poops: Ayurvedic Digestion, Stool Signs, and Herbal Support
Alicia Hawes welcomes master herbalist and nutritional therapist Alex Mundt to discuss how holistic care can fill gaps many people experience in conventional healthcare, using digestion as the starting point for better outcomes. Alex shares her background, why Ayurveda “hit home,” and why stool quality is a key indicator of imbalance and prevention, including how Kapha, Pitta, and Vata relate to the digestive tract. They outline what a “normal” bowel movement looks like, how digestion works from mouth to elimination, and how stress and mindset around food affect digestive function. The episode covers common digestive complaints, costs associated with IBS, and accessible starting remedies like CCF Tea, hing, trikatu, and triphala, plus practical cautions about self-treating chronic issues. Alex also announces a June 6 digestion webinar and both invite listeners to follow for deeper future conversations.
00:00 Welcome to Holistically Correct
00:49 Meet Alex Mut
01:30 Alex’s Ayurveda Journey
04:33 Why Digestion Matters
10:09 IBS Costs and Constipation Myths
15:38 What Normal Poop Looks Like
18:13 Gut and Nervous System Link
22:23 How Digestion Works
25:37 Alkaline Water and Stomach Acid
33:01 Agni and Digestive Fire Types
37:28 Balanced Digestive Fire
37:53 When Agni Goes Wrong
39:38 Gut Health By Numbers
40:42 Health Choices Compound
45:29 Mindset While Cooking
48:22 Gratitude And Rest Digest
51:20 Dosha Timing Troubleshoot
52:56 Herbs For Gas And Bloat
54:27 Period Pain Digestion Link
59:33 Hing And Downward Energy
01:02:12 Trikatu And Triphala Basics
01:06:30 Safety Notes And Wrap Up
Apr 19, 2026
Apr 19, 2026
51 min
📅 Book a session with Alicia ----> http://l.bttr.to/xtlny
🌐 Website: holisticallycorrect.com
📬 CONTACT THE SHOW
Have questions, guest suggestions, or feedback? I'd love to hear from you.
✉️ HolisticallyCorrectPodcast@gmail.com
📝 Take Alicia’s free mini wellness assessmenthttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUB8qEphaxXjjylg2GwgIyLPqjuKnRdefILd5GKAS9TtbBWw/viewform
Check out my colleague, Lila's new, podcast here: Herbal (R)evolution
In the first episode of Holistically Correct, Alicia Hawes reframes “the gap” in American healthcare as an insurance-driven problem, tracing the rise of utilization review and prior authorization from early risk-pooling plans to today’s routine delays and denials—sometimes even AI-driven—shifting decision-making away from doctors and burdening patients. She describes how shrinking reimbursements and growing administrative demands leave physicians with short visits, limited prevention, and little time for education or cross-specialist communication, while urgent care expands to fill access gaps through volume-based care. Alicia explains how holistic practitioners can bridge what insurance won’t fund—time, coaching, prevention, and whole-person pattern recognition—while still valuing doctors’ diagnostics and emergency care, and she invites more collaboration across modalities. Listeners are encouraged to assess whether their doctor truly listens, and to follow along for upcoming episodes, including one on digestion and Ayurveda.
00:00 Show Intro and Mission
00:56 Why Patients Still Feel Missing Pieces
03:41 Respecting Doctors While Seeing Limits
05:17 How Health Insurance Began
05:58 Old School Doctor Visits
08:07 Utilization Review Explained
09:29 Prior Authorization Takes Over
10:34 Real World Lab Denials and AI
13:15 Who Decides Medical Necessity
17:57 Doctors Trapped by Reimbursement
20:40 How Holistic Care Bridges the Gap
24:17 Why Labs Cost More With Insurance
27:05 Urgent Care Takes Over
27:24 Volume Based Incentives
28:39 UTI Case Study Fallout
29:51 Herbalism Fills The Gap
32:41 Time As The Missing Medicine
32:57 Seeing Whole Body Connections
35:30 Algorithmic Blind Spots
38:08 After Hours Reassurance
39:17 Bridging Practitioner Languages
42:06 Doctors Warming To Integrative Care
46:22 How To Tell If They Care
47:51 Wrap Up And Next
Apr 5, 2026
Apr 5, 2026
15 min
In this intro episode, Alicia Hawes shares the lived experience that shaped her into a clinical herbalist and Ayurvedic health counselor—from surviving spinal meningitis as a baby, to a childhood of poverty and limited care, to a major scoliosis surgery that left decades of pain, misdiagnosis, and years on hydrocodone before getting sober and finding a better way. She explains how chronic health challenges pushed her into formal herbalism training in 2014, how she now runs a telehealth practice for people who feel dismissed by conventional care, and why this new show carries the same edge and honesty as Herbalism Uncensored—just with room for deeper dives and new guest voices. Expect real talk on women’s health, chronic pain, autoimmunity, trauma recovery, detox myths, parasites, herbs, and Ayurveda, with the first full episode dropping April 19 on “filling the gap.”
📅 Book a session with Aliciahttp://l.bttr.to/xtlny
📝 Take Alicia’s free mini wellness assessmenthttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUB8qEphaxXjjylg2GwgIyLPqjuKnRdefILd5GKAS9TtbBWw/viewform
🌐 Website: holisticallycorrect.com✉️ Email: holisticsolutions108@gmail.com
n this introduction to The Holistically Correct podcast, clinical herbalist and Ayurvedic health counselor Alicia Hawes shares the personal health journey that led her into holistic care—surviving spinal meningitis as an infant, living with long-term effects of scoliosis surgery, years of chronic pain management with hydrocodone and muscle relaxers, and a misdiagnosis that resulted in unnecessary hormone therapy. She explains how those experiences pushed her to find better solutions and why she now runs a telehealth practice for results-oriented clients who’ve felt dismissed by conventional care. Alicia outlines the show’s mission: honest, practitioner-level conversations that “fill the gap” conventional medicine often can’t, through time, listening, and personalization. Expect guest interviews and solo deep dives on women’s health, chronic pain, autoimmunity, trauma, herbs, Ayurveda, detox misconceptions, and parasites, with the first full episode dropping April 19.
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
00:09 Why I Do This
00:30 Childhood Illness and Poverty
01:25 Scoliosis Surgery Fallout
03:00 Misdiagnosis and Hormones
04:18 Breaking Free from Opioids
05:20 Finding a Better Way
06:00 Credentials and Clinical Work
07:05 Yoga and Whole Person Health
08:30 Herbalism Uncensored Origins
10:16 Courageous Wellness Conversations
11:10 What to Expect on This Show
11:53 Topics and Listener Requests
13:34 First Episode and The Gap
15:18 Wrap Up and Where to Follow