Changing Seasons: Ayurveda, Women’s Health, Menopause & Food as Medicine – Details, episodes & analysis

Today Jody welcomes whole-food chef and cookbook author Holly Davis to Changing Seasons podcast to discuss Food as Medicine. 

We speak about how Holly discovered macrobiotics at the age of 14 and how it continues to influence how she cooks and prepares food to this day. Holly shares about how she used to be a macrobiotic zealot and these days her approach to food is much more about respect and the nourishment and joy we can get from sharing food we have prepared with those we love.

We discuss Holly's passion for fermentation and that she has more of a learn as you go attitude to cooking than being caught up in the science.

Connect With Holly:

https://www.foodbyhollydavis.com/

Join Jody's Japanese Food Tour

October 21st - November 1st, 2025.

https://www.jodyvassallo.com/food-yoga-tour-of-japan

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Credits:
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Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody talks about how Ayurveda looks at digestion and how we can learn what foods are best suited for the different body types and their relevant doshas.

Digestive fire or agni is dependent on a range of things, the food we consumed yesterday and how it was broken down, our prana, sleep and lifestyle choices. When digestive fire it can not only impact our digestive system, it can lead to a change in our mood and our behaviour.

Jody discusses the six tastes and the elements that make up each taste and how each one of the six tastes impacts the doshas. 

Download PDF: Ayurvedic Six Tastes 

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Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

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Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

In today's episode Jody explores how the changing seasons of the year impact each of the different Doshas. 

Ayurveda says that we need to protect our bodies around the junctions of the seasons and we discuss how Vata types need to take extra care in the transition from Summer to Autumn. Kapha from Winter into Spring and pitta from Spring into Summer.

Jody then discusses the different seasons of life - Kapha 0-18yrs, Pitta 18-45 yrs and Kapha 45-death and speaks about how each of these life seasons impacts the constitutions.

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Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Dr Jimi Wollumbin returns to chat with Jody about the distressing state of male fertility across the globe. Jimi shares disturbing research figures on the declining rates of male fertility across all age groups of men.

We speak about the negative impact that increased exposure to toxic substances in our environment is having on male sperm count, sperm motility and testosterone levels.

A man with low testerone will struggle with how they interact with women and also how they see themselves. JImi stresses that we have had the role of testosterone in the male body all wrong, for years it was believed that increased testosterone led to aggression in men and now those findings have been debunked and we are realising that men and boys need testosterone for both their physical and mental health.

Jimi highlights the mental health crisis facing men of all ages and how that matters when it comes to fertility. This conversation is important listening for everyone, as men struggle to be understood by women and find their place in the world. 

We touch on Jimi's new online course The Unwounded Warrior that is designed to help men reconnect with their physical and soulful vitality as a man. This course will empower men and deepen their understanding of men's health, wellness and wisdom.

How to connect with Dr Jimi:

Registrations - The Unwounded Warrior

Instagram: @drjimiwollumbin

Website & Newsletter:

https://www.doctorjimi.com/

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Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody is speaking about the psychological characteristics of the Ayurvedic constitutions (doshas) Vata, Pitta, Kapha. 

The intention of this episode is to help listeners understand why they behave in the way they do. Jody talks about how the different elements - air, space, fire, water and earth can impact how we live our lives, make the choices we make and find it difficult to break out of unhealthy patterns.

Each constitution has its strengths and challenges and often people can take the characteristics of their constitution personally and tell themselves there is something wrong with them that needs fixing.

After many years working with Ayurvedic clients Jody has come to see that by helping clients understand their innate nature she can support them to make sustainable desired changes. 

Understanding themselves through the lens of Ayurveda allows people to have more compassion for themselves about perhaps some tasks are harder to start, why time is so difficult to manage, why they are so impatient with themselves and why letting go of unhealthy relationships is more difficult for some people.

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Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody speaks about her personal failed fertility journey. 

After realising in her mid-forties that she may not meet the man of her dreams and have a family she embarked on a solo mission to have a child. 

She chose to start with sperm donorship. Approaching male friends first to see if they may be open to donation, after coming to a dead end there she moved onto the internet and interviewed many doctors before finding an anaesthetist who agreed to help her. Failing there she ended up in a fertility clinic where she tried IUI then IVF.

Jody talks vulnerably about how difficult she found the whole IVF process and the surprise she felt about the effects the hormones had on her relationship with her body.

After several years of failed attempts Jody came to the realisation that becoming a mother would not be a reality for her this time around. She reveals how she dealt with the grief and isolation she experienced following this.

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Support the Show:
Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody talks to nutritionist, actor and presenter Lola Berry about her and her partner Matt's decision to freeze her embryos instead of eggs. Their choice to delay having a family came after Lola chose to leave her life in Australia to pursue her dream career in acting and presenting in Los Angeles.

Lola is honest and totally open about the IVF process, the harvesting of the egg and the agonising days after the eggs are fertilised where Lola discovered that not all embryos will survive or be considered viable for freezing.

Mental health was something Lola was vigilant about throughout the entire egg cultivation process and she stresses that she believes anyone embarking on the IVF journey would benefit from the support of a mental health professional. Lola highlights how valuable her good friends were during the process, they listened and gave her information she needed. She talks about how she felt she made a mistake sharing her process in real time on social media as it put her in a situation where she was dealing with other people's experiences when she needed to be focused on her own.

Anyone who is considering freezing their eggs would benefit from the step by step description that Lola offers in this episode. She shares vulnerably and authentically about the parts she found difficult and the pieces that caught her by surprise and how she at times needed emergency appointments with her therapists to cope with the choice she had made.

How to connect with Lola:

Instagram: @yummololaberry

Podcast: Fearlessly Failing

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Support the Show:
Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Catie Gett returns to discuss her ongoing experience with HRT. Catie speaks about how HRT is not a fix all and that women need to monitor its efficacy and communicate their symptoms with their doctor. Up until now Catie has been using patches and she is considering changing to a hormone cream or Mirena as she is starting to experience a return in her anxiety.

We cover plenty of ground in this conversation, revisiting how essential it is to monitor our exposure to stress in perimenopause as it can impact the adrenals ability to produce estrogen and progesterone if we don't, Catie highlights the joy that she has found in  perimenopause from being able to focus on herself and pull back from needing to take care of everyone else.

This is a wonderful episode for anyone who is considering HRT and is wanting to hear from a naturopath with lived experience of navigating the path.

Connect with Catie:

Website:  

thestaplestore.com.au

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Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody speaks with Myra Lewin, founder of Hale Pule about the power of Agni (digestive fire) and how by healing our digestion we can bring our hormones into balance and also change our bodies.

We cover many topics in this episode starting with our dosha and the difference between our Prakriti (constitution) and Vikriti (imbalance) and how important it is to be aware of how our bodies are feeling everyday, after we eat, move and exercise. 

Myra speaks about overeating and the negative impact it had on her own health which eventually led to a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis that she has now healed from by strengthening her agni and improving her digestive system.

We speak about the Food Lists and how they can lead to disordered eating and people not listening to their bodies.

Recently protein has become a focus in women's diets and Myra explains why this can be problematic and how it can elevate Pitta (fire) in the body.

So many great takeaways for everyone in this episode and plenty of inspiration to nourish your digestive system by eating the right food for the season in the appropriate quantities to help optimise your health.

Instagram:

@hale_pule

Podcast

Everyday Ayurveda and Yoga at Hale Pule

Website:

halepule.com

Agni Therapy Program

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Support the Show:
Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.

Today Jody speaks to Ayurvedic Practitioner Christina Covington about how we can use Ayurveda to find beauty in the menopausal journey. We discuss the importance and value in having a regular self care routine (Dinacharya) and how the practice of Abyhanga (self-massage) can bring calming and softening to the body and spirit.

Christina describes a gentle morning practice that women can do to welcome in the elements and emphasizes the importance of slowing down and letting go of old ways of doing life.

Website:

https://www.embodyedayurveda.com/

10 Day Re-alignment & Ama (toxin) cleanse - Book Here

May 11th-20th, 2025

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Contact • https://www.jodyvassallo.com/contact

Support the Show:
Leave a review on Apple • https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/changing-seasons-podcast/id1757970211

Credits:
Host: Jody Vassallo
Production: Sovereign Creator • https://sovereigncreator.io

© Changing Seasons. All rights reserved.