The Functional Aesthetician – Details, episodes & analysis

Samantha sits down with microbiologist Kiran Krishnan to break down one of the most under-taught topics in skincare: the skin microbiome and its direct connection to gut health. 

Kiran spent over a decade pioneering gut microbiome research before turning his focus to the skin, and what he shares will change how you think about acne, skin sensitivity, and aging skin for good.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why the skin's pH balance are entirely dependent on microbes not products
• How "controlled damage" treatments (like microneedling and peels) only work if the skin is functioning properly
• The three ways the gut directly impacts skin health
• Why standard acne treatments and long-term antibiotics fail to address the root cause
• How dysfunctional gut health can trigger autoimmune-like skin responses
• Why pediatric eczema is so poorly managed and what helps repair the skin barrier
• The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging linking skin health to osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's risk
• Why pairing with functional medicine doctors and nutritionists can help estheticians work around scope-of-practice limitations

This episode is essential listening for any esthetician or client who wants to understand why topical treatments alone fall short, and what's really going on beneath the surface.

Connect with Kiran:

Website

Instagram

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging Overview

If you've been pushing harder in your workouts but seeing fewer results, this episode is for you. This week I'm joined by Katie, a fitness professional and host of the Wellness After 40 podcast, to break down exactly why exercise needs to change in your 40s, and what to do instead.

We're talking about the real reason HIIT workouts can backfire during perimenopause, why cortisol and insulin resistance make certain workouts work against your goals, and the specific fitness shifts that support your hormones instead of stressing them further.

Katie also shares her simple framework for choosing workouts that fit your life, plus her full weekly movement recipe for women navigating midlife hormonal changes.

Whether you're a devoted HIIT class-goer or just starting to wonder if your current routine is serving you, this conversation will completely shift how you think about movement after 40.

➡️ In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why HIIT workouts can spike cortisol and stall fat loss in perimenopause
• The three types of movement every woman over 40 needs in her weekly routine
• Why recovery is as important as the workout itself
• The truth about cold plunging for women 
• Why walking is more powerful than most women realize
• How to start strength training if you've never done it, and why heavy weights matter

➡️ Connect with Katie

Website

Instagram

Listen to Katie's Podcast: Wellness After 40

Are you struggling with chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalance, or PCOS and feel like nothing you try is actually working? 

In this episode of The Functional Aesthetician, I sit down with Dr. Jaday Garcia, board certified doctor of natural medicine, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of MindBodyRestored to talk about the root cause healing approach that conventional medicine keeps missing.

Dr. Garcia shares her personal journey navigating PCOS, PMDD, chronic migraines, and chronic fatigue after years of being handed prescriptions with no real answers. 

Her story is one every woman dealing with hormonal imbalance will recognize.

We dig into why nervous system healing is the missing piece for women with chronic fatigue, PCOS symptoms, and gut health issues, and why your body literally cannot heal when it's stuck in fight or flight mode. 

If you've been told it's just perimenopause, or that your labs are "normal," this episode is for you.

Dr. Garcia also opens up about her daughter's PANS and PANDAS diagnosis, what finally worked after years of dismissal, and why functional medicine for women goes so much deeper than standard bloodwork.

In this episode we cover nervous system regulation, gut health and hormone connection, insulin resistance in women, and why root cause healing requires treating the whole body, not just the symptoms.

Whether you're dealing with PCOS, chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, hormone imbalance, or you just know something is off and can't get answers, this conversation will give you clarity on where to start.

➡️ In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why you cannot heal if your nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight no matter what supplements or protocols you follow
• The truth about PCOS: it goes way beyond hormones, facial hair, and fertility 
• PANS/PANDAS diagnosis can go unrecognized for years
• The insulin resistance connection that most women are completely missing
• Why the perimenopause label is being handed out too soon
• Functional testing vs. standard bloodwork: why knowing how to read results matters more than the test itself
• The one free, simple morning habit Dr. Garcia recommends to start calming your nervous system today

Connect with Dr. Jaday

Website

Instagram

Dr. Garcia's Free Nervous System Regulation Guide

This week, Samantha shares a full recap of her first-ever experience at the Skin Games in Dallas. From speaking on the holistic skin panel to connecting with some of the most inspiring aestheticians in the industry, this episode is equal parts behind-the-scenes and big-picture.

Samantha shares what she witnessed, what she's building next, and why stepping outside your comfort zone is still the fastest path to growth, personally and professionally.

Plus, she's announcing something brand new: the Inside Out Jumpstart, a 30-day functional medicine entry point built specifically for the woman who's not quite ready to commit to a full program but is absolutely ready for real answers. 

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The Skin Games isn't your typical trade show, it's an intimate, community-driven competition where the people changing the industry show up in person
• Aestheticians are hungry for holistic skin knowledge is leaving a gap that needs to be filled
• Stepping outside your comfort zone, even when it's scary, is where the real connections and growth happen
• Samantha is developing holistic skin education for aestheticians, rooted in the gut-skin connection
• The Inside Out Jumpstart is a 30-day functional medicine program with a full intake, personalized protocol, lab guidance, and a follow-up session.
• DM JUMPSTART on Instagram to grab a spot 

Ready to stop guessing and start getting answers? DM JUMPSTART on Instagram. 

➡️ And if this episode resonated with you, subscribe and leave a review, it helps the right women find this podcast.

What if your eczema, psoriasis, gut issues, fatigue, or chronic inflammation aren’t random at all, but signals from a nervous system that’s been stuck in survival mode?

In this episode of The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, Samantha Dench sits down with holistic health coach and alternative health practitioner Sabrina Hall to unpack the deeper connection between nervous system dysregulation, systemic inflammation, and chronic skin and body symptoms.

Sabrina shares her personal healing journey through eczema, IBS, celiac disease, lymphatic congestion, and autoimmune patterns, and how that experience led her to a whole-body approach that goes far beyond symptom management. 

You’ll understand why so many women ignore the early whispers from their bodies, how limiting beliefs and chronic stress keep the body inflamed, and why true healing has to start with creating safety in the system.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that your skin is not betraying you, it’s communicating with you.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The link between chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, and inflammation
• Why symptoms like eczema, psoriasis, headaches, gut issues, and fatigue are often deeper messengers
• How women get stuck in patterns of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-neglect
• Why healing the body requires more than topical solutions and quick fixes
• The role of the gut, lymphatic system, immune system, and detox pathways in skin healing
• How nervous system support can become the foundation for long-term healing

If you’ve been trying to heal your skin from the outside in, this episode will help you start looking deeper.

➡️ Connect with Sabrina

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Join Sabrina’s Facebook community for women with eczema & psoriasis

Free e-book: Beyond The Cream

Sabrina's Monthly Masterclass

What if your bloating, fatigue, headaches, brain fog, and skin flare-ups were actually early warning signs of chronic inflammation?

In this episode of The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, Samantha Dench sits down with naturopathic doctor Elizabeth Yarnell to break down what inflammation really is, how it shows up in the body and skin, and why most people miss the signals until symptoms become impossible to ignore.

Elizabeth shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 29, losing vision in one eye, and being told her condition would only worsen. That diagnosis pushed her to explore the powerful connection between food, inflammation, and autoimmune disease, ultimately transforming her health and her career.

Together, Samantha and Elizabeth discuss the difference between acute vs. chronic inflammation, how inflammation shows up in the skin, gut, and brain, and the hidden triggers that may be keeping your body stuck in an inflammatory cycle.

If you’ve ever wondered why symptoms like bloating, acne, fatigue, joint pain, or brain fog keep showing up, this episode will help you connect the dots.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What chronic inflammation actually is (and why it's often misunderstood)
• The difference between acute inflammation vs chronic inflammation
• How inflammation shows up in the skin, gut, brain, and joints
• The connection between leaky gut and chronic inflammation
• Hidden inflammatory triggers in foods and everyday products
• Why symptoms like bloating, headaches, fatigue, and acne shouldn’t be ignored
• Simple first steps to begin reducing inflammation naturally

➡️ Connect with Elizabeth

Website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIN

Listen to Elizabeth's Podcast

Take her Inflammation Quiz

Your labs are “normal.”

Yet you’re exhausted, inflamed, bloated, and don’t feel like yourself.

What if hormones aren’t the real problem… but a downstream symptom of something deeper?

In this episode of The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we sit down with functional medicine practitioner and aesthetician, Heidi Cooper, to unpack why so many women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s experience fatigue, weight gain, skin flare-ups, and hormone imbalance symptoms, even when bloodwork looks “normal.”

We talk about the difference between conventional and functional medicine, and why standard lab ranges often miss early dysfunction. 

You’ll learn how chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, cellular inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gut health imbalances can disrupt hormone signaling and leave you feeling off.

If you’ve been told your thyroid is fine, your hormones are fine, and everything looks normal, but you know something isn’t right, this episode will help you understand the root cause healing approach and why symptom management isn’t the same as true restoration.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why “normal labs” don’t always mean optimal health
• The connection between stress, your nervous system and hormone imbalance
• How inflammation impacts skin health from the inside out
• Why mitochondrial dysfunction may be driving your fatigue
• Simple foundational steps to begin regulating your nervous system

If you’re looking for answers beyond medications, injections, or quick fixes, this conversation is for you.

➡️ Connect with Heidi

Website

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Take Heidi's Cellular Damage Quiz

In this episode of The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we sit down with licensed esthetician and founder of LBH Skincare, Heather Reay, to break down the truth about the skin barrier.

We discuss signs of barrier disruption. Heather explains the difference between clinical skincare and over-the-counter formulations, how low pH and proper exfoliation support skin regulation, and why layering multiple actives may be dysregulating your skin.

We also address the growing trend of tweens using corrective skincare and why young skin does not need aggressive active ingredients.

If you’re overwhelmed by skincare trends or struggling with persistent skin issues, this episode brings the focus back to simplicity, barrier health, and long-term skin function.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What the skin barrier actually does
• Why low pH cleansing matters
• The difference between professional-grade and over-the-counter skincare
• How active percentages impact results
• Proper exfoliation techniques
• The danger of layering multiple serums
• Social media influencer misinformation
• Why tweens and children don’t need corrective skincare

Heather explains her philosophy behind simplified routines: gentle cleansing, proper exfoliation, appropriate lipid support, and sun protection.

If you’ve been “attacking” your skin hoping for results, this episode will help you rethink your approach.

➡️ Connect with Heather

Website

Instagram

LinkedIN

If you’ve been treating your eczema with creams, prescriptions, and elimination diets, but it keeps coming back, this episode will change how you see your skin. 

Eczema isn’t just a surface issue. It’s a signal from your gut, nervous system, and immune system that something deeper needs attention.

In this episode, I’m joined by functional nutritionist Krista Harcus to unpack the root causes of eczema and why true healing starts inside the body.

We talk about the gut-skin connection, microbiome health, nervous system regulation, stress, hormones, and why steroid creams and restrictive diets often miss the bigger picture. 

If you’ve tried every topical product and still feel frustrated, this episode will help you understand how to calm inflammation, heal leaky gut, and support your skin naturally, from the inside out.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why eczema is not just a skin condition but a systemic issue
• The gut–skin connection and how leaky gut drives inflammation
• How the microbiome impacts eczema and psoriasis flares
• Why restrictive diets can increase stress and worsen symptoms
• The placebo vs. nocebo effect and how mindset influences healing
• The Hierarchy of Healing: Nervous System → Gut → Hormones → Skin
• How cortisol, stress, and trauma affect chronic skin conditions
• Simple first steps: dairy, gluten, sugar, and processed food swaps
• Why steroid creams may suppress symptoms but delay true healing

➡️ Connect with Krysta

Instagram 

YouTube 

5 Step Emergency Flareup Protocol 

If your body feels stuck in stress mode, it could be a nervous system issue.

In this episode, our special guest, Brenda Mundt, talks about how breathwork regulates the nervous system, influences cortisol, and helps bring the body back into balance. She explains why most people have shallow breathing, which keeps you in a state of stress, and how intentional breathing can signal calm and safety to the body.

We also discuss how trauma, sometimes passed down through generations, can live in the nervous system and shape how the body responds today. 

This conversation is about understanding stress at its root and learning how to support real regulation, not just temporary relief.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How breathing directly impact nervous system regulation
• The connection between breath, cortisol, and chronic stress
• How breathwork helps restore balance and release
• How trauma and generational stress are stored in the nervous system
• Why regulation starts with the body, not more effort

Connect wtih Brenda:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Podcast