Hidden Influences: Are Your Health Choices Really Yours? with Mike Vera

Finding Your Fierce

Carolyn sits down with Mike Vera to discuss how values shape our health choices, often without us realizing. Mike wants you to question what you think you know about health and explore how unseen influences, from societal norms to corporate messaging, can steer your decisions. Together, they talk about the importance of self-advocacy, why it’s crucial to develop a healthy sense of skepticism, and how aligning choices with core values can lead to genuine empowerment. This conversation goes beyond surface-level advice, inviting you to ask harder questions, take ownership, and navigate your health journey with purpose.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 - Unpacking Core Values and Their Origins
• 00:01:00 - Opening Remarks and the Quest for Fierceness
• 00:01:17 - Breaking Norms: Mike’s Journey Begins
• 00:03:39 - Health Under the Lens of Propaganda
• 00:06:24 - Motivation and Influence
• 00:13:04 - How Values Steer Health Decisions
• 00:17:17 - Making Sense of Health Choices
• 00:22:20 - Embracing Skepticism
• 00:23:12 - Self-Advocacy as a Path to Growth
• 00:24:56 - Handling Conflicting Information
• 00:28:42 - Aligning Daily Actions with Core Beliefs
• 00:31:46 - The Call to Challenge Healthcare Norms
• 00:32:46 - Guiding Families to Ask the Right Questions
• 00:36:50 - Striking a Balance: Expertise vs. Choice
• 00:39:17 - Reflecting on Empowerment and Final Thoughts

Links and Resources

• Mike Vera
• Mike on LinkedIn
• Healthy and Awake Podcast
• Healthy and Awake Podcast on YouTube
• Avantia Health Optimization

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Finding Your Fierce? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!